Not talking, gasping!

 Post #567

10/10  A brisk bolt to breakfast.

A Saturday prologue had been a long time off the ride ritual, so what better way to soak up 50 minutes before flagfall.  (Damn insomnia!)  Extending the standard 55k might teach the legs a different routine anyway.  Old Dookie Rd was desolate at 5:10, fog my only companion on the the 20k course that I had mapped in my head.  (meandering the east via Central, Channel, Orrvale and Poplar as a warm-up [in 4 degrees?] for the 6am circuit from the car park). I hadn't seen a few faces since the Sanctuary / shop split.  

Bruce, Rocket, Liam,

Shorty, GiantAndy, TatMat, Boof, Lenny, Determined Dan, Kreeky, Wozza and TatPaul  amassed at the shop, Boof leading the Indian file charge toward Adams Rd.   I'd banked on two rows forming so selected Liam's wheel to follow, I'd slip gradually down the line of demotion before joining the advance, giving me a ton of time to harden up for front-of-house duty.  But single file was here to stay and I was definitely in the deep end!  As Boof peeled off the front for Wozza to drive, I took the chance to slip back to the safety of the caboose, hoping the hurry would slip into something more comfortable.  As if!  Rocket then Liam lit the afterburners and Lenny kept the urgency going up to River Rd.  This was a deep end I could drown in!  40's was now commonplace. TatMat heeded the hurry toward River Rd's bridge while the alarm bells of going ota were chiming in my head,  though some were already in struggle street behind me.   The hollers of "ease up!" was ecstasy to my ears. 

The slow to the dip had yet to bring the bunch together, so in view of the oversized population, I teamed with TatMat, Kreeky, TatPaul and DeterminedDan  to continue ; the rest could reconvene at will.  This was a more manageable mob.  That pressure to perform (beyond my depth) was off.  A speed suggestion of mid 30's struck accord so TatPaul commenced proceedings (a little shy of the suggestion) toward Coach Rd.  Determined Dan took the lead and the tempo by the scruff of the neck at the Angora farm, his body language determined to drive long in Coach Rd too. 

No complaints from me, I'll take his tow any day.  The Broken bridges wasn't enough, it was all the way to the highway for Determined Dan before I'd taste the tempo at the front.   The first 100 metres without any hurry got the line into close quarters, the next hundred brewing up to the prior pace, then with the head down and rhythm right, drive the turn long and hope the heart numbers didn't escalate.   Feeling fairly good by the bridge I gave a longer target a try, an aim at the fig farm would be double my usual effort.  I called it quits there before I had a hernia, and rolled rearward to give Kreeky the drivers seat, finding a string of a dozen now behind.  The fast faction had apparently rejoined back at the highway so that cranked up the confidence (would I have shortened the shift knowing all were back aboard?) 

TatMat towed us the last 2k of Old Dookie Rd, TatPaul shaking off the 'Karen' karma to reach the church.  Our turn west onto Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd confirmed wind wasn't our enemy (at last!), pace only picking up a little thanks to the leniency of Lenny and Wozz.  Shorty had finally reached the business end but suffered the speed by the Main Eastern.  Rocket made the dash to Lemnos North Rd where we bid adieu's to GiantAndy,  Liam taking charge into Ford Rd and amplifying speed with Boof as back-up but Bruce kept to the prior pace with the occasional glance to see the bunch didn't have bits breaking off the back. Kind lad.

Our faster friends were caught as traffic pegged them at Grahamvale Rd, Boof then leading the line into town.  Bruce faced the work into Wanganui Rd while I was content in his draft, he'd do the long shift to Rudd before I'd face the facts at the front.  With a little wattage left at the Golf Rd roundabout I kept the captaincy till Canterbury, the tow to breakfast recouping oxygen by the bucket-load.  Tax avoidance, the foibles of forecasting and football kept the jaws flapping between bites of breakfast.

12/10  Collecting carriages.

I'm beginning to doubt a day off is good for you.  This creaky old engine needed a sharp shove to get going on Monday, maybe the 5 degree start wasn't helping?  "You shouldn't rev an old cold engine" dad used to say.  To the start line with two minutes spare, PistolPete, Bo, The Godfather, Tina, Col, Kel and Didak converged for the fling.  PistolPete rolled the wheels right on the third stroke of 5:40, a foot fumble relegating me instantly to the rear.  No problem really, plenty of time now to prepare for punishment at the front.  Didak slipped into the caboose as Pistol paced us to Mitchell Rd, already a hint of horizon light to see beyond the headlight's reach.  Warmer weather's a-comin'! The Godfather had the reigns to Central Kialla and Col kept the pace on to River Rd, rounding up Vince and The Rabbit to join the throng,  but many probably wondered how greedy Bo would be on the way east. 

Of course it would be beyond the bridge but a repeat of last weeks 6k turn would be as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit.  His elbow thankfully gestured at Laws Drive ; maybe Kel's glare was burning his back?  Kel's svelte spin took us to the quarter horse stud, Tina towing us to the Angora farm.  With the tarmac like a snooker table, head down and chain on the 15, I'd got the rhythm right to polish-off River Rd (though the rumble strips took a long time coming for my labored lungs)   

Rocket and Bruce's southbound lights  u-turned and joined in Coach Rd as Pistol piloted us north, Didak still in the caboose familiarizing the course and learning the protocols. There were plenty of pacemakers ahead, maybe I'd done my one and only for today?  Even The Rabbit had advanced for duty.  Maybe there was an essence of anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better , maybe I'm reading this ride like a book, but Pistol did the hard yards to the highway, The Godfather see-sawed his speed to Old Dookie and Vince poured on the pace to Central Ave, so it was a single shift circuit for me.  The Rabbit's debut drive did well, careful at the start and brewed for bulk breathing toward the end, a long one too reaching the roundabout nudging the 40's.  Time for some social stuff through town with oxygen now spare for chat, turning for home as others turned for coffee is the tax I pay for a 7:30 start at the coal face. 

13/10  Born again Goats. 

A (predictable) prologue for Tuesday limbered liberated legs in short knicks, 9 degrees near enough to my temperature threshold to ditch most of the winter layers.  The same old golf course loop of 12k almost had a hint of daylight at 5:30.  Bring on Summer!  Barely a puff of wind and almost double digit temperatures dragged Goats out of the woodwork in almost a biblical second coming.  Snow, Dippa, Hommie, Heady, Coggo, Belly, Sandy, Phil and AvantiLeigh filled the Friars footpath, Heady even inspired to lead the train east. 

That lasted a whole 400 metres.  Coggo claimed captaincy and put pace into the recipe.  DeepFry and JB climbed aboard from their SPC start-line, so numbers like this would justify two rows.  Nope, single file had stuck.  Maybe the fear of the front had some stalling their appearance at the business end?  Coggo's elbow had an early suggestion I take the lead before we'd reached Dobson's, so with 11 astern it'd be a one and only shift for me. To Central Ave and don't spare the horses!  The halt for Central Ave traffic may have been a blessing for Heady. 

Snow did his duty toward School Rd while I latched onto Coggo's wheel.  Snow's shift turned to Sandy's soon after but hang on folks, Hommie was about to take the helm.  Speed was keen to begin with but reality took hold not long after, Heady hanging on silent in the caboose.   AvantiLeigh showed how smoothness was delivered, first light rising above the fog in Boundary Rd's fields.   Dippa made an abbreviated contribution, Phil forging on to the bridge where Belly offered his services to speed toward the highway.  Regrettably, the clock had other duties due for me, the usual exit via Channel Rd sending me west toward work. 

14/10  A Wednesday watusi.

The slightest suggestion of a southerly stoked up suffering for the 10k to Sanctuary's start-line, a perfect preparation for pace to come, when you think about it.  And not a hint of breeze when a traffic light put a halt in the commute.  Go figure!  Tina, Col, The Godfather, Kel, Joe (not Tony), GreatScottSteve and Kreeky set sail at 5:40 with PistolPete the Chief Executive in charge of the charge south, a textbook calm before gradually opening the throttle to the usual pace (not talking, gasping) toward Mitchell Rd.  That southerly had no effect on him!  GreatScottSteve did a cautious drive east to Central Kialla, the never ending roadworks leaving all but a thin strip of decent tarmac rideable. 

 I'd won the lottery and Christmas had come early getting the breeze at the backside for the 2k drive to River Rd (although the speed was nothing to scoff about), Kreeky relieving me of duty to take on the east leg to the bridge.  Beyond the bridge to Laws Drive, then beyond to the dip was doing a double shift (maybe Kreeky had tested positive to the Bo virus?) but he peeled off there for Kel to captain.  Two red leds blinked on the horizon as bait (Vince and The Rabbit) to guide Kel toward Coach Rd (as if we need reminding of a course much traveled), Tina taking over at the Angora farm to deliver us to rooster corner.  Col had his quick oats for breakfast, delivering a swift shift north to the highway.  It's hard to break the habit of peeking at the order ahead to predict the shifts, The Godfather verifying my guess to drive to Old Dookie. 

Suddenly inspired to spin in Spring weather, several bunches southbound are now commonplace on Boundary Rd, among them some clown in a 4x4 with half a million lumens of high beam ablaze to blind us.  Going like a steam train, Joe (not Tony) scored the first leg west on Old Dookie Rd (ah, the rise and rise of someone new to riding as fitness fosters and all the trophies for trying are won......til most of us slowly level out over the years then start to struggle to hang on.  I did say 'most' of us!)  PistolPete took the reigns at School Rd and bumped up the breathing by adding a couple of k's to the tempo.  And I thought he was done at Central Ave.  Nah, to Doyles roundabout nudging the 40's if you don't mind! (how good is that recovery from where he was five months ago!)  GreatScottSteve had the last say to spin to SPC's roundabout (finally catching Vince and The Rabbit), the tempo now tame enough to talk as we twisted the streets toward coffee.

15/10  Legs liberated.

Predictable prologues be gone!  Ride repetition needed a shake-up so set south to tap 20k before my usual brief affiliation with the Goats on Thursday.  A summer-like northeaster brewed and 13 degrees had legs liberated from what seems like never ending winter insulation.  To the south of town then steering east then north certainly felt the  handbrake effect on speed. Back into town, Goats had gathered for the 6am ritual.  Heady, Snow, Belly, AvantiLeigh, Coggo, Sandy, Ranso, Phil and Hommie babbled the 2 minutes before flag-fall, Heady (with optimistic fervor) taking the lead role to lead us east.  He survived 100 metres further today before relegating himself rearward (everyday a little progress Heady.  At this rate he'll be doing the whole lap by June 2021!  My guess is that he'll keep trying.  Which is more than some others!)   I'd been handed the lead by proxy to left and right the streets to exit town, finding DeepFry at SPC to join the Indian file of the ranks.  That northeaster at the nose was a nuisance! 

The sense of expectation from the bunch behind (or was it a fear of failure?) unearthed the mid 30's toward Dobson's estate, head low and cadence up helped.  It was a relief to do the elbow thing at the bridge, great to see Sandy storm to the front to take charge to Central Ave but disappointing to hear silence from the back about traffic looming behind. With rest comes responsibility in the caboose folks!  Riding those rumble strips rattled the amalgam.  Hommie's shift was subdued beyond Central Ave, not the boom and bust we've come to expect from the big fella ; it almost ranked as respectable!  AvantiLeigh followed in fine form, Ranso taking charge in Boundary as a scenic sun-up unfolded at the port-side bow.  Effort had eased now the wind was at our behinds and speed spiked as a result, my glance behind noting Heady had joined the missing persons list.  Already at 15 degrees, all legs were exposed though not many had braved bare arms yet.  (won't be long and the grizzles about heat will be on us!)  Tarmac blurred under the wheels for a few minutes before time beckoned my exit via Channel Rd, a pleasing pace to home with that northeaster finally in my favor. 

This week was cut short in covid isolation, coffee consumed at a "hot spot" (identified after) deprives me the bike addiction till tests prove a negative (hopefully!) 

This week  257km       YTD 8,597km