The overwhelming obsession

 Post #719

17/10 Who invited Winter back?

Contrary to the defeatist's grizzles in my skull, legs didn't fall off when I got back aboard the habit after three days off, but I reckon there'd be rust stains on the leg warmers at the end of the lap!  (How quickly we soften when the ride routine is interrupted).   Squirrel Tuesday offered a gentle baptism back to the bike, Emil, Kim, Wendy, the Jenerator, Tina and Julz lining up for duty in an almost winter-like feels like 2.  The same faces and the same course might seem a bit mundane, but it's a ride easily remembered. Besides, a decent dose of familiarity is a good thing when you're covering 10+ metres a second just a few centimeters apart. 

My focus of Emil's LaPierre (not looking so brand new now) lasted to  Doyles Rd where eyes shifted to Orrvale Rd, just a dot in the distance (but merely 1300 metres away).  There wasn't much evidence of the Bureau's news of a south southwester but sitting in the road's centre would keep the tail-enders out of the gutter anyway.  Preserving the prior pace, Wendy seemed to cruise to the Kinder while Kim had the watts to tackle Central Ave's headwind and deliver us to the cypress trees.  Avoiding the branches blown to the tarmac by last nights gusts, Tina took over for the spin to the S bend, the Jenerator on duty to drive to Coach Rd.  Maybe an excess of enthusiasm caused Julz to hurry to the highway, the rearmost getting tails up and heads down to keep the line as one. 

I drew the long straw of a shift with the south southwester's help when Emil elbowed me to the captain's seat at Old Dookie Rd, Wendy in luck too, to get us to Lemnos-Cosgrove, but Tina, the Jenerator and Julz got the short straw of the side wind west.  The real struggle into the southerly to Balaclava Rd was Emil's when Julz had enough of the lead at Verney Rd, lucky me tucked into the slipstream at second wheel (though Emil could have sat up a bit to make it better!) Those traffic lights at Balaclava Rd were against us again with the usual shade of red. 

18/10 A hurry homeward.

It was most unlike Emil to sit out a lap in the caboose (shaking off the viral remnants apparently) so Rocket took up the partnership with PistolPete as 5:40 struck at Sanctuary Drive.  Kreeky, Wozza, Tina, The Godfather, Boof, Kel, Troy, Grumpy and Bruce formed two rows behind, me slipstreamed safely in Pistol's draft as last to do duty somewhere on the circuit. (It didn't really matter where; I'd avoided the south southwester that had no effect on Rocket or Pete's pace to Mitchell Rd).  A passing truck's draft got a few excited to turn up the wick aimed at Central Kialla but a 'roo at the roadside turned it down again.  Turning up the tempo again put warmth in the semitendinosus, the slow for the 90 degree left into Euroa Rd and speed up again, imitating interval training. 

Grumpy grumped about the cold (feels like 3.6) but I reckon wearing leg warmers might have helped (Kel just as hard-core with knees exposed).  Background noise was supplied by The Godfather (as always) following a blissful weeks' reprieve.  A shift to the advance line at River Rd's bridge felt that slight southerly at the right flank though hardly worth a worry; it looked like I'd get the time at the business end on Boundary with the breeze a bonus behind.  Wozz and Kel guided the bunch to the Broken bridges, Tina digging deep to reach the highway with Wozz.  I should have called a halt for the approaching car at the highway but didn't want to wear the bunch in my back on a sudden stop; a "Look left" was enough to roll through with Pistol and Tina and use the slow roll to gain a breath till the bunch rejoined. 

I wanted to get to Old Dookie Rd on my pairing with Pistol, but watts were wanting at the fig farm, a slipstream my savior for the last half k.  Rocket and Pistol showed all what horsepower can do to Central Ave while I explored the limits the legs would labor. Troy squeezed the throttle slowly toward Dobson's bridge where 44's became the standard of suffering for many, the rather brutal benchmark opening gaps in the pack when oxygen became the overwhelming obsession.  Making up a two metre defecit became a big battle beyond the truck route as my engine miss-fired under the load, Wozza to the rescue plugging the hole I'd left so I could slipstream with the squad to SPC.

19/10 Six squirrels and a unicorn (& class coffee to conclude)

A bearable 7 degrees with a breeze at the back on Channel Rd felt a bit too good to be true; for once the climate was on the squirrels side!  Molly's still missing and LiamM hs definitely ditched the bike for bed instead, but Wendy, Emil, Tina, the Jenerator, Julz and Greg fronted up at the shop to make the most of proper Spring conditions. The routine was clockwork though the order had differed a bit; Emil setting the spin to the truck route with me playing second fiddle (as always) to Orrvale Rd.  Third shift was captained by the Jenerator while Wendy did duty to the cypress trees.  34's and 5's seemed to be the new threshold of therapy, a far cry from the 30's not so long ago. (maybe we're on the improve or was that subtle west northwester moving us up a rung?)   

Greg got down to business to tow us to the S bend but worked a bit of overtime to drag us to Coach Rd instead (perhaps favoring Julz to get the short shift to the highway?)   Braving bare legs, Tina finally fronted in Boundary Rd though the breeze was shifting course to suggest the roads' centre would suit all.  Emil had the reigns a bit beyond the bridge and kept his shift short, electing me to put in an effort from Old Dookie Rd. Not much effort was needed though when two passing trucks provided the draft to New Dookie Rd. That breeze had swung to something like east northeast but who would believe getting a tailwind out of town then a tailwind back home?  Unheard of!  With that assistance on Lemnos-Cosgrove, Wendy set sights at the bridge while Greg restrained the urge to drive long and finished at Lemnos North Rd. 

Unicorns are said to have enhanced stamina and Julz lived up to that legend with a 3k effort to Grahamvale Rd.  Like most Tuesday's and Thursday's, Emil inherited (though he sometimes steals) the 2400 metre length of Verney to Balaclava Rd, signs of progress today on the north quarter development where some of the witches hats and fencing have been cleared from the bike lane (though there's still enough gravel on the tarmac to cover a long driveway).    Greg got the itch to sprint in the last 400 metres  but naturally, Balaclava's lights went red in retaliation.  A suggestion of Stellar's came from behind and who was I to argue (go with the flow Bro!), the taste buds treated to classy caffeine for a change at the conclusion (but that was a bitter taste for The Godfather at the Butter Factory apparently.  He must crave our company?) 

20/10 Welcome weather!    

 Braving bare legs wasn't so ominous when the Bureau blessed us with 9 degrees and the slightest of south easters that didn't do a lot of damage getting to Sanctuary Drive.  Spring had finally put some spring into my step!  A uniformed mob had massed at the roundabout (Troy, Wozza, Kreeky, Grumpy, Rocket, Tina, Boof, Bruce, the 5ft Ninja, Emil, Greg, Kel, The Godfather, Julz, BamBam and Bo) for PistolPete to lead and, if it weren't for the photo to prove it, Bo partnered him south!  Believe it or not!   Kel's wheel was welcomed for my place in the peloton; a better option than the Ninja's half draft that I usually score.  Opening speed was most manageable (Bo not so boisterous to begin) but Emil fixed that problem with a spicier speed toward Central Kialla. 

The "hitting your thumb with a hammer" philosophy was proved right by the time we turned east into River Rd (keep hitting it and it eventually goes numb!), I'd climatized to the hurt and a draft of 16 ahead most likely helped with the hurry.   There's criticism if you're cemented in the caboose, or even withdraw from the advance line before fronting, so I subscribed to Tina's theory that the mob would just have to tolerate our tempo when we reached the business end, however slow and short it might be!

We passed the Swiss cheese that masquerades as tarmac just beyond the quarter horse fence, the reliable rooster crowing on our turn north into Coach Rd.   The 90 seconds worth of earlier light lit the way north, the caution for 'roos still on the agenda spying several in the fields to the west (was Lili's and Tina's spill really 20 weeks ago?  How time flies when bones need to mend!)   With 5 still to serve before my duty was due, I wondered if I'd actually get to the front before the lap ended.  '51 and the Cats crossed our path in Boundary Rd, The Godfather's hollers of "Wowee" receiving a raucous response. (they don't seem to have any on-board entertainment?)  With wind of little restraint, pace was perky to Old Dookie Rd. 

"Have a look!" (coming from The Godfather) spelled caution at Central Ave, and not wishing to cause calamity with a sudden stop, I rolled through with Tina and Greg when the split second decision came.  The slow roll for others to catch gave a chance for a breath or two and gave opportunity for Tina to sneak into The Godfather's draft. So duty did come true at Dobson's bridge alongside The Godfather (testing his chains' strength surviving on the 10 tooth sprocket of course).  The truck route is only 1300 metres ahead though it seems light years away, and just for a change, the old engine coped fairly well to match The Godfather's 37's to get there.  The tank was dry reaching it but!  

A moment's pause for traffic loaded just enough oxygen to stay with Bo's blast to SPC. 

This week 192km

YTD 10,699km