Post 438
3/3 Peloton populaire.
The carpark was chocker's for a change, the constant Couldabeens campaigners and the weekend warriors assembling from all directions for the 6am Saturday spin. (TatMat, BeerMat, TatPaul, Determined Dan, Popgun, PistolPete, Bruce, SuperMario, Shorty, Belly, Tina, AvantiAndy, NewAvantiJohn, Jen, Nev, Softa, KillkennyPaul and MyRideTrev). Bruce led the charge south on Archer Rd, Softa and KillkennyPaul stepping up for an early shift to the truck route. Bruce incurred an intermission with a puncture on leg 3, chat the chance taken while earlylappers Kel, Bo, The Godfather, Rocket, Wozza, Grumpy and CatCol arrived to serve sledges on the repair. Back underway quickly, the order was shuffled, I was now rearbound between Jen and SuperMario, a super spot. The cool and calm conditions were hardly commonplace, the autumn effect bringing arm-warmers out of summer retirement for many. With trust placed in the piloting pair at the distant front, the rear ranks followed in blind faith, a couple blind beyond the wheel ahead making irrational reactions instead of following the flow of the masses.
Weekly topics with TeamTat, banter with Belly (trimmed for tempo and training tenaciously), Nev's niggle of recent illness has hardly slowed him, I reflected on Dark Side of the Moon's 45th anniversary with NewAvantiJohn and I spoke with Shorty on legs ready but head's not. Up to Channel Rd the bunch found Liam and Cate in wait, TrackStan and Spin Doctor sneaking into the squad over the highway to populate the peloton populaire to 31. Little by little I'd been gradually promoted to the pointy end, arriving beside SuperMario at the Big Ring then finding Liam my partner at the kennels. I set my roll-over request at Boundary Rd, a little optimistic when legs began burning 500 meters shy of the mark.
Sheer stubborness got me there, but relief was ridiculous, behind young Liam's like drafting a matchstick! Twasn't long before the tall timber of AvantiAndy and Belly came forward to deliver a decent draft and the toil of my tiny turn was a distant memory. Right on the rear as the bunch bored into Wanganui Rd was perfect positioning for me, Rocket got the serious sprinters salivating toward Mt.Wanganui, but behind I could see ol' mate KillkennyPaul dying a death from the pace, so I slowed up to offer a tow. The pack ahead went like popcorn from the pace, us tailenders picking off the popped and pooped for the reform in Rudd Rd. Back at base camp, the Peaks program, smart kids and kit colours captured conversation along a very long Lemontree table.
4/3 Some call this fun!?
I'd made a mental mountain out of the back 'o Falls, it's ruinous reputation the stuff of hearsay I say (until you've sampled the sting yourself, how can you measure it?), so it was Kellogs Koncrete for Sunday breakfast and drove over for a dip.
Down then up was the Fossilosophy (detective on the downhill and class clown on the climb). It was fresh at Falls for the flagfall (10 degrees) and almost like home with the first 10k a fairly flat skirt of the reservoir. That was 20 minutes of warm up till a gentle rise to Mt.Cope then a few slightly steeper ups and downs round to Nelse. The tarmac drops gradually from Rasberry Hill toward Trapyard Gap (reckon I'd manage that back the other way) but slope's steeper soon after (mental note of murder on the return). Brakes were worked overtime on the tricky turns, descending through a light fog with the lefts and rights for several k's and a 10% decline to focus on.
And then it appeared ahead, the dreaded WTF corner, dipping like a roller coaster to the Omeo Highway. Hands ached on the levers (I love the smell of brake pads in the mornin'!) to stem the speed, then swung onto the highway pointed toward Anglers Rest. A short relaxed roll alongside Big River was used to psych up some spirit for the return, then with gritted teeth, I u-turned back for battle. A hard left back onto Bogong Highplains Rd and up a short 10% straight, I kept my focus just a meter ahead, avoiding the scary sight of the wall that is WTF. It worked!, climbing out of the hairpin with wheels just turning, but keeping a cap on the cardiac crescendo's was as hard as keeping CatCol from the cocktails! Speed sunk to single figures just to harness the heart below 185, tolerating this for 6 more kilometers had a reward a bit beyond Shannonvale, the ease to 8% would be heaven!
That growling bear was chasing me but (thankfully) no sign of the Man with the hammer, young Mitch (sporting a Sagan hairdo) appeared alongside, kindly offering words of encouragement (sorry mate, barely enough oxygen for one word replies!) He easily edged his Ridley ahead (ah, the spoils of youth) as I'd reached a brief respite, a few meters of slight decline was luxury on labored legs, the speed was sweet air conditioning on a sweaty brow.
A few level sections scattered among the rises helped heal the heartrate, but a 13% pinch at Trapyard Gap stung me back to 7km/h. Prior detective work told me the pain was nerly at an end, so push on 'ol Foss, Rasberry Hill would soon appear (and so did two others climbing ahead, somewhat slower). I got around them at Mt Cope (energising my eroded ego), then finally back on level ground (and back on the big ring) got me into a comfort zone to fight the cross winds of Falls plateau back to the reservoir. Sight of the village restored hope, one short rise then berthed the Baum to savour a hard earned drink, a sit and chat with Mitch (and mum Kim) comparing the cruelty of the climb. At least my head can now say it's doable.
5/3 R&R.
To rid the rigormortis of yesterday's stupidity, a bit of R&R (ride & recover) was scheduled for Monday, oh so gentle on the gastrochnemius as a southerly blew head-on at 20+ km/h. Deciding out old and in new (Dookie Rd) would be the perfect panacea, solo was sweet with speed unscrutinised as the CatEye sliced east through the darkness. A road reseal near Central Ave is to usual Vic Roads specs, no budget for a proper job, just slap a coat of tar & stones over the ruts and bumps (and start patching it when it breaks up in a month or so). Me thinks the west in the south southwester helped me to the Toaster, an easy roll to the Big Ring then put the head down for the 15 k's homeward, not so bad with the old engine at 84 rpm and a little tree shelter on the portside. A sense of being stalked was felt in Ford Rd, a distant bunch (Pelly, Nev, Rocket, The Godfather, Kel, Bo, Weapon, Tina and PistolPete) reeling me in on Rudd Rd. I soaked up short sociology along the Boulevard before exiting stage left to appease an employer.
6/3 Three threshing.
It was a bit chilly on the willy for Tuesday's therapy (10 degrees just a taste of the wintery woes to come), a southerly speeding me to Verney's roundabout for the rehab of an Irishman and the pure joy of getting a lawer out of bed early! I couldn't beat Killkenny Paul saying "After you", so I inherited the first shift to Grahamvale Rd, but stayed on for leg 2. A bike ahead is always good bait, rounding up some geezer and pushing on to Lemnos North Rd. Softa took the reigns to the bridge and KillkennyPaul to Boundary Rd (both markedly improving), I set my target at the Big Ring. Guilty avoiding the light headwind to the Toaster encouraged my longer turn in Old Dookie as compensation, nice to find that groove of manageable cadence and respectable speed without cooking the heartrate. Another shift from the fig farm bumped up the effort, passing Mr Flapping Jacket at the bridge. KillkennyPaul was in the drivers seat as Darth Vader's bark from the dark made a special sprint stage in Channel Rd, crossing paths with Pelly and BamBam the sole Machines eastbound. A long line of Hares in a hurry were found at blood & bone corner, already disposing of one OTA. We charged at the ChaCha (out of habit) but backed off for the tour to town, a sizeable six o'clock crew just starting leg 2. The indulgence of post ride Lemontree latte luxury was lapped up, verbalising injury recovery, the unassuming type and Rule #11.
7/3 Tricky traffic.
The Couldabeens crew crammed the carpark on Wednesday, Goose, Weapon, Shorty, Kenworth, SuperMario, Cate, Sean, Tum, Car+Mel, AvantiAndy, Jen, KillkennyPaul, BeerMat, Softa and MyRideTrev all keen to do a quick lap (with just one turn at the effort end?) The 5:25'ers (Bruce, PistolPete, Wozza, Trav, Kel, Bo and NewAvantiJohn) intercepted the 6am'ers on schedule at the truck route, The Godfather a little late attaching in Mitchell Rd. A new face in the bunch stood out like a fart at a funeral, Sir Strobe-a-lot (for the lack of Rule #19) up from the Big Smoke on bus business.
Two rows raffishly rode rotating on River Rd, poking with participles the passing pelotons as social sentences swapped our sides en-route to Boundary. Darkness still swallows the scenery till the Broken bridges, quite a pace paired with Car for my one and only turn at the front. We'd gobbled up Fee, Kylie and Meags on the chase on Channel to the ChaCha, full steam into Hopeful corner but there was helpful hollers to back off the throttle for a B double entering from Prentice Rd. A moment later, another oncoming truck locked up the brakes finding an eastbound brainless bloke on a bike (without lights and helmet) in his path, panic stations for the car following. Traffic suddenly appearing at Orrvale rattled nerves further, and a halt at the truck route vaulted NewAvantiJohn over the bars. The ride turned calm and composed back to town, many contemplating the craft of communicating caution.
8/3 A lazy lap.
Slow and solo set the speed and standard for Thursday, the social salve of the bunch was over-ruled to bank whatever wattage for Sunday. An amble along Archer in 17 degrees was salubrious, with barely a push on the pedals the heart-rate monitor pushed into the 200's (something skew with the strap?) Over the truck route and the line of leds working west on Mitchell was clear as crystal, the pairing of Machines and Hares hurrying to the highway. Pursuit wasn't possible with them pacy and me pokey, CatCol, Liam, Grumpy, Nev, Tina, Wozza, Pistol, Rocket, Trav, SuperMario and BeerMat spearing past and into the distance, leaving me somewhat socially starved. I took the highway homeward without hurry and caught the crew at Ronalds', chatter on a boozy Bright weekend and music through the genres and generations satisfying the sociology.
9/3 Friday fellowship.
Nev and Bo played tow trucks for the first few k's of Friday's fellowship, Sean, TrekTrev, Cate, Mel (-Car), Kel, Vince, Jen, AvantiAndy, SuperMario, MyRideTrev, Kenworth, Tum and Shorty delighting in the draft to Mitchell Rd as earlybirds The Godfather, NewAvantiJohn, Bruce, Wozza, Rocket, CatCol, Pelly, BamBam, Ralphy and PistolPete added to the masses on leg 3.
Jen punctured at Pistols providing a pitstop, MyRideTrev (as always) mastering the art of a rapid and reliable repair (a dollar for each puncture he'd fixed and I could afford PistolPete's wardrobe!) Surprisingly, the restart resumed in almost the same order, happy that my position would probably be spared the slog at the front (it's just the paranoia of preserving power for peaks) Discourse, as I was demoted in the down line, with Bruce on the luxury of a level lap, Seans' ten days of Thailand travels, MyRideTrev on the principals of pace on peaks, BamBam on the machinations of the Machines and The Godfather on pooch's progress.
New tyres, chain and a service has the bike purring, new batteries in cadence and h.r. monitor taking the peaks preparation to OCD levels! Counting heads got confused caught up in conversation but I got back on track in Boundary Rd to tally two dozen and one. Westward in Channel Rd I kept out of the up-line promotion to take comfort in the caboose, deliberating the distance to the wheel ahead needing constant concentration, so often a meter becomes a millimeter (and adds mahem) to the fluctuations of a big bunch. Sitting in the observers seat, the speed spiked at Kinder corner (of course!), Kel withdrawing from the sprint with a faux flat, the bunch stretching from speed stress all the way to Orrvale Rd. There was a partial regroup back to town with the luxury of extra fellowship (at no extra charge) at the Lemontree.
Week 10 291 km YTD 2,907 km
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