Week 48 : McKnackered

Post 423
25/11  Bikes, brekky, banter.....bewdy!

An early 18k solo on a time constraint got me out of a ride rut and inspired some spin (84 rpm @ 165bpm) into the wind to Congupna then a tight tempo back to town was something different, then the rendevous with Car+Mel for a cruise to the Couldabeens got back to the usual groove.  A craved cast of Nev, Kev, TrekTrev, Travis, The Godfather, Boof, Lenny, Shorty, Byron, Liam, Jen, AvantiAndy, TatMat, TatPaul, KillkennyPaul, NewAvanti (not-OldAvanti-not-Merida) John, Grumpy and Lucy collected in the carpark for the 6am launch, many on alternative earlier missions to be found en-route.

Boof punctured just beyond Sanctuary's roundabout to provide an early intermission, the early edition (Wozza, Rocket, Kel, Troy, Trav and Bo) arriving for our restart.  The peloton was fairly pacy into the north northeaster, Bo and The Godfathers' enthusiasm to blame, but I had no complaints being towed along in the draft of 27.

The weather has reached the end of the "too cold"complaints, not long now before "too hot" grizzles trim the numbers. Up to Boundary Rd and around the tortured tarmac at One Tree Dam, settling into the Saturday sociology  but aquaintances were short with shortening turns. The echelon education is still shy on the curiculum, some you'd think knew better had the tail end in the gutter.  Steering west at The Big Ring (a new landmark at the Pine Lodge & Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd intersection) toward town bumped up the breathing, whether it's the pursuit of averages or appetites, there's a hurry home regardless of wind direction.  Speed was still set on simmer in Ford Rd, a passing Subaru taking the Verney Rd roundabout in the oncoming lane, patience and common sense clearly missing.

A Garmin glance at DECA showed 51 clicks, the sprint suddenly struck from my agenda and relegated to the 'hold on for dear life' list. Calls of an overtaking car went unheard as Boof went wide for a Mt.Wanganui placing, disaster diverted but it was a bit rude in the respect stakes.  The Boulevard bolt had calmed a little from last weeks' workout though the Lemontree's seating was still at a premium on arrival (cruisers Bruce, Leah, Cougar and Popgun already seated), chat on weddings, shoe fit and the rise of the machines busied mouths between bites of breakfast.

27/11  Monday, mining motivation.

It was one of those days where somebody left the handbrake on, a slog regardless of direction.  A solo ride without the benefit of a bunch draft was figured to harden the f........oss up, south through town with a brief halt at Raftery's anorexic bridge for the 5:25 (two car) peak hour, then to get back up to speed against the headwind on Conrod.   It was like ploughing through a politicians rhetoric to Mitchell Rd, 98% humidity steaming the specs.  Speed suffered spinning on the 17 cog but it lightened the leg load, the hint of an easterly giving me the ammunition to grizzle on River Rd.  Down on the 15 sprocket got me into a grind for Boundary Rd, a group of 4 (too aloof to wave), DocPaul and the cruisers then a quartet of Cats were the few who were out relishing a mild morning.  Out to the Toaster, up to The Big Ring then back to town, the southeaster had slowly faded, denying me assistance home.

28/11 Pop, pop, pop!
With a few regulars missing from the 5:45 roll call it was salvation to find Shorty, Grumpy, Ralphy, Tum and Lucy turn up for the Tuesday torment.  A hold-up at the carpark exit drove my first shift a little harder, peeling off at Mozart Ave I was surprised to see Sly sitting at the rear (Hares a bit too hare-raising?).  Tum's call of car right was touch and go at the truck route, a few seconds lost but thankfully no lives. Sly and I had a short thrash to get back aboard for Shorty's turn to Orrvale Rd, but he couldn't catch the tail as Grumpy launched toward the Kinder.  Ralphy and Lucy got us to the cypress trees while I sat on Sly's wheel, wondering if he'd conform.  I got his elbow just beyond the S bend, just enough in my tank (leaving a little in the reserve) to reach Boundary.

I'd escaped the headwind on the southern leg to River Rd, but my duty was called on again when we got to the white fence, I'd set my aim at Trevaskis Rd but needed to preserve something to catch the caboose.  Gasping as the crew passed quickly turned to panic, suddenly needing to sprint to catch Lucy's wheel as Sly had gone OTA ('dropped the bidon' seemed a convenient cause).   And then there were five as Grumpy took the reigns to the bridge, Ralphy opening up the throttle to River's end but Grumpy's cog swapping malfunctions put him off the back too.  The turns would now come around sooner and recovery time would be shorter, so preserving the remaining foursome was crucial.  All wrung out like wet socks over the highway, we'd managed to find just a bit more to tackle another turn, Lucy still making great pace to hand me the helm at Galbraiths gate.  Fast running out of steam at Arcadia Downs, I handed the hurt to Tum who dragged us to Conrod, but were we just fodder for the Hares closing in behind?  Ralphy ramped up the rate to the 500 meter marker but his fire faded fast (a Procol Harum moment "that his face, at first just ghostly, turned a whiter shade of pale") so I rounded him up to loan a tow, emptying the tank to the line for a rather sweet team victory (Hares 400 meters behind).

29/11  A Wednesday win (thanks Col, thanks Ralphy)
The pain of pairing with Wozz at the front (with a breeze up the behind) was the lesser of the hurt into the headwind further round the course, so I grits me teeth and try to keep up to Sanctuary's roundabout, then dig deeper to stay with CatCol on the drive to the truck route. 15 (Goose, Mitch, Boof, Cate, Car+Mel, WhisperingJack, MyRideTrev, Tina, PistolPete, TrekTrev, Ralphy, Shorty, Softa and Kenworth were yet to be tested as the early edition (The Godfather, Rocket, Kel, Bo, Trav, Lucy, Troy and BamBam) joined for leg 3.

Nico and 'olCol were passed in Mitchell Rd as the social swapsies started, Softa on eyebrow identity, PistolPete about holidays, Boof on hitting the limit, MyRideTrev on headwinds and Tina on mountains and mud.  Bunches blurred by un-noticed on our eastward effort, Boundary Rd's crater now capped to much relief.  Gravel has lined Channel Rd's first k to make sure we're awake, interesting to watch the lines taken as 26 swung through the S bend in the charge to the ChaCha.  There was a weird deja vu moment talking to Trav on sprint position as we swept under the cypress trees (same scenario last week), berthed behind CatCol at sixth wheel seemed a long shot.  MyRideTrev stifle the sprint all the way to Hopeful corner, CatCol was on a hot tin roof by this stage and launched his attack.  With the benefit of position, I jumped to catch his wheel (finally into his tow at Prentice Rd) with Ralphy bridging the gap to sit at 3rd.  I was delaying all effort 'till the 11th hour when Ralphy made his move, so leap-frogged to his draft.  The finish line loomed large, a quick gasp of oxygen then went crazy on the cadence 'round him, the old engine firing on most cylinders to 55 to pinch a rare win.

30/11  A hot six-pack.

A solid sleep recharged the batteries for Thursday's thrash, there'd be wattage wanted to battle a breeze out to Boundary Rd today.  Tina, Cate, Grumpy, TatPaul and Ralphy formed a six-pack to suffer the 30k circuit, my legs lamenting the torture just reaching Mozart Ave. (The gravel gremlins had made Kensington's roundabout a bit testy but Tina's heads-up helped all to negotiate it upright).  I went into rehab catching the caboose, soon sitting on Grumpy's wheel bedazzled by the gleaming black Propel as Cate dragged us to the truck route, Tina, TatPaul and Ralphy hurling themselves at the headwind thereafter.  Damn! It was back to the front for a flogging at Hopeful corner, shorter shifts messing up the usual landmarks to aim at.  Around Kinder corner and flat chat down to McFadyen I was McKnackered again, time for respite at the rear and to ponder why we do this ('cause it feels good when you stop!) and if breakfast would stay where I put it.  Cate and Tina always give it their best shot, TatPaul's sinking all into the speed and Ralphy just picks up the pace (to pickle us?)  And so we rolled rapidly to River Rd as the sun started Thursday, slowly reeling in a solo bike ahead, finally absorbing Hoges (rare to be aboard a road bike) into the bunch at the bridge.  Kudos to the crew as they peeled off the front may well entice a further visit, my number coming up again in Mitchell Rd (convincing legs to do what the head wanted was an un-winnable argument).  Reaching Melbourne Rd un-hounded by Hares raised hopes but pointing back into a headwind at Arcadia Downs was going to hurt.  There were very few jellybeans left in the jar in Conrod straight, Ralphy with the aniseed ones left to (under)take the win, another cracker lap (39.4 average) to head the Hares (setting a new KOM in pursuit) home.

1/12  A pack of steamed dim-sims.

Opportunity knocked narrowly between the green blobs on the radar in the wee small hours of Friday, so it was full steam ahead to the carpark to catch the earlybirds (Rocket, Bruce, Trav, Pistol and BamBam) launching at 5:25.  With dark curtains of rain to the northwest and south east, we threaded the needle of Channel Rd in the hope of a dry ride, from 58 to 99% humidity in 25 degrees steaming us like dim-sims. Sitting in the mid to high 30's was ok, just that the turns came 'round a bit quick!  Westbound into River I was suffering a mushy Michelin, within half a k it was super squishy so called a halt.  Steam off the tarmac stoked up a sweat, swarming the flies as I found the culprit....the season's first bindii !  The team was willing to wait (dodging an Archer headwind) but we were soon underway for the rest of River (with a light airconditioned sprinkle from the sky) through Central Kialla and onto Mitchell (paced by Pistol) to intercept the 6am crew.  Just four had fronted [Chops, Boof, CatCol and NewAvanti (not-OldAvanti-not-Merida)John] to team as ten, I was rather wrung out from a pacy week (then again weren't we all?), but as CatCol commented, just talking about it infects anyone with rubber legs. Few were riding the clockwise circuit as we defied the diection to Boundary and Channel, a load lifted from the legs with the benefit of the breeze on our path west to town.  It seemed the sprint was off the agenda as we swung into Kinder corner, but the temptation was too great as CatCol sniffed the ChaCha ahead, NewAvanti (not-OldAvanti-not Merida)John afflicted likewise setting off in pursuit.  Into the headwind again through town, I felt that perverted pleasure of pain from a weeks' workout.

Week 48   292km           YTD  12,716km