Monday's "What's App" invite to a 'steady roll' was just the ticket to start the week after a weekend off the bike, a tropical twenty and a tailwind ticked the boxes to cruise to the Couldabeens carpark, Breakaways an alluring addition to the starting grid. Rocket and Simon led a lazy leg one, but it was a wait for Jase (lethargy from Sunday's MTB effort) that dulled the drive. The steady roll turned supersonic, my short straw turn with Pistol to the kinder, then BigMat (on a comeback....number 2,761?). Boundary Rd was blessed with a NNE wind, tempo was still hot in River Rd, at least echeloned to ease those at the rear. Glad BigMat called a short turn (I was spent from Pistols' pace) at the end of River Rd, Ron a bit cooked from a week long infection, but soldiered on. FeltMat withdrew from active duty, Jase and BigMat followed suit ripping into Raftery Rd, Rocket and Pistol swapped the hard yards of Conrod, Simon said spent, but Wozz on a second wind got up for second to the irrepressable Rocket, the lap trimmed down to 45:25, so much for a steady roll!
Teamed with tri's Sootie, Stace and Comet on Tuesday, a pleasant progress eastbound to the Emu at 5, Sootie aboard a borrowed BH after crucifying the Orbea in last Saturdays' flat chat stick stack. A testing tour to the Toaster against the SSW wind, then an indian filed dash on Old Dookie Rd back to town to join the 14 Goats on their track attack. Eastward to Boundary ticked over like clockwork in clockwise circulation, counter to normal habit (in BigPaul's absence?), the absentees from the front building in Boundary Rd, gusts of 37km/h may have had a bearing? (Sootie slipping to the rear stalls too....punctured) Wind was tossing wheels about dashing any hope of a steady flow, sitting on Tina's smooth wheel at least ironed out the windy wrinkles. River road and the tyranny of distance tolled on many, even Hommy was now a.w.o.l. (or hung-over?) Only five braved the wind to Mitchell Rd, the turn at Roscoe's thinning the bunch into single file with more holes than a Palmer policy. A 2 km/h discount on speed had most back volunteering for work at the front, seven still in the mix at Arcadia Downs when a rampant rabbit shot across our flanks, almost a contender for the sprint beside AvantiLeigh till turning to the tabledrain. That wrecked the rhythm, opening a gap or two. In my race to make up the defecit from AvantiAndy I scored a slingshot off the dipper, so all eggs went into the basket of bravado, but I blew a head gasket a hundred metres shy of the line, Coggo taking the triumphant chocolates.
Mapping and timing a prologue to the Wednesday Couldabeens stirred the little grey cells in the early hours, a Rudd-Wanganui preamble followed by a Raftery-Mitchell-Archer prelude needed some precision timing. A cool start on the Boulevard cleared the head, just a whistle in the gap between the ears from the light southwester. The breeze was head-on along the main drag, baking bread awakened the nostrils and inspired going anaerobic to Raftery. The rise at Steptoes' was climbed with unusual ease, an eye on the clock kept my pace on the agenda. I added 10% to the tempo northbound on Archer, allowing a Gordon Drive loop (a stupid Strava segment) to syncronise the start perfectly, attaching to the rear of 10 Couldabeens with BigMat (final fling before a cruisy holiday) and Trav. A nicely timed tow to Mitchell where my first go at the front beside Tucks had only a side wind to battle. An on-form Choppy upped the ante in Central Kialla our troop settling into a steady march east on River Rd. Plenty of small bunches wheeled west and south, was it the temperature or acerbic attrition reducing the Cat collection? Nine degrees inspired shopping lists of gloves, base layers and leg warmers in the fresh atmostphere of Boundary Rd, a sheltered drive along Channel Rd prepared Rudy, Pistol and Jase for the Cha Cha thrash, no intention from my legs other than to tap to the finish.
Had a quiet cruise of the Cat lap late Wednesday arvo with Beejoy, motivated as mustard to put k's in albeit at a tame tempo. (but hey, we all started that way). A northwester assisted our passage, I wondered what cost the headwind home would be. Into Boundary and nearing the fig farm, same bat time, same bat place as last week, another bastard bindii injected the tube, click...click....click to trouble the thoughts. Just like last week, I soldiered on in stubborn defiance, but sadly, the steering went squishy at Channel Rd forcing a repair. A Toaster lapping Wozza kindly stopped to offer condolences but we ushered him onward on his quest (faster than ours). The long 6 k's of River Rd dragged like a dentists drill on Beejoy, the northwest pain punishing his pride. (who said headwind builds character?) It was a leisurely lap for me at Zone 2 but stuck with him (minus a headlight) to get back to town on dusk. (being robbed of temperature and light now)
All was well with the world at 5 on Thursday, the sun was far from shining, the birds weren't singing, but a tailwind pushed Sootie, Comet and I to the Emu. A headwind home on Old Dookie Rd turned us single file in team survival mode, the grind against a 17-33 km/h resistance a soul searching exercise (exorcise?). Several spots on specs wasn't Sootie's sweat, the start of a light shower that glossed the road as we arrived at Friars, the welcoming committee of a dozen Goats huddled under cover checking weather apps and radars. Two minutes later, the waterworks halted, enough for the brave to brave the Goat circuit. AvantiLeigh struggled for traction, rooster tails of water subsided as the tarmac dulled, eventually making progress as rotations got organised. Ten were driving clockwise into the draft of Boundary Rd, Hommy's and Sandy's exhuberance opening a gap or two. There was plenty of breeze to furrow the brow in River Road, smoothing out the turns a difficult act, front runners down to seven as we turned south to Central Kialla. A change back to clockwise forced Roscoe into a double shift, hacksawing his wheel at his redline to get to the pointy end. Regrouping in Mitchell settled the speed to manageable for most to resume duties, but over the highway it was trimmed back to eight as the wick was turned up. Into Conrod straight just four were left swapping turns, Coggo took the lead with 500 to go, nobody with desire (or ability) to grant him respite. In a gentlemanly gesture, no challenge was mounted, a well earned win for the Administrator, AvantiLeigh and I hanging on for the minor crumbs.
A cool counterclockwise cruise of the Wanganui-Rudd Golf course loop was a thawing precursor to meeting Wozza to tour to the Friday Couldabeens, eight degrees finally drawing the three quarter knicks from hibernation. Tucks, 'Hollywood' Shane, Cougar, AvantiTrev, Pistol Pete, Kenworth and Rudy left on cue, threading the needle of the thin bike lane single file to Kialla Lakes, collecting Choppy en-route. Wozza had Kellogs Performance Pops for pace driving along Archer, Tucks requesting a halt at the truck route to fix a dismounted light but was failed and finally pocketted. Pistol, Rudy and Chops had defied the temperatutre in short knicks, all others on a costume change as Autumn shuts down the warmth. There was a calmer karma eastward on Mitchell and an assisted passage along River Rd, big freaky Friday bunches now noticeably fractured smaller (resulting from recent rants?) Us ten breezed up to Boundary and were challenged to Channel Rd with the west wind whipping at the wheels. Hollywood and Chops set a tough tempo to the cypress trees, AvantiTrev's turn trimming 10% off for comfort. I had no motivation to charge the Cha Cha, spin doctor Rudy, Kenworth and Pistol more than keen, me just happy to cruise to the finish to put a lid on week 13.
Week 13 344 km YTD 3,906
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