budbandit
Well-known member
This is shaping up to be a stellar year for the Sausage Creature on the hill and if this weekend is any indication it is going to be a bumper crop. For example, two brief trips to the hill Saturday, big cruiser wipeout by the hairpin on the back side of 9 on the first, on the second a sportbike rider, seemed to have fucked himself up reasonable well in the process of wadding just outside of Saratoga - not clear if the car stopped was involved or just a witness.
Sunday morning a young rider was stopped in the woods next to his dead 250 Rat Ninja, mechanical, not a crash and dude did not want a lift. OK, whatever, seemed cold to me though. J
ust a little bit later, descending back into Saratoga at the right hand hairpin with the new wall I found myself suprised and delighted to find that some asshole in grey textiles on a golden yellow Triumph 1050 Tiger decided that the blind hairpin was a good place to pass a car - he was going up and I was going down. Nothing like realizing that my random decision to chill and take an inside line rather than rail a late apex had paid off with extend play and contintued life. Kamikaze #1 - swing and a miss.
Usually tend to let things go as I have done all sorts of fucktard asshattery in my day, but upon reflection figured that a discussion of the merits of passing cars in blind corners was in order. Lo and behold, said asshat is chilling in the punkin' patch with his friend on the SV. Guess he was able to catch up, good deal, as both his life and mine were less important to Tiger Pilot than catching up with his friend. Friend could not see why I took offense to such, so I told him to fuck off. Told Tiger pilot that it was but for the grace of god that we were having a parking lot confrontation and not a casket race and he replied back with some lame spew about how he looked first and it was cool.
Not sure how one sees thru a blind corner and determines it is good to pass but he is probably has better judgement and a richer skillset than I do. On the other hand, it could be that he suffers from Fucktard Metacognitive Deficit whereby someone who is a fucktard is not aware of the situation and has not the CPU required for insight. On the way off the hill it looked like another mechanical and in a different location looked like some guy on a group ride wadded. Pretty busy morning.
Later in the day, it being a fine and pleasant one, I drag the wife out for a ride in my little bitch car, an old Miata, which is pretty much the best and most enjoyable car I have ever owned but slow. We are just chilling, going up the hill just outside of Saratoga. Group ride comes down the hill, these are often scary, specially midpack where guys who are not good enough to run at the front and not smart enough to run in the back often struggle too hard to keep up. Oh, hey, my favorite theme - the vital importance of keeping up with your friends!
Anyway, we are in the slow stuff, just chilling when some clueless fuck on a Harley or Harley-like vehicle with out of state, perhaps Oregon plates, decides it is a good time to completely lose control, which puts him in my lane aimed roughly at a spot midway between wife and myself. Figure I need to do something and get on the brakes to decrease the delta regardless and watch the rider, who cannot seem to decide if he wants to go right or left or what. Seeing that this fucker is both indecisive and completely out of control I just stop and let him decide if he is going to ram. Fortunately he runs out of speed before he runs out of road and disaster, a trip to the hospital for the rider, a new Miata for me and much trauma for the wife are averted. Wife remains freaked out, hammering home the lesson that trauma is often imposed on those involved in crashes who are not injured. Kamikaze #2 - swing and a miss.
So, long and short of it is that no matter how safe or good you may be or think you may be, if you ride places like the Santa Cruz mountains, there is a very real chance that someone may in the best Klingon tradition decide that "perhaps today is a good day to die" and folks like that don't seem to mind taking others with them. Have fun but manage your risk and please don't include me or others should you feel the need to feed yourself to the sausage creature.
Anyone got any good stories about carnage on the hill, witnessed, joined or caused?
Sunday morning a young rider was stopped in the woods next to his dead 250 Rat Ninja, mechanical, not a crash and dude did not want a lift. OK, whatever, seemed cold to me though. J
ust a little bit later, descending back into Saratoga at the right hand hairpin with the new wall I found myself suprised and delighted to find that some asshole in grey textiles on a golden yellow Triumph 1050 Tiger decided that the blind hairpin was a good place to pass a car - he was going up and I was going down. Nothing like realizing that my random decision to chill and take an inside line rather than rail a late apex had paid off with extend play and contintued life. Kamikaze #1 - swing and a miss.
Usually tend to let things go as I have done all sorts of fucktard asshattery in my day, but upon reflection figured that a discussion of the merits of passing cars in blind corners was in order. Lo and behold, said asshat is chilling in the punkin' patch with his friend on the SV. Guess he was able to catch up, good deal, as both his life and mine were less important to Tiger Pilot than catching up with his friend. Friend could not see why I took offense to such, so I told him to fuck off. Told Tiger pilot that it was but for the grace of god that we were having a parking lot confrontation and not a casket race and he replied back with some lame spew about how he looked first and it was cool.
Not sure how one sees thru a blind corner and determines it is good to pass but he is probably has better judgement and a richer skillset than I do. On the other hand, it could be that he suffers from Fucktard Metacognitive Deficit whereby someone who is a fucktard is not aware of the situation and has not the CPU required for insight. On the way off the hill it looked like another mechanical and in a different location looked like some guy on a group ride wadded. Pretty busy morning.
Later in the day, it being a fine and pleasant one, I drag the wife out for a ride in my little bitch car, an old Miata, which is pretty much the best and most enjoyable car I have ever owned but slow. We are just chilling, going up the hill just outside of Saratoga. Group ride comes down the hill, these are often scary, specially midpack where guys who are not good enough to run at the front and not smart enough to run in the back often struggle too hard to keep up. Oh, hey, my favorite theme - the vital importance of keeping up with your friends!
Anyway, we are in the slow stuff, just chilling when some clueless fuck on a Harley or Harley-like vehicle with out of state, perhaps Oregon plates, decides it is a good time to completely lose control, which puts him in my lane aimed roughly at a spot midway between wife and myself. Figure I need to do something and get on the brakes to decrease the delta regardless and watch the rider, who cannot seem to decide if he wants to go right or left or what. Seeing that this fucker is both indecisive and completely out of control I just stop and let him decide if he is going to ram. Fortunately he runs out of speed before he runs out of road and disaster, a trip to the hospital for the rider, a new Miata for me and much trauma for the wife are averted. Wife remains freaked out, hammering home the lesson that trauma is often imposed on those involved in crashes who are not injured. Kamikaze #2 - swing and a miss.
So, long and short of it is that no matter how safe or good you may be or think you may be, if you ride places like the Santa Cruz mountains, there is a very real chance that someone may in the best Klingon tradition decide that "perhaps today is a good day to die" and folks like that don't seem to mind taking others with them. Have fun but manage your risk and please don't include me or others should you feel the need to feed yourself to the sausage creature.
Anyone got any good stories about carnage on the hill, witnessed, joined or caused?
. Seriously though glad you and your wife were not hurt. Thats why I tend to avoid that area during the weekend 9,35,84, Pescadero all of it. They are awesome during the week during non commute hours.
