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I was anxious for the latest (December '05) issue of Road Runner magazine to be delivered. This would be the first issue after the passing of publisher and founder, Christian Neuhauser. I was anxious both to get a glimpse into the future of this magazine that I enjoy and to also see how Christian's death would be treated. I was quite pleased with what I read. The magazine did not "stop the presses" to memorialize and pay tribute to it's founder. There was a simple 7-paragraph piece that documented what Christian had done and offered a simple memorial. The balance of the magazine seemed both unchanged and left this reader comforted about it's future.
Christa Neuhauser, the new Publisher and Christian's widow, had an editorial piece that I read with interest. It did not dwell on Christian, but rather it seemed to speak to what can we learn from his untimely death. I often feel that the greatest tribute or memorial to any motorcyclist, who is lost while at his passion, is to pass along information, which might assist others in avoiding the same untimely fate.
The essence of Christa's piece is captured in a few simple sentences, "Many of us are experienced with numerous miles under our belts. We take safety classes to improve our skills and to learn from the professionals. And although we know it's a hot topic out there, we think it's essential that everyone wears helmets, and the proper gear to maximize the chances of walking away from that unforeseen incident no one likes to think about. Despite these precautions, we must accept the fact that while on the road, we are the weakest link in the chain. The exhilaration and freedom we covet is the very thing that leaves us exposed to the dangers that sometimes lurk around the bend." Christa goes on to say, "Yet, despite the strength it imparts to our souls, it also has the potential to lay the rest of us open to the physical realities of speed, inertia, and gravity."
I was quite pleased with the message Christa chose to impart, and I think she said it with great clarity and brevity - out there we are the weakest link. That is the same message that I am hoping to impart through the MTF safety activity. Because we are the weakest link, we must choose our risk wisely and with great care. I had another exchange with a well-respected MTFer, and we were discussing risks - inherent risks, dumb risk, damn dumb risks, and smart or judicious risk. We can't change risk. But, we can make decisions, continually as we ride, which keep us on the smart or judicious side of risk. We must, because we are the weakest link. When you're riding out there, say to yourself often,
STFJR - Safer Touring From Judicious Risk!
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