An insurance against softening?

Post #545
2/5  Doin' Dookie's damp.

Negatives were niggling Saturday morning, a west northwester played woe on the windchimes, the bed was warm, bunch riding was still taboo and had rain really been rid from the radar?  With those thoughts festering I was ready to throw in the towel so threw off the doona instead.  It can't be that bad, can it?  Coffee and a banana on toast lifted the spirits and kitting up committed me to turn the wheels, so out the door you go old boy and make the most of it!   I'd mentally mapped an HTFU circuit (tailwind out and a headwind home) with an escape route if needed, so set forth on an eastward exit of town.

  And didn't that 30 km/h tailwind enlarge the ego!  A 5th overall on the 'outbound Midland Highway dash' didn't take a lot of effort (hey, I'll take what's on offer) and with just 3 passing cars to deal with in 20 k's made it an easy entrée. Let's not get too comfortable, there'd be plenty of work to come.  An internal argument broke out as Caniambo-Cosgrove Rd neared (my escape route), should I / shouldn't I waged war for a minute but an extra 20k wouldn't kill me would it? (Hang on,  there'd be 10 more k's into the headwind. Oh, get over it Foss! Harden up!)

Further out the highway the gentle rise nearing Nalinga took the slack out of the gastrochnemius, the all-too-short downhill toward Dookie College feeling the wrath of that westerly on the port side.  A low grey curtain of cloud swept across the Stewarton plains, damp tarmac and a few spits from the sky setting a scene of struggle to follow.  Kookaburra's cackled for my 3k crawl up the 'Dookie wookie leg stretcher', determined as I was to honour Rule #90 with allegiance to the 53 ring.

Passing Gentle Annie's scenic outlook and over the cemetery's bump, what should have been the delight of a downhill had the handbrake of a headwind into Dookie, all the expense of the climb with no payback on the descent? It ain't fair Mum!  Dookie was deserted as a fine mist glossed the road, so much for the hour spent bathing the bike last night!  Why I'd set an expected speed into the wind I don't know (was it an insurance against softening?) but exceeding it to Cosgrove put the headspace in a happy place.  Now to grind out another 16 k's back to town.  Ignoring the speed and cadence, I made the H.R. my God to serve, in and out of the occasional shelter of trees and the gradual rises and falls, just hold that heart rate at 155.  On and on the grey stuff stretches to the horizon and on and on the wind blows, should I take a brief southbound reprieve on Pine Lodge Nth Rd?  Nah, push on to Boundary Rd ya softie! When Boundary finally appeared the focus shifted to reach Central Ave, protests from legs eventually turning me south there.

The final push to town on Old Dookie Rd needed the 17 sprocket as salvation, legs were just not complying with the head's demands to get to the warmth of breakfast asap.  The city's streets were vacant of vehicles, how are we going to cope when a post-pandemic "normal" returns?  Ah, but how sweet the social stimulation to be back in the pack!  The last 20 k's caffeine craving was calmed at the Lemontree, by chance to chat with Rocket (at a dutiful distance) just consuming his post 100k coffee.  Strava convinced me to correct the 1685 calorie deficit (and slake a 397 suffer score) via a brekkie burger upload (in just a few bytes), a fitting reward for the victory over those earlier niggling negatives.

4/5  Left right left right.

Another random route was required for Monday's spin.  This solitary confinement thing has me constructing courses to spark just a hint of enthusiasm.  With winter weather already at us (a month early) something's needed to muster motivation. Oh great! An icy south wester was brewing to chill the bones too!  Great comfort was found in Pedal Mafia's new knicks (blatant brand endorsement for no financial gain) and great comfort was found with the breeze at the back for the opening salvo on Pine Rd, Verney and Ford.  Beyond the city's limits the darkness was all enveloping, the glow from the street lights slowly fading behind.  South on Grahamvale felt the freshness of that wind, the old engine going ok given the wind's want to blow me backward.  East on New Dookie and south on Central was a left right left right variant on the traditional lap, so I continued (small things amuse small minds) steering east into Old Dookie south on School and east on Hosie to add alternative scenery.  Boundary Rd was back onto the regular route, a few bike lights northbound giving credence to my cause.  (The set of three lights together must have been related?)  Channel Rd had the full measure of headwind on my course back to town, a quick glance rearward (to check for cars sneaking up to surprise) was timed rather poorly.  No sooner than returning eyes forward, a 'roo shot out of the tabledrain's darkness across my path from the 4 o'clock position.  The front tyre rubbed on it's bounding tail for a moment, I blurted a primal exclamation and it sped stage left into the orchard. That got me into zone 5 pronto!  (What's that Skip? Bloody bike riders should pay rego?)  Counting my upright blessings, a moment of soft pedalling brought me back to earth, then resumed a steady tap to the S bend with eyes freshly peeled for wandering wildlife.  Under the cypress trees and north into Jameson Rd, a split second decision decided on the Channel Rd dog-leg rather than the ritual route to reach the Kinder.  North on Central then west on Poplar had me scribbling on Strava, north on Orrvale then west on the Midland making a proper job of it.  A drive on Doyles Rd returned me to Old Dookie Rd, enough of the different directions for now, time had me tied to a direct way home.

5/5  Cold comfort.

'Twas time to tap traditional trails if I was to remember the regular routes post lockdown.  Besides, developing different directions was difficult, I was running out of roads to ride!  Wintery weather got an extra base layer and knee warmers out of hibernation, 4 degrees was hardly a motivational beginning. (and won't that delight those who've used the Covid 19 isolation as a reason to to take a break from the bike)  It's only going to get colder folks!  South to the (empty) starting grid suggested a southwester was preventing pace, and rather than being drawn into the tail-light time-trail underway in Archer Rd, I pointed east into Channel.  Power to propel a pleasing pace was severely questioned for the 8k to Boundary Rd, maybe a headwind was holding me back (not a whisker of movement in the trees blew that theory) 'cause it was like pushing through treacle.  A soft tyre? Nope. Either the dew point was the drag or I needed a new set of spark plugs.  It had better get easier northbound!

A couple of k's added to the per hour calmed concerns of turning turtle, up to the Pub a little happier with my haste.  Across the highway the silence was deafening, I could go a bit of Bo's banter, Bruce's wise words, Rocket's speed standard, PistolPete's class composure, a Col cackle, a Tina grin, even a bit of The Godfather's garble would be a prescription for that peculiar peace that's haunted us for 6 weeks. Crikey, I could even pick the pitch difference as tyres went from coarse, not-so-coarse, smooth and super-smooth on Boundary's tarmac. A solo bike or two soldiered south as the sun slowly painted subtle changes of colour in Tuesday's sky, a pleasing distraction to the chill as galah's screeched overhead, frogs croaked their call and nostrils were filled with eucalypt under the trees nearing Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd.  (download that on Zwift!)   I took the west way back to town, speed still satisfying despite the bureau reckoning I was against a south west breeze. Not concentrating on the length of Ford Rd shortened the journey back to town with enough up the sleeves to finish the lap along Wanganui and The Boulevard before the employer expected me to clock on.

6/5  Meteors missed.
Lusting a longer lap (frequent forties won't teach the legs new tricks) had me out the door at stupid o'clock, overly optimistic in short knicks (believing the bureau was bold!).  6 degrees enthused the legs to labour, the slightest suggestion of a northeast breeze bumping me into zone 4 without much ado.  Into the darkness that enveloped Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, eyes scanned the heavens for a show of Swan comet or Aquarids meteor shower but I'd missed it among 9,096 other lights in the sky (star-struck?)   Thoughts of the tailwind to come kept the effort up to Pine Lodge North Rd though the reward was a little shy on speed for the spin south to the Toaster.

The real relief came on the westward leg of Old Dookie Rd.  Lots of  'relatives' were riding close again, a pair headed west and another couple bearing south on Boundary (how convenient they're exempt from the two metre distancing thing)   I'd slipped into a reasonable rhythm (for an ageing engine) south toward the pub, the pair of 'related' riders ahead to chase but the feeling of being followed haunted the head.  Or was it a distant car or motorbike?  That temperature taunted my decision to dress light, to One Tree Dam where a peek rearward confirmed I had picked up a distant tail, so that dialled up a bit more pace.  The tail-light time-trial was on again eastward in River Rd, hard to make out the faces when a few hundred lumens cuts through the darkness into your face but the "Hoy!" and "G'day!" came from familiar voices.  That light was still behind and so were the signs of another scenic sun-up, but I fixed focus to finish off River Rd and get on with the rest of the lap.  The red horizon became a real distraction headed through Central Kialla, by Mitchell Rd it had halted me for a photo op. My tail discovered as being two Cats (obviously related too).  I resumed the route (suitably distanced 500 metres) feeling the freshness of the dawn, time now setting the pace to tempo into town.  The habit of switching the headlight to pulse when amongst the city's traffic has become automatic, there's more comfort among cars to be noticed, particularly at my favourite intersection (no inattentive van or distracted car today).

8/5  Yabba (dabba-do!)

"Because it's there" said George Mallory about Mt. Everest and that's about the only reason I set off to Yabba on Friday.  Yet another rostered day off presented time to tap a longer lap and this was about the last direction I hadn't explored in the confines of the Covid 19 solo's over the past 7 weeks.  The early exit of town via Ford Rd by happy chance found Kylie, Scott and Fee rolling out some early k's too, but my direction was to drive on Lemnos North Rd to find Jubilee Rd somewhere in the dark. Discovered 5k further north, I turned east in earnest, thank heavens there's a few slight changes in direction on that 20k to Yabba North 'cause a straight road would have me in a straight jacket over that distance.  
Passing field after field veering a little left then a little right, the old silo eventually came into view, at least giving some perspective on progress.  The turn south toward Dookie felt the west northwest breeze that had been at my back until now, and a rare chance to have an unobstructed view of both a moon set on the right and a sun rise on the left.  I could get used to this riding in the daylight stuff, stopping to snap the scenery at my whim.  Now, to get paid doing it!

Saddleback Hill appeared ahead, it's gentle ascent slowing me to take in the Dookie scenery.  Well, that was this flat-lander's excuse for the sluggish speed!  9 degrees chilled on the downhill past the church, enthusing legs to spin to regain some warmth, mandatory for the turn west into the breeze to maintain a modicum of momentum.  Now for the 26k back to town (isn't there always a head-wind home from Dookie?)  The somewhat psychological warmth from the sun on my back put a pinch more pace into the effort to Cosgrove, nothing to skite about on Strava but satisfying the average so far.
This Cosgrove to Shepp bit was faced only 6 days ago, the wind was a similar battle but today's sun made the world of difference over last Saturday's damp. Courtesy from the few passing cars and trucks was appreciated but gusts blown from the oncoming ones could go to hell, legs a little lame now from a distance I don't often do. The long stretch of tarmac past the tennis courts, the Pine Lodge church, Boundary then Central Ave was driven by the lust for coffee (and a rest for the rump after 2:44 on the Fizik.)





This week  291km  YTD 3,155 km