Saturday 13th August
Minutes flew preparing for Saturday's early circuit, suddenly late for the arranged meet with Wozz put pace on the priority, catching him just as he departed south at 4:46. An undetected overnight shower glossed the road promising bike cleaning habits won't be forgotten. The 5am grid drew Rocket, Bruce and Trav to AMart, the light NE-ENE breeze should have made my turn at the front easy but legs and lungs laboured on the leg to Arcadia Downs, almost ready for retirement when Bruce saved the day rolling over at Galbraiths gate. Recovery was sweet in the Wozz & Rocket tow along Mitchell, an Ange addition at Archer aiding. I stretched my mental barriers up to River Rd with Wozz and Bruce to the channel bridge, getting out of the ENE'er and back into the draft, a delight. Trav was misfiring but Ange was running on all cylinders for our journey east, my head convincing legs to pair again with Wozz for the 3k stretch to Channel. Westward back to town and between two rows of Cha Cha puddles for an early seat on the Saturday train, a few foreigners inflating the numbers (thoughts down memory lane to the usual dozen who once assembled), popularity (and politics?) altering the routine (for the better?). Kel, Boof, Shorty, Bo, TatPaul, Cate, Car+Mel, Pistol, Temple, AvantiTrev, HBK, Cougar, Tina, Jase and Rocket set sail at six, Shorty the puddle master baptising any who dared follow. I was caught coy in cute company of Cate, Car+Mel, attempting to get a fix on our foreigners (eventually identified as Mark, Gerrard and Tony). Hopes of being towed to the Toaster were burnt when a turn came up quickly at the cypress trees, Pistol and Ange were full steam ahead in Boundary until Ange punctured at the fig farm (though our foreigners continued disregarding the team ideology). Repaired in record time (Quick Kel in the crew), it was onto the Toaster and the Emu (catching the ambling foreigners), a perceived tailwind building enthusiasm west from the Emu. HBK was spinning dervishly on the 23 cog but Jase introduced puncture #2 to the pack, the halt spent discussing bunch ancestry with Car. The deck shuffled again on the restart (Temple keen to avoid Gerrard's nasal nuance), puddles anointing the pilgrims progress in Ford Rd. Speed and hopes built as Wanganui drew near, our foreigners deporting south to town. Turns were rolling rapidly by DECA's driveway, Temple then me then Shorty took the helm, Wozz then Pistol turning up the real heat with a long drive to Kittles Rd. Bruce and Boof launched an all out wheel to wheel thrash at the top of the hill as I clawed my way to third, Bruce buckling in the dying metres to hand Boof the chocolates. An enthused dash to the base camp scored many a Strava cup, the Lemontree chat centred on dental perfection, Fruitloop & Tat200 plans and the digestive system (ironically) over breakfast.
Sunday 14th August
I motivated myself into a Sunday solo, real rhythm found away from a bunch tow and short bursts at the front, a chance to educate heart, lungs and head on sustained pace albeit downsized from bunch averages. Don't look at the temperature Foss!, better to gloat in the accomplishment afterward than retreat from reality. (2 degrees discovered later) I got the head into the groove tapping out to the Emu, a great start to the day with a feint Lampre dawn (pale blue and pink on the horizon), a signal of spring with canola starting to bloom (and the evil eye from roadside magpies tells me bombing raids will start soon!) Glued to the 17 cog (78 rpm) suited the heartrate (145 bpm), content to flatline the Garmin graph in preparation for next Saturday's Grand Fondo. Quite a change to tap a lap in daylight, a mood lifter after a long, dark and cold winter. A whiff of toast then bacon from PistolPete's neighbours set the appetite going in Mitchell Rd, back into town enjoying one of life's simple pleasures, coffee and banana toast as a post ride treat.
Monday 15th August
The bureau promised an 8 degree start but Mother Nature only served up 2.5.....I want my money back! Round the golf course loop at 5:20, at the Verney Rd roundabout finding KillkennyPaul, fighting the final foibles of flu. (He's at least a hundred times tougher than Softa who pulled the pin, cowering under his cuddly soft doona tucked in tight with his teddybear). Fog curtained Ford and Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, seemed like pushing through porridge all the way to the Emu. Another scenic sunrise soothed the eyeballs, fog and an orange sky sandwiching the horizon as we tapped Boundary Rd. Killkenny Paul seems at one with his new Felt, keen to make up for lost k's and indulge in two wheeled recreation. Back to town via Channel Rd never straying from zones 2 and 3 made a sublime start to the working week.
Wednesday 17th August
Justifying the early laps in pursuit of k's, I hung the blame on Fausto Coppi (5 times Giro, 2 times TdeF winner) who's reply to a cadet journalists question on the three secrets to his success was, "Ride your bike, ride your bike AND ride your bike". An early southwester pushed me out Ford Rd with work to do on Grahamvale and Old Dookie roads back to town, but I felt surprisingly good (maybe after Tuesday off?). Met Wozz in the usual spot, every traffic light halting us on the route to the Couldabeens. The carpark filled from the half way mark again, (many half scared at doing a turn?) KillkennyPaul, Softa, Cougar, Temple, Rocket, HBK, Shorty, Ralphy, Pistol, AvantiTrev, Boof, Kel, Bo, BamBam, Chops, BigRon and Nev filled the grid, the same old soldiers offering up an early turn (Wozz, Pistol, Rocket, Boof etc), the fearful clutching at the apron strings behind. A few foreigners had infiltrated the bunch (Grumpy, Huddo, Mitch and Robbo), AvantiMat joining on leg 2 to make two dozen. Pistol turned up the tempo in Kialla Central (Grumpy's Cat kit waving a red flag to Pistol?), a little unease with a long bunch hurtling toward the River Rd pot-hole, but we safely passed as Poppa projected proliferous pronouns from the westward Cat pack. Sprint tactics were being formulated as early as Boundary Rd (a messy end predicted with foreign forces thrown into the recipe). I was jammed within a long caboose of "no-way-not-going-up-there-to-do-a-turn" passengers, but eventually wormed my way into the up line at the cypress trees on HBK's wheel. Shorty found himself at the pointy end early again, Rocket lit the afterburners at Hopeful corner to stretch the bunch into 'fasters'and 'finishers', I'd moved up (190bpm) to give Pistol a break when Boof bolted, a handful of hopefuls charging from behind demoting most to "tried and failed".
Thursday 18th August
9 long k's out to the Pine Lodge church into an 13 km/h ENE'er, doggedly trying to keep 30 on the speedo while the heartrate climbed (closer to surrender?), just one passing B double felt like Christmas! Ah, the serenity steering south, the wind stopped howling between my ears, now assisting the passage to Boundary Rd from the Toaster. Down Channel Rd in search of Couldabeens, I got through the S bends to find the Turtle squad (Temple, AvantiTrev, Softa and KillkennyPaul) single filed attacking the northeaster. I'd been nominated to drive the southbound leg, an echelon education needed for River Rd against the breeze. Hoges was caught on the turn toward Kialla Central, road bike found punctured so was aboard the MTB! I put some spice into driving south, KillkennyPaul needing a hand with wind direction for Mitchell Rd, recovering at 2nd wheel not working for him after a turn at the front. Temple and AvantiTrev put in a decent tow, Hoges howling the 1.9" dirt tyres at the back. Softa had five in the gutter as we rounded Galbraiths gate, so I took the helm as a 'how to', riding the white line for five to survive in the diagonal draft to Conrod's end, (too tempting for Hoges, spurred to sprint the last 50 metres)
Friday 19th August
Plodded and pondered pensively through porridge at 5, just the standard lap at 6 today felt strangely "normal" (taking it easy on the legs for tomorrow's Sam Miranda Grand Fondo). Wozz, Cate, Bruce, AvantiMat, AvantiTrev, Chops, HBK and Pistol assembled in mild (14 degrees) but windy (NNE @ 26-39 km/h) conditions, enough to bring summers shorts out of a few closets but scare many riders away. Bruce took the reigns to the roundabout, I was happy to pair with Wozz then Pistol with the wind in favour, a perverse pleasure watching HBK being half wheeled by Pistol on the Mitchell leg. Cate, AvantiMat and AvantiTrev shouldered the headwind through Central Kialla, nothing easy about my last two k of River on the front with Wozz and Pistol, a small orange window of daybreak in a threatening grey curtain of cloud keeping thoughts distracted. Pistol punished HBK again in Boundary, I'm told only a few are allowed to half wheel the half bike king. Collective sighs of relief turning into Channel Rd for the 9k's back to town, I'd hoped the sprint was off the agenda but Bruce and Pistol have an auto reflex action seeing a smooth 1.3k's of Cha Cha stretched out ahead. A burst into the high fourties earned a slice of toast, the slog of a headwind home made it two.
Week 33 : 309km. YTD 10,111km
If you need inspiration, watch Amanda Coker's attempt at the highest annual mileage record, the U.S. 24 year old is currently on day 91 and has clocked 33,353km (averaging 365k/day). 122,432k to beat. And I thought I had issues! Check out her incredible history and goal on <goamandacoker.com>
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