Cold can’t keep motorcyclists away from Port Dover on Friday the 13th
The rolling thunder that generally comes into Port Dover on Friday the 13th was more like a low rumble this time around.
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With temperatures for a pre-Christmas PD13th dipping below the freezing mark, a small group of brave riders made their way to the lakeside town to continue a tradition that goes back decades.
“You’ve got to be crazy once in a while in your life,” laughed Ken Norton, in town visiting from Guelph.
“The ride was nice, I stopped once on the way down just to have a coffee but other than that, straight through.”
Norton received “quite a few waves” from fellow motorists on his trip, as did the duo of Shayne Goodwin and Peter Newcombe, both traveling from the Hamilton area.
“We saw lots of thumbs-ups,” recalled Goodwin, a PD13 rookie.
“We’re happy that you brought the sunshine for us, it was a little chilly coming down the highway but we’re happy to be here.”
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“No frostbite,” Newcombe chimed in.
A resident of Waterdown, Newcombe is a Friday the 13th veteran. In fact, his first trip to town came via Ottawa with the thermometer reading minus-2 years ago.
“It’s the ritual of gathering – riders gathering, that’s the No. 1 thing,” he added. “It’s cool to see the bikes and stuff like that but it’s fun meeting people and seeing cool bikes you don’t see that often.”
The latest PD13 was a much smaller version than warm weather events of years past. No road closures and few outdoor food offerings but shops sold specific T-shirts and hoodies, popular items even for those who attended by car or truck.
“You can call me a fairweather rider if you want,” one woman walking down Main. St told her friends. “But this weather is too cold to ride in.”
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Not cold enough for Paul Nurmi, aka Thong Man, to miss strolling around town. Nurmi was dressed for the occasion in a Santa-esque ensemble that left little to the imagination as he handed candy canes to the audience.
A small contingent of police made their presence known by driving through town at different times, but for the most part, the day carried on like any other December afternoon.
Most riders just enjoyed the camaraderie that comes with braving the brisk conditions.
“It’s more of the social aspect than just motorcycling,” said Goodwin. “We came here, we’ll have lunch – no beer – we’re both motorcycle instructors so we practice what we preach as far as safety gear, being noticed and being safe.”
“I would agree, you can pretty much talk to anybody here about anything,” said Newcombe. “But it’s usually it’s motorcycles we’re talking about.”
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