Havoc in the head

 Post #644

1/5  Recruitment ride.

Once in a blue moon there's an ask to join the clan (a pair this time, surprisingly) so with credentials unknown, I (cheekily) appointed myself as a Couldabeens casting agent.  Better to make sure they're square pegs for square holes!  As Saturday was a wash-out, Sunday seemed timely for a toe-in-the-water tap.  Liliana and Liam (a slightly slower version of the Liam we know.....thank heaven!) were on time at the Tarcoola rendevous (first box ticked) and after initial intro's, a tap around the Toaster circuit was the agreed course.  Tempo was the next test ;  I hadn't dropped them on the roll-out along the Boulevard and they hadn't torn my legs off reaching the golf course (second box ticked) so endurance could be questioned later.  Their resume read well with a few years riding (though being in a bunch wasn't so common) and habits of a holding a straight line and a steady speed augered well.  (A call of "car back" and a finger pointed at pot-holes scored them the 3rd tick)  Winter's proximity was getting serious with just 6 on the guage, the touch of a west northwester assisting our passage toward Pine Lodge but made the morning feel like 3.6.  That kept the cadence keen.  Liam and I had paired at the front so was Lili deliberately drafting, banking horsepower to toast us, or just a bit shy of the drivers seat?  (Given the benefit of the doubt for now).    An extra shot of effort was needed on the turn at the Toaster for the west way to Boundary so the shift south was welcome (all these incidentals mount up when there's been no respite at the rear)  

Over the Broken bridges and beyond One Tree Dam, a sensation of softness started to play on my pre-frontal cortex ; not the softness of wanting to slow down or an urge to take up basket weaving, it was a pliable sensation through the posterior.   A few hundred metres toward River Rd and the sensation was certain; the predicament of a puncture would halt progress (in a tyre less than 100 k old too).  Liam and Lili waited patiently (tick 4) for the fix and resuming the ride, Lili sat in the drivers seat and Liam drafted.  Able to carry on a conversation in the low 30's while into the breeze ranked Lili a Squirrel certainty at the minimum.  To Central Kialla and Liam resumed the front but there was no rest for me as the tax of time at the front slowly added up to wear me down (so it's fair they got a 5th tick for endurance. They'd tolerated me for an hour!)  Along Mitchell, 'round Roubaix corner and on to Raftery, a coffee craving kept the wheels turning back into town.  The caffeine fix at the Butter Factory fixed my jellied legs, so when Lil and Liam fixed the bill, a supplementary 6th tick went on their application (bribery get's you places!)   They get my vote, but lets see if the bunch fits them and they fit the bunch.

2/5  Flogging this dead horse.

Maybe it was Monday-itis?  There wasn't even a breeze to blame but getting up to speed seemed to be a losing battle Monday morning.  Tyre pressures were fine, brakes weren't binding and the temperature was nothing to complain about (11 degrees) so I guess it was a case of some days you've got it, others you 'aint.  Emil kindly suppressed his snoring on the commute to Sanctuary drive where just a few had fronted ; Rocket, The Godfather, Bruce, the 5ft Ninja, Wozza, Kreeky and Kel. (Take a picture! PistolPete was missing!)  

Emil and Bruce performed the opening act so I slipped into the survivors seat (behind Emil in the left line) for maximum delay before doing duty.  (Maybe I'd harden up in the meantime?)  Expending a lot of energy just to stay in the draft, it was disappointing to see just 37 on the speedo ; it felt like 47 keeping up!  The Godfather fronted early in Mitchell Rd, maybe in an effort to exorcise an excess of alcohol absorbed at the weekend.  It must have been a bender ; he delivered plenty of pace with Bruce to Central Ave then a lot of hurry with Wozza to River Rd.  The small bunch soon had me promoted into the advance, coincidentally behind the 5ft Ninja (there goes any aerodynamic advantage!)      Kreeky took the edge off the effort (just a couple of k's made a world of difference) alongside Kel, who of course obliged, but when Kreeky rolled across a little beyond the quarter horse stud, the Ninja became the cork-out-of-the-bottle.  

The eagerness would have continued if it wasn't for the call of "Easy!" to calm to Kreeky's pace so arriving at rooster corner, it became my time to proverbially flog a dead horse.  The Ninja didn't want any part of doing part two as it happened and called me across (fine with me, my psychological tank would run empty at the Broken bridges anyway).   Grateful for Emil's cautious use of the throttle, I had just enough to stay in touch when Emil and Bruce turned up the hurt to the highway.  Recovery was on the back burner, hanging on was the priority.  By Boundary Rd's bridge some focus had returned to view The Godfather and Wozza locked in labor toward Old Dookie.  Rocket was the kid in the lolly shop working The Godfather west to Central Ave, and hat's off to Mr. Merida, he managed well.  Rocket and Kel kept the tempo to the truck route, the squirt to SPC stretching my limits but Chris at the Butter Factory had a perfect tranquilizer for the pain.  Let's hope there'd be horsepower for tomorrow rather than the dead horse of today. 

3/5 A swollen squirrel squad.

This squirrel thing shows success ; three new recruits joined in for Tuesday's tap.  Wendy, with no Wouldabeens willing to ride (7 degrees and they quit??) along with recent requesters Liam and Lili turned up to swell the numbers, along with regulars Emil, Kim, Jen and the 5ft Ninja, it seemingly filled the Archer St car park.   It was business as usual on circuit and speed (no concession given for newbies ; read the fifo principal!) so Emil slowly turned up the wick to the usual mid 30's (give or take) toward the truck route.  The Ninja took up the second wheel role for a change (whether the new ones would take on a turn was optional).   I got the tow truck duties crossing Doyles Rd 'cause the 5ft one had the turbo spooled up toward Orrvale Rd,  a careful use of the throttle getting all back into the half draft the Ninja gave for a k and a bit.  Minimal rolling resistance on the smooth stretch of the ChaCha to the Kinder made speed easy (a stark contrast to my pedestrian performance yesterday), Kim given the captaincy to deliver us to the cypress trees where Jen took command. One day that stretch to Coach Rd won't have the snap-crackle-and-pop of loose gravel! (always at the S bend to put some o.m.g. into cornering)  Wendy was let loose to aim at the highway and she must have a diploma from the Ninja University 'cause the throttle was quickly wide open.  There was no time to lose on her drive into Boundary Rd too, thankfully settling into mid 30's to the bridge and a bit beyond. 

Lili impressed with he first performance ; straight smooth and kosher on tempo to take us beyond the fig farm.  Liam (needing an appropriate nick-name to differentiate him from the supersonic one) set similar standards north to New Dookie Rd while Emil, almost chewing bar tape in anticipation, sat ready and raring for his second performance.   No surprise his shift was an extended one ; up to Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd then west to the bridge before (reluctantly?) relinquishing his lead.  That  west southwest breeze was more than obvious sitting second wheel to the Ninja, so the push into it when I was handed the reigns at Ford Rd was no surprise. I'd imagined that smooth stretch of the ChaCha under the wheels to help me reach Grahamvale and there, handed Kim the 1100 metre shift to Verney.  So Jen had Emil's signature shift south to Balaclava Rd where, naturally, he poached the lead role for a swift shift to warm up on coffee.  

4/5  Bird strike!

All is not lost when there's a dozen on the grid in "feels like 5" though concentration had been hijacked by complaints from the legs about the labor just to get there (and they had a tail breeze to help!)  I'd used Mr. Voight's phrase repeatedly but their signals played havoc in the head as Wozza and Emil led Gazza, Boof, Bruce, Kel, Rocket, Grumpy, Greg, the 5ft Ninja, Bo and The Godfather  set south (PistolPete absent, yet again).  I'd joined the tail of the advance line after a burst at 40 to catch the bunch (come back Pistol, and show them the error of their ways!) so having two rows of six ahead gave a fair bit of lead time before the real work started.  

Grumpy was tardy matching Greg's tempo into River Rd (flapping that jaw again?) but got his act together to pair properly to the bridge.  The Godfather whacked the chain onto the 11 cog to drive with Grumpy to the dip and up to Trevaskis Rd (I'd hoped he wasn't going to do his usual diesel engine demonstration all the way to Coach Rd.)  He didn't.  I'd braved the front with legs protesting but focus is a funny thing ; it does little for a physical result but it steers the head into the right place.  With a skull full of thoughts about smoothness and spin, the white fence of the quarter horse stud arrived sooner than I thought, far enough to warrant my call of half time.  The Ninja drew alongside as co-pilot, and wasn't I pleased she hadn't hit the boost button!  

Doubts of getting to rooster corner were eased when her speed sank shy of the rumble strips, rolling across to cruise to rooster corner.  The roadworks sign at Coach Rd was someone's idea of a joke; of course the pot-holes remain!  Bo and Kel paired to take us north but Bo had had enough at the bridges and slumped into the slipstream, kick-starting the sledges to the highway.   Gazza and Boof delivered the draft en-route to Old Dookie Rd but a bird took a dislike to Gazza to head-butt his helmet!  Not often you need to dodge flying feathers in a bunch! After an animated replay for those who missed the action, Gaz had settled the nerves to turn west and lead on to Central Ave. There was little breeze to help the pace back to suburbia but speed was spiced up to get there anyway. 

5/5 Hey Winter, why so early?

The heavy duty base layer came out of mothballs. Winter had arrived early Thursday and the alarm was set three minutes earlier for the lengthy layering preparing for "feels like 1.6".  Others looked like Eskimo's too, huddled at the carpark for a squirrel spin.  A touch of southwester would assist the anti-clockwise circuit but it certainly chilled the bones.  Emil and I started in standard sequence with Molly, Wendy, the 5ft Ninja, Jen, Kim and Liam falling into line behind.  The ritual's just the same, it's the sequence that varies.  Molly passed the baton to Wendy at the Kinder then the Ninja got it at the cypress trees (hang on to your hats for the hurry to Coach Rd folks!)  I spoke too soon about gravel at the S bend the other day, my front wheel jumping sideways over a stone (right on the apex of course!) to bring on a "must-update-my-will" moment.  Delighted to avoid a horizontal malfunction, it took a moment or two to make up the gap and get back into the slipstream of the 5ft one towing us to Coach Rd.  Jen eased the velocity toward the highway and cut her shift short, so maybe it's odd numbered Thursdays that tone down her tempo?  

Kim took on the task of Boundary Rd and aimed at the bridge, Liam performing a copybook shift to the fig farm (he'll go places keeping that habit happening)   Of course big things were expected of Emil's northern shift; I'd readied to be given the lead beyond New Dookie but somehow just knew he'd continue to Lemnos-Cosgrove.  I had a feeling that southwester would suppress speed when given the west way toward Lemnos but found a reasonable pace on the speedo toward the bridge, so did an "Emil extension" and continued to Lemnos North Rd.  (Maybe I'd toasted Molly at second wheel 'cause her turn fell short in Ford Rd but I'm told she didn't have the legs anyway)  Wendy towed us to Grahamvale at a speed a new bike brings, the Ninja dragging us to Verney so Jen had the drive south to Balaclava (no problem with pace this time!)   Of course Emil reset the ritual by stealing the lead and heading us to the Butter Factory. 

6/5 F..f..f..fairly fresh Friday.

I'd seriously considered about 100 great reasons to go back to bed seeing zero on the Bureau's data Friday morning, but that'd be slipping down the slope of softness before Winter had even arrived!  (I'd be granted instant membership of the Wouldabeens if I wasn't careful!)  Thank heavens for the fellowship, kit day and the therapeutic benefits of Chris's coffee that dragged me out of the house and hardened me up to roll a few k's.  The Godfather, Emil, Greg, Kreeky, Bo, Tina, Grumpy, Rocket, Wozza, Kel, Boof and Bruce rolled up in the crisp atmosphere, Emil and Grumpy the stand-ins for the first shift till PistolPete emerges from isolation.  How convenient it was to slip in behind Emil to delay my shift till last!  Grumpy should have brought a note from home to excuse the out-of-uniform blue gillet, billowing like a Mae West life-jacket.  (Come back soon Pete ; instructions on style are urgently needed!) 

The temperature seemed to drop even further out of town (just a degree or two seems massive) so I was pleased to have unearthed the full winter gloves (feels like boxing gloves) but was silly enough to brave just one base layer.  Wozza had set a social speed on Mitchell Rd though it felt far faster as the atmosphere chilled the bones, Grumpy calling a short shift no doubt feeling like his lungs were in a vice.  Kreeky eased up on the throttle as Greg fronted in Coach Rd and that lowered the stress levels with many still trying to come to terms with the temperature.  Tina moved forward for a short shift at the business end to level with Greg (when he dropped back three lengths!) but a few days off the bike and the sudden sample of Winter soon had her diving for cover at the bridges.  

Below 3 degrees seems to warrant a discount on speed to survive, Greg's revised 35 allowing me to match him to the Midland.  Emil gave me a concession too and rolled across when I called "Done" a bit beyond Boundary Rd's bridge.  A dozen others to serve their second shift almost guaranteed I'd done my one and only, so the workload gradually eased on Old Dookie in the draft to prepare for the squirt to SPC.  I'm not sure if it was the dash into the 40's or the chill factor that caused that hurt the most, but it was nothing like the pain of regret if I'd gone back to bed!

This week  291 km      YTD 4,977 km