Saturday 10th September
A standard Saturday lap for a change, banking wattage for Sunday. I found Wozz then Rocket and Cate on the spin south, a moderate southwester drying Friday's damp, but a last second sighting of a lump of timber (avec nails) caused Cate a double puncture. The pitstop circus started with Cate's tube scoring a sticking valve, Rockets new tube rupturing and my tube leaking, so Wozz set off to stall the 6am bunch. The sticking valve was eventually unstuck and repairs finished, Wozz returning with reinforcements (Temple and Trav) to get to the grid, but the bunch had bolted. A single filed TT up Channel and Boundary got started to intercept the impatient in Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, Rocket and Wozza had the boiler stoked nudging 40 to serve Strava segment trophies to many (but would this effort erode my Fruitloop fitness?) Cate called a softening front tyre crossing the Hill Rd rail line, a quick pause to pump only rupturing a pin hole. Yet another tube change was completed just as the bolted bunch arrived (Bruce, Pistol, Jase, AvantiTrev, Cougar, Popgun, KillkennyPaul, TatPaul, Boof and Tina). Mid thirties on the cruise control was a doddle after our 16k thrash, the Ford Rd rhythm whittling down KillkennyPaul (signs of too much work and not enough riding). Popgun is still in contravention of rule 17 (30, 35, 46 & 59 being breached too!) An ominous grey wall of misty rain bore toward us as we reached the edge of town, just a few spots quickly turning to a soaking. With rooster tails of water up the nose, socks soaked and grime graffitied bikes, Cougar and Popgun abandoned ship to shortcut to base camp leaving 14 to drive at 36 into the southwester (rule #9 ticked) on Wanganui. The sprint was sensibly scrapped, thoughts of hot coffee and warm breakfast motivating us to the freshly renovated Lemontree, avacado's, heart-rates and pushing the limits kept conversations continuing for a second cup.
Sunday 11th September
There was a foggy start to my 11th Fruitloop, entries down to just 14 for the 180k circuit (shame such a great event isn't patronised more. Can't Cats cut it?!) Familiar faces (Bruce, Wozza, Coggo, Heady, Liam, Indi and Tony) made comfortable surroundings, two blokes on a tandem and other foreigners made up the grid, flagged away at 7 with a generous gendarme escort out of town. Winter layers insulated against the 5 degrees, a good bunch composition with a teamwork mindset cemented a positive outlook. A few of the foreigners were soon identified as tailenders as a low 30's pace was set, S-Works Ashley (Melbourne) ranked as the only stayer. Mt Major's canola put spring into the scenery and I felt some spring up Dookie's first little gradient, but there'd be plenty more climbs to beat that optimism out of me. A little rise past Gentle Annie and Tallis wineries, around the bend to a panorama of patchwork canola stretching to Mt Buffalo on the horizon magnetised the eyeballs. A short downhill to Nalinga then steered south, Wozza, Liam, Bruce and Indi's wattage keeping the pace over the gentle uphill and down dale to VioletTown, S-Works Ashley opting to sit in the caboose. Neural niggles on the hills ahead meant conservative turns for me, Heady's recent battle with man flu relegating him OTA. A brief nibble and nature break at Violet Town restored many , all agreeing to do our own thing through the Strathbogies and reconvene in Euroa. Harry's Creek Rd was better in my own headspace than trying to match the real climbers, the 400 metre ascent over 13k's to Bonnie Doon Rd was habitually hammered on the big ring to satisfy rule #90 (happily averaging 17.8). Swinging left at the fork to Boho, the short uphill stung the pectineus and sartorius and peaked the ticker at 180, but a few brief downhills gave respite and recovery to reach Boho school. 2ks climb up Boundary Hill Rd for the utopia of 8ks leg rest downhill to Strathbogie, the winter base layer comforting the descent in 12 degrees. 6ks of climbing out of town to Kelvin View seemed relentless, being dive bombed by a masochistic magpie was the price paid solo but glimpses of S-Works Ashley in the near distance kept up my momentum. The long 10k descent from the fire station felt secure in the 60's, the Baum's road manners impeccable, just the cross winds (NW @ 15 km/h) causing caution. Off the descent and onto the flatlands, I'd reeled in a wearied S-Works Ashley, so offered a tow to Euroa to catch the Liam-Indi-Tony-Bruce-Wozz-Coggo train parked at the lunch station (surprised they'd only berthed 8 minutes prior). 50k to home along the never ending boredom of the Shepp-Euroa Rd into a headwind is a job best shared, teamwork by all tapped the k's away with stretches off the saddle multiplying as posteriors protested the distance. Liam's and Indi's youth kept the tempo in tune, the long drag north eventually finding our well travelled Mitchell Rd. Just the 7k's of Archer back to town now, mentally tasting lunch to get there, sweet to have Weapon at the finish chute as team photographer and nutritionalist (donuts and chips!), a great feed and a beer topping 180k's nicely. All warm and fuzzy playing a part to raise $10,000 + for Hospice Care, a big cheer to the organisers and kudos to the ride team. (maybe future changes will rekindle entries)
Monday 12th September
Feeling somewhat secondhand Monday, with knocking knee, gumby legs and a pulverised posterior, I convinced the cortex to roll a recovery lap (what better than a Goat peace train for the enervation salvation). Only Tina and MeridaJohn appeared, AvantiAndy attaching on the town exit, so four rolled a relaxed rate to Boundary comparing weekends and Fruitloop fortunes. Tina slowly faded at the Boundary bridges (a diabetic dip?) so all slowed as recuperation to River Rd. Keen for a calmer cadence, Tina teamed with AvantiAndy to plug on quietly, MeridaJohn and I (deprived of time) set forth single filed in the mid thirties to satisfy work schedules, relieved that my legs and lungs were freed of a Fruitloop legacy. A scurry along the truck route and Archer thinking it odd that half the oncoming cars weren't optioned with headlights in the dull half light of an overcast daybreak, the steady swap of turns had us back to base before unemployment threatened.
Tuesday 13th September
Procrastination peering into the dark outdoors guessing a forecast at 5, deciding on abandonment. Then the sleepless forever between regret, rethink and relief....75 long minutes till the downpour that made sense of the decision. Others were soaked.
Thursday 15th September
A damp and dismal road was hardly inviting, the craving to crank after 2 whole days deprivation overpowered the chore of cleaning the bike..... yet again! Hoges was rolling round in circles when Wozz and I arrived for Couldabeens duty, but few fronted the grid for 5:50 (BamBam, Boof, Nev and Pistol) meaning hard work was to follow. A westerly blew us out Channel Rd, plenty 'o puddles to splatter the specs, kit and bike, but these are real sensations not found on the virtual UNreality of Zwift. I'd managed to avoid the toil at the front till the cypress trees, I could have chosen an easier pairing than Pistol, so was spent by the S bend, and the head wind was yet to be braved. BamBam baulked at pairing with Wozz (could have been Nev!), my heart rate climbing to 170 at the Broken bridges with the throttle wide open just to hang onto second last place. Wind in the face on River Rd only made Nev, Wozza and Pistol go faster, the urge for me to hold onto Hoges wheel stretching thin. Boof then BamBam joined the caboose in survival mode as River Rd ended, Pistol driving the single filed train through Central Kialla. Us rear gunners suddenly became front runners in Mitchell Rd, BamBam's burst brief while I struggled to glue 37 on the Garmin with the wind now NNW. Crossing Melbourne Rd the big guns had reloaded to fire along Raftery, BamBam busted off the back and, with my h.r still in zone 5 after 17k's, I dropped back to offer him a tow. We swapped a turn or two to reach the finish a minute behind, the five ahead waiting for a collective cruise to coffee.
Friday 16th September
A loan wheel (whilst AvantiTrev rebuilt mine) played rattle and hum on an early golf course lap Friday, slowly amplifying from a knocking valve stem to a cassette rattle from hell. Noisily arriving at the grid with Wozz, others (Chops, Boof, Shorty, Nick, AvantiTrev, AvantiMat, Kel, Kenworth, Bo, Pistol, Nev and Jase) converged, a dry morning with barely a hint of wind a rare pleasure. Comparing magpie strikes with Chops and Wozz was interrupted by 6 bells, valour to the fore by being first wheel to the sanctuary roundabout. The ease to drive 3k's at 37 pumped up the ego, I was even able to muster a few words with Wozz beside me (but I'll ignore the light north wester from behind that fudged my fitness). Pelly, Ralphy and Bruce were waiting in leg 3, the vociferous valve stem and cacophonous cassette were grating on nerves as much as WobblyTrev's presence in a peleton. Bike outings in a week were compared (nil for Bo, five for Wozz) in River Rd, both sets of Kel's alluring eyes bewitched, good to note Nick still sticking to the comeback trail when others have been and gone again. Northbound in Boundary between Choppy and Wozz was the rigorous reality missed in leg one, at least my berth in the bunch wouldn't put me in the deep end for the ChaCha. (that was Shorty's luck once again!) Third last on the up line nearing Kinder corner had me a possible in the placings, but stomping on the pedals out of Hopeful corner to keep in touch with the favourites had the chain hopping wildly from cog to cog, so surrendered form the sprint in the interest of staying upright. (technical tip, 10 speed cassettes don't live on 11speed hubs!)
Week 37. 335km. YTD 11,331km
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