Fearless facing the front.

Post #538
14/3  Wind? What wind?!

Even a few of the hardcore had failed to front.  You can almost bank on PistolPete, TatPaul and Rocket to turn up, whatever the weather.  But today, only Bruce, GiantAndy, Tina, Trav, Lance, Steve and Liam had battled the 30+ km/h southerly to reach the 6am start line.  We'd even granted 2 minutes of grace supposing a puncture may have delayed the regulars.  But no, an empty Archer Rd was our answer.  Righteous to Rule #9, we declared ourselves officially badass and set south.  With gritted teeth and a tempered resolve, I took the first turn into that hell of a headwind, 30 was possible with a push but my shift would be short.  GiantAndy took pity on my predicament (and my pace) at Kialla Lakes Drive, taking charge of the charge to Sanctuary's roundabout (Indian file the fairest formation under the circumstances)  Tina and Steve were resolved to rest at the rear, Bruce and Trav taking tempo to Mitchell Rd.

Two lines formed on the east leg to Central Kialla and a tailwind heading north should have helped but my heart rate was way ahead of the hurry, Liam the consummate gentleman pegging his pace beside this dinosaur in distress.  River Rd was littered with sticks and leaves from even stronger winds last night, Bruce and Lance judging the eastbound speed that all could manage, any small diversion at the front translating to a substantial swerve at the rear so steering around the broken branches became a delicate operation.  Up and up (and up) went the pace north on Coach Rd, GiantAndy and Liam setting the standard almost too high for lesser mortals like me, but a k in the 40's soon became bearable.  Beside Lance to Old Dookie Rd then paired with Trav to the main eastern channel was about my lung limit, then Bruce drove with Trav to the Toaster for another treat from the tailwind.  Liam and GiantAndy took the reigns at the Big Ring to head west homeward, the velocity adjusted a little to keep all aboard.

 I sat second wheel to Giant Andy, sheltered from the southerly with all hopes pinned on the pair at the front holding station.  The two stayed put till Lemnos North Rd where GiantAndy exited for a days labour, Bruce taking his place in the co-pilots seat alongside Liam. I could grizzle about the work to do at second wheel but it was way easier than facing the front and the wind with it! On and on the train rolled, soon into the city's outer limits and preparing for Wanagnui's work.  Speed stepped up a fraction at DECA's test track, the bunch of seven thinning to the hill but still being classified united.      The mozz of March 22 and Corona's domino effect kept the sentences flowing over a somewhat shorter Lemontree breakfast table.

16/3  In the deep end.

Skipping the easy option of a Monday peace train, going on the 5:45 express was jumping in the deep end, but it was high time I got out of the comfort zone if performance was going to show a bit of improvement.  Cobbles, Rocket, The Godfather, Bo, BigBen, Wozza, Tina, PistolPete, Grumpy, Col, Kel, Sherls, Steve-the-machine and Vince congregated in the carpark, the eastward 8k to Boundary Rd most manageable (particularly in the draft) in the mid 30's.  Fingers crossed it was going to stay that way!  I happened to score Cobbles wheel when joining the advance line, a considerate character of similar vintage that could sympathise with a similar senior citizen.  The big engines warmed up on the front to the highway and I readied for my opening act at Boundary's channel bridge.  Confidence grew rolling along nicely for the first 200 metres with Garmin numbers behaving well.  And so it should have, a light breeze was blowing from behind.   I was considering a roll at Old Dookie Rd when Cobbles let me off the hook calling an early roll at the Fig Farm.

Trying to tame Tina was the tough part.  Just a k or two quicker and away went my heart rate into the heavens (and my hopes for a decent turn with it). My white flag was hoisted reaching Old Dookie Rd, disappointed in the engine's performance while recovery in the draft of second wheel seemed to take forever.  So much for improving performance! Capable drivers Kel, Grumpy, PistolPete and Sherls moved forward for their swift shifts while my head had me permanently placed at the rear.  It could have been the lure of latte at The Butter Factory or the boy in Bo that pumped up pace in Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, whatever the reason another 3 k's added to the speedo made my rear placing the only option for the rest of the ride.  There was some consolation finding Tina, Kel and Cobbles in the same situation as we neared town, so my feeling of freeloading faded a fraction. 9 degrees of freshness was forgotten as muscles worked in Wanganui Rd, legs quite rubbery accelerating to catch the bunch on the turn into Rudd Rd .  40k's were done under some duress, performance was paltry but the positive was I didn't go OTA. Improvement and impatience seem to be interlinked.

17/3  Endangered species.

Does another chance intercept with commuting Cat LegalSteve now make him StalkerSteve? I was optimistically bare armed in 12 degrees for a lap with the Goats, so passing a parked populated peloton of Pussycats at Notre Dame made me rethink when I found three fronting Friars. (This would be a workout, Cats would have a cruise).  Phil's puncture had prevented an appearance so just Coggo, Heady and Snow at the grid made Goats an endangered species. Heady piloted us to the new Doyles Rd roundabout, JB joining at SPC helped our hopes and reduced our workload.  Darkness makes the Dobson's bridge invisible as a roll-over point so pacing my turn made it a difficult drive, handing the captaincy to Snow a bit more breathless than planned.  Coggo and JB divided the drive to Boundary Rd and I was looking forward to the northeaster's assistance but it disappointed swinging to an easterly.

Heady faired fine to the Fig Farm so on the roll I kept his tempo for a bit so he'd catch the tail.  Slowly adding 4 to the pace, I aimed at reaching the bridge but that felt a bit shy on arrival, so pushed on to the Pub.  Snow and Coggo did their bit south while my hopes hung on the help from that easterly in River Rd.  JB got wheels humming west but by the Angora Farm Heady was pickled sitting at 2nd wheel, retiring rearward.  I took JB's cue at the dip securing the speed  at 37 so Heady might survive (besides, I wanted a whiff of wattage left for my solo shortcut), so let Snow drive the last k of River Rd.   The spin homeward was done at an easier effort, into town setting the Cat-Eye on pulse to make sure those behind a steering wheel were awake at the intersections (3 months to the day I went horizontal to an inattentive imbecile)

18/3  The velo virus.

Pelly had the pace primed for Wednesday's first shift, there'd be no sedate start on his watch!  Telly, Joe (not Tony), Nick, Laura, MyRideTrev, Jase, Kenworth, Marion and Superman followed and it seemed only Jase and I were keen to advance till Superman finally stepped up to a lead role for leg 3 (somewhat slower but at least fearless facing the front).  That relentless length of Mitchell Rd is hardly motivational in the dark, Telly taking a short shift and Laura a little lighter on labour, but they still faced the front. I managed to match Pelly at the business end beyond the dog-leg, starting strong but it wore away the wattage in time. I rolled, thinking there was little left of Mitchell but that tarmac stretched longer and longer, labouring alongside Jase with my speedo seemingly slowing the more the effort was escalated.   I was bordering on breathless into Coach Rd, Jase's draft a medicine for my murdered muscles.  Superman too suffered the sinking speed syndrome at the front (but still faced it) and with nowhere to hide from that north northeaster, called a roll for Joe (not Tony) and Kenworth to suffer it.  The Broken bridges funnelled us into a wind shear from two oncoming trucks, even Kenworth was blown about in the blast amplified by that wind.  I co-piloted Pelly and Jase in Channel Rd (made a little easier out of the wind), those concealed pedestrians predictably positioned in McFadyen and Central avoided with generous gesticulations.

 I'd finished my contribution headed for the Kinder and banked a few breaths for the ChaCha, the advance line in fast forward as shifts shortened at the front.  Telly was running out of urge nearing Prentice Rd, so I made a gap that he could secure a draft in the downline.  No sooner than he was tucked in, my front wheel was almost amputated as a tail-ender  (un-named to avoid litigation) dived in for a tow.  It's that loss of spatial awareness for those on the limit. Buggered and blinkered you could call it.  Happily not horizontal, I found Nick's advancing wheel to guide me out, gradually closing in on a now tempo taxed Pelly to see Jase jump for the ChaCha chocolates.

20/3  The performance panacea.

Finding physical form is the easy bit (ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike said Fausto), getting your head around the effort is the hard part!  So Friday's mental mantra was "h.t.f.u. old boy!" en-route to the Couldabeens, their company would be the perfect performance panacea.  Boof, Tina, Bo, The Godfather, Kel, Wozza, Liam, Kreeky, Shorty, Grumpy, Col, Trav, Rocket, Oscar and Bruce amassed for the 6am flagfall and scoring Boof's wheel of super smoothness made an ideal start for me.    A more than subtle westerly (17-22 km/h) wasn't pegging the pace though I was managing quite nicely ….till that fresh air flared Wozza's nostrils.

Had I got the day wrong?  Was it thrash Thursday?  Speed subsided by Mitchell Rd and that tail wind help across to Central Kialla brought breaths back to normal.  The Godfather's guffaws (and the baits delivered by Rocket), Col's cackle and PistolPete's panache rekindled that Couldabeens camaraderie, many asks on my progress making it a warm welcome back.   At River Rd's dip our paths crossed with Pussycats, giving little response to The Godfather's jibes as they worked (and wilted) into that westerly.  I'd been progressively demoted to the caboose (and for now, that spot suited), keeping company with Kel and Tina a bonus as the workhorses toiled at the front.  Rocket had retired to the rear too (preparing for k's to come?) He's caught that Kreskas virus!

There was comfort in Channel Rd positioned in the rear seats (I reckoned it'd be a flogging at the front), I'll climatize here for a ride or two till my concrete cures enough to tackle a turn.  Surprisingly, the camouflaged pedestrians were absent to make our course less catastrophic, the pace brewing as the ChaCha drew closer.  A lean left at the Kinder, a blast down to Hopeful corner, Channel Rd straightens and the re-seal roughens the ride as Prentice Rd finally emerges from the darkness, the next 400 digging deep to hang on or preparing to pounce.....depending on your position.  The winner (Liam?) was but a spec on the horizon while I clung to the coat-tails, The Godfather almost ota as the finish line blurred under the thirty two wheels.  The tempo was keen passing the Wannabees toward town, my head in a happy place surviving the circuit (though the need to do some turns will drive motivation for a while)

This week 230km     YTD 1,415km