Post #495
13/4 Saturday sans sprint?!
It's good to be back in the ride ritual and the Couldabeens camaraderie to spin a Saturday circuit after a long absence, rolling into the carpark I found Lance, Rocket, GiantAndy, Wozza, The Godfather, Kreeky, Cate, TatPaul, MyRideTrev, Superman, Nev, Col, TrekTrev, Shorty and Liam undeterred by 5 degrees and the dark. First to berth Lance faced that fear of the front, is it setting a sufficient speed or doing the distance that's the drama? As it happened, he bolted to Kialla Lakes Drive making it a hard act to follow, I did my best to tow the team up to his hurry without snapping bits off the back. Rocket stepped up to start an up-line, all soon settling into the rolling routine, so I happily waited for the sequence to shuffle me forward. I'm still climatizing to the pull of the peloton after 3 weeks solo, that draft is a delight but providing the extra pace at the front takes some muscle. MyRideTrev calmed the velocity when he'd reached the business end of the bunch, Cate complying to One Tree Dam, but I turned up the wick (gently) with Superman alongside.
His shift was short and rolled across just beyond the Broken bridges, trimming 10% off the tempo and testing my brake pads into the bargain. The Rocket and Wozza pairing (there's that killer combo again) got legs labouring again, a decent drive to Old Dookie Rd that halved the chat and earned a few extra breakfast. The Pussycats pack was populated well, Saturday's seem the socially suited time for many to leave home for a lap (to the freedom or frustration of the spouse) Wozza, GiantAndy and Shorty took an early Verney exit on early weekend business, the bakers dozen driving to Ford Rd's end for the Wanganui work to begin. A bit of effort was applied up to the water treatment plant but not at the usual "I-want-my-mummy" level, surprising when I see Liam and Kreeky in the drivers seats.
Turns rolled a little faster with the pace and I'd hit the front with TatPaul just beyond the test track, time to turn up the wick in the Saturday tradition. Gesturing to TatPaul to jump aboard, I tipped all into the tempo, mistakenly fixing focus on Wanganui hill, still 400 meters into the distance. Chucking the chain on the fourteen and getting angry got me a little closer, a glance under the arm finding a whole lot of daylight to the bunch 20 metres behind. Energy was evaporating (and there's no fun without competition) so I backed off (not much left in the old tank anyway) to have Cate pounce for the podium. A civilised crank along The Boulevard took us to the Lemontree, fitness tests, Paris-Roubaix and TDU booking the discussion over a not-so-long breakfast table.
15/4 Puncture pause'n.
Believing the bureau's balmy temperature (16) took some cranial convincing, short sleeves and fingerless gloves (in mid April mind you) suiting the spin to the Monday grid. Wozza, Boof, Bo, Kreeky, Kel, The Godfather, Cate, Col, Cobbles and Pelly were similarly staggered, though we'll lap this up in light of the forthcoming winter almost upon us.
Boof and Wozza set the standard into the (unusual) easterly breeze, the weekend's leisure (or labour) casually chatted while preparing for duty in the drivers seat, due soon. I was about to assume the role at the Kinder when Cobbles called a puncture to present a pit-stop, a timely respiratory recovery before my debut. Cobbles' hand pump seemed old school in the age of CO2, 99 strokes constituting a workout (and he'd yet to reach the front). With haste to claw back time lost, I partnered Cate to the cypress trees but Cobbles halted the hurry with puncture number two, this time the tyre relieved of it's sharp hitchhiker and a CO2 used to speed the restart.
To the S bend with Wozza got me into zone four pronto (rampant rabbits darting across the tarmac contributing), great to get out of that bustin' breeze and recover in Boundary Rd, supressing suffocation sounds. I shouldn't grizzle really, toil for two or three minutes then the team tow me for ten. Barrelling up Boundary Rd thoughts of the power bill, the bank balance and life's laments were all forgotten, seeing another day start perched on two wheels among like-minded
cyclusts was far better than waking up inside a wooden box. Over Old then New Dookie Rd and up to Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, the bonus of a tail-wind home was a rarity, Bo and The Godfather breaking into the forties in celebration. On top of the gear at 90 rpm helped to hold station with Wozza (it's been a long climatization to cadence since ditching the 56 ring 16 months back) albeit briefly, running late for coffee was putting a lot of spice into the speed. Wanganui Rd was worked with customary care to supress a sprint, but the simmering speed along The Boulevard was emptying my energy, timely for me to turn homeward when the crew cornered for coffee at the main drag.
16/2 Two for torture.
Lethargy lay within breakfast and coffee on the couch at 5, the heart at an idle and consumed by comfort, I could have easily eased into BeerMat mode and dawdled into the day.....but it's torture Tuesday and there's no fun like a flogging first thing! Besides, I don't think I'd handle the shame of failing to front. Ahead, four red leds of the 5:40 crew strung south from the carpark, only Cate and I on the grid for the 5:45 with a 19 degree day begging. It would be another lap of labour with just one to share the load, the headwind out would give us hell outbound before a tailwind treat back. Two minute turns was the recipe for recovery but the muscles wanted mercy before I'd reached the roundabout.
Cate led the charge from Mozart Ave as I overloaded on oxygen in recovery, but a dozen donuts in the daily diet is desired, she's like drafting a matchstick! We rode the left hand white line approaching the truck route, making space for a car bearing down behind, but he promptly walloped the centre island (driving with eyes wide shut?) Left pondering the (Kellogg's) packet the licence came from, we tore into leg three, splitting the difference to Orrvale Rd in the hope of maintaining the hurry. There was half a k of respite beyond the Kinder where the road turns south, enough for a couple of deep breaths before facing the wind again. Some relief had with a rabbit-free row to the S bend but no greater relief than to reach Boundary Rd and turn south. We split the drive to River Rd in two, hopes pinned on the wind assisting working west, but would the legs have the urge to make use of it? The moment taken to ease into the speed was kind on cooked legs, long drives in the forties toward Kialla Central was pumping up the ego and with the Hares' headlights way back on the horizon I might need a bigger helmet? The ENE'er was felt spinning south to Mitchell Rd then promptly forgotten on the long leg to the highway. I'd like to think the clear cross of Melbourne Rd was planned with precision but luck was on our side, dealing with the wind again as Raftery Rd swung northward not so lucky. The Hares were looming large by Galbraith's gate, the plan to jump aboard the passing train for a free ride home nothing but fantasy as the blasted by, nudging fifty. So it was to the finish as we started, two swapping the pain down Conrod straight to its end, finding pleasure in shaving a minute off our last effort.
17/4 Wind whipped Wednesday.
18 degrees again!? Many (Rocket, Kenworth, BamBam, SuperMario, Col, MyRideTrev, Cate, Kreeky, Liam, Wozza, Kel, Boof, Travis, Bo, The Godfather, Shorty, P vanP, TrekTrev and Bruce) made the most of the almost tropical temperature to turn up for Wednesday's whip-around, though several had been 'bike buzzards' circling the block to avoid that dreaded number one grid position. Rocket got the squad spinning south swiftly into Archer Rd and I should have jumped in for an early shift (to take the treat of a tailwind) but several had similar and swifter thoughts forming the advance. My debut to the drivers seat didn't come till River Rd, plans of reaching the bridge instantly halved with the wind whipping the wattage out of me. Bo attempted to egg me on to the bridge but my head had caved into the cruelty and called him over early. P vanP did a rapid roll when the reality of the front fried him (the first outing on a road bike for the year may have had something to do with it) but Kenworth, Shorty and Cate soldiered on at speed.
A crowded caboose called me back into the up-line well before I'd wanted, but doing duty that others dread raised my worth a little. I faced the front and it's nasty northeaster with The Godfather at One Tree Dam, but needed to roll by the second Broken bridge to survive part two. Over-riding the senses signals to stop is easier thought than done, Bo offered advice ("How ya' goin' old man" was hardly inspiring) but a bucket full of wattage would have been better, legs loathing my stubbornness to reach Channel Rd. The slow for the acute left hander was Christmas on a stick, off the Fizik to accelerate and legs went like liquorice (just hang on for a k and the hurt will be history I said to self) I guess others suffer the same, otherwise I'm doing it al wrong! The faces in the up line were predicting pain (though Liam, Wozza and Rocket don't count ; they're filed under freaks of fitness) as the down-line put on the 'it-doesn't-hurt-a-bit' facade while enduring internal hell. The Kinder drew near and Rocket's radar lit up, hang on folks, you ain't seen fast yet! Twenty stretched thin and swift to Hopeful corner for the ChaCha's 1100 meters of masochism, the bunch split in half with the hurry as I just caught the tail of the front eight, and drew a valued breath. By Prentice Rd The Godfather and Cate had lost their grip, my last grams of grunt spent towing them to the finish.
18/4 Just crickets in the carpark.
A five k slog into the southerly (20-32 km/h) and I was booking a berth in the 5:40 caboose all the way to Mitchell Rd, but there were just crickets in the carpark as launch time arrived. The need to scribe a Strava circuit (in defiance of the doona devotees) stirred my southerly spin into Archer Rd, the wind the devil's advocate to the drive to Mitchell Rd. Legs defied the desire for speed to Central Kialla, steering north toward River Rd bringing real relief. There was too much south in the south southwester to help my hurry eastward, but a bark in the dark (sounding like a massive mastiff, but probably a tiny terrier) fully boosted my adrenalin tank (yuleh!) and puckered up my sub-woofer! By the second half of River Rd, the old engine craved a cadence between 78 and 90 (to grind the 15 or spin the 17, that is the question) and there wasn't a sweet 16 to put a chain on (all I want for Christmas is a close ratio cassette) A line of leds sped south on Boundary Rd, or was it the pearly whites of gritted grins as the Hares hurried into the headwind? That bonus of the breeze at the backside blew me up Boundary Rd, the grimace of southbound Cats and Goats told a story of struggle, at least they're out in it having a go (more than I can say for the bed brigade!) I'd set an expectation for Old Dookie Rd so was somewhat chuffed to better it by 10%, now to hold that speed for 7km while the wind whipped at the port bow. Short sections of shelter kept the tempo on target back to town, arriving early enough for a relaxed roll to home.
19/4 Is Friday. Is good.
Six degrees was Autumn's slap of reality fair in the face on Friday, all the high teens temperature of late has softened us! Pelly, TrekTrev, Cate, SuperMario, Wozza, Shorty, Bruce, Bo, MyRideTrev, Rocket and Boof formed the grid at 6, the sultan of style PistolPete welcomed back from rabbit rehab, putting panache back in the pack. Single filed south into the chill to the city limits, two lines then formed to begin the rotational routine, long turns of a k or so to tone the tenacity. Boof and Rocket had formed the up-line and for a while that formation froze, was it the hesitation of taking a tow from Rocket for fear of facing the front with him? I took up the position ('cause I know he don't bite!), the shift in Mitchell Rd pacey but pleasant. Cate companioned to River Rd, in the draft thereafter comparing how cold tests others.
PistolPete had little trouble with tempo though his tentativeness was understandable from the crash seven weeks back. All but MyRideTrev had braved short knicks in six degrees, the lonely winter layers buried in the cupboards at home about to get the winter workout again....for those committed to the cold. Our usual course was being revised on the fly to co-ordinate coffee at Friars, most haunts closed for the Good Friday holiday. The usual Channel Rd route was dropped for Old Dookie Rd, then swapped again for Ford as a casual feel flavoured the ride, speed was stuck on super-smooth but the cold was clamping my lungs. Rocket was defrosting fingers and Shorty's toes had stopped sending signals....and the joys of July are still to come! West along Lemnos-Cosgrove and into Ford Rd MyRideTrev and SuperMario had trimmed the tempo but that craving for coffee picked up the pace soon after. The hotmix heaven of Verney Rd pampered the posterior on our southern spin, but at $1.4m per kilometre it would want to! Finishing at Friars felt foreign, but babble and breakfast brought back that familiar end to the ride.
Week 16 259km YTD 4,249km
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