I had first bite at Wanganui Rd but short turns by TatPaul and BassoDan closed the door as Rocket launched an early break at the transfer station. When a gap finally opened in the up-line there was a tough chase to catch the break, if only to get a brief draft from those popped off the back. 
Mid fourties for half a k with a dozen in tow cooked me, hallelujah to score the delicious draft of Kel when my tank emptied. It was gasp and wheeze time to Rudd Rd as the dozen passed, composure finally arriving to chat with The Godfather Boulevard bound. Staying smooth and straight, chooks & eggs and Velominati's Rules kept conversation cooking, savouring the cafe's coffee and granola and the Couldabeens fellowship and bullship. Serious sentences on Adnate's street art and politics with Temple, Wozz and Nev while waiting for the accurate arrival of drizzle to clear (but a grubby bike to clean as a weekend chore)
27/3
Tiring of the same old tracks, Monday's lap went west, off the (bike) beaten track to tour towards Tat. There's a spirit of adventure and discovery cranking a course less travelled, a bit of Bourke and Wills if you like with the thrill of the unknown ahead. The Midland highway's getting a shoulder re-co so it was a squeezy spin when the peak hour of 5 cars passed by, a tailwind helping outbound, but there was a homeward hinderance to come. I turned north onto the Tatura-Undera Rd and ascended the category 3 Mt Tarmac,
10k's of pushing into the northeaster putting the fortitude into Foss. Through Gillieston (1 house and an intersection) and finally up to the Lancaster Rd I turned eastbound, fortitude now replaced with another F word. Turning angry fighting the headwind for 6k, there comes a point when the legs won't give what the head wants, so there was a rethink on pace in the interest of survival (ceasing sulking at the slightly lower speed). The wind at the left shoulder on Echuca-Mooroopna Rd was a little easier to bear, legs still stinging but I distracted thoughts to the road rubbish to dodge on the skinny shoulder. A baby bottle, a coat hanger, a 15/16mm ring spanner, a plank, McDonalds packaging, a garden rake.... The Mooroopna waste water treatment plant awoke the nostrils abruptly to spur on the speed to return to the suburbs minus delay, a nicely timed return to town as the 7am starters car commuted, 50k clicked for me, Strava saying a 147 suffer.
10k's of pushing into the northeaster putting the fortitude into Foss. Through Gillieston (1 house and an intersection) and finally up to the Lancaster Rd I turned eastbound, fortitude now replaced with another F word. Turning angry fighting the headwind for 6k, there comes a point when the legs won't give what the head wants, so there was a rethink on pace in the interest of survival (ceasing sulking at the slightly lower speed). The wind at the left shoulder on Echuca-Mooroopna Rd was a little easier to bear, legs still stinging but I distracted thoughts to the road rubbish to dodge on the skinny shoulder. A baby bottle, a coat hanger, a 15/16mm ring spanner, a plank, McDonalds packaging, a garden rake.... The Mooroopna waste water treatment plant awoke the nostrils abruptly to spur on the speed to return to the suburbs minus delay, a nicely timed return to town as the 7am starters car commuted, 50k clicked for me, Strava saying a 147 suffer.
28/3
It was almost a winter watershed Tuesday, 8 degrees was a shock from 20 degrees the day before. The cool but calm crank to the carpark found Shorty, Nick, Dalts, KillkennyPaul, Cougar, AvantiTrev, ScottMatt, HBK and Temple ready to roll. HBK was keen to pair with me as we set off on leg one, leaving him a half bike ahead seemed to keep him in a happy place. I backed off the gas with AvantiTrev in leg two (reduces my bike servicing costs), it was a bit early for his full steam effort he tells me. And so the rotations rolled as the Turtle train tapped east on Channel Rd, plenty of small sticks and branches to dodge from Monday night's wind (and some missed too, to be minced by Mavics). Temple seemed to have the Ridley in a chain chattering half gear, AvantiTrev's lumens went to lunch to leave him in the dark in River Rd (what a novel idea to evade a turn at the front!), Killkenny Paul with a tank of enthusiasm even though his engine protests. Good to have Dalts along as a contributor though I'm not sure if he understood HBK's half bike welcome. Shorty had me short of breath keeping up in Mitchell Rd though there was good recovery time during the wind up on Raftery Rd in the chase to Conrod. HBK dragged two lines to single file in the 1200 metre straight, I got the perfect sit as he and Temple pushed their limits with all in tow, just a waiting game till distance decided my launch time. Off the Fizik at the 300 mark, all stops were out to shake off any followers, taking the chocolates easily as the gap attested.
29/3
Three grinning girls put cheer into the chill of Wednesday morning, 9 degrees didn't deter Kenworth, Trav, Cate, Nev, Weapon, Shorty, Car+Mel, BeerMat, Cougar, Pistol, Bruce, Boof, BamBam, TrekTrev, AvantiTrev, ScottMatt, Troy, Chops, Nick, Rene, Col, Dalts, Jase and young Lightning to collect in the carpark. BeerMat took the plunge of first turn to Sanctuary's roundabout, no shortage of upline volunteers today with a speed more sympathetic. Sentence swapping got underway as 26 rotated, Dalts and Col along for a Couldabeens crank rather than a Cat crawl.
The Goat PainTrain was in their first k of River Rd as we finished our last, well beyond the cruisy Cats still in Boundary Rd.
A pooch in the undergrowth as we neared the Channel Rd Kinder caused a trip in tempo for a tick, back on the gas into Kinder corner and hurtling toward Hopeful corner, Shorty got the driving duties for the umpteenth time. Car+Mel and Cate delivered TrekTrev to Prentice Rd where I'd planned my move. With Rocket and Wozz in respite, Boof, Nev, Pistol, Troy, Trav and Bruce otherwise occupied at the other end of the bunch, it was my chance in a lifetime, so bolted possessed. It seemed a hundred lights were swarming behind, I'd broken into the fifties and was squinting, searching the distance ahead for that almost elusive white line of relief. Almost feeling the gasps of challengers at my back wheel, the finish finally appeared, hallelujah! Foss had just enough jellybeans to take a rare win.
A pooch in the undergrowth as we neared the Channel Rd Kinder caused a trip in tempo for a tick, back on the gas into Kinder corner and hurtling toward Hopeful corner, Shorty got the driving duties for the umpteenth time. Car+Mel and Cate delivered TrekTrev to Prentice Rd where I'd planned my move. With Rocket and Wozz in respite, Boof, Nev, Pistol, Troy, Trav and Bruce otherwise occupied at the other end of the bunch, it was my chance in a lifetime, so bolted possessed. It seemed a hundred lights were swarming behind, I'd broken into the fifties and was squinting, searching the distance ahead for that almost elusive white line of relief. Almost feeling the gasps of challengers at my back wheel, the finish finally appeared, hallelujah! Foss had just enough jellybeans to take a rare win.
30/3
It was as cold as a visit from the tax department Thursday, a solo spin (21k) in the silly hope of warming up prior to a grind with the Goats. Outbound on a deserted Ford Rd, thoughts on the bikes vs cars rant in the SheppNews (cheap lazy vox populi jibe journalism) niggled the nerves. There's some weirdos behind the wheel (and some behind handlebars too) thankfully mostly in the minority, so I meditated on Rule #6 instead. Steering into Boundary Rd, thoughts jumped quickly to Rule #5, an icy wind blowing at 25+ cut through the base layer (and there's still three months of winter yet to come!). A steady grind back to town found Coggo, Sandy, Dipper, Bickies, Belly, Tina, Hommy, Temple, Phil, HBK and Heady ready. There was a mix of old and new Goat kits amongst the dozen, Hommy on a good behaviour turn beside me to Central Ave, Temple the hard one to stay level with this time. Work to do for all in Boundary Rd into the wind, a swarm of red led's ahead blinking an invitation to pursue. Dipper and Temple drove the enthusiasm in River Rd to catch Cobbles, Dion, LegalSteve, G, BigBen, Sherls and a handful of others on a casual jaunt, inspiring them to climb aboard and contribute to our westward goal. A chat or two and I was back at the business end for the last shift of River Rd, but then to depart (such sweet sorrow) north and west homeward, out of the confines and comfort of a bunch, singularly exposed to the elements.
31/3
All hail the holy base layer and armwarmers! It felt like five Friday, fingerless gloves not a good choice as I worked my way south to the Couldabeens. Bruce, Car+Mel, Pelly, Grumpy, Merida-not-AvantiJohn, Nick, Shorty, Cate, Trav, TrekTrev, Jen, BamBam, Troy, Pistol, Boof, Rocket, Kenworth, Kel, ScottMatt, Nev and Bo braving the cool too. BamBam slogged south in a selfless self sacrifice of supurb speed to Sanctuary's roundabout (well, that's his version of events!) many on a vigilance of safe practice (bike vs cars redneck replies awakening lost habits?) though the calls from the rear only made it to midfield. Good to have flu-fighter Rocket back, but Wozz still suffering. The proposal of a new Couldabeens kit has had tongues wagging for the week, reaching consensus will be a battle, but three cheers for Kel starting the design process. River Rd was almost empty, save for a lightless Mexican, cruising Cats were exiting Boundary Rd with a befuddled Goat pack behind. I got my turn done at Channel Rd's cypress trees, all looking mighty fine for the ChaCha but a call of puncture pulled us up at Jameson Rd. The front half was urged onward with plenty at the pit-stop, so ensued the compulsory crank to the Kinder, TrekTrev keen to lead a chase for the ChaCha. Hot coffee and the warm company of 'the ladies of the peloton' a perfect end to the wintery week.
Week 13 262km YTD 3,222 km
Meanwhile, just south of Oakridge Florida, Amanda Coker draws ever closer to a new world record. Averaging 374km a day on a bike, she's less than a thousand k's short of the 120,805km annual distance record (set by Kurt Searvogel last year) with almost three weeks up her sleeve. Go you good thing!
https://goamandacoker.wordpress.com
All hail the holy base layer and armwarmers! It felt like five Friday, fingerless gloves not a good choice as I worked my way south to the Couldabeens. Bruce, Car+Mel, Pelly, Grumpy, Merida-not-AvantiJohn, Nick, Shorty, Cate, Trav, TrekTrev, Jen, BamBam, Troy, Pistol, Boof, Rocket, Kenworth, Kel, ScottMatt, Nev and Bo braving the cool too. BamBam slogged south in a selfless self sacrifice of supurb speed to Sanctuary's roundabout (well, that's his version of events!) many on a vigilance of safe practice (bike vs cars redneck replies awakening lost habits?) though the calls from the rear only made it to midfield. Good to have flu-fighter Rocket back, but Wozz still suffering. The proposal of a new Couldabeens kit has had tongues wagging for the week, reaching consensus will be a battle, but three cheers for Kel starting the design process. River Rd was almost empty, save for a lightless Mexican, cruising Cats were exiting Boundary Rd with a befuddled Goat pack behind. I got my turn done at Channel Rd's cypress trees, all looking mighty fine for the ChaCha but a call of puncture pulled us up at Jameson Rd. The front half was urged onward with plenty at the pit-stop, so ensued the compulsory crank to the Kinder, TrekTrev keen to lead a chase for the ChaCha. Hot coffee and the warm company of 'the ladies of the peloton' a perfect end to the wintery week.
Week 13 262km YTD 3,222 km
Meanwhile, just south of Oakridge Florida, Amanda Coker draws ever closer to a new world record. Averaging 374km a day on a bike, she's less than a thousand k's short of the 120,805km annual distance record (set by Kurt Searvogel last year) with almost three weeks up her sleeve. Go you good thing!
https://goamandacoker.wordpress.com
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