The History of Operation Storm

[geodude]

I mentioned that I should put something together on this, so here it is

Operation Storm summer meet - Midlands
The first meet under this banner was in Coalville July 2010 and was organised by Tony

1. Coalville meet
2. Destination Derbyshire
3. Destination Derbyshire III - September 2013

Operation Storm II - Wales
Off the back of the success of the first one, Op Storm II was born. I found the campsite we all know and love and organised a meet there in September of that year and the event has happened every year since. It was so fooking cold at the first one, that I moved the event to May. This clashed with the TT so it was moved back to early September.

Operation Storm II - Thunder in Wales - September 2010
Operation Stotm II - Rhan Dau -
Operation Storm II - Part three - May 2012
been running every year since 2010 and still going on now
Now taken over by Cheeky Kev and based in a bunkhouse a few miles north of the old campsite

Operation Storm III - Yorkshire Dales
This was Phil's baby. Based at Squires, the scenary up there are as good as Wales.
has moved location a few times and currently uses Ribbleshead viaduct area as its base
Coordinator is now Gabi
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=42422

Operation Storm IV - Scotland
This is Alastair's baby. Being a native of Scotland, it seem fitting that he should organise a meet up there.....more info
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=43538
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=42575

we moved out of the campsite in Kirkcudbright to a bunkhouse on the banks of loch ken in 2018 and the turnout is growing ever year as people realize what a hidden biking gem that area is.

Operation Storm V - Monopoly Mayhem
A 1 off event riding round London landmarks lead by Cybercarl and Agentpineapple

Operation Storm VI - Operation Devonstorm
I was not involved in this one, but it was a success and happening again next year!!.....more info.
Popkat still organizing this out of a chalet in Westward Ho!

Operation Storm VII - Norn Ireland
with started in 2018 by fabiostar to satisfy the large local Storm community, but gate crashed by a good few of the mainland hoard.
always a good craic.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=42796


Good work everyone for keeping these meets going.

[geodude]

I'll add some more to it as I go.

To the organisers of the other events, please feel free to post some more stats and info on your events if you'd like.

[AMCQ46]

The story of OP storm Scotland is fairly simple..... after the fun of the first few welsh and derbyshire runs, i was always telling the lads about the good roads where I grew up in SW Scotland (although it was years since i had been up there on the bike so even I had forgotten how good).

So having bought a holiday house up there 5yrs ago, we are visiting more often and I took my bike up one year and me and the youngest daughter would go out for days on the bike, and that was when the true epicness (if this isnt a word it should be!) of the area hit me. not only are the roads perfect biking twisties for mile upon mile (if Carlsberg made a biking road...etc ), but there is so little traffic, so few built up areas and the scenery is off the scale in beauty.

after that trip it was a no brainer, I had to try and get a few more of you guys to see the light, and perhaps it would be an option for those further north to get involved in a Forum ride out, as Wales is a long way.

I base the ride in Kirkcudbright, as that is where my house is and where MrsMcQ grew Up, and where I went to my 6th form school, but it ticks all the boxes for beauty, a nice camp site, pubs, restaurants, and a petrol pump .
We run it over a weekend with Saturday being the main ride out, but If you can take Friday off and join us in Settle or Hawes, then it is even better, then we head home Sunday, with the option for the ride over to the Buddhist temple as a detour on the route home.

We have done 3yrs now, and although we never get more than 10 joining and still only 1 Scot [and Grumpyfrog was already travelling down to the wales meet before this, so its not like he was waiting for something more local], but we have got the Irish boys over now, and a fair few of the Tynesiders, so its always an interesting mix.

where else can you see the Irish Sea, the Burns Monument, a Smugglers road, huge glaciated valleys with the road clinging to the side of the hill as it heads to the moors on the top, Logging Roads snaking through the forestry into the middle of nowhere, the highest village in Scotland, a wickerman and a Buddhist temple in one day.

and to make it better, if you are coming up from the south, the fun starts on friday when we meet up in North Yorkshire, at Settle..... from there we have 200miles of epic (although a bit more traffic) roads just to start and end the trip.

and the icing on the cake for me is the pride I get taking all my biker mates to where I grew up, then hearing them all rave on about how they cant believe this biking Nirvana exists and is so close to their door steps.

some links to the previous years

2016 http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 14&t=37382 made it up to a sat & sunday ride with the travel days being Friday and Monday, although some guys rode sunday ride and also went home.

2015 http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 10#p392045

1014 http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 05#p349552

2013 http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 35#p288086

[agentpineapple]

I hope to add to the op storm history next, when op storm goes to mainland Europe with op spain in the first week of oct 2016.
i'll get a few testimonials together from the guys that were here recently, although ck will have to type with his left hand.

[popkat]

Op Devon-storm first official time was this year but in 2014 there was CK's stag do in Devon (on bikes), It was the precursor to Devon-storm, I offered to sort a route out for the stag do and everyone had a great time and commented on how good the ride was.
Off this I though why not put something together for everyone, I changed the location from the Okehampton area to North Devon. The other op storms seem to be mainly camping, not being keen on that myself I found a good deal on chalets and booked 3 of them, the only issue here is we had to pay up by February to secure the good price, there isn't a camping facility either which is a shame but the site is really good, right by the sea, option of pubs to choose from and local shops.

It's on again next year (see separate thread for details and updates) would love to be booking a 4th chalet or even a 5th chalet.

The routes will be a bit different next year and thinking of doing lands end on the Saturday all the way down the A39 which is a great biking road.

It will be held slightly earlier this year but still in July with less Holiday traffic (although wasn't too bad this year)

Cheers
Malc.


.

[geodude]

Don't forget to keep this up to date

[tony.mon]

The first Coalville weekend was a laugh; I started buying drinks for a woman who quickly got rather pissed and ended up buying me a vibrating rock ring which was in a machine in the ladies' toilet. I used it to keep a head on my beer.
Her 6' 8" boyfriend didn't seem to mind overmuch.
I got some very quizzical looks from some of the other lads- didn't mention 'til later that it was in fact my sister, who lives up that way.

We got a reasonable turnout:

The camping area was the grass verge round the car park- just about big enough- and somebody stuck pink fluffy dice and an L plate on the back of my bike- Benny hedges I think.

[sirch345]

The first Coalville weekend was a laugh; I started buying drinks for a woman who quickly got rather pissed and ended up buying me a vibrating rock ring which was in a machine in the ladies' toilet. I used it to keep a head on my beer.
Her 6' 8" boyfriend didn't seem to mind overmuch.
I got some very quizzical looks from some of the other lads- didn't mention 'til later that it was in fact my sister, who lives up that way.

Good one Tony, nice shot of all the bikes lined up like that

Chris.

[AMCQ46]

following on from Chris's [Ziggy] frears that the numbers on the ride outs will eventually fade to nothing, can those of you with good memories do an approximation for the numbers who attended each of these meet just so we can track the trends? but I think Wales is still very healthy and the others have always been smaller due then being further away from the populated areas.

I can do scottyland
Phil - Yorkshire
Malc - Devon
Geo & Kev for wales?

[AMCQ46]

Scotland numbers

2013 - 6 of us [including 2 who were just for a brief ride from Ayr to Girvin]

2014 - 8 of us [including 1 who was only for the ride up on Friday]

2015 - 7 of us

2016 - 13 of us [including 2 who only joined on the Friday ride up and 1 local came over to say hello even though he was working all weekend]

2017 - about 15 of us, the Irish boys couldn't come, but we supplemented that with a few more tynsideres plus my younger brother on his knackered Bandit 12 [he still lives up there, but didn't have a road bike for the last few yrs]

2018 - I estimate more than 20 if everybody turns up. we have moved from the campsite in the town out to a bunkhouse on the side of a remote loch. we will have to see if the comfort of beds is a good trade off to leaving behind the pubs and food in Kirkcudbright

[agentpineapple]

as far as Devon is concerned. the first year was ck's stag weekender and not many turned up

2014 Devon CK stag weekender..6
2015 Devon opstorm...............12 not sure on this number
2016 Devon opstorm...............10

I can't rate these trips highly enough, if I was in the country more often I would try and get to all of them. if there's a chance you can make one, do it, you won't regret it.
I still want to put a spain trip together, but I think that maybe just to far to go, for most people.

[Miztaziggy]

Wow. I've never seen this post before, must have missed it, but it made a good read.
Good to see Scotland is gaining in popularity. It deserves to though, with probably the best biking roads in the country.

Would be good if some of the older members (I'm thinking Pete) could fill in some of the blanks back to the original meets?

[AMCQ46]

fabiostar, you need to add OP storm NI to this thread

[kevg]

i went to Coalville but don't think my bike is one of the yellow ones in Tony's pic.

i seem to remember going to the Lake district twice after that as well, not sure about dates though.

[bazza696]

On the Coalville ride away, there was a couple of memorable moments, waking up to kids on 125 doing their cbt, think it was the second trip, the burlesque dancers and a couple of pissed offroaders on big 2strokes that binned it on freshly dressed road.