Felt strangely naked liberating the arm warmers and gloves Saturday morning, at last weather that allows a quick kit-up! A cast of Couldabeens converged on the Archer St shop to break attendance records, Wozz, Car+Mel, AvantiChris, Kel, Pistol, Rocket, Shorty, Temple, Nick, Trav, Cougar, Ange, Jen, Cate, Bo, Lynda, Hollywood, SuperMario, AvantiTrev, ChrisA and SpinDoctor packed the park. Wozz and I rolled the train gently onto the first leg of Channel Rd avoiding a big bunch whiplash, quietly up to speed by the school but SuperMario's call of puncture shattered the rhythm (a peculiar ploy to pause the pack for a pursuing Nev) False alarm over, the long length of lads and ladies legged it to Boundary Rd, Nath caught cruising at the fig farm on a Tour de FightBaCC precursor. A hint of an easterly didn't deter Bo and Co from squeezing the accelerator, it was easy being drawn along in the vacuum of 25 other likeminded addicts. Seems the daylight savings darkness is slowly weakening, daylight appearing a little earlier to see faces and bike bits while the social chat played musical chairs. Not till the Lemnos-Cosgrove kennels did I get to the taillight position, attempting a head count needed binoculars. Frisky and friend were caught as we approached the soup tin, quick with a reason avoiding the start...again. Seems to be my fate to get to the front of the pack in Wanganui Rd, the weight of a smooth wind-up heavy on Wozz and I as a line of hopefuls launched a lunge at DECA's track. The sprint cast offs were soon swallowed up by the midfielders while Hollywood triumphed (Rocket retired and rested at the rear, retaining wattage for the evenings Crit) The usual roll back to town gained momentum as the urge for a Lemontree seat panicked a few, all easily accommodated though in a raid on all the alfresco furniture. A racket of conversations was punctuated by FeltMat and BigRon's arrival, second serves of coffee ordered for an extended pit stop.
A relaxed roll out New Dookie Rd on Monday, promising myself a tentative tap around with the wind swinging from SSE to East. Zoned out on New Dookie's empty stretch, to the point of nearly missing the Boundary Rd turn. Idling along at 137 bpm was an easy start to the week, steadily down to the pub and over the bridges, noting lights a long way behind. Craig Lotsalumens pierced the darkness of the River Rd dip, I was quickly swamped at the bridge by BigRon, Trent and the 51 express train (including CatPhil and ExArgon-not-Basso-but-ScottDave, the only felines to front ManicMonday). Lured by the luxury of a tow home, it was off the Fizik to pound the pedals and climb aboard, so much for the tentative tap! There was plenty of effort just to sit on with ScottDave in the draft of the big engines at the front, into the mid fourties was going to get me home early. Pleased to see Conrod's end and calm the legs, lungs and heart rate, it boosted the appetite for a second bite of breakfast.
Goats gathered in the darkness at Friars on Tuesday, an affable assembly of Heady, AvantiLeigh, Hommy, Joe, Coggo, Dipper, Tum, Sandy, the slightly more senior Snowman, Belly, Spiessy, Phillo, Phil, Graham, Principal Skinner and AvantiAndy, picking up Tina on the exit of town. An attempt to get the train evenly up to speed was a lost cause, the long turn vs rolling turn factions had resurfaced. Coggo stalled the rotations in Boundary with an unannounced long turn beside me, next time round he blasted past to the broken bridges. The mixed rolls, Phillo's lengthening exclusion zone and some weird lines adopted in drafting by others, made it Browns' Goats (instead of cows) Some semblance of order was restored in River rd, calming the calamity, so I cancelled ideas of escaping an early turn-off for home. There was an audience with the recuperating Rooster Roscoe as we turned into Mitchell, then back to business for the westward leg to Roubaix corner. The wind from behind beyond the horse stud was promising, but pace had pruned punters progressing to the pointy end to persistent peleton protagonists. I had a seat in the privileged position (4 wheels from the front) with 500 to go, Tum, Hommy and Coggo lined up ahead to dispense the draft, so it was stealing candy from the Coggo, pouncing to the prime position out of the last dip.
Just to satisfy the odometer OCD in me, I rolled away early Wednesday, 52k to clock to click over another 1,000k. It was one of those days that the kit decision was made difficult, braved the short knicks but shy keeping the arm warmers on. A steady tap on the Raftery-Mitchell-Archer course to intercept the Couldabeens corroboree, 16 assembled for the off at 6am. It was Jase pace to chase single file to Kialla Lakes, a little selective positioning happening as the bunch paired into two rows on the town limit, down to Mitchell Rd before the feint breeze came (ESE-SE). Comfortably sandwiched between slices of Cate and Nick, I had smooth sailing along River Rd, noting that shorts all the way up to Antarctic survival kits were in use for 8 degrees, Jen and Cate putting in a fine contribution to the driving. A rare stroke of luck to be at the back of the bunch at Kinder corner, highly hopeful at Hopeful corner with 15 ahead to slice the air. Spin Doctor inherited the front early, Hollywood was huffing, Cate eagerly but early on the gas as I scored the sweep up of expirees. AvantiChris bolted by in the final metres but Rockets' Cosmics howled from behind to pinch the podium.
It was rather melancholy rolling back to town, for it was watershed Wednesday, the epiphany when I bid farewell to my Bavarian buddy, the Q8R BMW that's seen me down so many roads in all sorts of weather (physically and mentally). Serving my bike apprenticeship (yep, still learning) till now......the stick incident ('09), over the bonnet of a car (2010), 10 Fruitloops, 4 Round the Bay's, 6 Murray to Moyne's (427k's in 14 hrs on one), the Eastlink opening, an Amy Gillett ride, 2 Ned Kelly's, 2 Benalla 'hikes', a Tour DownUnder, a Tat100, 2 climbs of Buffalo, an Arthur's Seat and a Mt Buller, a Shepp-Castlemaine-Geelong-Melb odyssey, four Fryers to Flinders, countless laps with Vets, Cats, bugs, OC's, Lake groups, Hospital and Library bunches, P&W's, Couldabeens, Goats and a few tows from HurtLocker and '51. In 11 years and two months the old beast has clocked 193,002 k (4.8 times round the globe, or 3509 Toaster laps in local perspective), so hats off to makers Sachs and BMW and to the magic maintenance by AvantiTrev and Nath. So the time has come to put pushy to pasture............. and start the k's clicking on a new mistress.
I could only replace something different with something different, a choice made in November last year. A phone call, a tour of the Geelong factory, a chat on bikes, riding style and preferences, colours chosen, a deposit, a subsequent 4hr fitting and measuring appointment, CAD calculations on frame, bars and saddle tailored to suit, and the order placed in a queue.....with 73 ahead of me. After a long and patient 11 month pregnancy (the wait gave me labour pains) X742 was finally born last Monday, a 1.4 kilo titanium Baum Corretto frame, made to measure, painstakingly crafted, beautifully welded and painted to see me through a few kilometres ahead.
Like rising from a park bench and relaxing in a leather lounge, the Baum has comfort in spades over the 'ol BM, adjusting to a new position after 11 years (in the wrong one) will take a little time. I found Rocket gob smacked and Wozz (my crafty confidant) grinning in the main street Friday morning, rolling to the Couldabeens grid in 18 degrees with an East northeaster something we've yearned for months. The odd bump and pot hole soaked up with a satisfying titanium 'ping' was so much kinder than the BM's kick up the ar.......teria gluteus. Shorty, Nick, Hollywood, Kenworth, Lynda, Car-Mel, Jen, Chops, Jase, SpinDoctor, AvantiTrev and Temple trickled in to grid, some stunned at Foss on a new perch. The pace was on following Wozza's perfect pilot out of town, I was climatising to the new svelte steering before venturing forward. Finally at the front for a long one beside Shorty in River Rd, the oncoming Genesis/51 squad made a pass on the Cats as we crossed paths. Couldn't resist the new found acceleration on the roll-over on Shorty (wish my engine could respond as well), but Rockets' arrival in the drivers seat put reality back into perspective. It was up tempo in Channel Rd making use of the ENE'er, turns rolling rapidly as the bunch approached the kindergarten. Shorty was first into Hopeful corner (me in his wake), but an early surprise attack by Rocket and Wozz 'round the outside caught many napping. SpinDoctor dervishly in pursuit whipped himself into fluffy white peaks, Kenworth, towing the B graders, thrashed out the minor places.
Week 42. 239 km YTD 12,664 km
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