A fortnight out from our muchawaited return to Phillip Island, feelings of excited anticipation were mixed with apprehension and foreboding. Given my recent medical history, the reality of riding more than 2500km over five days, including two 600km-plus stints on the way home, on a 30-year-old Ducati was starting to sink in and the long-range weather forecast was abysmal. Yet another deluge of Biblical proportion was on its way to southern NSW and Victoria, right on time for the MotoGP.