Week 18 : The fleas of a thousand camels

Post 395

29/4. Crickey! It's the comeback kids.

A delayed rendezvous with Cate, Car(curtailed)+Mel meant a workout for Wozz and I to reach Saturday's grid for a 6am launch, but there was two minutes up our arm warmers arriving at the carpark.  Once-a-month BeerMat and once-in-a-blue-moon Whispering Jack were the surprise additions to the crew, Boof, PistolPete, TatPaul, Jen, Nick, Weapon, BassoDan, Rocket, Kel, The Godfather, Popgun, Manny, Bo, Avanti-not-MeridaJohn, MeridaAndy, TrekTrev, Trav, Bruce, AvantiTrev, Nev, Jase, Dalts and Carl making up a bunch bursting at the seams.  It was a pleasant change to join the grid's rear rather than the usual first shift on the front.  Despite the masses, there wasn't a break in the bunch, steaming out Channel Rd remarkably rhythmic considering 30 separate reaction times.

An orange horizon through the patches of fog was additional eye candy to my peloton position, two long lines of red leds to guide my passage east and north toward Old Dookie Rd before serving sweat at the front. Through the ranks past Weapons' lengthy luscious legs, The Godfather on a mileage mission, Kel passionately purple, Popgun fearing the front, the tall timber of MeridaAndy, Dalts and Avanti-not-MeridaJohn on a prologue to the pussycats, ride-before-run Jase, smooth operator Nev, rumour-monger Bo (says BeerMat reckons I'm 'creeping' ; to incite me to serve up a half wheeling?), TrekTrev battling

bicognition and PistolPete dapperly dressed in yet another coiffured kit.  Nath joined us at the fig farm, climatising to ride a road bike from his mtb passion.  4 months into the new year, I'm still trying to adjust to a less obsessed life / bike balance (mindful to remember Rules #4 and #11) after last years 300k/week target, but the recent epic efforts by Goats, the grinning gals, Mexicans, TatMat and many others aren't helping! Numurkah Rd's traffic split the bunch prior to the Wanganui workout, just as well 18 rode into the distance as I didn't fancy being tangled up in a 30 bike sprint.

When the cars cleared, Rocket and I became the tow trucks for the remaining handful, matching Rocket's rapidity in the 40's beyond the test track was taking its toll on me, legs turning to jelly within metres of the hill. A short recovery at the rear recharged the battery to catch the main bunch at the Canterbury Rd roundabout, saving my pennies on the Boulevard allowed an attack in Mason St to reach the prime Lemontree seats first.  Wheel suckers (rule #67), reality vs Zwift and curious creeps were the tattle topics whilst many sized up for the new kit and The Godfather guzzled grappa.

1/5  Tour-lamba

The road less traveled urged me from bed Monday morning, that spirit of adventure and discovery offering much more than the umpteenth Toaster lap.  Westward ho to Mooroopna taking my chances with the three cars on the causeway (rather than braving broken glass, bindii and the wildlife on the shared path) then south onto Murchison Rd, corrugations in places that would loosen fillings.  Cloud cover kept the temperature mild (12) but pitch darkness enveloped all but the Cat-Eye's lumens.  A PB for the Mooroopna-to-Toolamba turn-off boosted bravado, but the NNE'er (17km/h) would soon crush the cockiness on the remainder of the lap.  A 3rd place for "nut cracker" hill (wow! A monster 3 metre ascent) kept hopes up, through the Toolamba metropolis and onto Bridge Rd with the wind blowing its business through the trees.  Up to the bridge in the 30's and, pickle my grandmother! it's lost it's tarmac topping! Still at speed, a quick foot unclip (for balance insurance) then rattled over the red gum planks, the varying gaps threatening to masticate my Michelin's while I threaded the thin line across.  Over the bridge with a gasp of relief, I pressed on east, Union Rd no longer the rough ride I remembered, psyching myself to face the NNE to Central Kialla.  Sparse trees on the eastern side of Euroa Rd offered rare moments of shelter but the 7 k drive to River Rd burnt the rectus femorus to add to the suffer score. Twas better eastbound on River Rd but the prior push had taxed the tendons, focussing now on keeping the h.r. at bay till Boundary Rd's burn.  '51, Cats and Goats were relishing the roll south, I'd made great mates with the 17 sprocket to spin (78) the momentum up to New Dookie Rd, dreaming of the wind assistance home to dull the pain. The Cosmics hummed a happy howl west on the smooth bitumen to Lemnos, pushing up the tempo back to town, but a sliver of glass made a Michelin marshmallow a k from home.

2/5. Fast fourplay

Who'd be on the Turtle grid Tuesday has become a lucky dip lately, temperature (and toil?) has seen popularity plummet.  Just Jase, AvantiTrev, HBK and Hoges were ready to roll, but an uninvited Josh (Byron bro) had held the launch up readying to ride.  Chocks away finally at 5:43, but he'd gone OTA at Kensington gardens barely a k away, Hoges and HBK (hampered by honeymoon?) staying with the young lad to guide him around.  Jase and AvantiTrev had tucked in behind my push to Doyle's Rd, so wasn't Weapon a sight for sore eyes to make a foursome.  We set about single file swapping turns (relative to recovery) out Channel Rd, but  fate had me face the force of Boundary Rd's head wind from the Broken Bridges to River Rd,  (grateful that AvantiTrev trimmed 15% off the pace in River Rd which hastened recovery time).  Weapons rhythmic push to the kennels was backed up by Jase's swift shift to Laws Drive for me to finish off River.  AvantiTrev had revived to take on the southerly stretch through Central Kialla, another workout from Weapon in Mitchell but Jase was showing signs of wear and tear topping Dave's dip and up to the highway.  I took a long drive from Melbourne Rd to Galbraiths gate to offer the troops some respite before Conrod, Weapon and Jase finished off the final k, a sprint was off the menu but the trophy was beating the Hares home. 

3/5

Saddling up early allowed an amble through the streets to Wednesday's ride, Hollywood, Kenworth, Shorty, Cougar, AvantiTrev, Weapon, PistolPete, Rocket, Nev, Kel, Boof, Rene & the mixmaster, Merida-not-AvantiJohn and Trav filled the carpark, Grumpy, Wozz, BamBam, Pelly and CatCol flew in from a frantic FDC foray.  Setting sail at 6, somehow the bunch fragmented exiting the carpark, compassion keeping me back to tow the tail enders up (no need really with the big engines of PistolPete and Rocket amongst them), almost reaching Adams Rd before the fragments formed as one.  With an up-line formed, layers of insulation were compared amongst the clan as winter-like temperatures tested the wardrobes and Rule #5.  It was surprising to count twenty in the pack with the mercury at 4, such is the social draw card of the bunch I guess.

Two almost straight lines (there's always one or two who just can't hold a line!) speared into River Rd, Kel's svelte trajectory just a delight to follow, long-time-no-chat to Hollywood (3 rides in a week is a record!) CatCol salivating a sojourn to Spain soon, Kenworth layered like an onion and Rocket taking a sprint sabatical.  I had a short turn beside Kel to Channel Rd, Kenworth likewise brief to Sellmans which returned me to being towed whilst the others toiled.  Karma played kindly as the bunch neared the ChaCha, I had a prized place of tenth wheel in the up-line as the pack powered into Kinder corner, promoted to 5th as Prentice Rd blurred by.  As Grumpy rose from his seat to launch the sprint I grabbed his draft and sat in the wake, (waiting for the bubble to burst), then driving to the front as the finish line drew near.  It was Wozza's wheel I could hear homing in for the kill in the last 50 metres, happy I made him work to earn the chocolates, privileged to run second to the fast fella. 

4/5 Doing time in the cooler.
That craving for expedition bit again on Thursday, all the layers needed to shield me against 1.5 degrees.  Around the golf course loop then up to Congupna, the road to myself while most sensible folk were still asleep at 5am.

Back to town via Grahamvale Rd to New Dookie Rd, sharing the road with the pro's now (truck drivers 99.9% courteous).  Back into town, I steered north on Verney and cruised up to the roundabout to see which Goats would take on the temperature.  Coggo, Tina, Belly, Merida-not-AvantiJohn and a new recruit (U.S.Ben) were the only tough ones to front, so, paired up with Merida-not-AvantiJohn, we set sail east on Ford Rd but U.S.Ben had dropped off the back in leg 2 (so it was tap tap in the twenties till there was unity).  Coggo's Indian file suggestion made sense, so we got into a rhythm on Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd with U.S.Ben cringing in the caboose. Down boundary Rd and just 60 metres from the Midland highway, a half-wit tradie with ute & trailer stormed by within centimetres, forcing an oncoming car off road, only to grind to a halt to give way to highway traffic. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest you underwear Mediterranean Tiling!   With panic passed, we got back in the groove southward, a good drive to the Broken bridges by Merida-not-AvantiJohn left me the leg to River Rd (deja vu Tuesday), but U.S.Ben had gone OTA and escaped via Channel.  Luck would have the drive 6k's west divided between Coggo, Belly, Tina and Merida-not-AvantiJohn to tow me to my point of departure, the usual crank via the truck route and Archer to reach work on time.

5/5  Rue de Kanga
Blessed with the company of three grinning gals (Cate, Car+Mel) to commute to Fridays' Couldabeens, we found Bruce, Trav, Nev, Jen, PistolPete, Rocket, SuperMario, BamBam, Boof, Pelly, Ralphy, Wozza, Weapon, Grumpy, Dalts, Kenworth, Hollywood, AvantiTrev, TrekTrev, Shorty, Jase and Kel crammed into the carpark.

Kenworth captained the crew exiting town, I got the urge to be first to form the up line, Rocket the next (from the back blocks of the bunch).  Others eventually took the hint to kick off the standard peloton practice of rotation, Weapon aboard a brand new Corsa, SuperMario actually aboard a bike (first in a fortnight) and Hollywood continues the holiday weight loss program.  A slow turn out of River Rd and onto Boundary had a whip-crack effect at the back as 25 sequentially got up to cruising speed. We'd almost reached the Broken bridges when a ripple of reactions ripped through the bunch for a pair of roos bounding across Boundary, disaster narrowly averted, it was back to bike business to Channel Rd with heart rates a little higher.  Picked up by a wheel ahead, a stone bounced from bike to bike till its' exit at Sellmans, fervour now brewing with the ChaCha just a few minutes ahead.  Positioned poorly this time at the pointy end apexing Kinder corner beside Rocket, legs and lungs were near their limit in the high forties by Hopeful corner.  Advancing troops were rare by Prentice Rd and I'd run out of urge, just content to hang on midfield to the finish then soak up the social sauce on the roll homeward.

Week 18     278km            YTD 4,468km