Week 4 : Setting the standard of suffering

Post 432
20/1  Saturday's slim squad.

A week of repetitious 40 k rides prompted a longer lap Saturday, a little "legucation" on distance to break the usual lap habit.  North on a golf course circuit then a southern loop of Raftery Rd consumed an hour (and the k's) prior to the standard Saturday syllabus.  Popgun had made an early escape, but Trav, Tina, NewAvantiJohn, MyRideTrev, TatMat, TatPaul, The Godfather, Nick, Liam, Softa and BamBam collected at the carpark for the 6am launch.  NewAvantiJohn tapped a testy tempo to the roundabout, but it soon settled into a steady speed suiting sociology.
Promotion to the pointy end proved presumptuous, a pacy pairing with young Liam dragged me out of a social slumber and into the deep end of driving rather rapidly.  Satisfied I'd put in a fair turn with the young engine 1500 later, I handed over for BamBam to prove his worth.  Tina sat out the lap in the rear ranks after an epic effort climbing Tawonga and Falls Creek, TatMat was soaking up the last few days of leave, Softa made his once-a-week appearance and I talked T-birds with The Godfather.

The bunch had caught Popgun (no partner for the reconnoiter?), we steered east to the Toaster and north to the Big Ring, crossing paths with a petite peloton of Pussycats peculiarly plying their way to Dookie.
A favourable breeze back to town boosted bravado (and the velocity), 18k's covered without much ado. 
Onto Wanganui Rd, Softa's speed stuttered to reach the front as BamBam bolted in the drivers seat at DECA, The Godfather and Trav stepped up to the sprint but young Liam made it look easy to draw away for a convincing win.  Chat at a rather short Lemontree table was on post crash recovery, cooling feet, relaxing on the bike and going beyond the boundaries.

22/1  The heart rate handicap.
Removed from the shelter of a bunch, a solo circuit Monday would satisfy Rule #5 and study the science of pacing oneself.  Rolled out the Boulevard, climbed the dizzying heights of the Col du Cemetery (1.9 meters), past the golf course and pointed east, I focussed on a steady rhythm to go the distance.  The head wanted faster, the legs would get over it but I was handicapped with the heart rate hovering at 160.  (too easy to send it into the red) Beyond the Big Ring I set the quarry as an extension of effort, slight speed variations helping to keep the cardiac calm.

The turn back toward town found a niggling WSW'er, glued to 84 rpm preserved a reasonable speed.
South at the church and down to the Toaster, a bit more head down and tail up got to Boundary Rd to slip in between the travels of Cats and Goats.  The sun hopped above the horizon at 6:25 as I steered into River Rd (Sean and Chops seperately speeding east), ignoring distant lights behind me as I kept control of cardiac crescendo's.  To Central Kialla then west on Mitchell, I'd  just scored a clean cross of the highway as Grumpy, Pelly and BamBam caught me for the Raftery return.  Pace picked up 20% but I had a welcome tow to Galbraiths Gate, paying the toll of a turn burned the legs so mine was a short shift after 60k's of zone 4.  Pelly and Grumpy got excited at the sight of Conrod straight, but I was satisfied to just roll to the finish.

23/1  I'll have what Bruce had for breakfast!
Flat out like a lizard drinking to the carpark Thursday, slow on the saddle-up and time my enemy catching every traffic light en-route. The heart rate was hasty arriving at the grid with 10 spare seconds, Bruce, Vince, Ralphy, Trav, BamBam and Grumpy setting sail on Channel Rd.  A SSW'er did it's best to stifle speed, Trav copped the toil but I'd avoided the head-on sections and a mostly shielded shift from the cypress trees to the S bend.

Vince and Bruce tore into Boundary Rd's headwind possessed with pace, that urge to bury yourself under the seat post ahead for maximum draft was strong, but last Thursday's horizontal outcome made it a wiser and safer sit. Trav handed me the reigns for River Rd's second kilometer, my favorite stretch of tarmac (as smooth as Wozza's head), though VicRoads will probably resurface it in coarse 20mm stone now that I've said that!  Driving duty went well (almost to the dip) though the relief to catch the last wheel was better, hoping recovery came before the next turn.  Bruce belted into the breeze at Central Kialla, I'll have what he had for breakfast! (turbo toast or was it quick oats?).  My turn three was a bit shorter (to Archer Rd), Ralphy driving into Dave's dip but dying up it.  Trav's tempo suited me well, the perfect pace not to pickle me prior to taking up the drivers seat.  He handed the helm to me at Conrod's kink, and using the dip to get into the mid 40's, I sank all into the speed till the legs resigned.  With nothing left to catch the last wheel, it was ostensibly OTA for me, though I wound up towing Ralphy to the line, then joined the other gaspers to gloat our average speed.

24/1  A cast from fast to last.
I had a calm and cruisy commute to the carpark on Wednesday now that I'd got my time management right, griding comfortably at 4th spot behind Tum, Tina and Liam at the shops' car park.

The field filled for the mid week social spin, Tum and Liam leading the southbound charge out of town.  I shared the head wind with Trav to the truck route, NewAvantiJohn turning up the hurt to Mitchell Rd, but the convalescence in the down-line was delicious, thanks to a the soothing southwester.  Bunch identity was now possible as the turns rolled, BamBam, Sean, MyRideTrev, AvantiAndy, Kenworth, Jen, Nick, Chops, Lucy, Boof, Ralphy and (good grief!) Gazzagrasshopper from the jaws of extinction.

There was chat on speed, hibernation, resolutions and peloton positioning as I made my way back to the back, two long lines turned north then east toward Boundary Rd, Hurt Locker making another appearance.  Doc Paul's cruisy crew wheeled west (pursuing pussycats poised to pounce) as we headed to the rising sun (on cue at 6:25) then noses north on Boundary Rd.  Tommygun joined in from a clockwise crank, Brother Andrew the sole Goat sailing south.

Channel Rd blessed us with shelter from the SSW'er, the speed steadily simmering to the cypress trees, cue Trav and I to the leading roles.  Rolls turned quickly to Central Ave, happy I was tucked into a tow before the kick at the Kinder.  Sean was reluctantly in the hot seat to Hopeful corner, the rapidly ranked swarming in the mid field planning their pounce.  I was back to the back by Prentice Rd, NewAvantiJohn jumped the queue but had peaked in pace.  Passing the pickled in the closing meters, I had just enough to grab third as Boof and Tum claimed the top two.



25/1  And then there were seven.
A little loop via Kialla Lakes avoided an early berth, time used to tune-up the legs in preparation for perspiration on Thursday's thrash.  Bruce, Nev, Rocket, Boof, Trav, Grumpy and NewAvantiJohn congregated in the carpark till take-off time, leg one a little lethargic waiting for Nev (who was waiting for someone unbeknowns).  Down to business beyond the roundabout, NewAvantiJohn set the standard of suffering, a minutes' worth of masochism at the front seeming to suit all.  It was my turn at the Kinder to slog 700 meters, but I kept the reserve tank ready to catch the caboose.  Rocket, Nev and Boof dished out the pain on longer turns, tucked into Trav's tow was the perfect position for me.  Duty called again at One Tree Dam, 50mm of Mavic's helping this old engine nearly make it to River Rd, then off the Fizik and pounding the pedals to grab the draft as Nev turned up the tempo.

I had a cranial combat between signals of suffering from legs & lungs, and the sheer stubborness to continue (if only for the kudos!) Trav had taken a brief respite at the rear and Grumpy's shifts had shortened, so Foss was fairing fairly well, my last 800 meters of River Rd driven by a sliver of satisfaction I was doing ok in quick company.  The digging got deeper to find NewAvantiJohn's and Bruce's pace at Central Kialla, back to the business end I went for 500 meters to the highway.  Trav and NewAvantiJohn had taken up permanent rear residence, Grumpy was now missing in action so I chose the "hurting-hanging-on" option for Raftery Rd while Boof, Nev, Rocket and Bruce kept pouring on the pace from some supersonic source (Adelaide ales?)   Boof had the legs for the culmination in Conrod, I'd rolled in second last but a happy little Vegemite with a PB and a 41.6 average.

26/1  A Hotham hiatus.

Murder in the mountains was hardly a patriotic pastime on Australia Day, but the three peaks countdown is measured in weeks now! The Harrietville start line robbed me of a warm up, just 700 meters of flat before the tarmac pointed upward and I re-aquainted with my mate of 38 teeth.  A gradient none too gruelling for the first 5 k's helped to harness the heart-rate, but the climbing cyclist (handy how-to's of hills for the first timers) had warned of "The Meg" at km 6, a nasty 9% section to awaken the masochist in me.  400 meters later it levelled out to a more manageable  6-7 %, the long snaking slope consistently upward got the cardiac in control again, even a fairly flat section along the ridgeline rewarded a reprieve.
Just when I got into a comfort zone Buckland Gate arrived, another off-the-Fizik-flog-fest just to maintain momentum.  Greatful it was a short suffering (400 meters) the road resumed its regular rise.  On and on the black strip wound its way upward, bare trees now the normal at the snow line.  Over a little crest and there lay CRB hill, designed by a sadist to crucify cyclists (10% for 1200 meters was cruelty to climbers), though there was satisfaction passing a lot of (more junior) entrants in the Audax event underway on the day.

Unseated, driving the 38/25 at 180 bpm, flies swarming (and that growling bear chasing me) tested the endurance, but at last the crest at Rene's lookout came. There was a short downhill as repose, then on across the bare ridge to Little Baldy (dodging the rock falls) with a panorama of peaks to perv at below. The 3k's to the summit sign was inspiring but the legs were close to calling a stop work meeting after 1400 meters of 9% to Diamantina.

Soon enough, the road dipped down, and there lay the oasis of Hotham heights village, all that toil had turned to trophy. I took a brief halt to put a muffin in the tank, finding another Corretto racked at the cafe (what are the odds?), an obligatory pic for posterity then swung the leg over for the 30 km descent.    A careful first few kilometers avoided the rocks strewn on the left lane, then the long downhill lefts and rights, the sharp drop of CRB hill, all those sweeping bends down to Buckland Gate (mindful of the sharpish 30 km/h curves) and the rush down The Meg.  Almost overshooting the hairpin steered some sense back into my descent, so soon back to Harrietville finished the fun.

Week 4    329 km             YTD : 1181 km