Let off the hurt hook.

 Post #664

24/9  Flogging this dead horse.

The sound of the southerly whistling through the kitchen rangehood hinted at the hurt to get the Saturday start line, but with a little tactical positioning in the bunch I might just escape some of the toil.  Hard yards first Foss (well, 9755 metres to be precise), then a bit of bunch co-operation to tap the lap and take in the banter over breakfast afterward.  (Let's hope the scales weren't tipped too far with wattage!)  Lili and LiamM were a no show en-route and somewhat worn down by the wind (19-28 km/h), Emil and I got to the grid with a minute left to launch time.  Lenny, Liam, Rocket, Grumpy, PistolPete, Gazza and GiantAndy had lined up at the roundabout. (What did I say about the scales of wattage?!)   Tactical trauma number one was to be on Liam's wheel (nice guy that he is, but he's just way too fast and has the aerodynamic advantages of a matchstick to draft!) as nine got rolling south, The Godfather arriving late as number ten.    

Trauma number two was the squad staying Indian file beyond the truck route ; this was going to be a quick one!  PistolPete provided mid 30's to Mitchell Rd where Gazza became captain and got Garmin's into the 40's toward Central Kialla.  Young guys eh? Way too much enthusiasm!  Trouble was, Gazza's got a taste for tempo and continued driving the northern shift to River Rd (with a couple more k's in the hour for good measure).  Liam's impeccable manners towed us carefully back up to speed into River Rd but his youth (4 decades my junior) can drive the 40's all day!  Hanging on at second wheel for 6 k's to rooster corner fried this fossil!  I should have been grateful the south southwester made my performance on Coach Rd almost acceptable, though starting a shift already cooked shortened the distance shy of the Broken bridges.  

Kudos from the passing pack (when I showed my elbow to Emil) didn't help the recovery but it did help the head a bit.  Big thumbs up to Emil resisting ramping up the pace - cheque's in the mail mate!  Still in zone 5 on Boundary Rd had cemented my place in the caboose ; any advance and I'd be in a cardiac catastrophe.  Lenny's bolt toward Old Dookie Rd had a brief slow for an old dog wandering the roadside which was a gift of a few seconds to overload on oxygen!  Grumpy had us back on the gas toward the Toaster but speed seemed almost manageable now (though was still feeling like a 120Y in the F1 formation)   

Rocket's effort up to Lemnos Cosgrove Rd looked effortless and The Godfather drew the short straw of fronting the way west.  That bit of westerly in the south southwester wasn't so kind on his aim at Pine Lodge Creek.  PistolPete was put back in charge bound for Boundary Rd and I'd relinquished the caboose to The Godfather out of sympathy for his suffering.  Half a k beyond the creek, silence was following me.  A peek back confirmed The Godfather was o.t.a. so I hollered the news ahead and Rocket took the message to the front   A half minute off the accelerator for him to get back aboard scored me a many a valued breath.  40's had returned under Gazza's wattage just a minute later, the pace unabated when GiantAndy took over to Lemnos North Rd. 

Speed lifted and lungs felt at their limit in reply, legs had gone to jelly some time ago and I dared not look at the heart-rate. Then a little gap opened to the wheel ahead.......  (Isn't it funny how you can find a little bit more at the bottom of the seemingly empty tank.  Maybe it's the thought of being set adrift in that o.t.a. moment?)  Back into the slipstream was the salvation and the curses at whoever was in the drivers' seat were silent. There wasn't enough oxygen to mutter them! (Yep, this dead horse was copping a flogging)    All was not lost though ; GiantAndy peeled off the front into Ford Rd and giving him a gap ahead, I got that Bdouble-like draft.  (As much as I appreciated Rocket's slipstream before, he's just a bit too low to the ground!)   Knowing there'd be a tow to town took the pressure off the work in Wanganui Rd (if the boys behaved themselves) but the look behind for traffic found The Godfather was in another o.t.a. moment.  Rocket, PistolPete, Lenny and I showed some charity to group together and tow him to breakfast while Liam, GiantAndy, Grumpy and Emil were left to their fast frolic along the Boulevard ahead.  A less than frantic finish for us was refreshing.  Good tools, old school bikes and art deco architecture kept the breakfast table noisy and that distracted legs from the lap's average speed. 

26/9  Nine in line. 

Thought I was pretty clever tucking in behind PistolPete as he led the crew south ; it would be a while before I'd see action at the front as the others did their duty before me (and I might even avoid that easterly breeze if I was lucky)   Clever?  Not!  Indian file stayed the format, even beyond the truck route, so I'd be blessed with the lead duties for the second leg in Mitchell Rd (with an easterly fair in the face to boot!)    Ah, there's nothing like a decent dose of h.t.f.u. on a Monday eh?   9 degrees wasn't bad and by the look of the sky we might just squeeze the 30k lap in before the forecast damp arrived.  

Under the guise of kindness to those at the rear, I took a while to build up speed toward Centra Kialla, though at the half way mark the tank felt three quarters empty.  Good old fashioned stubbornness made up the shortfall.  Jen led the way north to River Rd without the huff and puff and stress that I had to endure (or maybe she's just good at concealing it)  Ten out of ten for Tina for taking on the breeze to the bridge and though she probably regretted it, I reckon she'd given Kim the inspiration to brave the business end too.  Emil was handed the task of captain at the dip and kept the pace tame for a while (he knows what's good for him!) before turning it back up again to 35's.  With elbows bent a little more and the head a bit lower, his drive was set to be a long one to rooster corner.  

Coach Rd north to the highway was capably led by Lenny (once he'd let the tail-enders catch the draft) while my calculations predicted another shift would be on my roster with just Bruce, The Godfather and Pistol ahead.  (Bruce to Old Dookie, The Godfather to Central Ave and Pistol to the truck route was my guess, so I'd get the squirt to SPC)    A tailwind would help.   And that's just what happened (I've been doing this thing too long eh?) except that breeze had shifted to a west southwester.  Great! A head wind again for my time at the front, just to make the SPC squirt more like a dribble!

28/9  Riding damp.

I must have slept well. I'd missed the 2am showers so finding the road soaked when wheels got rolling at 5 was dissapointing.  Yeah, bike cleaning duties again!  (but hey, it's Spring isn't it?)    2mm worth of rain looked like 20mm of saturation and the bureau's report of a north northeast breeze felt more like a southerly.    Emil, Kim, Jen and Tina grouped on the commute south and weren't we lucky to score a tow finding Wozza and Rocket on their way to Sanctuary Drive.   Despite the glossy glass-like surface, the puddles and the pot-holes, Bo, Lenny, Bruce, PistolPete, Kel, The Godfather and Greg formed on the grid  at 5:40 ( a happy birthday for Pistol and a Hawaii holiday welcome back for Bo and Kel)  With Kel ahead and Tina behind I could probably manage the velocity when time came to serve at the front, but for the meantime in the left row, brewing up the bravado could occupy my time while warming up in the slipstream of those with worthier wattage.  

Rocket's headlight had expired (a three year use by date?) but enough daylight lit Mitchell Rd for he and Wozza to drag us to Central Kialla. (Some at the back had doubts about their standards of "social" speed).  It's the same circuit spun four times a week so the familiarity helps recognise the pot-hole locations, though Kel and Bo have noticed the ever enlarging craters in just over a week.  With a hint of fog in the low-lands, the path along River Rd became the scenic start to the day, but the dead worms and spots of mud collected on the kit and bike wasn't so scenic.  Hawaii hadn't hampered Bo's hurry and if you could believe the Bureau, a northeast breeze was against him headed to Boundary Rd's bridge.  Kim had ducked from duty to the slipstream of the left line just before Jen had rolled across from partnership with The Godfather.  Tian was her co-pilot to Old Dookie Rd, digging deep to do the distance.  

Due care was needed as I drew alongside Tina for the west way to town ; it's not that she bites but her effort needed reward rather than the indignity of being half-wheeled. Her call of "done" signaled my roll to the left line, and now a bit of care was applied to gently raise the bar as Kel partnered with a bit more pace.  I'd mustered the urge to aim for Central Ave and legs weren't happy with her hurry, but my head (for a change) was on top of it.   So the surprise was to be let off the hurt hook when Kel called her part one done a bit beyond School Rd (Hawaii had hampered her?)    Wozza and PistolPete captained the dozen behind beyond Central Ave but their horsepower caused some chaos in the caboose, plenty of pointing the blame bounced left and right at the front as 35's went back on the agenda to keep the crew as one back to the cafe.   Coffee would cancel any complaints. 

29/9  Keep her on a leash?

The wind blew hard again, the resolve to ride tested, though a southerly presents less labor on the squirrel circuit.  Other than the commute to the shop, the Verney Rd shift would be the tough one, but that's always Emil's to endure (regardless of who starts the shift!).   Wendy, Kim, Jen, Tina, Lili and LiamM made the line longer en-route to the start-line while Emil and I played martyrs at the front against the 20-30 km/h south southwester (any extra to Sanctuary Drive might have killed me!)   

The Ninja and Kreeky's arrival made it ten for the Thursday tap and rumor had it that roadworks might see us on foot for a few metres near the truck route.   Emil set the speed east on Channel Rd, a pleasant change from the headwind battle to the grid though the huff and puff behind told a story of some suffering behind.  Sure enough, east of Doyles Rd, Channel Rd is getting a make-over, so the dismount to get around the barriers and get back on the sealed track lowered the stress from the first shift's pace.  For all to remount and get some velocity back up and running, a cautious start for my turn to Orrvale was needed.  No complaints from me (or to me) when I handed over to Kim to drive to the Kinder.     Emil reckoned two rows in rotation would suit once all had made a contribution, though I doubt there'd be many takers to pair with that south southwester to fight later in the lap.  I'd conform to consensus whatever the formation would be.  

Tina to the cypress trees, Kreeky to the S bend, Wendy to Coach Rd, Lili to the highway and LiamM making movement north on Boundary got a rhythm going, the pleasure of the prevailing wind taken by Jen to New Dookie Rd.  Let loose toward Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd, the 5ft Ninja had 35's happening in a hurry ; trouble was that nine reactions behind (about a second or so apart) meant there was a 150 metre deficit to claw back.  I had five behind in tow and Emil the others while the Ninja sailed on ahead, blissfully unaware of the giant gap behind her.  Across the un-used rail line and down the dip, we'd all finally restored a connected crew again (a bungee strap to the seat post or maybe a retractable leash might fix the problem?)   I'd expected a long drive west from Emil toward Lemnos when he dialed up 35's, but the west in the south southwester must have wearied him 'cause his elbow gave me the lead role at the channel bridge. The view of Lemnos North Rd looked a whole lot longer than the 1100 metres on the map.  Sun up into Ford Rd lifted the spirits and shadows drew long ahead as Tina put her head down and determination up toward Grahamvale Rd.  Kreeky was elected to the front a little before reaching Grahamvale Rd and continued to Verney.   Wendy won the worry of the way south toward Balaclava Rd but it wasn't long till Emil's itch to press the pedestrian button urged him to the front yet again. The lust for a latte spiked up speed to the Butter Factory, just as well some had eyes on those losing grip on the caboose. 

30/9  YTD:10k

As fast as Rocket pounces on discounted craft beer, The Godfather pounced into second wheel in the left line when PistolPete set the squad south into Archer Rd, his timing impeccable to score maximum draft while Greg, Bruce, Kel, Emil, Tina, Lenny, Wozza, the 5ft Ninja, Bo, Rocket and Boof sorted out their order behind.  It's the position usually snatched up by the Ninja or Tina (or me) to delay the suffering of an early drive, though any place other than the front was fine as the speed settled into anti-social (memories of those "freaky Fridays" years ago when '51 would hunt down the Cats on their clockwise lap.  How times have changed!)     Wozz and Tina were having their final fling before holidays take them to foreign circuits but Boof had returned from an eastern getaway. (A dozen or so to endure the worst of winter augers well really, considering the hibernation rate of others).   

Bo and Rocket made haste into the 40's beyond River Rd's dip, each pointing the finger of blame on the others' half wheeling (I sensed the real purpose was to inflict a little grief on The Godfather, but it was having a flow-on effect to others)   How long Tina would endure second wheel when Wozz and Boof continued the hurry to rooster corner was answered when she sought shelter in the left line nearing the rumble strips, and that promoted me faster to the front with Boof on the turn north into Coach Rd.  In the interest of preserving rhythm, I'd liked to have preserved the prior pace toward the Broken bridges, but laboring lungs held my hurry to 35's, then the head shortened the shift as a consequence to roll across shy of the mark. Greg said to call quits when I was done, but there wasn't a lot of oxygen to spare to say much beyond the second bridge.   Greg and Kel put me out of my misery (and into their draft) to the highway.  A bit of sunshine brought a bit of temperature to the bones on Boundary Rd and that felt like winning the lottery compared to the winter just suffered. 

The Godfather finally fronted en-route to Old Dookie Rd, enduring the sledges of a somewhat shorter and slower shift than his usual.  (He seemed to relish the ridicule).  PistolPete, Lenny and Bruce put a bit more effort into the work west though most seemed to have climatised to the speed by now ; besides a guaranteed draft back to town calmed concerns for those nearing the red line.  The squirt to SPC was somewhat subdued (saving a few from blowing a gasket to get there)

The obsessive compulsive inside just had to clock another 20km after the caffeine infusion ; 9,981 on the year's odometer just couldn't be ignored, so a short northern loop (some with Emil and the Ninja) contemplated the cold stuff completed and the warmer work to come. 

This week 283 km

YTD 10,001 km