A gentle introduction to the week from a weekend gastric tsunami, a quiet 35k on Monday without fanfares, overtures or cadenzas, more of the adagio and less of the allegro. Another grey sky started the day, does little to excite enthusiasm, at least the tarmac was dry. Channel Rd has been a regular route for 9 years (multiplied by 3 or 4 times a week is a bit scary) but there's always a pot hole forgotten or unseen to wake the posterior. The first bunch (a dozen bikes) in Boundary were indian file, heads down on a mission (suggesting a head wind to deal with?) Just a steady 70 rpm for me, not wishing to bust a gasket. Presuming it was the AristoCats southbound at the figfarm, multiple l.e.d.'s piercing the darkness ruins hope of identification, my turn west to home doesn't get a dawning till the city limits. Felt revived after a casual morning session, but late arvo drizzle cancelled thoughts of further evening kilometres.
An empty grid at the carpark on Tuesday morning, a little early so rolled down Archer Rd for a bit to avoid pole position. Returning a few minutes later found four at the ready, but Nick, WobblyTrev and AvantiTrev had quietly queued behind Shane to avoid the first shift. Seems to be my task to take act one. Trav, Kenworth, Jase, PistolPete and Rocket made up the small team to navigate east on Channel Rd, having the 'serial pest' and partner sneak aboard in leg one. (To be fair, Mark had fine tuned the etiquette to comply with protocols) A few puddles to dirty bikes and spot specs on stage 3 to the kinder, me thinks the sun never shines on this stretch. Plenty of lumens from the new light and a good spread to spot the wildlife has put a little comfort in charging through the darkness on the morning vigil, just getting the lungs to limber up in 6 degrees is the next conquest. Heading to Mitchell Rd I had some trepardation in doing duty at the front with Kenworth with a SSW head wind at 13km/h, but on arrival, I was travelling ok in the circumstances. Mitchell Rd's 10k stretch passed quickly thanks to Rocket and the rapid ones, soon to the familiar sights of Raftery Rd and the psychological stress (and relief) it brings. Turns rolled over quickly after the dipper, Shane moved up the ranks toward the front but ran out of motion a length or two short, Jase lending a gap for a tow. Rocket brought on his vanishing act with 200 left Jase and I picking up the crumbs as the hopefuls hurt.
A retrospective Tuesday evening with a 10 year anniversary lap amongst a bunch I first started with. Age has wearied some of them, Ted's ancient steel Giant wearied too, still with it's original tattered bar tape. Good to catch up with Pat and Patrick, Leah and Doug, much reflection on the beginnings of the bike addiction (and an appreciation of progress since) on a very cruisy lap, well and truely in the h.r.'s zone 1.
Temperature is dropping daily, 5 degrees for Wednesday with Shane, Rocket, PistolPete, HBK, Nick, SuperMario, Cougar, Trav, Shorty, AvantiTrev, WobblyTrev and (mate) Mick to depart Kialla Lakes . My rear wheel squirmed on the (still) gravel Archer roundabout, HBK insensitive in shorts and straight back to his namesake habits pumping up the pace. WobblyTrev and mate were firmly ensconced at the back, Mick a carbon copy of WobblyTrev, we could only hope they'd syncronise steering tremors to avoid banging bars and tangling toes. I mentally noted a revised exclusion zone. A chilled run in Mitchell and a warm up attempting to score a tow from a truck, I'd been safely sandwiched between AvantiTrev and Shorty, Trav becoming the half wheel sandwich between HBK and Pistol. A few soloists and two big bunches were westbound on River Rd, a hint of orange on the horizon where the sun might appear later. Much motion north in Boundary (helped by 13 clicks worth of southerly) with Rocket and HBK driving. By Channel Rd AvantiTrev and Shorty bailed out of active duty to join the wobble-a-thon duo at the back for a tow home, there were a few tumbleweed sledges to SuperMario, HBK finishing off the Bonanza with a blast.
Twas as cold as a federal treasurers budget on Thursday morning, the red light camera flashed to make a sparkies day, a bonnet up flagged a deceased battery for another (parked), jumper leads its' defibrillator lifeline. Sitting aboard a velocipede in 1.5 degrees wasn't such a bad thing after all ! 76 rpm warmed up the internals but the skin was still frozen, the (polar) opposite to a petrol station pie. Yesterday's flu shot had thrown a spanner in the respiratories so co-ordinated a lap with Cougar on her trans-europe training program ; sleek, smooth and straight, a comforting antidote for the wobblitis nervosa virus going around. Clear skies studded with stars helps the navigation and mood, not enough light to i.d. the small and large bike packs though (wait till September to get that again) , just the regular schedule that signals Cats and Goats arrival. There was no chance to thaw on the west leg home, the sun still snoozing under the horizons' doona. A few oncoming trucks dumped their draft at us to lessen the locomotion, we fought on to be back in town with time to spare. A nasty laceration to the rear Michelin (sharp stone?) noticed when parking the trusty steed, the wound filled with Selleys shoe glue to give a bit more life (I want more than 1200k's from a Pro4)
With side effects of a flu shot all but side lined it was off to the library bunch Thursday evening. Brave soldiers Clive, Travis, Liam, Dalton (shaking off a dose of Ross River), Deano (minus Bomber bro), SpecialisedTony, Darren, Kev (back aboard the Oppy after the MTB threw him) and Robbo faced 11 degrees and falling. Rolling away at 6 drew Robbo beside me, just my luck to score a rapid 4k first turn. Traffic split the bunch at Numurkah, Verney and Grahamvale roads, a chance to recapture the lost breaths earlier. Machine Steve, Lil'Tony and Indy were drawn into the pack on Ford and Lemnos-Cosgrove Rds as Deano applied the speed linament, Luke the Sunbeam mixmaster of spin, but all went back to cruise control for Kev's recovering turn soon after. It was only a light breeze but it swung 180 degrees just in time to hit me head-on for half of Old Dookie Rd with Robbo setting the tempo (I must have kicked a black cat under a ladder?) Chris A and Pickles appeared within the ranks in Boundary Rd, Kev, Steve and Lil'Tony took Harpo Rd home. Saturdays forecast and the cold autumn took most popular topics in bunch discussion as River Rd was gobbled up. Another turn at the business end with Robbo in Central Kialla then a top cog challenge in Mitchell, Robbo running in his new 55 ring while I drove my old 56. By Arcadia Downs it was only Chris A, Robbo, Liam and I swapping turns, a long thin line behind in survival mode. The last biscuit in my barrel was used to sneak by Robbo for a bronze, young Liam taking a win over the ever courteous Chris.
Suggestions of the return of BigMat and WhisperingJack were met with scoffs and guffaws from Rocket, Shane, Cougar, PistolPete and HBK Friday morning as we waited for an inspired but tardy FeltMat. Three Breakaways got a 5 minute head start till FeltMat's arrival flagged us away. The roundabout roadworks gave us a red light but the reward for us law abiding citizens was a new billiard table stretch of hot mix to christen (only took 7 weeks to deliver) HBK had the hammer down to Mitchell Rd then pumped up PistolPete to central Kialla (and Pete had the cheek to H B HBK!) A little puff of a northeaster puffed me in River Rd, glad FeltMat was gracious. We single filed past the Breakaways leaving room for the oncoming 51 (?), a fat Cat pack a bit back, flat chat to fill the gap. HBK and Pistol took us quickly to the Broken Bridges (g'days from oncoming P&W's). There was a fair push on the Devil's Lane dash (Channel Rd) with a breeze behind us, HBK thrashed the Channel Cha Cha (Prentice Rd sprint), Pistol taunting a second sprint to the school failed to motivate HBK. We rounded up Sosso and returned to town, finishing a wintery week that's really Autumn.
Week 19 : 286km YTD 5,392
WORD OF THE WEEK
"Grratio" (noun)
The gear you haven't got, found between the one that overspins and the one that grinds.
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