The ravages of winter have pushed all but the hardcore under the warmth of the doona, just 16 weeks ago an attendance of 23, now reduced to two. Only supernana and I fronted up for a Saturday lap, minus 2.7 may have had something to do with it! With just two having the casting vote, a revised course was taken, Mitchell Rd, Boundary and back via Channel, the silver lining a crystal clear sky, Mt Major and the Strathbogies seemed almost within reach. A few good morning moos from cows huddled under the trees, Cougs calling attention (quite unnecessarily) to the ice capped puddles at the edge of the road. A pair of foxes scampered across the paddocks, a dozen Cats scampered south on Boundary Rd. (Simmo & the Sprinter had exited via Channel) A rising sun smudged the horizon orange and dropped the temperature to minus 4 if only to inspire thoughts of hot coffee. Easing the pace back in town for traffic was the hardest part, core temperature drops, muscles lock up, almost shivering awakens aches in old wounds. Thank heaven for a hot flat white to thaw out (and then another to prevent refreezing), a great chat with the few Cats and 51 team brave enough to venture outdoors, a small Adams assembly arriving late worthy of a sledge too.
The bike addiction is well and truely evident Sunday morning at 7am , minus 1.6 feels almost mild! What is the psychiatry of thinking it's warmer? A Pavlovian conditioning? Whatever the reason, try telling muscles to perform at their peak! A bit of a push heading west, almost sensing an easterly building up (confirmed a little later in the morning). Funny how we become a weather station out in the elements, the slightest hints of wind direction and temperature fluctuation stand out, or is that for survival? Got a great laugh at the Boundary/Channel intersection, the 51's had daubed the tarmac with a sledge of a suggested exit for BP. A reference to going OTA also appears at the Old Dookie Rd piggery. (apologies to the non-bike savvy readers if this sounds foreign, the vagueness is intentional; for litigation reasons! Personal explanations upon request) Minto and Chaddy spied doing a toaster loop so at least there are other addicts about to justify the lunacy. Lower body temperatures are supposed to increase lifespan by the way. Maybe the gastroch's and glute's had thawed a little, the return leg in Old Dookie was completed at a good steady speed. The cycling addiction was topped up with a caffine addiction, a kick-start to the day and an excuse to squeeze in a snooze later.
Break out the the shorts and iced water, it's a heatwave! Almost sweltered in 7.4 degrees on Monday morning. A lot of cloud cover and wind from the northeast made the past few chilly days a distant memory. Kept the head down heading east, grateful of a little shelter here and there. Came across an oncoming Mr Inconsiderate who can't drive on low beam (wished I'd had Sprinters 1600 lumen headlight to offer a bright hello) An impressive string of Cat headlights turned into Boundary Rd from Old Dookie, I'll bet Steve, Kel & Bo enjoyed the assistance of a tail breeze heading south. A good return leg home, with a distant (and chained) greeting from Pickles. A big downpour from 9am cancelled any plans of rides till Wednesday, nearly took that long to clean a grubby bike.
A 10 degree Wednesday brought hope that winter has run it's course and we're on the road to warmer days. (poor misguided fool!) Well, at least it's positive thoughts. Roads still damp from yesterdays precipitation (a cautionary approach to corners with compensation for marshmallow-like brakes and next to nil traction) A clockwise loop today to unwind and put a little wear on the right side of the tyres, down Boundary and took the BP exit in Channel Rd. 500 metres in, out of the darkness shot a black dog growling and snapping at the heels, taking about 6 months of the lifespan. One for the authorities to follow up before someone hits the deck. Despite the northwester, a good mid 30's tempo home (perhaps driven by canine inspired adrenalin?)
Seems ages since the last Couldabeens ride. Headed south to the start Thursday morning enjoying the northeasterly, Bo, Steve and Kel were headed north for a 51 workout. Ryan, NIck, Matt, Vince, Temple (back from holiday) Glen, Rocket and Chris (returning after a long hibernation) were ready to roll. No errant dog to tackle this morning (maybe thanks to Coug's contact with the constabulary put a warning in the right direction) but keep an eye on 840 Channel Rd if you're out that way, the police would appreciate reports. Easy on the legs headed south in Boundary, due consideration shown to those a bit off form. Rocket punctured at the Mitchell Rd dog-leg, Chris, Matt and Glenn stayed for moral support, others moved on single file to meet work requirements. Quite a pace built up for the rest of Mitchell then into Raftery (40+ according to a later check) , but with 2k's left to go Temple was Fiji'd off the back. Good teamwork reformed the petite peleton (Vince exits stage left to make work on time) to finish with a 34.5 recorded.
Ummed and ahhed at the weather Thursday night, the forecast and the radar weren't on agreeable terms. Gave in to a gut feeling all would be well and turned up to the library, only Bomber, Steigy and Graham there. (Other regulars struck down with an outbreak of severe softness I think). Felt like a Lada entered in an F1 race and swallowed lots of mental concrete when Steve joined in at DECA. My 5k turn at the front with Bomber then Steve setting the tempo nearly blew a head gasket , shaking off a cold has halved the lung capacity. Another turn at the pointy end from the Emu to the toaster bumped up the heart rate to 179. Sprinter and Gools (towing a pair of new lads) were caught at the BP OTA line to fill the ranks to 9, but it was Steve's 36k turn on the front (while others just had short turns alongside) that was most impressive. (if that's not enough, he'd done 70k's solo just before this ride!) The last 2 k's stretched the bunch out, the new lads turning to toast with a stint in the low 40's. Sprinter took the honours (credit due to Gools lead out) I was just happy to finish with 4 ahead, happier when the cold and sniffles are behind me. The 36k / 148 hr average earned a feed, plenty of dinner aromas to inspire the tastebuds on the way home.
Fine drizzle and low cloud finished the week with yet another decadent sleep-in. That's two in one week!
Week 28 263km (Tour stages 9&10) 9704 calories (63 cups of Ratatouille) 32km/h average
YTD 10,750km
"Be yourself, everyone else is already taken" Oscar Wilde 1854-1900
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