Week 15: Hotmix heaven and the downhill chill

Post 392
Saturday' s summary.....summery

Several regulars missing altered the ambience and culled the carpark crowd on Saturday, summer had swansonged to ditch the armwarmers, 17 degrees and a niggling northeaster (17-26 km/h) was sent to test us.  The Godfather, TatMat, TatPaul, ScottMatt, KillkennyPaul, Jen, Pistol, AvantiAndy, Cougar, Boof, Popgun, TrekTrev, Nev, Nick, Shorty, Wozz, ChrisA and Bruce formed two lines to set sail, sedately steered by Cougar and The Godfather, a westbound Oscar (fashionably fettled in matching kit to bike) u-turning to attach, MeridaAndy joining likewise to form a train of 21 to tap the flatlands east of town. Beside Wozz to Orrvale then onward to the Kinder with Bruce set the speed agenda, the rotations of riders within arms length only now identifying those dark mysterious figures that had arrived at the start line.  Bent brows and tested tibialis greeted Boundary Rd and it's northeaster, neatly echeloned from right to left to Old Dookie Rd then left to right to the Toaster (with one vexing exception), we battled the breeze if only to reap the reward of a tailwind home. 

Swinging north to the Toaster pooped Popgun just 5 minutes short of the reward, TatMat, Nev, Jen, Pistol and ChrisA scoring my vote as the smoothest of the smooth aboard two wheels despite the cross wind.  Westward at Emu corner with the breeze behind bums, Wozz and TatMat turned up the tempo for 20 seconds till Pistol delivered the 'cease and desist' letter from the caboose.  2km/h worth of icing was scraped off the speed cake in the interest of compliance (and to prevent personal injury), Bendigo haunts of our youth compared with TatMat as we drove to the bridge, everso sneakily squeezing the accelerator.  Like the holler from a pirate ship, the Godfathers' call of clear was a hilarious staement of the bleeding obvious at Grahamvale Rd (yet its a serious message that's rarely passed on).  As the momentum multiplied in the diminishing distance of Ford Rd, the Wanganui watusi beckoned the brave and expelled the escapees via Verney Rd.  Two rows turned single at DECA as Wozz donated himself as the sprint sacrifice of lead-out to the hill, TatMat my perfectly poised tow to the base, but the real sprinters (Nev, Boof and ChrisA) belted by at 56 clicks, marking us as mere menials.  A Boulevard breather restored normal bodily function to roll to the Lemontree for breakfast and banter on childhood dreams, football and the crassness of reality TV, new bike discounting the serious subject on the reluctant departure.

How awesome is Amanda Coker breaking (officially) the world's highest annual mileage record! (122,686 km to date)   No doubt she'll raise the bar higher with 3+ weeks left for the next possessed pedaler to ponder.  Step it up Steve Abraham, already six weeks into his U.K. attempt........

10/4. Rule #9

A dreary grey day with an angry WSW'er (19-24 km/h) wasn't very inspiring, clouds rolling low and the threat of rain sent many diverting to doonas but the disciples of Rule #9 (Sandy, Tina, Cate and Hommy assembled at the roundabout for a Monday Peace Train while the Paris-Roubaix night owls slumbered.  The breeze blew us to Boundary Rd, a treat best shared for the forthcoming task south and west, Sandy content in the caboose to nurse a gluteus maximus.  The blast across our flanks in Boundary Rd cut our previously stunning performance back to reality, Hommy the substantial draft but Sunday's liquid overload pickled his pace.  Tina and Cate drove a long leg on River Rd, clouds dragging across the paddocks misting our progress west.  Hommy got his second wind in River Rd's last k, the half wheeling habit back in force till Sandy exercised her casting vote on velocity.  The niggles of a damp track and a grubby bike were overpowered by the one upmanship on the soft souls slumbering. A sprintless peace train finish caused Cate a craving to spike the Garmin graph with a crack at the Crit segment.

11/4 Turtle turgidity

The perception of running late bumped up my pace to the Turtles Tuesday, the southerly inciting some physical fastness but my berth at the grid had two minutes spare.  Nick, KillkennyPaul, TrekTrev, Cougar and Hoges were the solitary suitors to slog out a lap, slim numbers spelt single file, TrekTrev doing the honours of first shift.  Nick turned on the tow for leg two though I wish he and TrekTrev had got up the road a bit to shelter us from the southerly.  KillkennyPaul cranked a good turn to Prentice Rd , regular rigour building and benefitting his wattage. I took the turn to the cypress trees while Hoges hammered the single speed MTB and Cougar commanded the caboose.  The drivers repeated to Channel Rd's end, KillkennyPaul dragging us to the Broken Bridges, leaving the wide open spaces to River Rd to fight the headwind and gusts from oncoming trucks.  Cougar fell off the caboose as we swung into River Rd, a cruise of courtesy reformed the 6 pack, speed slowly stepped up to prevent fractures.  Nick and TrekTrev put into the westward effort, Hoges turns abbreviated pushing 2.75 dirt tyres, a single cog and sitting upright (he tells me it's good training!)  I scored the headwind again in Central Kialla, a couple of "easy"s to keep the caboose connected kept me out of zone 5.  Westward in Mitchell Rd had dropped Cougar off the tail, I eased off to offer a tow back to the bunch but the light (and the enthusiasm?) had subsided.  A long slog in the fourties to get back aboard eventually caught the foursome at Archer Rd, Nick providing the pace in and out of Dave's dip. KilkennyPaul headled us to Roubaix corner and I braved the long drive to Arcadia Downs to reward the lads some recovery for the Conrod thrash.  We'd caught Weapon solo at the first dip, KillkennyPaul slogging to victory at Steptoe's with Hoges hot in pursuit.  Holidays allowed a caffeine post mortem, cruising couple Jed and BamBam found at the cafe to chat on kit confusion and What's App hand grenades as the Hares (Nev, Troy, Wozz, Rocket, Pistol, Col and Bruce) arrived to join in.

12/4
Fresh and foggy again Wednesday, effort down and attendance up almost guaranteed as the troops gathered for the Couldabeens lap of leisure.  Kenworth, Col, Rocket, BamBam, Wozza, Nev, Mel, Pelly, Cate, Troy, Pistol, SuperMario, Cougar, Nick, Shorty, Kel, Weapon and Bo lifted anchor at 6, yet another bunch split for traffic calming the first k to congregate. 

All aboard called with BamBam driving the train like Tony Martin to Sanctuary Park's roundabout. (if you believe his publicity department!)  20 flew fresh to Mitchell Rd, east then north then east again with calls on traffic improved, creating considerable crew comfort.  An orange horizon held a promise of a fine day, low fog and the full moon setting the River Rd scenery, a chill in the air keeping those in the draft awake. A stick flicked from another wheel struck my right shin with a profanity, but happily for the first time in months I hit the front in Boundary Rd (between Cate and Shorty), well short of the ChaCha deep end.  Around Wozza's corner to commence the westward leg home, my promotion forward crossed paths with those demoted, pleased to have served their time before the suffering of the sprint.  My position was poised perfectly at 3rd wheel as the bunch powered past Prentice Rd, but the howl of Rocket's Zipp's and his bolt by relegated my place to 5th before I'd even sniffed the front, and so the social sentence swapping started for a cruisy crank homeward.



13/4   Cruisin' Castlemaine
On holiday in Castlemaine coerced a cruise on foreign soil, lots more lumps and bumps (hills) than on the homeland flats.  It was a chilled start en-route to Newstead in the dark of 6am, inclines causing ol' Foss to cog swap (for a change) to keep momentum up.  The Mt.Alexander Shire's a bit haphazard adding a tarmac verge, so I stuck to the white line roadside as a guide, the aroma of dead roo keeping me and Mavic's on the sealed stuff.  

Up hill and down dale to Newstead then nosed northward on a gradual climb to Welshmans Reef as the sun rose through the fog on the old gold diggings. Plenty of huff and puff climbing to Maldon, though the h.r. monitor (78 bpm) suggested I was barely awake. I rolled into Australia's first notable township, a few folk up and about as the road rose up to Porcupine Flat past ye olde rustic gold dredge and dragline.  I swung east toward the massive metropolis of Walmer (2 houses, a wallaby and an intersection) for another long climb to Fogarty's Gap, working the legs and lungs harder than my usual climbs up channel bridges .

Down the steep descent (at a cautious 58 km/h) to cross the M79 and swing south onto the Old Calder highway to Harcourt, the sun streaming over the orchards and cidery.  I turned up the wick from Harcourt back to Castlemaine (a 39km/h average but the h.r. still slumbering at 70) with the lure of coffee at Saffs to clock a satisfying sixty clicks.


14/4  Good (f)ride day
Heaven forbid, I'm getting used to these hills! Still on a central Victorian furlough, I headed to Harcourt in the hours before sparrow's flatulence, the h.r. monitor behaving but the lungs berating the slow climb out of Castlemaine.

The old Calder highway was chosen to slog a southward exit out of Harcourt, a couple of sharp rises re-aquainting me with the 25 cog as gasps fogged the specs in 7 degree temperature.  With each uphill there's the uplift of a downhill after, whistling down to Farady and passing School Rd reminded me of the '72 kidnapping (that dates me!)  Kangaroos bounded boldly across the road as light slowly showed behind the hills, under the freeway and onward to Elphingstone, cautiously crossing the Pyrenees Hwy.  

The rise and fall regularity was broken by the day break, ever southward to Taradale passing the late 1800's bluestone bridges as the sun finally hauled itself above the horizon.  Soon into Malmsbury (delicious descent, asthmatic ascent!) I pressed on past the prison to find the M79 on-ramp for a northward push back to Castlemaine, the hotmix heaven on the aductor magnus.  Down the cassette and up the tempo on the freeway declines, caravans and speedboats the bulk of the very light holiday traffic (with a watchful eye on the emergency lane for discarded debris (buckets, bungee cords and burger boxes) and the deep ridges of recent reseals. Several k's in the fourties inflated the ego but swinging onto the Pyrenees highway uphill was reality's rapid slap in the face.  Knowing of the long 8k descent to Chewton and Castlemaine inspired my climb of Elphingstone's hill, twas great to clear the cobwebs off the 56/11 and turn the legs to combat the downhill chill to Chewton.  The craving for coffee continued the cadence to Castlemaine, Saffs again to the rescue of a post ride fix, sixty clicks clocked again.

Week 15        285k             YTD 3,760 km