Egg Run 2008

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It was about 6:30-am when I got a text from my friend Sue, asking R U awake? I thought "well I am now". This was the day of the 2008 Egg Run in aid of Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Sue was concerned about riding her bike in the snow which had fallen over night and was looking for a ride as pillion, but on this occasion I couldn’t help her because my back seat was promised to Joanne, Lyn’s daughter. I got the VFR out and headed off to meet up with some of our members at our meeting point, the Blacksmiths at Renishaw.

Shortly after 8:00-am, 5 bikes all but one with pillions, left the Blacksmiths and headed to the M1 motorway junction 30 then north to junction 33 where we turned left onto the Parkway for 1 junction where we exited then turned right to the South Yorkshire Police Operations Centre from where the Egg Run was to leave. Nigel & Jackie led the pack followed by myself & Joanne, Stewart & Lyn, Mick with Keven and Jennie bringing up the rear. As we arrived at the Police Operations Centre, Paul was waiting with his camera to catch us arriving. We were the first group to arrive and gradually other Three Shires members past and present arrived and bikers from all over the county. We moved around the groups of bikers some of our members with buckets collecting money as more bikers arrived. Soon a rather large Easter Bunny arrived riding a familiar Honda Blackbird, this was Ski with Sue who had bagged his pillion seat. Soon another familiar face appeared walking into the main building, this was James Toseland, twice World Super Bikes Champion, the youngest and reigning WSB champion.

Just before 10:00-am we were called into the main building for a briefing on how the ride would commence and the etiquette of the ride to the children’s hospital. A few words of thanks from Simon from the hospital and from James who said how great it was to see such a good turnout despite the weather and how he would still do the event even if there was only 5 bikes turned up on the day. Finally Sgt. Graham Sayner gave the brief about the ride, describing the route we would take, the formation and position on the road, 2 a breast and using lane 2 on duel carriageways allowing the police motorcycles to move at speed through to pack of bikes to block each junction as the pack came to it. Around 10:20 the pack of 158-motorcycles left the Police Operations Centre for the ride of just over 5-miles to the Sheffield Children’s Hospital with James Toseland leading the pack with PC. Jon Martin along side followed by Theo Bear the hospitals mascot on a Trike, the Three Shires members and the rest.

Our route took us along Shepcote La, Greenlands Rd. then turning left and on to The Wicker then West Bar and up the hill to the hospital and finally parking in the Weston Park museum grounds. I spoke to some people for whom this was their first Egg Run and they were absolutely amazed at the whole event. Everyone flocked around James who signed autographs on helmets, ‘T’ shirts and anything that was put in front of him. He gave a interview to Calendar the local TV news station and also the Sheffield Star news paper before walking across the road to visit the sick children in the hospital. Some of the Three Shire members went along with him but I preferred to stay outside rather than see James with the children because he has so much time to give them, everyone who went along said it was so emotional.

Once James and the others had gone into the hospital the bikers started to leave the parking area one or two at a time. I along with other Three Shire members waited as our pillions had gone along with James on his visit. After a couple of hours, we headed over to the hospital ourselves to wait in doors for the party to return. It wasn’t long before they came back down from the wards and we all walked back across the road to our bikes and I saw my chance to get my picture taken with James. I passed my camera to Jennie and asked her to take a picture of me and James and what a cracking good shot it was. Once again James spent time to chat with us for a while and we congratulated him on his winning the WSB championship last year and wished him well for the coming year in Moto GP before he put his helmet back on and had his
police escort back to the operations centre where he had come from earlier in the day.

Now returning to our bikes, Joanne got back on my bike and I followed Stewart and Lyn back to the Blacksmiths where we said our goodbyes and I headed back home pleased as punch with the picture in my camera of James Toseland and me. What a genuine guy he is.

Thanks for your support James from everyone there on the day.

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