TRAVERSE 7
EDITORIAL
TRAVERSE :
All The Gear ...
Arecent ride in the South American country of Colombia ( see features in this issue ) had an impact that I hope will one day leave me .
Colombia has a diverse riding community , small commuter bikes to high powered sports bikes , why wouldn ’ t it , it has some of the best riding roads in the world , and perhaps there lies the problem . The roads , as good as any racetrack , is a magnet for riders , and often pillions , to ride beyond their capabilities all whilst wearing nothing more than shorts , singlets and often extraordinarily little more .
Now I won ’ t go on about All The Gear , All The Time , sheesh , I ’ m guilty of not adhering to the philosophy all of the time but something happened on a main Colombian road that started me thinking about it .
A rider and his pillion had come off , it looked like a lowside on a fast righthander . I never saw the rider but as the traffic stopped I was faced with the female pillion being stretchered out of a culvert on the roadside . Her shorts and singlet , of course , offered no protection , patches of her flesh were visible , and
I can only assume she was wearing an open face helmet if at all , as parts of her face didn ’ t look great , her jaw seemed to have been ground down on one side , her right forehead was a bloody mess .
Her screams were chilling and will live with me a lifetime , but nothing to a life of pain and scars should she even survive the ordeal .
I ’ ll certainly reconsidered my approach to ATGATT , I hope the riders of Colombia will too , it ’ s a small price to pay if protecting a beautiful face and a precious life ...
Leigh
TRAVERSE 7