Week 39 : The payback for pain.

Post #466
22/9  The Saturday satisfaction.

Pondering a prologue at 4:40am warranted booking into the BeerMat clinic for bike addiction, so constraint and contemplation over a second coffee curtailed the craving......for a little while.  Down to the starting grid, orange streaked the sky, the carpark filling with TatMat, Rocket, PistolPete, Wozza, DeterminedDan, Cate, GTCraig, TatPaul, Kreeky, Shorty, Bruce, TrekTrev, Col and a very vociferous Godfather (me thinks his football team won last night? Or does he drink from a bidon of neat raspberry cordial?)   Spinning south into the light fog over Archer Rd, Rocket and Wozza tempo'd the train to the truck route, I made an early entry to the up-line to h.t.f.u.  (and snap a pic for posterity)  I'd lined up behind TatMat and had The Godfathers gabble behind, at least we were on holiday from the Spring winds for a change.  TrackStan appeared from months of obscurity, my turn at the front for the northern leg had to be halved if I was to survive.  TatMat complied to my short shift and The Godfather tolerated my gasps to reach River Rd ; all very well to blame the three degrees or that old chestnut of "heavy air", weak wattage was the plain and simple reason, some days you got it, others......nope!   (I guess your partner at the pointy end is in almost the same pain, some are skilled enough to hide it)

Speechless in the draft to River Rd's bridge, I finally found the oxygen to become sociable and answer Kreeky beside me, the bunch now looking longer than it's 32 wheels would suggest.  Nath arrived as we skirted the halt humps at River Rd's end, now northbound flanked by fields of canola and audibly drowning in The Godfather's vernacular.  Cranial calculations of my next shift were already underway when the speed squad (Rocket, Wozza, PistolPete and Nath) had formation at the front (irony again), but TatMat's chat on the "hurtingness" factor threw a cackle into my concerns.   It was time for toil again in Old Dookie Rd as Cate called a short shift to Nath, I'd rolled across with The Godfather as co-pilot, getting into that mindset of relaxed shoulders, grip, jaw and thoughts and letting the legs do the business helped the hurry to the Toaster (I was appropriately toasted on arrival)  Riding over the seasons first (flattened) tiger snake,

a super sky was set to deliver a delightful day, albeit a little too July in its' temperature, the Pussycat peloton out to play as we crossed paths a little further into Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd.  The tarmac blurring by at 10 meters per second told of the trust between a civil engineer, a nurse, a maintenance mechanic, a funeral director, an ex superbike pilot, a window tinter, a school principal, an administrator, a storeman and a bike mechanic (to name some)   Ford Rd arrived before I'd expected and I was closing in on duty at the front due for the whip along Wanganui.  Traffic split the bunch at the highway and 'nek minit' I was second wheel to Bruce as he and PistolPete turned up the tempo as the bunch regrouped.

I initiated the Indian file as Bruce was left out to dry at DECA, hanging on in the increasingly difficult draft as the faster forged forward.  Bruce then Pistol were cast aside as the big guns fired to the hill, Rocket up and over Mt.Wanganui with ease as a dozen wrung out their legs behind.  There was the ritual reform in Rudd Rd then the breakfast bolt was on (the once casual cruise for coffee is now history), making a Strava segment seems to have stirred the speed, either as a challenge or just to earn a Lemontree breakfast?   Walkers are waning with only Jen, Leah, Tina and Mrs.Pistol already seated, chat on custom building, overseas operations and assisted dying was babbled between bites of breakfast.


24/9  Shut the fridge door!

A southerly sliced through the insulating layers to stir up some real determination to reach the carpark, less I be frozen to the Fizik!  Feels like -0.4 degrees in late September does little for motivation, just as well there was a good roll-up of Wozza, Kel, Pelly, Grumpy, Cate, Nev, PistolPete, Bo, Col, Bruce, The Godfather and Kreeky.  We set sail into Channel Rd, the sky streaked with orange to start Monday, Wozza working me over on the long leg to the truck route (a warranted warm up for the weeks work ahead), with a dozen driving there'd be reasonable respite.   Pelly was smarting from a windy Dookie duathlon, Grumpy's re-energised from a fitness analysis, The Godfather was strangely subdued (football final fears?), Bruce is back on the Bossi,  Nev did the gillet disrobe thing, and in shock news, I reckon I'd seen Pistol in that kit once before! 

Another turn with Wozz at the front in Boundary Rd was a little easier (seasoned to the speed?), over the rail line and back into the comfort of the tow while others cut through the cold to Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd.
The "feels like" was starting to test toes and freeze fingers but there was plenty of hot air from some sectors on the way back to town. Several kilometres vanished in conversation, finding Wanganui Rd upon us, Cate was on driving duty at DECA and the force was slowly fading, there'd be no infringement today to rattle the ritual of  a sprint-less Monday.  Pace was still perky though (or people had run out of conversation) belting along the Boulevard, a  bit of car caution called for as we threaded the fine line past the parked.











25/9  Paired for peace?

On a fast for a routine blood test made the gizzards grizzle getting the wheels turning Tuesday (my, how us Virgo's retaliate when routines are rattled!) but a cool 4 degrees distracted me from that digestive drama.  Coggo's returned from an Italian odyssey with many mountains mounted, and with Hommie, AvantiLeigh, Cate, Heady, Sandy, Manny and Carl, nine formed at Friars for the 6am spin.  Heady did his ritual tow out of town then AvantiLeigh called for pairing as we crossed the truck route, putting a big shift into my headspace from slogging it single to patiently pacing partners. A super-sized sun had arisen to blind us toward Boundary Rd, Hommie hurtling along with the Avanti rattling for attention.
Sandy and Heady were driven to doing turns,  turns up the feeling of teamwork rather than that 'just-a-passenger' clutching to the caboose.  Carl's clawed his way out of hibernation to be nearly ranked a regular, Avanti-Leigh and Manny in fine form and probably just idling (but courteously complying)   Coggo almost wrung me out on a long drive to the highway, Cate keeping up the velocity so I didn't soften till the tow at the Broken bridges.  Turning west into River Rd had the blessing of a breeze (although it was as soft as Softa) to pamper our passage. Coggo and I were at the front again approaching the dip and called a caution for a creature in our path, I couldn't decide if it was a Shog or a Deep (a dog with the coat of a sheep, or was it a sheep behaving like a dog?) but it galloped at our growl, so we resumed the drive to Laws Drive where Cate companioned.  Heady had another turn at toil as River Rd ran out, but it was time for me and Cate to turn to town.  There was quite a hunger for some hurt, so heads down on the truck route and then continue the effort up Archer, figuring the perfect prescription for performance is pain.

26/9  Out with the old and in with the new.

Somedays solo suits the psyche, don't get me wrong, the babble and the belonging of a bunch is brilliant but time in your own company is a good leveller (besides, one softens swiftly sitting in a draft)  A south southwester kept me company outbound on Old Dookie Rd, well before sun-up and the competition with cars for tarmac space.  I don't know what fires that greed for speed when there's no bikes as bait, no Strava segment to smash or half wheeler as a competitive carrot, but I found the heart rate and speed climbing as the legs and lungs burned.  Ears were entertained by the tune of tyres on tarmac as the mind meandered to the punishment of the (3) peaks 6 months ago, maybe a cranial comparison to make today seem easy? (there was almost four and a half meters of elevation today, not four and a half thousand!)   Over Boundary Rd and headed for the Toaster, the legs were screaming at the stubbornness to stop, but little comes from cruising.  A promise to ease the effort toward the church kept the tempo going, so it was almost Christmas to have the wind up the Khyber for the short 1200 meters north to the Pine Lodge church.  The south southwester had swung to a southerly for my work west on New Dookie Rd, the road surface now the handbrake on speed, so I was hungry to reach the smooth section at Lemnos (thanks to Tina's trucks playing the part of ripper rolling pins).  A few trees offered a hint of help with their shelter but out in the open furrowed the brow and pickled the peroneus.  I set a finish line at Doyles Rd as a target to aim at, digging deeper to deliver a speed that erased embarrassment, starving for that tiny tow that just two passing cars delivered.

27/9  Hungry for the hurt.

Coggo, Phil, Tum, Amy, Manny, Carl, Hommie, Tina, Heady, Cate and Sandy gathered at Friars for the 6am spin, a mild morning enthusing the early attendance.   Heady headed us out of town of course, the pairing organised quickly past the truck route (how quickly the tide has turned from the dedicated few single file in the winter darkness to the double up when more can be bothered in sunshine)  It was a slow and steady start as the rare roll routine got underway, quite cruisy as I was slowly demoted to the rear ranks.  Coggo'd braved the short knicks, Tina's back trying the nerves following a long lay off (collarbone), Hommie's bike still sounding like the No.47 tram and Tum loving the Luxembourg layer.  Pace picked up southbound with the breeze baiting an effort, Cate turning up the tempo to the highway and Heady keeping me quiet to Channel Rd.  8 degrees baited enthusiasm for warmer weather ahead as the sun took the chill off a dozen backs in River Rd. 

My heart rate was on holiday now sitting at sixth wheel, a contrast to Phil and Amy labouring lungs at the pointy end. (I wonder where the dozen or more absentee Goats from autumn have hidden?) Cate and I peeled off at River Rd's end,  the hint of an east northeaster helping the hunger for a hurry along the truck route, a Strava segment and an almost insatiable want for fitness and fastness pushing the limits to town.  Just when protests from the legs reached the head to urge a slow, Cate would up the ante to force a deeper dig for speed (I guess thoughts may have been the same from her perspective?) There wasn't much left to dig by Kialla Lakes Drive's end, almost beyond what was fun, the payback for pain being a KOM and QOM respectively. (I'll guess a Strava-stalker will be out to steal that before long!).

28/9  A social smoothie.

The mere suggestion of a slightly longer loop on a public holiday in reasonable weather with breakfast afterward brought a flood of starters to the carpark at 6am on Friday.  It was great to find Temple on the grid after almost a year off the Ridley battling a nasty nerve injury.  Rocket, Bo, The Godfather, Kel, Cate, Jen, Pelly, BamBam, Kreeky, not-so-newAvantiJohn, PistolPete, Wozza, Goose, Boof, Bruce, Shorty, Trek Trev, and even WhisperingJack filled the spaces (some clocking earlier k's for the hell of it).  Keen to care for the comeback crew, I led a quiet couple of k's down to Raftery Rd in the hope of setting a social standard, but it seems that was the intention of most.  Conrod straight in reverse is always weird as we reeled in a soloist (TrekBarry) who jumped aboard the caboose for a tow, casual conversations bouncing from side to side toward Mitchell Rd (interrupted by The Godfather's rowdy retorts)  Over the highway the wind assisted pace was gingerly increased (but still suiting sentence swapping), titanium team-mate Bruce about to clock the Bossi's first ton, BamBam on his wow-gosh-and-blimey fourth ride of the week, WhisperingJack contemplating the cruelty of a comeback, PistolPete keeping a lid on his birthday and Bo bemoaning the blast of Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

The sun had risen quickly to light River Rd, Cats facing the west way back to town with work to do. I eventually reached the back of the bunch to find Temple, Jen and hitch-hiker TrekBarry cosy in the caboose, then began the slow promotion forward with the heart rate barely above 110, possibly for just one more effort to cut the breeze.  Many were soaking up the social smoothie after days of slogging speed, it's beneficial at times just to cruise and contemplate the pleasure of a pain free pedal.  Boundary, Old Dookie and Pine Lodge Rd done, I'd finally been promoted to the pointy end, just in time to face the WSW'er almost head on.  Lucky eh?   Wozza then Kreeky kept me busy (but not burst) for a k of Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, PistolPete and Rocket doing the long drive to Lemnos North Rd and bearing the blast of wind oncoming trucks delivered.  The relaxed routine had even extended to Wanganui Rd with just a pinch of pace to the hill, my eyes rearward to keep the caboose (and their dreams of getting back to form) intact.  The Boulevard's bolt to breakfast got keen as coffee and menu's were pondered, 28 (with walkers) crowding the tables for comments on football, holiday accommodation and canola.  
Week 39        247km             YTD 10,359km