Plans for an early Saturday start were swiftly scuppered by a 5.10 shower (just as I pushed the bike out the front door), a few texts opting for the standard start time in the hope that rain cleared. Hope sprang eternal at 5.40, a niggling northerly drying the track a little for Wozz and I to travel south to the carpark. I was suprised to see ten keen and ready to roll; Rocket, Shorty, Temple, FeltMat, Jase, ChrisA, Pistol Pete, SpinDoctor (overly optomistic in short knicks and sleeves) Hollywood and Ange. Away at six bells and highly hopeful, it was a slow leg one to allow a tardy MasiMario to jump aboard, Saturday social scuttlebutt soon underway out Channel Rd. The tempo travelled tamely, FeltMat moving up the ranks but became mentally monstered by MasiMario whole biking him at the front (soon tucked in for a tow, tired of torment). Ange played fair with me into the wind up to Old Dookie Rd, I then snuggled into the draft of the echelloned bunch to the Toaster while Shorty, Rocket and Jase took the drivers seat east. A spit or two from the heavens welcomed us to Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, tempo turning toasty westbound as drops grew larger and more frequent. Nudging forty and stacked across the road against the NNE, rooster tails of water began to blot the kit and spot the specs (felt warm looking at SpinDoctor in a summer kit though) By Ford Rd, fountains of water were up the nose (and other orifices), soaked socks dampened hopes, driving drenched, hanging on to the thought of hot coffee and a cooked breakfast under the Lemontree's heaters was still 12 wet kilometres away. (and this is a hobby we choose to enjoy!) Several were spurred on by Wanagnui's ascent, the damp tarmac spelling a sprint sit-back for me (Ange and MasiMario in similar thought), Temple and FeltMat in more cautious arrears 500 metres behind. Finally Boulevard bound and damp as a drenched duck, I swung off home to a dry dock, then by car to the Lemontree for the aforesaid coffee and toast, an in-depth analysis on Tour de FightBacc, Tour Down Under and a totalisator on BigMats August MTS.
After a Sunday and Monday off, it was all aboard the ice-breaker Tuesday morning for a toaster lap, adjusting the mental calculus to intercept the Couldabeens at Channel Rd's end. (ETA 6.15) A 5.20 start and gently up to speed (to prevent snapping frozen body parts), the heart rate frozen at 58 bpm. Down the Wanganui hill at 5.28 and across Lemnos North Rd (5.37) the h.r. still not warmed up sitting on 70. Making the planned intercept on time kept the motivation simmering, the negative temperature having one positive.....no wind! To the Emu at 5.55 and the Toaster at 6, I was now doubting the mind's mathematics, so put the pace up in Old Dookie Rd. Early Cats had single filed into Boundary half a k ahead, not enough in my old engine to grab onto the Cats tail. I crossed the highway and reached Channel Rd at 6.13, (h.r. finally reading true at 148) no sign of the Couldabeens crew so continued on steadily, knowing I'd be reeled in. Curiousity caused a peek back on my turn into River Rd, a league of l.e.d.'s at the bridges bound to be them. No hope of outrunning the combined wattage, but I steamed on to see just how long / short my farce would last. Prolonged it to Melbourne Rd, I was rounded up at Roubaix, a gap left behind the drivers Rocket, Pistol, Wozza, Kenworth and SpinDoc to climb aboard (climatising to a 30% increase in throttle takes one's breath away). Out with the shovel to dig deep as Conrod's sprint loomed, Rocket and Wozz drawing away from us "also rans".
A damp driveway dissapointed desire, a drizzled disdain dominated Wednesday's windy attempt at a Raftery-Mitchell-Archer warm up, mimicking WobblyTrev at times as the wind whipped wheels sideways. A dim, dark and un-inviting horizon was a miserable motivator, though Mitchell Rd's tailwind was worth driving toward. Savoured the short reward on the 56/14 till Archer Rd spelt toil and a lower gear. I nearly made it to the Broken bridge, but u-turned to climb abaord the Couldabeens carriage, a short straw drawn slotting in between Rocket and Pistol. (they don't bite but repeated exposure can cause symptoms including mild paranoia, shortness of breath and cardiac convulsions) A subsequent rapid intake of oxygen in Mitchell Rd distracted me from avoiding the pot hole, hit fair and square to awaken the quadratus femoris. A calm descended on Central Kialla for Trav and Shorty to cut the headwind, but it was hoist the mainsail to storm River Rd with wind blowing up the behind. Spin Doc arrived from a clockwise (but unwise) windy workout, balancing the numbers to eight. I had an anaerobic slog on the wide open plains of Boundary Rd with SpinDoc then Pistol to the bridges, then tucked in to psych up for the Channel Rd grind home. Trav and AvantiChris set a steady speed, Shorty and Rocket adding 15% caused an AvantiChris kaboom at the cypress trees. I needed no better excuse than to drop back and offer a tow (shying away from the lead-out role for the Cha Cha). A few looked tactically back, guaging the sprintenders, two rows quickly merging indian file as Pistol and Jase scored the dubious honour of slicing the wind. (Rocket off the seat, humbling all in full flight) A steady tap back to town, SpinDoc analysing seat and sit position while his legs went into melt-down.
With the practice of prologues particularly pronounced, a 20k entree of Channel-Boundary-Old Dookie was perhaps showing up the O.C.D. (obsessive cyclist disorder) a bit. 3.5 degrees but feels like -0.4, it was easy eastbound on Channel but wicked westbound on Old Dookie with 20 km/h gusts to battle, pleasing progress despite my grizzles though. Finding Coggo, Hommy, Dipper, Heady, Snow, Sandy, Kate, Belly, Tum, Cervelo John assembled at Friars, all witnessed the return (from retirement?) of HG Phillo, Speisy and Baz. Idling out Old Dookie Rd an abyss opened in the bunch (HG Phillo's signature gap), with all being windswept to Boundary. The turn south commenced a reverse roll (a welcome back gift to HG?), making good of the sidedraft. (foreign to some, good for all, but awkward for a couple). River Rd rectified rotations back to anti-clockwise, whittling down to seven working the front as the comeback kids faced rehabilitation at the rear. Got into a good rhythm with Dipper, Hommy, Coggo, Heady, Snow and Belly at the business end of the bunch, but regrettably had to peel off at Rivers end to head early for home. A brief draft from three passing trucks on the alternate route was a short reprieve from the westerly wind, head down for the 8k's of Archer got me back to town on schedule, a brief chat with long-time-no-see Walshy on the traffic light interval training session through town.
Must oil the chain that complains, groaning on a Verney-Ford-Wanganui-Rudd-Boulevard warm up Friday, squarking as much as my legs (the Voight venacular venerated). Wattage wained with Wanganui hill creating cranial criticisms, hoping there'd be something left to contribute to the Couldabeens circuit. Finding Wozz at the usual spot, we pushed down to the carpark to find Cate and Cougar half way back on the grid, Hollywood, FeltMat, Shorty, Jase, AvantiTrev, Rocket and Kenworth arriving, and lining up behind. There was another swift shuffle on the roll out, Pistol Pete joining us at the bridge. Indain filed till Kialla Lakes drive, I paired with Wozz to the roundabout then with Hollywood to the Alt route, labouring lungs. Respiratories had recovered by Mitchell Rd and into the social chat of weekend plans, AvantiTrev shied from a shift the front, FeltMat was convinced to try one, Cate not backward in coming forward. I had a harried Hollywood half-wheel in River Rd (desperately disposing of dastardly Dookie dirt?), a mental menace to some, but it's best to keep tapping away at your own pace and avoid it getting under your skin (there's always payback at a later date). Rocket and Shorty took the reigns to drive to Boundary Rd, a small Goat train (one engine and four carriages) steamed south. Darth Vader had parked in the dark of Channel Rd causing a sudden slow (pleased the pooch's pursuit wasn't planned) , the eager then lining up to challenge the Cha Cha. There's not enough wattage in my old engine to feature in the placings, but I plugged away to put a spike in the heart rate, a cruisy roll back home regained some composure.
Week 32 272km YTD 9,504 km
Cheers for the pageviews Oman, USA and Russia, taking it to 25,500 hits to date :)
No comments:
Post a Comment