Hydrating hammered hamstrings.

Post #535
23/2  Saturday's sedate.

Arm warmers and a base layer in February?  Is this global cooling?  At least that supercharged southerly had toned down from blowing me backward, there was just a light 15 km/h breeze at the brow to reach the Saturday grid.  A copious crew crammed the carpark, Determined Dan, Molly, Boof, TrekTrev, TatPaul, Wozza, SuperMario, Rocket, Liam, Shorty, Lance, Steve, Ralphy, Grumpy, Vince, Bruce, PistolPete, GiantAndy, Nick, Superman, Col, ScottMatt and Trackstan readied for the 6am launch.

The traditional drivers took to the task of the headwind down to Mitchell Rd while many sat in the rear seats waiting for more favourable conditions, me included.  Observant ones noticed the verandah on the old Archer Rd house had finally bit the dust, not long now and another landmark will vanish.  The emu's gone, some orchards have been ripped up and replaced with vegetable plots but at least the Toaster still stands (the piggery still pongs!)   It's the Saturday social stuff that satisfies, the babble and breakfast and a weekend ahead creates a calm in contrast to the rush during a working week.  A drop of a degree caused a few comments in Boundary Rd, are we being tuned for temperatures of Autumn already? Liam idled in the lower end of zone two as many flogged along in four (some getting friendly with five at the front)  

Interesting individuals have come and gone in the seven years I've tapped the lap (some may recall Wobbly Trev and The Pom, some may have erased this from their memory banks! ) but the core characters have been consistent (a comfort when sharing close quarters)…something Steve is slowly coming to grips with.  Enough of this historic deliberation, it was time to do a turn!  Shorty respected his elders with a considerate crank beside me to the Old Dookie Rd bridge,  I'd survived a turn so there's hope on a distant horizon for former form. Those blessed with brawn boosted the pace west on Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, I could have rolled through for another shift but the forecast for a flogging was strong with Wozza, Rocket, PistolPete and Liam line astern preparing to drive (shouldn't have baulked, they kept the tempo tame.
There was work to do in Wanganui Rd but not the thrash that once broke the bunch into pieces, the Boulevard didn't break me but only boosted the appetite for breakfast.  The lingo at the Lemontree on dreadful diets and bad backs topped off the social satisfaction.

 23/2  Cideride

Sunday's standard sabbatical was swapped for cycling and cider, a ride to the Cheeky Grog Co was the bait but the payout was temperature (33 degrees) an wind (NNE'er at 20-33) to get there.  Riding in broad daylight among Sunday drivers had it's moments, but an assembly of BeerMat, Grumpy, Wozza, Lance, The Godfather. Nev, Rocket, PistolPete, Col, Bo and Kenworth put a positive into the day.  PistolPete guided us on a foreign frontier (Channel Rd - Central Ave - Lemnos North Rd - Edwards - Victoria - Bowey and Zeerust Church Rd), my hopes heightening with a few division two riders in the mix of number ones.  I might just hang on.

With some optimism I joined the advance line and, of course, found myself on the front facing a headwind crossing New Dookie Rd.  Col hammered my hopes with a thorough half biking up to the rail line, my only escape being a short shift with Lance.  Knocking on Zone 5's door so quickly cancelled any plans for another turn into the wind, consigning myself to the caboose (from team-player to tail-gunner in an instant).  It wasn't just me, BeerMat and Kenworth were soon wearied by the wind and retired rearward.
I watched the real wattage working the front for 15 k while gripped by fear of going o.t.a., finally finding relief on the turn west into Victoria Rd, sitting in Kenworths draft and that wind now at the starboard side finally allowed the heart rate to drop below 160.

The push along Bowey Rd from Tallygaroopna was beginning to empty the tank, the turn south on Zeerust Church Rd stretching the resolve as pace percolated into the 40's.  Grumpy's kind comments boosted my morale (but not my muscles), the final leg west to Cheeky Grog unhooking Kenworth from the rear, so I returned the favour of his earlier draft by donating him one.

Sipping cider and partaking pizzas is the stuff of Sundays, and hadn't we earned a long lunch!  Boof had braved a solo spin to join us and as the cider hydrated hammered hamstrings, it was time for the return voyage.  At least there was a tailwind as motivation.  That temperature drained any hope of a reasonable speed, that tailwind my only hope of maintaining mid thirties.  Grumpy had quietly punctured at the church, many of division one returning to assist, so the remainder rolled south to town, the bait of beer keeping cadence cooking. Division one rejoined at the city limits, a thirst re-awoken for many to hydrate at the brewery.

25/2  Spiced Goat

A spin through the streets loosened limbs for a lap with the Goats, the sting from Sunday still handbraking my head.  Brendy, Speissy, Heady and Phil fronted Friars (nice, a tame tap around would suit me), Speissy guiding the line out of town.  JB and DeepFry's signature start from SPC made it seven, speed soon spiced spearing east into the darkness.  Phil made sure all were aboard crossing Central Ave before boosting enthusiasm toward School Rd, setting a not so sluggish standard for me to continue. The Couldabeens 5:40 fellowship sped west (I'll muster the will and the wattage to rejoin sometime soon) and I handed the helm to DeepFry to  take us to Boundary Rd's bridge, JB taking the reigns for a rapid roll to Channel Rd.

There'd be no doubt of keeping to an agenda today!  Brendy, Speissy and Heady made generous donations to the drive (albeit a whisker shorter and slower), my calculations forecasting one more sit in the drivers seat before my short cut home.  That smooth stretch of tarmac at the Angora farm has sadly been resealed, a once billiard table bliss now as rough as hessian undies.  The wheels rolled nicely though to get me to the dip, flapping an elbow at DeepFry to take over.  The next three k's were spent banking breaths before bidding hoo-roo's for the solo work to the suburbs to satisfy my clock-on time.

26/2  Wanna Woulda's win.

Coaxing an old engine into action took some prodding on Wednesday, even an assisting wind didn't do much for speed.  One should spend a moment limbering limbs before labour, particularly for a model of this vintage!  The carpark certainly lacked commitment, the grid slowly filling from the rear forward.  MyRideTrev, Softa, KillkennyPaul, SuperMario, Hollywood, BeerMat, AvantiAndrew, Jase. Kenworth Joe (not Tony) and Pelly managed to get away at 5:50, me diving in at the deep end on first shift to lead the line out of town.  BeerMat paired with me to Sanctuary's roundabout (enough south in the west southwester to raise a sweat), something inspiring the others to advance for duty in the drivers seat, AvantiAndrew (herein after nicknamed 'Telly' to avoid confusion with AvantiAndy ; hey? does he still ride?) somewhat spent to make it to the truck route.

Even Softa and Killkenny Paul braved the front, something to do with the breeze behind?  Round two of turns had almost completed when MyRideTrev punctured nearing the quarter horse stud, we'd u-turned to wait, laugh and offer a sledge but in the blink of an eye he'd repaired and remounted  (a $ for every flat he's fixed)   The Couldabeens had yet to arrive so us dozen high-tailed along Boundary Rd to avoid the merger (to Telly's suffering)  Pelly and Kenworth attacked the headwind into Channel Rd, I got the toil from the S bend to Jameson Rd, MyRideTrev travelling well alongside.  BeerMat launched the charge at the ChaCha from Kinder corner, Pelly seizing the chance to catch his wheel and attack at Prentice Rd.  Great intentions faded and Jase focussed fast on the finish, but I was chasing a chance locked onto Kenworth's wheel and jumped in the dying metres to pinch the chocolates.


28/2  The Friday fandango.

With the weekend within whiffing distance, there's an air of optimism on Fridays, perhaps I had a bit of optimism overload by berthing at the 5:50 grid with seconds to spare.  Kenworth, MyRideTrev, Marion, SuperMario, Telly, Joe (not Tony), Pelly, Nick and KillkennyPaul had readied to roll (not a bad effort for 9 degrees) but one wonders when winter's weather will wear away the willpower.  A bunch destined to dissolve should a few hibernate?  Surprise, surprise, Marion did the first shift to the city limits. MyRideTrev and SuperMario taking the charge to Sanctuary's roundabout.  The rotational ritual got underway (subject to change without notice) to Mitchell Rd, and by pure peloton position, I'd got Pelly's wheel.  He drove a solid shift to Central Kialla Rd where I rolled across, next up Telly, so I eased the effort (less I shatter his burgeoning enthusiasm).  His request to roll a k later was gladly granted, Joe (not Tony) taking him to task for a few hundred metres. (must read him Rule #86, it's always the other guy that sets the pace)

Kenworth did a bit of drifting in the loose gravel entering River Rd (that thumbnail's worth of traction broken), thankfully remaining vertical, the rhythm rapidly restored to continue east.  Telly had demoted himself a position so I had Joe (not Tony) to pair for the last k of River, competing with Cats for tarmac space as they entered from Boundary Rd.  Darkness grips these early rides a little tighter each week and there's five weeks to wait before a change of clocks gives us some (short-lived) light.  Channel Rd's tempo tamed a tad facing the wind west back to town, keeping the bunch together seemed to be de rigueur (preserves the peace and placates protesters of pace) so I sensed a steady roll to the finish was in order.  But SuperMario couldn't contain himself with a ChaCha charge at Prentice Rd, Pelly and Kenworth co-conspirators.  With sprint interest satisfied and the bunch reconvened, the relaxed roll into town shared chat with KillkennyPaul on the softness of Softa.

This week 252km                      YTD  693km

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