4/3
Perfect conditions for another Saturday population explosion ; windless, a mild 16 degrees and a weekend ahead had Wozz, Car+Mel, Cate and I expecting a carpark cram (or can't people resist the Couldabeens awesomeness and modesty?). 5 Cats (MeridaJohn, Clive, Dalts, Huggie and LegalSteve) had arrived early (for a tow to the Cat pack?), Len and MeridaAndy were along for a few early k's but the party faithful (Shorty, Nick, TatPaul, Popgun, Tina, Boof, Bruce, Leah, Tum, Cougar,TrackStan, Pistol, Rocket, Temple, TrekTrev, Jen, Avantiatrev, Trav, Kel, TrekSam and the Godfather) squeezed in. 
Deja vu from last week as Wozz and I drove the last leg of Ford Rd, a little bitty breather before the fast finish in Wanganui Rd. Peak hour in Numurkah Rd, a minute motionless waiting for traffic to clear had bunch 2 park at our tail, a massed and messy finish not on my menu. A break in the traffic let 10 through, all systems go to spare a sprint swamping.
With a line of Indians behind, Wozz worked the wattage to DECA, Shorty followed up fast while I felt like a freeloader, time for my turn at the test track. Enthusiasm drove me a bit hard leaving a gap behind, no way I'd last 700 metres at this rate. I was soon swamped by Wozz, Tina and Mel, one last lunge at the hill (Wozz riding off into the distance) to pick up a place was dashed withTrackStan, The Godfather and MeridaAndy pouncing from bunch two to pick up the crumbs on the line. Foss vs Hommy, Chinese lycrap, social media and reality televisions erosion of morals enveloped the ever lengthening Lemontree breakfast table for post ride postulation.
6/3
I was on a peace keeping mission Monday, a Hommy harmony if you will after last weeks high jinks. ApprenticePete, Principal Skinner, Spiessy, Cate, Spartacus, Cindy, Phil, AvantiLeigh, Sandy, Hommy, Tina, AvantiAndy, Jen, Brendy, Belly and Vince filtered into Friars for a frangible foray to start the week. Twas a cruisy crank east on Old Dookie Rd in a smooth sandwich between Tina and Jen, Hommy at one end of the bunch and me at the other (keeps the troops calm). The even more peaceful tame tappers were caught at the Pub, Mr.Magnet, Simon and Doc amongst the few. So why would some mix with the Goat group when a Channel Rd exit was planned just a few hundred metres later?
Panic, brakes and near misses in the melee later, all emerged upright and unscathed from the calamity, a WTF moment way too early in the week for me. Back in the comfort zone of rotating with familiar folk on River Rd, Coggo catching us from a late start chase, Roscoe joining in from a lazy start from the west, Vince gently back on the bike post leg surgery, but the social stimuli soon ended, time for my exit via the truck route and Archer Rd home. With a hint of daylight breaking, there was just the lengthy slalom through town avoiding the debris in the never-maintained bike lane.
7/3
ScottMat was flatflustered berthing at the Tuesday Turtle grid, a puncture on the new rig two minutes before launch time put pressure on his pitstop. A CO2 seal blow-out then a short-valve-in-a-deep-rim dilemma entertained us, but was finally fixed and underway, four minutes closer to the jaws of the Hares behind. Jase, Shorty, Nick, Cougar, HBK, TrekTrev, and AvantiTrev made up a Turtle ninesome, ScottMat and I driving leg one, HBK turning up the wick beside me for leg two to Orrvale Rd (but surprisingly stayingly level with my wheel. Well, I never!) Jase and Shorty took the reigns to the cypress trees, passing a pair of Hares preparing to catch the 5:50 express. A light southerly (7-9 km/h) made its presence felt in Boundary Rd, pushing the limits for 1200 metres beside ScottMat was a workout, but the niggling natter at the back from non-contributors rattled my cage, so harder on the gas in River Rd to silence the superfluous sentences. We'd almost reached River's dip when a dozen Hares line astern powered past. ScottMat and I took on the headwind yet again in Central Kialla, but Jase was next to roll up, HBK now in hiding (hurting). Down to the highway and building speed for Raftery Rd the luck of the draw looked like it was work for me in Conrod straight. Nick dialled up the tempo at the last kink as Conrod opens its length, Shorty tucked in and I'd hoped to get a share of the draft but was locked out of the left line. Nothing for it but to light the afterburners early and see what evolved. I hit the front out of the first dip carrying a fair speed but slicing the virgin air emptied the tank quickly, 500 metres later Jase and Shorty pounced from my draft for the one two, my glance back finding a lot of real estate to the remaining half dozen.
8/3
All stops out exiting town Wednesday, a tailwind had Pistol and Rocket excited but a few were in difficulty holding onto the tail. BamBam, Wozz, Nev, Boof, Trav, Weapon, Kenworth, Grumpy, Ralphy, Mel, Kel, Bo, Shorty, AvantiTrev, ScottMat, Cate, Bruce and Nick made up a long tail behind, Bruce bolting to the front to police the pace. All were collected into the fold, I made my way to the up line finding myself the follow up to Boof and the windbreak for BamBam, guessing where I'd hit the front and preparing mentally for the masochism....of course, the hurt of a headwind in River Rd! Boof was gracious allowing me a slightly shorter shift, delighted when BamBam requested the same abbreviation (he was fresh from a FDC flogging), it was a delight in the draft to de-stress and deliberate. Shorty was the cat from Cheshire in Channel Rd, finally free from the Kinder curse sitting midfield in the left line at the cypress trees, Mel and Cate exempt from the early ChaCha effort too. It was my turn for torture swinging left at the Kinder with Boof, I pulled the whip out to Hopeful corner to get around him and, feeling fairly fit flogging the fourteen at fourty five, thought "let's workover the wannawins to make 'em worthy". There was an eternity to Prentice Rd till Grumpy came up and over, the kick to catch his wheel wasn't necessary, he too had been FDC fried afore. Waiting respectfully for a gap in the up line was fruitless, the whole bunch sailing by with the finish line within sniffing distance. Chat chat on Channel to town, a turn toward home but it was kaboom for Kenworth blowing out a sidewall on a stone. That trusty 50 x 25mm strip of canvas in my kit came to the fix fore, but boom again a half k later on the next sharp bump.
6/3
I was on a peace keeping mission Monday, a Hommy harmony if you will after last weeks high jinks. ApprenticePete, Principal Skinner, Spiessy, Cate, Spartacus, Cindy, Phil, AvantiLeigh, Sandy, Hommy, Tina, AvantiAndy, Jen, Brendy, Belly and Vince filtered into Friars for a frangible foray to start the week. Twas a cruisy crank east on Old Dookie Rd in a smooth sandwich between Tina and Jen, Hommy at one end of the bunch and me at the other (keeps the troops calm). The even more peaceful tame tappers were caught at the Pub, Mr.Magnet, Simon and Doc amongst the few. So why would some mix with the Goat group when a Channel Rd exit was planned just a few hundred metres later?
Panic, brakes and near misses in the melee later, all emerged upright and unscathed from the calamity, a WTF moment way too early in the week for me. Back in the comfort zone of rotating with familiar folk on River Rd, Coggo catching us from a late start chase, Roscoe joining in from a lazy start from the west, Vince gently back on the bike post leg surgery, but the social stimuli soon ended, time for my exit via the truck route and Archer Rd home. With a hint of daylight breaking, there was just the lengthy slalom through town avoiding the debris in the never-maintained bike lane.7/3
ScottMat was flatflustered berthing at the Tuesday Turtle grid, a puncture on the new rig two minutes before launch time put pressure on his pitstop. A CO2 seal blow-out then a short-valve-in-a-deep-rim dilemma entertained us, but was finally fixed and underway, four minutes closer to the jaws of the Hares behind. Jase, Shorty, Nick, Cougar, HBK, TrekTrev, and AvantiTrev made up a Turtle ninesome, ScottMat and I driving leg one, HBK turning up the wick beside me for leg two to Orrvale Rd (but surprisingly stayingly level with my wheel. Well, I never!) Jase and Shorty took the reigns to the cypress trees, passing a pair of Hares preparing to catch the 5:50 express. A light southerly (7-9 km/h) made its presence felt in Boundary Rd, pushing the limits for 1200 metres beside ScottMat was a workout, but the niggling natter at the back from non-contributors rattled my cage, so harder on the gas in River Rd to silence the superfluous sentences. We'd almost reached River's dip when a dozen Hares line astern powered past. ScottMat and I took on the headwind yet again in Central Kialla, but Jase was next to roll up, HBK now in hiding (hurting). Down to the highway and building speed for Raftery Rd the luck of the draw looked like it was work for me in Conrod straight. Nick dialled up the tempo at the last kink as Conrod opens its length, Shorty tucked in and I'd hoped to get a share of the draft but was locked out of the left line. Nothing for it but to light the afterburners early and see what evolved. I hit the front out of the first dip carrying a fair speed but slicing the virgin air emptied the tank quickly, 500 metres later Jase and Shorty pounced from my draft for the one two, my glance back finding a lot of real estate to the remaining half dozen.
8/3
All stops out exiting town Wednesday, a tailwind had Pistol and Rocket excited but a few were in difficulty holding onto the tail. BamBam, Wozz, Nev, Boof, Trav, Weapon, Kenworth, Grumpy, Ralphy, Mel, Kel, Bo, Shorty, AvantiTrev, ScottMat, Cate, Bruce and Nick made up a long tail behind, Bruce bolting to the front to police the pace. All were collected into the fold, I made my way to the up line finding myself the follow up to Boof and the windbreak for BamBam, guessing where I'd hit the front and preparing mentally for the masochism....of course, the hurt of a headwind in River Rd! Boof was gracious allowing me a slightly shorter shift, delighted when BamBam requested the same abbreviation (he was fresh from a FDC flogging), it was a delight in the draft to de-stress and deliberate. Shorty was the cat from Cheshire in Channel Rd, finally free from the Kinder curse sitting midfield in the left line at the cypress trees, Mel and Cate exempt from the early ChaCha effort too. It was my turn for torture swinging left at the Kinder with Boof, I pulled the whip out to Hopeful corner to get around him and, feeling fairly fit flogging the fourteen at fourty five, thought "let's workover the wannawins to make 'em worthy". There was an eternity to Prentice Rd till Grumpy came up and over, the kick to catch his wheel wasn't necessary, he too had been FDC fried afore. Waiting respectfully for a gap in the up line was fruitless, the whole bunch sailing by with the finish line within sniffing distance. Chat chat on Channel to town, a turn toward home but it was kaboom for Kenworth blowing out a sidewall on a stone. That trusty 50 x 25mm strip of canvas in my kit came to the fix fore, but boom again a half k later on the next sharp bump. 9/3
I don't know what fires the urge to push the solo tempo, but Thursday's want for an early slog to the Emu, the Toaster, then back to town wrestled with complaints from the departments of legs, lungs, heart and head. The man with a hammer loomed close with an ESE'er pestering progress to the Emu, time for a heartrate holiday in zone 4 to the Toaster, then to pump up some pace back to town. Coggo, Heady, Phil, AvantiLeigh, Tina, Joe, Sooty, Jen, Hommy, HG, AvantiAndy, Sandy, Snow, HBK, Temple, The Speech, Spiessy and MeridaAndy filled Friars for the Goat grid, 18 shuffling and sorting into two lines to clear town. I'd scored Sooty ahead and The Speech behind, it's always interesting / daunting / amusing / horrifying (strike out that which does not apply) pairing with a fellow cyclust for the first time, maybe it's a bit of primal/tribal passive/aggressive measuring up at the front, but The Speech rides a good line and length, albeit with a competitive flavour. HG's hang back is harrowingly huge, six lengths at one stage staggering the squad. MeridaAndy has been the peloton prostitute of late, offering himself around to any bunch that will take him. The tempo turned up turning south on Boundary Rd, Sandy (sleepless), snuck into the caboose not to snooze but to survive, Heady was suffering the side effects of OTAitis from Wednesday's Pain Train, birthday girl Tina awash with the endorphins surviving it. I was up to the pointy end again at River Rd's kennels as The Speech cranked up the competition, taking great care that I stayed level as the speed grew toward the fourties. HG exited to the caboose, I exited to Archer as impending employment drew me homeward.
10/3
It was a frivolous Friday with many in a cruising mindset, the Troyless FDC's even having a quiet lap. (Heaven forbid!) Grumpy, Mel, Chops, Boof, Rocket, Pistol, Kenworth, Trav, BamBam, Ralphy, Shorty, ScottMat, Wozza, Jen, Nick, Temple, Nev and Bo teamed up to tap south on Archer, almost to the Sanctuary roundabout when an i.q. starved tradie stormed in ahead, slammed on the brakes and swerved to exit right (almost emptying the ute contents). Obviously three seconds wait time was just too precious. Theatrics over, the bunch business resumed to Mitchell Rd, the slowly declining temperature (13) chilling the skin. Long weekend plans occupied much of the chat but some sentences on ScottMat's new steed put the important things into perspective. (Rule #4 folks, rule #4). Around the usual circuit with the passing parade of pelotons pushing clockwise, a long Goat train making pacy progress (into River Rd before we'd reached its end). The Channel Rd procession moved me ever closer to the pointy end, just managed to finish a turn at the front as the Kinder came into view. We rounded up a crawling car (with a questionable trailer and loose load), the sprint on in earnest (for those interested), but many chose to sit it out. Boof picked up a bindii hitchhiker in the sidewall, cleverly left untouched to limp home, my day off allowing an epilogue of caffiene with the lasses and a long-time-no-see catch up with Kylie, Meags, The Fox, Fee, Wizz and Sosso.
Week 10. 255km. YTD 2,461km
Week 10. 255km. YTD 2,461km
No comments:
Post a Comment