When watts went west.

 Post #660

29/8  Racing rain.

I couldn't quite brave short knicks for Monday's 12 degrees when double digit temperatures are normally the cue to bare legs.  Nearly three months of winter have made me gun shy! (White legs may have dazzled the crew anyway)   Predicted rain at 6 am was running late according to the bureau, so a window of hope was left ajar to squeeze in a circuit and hopefully avoid a soaking.  Emil's absence allowed me a quiet commute to the starting grid and a northeaster made that task even easier (so naturally, the pessimist inside thought of the hard work facing it later!)  Lenny. Kel, Bruce, Bo, Greg, Rocket, the 5ft Ninja, PistolPete and Wozza formed the grid, all anticipating The Godfather's arrival on a new steed.....but he failed to front as 5:40 struck to set the squad south.  (Rule #87, no exceptions!)  

A few days off should have recharged my batteries but the pace set to Mitchell Rd seemed to flatten them, and that was at the back of the pack!  How I'd hurry at the front was the $64,000 question.  I'd find out in River Rd I reckon.  The Godfather did appear on our approach to Mitchell Rd, aboard ye olde Merida when he found the new bike with a flat tyre (someone just couldn't resist tinkering with his new toy!)  Joining the advance line in Central Kialla, I'd be led to labor somewhere in River Rd by The Godfather, Bo being my co-pilot for part two if I had any watts left.  Malcolm Fraser's 1971 statement crossed my mind when the wind swung east northeast, so expectations shortened of my time in the drivers seat.  The Godfather slowed a fraction at the quarter horse stud and that was my chance to call half time, but after just a minute matching Bo's wheel, the engine's alarms went off.  Bo got the blame though for rolling across early - I hadn't the oxygen to say it was my call.  

I was grateful for Bo cutting a k off the tempo and Kel doing the distance to rooster corner while I spent time in rehab.  It's a lousy time of year fighting fickle weather and wind that gives us a constant battle from all directions, but the pre-dawn colour and scenic sun-ups make the torment a little more tolerable.  This morning was no exception ; an orange horizon and lightning putting on a show on the distant horizon (and didn't that prime some pace to get home dry!)  Rocket and Wozz had the watts to hot foot us to Old Dookie Rd but at least the speed didn't go supersonic with the tail wind home.  Short conversations were still possible for most (but only feasible for the fit at the front) though The Godfather got the mob silent for the swift shift to SPC (his tank about empty getting there)

30/8 Three's a crowd?

A vacant roundabout at 5:15 told me Emil and Kim were a no show (or I needed to change deodorant!) and with no word from Wendy, I continued the commute to the Archer St shop hoping a squirrel or two might appear.  Jen and Tina weren't in their usual places en-route  (while Liam and Lili have been filed under the fair weather fraternity), even the Ninja was awol.  An empty car park at 5:31 gave the hint I wasn't wanted........till two leds pierced the darkness.  Tina and Jen were a sight for sore eyes 'cause I wasn't quite up to a slog with the Sanctuary squad.   

Jen opened the lap with a drive to the truck route, the northwester having dried most of last night's 8 mm rain (bar a few puddles) and it helped our hurry too.   The bike's ability to attract dead worms would surely continue in these conditions.  The thought of doing an extra shift to the Kinder was cancelled en-route to Orrvale Rd; the head had the idea but legs lacked the incentive half way through the opening shift.  With a draft from Tina to the Kinder and Jen's tow to the cypress trees a decent drive was do-able now that a bit of time was spent in zone 4.  Aiming at Channel Rd's end wasn't so onerous (made easy with the breeze behind too)   

I felt a bit guilty handing the reigns to Tina in Boundary Rd with the wind swinging more like north northwest, though with just three sharing shifts, time at the front would come around again before I knew it.  Jen gave me the front seat at the fig farm so I set Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd as the aim and spare the gals yet another turn into the wind.  Recovery at the rear was soon number one on my wish list when the wind swung to a northerly.  Tina and tenacity equaled a big turn to reach Lemnos Rd, Jen with similar resolve to drive to Grahamvale so the short 1200 metres to Verney Rd was easy ; Tina deserved the tailwind leg of Verney Rd to Balaclava, and free of Emil's "charge of the red light brigade", timed the traffic lights to arrive at a perfect green.  Speed was quite satisfying for three to reach the Butter Factory before the Sanctuary squad. 

31/8 Good riddance Winter! 

I'm going to miss numb fingers, a nose that runs like a tap, the feeling of being the Michelin man in umpteen layers of insulation, lungs constricted to a quarter capacity by iced oxygen, dead worms stuck to the bike and all that road spray up the nostrils........NOT!    Optimistically, this was the last day of Winter but reality said there'd be more winter-like days to come.  Psychologically the season is over and it's almost a badge of honor to have kept the k's ticking over through it, but the real reward will be watching the hibernators emerge in spring.     The warriors of Winter (Bruce, Greg, Tina, PistolPete, Kel, Rocket, Jen, The Godfather, Kim, Bo, the 5ft Ninja, Boof and Emil) arrived at Sanctuary Drive to bid adieu to the season of suffering and soak up a social spin, albeit in two degrees.  The bonus was no wind to fight.  

It was a pairing of PistolPete and Emil to take two rows south to Mitchell Rd, while the usual sorting of horsepower went on at the front and those of more moderate motion lined up behind (though Rocket chose a lower rung on the ladder today).    Lungs thought it was June again sucking in the chilled air so the social speed was a perfect pace under the conditions.  Another lump of road kill and new craters in the tarmac were the new chicanes to deal with in River Rd.    The Godfather went quiet at the front driving toward the dip (gotta love the serenity!) though those new 80mm Vision wheels made enough racket in his silence. 

Jen paired with him for a while before Tina tried the front seat bound for the quarter horse stud but called the roll early when watts went west.  Kim was light on the throttle to avoid distancing Tina and my diplomatic mission was to keep wheels aligned till Kim called it quits.  Rocket and I were tasked with the two k's to rooster corner, tentative with the accelerator at first and building slowly up to mid 30's to Coach Rd.  All those weeks of darkness are quickly being erased with yet another colorful sky as side scenery for the northern path to the highway and beyond. Plenty of wattage at the front for the 8 k's of Old Dookie Rd meant there was no hesitation to rejoin the advance line.  There was little warmth back in town but the psychological spirits were lifted knowing that Winter was now o.t.a.

1/9 On probation.

On the third stroke of 5:30 Crossy's headlight appeared nearing the shop.  He'd made it by the skin of his teeth (given the right info this time!)  to join as apprentice Squirrel to Wendy, Kim, Emil, Tina and the 5ft Ninja.  With an extra pair of legs to add to the labor of the lap, Emil set the speed a little higher - recovery time would of course be a little longer with seven to share the suffering.  As always, I was allocated the second shift to Orrvale Rd and the lack of wind helped me preserve the prior pace.   Tina tackled the turn to the Kinder with a bit trimmed off the tempo, Kim likewise to the cypress trees but Wendy's blast toward Beckham's bend caught me napping. A considered use of the accelerator was needed to correct the deficit with Kim busy stocktaking on oxygen at the rear.  Mid 30's was the staple diet when the line was back in order, Wendy handing Crossy the reigns at the S bend.  

Like Rocket pointed toward a brewery, Crossy lit the afterburners into the high 30's toward Coach Rd but unaccustomed as he his to pace-line protocols he was granted a conditional pardon. (strike one if he did it again!)   The line went rather quiet to Channel Rd's end (an elephant stamp for Kim to stay aboard), Crossy clearly confused on the course when he signaled a turn south.  North was named to right the wrong and the Ninja's burst of pace toward the highway had me carefully filling the gap again.  Back into some sort of order at Boundary Rd's bridge, Emil put smooth back on the menu, and wasn't it a weird thing to get his elbow at Old Dookie Rd?  Thought I wouldn't see action till at least New Dookie.  Earlier bureau data reported a southerly breeze (when in fact it was calm) so the head was in the right space thinking I was being blown New Dookie Rd. Tina took over to finish the northern business, Wendy and Kim dividing the distance to get us west to Lemnos.   Crossy had passed his probation sticking to a diplomatic speed (in the right direction too!) for Ford's first 3 km but how we turn down the Ninja's turbo is the puzzle.  300 metres toward Verney Rd and the line of seven was back into formation.  Only then did the penny drop why Emil did a short shift on Boundary Rd.......it timed his turn perfectly to get the lead role for his trademark bolt to Balaclava!  All that hurry south for a couple of k's helped to reach a red light yet again!

This week 187 km    YTD  8,965 km