Week 22 : Dying a damp death.

Post #501
25/5 Saturday serendipity.

Hopes were hammered seeing a damp forecast for Saturday so a clear morning's radar rekindled the anticipation to take the holy sacrament of the Saturday spin.  As this old engine ages, a slow and steady warm-up almost becomes mandatory, a calm commute to the carpark an ideal intro.  Quite a mob had massed on the starting grid to mock my prediction of a slim squad, Kreeky captaining our escape from town.  I was well overdue to htfu and put in an early shift instead of cowering in the caboose, so sided with Kreeky to the roundabout and sucked up the sting of part two to the truck route with Boof.  Turns rolled to allow putting to faces to the undefined riders who'd previously assembled in the dark.

Team Tat in total (Mat, Paul & Dan) were the surprise addition, Grumpy championing commitment with his 6th ride in a row, that wry Godfather grin hinted of the hijinks hidden within, GiantAndy has been investing hurt into the hills (as if he needs to get stronger!) and Tina was back into her craving for k's after a rare ride-less day.  One less layer for twelve degrees felt like an aerodynamic advantage over the past fresh weeks insulated like the Michelin man, a social sentence or three with Bruce, Lance, Rocket, Shorty, Liam, Nev, Superman and Travis as we covered Central Kialla and River Rd.  GiantAndy and Travis turned the tempo toasty up to the highway, the expectation of effort at the front due again on my agenda in Old Dookie Rd.  Two and a half k's from the pork palace to the Toaster then to the church was shared with Kreeky then Boof, my second donation done, now time for the treat of the tow.

Pussycats crossed our path at the Big Ring, the ENE'er helping us homeward, though Lance pondered his position as Rocket and Nev (another freakishly fit and fast fellowship) drove the train into the forties all the way to Lemnos North Rd with Lance labouring at second wheel.  Despite being wrung out like a washed sock, Lance moved up for his duty in the drivers seat, speed sinking quickly as his tank dried up. Travis lent a helping hand as the turns turned again, although some had now taken up permanent residence at the rear.

A couple of k's later duty called again, right into the thick of things in Wanganui Rd I'd called a short shift with Kreeky, given all beside Boof (probably at an idle) then tucked in for a tow as the cream rose to the top.  I shouldn't have glanced at the Garmin (47 km/h) with 600 metres of masochism to the hill, but a peek behind found an expanding gap to the rest of the pursuing pack.  Boof had burned all his biscuits and I could barely offer a tow, but up and over the hill the group had gathered again to crank a calmer commute to breakfast.  We joined the early shift of Temple and Vince to ponder the Lemontree's new menu, punch-up's, punctures and toughing out turns driving the discussions.



27/5 : My sharp inhale from the chill of the chest strap synchronised perfectly with Monday's first shower, a howl from the 30-54 km/h westerly and sighting streets saturated, ride hopes were sunk....or were they?  I was almost back to the warmth of the bed when the rain halted, gusts became a breeze and thoughts see-sawed in that frustrating 'yeah-nah-but' dichotomy.  Succumbing to the soft option of sleep sat uneasily till further showers released me from guilt.

28/5 Dedication at a dribble!

I needed a bit more pronto in my pace if I were to get back onto Tuesday's schedule, a little late out the door and every traffic light turned against me.  All the velocity was in vain reaching the grid at 5:39, not a soul in sight to tap Tuesday's tango.  Colds have corralled a couple but dedication is down to a dribble now that winter is almost upon us.  Kreeky arrived to join the Hare hurry but I'd pinned hopes of keeping company with Goats rather than having a Hare hernia.   Friars looked grim at 5:58 till Phil fronted, Snow then Coggo turning up to restore some faith. A 17 km/h northwester blew us toward Boundary Rd as we settled into a single filed speed, Phil a little shorter in shifts than last time we'd cranked in collaboration and Snow a little swifter.  Coggo remains a fast and fair force, taking us south to the highway, the wind shifting to NNW helping the hurry to River Rd. I'd handed the helm to Coggo as we turned westward but Snow sought a slow to catch the tail. With four back together and stacked against the breeze, we set about dividing the drive west, easing off the wheel ahead as the wind tossed our trajectory about.  I'd managed a decent turn to Laws Drive and timed a tow for the remainder of River Rd, 10k of headwind home and I needed a holiday before the hurt.  Gusts from oncoming trucks prepared me for the toil of Archer Rd, 30 clicks was the leg limit back to town.

29/5  Five for Rule #9.

"It's only a drop or two" the optimist said to the cerebral cortex, "oh, it's just a sprinkle you softie!" half a k later.  But by the bridge over the Broken, the case for the affirmative was dying a damp death, a proper shower soaking my commute to Wednesday's ride.  I'd swing by the carpark to confirm my solo stupidity and head home for a hot shower, but through the Kialla Lakes soaking emerged PistolPete on a similar Couldabeens commute.  Our commitment (or craziness?) confirmed, we converged on the carpark to find Rocket, Tina and Boof (stoic or silly?) forming a genuine badass bunch.  Talk of a short lap found favour (was it doubts about the drizzle or the extra time for Mc coffee afterward?), so we set south on a soaked Archer Rd.

Rooster tails of rain found many places to soak, socks now soggy and a trickle was headed to where rain rarely reaches.  Boof threaded our path between puddles to Sanctuary's roundabout, PistolPete proving that a weeks worth of man flu won't slow him down.  Rocket chaired the charge west to the highway, my hope for a draft if I could get my head below the handlebars.  Tina was content to act as tail light, my turn likely to be a one and only from the highway, so I dug deep to aim at Galbraith's gate as a target.  10% down on Rocket's pace (I'll call it a pensioner discount) I'll blame on the strengthening west northwester (32 km/h)  but I was 100 metres shy of my target when the wattage ran out, so elbowed Boof to the fore.  Despite varying degrees of man flu, Boof, Pistol and Rocket kept the pace primed to Conrod's finish, no let-up over the skinny bridge and to Raftery's end in the pursuit of caffeine.  I kept my hurry homeward for that time testing transition to get from drenched to dry.

30/5  Trial by temperature.

Inspiration runs and hides when the bureau says "feels like minus two" and that a few were sidelined with flu, real riders would be a rarity today.  I don't count the once-a-week café racers or those pedalling on PlayStation, it's the out-in-the-elements hardcore few that respect Rule #5, shun softness, inspire others and prevent the extinction of the endangered cyclustus hardcorus.  Into the wintery westerly called on cadence to keep veins from freezing, out the Boulevard to the golf course, then east on Wanganui Rd to put a few k's in before gallivanting with Goats.  The temperature had been all but forgotten in pursuit of a decent average speed, time now the concern to reach town by 6.    Heady, Tina, Snow and Coggo faced up to the freshness at Friars, Heady (of course) heading our Indian filed escape for town.  A turn to Dobson's bridge  is the usual expectation but a bit of a breeze behind inspired my shift to reach Central Ave. Coggo took control and I retired rearward out of the wind to bask in the warmth, a whole 0.1 degrees toastier! Snow took us swiftly from School Rd to Boundary, marvellous what a new bike will do for your motivation.  It's good to see Tina having a go in the drivers seat, dragging us to the fig farm before handing it to Heady, but his horsepower went on holiday a few hundred metres later (at least he's got the fortitude to front!)  I shortened my second shift to finish at the highway, sharing the joy of the frozen front with others.  A few k's in the draft before my next turn beckoned pondered the missing many and supposing the squeals of suffering on their return... if they return at all!  Heady's elbow put me at the front again at the Angora Farm in River Rd, that sublime stretch of smooth tarmac helping my push into the westerly.  Retiring from duty at the dip, Coggo, Snow and Tina did the towing to drag me to River Rd's end, Heady happy to guard the rear seat and bank oxygen.  Speed was whittled down by oncoming B doubles on my short cut via the truck route, not so nasty north on Archer for the hurry home to appease an employer.

31/5  The flu few.

With the wind up the Khyber, the Michelin's making music and a chain purring, all was peachy pedalling to Friday's grid, but would the headwind hurt homeward?  Boof, Tina, Rocket, The Godfather, Superman, Joe, Liam, Wozza and Travis converged on the carpark in the minutes before the 6am launch, even the few fighting off flu (Kel, Bo and PistolPete) had fronted for the Friday fling. Grumpy jumped aboard on our carpark exit, I wasn't giving up my spot on Boof's wheel as he led us south out of town, sheltered from the westerly as that speed squad (Wozza, Rocket, PistolPete and Liam) formed to drive us down to Mitchell Rd.  With the wind up our willows to Central Kialla the speed spiked of course, slowing down breaks holy laws!  The Godfather's kitch kit was judged crude (somewhat clown-like), the co-ordination of socks and shoes done in the dark obviously, but I guess we all look a little shabby in PistolPete's company.

Superman's shift was short which rapidly paired me with Grumpy to the dip, but I was a bit below k.p.i's on my turn with Boof toward the quarter-horse stud.  Rocket, Wozza, PistolPete and Liam got heads down to handlebars on the push to Boundary Rd, telling myself it does get easier at second then third wheel, contrary to the cardiac convulsions!  Coggo was the sole pain trainer and u-turned to hitch a ride on our flight to Channel Rd.  I was called into the up-line by an ever expanding caboose, Kel, Tina and Bo now had Superman as company and I'd presumed Joe was the mystery figure in the background (seen at the start and not sighted since).  I'd considered keeping them company but htfu was calling me for another turn, beside Grumpy at Central Ave then with Wozza to the Kinder. There was plenty of pain holding on to second wheel as Wozza and Rocket casually cranked into the forties, unperturbed by the headwind of course (if only to keep a clowns' comments quiet?), the calmer roll to town absorbed in chat (previously prevented by pace)

Week 22       216km            YTD : 5743km