Week 22 : Putting worth in the while.

Post #450
26/5 The fresh, the frazzled and the fragmented.

Well, shiver me timbers and double the base layers! 2 degrees was a chilly chore to throw the leg over the bike to brave a cool commute to the Couldabeens, a congregation of  PistolPete, Sean, TrekTrev, BigLen, TatMat, Boof, Wozza, DeterminedDan, Tina, MyRideTrev, Tum, Rocket and The Godfather drifting in for 6am duty.  I tucked in to Wozza's draft (not yet ready to face the freezing front) as he led the file south, Shorty blending into the bunch on cue at Hoopers Rd.  BigLen punctured at the truck route but ushered the bunch onward (prepared to repair and short-cut to intercept later), CatCol emerged from the darkness of Mitchell Rd, his k cravings finding no companions for an early circuit (cue The Beatles 'Elanor Rigby').  My turn at the front was a slow shift with MyRideTrev, then turn up the tempo to match Wozza to finish off River Rd. 

Pistol & Wozza took the drivers seats for Boundary Rd with relentless rapidity, all mostly silent behind being towed to the highway (cue Roots Manuva's 'Witness'), better-late-than-never Nev blending in at Channel Rd.  Lungs were chilled yet legs were toasted, climatising to the tempo and the temperature, then to tip-toe round the gravelled corner into Old Dookie Rd.  The horizons' orange welcome promised a sublime Saturday (cue Karnivool's 'New Day'), CatCol and TatMat chat captivated in the caboose as two lines of insulated and insatiably inspired speared the fog of Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd (Cat numbers thinned with the temperature) 

A long line of the frazzled formed behind in Ford Rd,  I'd obstained from


duty in Wanganui (somedays you got it, others you 'aint) as the speed slipped into the forties nearing DECA (and there was still 1600 meters to go).  My muscular masochism seemed irrelevant watching Rocket, Wozza, Determined Dan and Boof  forging forward for further flogging at the front,  Nev spicing the speed at the test track to thin the file Indian style (cue Devo's 'Whip It')
Gaps opened up as speed separated the quick from the quashed, again I found a string of survivors sitting in my draft to be towed back to the pack now cruising in Rudd Rd.  No sooner caught when Nev lit up the legs for the bolt to the Lemontree hot seats, fingers and toes numbed with the cold as the sun rose.  Bits had broken off the back in the Boulevard, I teamed with TatMat and DeterminedDan dragging behind, knowing pedestrians would have hijacked the heater anyway.  The revolution of bunch evolution, comparing porridge and a chuckle on applying peloton mannerisms to walkers made breakfast beaut.


28/5  Peace (& a piece of pace) Train.
Only my therapist can explain why I left a perfectly warm and comfortable bed at 5am........dad never took me to the circus? 

The Congupna circuit hampered with a headwind out to Jubilee Rd, speed a struggle till turning south into Lemnos North Rd.  Darkness engulfed the 7 k's back to New Dookie Rd, with only the red beacon atop the tower to measure when the treat of a tailwind to town would come. I'd slipped into a tempo trance and completely missed Tank Corner Rd and Ford Rd slipping by, the waft of soup at Campbell's signalling a delightful New Dookie Rd drive back to suburbia.   Brendy, Phil, Dippa, Heady, Speissy and Belly were towing a train of peace from Friars, my u-turn into the breeze to join them relived past pain.   Heady cranked his compulsory captaincy to the truck route, single file the understood yet unspoken standard.  Speissy, Dippa, Phil and Brendy did their bit to Central Ave as I lapped up the draft, my compulsion to tow the team to Boundary Rd seemed a fair swap.  The peace was pumped a little southbound, though Brendy abbreviated his turn, River Rd's tailwind tempting a tempo beyond usual Monday protocols (there were no complaints, or was it silence from the speed stress?) Speissy's shift shortened and Phil's went into overtime, I sat on Brendy's wheel waiting for the elbow.  It came just shy of Laws Drive, so I donated a draft to finish off River before departure on my shortcut home. With the pleasure of the prevailing wind's company for 10k's back to town, sixty clicks before seven was satisfying.

30/5 Die-hards in the damp.

3mm of damp in the early hours didn't dampen the enthusiasm (I'd contracted a chronic craving to crank since Tuesday's wash out) but the glossy tarmac spotted specs, polka dotted the kit with road grime, adorned the bike with worms and sent wheel spray up the nostrils. Ahh, the joy with winter upon us!  Only Rocket, Boof, Wozza, The Godfather, Nev, MyRideTrev, Sean and Pistol Pete turned up for Wednesday's duty, those missing previously rated as hard-core now designated soft-centred.  The muscular mix of Boof, Rocket, Wozza,
Pistol and Nev driving the first k's of the circuit was enough for me to wait my natural turn in the rotations, not till River Rd did I pair with Boof to the bridge then MyRideTrev to the dip, Sean sat lumen-less in the caboose.  A southwester kept the pace pumped to Boundary Rd, MyRideTrev reckoning he was close to blowing a head gasket. For a moment I pondered sitting out the lap in the rear seat (becoming infected by defeatists?) but the gospel according to Rule #5 echoed through the frontal lobe.  Battling the breeze in Channel Rd and berthed between Boof and Rocket should have been out of my comfort zone but I'd talked myself up to do a turn in Central with Boof, caution for traction on Kinder corner, then nudging 40 with Rocket to Prentice Rd.  Spoilt with no sprint (nothing left in the legs to respond) and guided by the moon's glow, The Godfather's guffaws provided the entertainment back to town.


31/5  Adieu Autumn.
A tailwind eastbound on Old Dookie Rd put confidence on the podium but any cockiness was in for a hammering in the head-wind home. 

A distant red led ahead baited a chase to put some suffer in Strava's score,  a spy behind had no pursuit of pussycats, maybe they were pretending to pedal on Playstation [Zwift] ?  Over ruled by Rule #9 folks! A little more overnight damp glossed the road and undid last nights' bike cleaning efforts, darkness disguising if my pace was in profit or loss to the bike ahead (I kept the push in the bike anyway).  Progress was perceived positive at the piggery in Boundary Rd, closing the gap by the highway and passing Mr.Mute (no reply to my 'good morning') at the pub.   Keeping the speed simmering southward, two red leds now appeared from Channel Rd as lure #2.  The challenge was cheap this time, the gain obvious by the Broken bridges, though wind whipping at the wheels in Boundary Rd and River Rd's head-wind would motivate muscles.  Working west toward the Angora farm passing Trish and Cougar line astern, I  continued, convinced that a Cat pack was in pursuit a k behind (must chat to the therapist about this feline phobia, and why dad didn't take me to the circus!)   Multiple lights in pursuit turned toward Central Kialla as I neared it's hall, that got the giddy-up happening.  I pressed on toward PistolPete's as the lights followed into Mitchell Rd, my satorius now smouldering keeping up with the cranial requests.  A clear cross of the highway as the Cats rose from Dave's dip added to my advantage, tiring from the hassle of the headwind but mining the minds' motivation to reach Galbraiths gate to get shelter from the breeze.  Pussycats had yet to round Roubaix on a sneak peek behind but I pursued the pain through Arcadia Downs and onto Conrod straight (ripper! roo-less!) to put some worth in the while and finish forty clicks.

1/6  Welcoming Winters' woes.

Winter's warriors assembled in Friday's 'feels like' 0.8 degrees for a fridge-like lap, Kreeky, Boof, TrekTrev, The Godfather, Kel, Rocket, not-so-NewAvantiJohn, Shorty, Sean, Mark and PistolPete enthused enough for the effort.  Straight into the speed southbound, not-so-NewAvantiJohn got the bunch mobile toward Sanctuary Park, Rocket then PistolPete equipped for the energy to pair at the city limits while most sat in silent suffering single filed behind. It's great to have Kel back aboard, passing up her pedestrian passion for the bliss of the bike, Shorty pushed work aside for ride #2 of the week, and Sean was back with his headlight restored even if his rigor wasn't. 

And so the winter woes of a dripping nose, numbed toes and frozen fingers begin, you'd think I'd know better riding the 13th winter in succession! Trish boarded the caboose in Mitchell Rd, The Godfather had the whistles and Sean had the gasps as we cranked though Central Kialla.  It was my turn to drive in River Rd, at the bridge with Shorty then to the dip with TrekTrev, a few dribs and a couple of drabs wheeling westward as our weekend wants were mused in the bunch babble behind, those missing and the day, month or year of their return were ranked in likely order. A fearless five on the Goats train of pain were a little behind schedule, our course north on Boundary Rd only hindered by the temperature.  Kel came forward for a turn but Trish sat surreptitiously silent in the rear seat.  Warmth from Channel Rd's cypress trees lasted barely a second, the chill facing the front to the Kinder seemed like an hour! Pleased TrekTrev rolled rapidly as we headed to Hopeful corner, I clutched at the slipstream as shifts swapped swiftly toward Prentice Rd, The Godfather goading Boof to bolt so I took the tow without complaint. From 2nd last to 3rd in 4 blinks and the sprint was spent, the weeks' work done save the savouring of post ride coffee.

Shout out to Irongirl Kylie (look up "tough" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of her) about to brave battle #3. I'm sure there'll be a PB. Thoughts are with you.

Week 22         229km       YTD 6,218km