A week off two wheels (week 24) broke a long standing habit, first time the bike has sat for seven days untouched since the stick stack of '09. I'd remembered how to swing a leg over (was the seat always that high?) and the old legs could still recall the rotation method. Felt fairly comfortable aboard the old faithful en route to Saturdays lap, speed well above the predicted snails pace. A slimy road from Friday's downpour probably kept many below the doona, only Shorty, Temple, WobblyTrev, Pistol and Rocket attending the Archer car park start. The first turn with PistolPete could have been a baptism of fire, thankfully Pete too had just been repatriated from a Queensland sojourn. FeltMat joined in at Kensington, a late arrival after a last minute raising the bar (handlebar that is). Fog pocketed most specs but WobblyTrev reporting fogged vision put risk management into overdrive. Glad he optioned to stay on as the bunch tail-light. I put in a long turn with Pete up Boundary Rd, a late brake with the difficulty in seeing Old Dookie Rd's apex caused a bit of a moment with FeltMat's wheel nudging my rear Mavic. Temple earned the "tow truck" handle, enhanced performance on new drugs had FeltMat digging deep to match the speed. Puddles a plenty washed cobwebs off the bike, plenty of cobwebs on my lungs after a week lazing in zone 1. The long crank back to town whittled me back to the reality of being a little out of form, nothing holding back Rocket and Pete though. With a good shine on the tarmac, it was tip toe through Wobbly's roundabout but no holding back on sledges, Shorty looking decidedly edgy. Back to the social warmth (or just a load of hot air?) at the Lemontree, Nath, AvantiTrev and Whispering Jack coyly fronted in cars, Jase justified in civvies after a successful two wheeled Finke effort.
Monday mornings cloud kept the chill at bay, 9 degrees was almost balmy. Set off early on a solo lap of the 51 circuit to run-in the legs in (hopeful) readiness for a Couldabeens lap Tuesday. Just four 51 early birds at the Verney roundabout, but I set a solitary course out Ford Rd, all very positive bearing east thanks to a light breeze behind. Bearing south on Boundary took out the slack in the legs, the WNW now blowing at 17km/h chipped away at the resolve. Flashing tail-lights of a Cat pack two k's ahead wasn't an aim, happy to do my own (slow) thing building up from seven slack days. A few lights following me were making no ground (a confidence booster) but I felt the long drag to River Rd was gradually losing momentum (Garmin backlight deliberately left off to keep hopes and effort up). The headwind in River wasn't the ball and chain i'd imagined, rhythm felt good and the following lights grew no larger, maybe my second wind had come? Mentally pacing out the lap avoiding an early burn out is often difficult into a head wind, finishing with just a drop in the tank better than out of gas short of the finish line. A hint of pre dawn light in the sky lit a better than expected speed, felt good to finish on a positive, despite Raftery repairs making a muddy end.
Protests from a groaning chain were silenced with a long overdue lube Tuesday morning, but it threw the agenda into a zone 4 workout to the Couldabeens start line, every red light encountered on the way. Found a grid position with a minute to spare, Rocket, Kenworth, Nick, WhisperingJack, Jase, PistolPete, AvantiTrev, WobblyTrev and Shane already positioned. Pistol punctured with barely 500 metres covered, a team halt to sledge with AvantiTrev solicited as pit crew. A very late HBK arrived during repairs, slotting in ahead of me on the restart. I red lined the heartrate from the Kinder to the S bend matching HBK then Pistol, not the best bunch position for a recovery. Tropical Shane was pulling out all stops burning up the excesses of a Fiji holiday, an unappetising bit of road kill to dodge south of the bridges sharpened the attention of most. Predicting the rotations had me pairing with HBK in Mitchell's headwind, not the scenario i'd hoped for but the luck of the draw I suppose. When the reality dawned, it was less of a struggle than thought, hanging onto Pistol & Rockets lead surge was the challenge. Many were now skipping the hard yards at the front, 18km/h of headwind raising the rearmost ranks rapidly. Dug the depths of determination when yet another turn on the front came up quickly with HBK, suprised to find I had a wheel ahead (holidays hindering HBK's horsepower?) so, wallowing in sweetened retribution, made it a whole bike ahead for a good distance with several glances to torment his underwhelming efforts. (will pay for a 10x8 glossy of that moment!) Shane's rubber band snapped ascending Mt.Nicolaci, a slow for the highway and a considerate leg to Raftery regrouped the bunch. Rocket & Kenworth opened their reserve tanks at Arcadia Downs, opening large gaps in an expiring pack, single filed and desperate to steal any draft. A couple of backmarkers made a suprised late bid in Conrod, but reality soon cooked geese. Content to end the circuit fourth with a little cyclocross action on Raftery's last 100 metres.
The hospital boom gate was well patronised Tuesday night, SpecialisedTony, Coggo, Luke, Juzza, Nath, Axel, Clive, Harpo, Paul, Kev, Dalton, even Cranky turned up for a maiden voyage. Juzza's saddle bag did a dismount in the first 10 metres , a full steam chase to catch the front runners ensued till half way up Verney. A light WSW chilled the evening to 10 degrees but helped on the eastern leg to the Emu, Bomber, Deano and MachineSteve populating the peleton. Cranky's introduction to the drivers seat was well toasted by Nath, Bomber and Deano kept the pot boiling soon after. Stevo jumped aboard at the church, chugging away in the high 30's on the front in Old Dookie Rd ramped up my heart rate. I was safely tucked into the rear seat when Bomb & Deano lit the fuse beyond the Pub, me and others rethinking moving up the ranks at that tempo. The pace had simmered a little by River Road's dipper, I chose then to venture forward with allies Axel & Kev rather than being fried alive by the master blasters. It was 'head down, tail up' again for a squirt in Central Kialla, easing to achievable when Bomber & bro departed in Mitchell. Archer Rd was chosen as the finishing straight in light of Raftery's repairs, Machine Steve, Luke and Paul setting their sights on hunting down Andy and co a few 100 metres ahead. No let up for the last two and a half clicks beyond the alt. route, big gaps opening on the long stretch from the roundabout to the very distant finish.
A Wednesday welcome back to Wozza, almost back to full steam after an ankle altecation. Down to the Kialla roundabout we found the sole Breakaway Sharon, left to fend for herself whilst others were doona training? As 6am drew closer, Rocket, PistolPete, HBK, Nick, Trav, Shane, WhisperingJack, AvantiTrev and WobblyTrev arrived, Sharon invited to join in. Finding myself sandwiched between Pistol and HBK again, it was a steady start with Pete against a light southwester, but ramped up to Archers' end . Rocket & HBK erased the easy Wednesdays protocols eastward in Mitchell , Sharon now nowhere to be seen (a message not passed to the front :-/). The breeze (now WSW) propelled the pace in River Rd, Shane (forthwith to be dubbed Capt.Toblerone) again digging the depths of determination after Fiji's indulgence. Not much chat with many flat chat, my legs sending protests to the skull to stop. HBK and Rocket dragged us to the bridges in Boundary, Whispering Jack and Nick towed us to Channel Rd. No visit from Darth Vader this morning (had a snap at Wozz the night before though), plenty of velocity westward bound, Pistol a tough match to the cypress trees. HBK and Rocket took the driving seat for the Channel Rd Cha Cha, HBK's half way handover to Pistol left only five working the front (thin on recovery time for me). AvantiTrev and Jack got the guilts by Kensington, finally stepping up for the brief blast at the Bonanza, I was happy to score a Strava 7th fastest overall.
They say that a change is as good as a holiday and, seeing how the other half live (but not giving myself over to the dark side) I fronted Friars in the dark misty hours of Thursday for a go with a gaggle of Goats. A few known villans had assembled (Coggo, LegalDave, Mark, Leon, Tum, TallPaul, Tina, Brendan & Kate) almost ten more unrecognised in the dark. All were aboard at six for the flight, but a couple resigned with a puncture at the SPC roundabout. Some semblance of order was found within a k to set up an organised, homogenised, civilised (& pasteurised?) bunch into a light NNE'er out Old Dookie Rd. Unaccustomed as I am to track turns, I settled into the rhythm, no chit-chat with the constant rollovers. (One kept slicing across my bow but I guess familiarity breeds contentment?) There was a mindful pace out of corners and intersections to keep the bunch bonded but an oncoming low-life on high-beam made navigation tricky. (still, I guess 16 l.e.d.'s x 400 lumens = lashings of lux) Kate was calling the rollovers, I zoned in on the unknown lad ahead to keep speed smooth. There were a few reminders of echelon etiquette in River Rd, the velocity grew for me to dust off 12 teeth at 68rpm. Numbers rotating started to thin by Central Kialla, LegalDave and a few took an exit in Archer (avoiding Raftery's gravel), the remainder drawing breath reforming the bunch after a Melbourne Rd split for traffic. Back on the gas in Raftery attempts at the front were now becoming rare, by Conrod only a handful had enough steam driving against a headwind to the finish. Diplomatically off the podium (nothing left anyway in the closing stages) and through the Raftery rallycross, I had a good yarn with Coggo before he took a caffine exit, mine (regrettably) for work.
Woz and I went in search of a feasible (not Faark) Friday at 6, no punters at Friars so a single filed trajectory out Old Dookie Rd with a pair of tail-light carrots to chase some 2 k ahead. Pursuit seemed a folly till we reached Boundary Rd's fig farm, steadily bridging the gap now. Wozza's arduously altered ankle aint an anchor anymore, articulating along aplomb, achieving admirable acceleration. Five Couldabeens followed by three Breakaways were northbound toward Channel Rd (and the waiting Darth Vader), our determination intensifying with the southbound targets ever closer. Just beyond the bridges we rounded up the cruisy Cats who quickly borrowed our tow. River Road's six degrees was bearable, the NNE blew just enough to make us earn (or burn) our breakfast, Trav's Jamis was jaunty, Bushy's Look languishing. To meet an essential employment edict, Wozz and I took the Archer alternative home, an almost risen sun painting a postcard orange skyline behind the fogged fields. (a great visual distraction from the now jellied legs filing a mental subpoena for aggrevated assault) Back in town on time to close another week, almost over the equinoxial hump.
Week 25 364km YTD 6,631km
Word of the week
"bicognise" (verb) The familiarity of a person met in public, when perceived to be hunched in posture, disguised by helmet, glasses & lycra.
No comments:
Post a Comment