A very credible turn-up of around a hundred bikes at the muster point in Dubbo set the scene for what promised to be a great Dice Run, the morning fog had not long lifted, and, with just a few clouds scattered around the riders could already feel that it was going to be another one of those perfect early autumn riding days.

With the run heading in a south westerly direction towards Parkes the sun was going to be warming up the rider’s backs just enough to offset the last of the morning chill, and, with the promise of shedding the jacket at the first stop then having a comfortable ride for the rest of the day, well, to be honest, it don’t get much better than that for a biker.

Ok, I must admit that I am partial to Poker and Dice Runs, and in particular to ones outside of the major cities, they tend to be a lot more relaxed in so far as you don’t spend ages getting away from the traffic and low speed zones, plus they always seem to have enough riding variety for everyone, then of course there’s the historical side of the pubs and small towns that you stop at, and I think most bikers would agree that feeling the temperature drop a few degrees as they ride into the shadow of the long rows of trees either side of the towns is always an added bonus to the ride.

There seems to be so many extra little things the rural runs offer that just don’t occur in the bigger cities, and, although you may need to ride a fair way just to get there and it might even entail an overnight stop at the final destination, I reckon that if you don’t get to do at least one of this type of run a year, you are missing out on a major part of what Aussie riding is all about.