The CRRG is now in its 10th year. Hard to believe that it was way back in 2009 when it all started. And there were only a handful of members then - Paul C, Derek, Mark H and myself to begin with. But we were quickly joined by the Road Racing followers and a few more riders. And we thought back then that Trim or Mullingar or Wicklow town were far spins !!!
We have had an incredible 93 riders join us for spins in those 10 years. But I wonder how many of the current 2019 members will remember the following ex-members ???
2009
Gary L. - rode a Suzuki GSX650F before changing to a lovely black Honda VFR800. Loved getting out and came on about a dozen spins until he stopped in 2013. Now has a Kawasaki Z1000SX but he can't be tempted to come out again.
Sam Kelly - rode a Repsol Fireblade (or "Respol") as he called it! Very funny guy and loved the road racing. Excellent on the bike. Family life and grandkids put an end to his motorcycling days, sadly.
Alan Marrey - A quiet man who also rode a Fireblade (red) and a good mate of Sam's and a fellow road racing fan. Great on the bike too and especially around corners !! I'll always remember a spin down the N81 with him behind me as the 2 Fireblades sped towards Tullow. He didn't get time to come out with us very often as his kids (and himself) were big into rugby.
2010
Kevin Delaney - another mate of Sam and Alan Marrey from the road racing supporters. Rode a Fireblade too before switching to a Gixxer 1000. Nice bloke and mad as a hatter !! I'll always remember the day he came with us to Abbeyshrule and you could see the actual threads showing through in his back tyre but he was still hoofing along!
Pat O'Connell - not sure who introduced Pat. Rode an older VFR 800 (red one first, then had a green one) before buying a brand new Kawasaki Z900. Was a fairly regular rider for the year or so that he stayed in the group. Never found out what became of him.
2011
Silvio Bulai - rode a Yamaha R1. Talk about crazy - he was popping wheelies all over the place! Thankfully, for his own and the group's safety, he decided to stick to the race track and bought a track bike instead. Nice bloke and he enjoyed the few trips that he joined us for and overcame his fear of birds !!
Dermot & Claire - a very popular and well-liked couple on their silver Honda Pan European. Hardly ever missed a spin. Dermot was a good laugh and Claire was a real "chatterbox". Unfortunately, they stopped coming out after the France trip. A big loss to the CRRG.
2012
Dave Iremonger - one of my favourite riders. Met him while going over the hills behind Carlingford. Nice, quiet man who was even more into bikes than me !!! He rode an older BMW GS1000 and then a string of other bikes including an old KTM Adventure. Loved heading off on long bike trips on his own or with a couple of mates. He was to go on a trip with a few of the CRRG lads (Gordon and Mick maybe?). The biggest breakfast we had ever been served was arranged by Dave - his ex-wife worked in a bar/café in Kingscourt and we stopped there one morning. Nobody could finish it and it was "doggie-bags" all round. Unfortunately, work took him to the UK.
The Doyle brothers! Mark and Jason were enthusiastic members and regular riders at first. That was before Mark got into feckin Landrovers and Jason's business went through a rough patch. Jason sold his beloved Triumph Tiger 1050 but later picked up an older Tiger for a steal! Mark still makes the odd appearance on his red BMW R1200GS and has a great, dry sense of humour. If there's an overnight with drink involved, he'll be there!!!
Rob - a mate of Mark H and rode a few different older bikes (until they broke down). . Between having a young family and studying, he didn't get out too often. Nice bloke and enjoyed the trips whenever he got the chance.
Marco - the CRRG's first Italian rider!!! He arrived on a fab BMW S1000RR. Excellent on the bike too and could handle it. In typical Italian form, he regularly turned up on a freezing cold, damp moring in a tailored fit light leather jacket and jeans !!! He was a regular rider for a number of years until his work took him back to Italy. He came back from Italy with a practically new Ducati Panigale which was beautiful but totally impractical for commuting or spins. Then he swopped it for a GSA and joined us on a couple of spins. He now has a wife and kid so his biking days have been cut short.
2015
Martin Y - better known among CRRG members as "Chatty Man Martin" ! Came out on a few spins on his immaculate Honda "Dull-ville". He had never been outside Dublin previously....... Never short of a word or a story. Surprisingly very good on the bike though, despite his lack of experience (and very strong glasses!!). He really enjoyed the trip to Christy & Ger in Rosslare but was annoyed about being left to find his own way home from the motorway at Kilmacanogue.............
Aidan - Colm's uncle from Athy. Worked most Saturdays so didn't get out with us on many spins. Rode a BMW GS before switching to the previous model BMW R1200 RT. Nice quiet man and good on the bike too. Seemed to enjoy the few times he actually managed to come along. But really bad with technology and seldom used e-mail or text messages. For that reason, I am not sure why he just stopped coming out!!
