Hurt first, laughs later.

 Post #636

6/3 Paying penance.

Sunday's usually my sabbath.  One day in seven to ease the effort and give the old engine a holiday from hurt.  But with Saturday a washout, I needed to feed the addiction Sunday to log a few k's.  Yes, I'll admit I have the full blown variant!  

Superman's WhatsApp suggestion of a 7:30 spin was pounced on, most others have that dirty habit of going MTB on Sundays and a solo ride lacked any sort of appeal.  Even BamBam and SuperMario hinted an interest in attendance though I'd be a brave soul putting money on their arrival.  There was a penance to pay for riding on a Sunday though, a 26-43 km/h southerly lay in wait.  There were cruel k's to cover down to Kialla Lakes Drive and the conclusion was already foregone that Superman would be the solitary one at the grid.  At least the suffering would be shared.  I had no argument with him doing the first shift into the wind on Archer Rd (trusting he wasn't about to set a supersonic speed) but was happy to share the workload (we'd survived working together for wages 25 year ago).   The way to Central Kialla was easier but believing the Bureau that we had a southerly was difficult ; I sensed some westerly about it too. 

Superman did the drive east so I felt guilty getting the easy turn north to River Rd.  It felt wrong to be in the draft as Superman did the work to River Rd's bridge so I led the rest of River to rooster corner as a sort of compensation. (there were regrets reaching the rumble strips though, playing the hero hurt!)  Legs loved the northbound of Coach Rd, a couple of k's spent paired for a chat till getting back into Indian filed format at Channel Rd.  I could believe the Bureau now, wind was right up the Khyber!  Superman towed me north to Old Dookie Rd so I did the distance to Lemnos-Cosgrove, wondering what the work would be like bearing west.  As it happened, not so bad after all.  Captained by Superman to the main channel, I faced the front to Lemnos North Rd ; again sensing some westerly about it.  (it's possibly pessimism causing it)  Giving the task of Ford Rd's first leg to Superman, I did the Grahamvale to Numurkah Rd bit.  We'd halved Wanganui's length between us then did  shorter halves of Rudd ; neither of us so happy to be back into the headwind with 45 k's of wear and tear. Would I have tapped a Sunday lap solo? Doubt it.  And if I did, would the speed be the same? Nope! Was suffering that wind to get a lap done worth it?  Of course! Thanks Superman, having a partner for the pain paid off! Our paths separated at Tarcoola's roundabout to keep to the day's agenda, penance paid but the suffering shared.

 

7/3 The "bangin' your head against a brick wall 'cause it's nice when you stop" theory.  

Here we go again! Pushing the pain barrier into a headwind again, just to get to the start line.  (or is it just me that's wringing out the reserves of energy?) A sensible person would slow down and lessen the labor, but there's a magnetism (or is it masochism?) to this mob that charge around the back roads of town at stupid o'clock. You can count on Lenny, Wozza, Bo, Emil, Rocket, the 5ft Ninja, Bruce, PistolPete, Tina, The Godfather and Kel as the regulars to ride, and you can guarantee PistolPete will get the bunch rolling (there weren't many others keen to work into the wind for 3 k's). 

 Like several others, I'd positioned myself at the back to let those more capable have the distinction of driving, figuring I'd already served a sentence of hard labor getting to the grid.  Onto The Godfather's wheel in the advance line through Central Kialla, I had all bets placed on reaching the front with a tailwind.  Let's hope those ahead would serve a solid turn in River Rd to tow me to rooster corner.  A bike approached from the north but saved a u-turn to join us till we'd crossed paths (obviously had the horsepower to chase!)  It was JJ (more than able to get aboard) but the bunch slowed for a moment of courtesy.  Wozza and Emil took charge at River Rd's dip, my bet looking safe with that sort of wattage paired at the front.  The Godfather inspired their effort by whistling (Dixie?) at second wheel, but performed well himself when Emil rolled the turn at the quarter horse gates.  I'd got my wish of a turn with a tailwind, The Godfather being a compliant co-pilot into the bargain! Yeah, I could handle the speed that had been set with the wind at my posterior.....but those Garmin numbers had escalated by the Broken bridges. If this was to be a decent drive something was needed in the tank to reach the highway. 

JJ drew alongside to partner part two, and was on for a chat.  It's ok for the young ones to bolt along at supersonic speed, chatting away without a care in the world, but at three times his age, I was in oxygen deprivation mode!  A gasp of "Talk....(big breath)......later" was my reply.  The measure of fitness is said to be how fast your heart rate can settle from maximum, and I wanted that now!  The reality was feeling almost human a couple of k's later.  Others moved forward for their driving donation, some with ease and others with effort while the trauma of my turn slowly faded with the treat of a tow home. It does feel good when you stop, coffee afterward made the good even better  (yeah, silly enough to do it all again tomorrow!)

8/3  A wee waft of wind, grounds for divorce? and do I buy a gravel bike?

 

A southerly served up suffering again on Tuesday, and I thought September was the windy month!  At least some of the circuit steered north so a part of the lap would be easy.  30-40 km/h worth furrowed the brow and cooked the calves to get to the starting grid (though that was half the commute the 5ft Ninja had to do solo)  Kim, Jen, Emil and Tina converged on the Archer St shop, planning a suitable squirrel circuit 'cause half the Channel Rd section was layered in gravel.  The Sanctuary circuit substituted.  Starting early would put us ahead of  the Sanctuary squad but might have just made us their bait.  There were no arguments when Emil took the first shift south and just for a change, I'd scored 3rd wheel in the Indian filed procession toward Mitchell Rd. Eagerness enticed Emil to drive to the truck route and Jen championed the cause to Mitchell Rd.  How kind to be towed for the headwind leg, but fighting the wind at the port side to Central Kialla wasn't a lot of fun.  Tina had the treat of a tail wind to River Rd.  Punishment from the port side would be with us to rooster corner and Kim faced the ferocity first, handing the hurt to the 5ft Ninja at the bridge. 

 Holding a straight line was like a politician holding a promise as 40 km/h gusts whipped at the wheels so getting a great draft by overlapping wheels was a high risk occupation.  (Sit back and suffer in safety Foss!) The Ninja did well to drive beyond Trevaskis Rd (it's a wonder she wasn't blown to Sydney!), Emil taking on the task to reach rooster corner, though his eagerness became cruelty for Kim a k from the rumble strips. Coach Rd had a surprise layer of gravel applied too (a coating for it's new 20mm coarse stone re-seal...straight over the pot holes naturally!)   

The thought of 34mm treaded tyres suddenly sounded appealing (buying a gravel bike just for the occasion a bit beyond my budget though).   Slick 25's squirmed under the varied thicknesses of loose stone, hardly a feeling of security as Jen set a cautious 40 northward.  Doing a short shift from Channel Rd to the highway allowed Tina, Kim and the Ninja a turn with a tailwind ; I reckoned they deserved it from the prior punishment. The Ninja added another k west on Old Dookie Rd, Emil handed the reigns at School Rd to drag us to Central Ave.  Pace crept gradually upward.  Emil stayed on in the captains role and aimed at Dobson's but Kim had slipped from the slipstream and was relegated o.t.a.  (I believe it's explained in "How to Pickle Your Partner" by Emil ; available at your local bookseller!) Easing off the accelerator got the line back into the order (for a moment) so Tina and I combined to donate a draft for Kim.  A cruise to coffee was in order.

9/3  Sorta social.

A magical mystery tour of Sanctuary's side streets, guided by Greg, Bruce and Lenny, distracted the distress of driving into the southerly with Emil to get there.  Yeah, yet another southerly taxed lungs and legs to get to Wednesday's "social" spin.  (you'll note the cautious use inverted commas)  Grumpy, Bo, Rocket, Kel, Boof, Wozza, PistolPete, Tina, the 5ft Ninja and The Godfather appeared out of the darkness to converge on the roundabout and thanks to the kindness of PistolPete and Rocket, we were towed through the headwind to reach Mitchell Rd without serious psychological injury. 

How they managed to do that in the high 30's I don't know.  Fitness? Youth? Drugs? All three?  (I'm not greedy, just one would do me nicely!)  The Godfather sat a couple of metres off the wheel ahead, Grumpy did that shoulder thing and Kel smoothed the path ahead as I followed in the advance line, the stress eased bound for River Rd with the wind at our tails.  Feels like 11 had drawn a lot of arm-warmers out of mothballs (beats feeling like a steamed dim-sim last week I guess!)  Entertainment was provided free in River Rd as The Godfather distributed insults to those he passed in the left line, though there was silence when he paired with Bo for the northward leg on Coach Rd, today swept a little of the loose stuff covering it yesterday.  No drift demonstrations today!  

Kel and The Godfather provided pace on Boundary, so wasn't I blessed when Kel rolled the turn beyond the bridge ; scoring a tailwind helped to keep pace with Mrs Smoothie.  The distance to Old Dookie Rd was doable.  Tina tried a turn westbound and I was happy to hold her speed.  Something's better than nothing Tina (despite what Bo may say) but there was not a lot left in her tank to reach School Rd, so tucked in for a tow while I tried tempo with Emil.  PistolPete played co-pilot toward Central Ave, the cumulative effect of the town's lights in view and a caffeine craving had an effervescent effect on effort to finish fast. So much for the social standards!

10/3  A hint of winter to help h.t.f.u.

Of course a southerly blew again, but today "feels like 7" was the distraction from the wind of just how close winter is.  To cure the cold, an earlier search found a forlorn base-layer at the bottom of the cupboard.  It's probably timely to unearth all the other insulation.  A sign of the layering process to come. (better set an earlier alarm soon too!) The 5ft Ninja, Kim, Tina and Emil met at the Archer St shop with the decision to put Channel Rd back on the menu, now that most of the loose gravel had thinned.  The standard Squirrel sequence set east toward Coach Rd with caution on the cards at the cypress trees for the loose stuff.  (I reckon Coach Rd was worse)  Jen's absence meant all 5 had done a turn by the end of Channel Rd, the southerly (13-19 km/h) made Boundary Rd the bonus.  

Emil had it easy to Old Dookie, my shift to New Dookie without stress so Kim enjoyed the help to Lemnos-Cosgrove ; Tina and the Ninja missed out.  (Luck of the draw I guess). They performed well against the side wind on the west way to Lemnos though.  The increase in workload was noticeable with Jen and Molly missing.  Emil was odds on favorite to drive to Grahamvale Rd so I had the shorter shift to Verney - time today to harden up and add the southerly section to Balaclava as well.  Oh that's right, there was a headwind to face!  Martyrdom paid the price of pain by the time I neared Graham St and just as I was about to throw an elbow of resignation, Emil saved my day by taking on the lead role. 

11/3  Camaraderie and kit co-ordination.

Call me Mr. Despondant, I was almost ready to crawl back into bed hearing yet another southerly blowing Friday morning.  Really?  A weeks worth of wind?  Had I incurred the wrath of Boreas, Zephyrus, Notus and Eurus? *   The thought of keeping pace with Emil's enthusiasm for 10 k's straight into it quickly threw a blanket over my motivation, but the camaraderie of the clan was the magnet to get moving.  (Hurt first, laughs later Foss!)  The wind wasn't as brutal as earlier in the week but the battle into it seemed like a losing one, legs protesting all the way to Sanctuary Drive.  Lenny, Tina, Emil, Jen, PistolPete, Bruce, Kel, Rocket, the 5ft Ninja, Wozza, Kim, Boof and Bo arrived with kits coordinated for the Friday ritual and many were in luck that PistolPete and Wozza bore the brunt of the wind to Mitchell Rd (how come they can can drive into the wind for 3 k's in the high 30's unruffled? Oh yeah, a bucket full of wattage helps!) 

Almost at the back (my usual berth in the bunch in the beginning) in a sandwich between Jen and Tina, the serenity struck me as strange until the penny dropped......The Godfather was absent!  Speed continued through Central Kialla though the effort had eased a bit ; maybe because I'd become tuned into the tempo or that the wind was no longer head-on, probably 'cause calculations had me at the front with a tail wind.     Rocket, Lenny, Bruce and Kel took their turns at train driving to drag us to rooster corner, the way north to the highway commanded by Bo, Kel and the 5ft Ninja (Kim did a covert transition to the left line)    

Jen (still in rehab from a gastric malfunction) took a short shift to Boundary Rd's bridge when we crossed the highway, and that allowed me to keep pace without bursting a boiler.  Tina braved a turn toward the fig farm though Bo berated her call for Emil to roll early.  With power aplenty, Emil and PistolPete drove west to Central Ave.   The craving for coffee (to offset the "feels like 8") helped overcome the the hurt of forcing 40 out of the legs to SPC, but all was forgotten with caffeine in the system and the social sustenance that accompanies it.  

(*the Greek gods of wind if you missed that history lesson!)

This week 283km         YTD 2,817km