Week 29 : The ride-less remorse.

Post #457
14/7.  Keep refrigerated.

A stone cold spin to the Saturday cycling obsession predicted a slim squad, Wozza., TatMat, Tina, PistolPete, Kreeky, TatPaul, Bruce, not-so-newAvantiJohn, The Godfather, Shorty, DeterminedDan and CatCol facing up to a frosty minus 0.5 degrees.     I had zero compulsion to do an early turn at the front (Wozza does a great job of that), struggling to climatise to the cold as the speed escalated south out of town.  PistolPete, Bruce and not-so-newAvantiJohn had lined up to advance, so I was delighted to delay my drive at the frosty front.  Tina suffered that sinking sensation of a soft tyre in Central Kialla, a pitstop called as we rounded into River Rd.   Bruce acted as pit crew to speed the restart,  the reshuffle berthing me behind Shorty and ahead of TatPaul in considered company.   

Hats off to TatMat and DeterminedDan making the iced pilgrimage from Tat, Shorty still swift despite an almost bikeless week and Kreeky less than aero wearing all the layers he found in the wardrobe. The cold bit harder reaching the front (lots of hot air in the middle of the bunch?), questions on why I was doing this circled the cranium till thoughts of Hollywood, BeerMat, Ralphy, Softa and a long list of loafers gave me the reason.
A little hope hit the horizon with a hint of light as early as the fig farm, the call for a direct line up Boundary Rd (avoiding the Toaster and BigRing section) was popular but the ever dropping temperature tolled.

Promoted to the front again in Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd labored the lungs with Antarctic air, but keeping a respectable speed actually felt a little easier, a feeling I had a little wind assistance may have helped  (don't tell Foss but there was nothing!)
Getting gradually closer to town dragged thoughts to breakfast and warmth, frozen fingers and toes from the now minus 2.9 temperature quickly refocussing the urgency to finish.   CatCol spurred on a squirt rather than a sprint in Wanganui Rd, the bunch mostly in one piece as we rounded Rudd Rd and bored into the Boulevard.  Warmth motivated motion toward breakfast, sensation in the fingertips lost but the legs warm and working well.  Coffee and porridge cured the aching fingers and numb toes, salami, band names and nona's chatted with the pedestrian peloton (Lynda, Bo, Leah, Mrs.Pistol and Kel)

16/7.  Mono-day.
The lure of a lap less travelled drew me to the Congupna metropolis (population   ) and beyond on Monday, 5 degrees was almost tropical after last weeks sub zero's, but a nasty northeaster ensured there was work to do.  Along the deserted highway and through the snap, crackle and pop of stones cast into the emergency lane, the breeze on the brow brewing a determination to reach Jubilee Rd.  Keeping up the cadence put the heart rate up, though I think 251 bpm was a little exaggerated.  I'd hoped there'd be a break from the breeze on the short stretch of Jubilee but I'd turned almost head on into the wind, the effort eventually easing for the swing south into Lemnos North Rd.  I aimed for the feint glow of town 15k away, hoping the spot or six dropping from the heavens didn't turn into a drenching, the speed steadily rising with thoughts of outrunning a downpour.  The spots stopped as I turned into Old Dookie Rd, catching a little of the northeaster back to town, no sign of pussycats and only Coggo at Friars as I made a bee line for a banana bread breakfast.

17/7.  Goat-mosphere.

Coggo, Tina, Heady, Sandy, Phil, Hommie, Brendy and Belly are the consistent contenders to tap a lap in the winter weather.  Heady kept to his job description of running us out of town, my standard shift the first leg to Dobson's bridge was made a little tougher fighting a northeaster.  Coggo did the drive of leg 2 to Central Ave with eight slipstreaming in the single filed draft.  I'd guessed Brendy would skip on a shift at the front, so tucked into the 8th spot to take a holiday from the headwind, Tina, Belly, Sandy and Phil taking their turns to Boundary Rd.  Hommie scored the luck of the tailwind (again) as we steered south, Heady's turn from the pork palace to the highway.  It was quite cruisy with the wind mostly behind but I resisted a bolt to the bridges, conforming to the speed of the previous shifts to keep me in the Goat good books. An elbow swapped the shifts at the bridges to Coggo who towed us to River Rd, Tina taking on the westward drive with expert echelon education.  Cadence amplified through the windswept wheels, most of River Rd's width used to shelter Brendy and Sandy in the caboose. Hommie's drive from the dip was fading by the bridge,  Heady digging deep to finish off the last of River Rd.  Peeling off to shortcut to town had a lot of help from the wind to Archer Rd, the northbound 5k's blowing me back to the reality of  hard work home.

18/7  The Rule #86 payback.
A desire for distance drove me out of a warm bed and into the chill of an early loop as a prologue to the usual Wednesday ritual.  Underwhelmed by the speed delivered from the effort expended, I put the sluggishness down to the legs being in Liechtenstein while the head was in Haiti.  Cat and Wozza were at the carpark to save me from the first shift, other lights filtering in as the clock neared 6.  I was happy for Wozz to do the work of the spin south as I sat in the draft, the other players now identifiable as the turns rolled 'em past.  The Godfather, Kreeky, PistolPete, Tina, Rocket and Nev were in the procession en route to Mitchell Rd, CatCol's cackle and other voices babbling in the caboose.  There was a shuffle in the order as Tina and Cate sought a skip for their shift, so I paired with Nev for River Rd's first k.  The roll of turns put Mark alongside me, correction; half a bike ahead, but I ignored the indignity and stuck with the speed everyone else was following.  Over Laws Drive and CatCol advanced, funny, the half biking halted.  Rhythm restored for the rest of River Rd, Rocket readjusting from Bali to bbrrrrr, MyRideTrev and Trish found hiding in the caboose, Nev performing the ritual removal of the gillet, and the Pelly and BamBam comeback conspicuous by their absence.  The belt up Boundary Rd tested a few as I rejoined the up line behind Nev, wondering where (already) I'd face the front again.  It was at Beckhams where I was promoted to the pointy end, Nev pairing perfectly to Jameson Rd (but I was betting another disrespectful display to follow )  Mark 3/4 biked me as we rounded the bend, I tried to forget Rule #86 but the cage had been rattled too much, so whole biked him to Central Ave. I eased up headed to the Kinder,  CatCol held back as Mark charged on some sort of mission, Wozza, The Godfather, Pistol and Rocket ramping up the knots and consuming him as we all swung into Kinder corner. 13 thinned to Indian file as the ChaCha appeared ahead, Nev marching away with ease as others strung out behind.

19/7  Thinning Thursday.

Participation had pined to just Phil, Coggo and Belly fronting Frairs on Thursday, the woes of winter wearing down more, almost weekly.  A northerly niggled on leg 1 to Dobsons (of course, I'd scored the first turn at the front) though I'd set the speed a little beyond what the legs liked.  Phil took the drivers seat at the bridge as I rolled to the rear, Belly delivering the news that Brendy was aboard (and confined to the caboose).  Phil tamed the tempo a tad (had I set a speed to spicy?) but Coggo cranked it up again over Central Ave.  Belly took over at School Rd and I'd just settled into the dreamy draft that only a 6'5" lad can give when his elbow flicked the handover (excused being his birthday). I'd hoped he'd take me to Boundary Rd so I'd get the bliss of a tailwind, but had the task to push on the intersection (but blew Brendy ota), Phil and Coggo enjoying the helping hand of the northerly's 17-26 km/h to the pub.  Over the highway and Belly's shift was short and shy of Channel Rd (Brendy's bail-out) so I was in the seat of suffering again. Pain pointed thoughts to tonight's dinner, the gas bill, the FTSE 100 index......anything but the energy needed to reach the bridges.  Phil dragged us to River Rd, Coggo captaining to the angora farm, Belly scoring the smooth tarmac to the dip.  My swansong was to the bridge then psych up for the solo slog home, an adieu to the trio at Central Kialla Rd, off the gas a little to Archer Rd, then grit the teeth for being blown (almost backwards) hurtin' head-on home.

20/9  The Friday few.
Another delightfully dark, damp and dismal morning, chipping away at a rider's resolve.  Mustering motivation was made harder finding an empty carpark at 5:57 but Tina, PistolPete and Kreeky turned up (if only to give credence to the craziness of cranking in these crap conditions)  Single file seemed sensible with only a force of four, so I led south with a strange yet smug satisfaction that those who failed to front would be wracked with a ride-less remorse.

That long haul to Sanctuary's roundabout poured red ink on my balance sheet, and there'd be more than the usual two shifts to serve today.  Tina towed us to the truck route and Kreeky cranked on to Mitchell Rd, that would give PistolPete the tailwind and I'd get the toil into the wind to River Rd! But PistolPete powered on through Central Kialla to reach River, my second shift sweet with the windswept leg to the bridge.  River Rd was as empty as a politician's promise, not even The Godfather's guffaws gilded the 6k of east west tarmac as Tina took over to the dip and Kreeky did a double shift up to Boundary Rd.  Even the train of pain had abstained, our northern push to Channel Rd on a barren and windswept track.  PistolPete donated all the driving north, I'd prepared for the pain of the headwind in Channel but Pistol's generosity extended to the S bend.  A mental target to reach the cypress trees started well but the wind wore away the stubbornness and speed in a few hundred meters, just enough left in the tank to catch Tina's turn to Central Ave.  Kreeky commanded the ChaCha (so pleased it was sprintless 'cause I was spent), PistolPete again the saviour towing us to town.

Week 29       232km             YTD 7,822km.