Post #692
1/4 Three's a crowd?
My welcome home from the mountains was a southerly fair in the face, though the flat roads were nice to get back to. Speed something better than 13 km/h would be good for the soul. Emil and I had at least caught the slipstream of Rocket, Wozz and Boof in Archer Rd so some suffering was saved from the commute, my solo spin from Kialla Lakes to Sanctuary at least didn't have a standard to keep. With not a bike to be seen on the lap of Sanctuary streets before 6 made me wonder if I got the day right. Rolling to the roundabout at 5:59 found only Graeme at the grid, a glance back seeing Lance as the only other (where the other usual Saturday starters were was anyone's guess) 6:00:25 yielded no others so with Lance and Graeme still static, I braved the martyrs' role of first shift south to get the lap underway.
35's was going to burst a boiler into the 20 km/h wind beyond the truck route so wasn't I lucky Lance did the 1500 to Mitchell Rd head on (cheque's in the mail Lance!) Plenty of spin from Graeme got us east to Euroa Rd and although this was another turn too soon, at least a tailwind would take a bit of torment out of it. The turn into River Rd got me respite at the rear though third wheel didn't have the draft usually found in the caboose of a big bunch. I expected to see the shop squad bearing down on us when sneaking a peek back so seeing an empty road put some positives into our pace.
Lance did duty to the bridge so second wheel to Graeme became work again when his head went down for the long drive east. Beginning to feel the burn by the quarter horse stud, thoughts were rewound to 70 minutes on the red-line up Buffalo, and that got me back into perspective about pain. Graeme gave me the elbow on the turn north at rooster corner, a tail wind again easing the burden a bit so I set a goal at reaching the highway (while I blamed Graeme for setting the bar high!). To the Broken bridges without bursting that boiler, the last 1500 metres spent thinking we'd outclassed the shop squad was pure fantasy. Lights were closing in fast. Lance got the drivers' job crossing the highway, just as Emil shot by with Rocket, Wozza, Boof, Greg, Troy and Liam in tow (their ceiling set at 40 had enticed Bo and The Godfather to join in). For a moment I thought Lance might have summoned the watts to get aboard but I was pleased he'd stuck to our formula. "Full blocks" being the fashion, Lance laboured to Old Dookie Rd so second wheel work was on my agenda again as Graeme towed us to the Toaster.
The bonus was another tail wind turn for me heading to the church. Graeme called for a nature break crossing New Dookie Rd, Lance and I savoring the oxygen upload on the quiet roll to the rail line. Lance took on the west way of Lemnos-Cosgrove to Woolshed Rd where Graeme did duty to Boundary; not the greatest recovery time for me but I took aim at getting to Lemnos North Rd anyway. Setting 35's worked for a while though that southerly stung at the portside in the open spaces between the orchards, speed sinking somewhat nearing the rumble strips. Graeme upped the tempo to Verney Rd and beyond, so when I was put to work in Wanganui Rd the standard of speed had sunk a little more. I did manage to scale the lofty heights of the mount (yeah, it's a lot easier than Buffalo) but felt guilty handing Lance the headwind to deal with in Rudd Rd. Graeme saved the day towing us along the Boulevard but headed homeward at Tarcoola so the tempo to the Town Hall was tame by Saturday standards.
2/4 A social spin in sunshine - sublime!
An invite to ride in sunshine at a strictly social speed (and at sensible o'clock) was impossible to refuse....I'd almost forgotten the joy of seeing something beyond the headlights' beam and what it was like to keep the engine running at zone three. Worth breaking the Sunday sabbath habit! Autumn had made it's presence felt with feels like 4.5 at stupid o'clock though by the time sensible had struck at 7:30, 9 was on the celcius clock. As usual, something resembling a southerly blew to frustrate progress and chill the bones, though finding Molly in Rae St and Tina at the shop, the rest of the squirrel circuit might have that breeze in our favour. Out Channel Rd at a social speed but single filed, thirty was judged the threshold (breeze at the backside in Boundary might turn that up)
Daylight offered sights not often seen and the social tempo kept the cardiac count comfortable; something I should do more of rather than riding at the limit? Speed was stoked a bit more than social on the northern path of Boundary Rd and with a hint of easterly to the breeze, the way west on Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd kept that pace percolating. I did the drive to Lemnos, Molly to Grahamvale and Tina took us to Verney. The southern stretch to Balaclava Rd grows more mud and stone daily (might suit the gravel bike brigade?) so thanks to light Sunday traffic, we could encroach a little of the (cleaner) left lane and reach that red again light at Balaclava. The Milk Bar won the vote for caffeine infusion, a chat in the sunshine a most civilized conclusion (poetry unintended)
3/4 A whiff of Winter.
With the change to Eastern Standard Time and the (short-lived) joy of daylight on a ride came the decision to turn the Garmin back-light off. Darkness till somewhere along River Rd would at least hide that high heart rate that usually does my head in! Feels like 6 was the mental memo of the Winter to come; I'd succumbed to the softness of gloves with fingers but held on to short knicks till the real cold arrives (hope Autumn's eternal?) Finding Emil, Jen and Tina on the commute, the 10 k's to Sanctuary felt cool not cruel, so seeing 33's and 160's under the odd street light only reinforced the "What you don't know can't hurt you" theory. Jen, Kreeky, Rocket, Bruce, Greg, Troy, Kel, Emil, Bo, Tina and The Godfather turning up at the start line prompted some positives over Saturday's slim pickings. Greg deputized in PistolPete's absence to start the spin south so with Emil playing co-pilot, I made a bee-line for that last-in-line spot (elbows out to keep The Godfather from grabbing it. I was having an each way bet on this ride being swift or social)
Kits ranged from short, three quarter to long for the first real taste of Autumn, the pace seeming to settle at a social 35 (when Central Kialla's sole streetlight showed speed on my screen). Bruce's renovations, the test of temperatures to come, the usual bike babble and what the weekend served up made conversations on my demotion to the rear and promotion to the advance at River Rd's dip. There's quite a comfort seeing a few landmarks rather than the blackness beyond the headlight's beam, a little orange on the horizon hinting of a good day to come (and injecting colour to the background of the bunch). The red led rolling beyond the Broken bridges was guaranteed to be Julz in search of her fix, the mysterious shape nearing the highway being a steer standing in the southbound lane. (How lucky we were to have the half light to see it)
A few performed herding duties to point it toward the paddocks. Jen and Tina fronted at Boundary Rd's bridge making the most of the south southeaster, my short sit in the front seat with Tina to the fig farm then with Greg to Old Dookie Rd. I'd got off lightly and socially. Greg and Emil headed us to Central Ave while Troy calmed Julz concerns that he'd go the long drive to the truck route and save her from fronting.
4/4 Tuesday's tempo test.
It must have been fairly fast 'cause there was a few huffs and puffs going on behind me. Emil had turned up the tempo toward Kensington Gardens on a mission to get to the truck route post haste, though with my Garmin back-light deliberately in the dark, the real hurt was hidden.
Sitting at second wheel, I just kept searching for smaller sprockets. How I'd match the pace from Doyles to Orrvale Rd I wasn't sure - trust in the internal hurt meter might be my only option. The street light at Orrvale's school showed me 37 for a split second so that spelled fast enough for Squirrels (or I'd be put before the membership review committee!) Pleased that Tina took a tad off the pace to the Kinder, I could catch a breath or three at the back. Wendy was put in charge of the 4th leg to the cypress trees, a week off the bike a bonus to her performance (where I'd be ruined by rigor mortis taking that sort of time off two wheels)
Jen started her shift calmly but was well on song for Julz to hit the gas to get aboard at Beckhams, her trademark turn polished off Channel Rd and handed the hurry to Graeme. He's an excitable lad (with Emil no doubt baiting him from behind), the burst of speed north had a moment to draw a breath at the highway but seeing an empty length of tarmac east and west got us on the throttle again for Boundary Rd. Graeme ended his contribution 400 metres beyond the bridge so I got my head down for Emils effort north. A substantial slipstream from that passing quarry truck was Emil's irresistible urge to take us into the 40's, heaps of huffs and plenty of puffs behind me arriving at New Dookie Rd. I'd earn a few brownie points going a little easier leading the line to Lemnos-Cosgrove Rd; truth was I didn't have any more hurry than 36's to tow them there! Tina and Wendy split the distance to Lemnos, so Julz found herself at the front for Ford.
Prior pace had probably toasted her (Kim tells me it's always Emil's fault!) 'cause Jen was elected the effort to continue to Grahamvale, kindly keeping a light toe on the throttle for Julz to recover. Graeme got itchy for 40's velocity toward Verney but that quickly put Julz many meters off the back. I'd set 34's as something sustainable, Tina, Wendy, Jen and Julz in tow while leaving Graeme and Emil to bolt to Balaclava Rd (boys will be boys!) Come-uppance came finding Emil and Graeme at Balaclava's red lights, changing green as we'd arrived.
5/4 Bikes, banter and birthdays.
Rubber stamp the routine of a stupid o'clock alarm, finding Emil at Tarcoola, Tina in Rae St and commuting the 10 k's to Sanctuary Drive. The days of double digit temperatures and barely a breeze blowing could barely be counted on one hand now, so maybe that's why plenty filled the Wednesday grid?
PistolPete had returned from testing times in Melbourne, Grumpy and Lenny had made their comebacks too while Trav and Liam had travelled from western parts to join the regulars, Wozza, The 5ft Ninja, Rocket, Kel, Bo, Boof and Kreeky. Timed to perfection, The Godfather rolled in as the grid rolled out. Mumblings of "social Wednesday" filtered through from behind but I've learned not to let my guard down; some ideas of 'social' turn out to be supersonic to others! Pace would be set by the squad - like it or lump it! Birthday boy Boof paired with Emil to Central Kialla when Pistol's shift finished at Mitchell Rd while my search was on for a few lumens of light at the horizon (the pessimist inside reckoned it was already darker than this time yesterday). The obligatory sledges were swapped with Gazza, Troy and Strathy spinning their stupider o'clock circuit clockwise.
We got lucky (again) with a road clear of traffic to use some of the right lane and avoid the cobble-like length of poorly patched tarmac nearing the turn into River Rd, but there's no criticism of the 6 k length to rooster corner (now that I've said that there'll be a rough-as-hessian-undies reseal soon!) The rooster crowed my promotion to the advance on the turn north into Coach Rd, The Godfather's displeasure crowing about the half (and even a third) turn along the length of tarmac to the highway (if the speed didn't feel social, time at the front would be!) Julz addiction is obvious with her appearance again nearing Channel Rd- I wonder how long it will be before she's seeking a berth at Sanctuary Drive? Short shifts were haute couture in Boundary Rd too, Kreeky obliging Kel with an early roll beyond the Boundary bridge and the Ninja making her time brief at the business end to Old Dookie Rd.
The habit was infectious as Tina called it quits at School Rd so, after a very long tow from Sanctuary Drive, I finally faced the front with PistolPete to do duty to Central Ave (my 'half block' looked long in comparison to the priors) Emil and Pistol did time with tempo to the truck route and with Julz looking likely to face the front beyond it, I left a chivalrous gap for her to hide from the hurt to SPC. Roundabout reconstruction has started at snail's pace (the contractor being paid at an hourly rate?) but it remains passable. We wait with baited breath for reports from the Road Ranger!
6/4 Smooth and scenic.
BamBam was the surprise addition to Thursday's squirrel spin, slipping in to the Archer St shop grid with Tina, Kim, Lili, Wendy, Jen, Emil and Molly. The start was stalled for Lili's mechanical adjustments so Emil seemed to want to make up for lost time with a squirt to the truck route, contrary to Thursday's theory on therapy. No doubt the vote on velocity would come down to majority rules. My guess at setting 33's to Orrvale Rd didn't get me expelled, a few delivering kudos meant I was close to the mark. Tina's tap to the Kinder at the same speed confirmed it.
BamBam slowed sooner than the rest at Central Ave, something squirmy about his rear tyre said there'd be a pause for puncture repairs. If it's not for the entertainment of how someone else deals with deflation, it's a chance to hone one's sledging skills, so in The Godfather's absence my duty was to call the elapsed times. The 5:40 crew cruised by. A new set of tyres should have been under BamBam's Christmas tree but he made good with a patch and a new tube to get the therapy train rolling again. Molly resumed the roll to the cypress trees and Tina took a second turn before letting BamBam test his tempo on that "CO2-won't-match-a-floor-pump" theory. Just thinking about the CO2's shortcomings wears your legs out! He did well to keep pace to the S bend, Jen taking the task of towing us to finish Channel Rd and hand the role to Wendy.
Despite the Bureau calling it calm (probably some guy in a Melbourne office sticking a wet finger out the window) my internal sensors detected a northeast breeze blowing at the brow, even at 4th wheel to Lili's drive from the fig farm. The short shift from New Dookie to Lemnos-Cosgrove needed a little more than therapy on the throttle to keep up with Kim (still no speedo?). Emil sensed that northeaster too so the lead was shared around for the west way back to town. Recent stubble burn hung a haze in the air so first light added a little more colour to the background. Molly and Tina divided Ford Rd's first 3 k's, BamBam scoring the short drive to Verney so Jen was trusted with the turn to Balaclava Rd (till Emil's urge to push pedestrian buttons had him bolt the last 400 metres)
This week 235km
YTD 4,013km
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