Planned a double dip Saturday to break the lap habit, a 5.40 start with Wozz to commute to a Couldabeens first course, deeply textured orange clouds glued to a dawning blue sky worth getting up for. AvantiTrev, Jay, Cougar and AvantiChris were already in grid position discussing the almost extinct Saturday speed limit, Dion, Pistol, Temple, Shorty, WhisperingJack, Jase, Rocket and FeltMat arriving in waves to launch the ship eastward at six. An eternity has passed since the last ride was without wind, (and I don't mean flatulence!) but there's no complaints on the calm. Cougar ground out a great turn thanks to revised ratios on a new cassette, the ggratio a thing of the past. Shorty has battled with work getting in the way of a decent lap, AvantiChris is now an old hand graduating from the cycling college with honours (a diploma in determination earned on the Tat 100). Speed was strangely restrained (but welcome) on the journey east and north, maybe the lack of wind inspiration had a part in it? Nath was found loitering at the approach to the pub, much glass to avoid at the intersection (from Friday festivities?) Rockets spinal spasms are slowly abaiting, Nath's bike now sporting a power meter (as if there wasn't enough wattage and intimidation). A small P&W entourage approached the Emu as we winged westward, a long Cat train oncoming as we crested the catagory two climb over the main eastern channel. Being at the rear of the bunch as we crossed the highway guaranteed a tow home, but speed wasn't on the agenda for Wanganui hill either. A post ride forum on insurance, energy supplements and calorie calculations concluded over caffine, but I bid my adieu's from the Lemontree to get aboard the 7:40 Goat train departing to Old Dookie Rd. Re-aquainted with MeridaAndy on the suburban exit, seventeen in all were on an abridged circuit sympathetic to Heady's hangover. Ky refugees Manny and Tom made it a mixed bag with Comet, Stace and Sootie into the Goat group, Carl and Johnno too, low on frequent flyer points. It took almost ten k's to get cosistency into the cruise, oncoming bikes in ones and twos spread all over the circuit. The wheels got working west in River Rd (favourable northeaster), Kathy, Stace and Comet ahead made mine the scenic spot into the fourties. Directions were given to Tom & Manny on unfamiliar tarmac but Liam lost the track over the highway with an un-nerving BMX display through the tabledrain (thankfully upright). Kathy's enthusiasm at the pointy end opened a few spaces in the bunch, patiently filled by Stace though, peddling putty smoothly into the gaps. I found myself at the front in Conrod's dipper (with all suddenly single filed behind) so got off the perch to persuade the punters to push. Running out of urge with 150 to go my flicks of the elbow were going unanswered by Manny (glued to my wheel), his bang preset to a 70 metre fuse. 193 bpm emptied my tank, Manny finally putting me out of my misery and shifting me to the silver spot on the line. A post circuit chat on the (unwritten) peleton protocols was chewed over with Sootie, Stace, Comet & Kathy.
Like the fields of Culloden, it was a big battle against the apathy army to defeat the doona on Monday morning and crawl out of bed, at least there was a challenge to chew over on a holiday. Met Wozza in the main street and pointed out Old Dookie Rd (after the flat chat Cat pack had departed) for a single-file-swing-off-the-front-when-you're-spent lap, short turns planned to set the bar at survival level. Wozz picked up the standards on his first turn, my internal struggle with the pace quickly changed to a goal to get, turning turmoil to target. Guessing at the duration of dip at the front (somewhere between too timid and too toasty) Wozza's cough threw a bit of pity into the process. An orange and overcast dawn signalled rain to come but 19 degrees was nothing to grizzle about, just needed to turn off the nigggling northeaster (15km/h) that was starting the stabs in the ribs. Out of the Toaster turn I backed off the throttle a little, my limit reached and Wozza's body language read. Bearing west at the Emu I slipped the chain onto the 14 cog, the northeaster behind picked the pace up, the trusty Cosmics now humming a 40's tune. Lungs were lucid but legs were limp at 182 bpm on the front and hardly resting at 174 in Wozza's thin draft. It seemed an eternity to reach the soup tin but got my second wind in Ford Rd to put in a decent contribution, sights of the suburbs spelling the end was nigh. Wozz nailed a great last turn for our inaugural 36.8 average, no doubt a future target to trim.
Learned the balancing-on-two-wheels all over again Thursday morning, a little leave has put focus on life off the bike (quietest week all year). It's been an education on the evolution; ease-enthusiasm-energy-exertion-exhaustion-endorphines, ergo ecstasy. Difficult to climatise to the cool southerly en-route to a Goat grid, positioning myself to get a tow till I climatised. Fourteen had fronted to share the turns, a bit erratic with the BigPaul gap and the Liam/Leon launch off the front . The breeze on Boundary put heads down and efforts up, didn't stop Heady hollering a marching chant though. My days off have highlighted the concentration on rolling turns, lungs and legs needing re-education too. Deb did the roll call from the back seat keeping the rearmost rotation smooth, desperation and determination made the front a bit messy though. The scenery on River and Mitchell Rd soon blurred by, arriving at the highway sooner than expected for a pantechnicon pause. Coggo toyed with Snowman at Arcadia Downs (to whittle down his win-ability?), the sprint kettle up to boil when Conrod came into view. I'd withdrawn from duty (a want for wattage), Coggo, AvantiLeigh and Dipper stretched their legs but I'd managed to tow up Tina and Bazza for a top 6 placing at the finish line. A rare chance for a mid week caffine infusion with the crew, chat on Cat thrashes and Adams family faction fractures to socially amuse.
Week 48 : 149km YTD 13,172km
Word of the Week
"Lycrap" (noun) Cheap Chinese non-genuine cycling apparel
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