A weekend off rekindled the burning desire (compulsion?) to clock up k's, a decent clean of the velocipede first to remove excess weight (dirt) makes the task a little easier.
A little Antarctic on Monday, short changed with only 2 degrees on the guage, almost an ice-cream headache headed south. A cool, calm and collected lap with Cougar, coming to terms with the sudden loss of a European summer, but aboard a new sleek, featherweight Ridley. A little clatter for the first half k till it was put right on the big ring. A moonless tap out Channel Rd aided by a favourable westerly was a motivational start to a week, Cats enthused (dozen+) too, southward at the Pine Lodge Pub. There was a little work to be done into the 12km/h westerly homeward, chain groaning from last weeks damp, but back into town as many were just starting their day. Wozz was keen to put some distance into Monday after work, a motivation for me to be coerced away from warmth and wine into the cold crisp circuit, an assault on the Boulevard, Wanganui and Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd's with plenty of options open to shorten or lengthen as the mood and/or weather suited. We'd committed to an Emu/Toaster leg then a load sharing trip home into the headwind (WNW @ 15-20). South in Boundary Rd gave a little respite but a Channel Rd exit was chosen to minimise the stress, there were k's to cover tomorrow. The Wozz ankle is mending well, driving into the breeze with ease. Turns were swapped till Channel's end, satisfied to put in a steady bout at zone 4 for 68 minutes.
The end of the financial year prompted a reconcilliation of taxable income and expenditure, the balance showed in black ink, so I'm not yet on the fiscal cliff. Today's income: 05.10am :breakfast = 590 calories, 07.00: breakfast #2=450cal, 10.00: smoko= 620cal, 12.00: lunch=1,248cal, 15.00: smoko=295cal, 19.30: dinner=1,474cal, 21.20: supper=375cal. (Total +4,910cal) Expenditure 5.30: 34k bike=510cal, 7.15-16.20: work (30,647 steps)=2,011cal, 17.45: 47k bike=920 cal (Total -3,441cal), a surplus of 1469. Numbers, not neccesary nor normally noticed, now nonsensical, nerdy & neurotic!
Tuesday more than doubled the mercury (a blistering 5 degrees) but it was a push into a south wester down the main drag, the usual parade of Cats and 51 en-route to their respective start lines now thinned with the temperature. A slow build up of speed for this cold engine and a slightly earlier start ahead of the Couldabeens. Foggy patches on Channel Rd for Cougar & I, a sharp eye out hoping Darth Vader didn't appear through the mist. Up Boundary Rd on a very familiar course, how many hundred times have I gone this way, yet still manage to find a pot hole that jars the soft parts! A couple of early birds were solo southbound, not till Old Dookie did our paths cross with Cats and Goats. A hint of WSW seemed stiff in the cold but we pushed home, winding up the tempo.
Plenty of punters purposfully poised at the boom gates on Tuesday evening despite the cool 10 degrees. Paul, GT Craig, SpecialisedTony, Clive, Harpo, Juzza, Ange, Dion, Nath, Luke,Carl, Axel and a couple of unknowns engaged drive at 6, pace on from the start up Graham St and along Verneys obstacle course. Good to catch up with the regulars after my patchy attendance of late, but it was rather vivid on the wheel of Ange and his technicolor socks, Nath none to happy with the wheel he followed though. (those attending in the know) Steevo & the MachineSteve joined in along Ford Rd, turns went from calm to cranking out to the Emu and down to the Toaster, losing the two unknowns near the Church (dislodged light) . I'd tucked in nicely at fourth wheel out of Old Dookie's headwind (a 15km/h WSW) , Steve & Steevo driving well on the front for the south leg to the Pub. Whacking a small stone quickly questioned my rear tyre pressure, 125psi suddenly felt just a little too squishy. Still rideable at the River Rd turn, I ignored it, but reality finally turned it to spongy nearing the River Rd dip, a small bump grounding the rim. I halted progress to put the pump to use, (dissapointing to see the bunch dissapearing toward the horizon) there was no point fumbling in the dark to replace the tube. Took a shortcut via the by-pass to intercept the bunch at Archer, but a second injection of air needed after 5 k didn't fill in time to latch on to the northward pack. A solitary push home on a squirmy tyre (almost a Tokyo drift through the roundabout) back to town ended with a credible average considering the 10k solo finish. At home and under decent light, the poor old Pro4 looked like it had been in the shower scene from Psycho, hacked and holey from glass. (patched the inside damage to extend it's life beyond 3,000k's.)
I thought 1.4 degrees would keep most indoors on Wednesday but there was a good turn-up at the roundabout (Rocket, Cougar, Wozza, PistolPete, Shane, SuperMario, FeltMat, Trav and AvantiTrev) for the usual lap. As the k's clicked by most slowly lost sensation in the extremities, fingers & toes numb and noses running, a usual winters welcome (suprised AvantiTrev showed up with his dislike of anything below 5) . A cold draft blast from the oncoming Cat/51 combo cut through the base layer lowering the comfort meter, finding our way through the fog (with moon missing), River Rd's rumble strips were a world away from the predicted. A rare halt for a solitary car on Boundary, then north to Channel, chasing Shane (let off his leash?). Preferred by chilled limbs, the speed settled into a steady tap, what Wednesdays once were. A regular wipe of the specs cleared the way home in Channel Rd, by Kensington, Shane was unable to contain himself to bore into the Mexican Bonanza.
Well into the depths of winter with another cool 2.5 degree start to Thursday, I must order another 205 litre drum of motivation to help throw the doona off in the morning. Out the door at 5.30 to hit a wall of fog, a billion tiny water drops floating in the headlights' beam. Down the road wiping specs every 100 metres soon had them pocketted (followed by drips off the eyebrows & rain off the helmet). The 17 sprocket was used as an internal heater to promote circulation, steered out Channel Rd again ahead of the Couldabeens. Beyond the Kensingtion Roundabout Cougars' headlight ran out of volts, but we pressed on single file anyway. Thoughts focussed on a smooth & straight line, grey matter liberated from life's annoying distractions and dillemas, a free shot of solace/euphoria/achievement many of us find rotating wheels and cranks. Cougars night vision made great work in light of the lack of light, we were soon northbound to Old Dookie Rd and the welcome breeze from behind to help us home.
BH Craig had promised a steady tap Friday morning, so fronted the 5.50 start at Notre Dame with Wozz to find a cast of Cats (Straddles, Phil, GentlemanGraeme, Sly, Leigh, Gyppa etc) and an increasing array of 51 attendees (Nev, Ronny, Bo, Kel etc) tilting the scales toward fast and furious. Track turns got organised after a slow at Doyles Rd for a B double, I bit the bullet venturing forward to do duty, hoping the short turns would be achievable for this worn old engine into the wind. A quick halt for a car at Central Ave had Wozz touch a wheel with anothers and go briefly horizontal, no serious damage to bike or body though. Up and away, just a dozen were now working the front, a big handful resigned to the rear by the stiff NNE? The right turn blast into Boundary split the pack in two and, entrenched in the front dozen, I joined the chase to reach two bikes ahead, dangling the carrot of "catch me". Over the channel bridge, the big fella and bigBrad added serious horsepower to the bunch, me just a small sardine in a sea of sharks. I quickly locked in my berth at the back, just hanging on to survive. Thought to be behind me, Wozza was red-lining the ticker, and slipped silently down Sensible Street (aka Harpo Boulevard / Channel Rd) . The drivers forged ahead in the 40's for the 6k of River Rd, echeloned into the wind across the full width of tarmac. By Central Kialla gaps were opening, the tyranny of tempo tiring two or three (including me). Slowly losing grip with the bunch in Mitchell Rd, I dropped back to join Gyppa and Leigh to work the remainder of the lap together, Ange exiting in Archer. Our B team trifecta slowly reeled in Sly (cast off from the bunch vanishing into the distance) by Arcadia Downs and shared the last (headwind) k to complete the SuperCat lap at a 38.5 average, heart rate in Zone 5 for 25 of the k's.
Week 27 : 281km YTD 7,267km
Word of the week
"Sprinterred" (adjective) To bury oneself in acceleration in a race finish.
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