third life crisis

Mont 24 2011 - Photos

2011-04-26T16:16:00.000+10:00

Thanks once again to Aurora Images - they've done a great job with the event photos for a great price. It's excellent to be able to look at these photos and feel like a superathelete or rock star, even if just for a couple of minutes.

So here's my 15 seconds of fame. Despite the disgusted expression on my face in most of the shots, I was actually enjoying myself.

Hard to believe, hey!

30 Days of Biking - Days 6 thru 13

2011-04-13T22:05:00.000+10:00

Well, my days have been filled with biking - whether that be riding to work, riding to the shops, or absolutely murdering myself on a 24hr MTB course.

Everything was going swimmingly - until today. I was running late for work this morning, bolted out the back door to jump on the bike and go - flat tyre. Spat the dummy, could not be arsed dealing with a flat tyre, or deconstructing the ghetto tubeless kit I'd put through the wheel, and I made the call of shame for Els to drive me to work.

I did however walk home from work, which was a good solid 25 minute walk, which would probably get me close to the 10,000 steps an active person is supposed to walk every day. But that's another story (I am crafting the Walk Thru Winter campaign at work again this year, cue demonic laughter and the finger pyramid of evil contemplation).

Anyway - for the weekend. Mont 24 Hour at Kowen Forest, Canberra. Mixed 4 team - 85 odd teams in our category, and we came 6th! Our best result yet. An awesome and really solid effort from the entire team, we all muscled through some fairly horrendous conditions on the Sunday morning after the rain came in. It was a finely oiled machine - smooth rider swaps, bikes running well, zero mechanicals, everyone in good shape, and everyone keeping on top of their food and drink.

I didn't quite crack the magical 1 hour lap that has been eluding me for the last couple of years. Bejeebus I came close though!

30 Days of Biking - Day 5

2011-04-05T07:13:00.001+10:00

Done, done and done. Big big day today, so up early and a quick jaunt around Wodonga.

Lovely clear cool Autumn day - a surprising number of bikes out, not to mention the dog walkers!

30 Days of Biking - Day 4

2011-04-04T20:26:00.000+10:00

A lowly ride to and from work today. It was actually a mite chilly - long sleeves might have to come out soon!

Feeling slightly better, but having frequent coughing fits so deep that they feel like they're starting in my toes. I am not a good patient.

BIG job interview tomorrow. Not being a lifetime public servant, I am not overly familiar with the selection criteria system. So my evening will be spent cramming in my application and rehearsing potential questions.

Tomorrow is looking like a busy day, early airport run in the morning, interview, and then Club meeting tomorrow night. Need to find time for that ride!

30 Days of Biking - Day 3

2011-04-03T19:53:00.000+10:00

Whatever has been hanging around the edges really bit in today. Spent most of last night running a fever, alternating between being boiling hot and absolutely freezing. I stupidly compounded this by heading out for 4 hours of trailwork this morning.

By the time I got home I felt like death warmed up, and the last thing I wanted to do was jump on my bike. A nap on the couch, a double espresso, and I managed to psych myself up for an epic 6km loop around the local park.

3 from 3. 27 to go.

And while I'm on a roll:

2011-04-02T18:26:00.000+11:00

This will probably interest Dee more than anyone else.

You may remember the huge wall map project I was working on for ages. Well, here's the finished product. My boss standing next to it for scale - and he's not a midget either.

From Misc

Proud I am.

30 Days of Biking - Day 2

2011-04-02T18:16:00.000+11:00

Hard to get motivated for this ride as I have feeling achy and flu-like all day. Glad I did it though as it stopped the walls closing in on me at home.

30 days of Biking - Day 1

2011-04-02T18:14:00.002+11:00

And we're off:

30 Days of Biking

2011-04-02T18:13:00.000+11:00

Bad blogger. Bad Bad Bad.

My life, in short:

# Contract expired.
# Contract renegotiated until end June.
# Bosses job advertising as ongoing role.
# Applied for bosses job.
# Interview next Tuesday.
# Haven't ridden my bikes much.
# Been sick heaps.
# Travelled a heap for work.
# Won a $25K grant for the MTB club.
# Spending a great deal of time negotiating with statuatory bodies for land and trail access.
# Riding a 24hr MTB race next weekend.

But...

I have signed up for '30 Days of Biking'. A mate of mine put me onto it - and if you're Twitter-ified, you can follow it at #30daysofbiking.

The idea is that you ride your bike every day in April. Whether it's to the shops to get milk, or a 200km epic, just sit on your bike and ride somewhere.

2 days down, 2 days completed.

Wish me luck.

For Groover

2011-02-05T19:18:00.000+11:00

I know you have a soft spot for Jens. Enjoy. And maybe you could translate for us as well?

1 Down, 11 To Go

2011-01-30T14:51:00.000+11:00

January is nearly over. And despite my best intentions that this was going to be 'the year', nothing has really changed for me - yet.

I had a rude shock yesterday, jumped on the scales after 2 weeks in Adelaide (where I thought I was *reasonably* well behaved) they have reported back the highest number I have seen in 2 years. That was super scary, 8kg heavier than by best result last year (about a month before we went OS) - the dreaded kilogram creep has struck - combine less of a commute to work with a more sedentary job, and more club stuff, hence less time to ride, and the results were, shall we say, alarming.

So I need to get back on the wagon.

The plan? Still in formulation. But more riding would appear to be a no-brainer. Just need to scheme a way for it to happen - I'm trying plan a sneaky plan that involves depositing a weeks worth of clothing at work on a weekend, then riding in the mornings pre-work, and rolling up for a shower and straight to my desk.

I'm having a close look at the Mark Fenner training plans as well, they are quite well structured and could be an excellent option.

But - eating needs to get back under control, time to wind back the beer intake, and just be sensible. I know I can do it, I just need to do it.

Anyhoo - back to Jan, I just ran the stats for the month. I knew it was going to be an ordinary month for me bike-wise, but it wasn't the bloodbath that I expected.

I rode 419km, 20:19 in the saddle, and climbed 5738 metres. Kilometres ok-ish, would have liked more, a couple more hours saddle time each week would be good, but that climbing figure seems pretty good! There was one big 2000m ride in there, and a couple of hilly rides @ Buller, so it will be interesting to see how other months stack up against it.

Stay tuned...

The Wind Up

2011-01-26T18:12:00.001+11:00

Well before I know it, the two weeks I had planned in Adelaide - planned for months, in fact - are just about over. Why is it that holidays take so long to arrive, but disappear so quickly?

So, what have I done?

# A lot of stalking Tour Down Under. I didn't get as much riding done as I would have hoped - and to tell the honest truth, I was enjoying the sleeping and relaxing a littl too much to convince myself to get up early and ride, but there was still plenty of watching.

Tuesday, we got out to Angaston to watch the 3 loop finish.
Wednesday was a day off (Tailem Bend to Mannum was a little too far to convince ourselves to go, especially after 1000km in the car on the Monday).
Thursday I rode down to the start at Unley / Hyde Park, saw the start, and then legged it up Eagle on the Hill to see the finish at Stirling. Stirling is another 3 loop finish, and we had some great positions on the uphill finish. There were thousands - possibly tens of thousands - of people there watching, it was crowded, but a great atmosphere.
Friday was the Challenge Ride from Norwood to Strath - 135 odd km and a challenging but enjoyable day in the saddle. I did have to find a chemist on the way though to buy some Nurofen - back wasn't playing the game! Checker Hill also defeated me, I did have to put a foot down about 100 metres from the top. Oh, the shame!
Saturday, we aced a fantastic spot on Willunga Hill about 2km from the KOM and had a great view of riders turning them inside out up the climb.
Sunday was arguably the best day of the lot, I managed to jag a corporate pass with a mate of mine from Adelaide (thanks Mark, you rock!) and watch the final stage right on the Start / Finish line. This is a dangerous thing, I don't think I can possibly watch another international sporting event without the benefits of corporate hospitality.

And then, TDU was over. Boo!

# Thrown in amongst that, we've managed to catch up and have dinner with a heap of Adelaide crew that I haven't seen for 2 or more years. This was great - the awful thing about moving across the country (as we did in 2004) was leaving behind great friends. Very hard thing to do, and it's really great to come back and see them, and meet new family members that have appeared in the meantime (hello D'arcy, Tillie and Charlotte).

# Managed to also catch up with my sister and her little boy Dexter for b'fast on Monday. Really enjoyed this on two levels - one, I got to eat bacon, eggs and toast and somewhat repair the damage that Sunday's corpororate extravagances had done to me (read: hungover as a dog). I also got to see Dex, who I hadn't seen for probably 2 years, and I think he is twice as tall as he was last time I saw him.

# Yesterday I snuck out for a MTB ride around Adelaide. Initially the plan was to check out some MTB trails that Mitcham Council had developed around the Belair / Lynton areas (check out http://bit.ly/14cycU), and then extended into a cruise down to Glenelg, a roll along the Esplanade to Seacliff, and then I got a rush of blood to the head and thought climbing some hills in 36C heat would be a fantastic idea. I had to go up anyway to get home, so I mixed it up a little and took a route that I hadn't previously ridden. Silly, silly man, and this resulted in a 63 odd km round trip.

# Today I headed south with my younger brother for a fishing expedition. I was woefully outfished (6 nil in fact), but had a great day out on the coast, saw some beautiful scenery, and took a few happy snaps that I think turned out OK.

# Tonight, I'm off to dinner with a couple of people from AKFF (www.akff.net) for a meet, greet and catch up. Working with people from all corners of the country means that while I have an excellent online relationship with them, and very good written communication rapport, some of them have never been met in person. So it shall be an interesting evening.

So, one day left in the Big Smoke. Will be sad to leave, but at the same time am looking forward to getting home, and seeing my pooches again.

Some of the snaps of the last week:

Getting chased by Devil Girl at the top of Checker Hill

Breakfast of Champions - carbo loading for the slog up Eagle On The Hill

Willunga Hill

Robbie & Allan Davis after the final TDU Stage

Me & my nephew

Under the new Rapid Bay Jetty

Sellicks Hill, looking towards the north

Rapid Bay Jetty again, having a play with the Picasa retouching settings

Sellicks Hill again

TDU Rides

2011-01-22T11:04:00.000+11:00

Two days toodling around on the bike.

Thurs (Stage 3) rode to Unley (start) and then the short way up to Stirling (finish).

Friday (Stage 4), completed the Challenge ride, which was the full course. What a day, what a ride!

Tour Down Under 2011 - Day One Photos

2011-01-19T18:39:00.000+11:00

A selection of happy snaps from TDU yesterday.

Didn't head out today - weeks of work, very little sleep, a 3 day bucks show on the weekend, 10 hours in the car on Mon, and then a full day out yesterday plus not getting home until late last night finally caught up with me. A sleep in (in a room with curtains that actually block out daylight) and a wander along the beach was in order.

Big 2 days on the bike coming up - tomorrow ride to Unley for the start, then up to Stirling to see the 3 loops and the finish. Friday is then the Challenge Tour, with 140 odd km from Norwood to Strathalbyn.

Having a great time, wish you were all here...

Bye Bye Baby

2011-01-03T14:23:00.000+11:00

From Drop Box

No room at the inn, the Rocky needs to go. My first dually, my first custom build, and a damn fine bike to boot.

Bike Exchange advert is at http://bit.ly/dVQtCp if you'd like a closer look.

How's It Ride, Mate?

2010-12-29T21:14:00.001+11:00

Note: This post has been sitting around in the Draft folder for a little while, and has taken a bit of effort to finish. Apologies if it's a little disjointed.

So, there's been a new bike in the stable for a couple of weeks. I've been a bit quiet about it - partly from not having sufficient time to ride it and gauge an opinion, partly from the conditions being horrid and me being scared of getting it dirty and scratched up, and partly from me being not absolutely 100% taken by it on the first ride.

It was a significant risk, this purchase. Bought it completely sight unseen, no test ride, I'd even paid a deposit on it before the first one even arrived in Australia. So the pressure was on, if this bike wasn't all it was cracked up to be, I would end up with some fairly expensive egg on my face.

To recap - I've bought myself a Giant Anthem 29er. Looks a little something like this:

As soon as word snuck out that they were getting released here, the interweb was all abuzz - internet forums everywhere were nearly in meltdown with all the buzz. 67 pages on Rotorburn can't be wrong.

And there were all sorts of hiccups getting this thing as well - shipping delays, recalled frames within 48 hours of release, my bike ended up getting pushed out 14 weeks from the original promised date - the pressure was certainly on for it to be the Best Bike In The World.

So finally the day arrived. Was it going to be all that it was cracked up to be?

First ride was a hill climb up Huon Hill - one of the local tests around here. 4km climb, picking up around 350 metres in vertical, topping out at about 18% gradient, combination tar and gravel. Nasty.

Settings were left pretty much as-is out of the box, seat to the same height as my roadie, a little tweak to the pressures, but that was about it. I was actually pretty impressed. It certainly felt a lot different from any other bike I'd ridden - steeper angles and a lot 'racier' than I was used us. Going up was pretty good. However then downhill side was much less enjoyable. Weight really forwards, felt like I was pitching over the bars, and arms and shoulders were sore from consistently pushing myself back against the bars.

So, first ride out of the way, tweaking required, it was time to proceed back to the shop and get a proper fit done. Jess (former workmate) is a whiz on the bike fit - ex Cyclone and international level rider, she knows her stuff. Some tweaking of cleat, seat height, seat fore/aft, and we're heading in the right direction.

More changes were needed though - the combination of the cleats coming a fair way forwards on the shoe, plus softer than my usual suspension preesures resulted in me mashing (not spinning) the pedals, excessive suspension bob, and an incredibly cramped back and really sore quads. This was quite disheartening - it certainly wasn't an out-of-the-box bolt up and ride job.

However, we were in the ball park. Only needed an extra 10psi front and rear suspension, seat up 5mm, and drop the bars down 5mm, and the position was nailed.

Since getting this right, the bike has had limited use (basically the big ticket rides) but each one has been a cracker. 5 laps @ Gravity (65km), 100km Enduro @ Bendigo, and an 80km, 2000m cracker of a ride on Monday just gone (further write up to come). There has been a niggle of back pain on two of the longer ones - I'm not convinced this is due to the position being wrong, more likely due to the position being slightly different, and me not having any shorter rides on the bike to adapt.

Gravity Lap 1 (did 5 laps)

Bendigo Golden Triangle Epic

Christmas 2010 Epic MTB Ride - hoping this becomes an annual tradition
General comments on the bike:

# Fiddly to set up, but worth the effort.

# I've officially had it with Crossmarks. On the front they are just about useless for me, and while they roll OK on the back, I can't get them to set up tubeless, which for me is a dealbreaker. Unfortunately the range of 29er tyres (especially ones that will run tubeless) is still pretty thin, so I'm looking at other options, probably away from Maxxis. Geax may well get a look in, going to get a test set for the XTC and see how they roll.

# I'm not yet sold on the flat bars. I thought I was, but after Monday's ride the shoulders and upper arms have pulled up a little sore. It is possible that a riser bar might alleviate this - I've still got a couple of spacers under the stem, so I can always afford to drop the bars a little to compensate for the rise. Grant has put a set of Sunline risers on his, I might take it for a spin to see.

# I really notice the inertia of the bigger wheels. More grunt needed to get them rolling, but they hold speed a lot better than a 26 inch wheel, and some say offer more sure-footed, stable handling. The wheels themselves are excellent, but I'm thinking a lighter, custom set might be on the cards. www.ridetwe.com.au may well get a look in, a mate just picked up a race set for her bike, and she is thrilled with the quality. Greg also sponsors a couple of our local riders, so a little support for him would go a long way.

In short, there was lust at first sight when I saw this shiny behemoth of a bike. Not necessarily love at first sight (or first ride). But I'm glad I'm putting in the hard yards, because I think this bike and I are going to have a long, faithful relationship.

Mappus Horribilis

2010-12-15T22:28:00.000+11:00

Dee will know what I'm talking about here.

The last couple of months at work have been consumed by designing a map for one of our Incident Control Centres. It's a 1:50K beast that covers the geographical area the ICC covers. End size was 2.4 metres high x 3.5 metres wide.

It has not been smooth sailing. Between processing power issues, data integrity issues, and just in general the pages upon pages of changes that various people wanted, it has been interesting to say the least.

So yesterday was a momentus day, heading to the printer to pick it up, ready for installation. $2000 of printing and $3000 worth of laminating, block mounting and carpentry, and it's nearly ready to actually get put on a wall!

From Misc 20101213

One of three map tiles - 2.4 high, 1.2 ish wide

From Misc 20101213

Just to give you some perspective of the size of the thing. Stupid eyes closed photo.

Caution - distressing images ahead

2010-12-13T17:57:00.000+11:00

If you like looking at clean bikes, or squirm at the sight of dead bugs, then please read no further.

If, on the other hand, you have a warped, morbid sense of fascination with *those* sorts of images, read on.

This is what a bike looks like after 7 hours, 48 minutes, 107km of dirt and mud, and then driving home through a locust plague.

Don't say I didn't warn you:

6 hours of cleaning so far, and the wheels aren't even done yet. I think there's another 2 hours in it yet, especially after I go back over it with the torque wrench.

Awesome bike for a long ride though. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well, most of it. Not the mud bits.

Writers Block

2010-11-25T20:11:00.001+11:00

So much to write... gaargh... sitting down to type and nothing is coming out.

So - instead - enjoy a random dump of photos from my phone from the last couple of months.

From Misc 20101125

Goanna in tree on MTB ride

From Misc 20101125

Lake Hume - after work ride. This photo was at about 80% capacity, it's currently at 99.7%. Only 3 years ago it got drawn down as low as 2%

From Misc 20101125

Purple Bearded Orchid. Shoddy iPhone focussing.

From Misc 20101125

Score! Op Shop bargain bin, $2.50

From Misc 20101125

Friend's 2yo daughter. Fascinated with having her photo taken.

From Misc 20101125

Random weed on edge of trail. Thought it was something nasty but it wasn't.

From Misc 20101125

What greeted me when I got to work on Monday.

From Misc 20101125

ID please. Many sighted on fieldwork today. My guess was juvenile grass trees, but apparently I'm wrong.

Here's to writers block miraculously disappearing.

The Bike Song

2010-10-23T13:57:00.001+11:00

Marc Ronson, Spank Rock, and bikes, all in the same wonderful track.

Awesome.

Mark Ronson - The Bike Song from Kairos Mosaïque on Vimeo.

Plovers

2010-10-22T22:40:00.000+11:00

(Pic stolen from McBigg)

As is usually the case with Government offices in regional areas, we're stuck out in the boondocks. This phenomenem usually leads to an office with acres of grassed area in close proximity, and usually on a busy road.

And this time of year, the plovers start hanging about to nest. Lovely birds - not. Ground nesters, extremely territorial, and big mofo-sharp spurs on their wings.

So as it would happen, a breeding pair decided to nest on the grass out the front of work. No biggie, they just hang around and stalk the nest, scaring away any potential predators (or humans that are stupid enough to walk too close to the nest on the way to the shop to buy a sandwich for lunch).

But then, they hatched. Protective plovers then suddendly morph into homocidal plovers. Steer clear, enough said.

But then. I was leaving work the other night, and just as I was pulling out of the carpark, I saw said plovers trying to usher their two chicks across a busy road, at 5pm, in full traffic. Apparently swooping cars doesn't detract them from their primary goal of travelling from A to B.

It was one of the most distressing things I've seen in a while, two tiny little fluffy white chicks, trying to cross the road, no idea what's going on, while the parents go absolutely berko at every passing vehicle.

So, I decided to do what I thought was the right thing at the time. Jumped out of the car with the intention of either slowing traffic and letting the chicks cross, or picking up said chicks and depositing them on the other side of the road.

BAD idea. All this meant was that the plovers had a slower moving target, and I'm stuck in the middle of a busy road, at 5pm at night, with 2 plovers determined to beat me to a pulp with their nasty wing spurs, and I haven't even got close to the chicks.

This particular coward ran for his car and drove away.

I saw the 2 parents and 2 chicks on the other side of the road the next day, but haven't seen them since. I hope it ended well.

Stupid plovers.

2011 Le Tour

2010-10-21T20:47:00.000+11:00

VeloNews has written an excellent review of next years route.

It sounds like an absolute ripper. I'm really looking forward to Stage 19 (Gap - Col-d'Galiber, Grenoble, Alpe d-Huez) as it's where we did the bulk of our poking around in France earlier in the year.

Alpe d-Huez was the scene of the infamous 'hire bike wheel failure'. Unfinished business there, and I will be back in 2012 to make amends.

You can count on it.

New Addition

2010-10-21T07:13:00.000+11:00

n+1 - the perfect number of bikes to own, where n is the number currently owned.

This just joined the stable: 2011 Giant Anthem x 29er

Really, really looking forward to a ride. I'm in a quandry, everything is covered in mud at the moment and I don't want to get it dirty!

Here's how it looks inside my house (far better than in the shop I reckon):

And - just because I was feeling special, I ordered the 'custom build'. This is how it got delivered:

Ride report coming!

Powderfinger - Sunsets Tour

2010-10-15T14:45:00.000+11:00

I feel old. Last night I got to see a band that I have been listening to for nearly 20 years, and they still blew my mind.

I go through phases with Powderfinger, sometimes I love them, sometimes I think they sound a little like aural Mogadon. Last night I loved them.

I've seen them live plenty of times, probably too many to count. Numerous Big Days Out, sweaty nights at the Thebarton Theatre, under a circus tent, and now at the Albury Footy Club. Live, they have always impressed.

And upon reflection last night, as I felt the shivers up my spine from a lead break, or the bass reverberations through the rest of me, was that Powderfinger has been with me through some of the most pivotal moments of my life. I remember listening to Double Allergic on cassette in one of my first cars, playing My Happiness at ear bleeding volumes in Sydney with two of my best mates in the world at the 2000 Olympics, staring at a campfire with someone's stereo or iPod on shuffle, it's always been there.

So - Vale Powderfinger. Thank you for being such a huge part of my life.

And please don't do a John Farnham and have 27 comeback tours.

Powderfinger @ 2005 Big Day Out - Melbourne

From third life crisis

Bring out the lasers:

From third life crisis

Rocking it on the sneaky centre stage:

From third life crisis

Sunset:

From third life crisis

There's Some In Every Crowd

2010-09-27T21:25:00.000+10:00

I'm down in the Big Smoke at the moment for work trip. While there is some novelty value in working in a different place, really it's just hum drum boredom, staring at the inside of a hotel room and trying to find something for dinner.

What I have noted is a phenomemen I'd like to call 'The Bike Ninja'.

Picture this. Dusk, just coming onto dark. Busy, poorly lit City street. Cars, trams, foot traffic going everywhere.

Cue entry of the hipster cyclist. You know the type. Black is the colour de rigour amongst hipsters at the moment. Match that with a matt black skate helmet, and probably a black bike as well (unless it's one of those flouro fixie jobs).

Now throw into the mix said bike and cyclist being completely unlit. Stealth mode, if you will.

Can you imagine the potential results? I can, and I think it involves a significantly shortened life expectancy for said cyclist.

Seriously, it's like watching Darwin's Theory of Evolution in action. It reminds me of watching fixie cyclists trying to navigate London traffic earlier in the year. How I didn't see one of them splattered over the front of a London Cab, I don't know.

I'll be home tomorrow. Hopefully the ranting will end then.

Cities and I don't mix.

TLC By Request

2010-09-13T20:44:00.000+10:00

For Dee:

On The Chain Gang

2010-09-12T21:15:00.000+10:00

Seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time behind a shovel this weekend.

You may have guessed from last week's post that it has been wet - real wet - here. Unfortunately that means that many kilometres of (formerly) pretty awesome mountain bike trails have turned into a swamp. So about 4 hours of Saturday was spent wandering the trails with a spade, mattock and rake, trying to alleviate the worst of any drainage issues. And getting more and more depressed looking at the sodden mess that some of my favourite trails had become. It was ugly work - not craftsmanship by any stretch of the imagination, but hopefully it gets the water off, and speeds up the drying process. Fingers crossed.

During the week last week, I was super duper keen for a ride on the weekend. But Sat night, as we went to plan our Sunday ride, I was less than enthusiastic. Instead of publicly looking like a wuss, I negotiated a gentlemen's start time instead (9:30 - how's that!), but still when the alarm went off this morning, the enthusiasm hadn't increased at all either. But I forced myself out (cut myself a little deal that I could wear the Belvedere cycling kit I purchased in Italy - first time out of the cupboard), and I'm glad I did.

It was odd riding a bike with gears - I've been on the singlespeed almost exclusively for the last month or so with various works getting done on various bikes (fork services, hub services, cracks welded, etc etc) - but I got over that and we had a most enjoyable loop. We cracked Timmy towards the end, he wasn't enjoying riding into the wind, even with 190kg of myself and Tim on the front riding block, but it was great.

And then a walk this afternoon up Nail Can again to check some of yesterdays works, and check a few areas I hadn't had a chance to see for water damage. Luckily - none, all the damage seems to be confined to the lower trails.

Lots of wildflowers coming out too - but that's another story.

Enjoy.

My Daily Commute

2010-09-04T16:33:00.001+10:00

Thought you might all like to see some photos of the bike paths that I ride most days.

From third life crisis

First, duck into the park.

From third life crisis

Head for the Underpass.

From third life crisis

Yep, that underpass.

From third life crisis

Reverse angle.

From third life crisis

Hmm, which way to go?

Yep, little bit wet here at the moment.

So - Where Was I?

2010-08-27T08:15:00.000+10:00

Busy. Oh so busy!

3 weeks or so into my Presidential role, and things have certainly been bubbling along. 1st week into the job, potential for a brand new trail network lobs into our lap - and with it comes squillions of different negotiations about access, licence agreements, have we got the people to do it, can we do it properly, what do we want to put there... on and on it goes, aargh!

And on top of that, we're dealing with a whole different set of issues with our core trail network, in legitimising what is already there, having to make the hard decision to close some trails (and potentially incurring the wrath of our members) - hey, no-one said it would be easy.

I'm actually looking forward to the year. I can see it's going to be incredibly busy, but I think we can get an awful lot achieved and really give mountain biking the legitimate edge that it needs.

And work - well, it's work isn't it? Been a busy month there as well - a fair bit of travel, some interesting projects to work on, even been doing some lecturing! Yes - that's right - the GIS operator with no formal qualifications, not even a Uni Degree or Diploma to rub together, has been set loose to pollute the minds of delicate little 3rd year students.

[Insert finger pyramid of evil contemplation here]

Ah - but seriously - it has been good fun. It has highlighted to me that others don't necessarily learn the same way that I do - and that maybe if these kids are going to be effectively taught about the joys of GIS, they need to understand what the applications of GIS are. Not just making maps, is it Dee?

And in other news... bike shops are expensive places. Duh you all say, I'll bet.

Ducked out to the shop last night, I wanted to get a proper fitup on my road bike. I'd never done it when I bought it - just set the seat height and rolled out the door, and while it felt good to OK, the pedant in me wanted to make sure it was right. I'd been getting slightly sore in the back on longer rides so there was certainly an argument for a potential change.

Jess - my former workmate - rocks. Former National Track Champion, was on the Cyclones U23 team, spent heaps of time on bikes, and knows fitting back to front. Several small changes (seat actually went up - after a fairly dedicated campaign of Pilates, my seat height has actually risen from 99 to 100.5), drop one spacer on the stem, seat forwards slightly, it's like a whole new bike. Looking forward to a good ride tomorrow morning.

But the expensive bit, ooh. Adjusting cleat position on my shoes - oh hello, there is a lateral crack right across the base of the right shoe! Surprise! Hmm, those cleats are looking a bit worn, if you're getting new shoes, best get a new set of cleats. Oh - and XT pedals are on special - grab a set of those while they're cheap for the new bike. And better pick up that wheel you were trueing for me and the fork that you serviced.

See how this is going?

And in new bike news, well, there is no new bike. Despite it being ordered on the very day that pre-released orders were sent to the retailers (actually, probably within about 30 seconds of it hitting the shops email), and right up until the start of the week, promised delivery date being Week 34 (this week) - mysteriously my new bike will now not be available until Week 46. Yep - another 12 weeks. And - there's just been a recall on the frame as well, which I am betting will blow it out even further.

And with the Rocky Mountain in bits at the moment (cracked a weld, did I tell you that?) and getting repaired, I'm down to just the hardtail at the moment. And a 100km race next weekend (which will take me the best part of 8 hours) on a hardtail, is not going to be fun. At all.

Bah Humbug.

So taking an RDO today (catching up on a heap of those travel hours I've spent staring at the centre line of the Hume Highway) and getting a bit of study done.

Yep. Busy.

Presidente. El Presidente.

2010-08-03T22:01:00.000+10:00

Well, as of tonight, I am now the President of our fledgling little MTB club - alburywodongamtb.org.au

Excited, nervous, and a little anxious. We've done a lot of work over the last couple of years, the club is in great form, and this year is going to be huge. The mountain biking landscape could potentially change dramatically for us this year, with changes to the way local Crown lands are administered and managed, and I hope to use this year to develop the club as an advocate for mountain biking, as well as a racing club.

What have I done!

Coming Soon:

2010-07-31T17:17:00.000+10:00

Not even released yet, not even sighted in the country actually! But I've been lusting after one of these ever since Giant floated the concept a couple of years back.

So, took the plunge and ordered today.

3 weeks! 3 whole weeks to wait.

And in Other News:

2010-07-27T21:38:00.000+10:00

From Misc

See that little black line under that weld?

Not good news unfortunately. Crack-o-rama.

Best bit is that because I bought the frame privately (albeit new) it's not covered by the manufacturers warranty. They may be able to come to the party with a discounted frame of some description, but it's still $$$.

The crack itself it still hairline, so I'm hoping that a mate of mine who is an engineer is going to be able to gusset and weld it - and the result, while not original, should be stronger than original.

Cross fingers.

Update

2010-07-27T19:52:00.000+10:00

That lurgy that I thought I had shaken. Nuh uh. It has been hanging for what seems like weeks.

Here's the way it goes - get sick on the weekend. About Tuesday - start to feel something resembling human again. Wed and Thurs almost return to the land of the living. Friday - crash and burn. Sat and Sun - whinge about how crap and how housebound I feel.

So, not much has been happening around here! I've been managing to ride to work most days, but longer rides on the weekends have been almost completely out of the question.

Last weekend, I did manage to beat the cold into submission enough to get out for an XC race. RAMBO is our regional inter-club challenge, and over the winter months, every club holds a round. Last weekend was Wagga, which is a very, very fun place to ride (although I don't think it at the time). I saddled up for Sport A, and managed slightly better than a mid-pack finish. Not bad considering I hadn't had any intensity for a very long time.

And the other thing that I have started doing again is my Pilates / Spinal Strength classes. I've done these in the past, but for whatever reason drifted away from the habit. But it's been on the agenda to start again, and am I glad I have. 2 weeks in and I have noticed the difference already - much stronger core, no sore back on the bike.

Those tyres I ordered on 30 June? Arrived tonight. 27 days later. Thanks guys.

Fitted up to the bike, and boy oh boy am I itching to get out for a road ride!

I Write Like...

2010-07-19T10:45:00.002+10:00

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Never heard of this bloke, and should I be worried that he written a book called 'Brief Interviews with Hideous Men'?

Ouch

2010-07-10T22:17:00.000+10:00

So the dreaded lurgy had finally subsided to a point where I could get back onto the bike for more than 8 minutes at a time.

Unfortunately, the Gods were not smiling on me for this particular mission.

I rolled out this morning, off to meet the crew for the usual Sat morning bunch ride. As I rolled into the carpark, I thought the bike was a little squishy and indistinct on the handling. It wasn't until I came to a stop and heard the telltale hissss that I knew the morning was not going to go as planned.

This would be the 3rd flat in 3 rides on the same wheel. And try as I might, I had not been able to find fault with the tyre, and up until now had been chalking it up to bad luck.

Well, third time is the charm. And it was only because the tyre was still inflated that I was able to see the split in the sidewall, exposing wire, which was no doubt the cause of the repeated punctures.

Aah, only if the tyres I had ordered two weeks ago had arrived, I wouldn't be facing this issue!

So after a rudely interrupted Sat morning, plans were changed, Farmers Market was visited, dogs were run, and I managed to line up a MTB ride with a mate of mine, Lisa.

Lis is 49 and thinks she is 21 - and is fitter than most 21 year olds I know. I (stupidly) suggested to her a couple of months back that she should consider racing the Aus MTB Champs, as she would probably be a red hot chance at a National jersey. She agreed, and has been training her arse off ever since!

So I got roped into one of her hill repeat sessions.

Ouch.

We did a couple of varying loops, but 2 sessions up 'Hernia Hill'. And it's called that for a reason. By my calculations the climb is 12.5% average, and there is a section in the middle that is deadset closer to 15%. You could have played my hamstrings like a guitar.

On a slight tangent, I wonder if people (in general) suffer the same degree of exaggeration about climb grades (yeah, seriously, it was 20% for 10km!) as they do about bike weights (yeah, seriously, it's 10.2kg with pedals).

It was always amusing comparing people's claimed weights to actual, just by whacking a bike on the scales. Without having data to quote, my observations suggested at the time that people would typically underquote their bike's weight by a good 15 to 20%.

Anyway, that stretch goal of mine just gets a littttle bit closer, every single day.

The Wheels Of The Bike Go Round And Round

2010-07-05T17:15:00.000+10:00

Well, I still feel like rubbish, but less like rubbish than I did yesterday, and much less like rubbish than I did the day before.

So I jumped in the deep end and rode to work this morning. Negative temperatures and all.

It's amazing - the 8 minutes each way to work made me a happier person, and put a smile (semi-smile, maybe, but the frown was definately upside down), and once again I have donned the rose coloured glasses.

Maybe cycling is the path to world peace.

Le Tour Blogging

2010-07-05T12:07:00.002+10:00

Hi all

Found this today - Simon Gerrans is going to be blogging daily while racing Le Tour this year. Should be excellent reading, and great to get an Australian perspective on Tour life.

Bring on the late nights!

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cycling/blog/gerrans-on-tour

Patience is a massively underrated skill

2010-07-04T18:10:00.000+10:00

There should probably be an exclusion zone around our house at the moment. The wintery-type cold and flu bugs have bitten, and bitten hard.

It all started last weekend. We were scheduled to go to Sydney for a friend's wedding. As we don't often get to the Big Smoke, we decided to make a weekend of it, taking Friday off work and then flying home early Mon morning in time to get in a full day at our respective offices.

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men, and all that.

After sneaking out of work at 3pm on the Thursday, quickly run the dogs to the vet for vaccinations, and then drop them at 'The Pound' for a weekend of incarceration, race home, pick up Els, race to the airport. Whaddyaknow, flight delayed. What should have had us out of Albury at 5pm, in Sydney by 6pm, and then comfortably at our pre-arranged dinner engagement by 8pm... left Albury at 7pm, missing the dinner engagement, getting us to the pub at least to meet our friends by 11:30, and then stumble into the accomodation by 1am or something stupid.

The Friday was good, I managed to catch up with a few of the Sydney AKFF crew for a pub lunch, then sit in the sun at Manly watching fish under the wharf, and then dinner out with a few other members of the wedding party.

Saturday - wedding day. Unfortunately it involved an extended trip to Warringah Mall - also known as retail hell. I was under instructions to purchase a suit jacket, which incredibly I completed at only the second shop we walked into, and only at about 4 times the cost of what I really wanted to spend. But hey - it's an investment, right?

And then the transport gremlin reared it's ugly head - again. We were staying a little way out of town (Q-Station, if anyone knows it). Thought I would do the friendly and responsible thing, book a mini bus - well in advance, I might add - and pick up the out of town guests in Manly on the way through to the wedding. Be helpful and all of that.

You've probably guessed that said plan didn't come off as well as I would have liked.

We waited, and waited, and waited. 20 minutes after it was supposed to arrive, I spat the dummy, rang the other guests, told them to catch a cab by themselves, and called another cab. At this point, T minus 20 minutes. Yep, no problem, cab will be there in 5, we'll have you there in plenty of time, or so the cab company said.

Then the second gremlin reared up. There was an automatic gate to get in and out of the hotel grounds - about 1km away from our room.(Hotel was inside a National Park). And - you guessed it - the gate was on the blink. No cars were getting in or out. Luckily we managed to jag a lift up to the gate (a lot of UP actually, quite a steep hill to get up to it), where luckily a kind and compassionate taxi driver had waited for us.

T minus 10 minutes.

For the first time in my life, I've had to ask a taxi driver to 'step on it' - it was going to be hit or miss as to whether we made it on time. Driver duly stepped, and we made it with about 30 seconds to spare.

The wedding and reception were great, much food and drink - too much drink - consumed, and we stumbled home drunk and happy at some unearthly hour.

Sunday - Hang. Over. Els didn't surface until about 2:30pm, I'd lined my stomach with various pork products and eggs, and was barely holding it together. We were reduced to drinking ginger ale with dinner, which went down fairly tentatively.

And to Monday. Remember that line about mice, men, et al?

Dragged ourselves out of bed at 5am to make the first Manly ferry and then airport train. Nearly another cab snafu, because - you guessed it - the gate was on the fritz again. Made it to the airport in plenty of time for our 8am flight.

Delayed. Maybe 8:30am.

Delayed again.

Again.

And again.

Finally - and I was hoping to be at work by 9am - we took off at 11:45am. Finally back into Albury at 1pm - and I consider ourselves lucky that we even did that! The reason was a fairly heavy and localised fog over the airport in Albury. The writing was nearly on the wall when the pilot announced 'we'll be in a holding pattern for a while, there are 5 planes ahead of us queued up to land, and we're still hoping to be able to land at Albury'. For sure I thought we were about to be turned around and sent back to Sydney.

On the plus side, I was at work by about 1:45pm. Sort of 9am, really.

But the trip hadn't finished with us there. About 10pm Monday night, I felt the tickle in my throat, and I knew the writing was on the wall.

All those hours hanging around in airports, I'd picked up something fairly unsavoury, and it has made my life a misery pretty much all week. Have been living on Codral, and even that hasn't been doing much. I had been so looking forward to the bunch ride yesterday - didn't happen. I had a MTB race lined up for this morning - didn't happen. I promised myself a consolation MTB ride this afternoon - gentle, just roll the legs over - didn't happen.

I know I'm doing the right thing by laying off the riding while I'm crook - ('riding is hard, resting is harder') - but I'm climbing the walls here. Haven't sat on a bike since Wednesday a week and a half ago, and I am going stir crazy!

Patience is certainly massively underrated.

Boooooonk

2010-06-12T18:18:00.000+10:00

Oh boy did I learn some hard, hard lessons this morning.

Mistake #1 - get home from work Friday night, not feel terribly hungry, so have a light dinner of cheese and crackers, and later on a piece of toast.
Mistake #2 - get up pre-ride Saturday morning, realise you forgot to buy milk on the way home from work Friday, so back up your toast dinner with a toast breakfast.
Mistake #3 - head off for a ride with one of the local bunches, with absolutely no idea where you're going, and only take 1 gel with you.

And unfortunately the surprise ride for this morning is a 140km loop, with 1300 metres of climb. Oh boy.

I was actually feeling pretty good for the first half. I think I can pinpoint the exact time it all went wrong though - right at the summit of the major climb (300 ish metres over about 7km). Rolled over the top, pleased as punch that I had made it, but feeling not real snappy. No acceleration in the legs, general feeling of lethargy starting to creep in..

We took a short break at the base of the descent, hmm this might be a good opportunity to down that gel you brought with you. Unfortunately by then, the damage had been done.

So, 60ish km left to get home, no shops for about 50km (we were really out in the boonies), and whilst the bulk of the climbing was out of the way, it was a really rolly run back into town - up hill and down dale, OK if you've got some power left in the legs and can hold your speed up the climbs, however if you're starting to bonk, you are going to be in a world of hurt.

And oh boy, was I.

Things went from bad to really really bad, really really quickly. I was trying hard to hang on to the back of the bunch, but the elastic started to stretch, stretch, stretch, SNAP.

And that was that. I was out the back, on my own, in the middle of nowhere, completely out of steam and energy, and wondering how the hell I am going to get home without dying.

Luckily, one of the bunch had seen me snap, and slowed down to offer me a wheel to hang on to. This worked for a little while, but I was still heading down the wormhole, and approaching rock bottom. I was weaving all over the road, legs were running at I reckon 20% (and that's probably being generous), and at my worst, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I just wanted to pull over, crawl into a table drain, and either fall asleep or die. I finally reached my limit, and pulled over to call Els, beg her to come and collect me, and on your way out, if you could pick up 2 litres of coke, a family size block of chocolate, and possibly a kilogram bag of mixed lollies as well. I had clearly progressing from exceptionally bad bonk, to full on proper hypoglycemic.

Luckily, I didn't have to make that phone call. My saviour turned around, and pretty much force fed me a large portion of fruit cake that he had been saving for emergencies. I think this qualified!

The plan from that point was grind through the next 10 or so km, to the planned coffee stop, and probably strip the shop dry, and jam as much down my gob as I could. This was the big carrot that kept me going. Probably 50 times in that 10km I had imagined what I was going to buy, working out what was going to be the most efficient way to deliver sugar to my system. Can of Coke? Bottle of OJ? Jam donut? Mixed lollies? Cake?

And we inched ever closer. And closer. And closer.

And got there.

And the shop was shut.

GAAARGH! Not happy Jan, not happy at all. Luckily the bunch had waited, and someone took pity on me, parting with a spare gel, and half a bidon of Enervit.

And this saved me. I could not believe the difference the gel made. Seriously, within less than 2 kilometres, I was back to normal. Tired, but normal. And itching to get home.

From this point, we were into the last 15km, which sailed along, especially as I had something resembling legs back, and could hang with the bunch. But boy, oh boy, was I glad to get home. And oh boy was I hungry.

I won't itemise exactly what I ate when I charged in the door, but it was along the lines of multiple pieces of toast with peanut butter AND honey, a significant proportion of the duty-free chocolate be bought on the way home last weekend, and a fair bit of Coke. I think some cashews may have figured in there, but they didn't have any sugar in them, so I really wasn't paying attention.

Really, it's Endurance Riding 101. Eat regularly, even if you're not hungry. I shunned that rule (pffft... easy road ride, don't need to eat), and I paid for it, dearly.

And it's Dieting 101 also. Being that I'm trying to shed a couple of additional kilograms brought back into the country with me (I'm blaming Belgium and UK for that, seriously) - not eating properly is the worst thing you can do. What happens - you starve yourself, you get incredibly hungry, and you gorge yourself on whatever you can find.

Very, very hard lessons learned today.

And this is the loop that did the damage. See if you can pick where I was suffering the worst.

So Soon Over

2010-06-05T12:29:00.000+10:00

So this will probably be the last real-time trip update.

We're back in the country. Currently camped out in the Virgin Blue Lounge in Sydney, trying to kill the time between our 7:15am arrival this morning, and our 3:40pm departure this afternoon. Not super-great planning on our part, but hey.

The $35 a head to get into the Lounge has been worth every cent, and we've still got another 3 hours here - the coffee has already proven to be way better than anything we consumed in either France or the UK, free buffet for grazing, and showers. Oh yeah. Having been on the go since Thurs morning UK time (so probably Thurs evening AUS time), a hot shower has been gratefully received.

Can't remember where I got to with previous posts about our London escapades - I think I may have mentioned our trip to Coventry. Well that pretty much leaves Thursday - our final day OS. Much of the morning was spent vainly trying to cram gear, gear, and more gear into our bags - how is it possible that we left the country with 19 + 16kg, and are returning with 24 + 19? Especially when you take into account the gear that was taken over and hand delivered to Choppy - surely logic would tell you that we should be returning home with less? Apparently not.

And I didn't think we'd bought that much - a few cycling jerseys, some miscellaneous gifts, a couple of t-shirts, well I suppose it all adds up.

Els was a little nervous about how whether we would sneak it onto the plane without having to pay excess luggage. It was a snap, the check in staff didn't even blink at it. However the VB staff here this morning did blink, and slugged us $50 in excess luggage from Syd to Albury (it should have been more like $90, but anyway...).

That reminds me, need to write about what I packed, and what can be pruned for next time. That's right, I said next time.

And doth, it was time to depart. We braved the wilds of the London Underground for one last time to make the trek out to Heathrow (not as bad or as long as I was expecting), Choppy made the trip as well, I suspect to ensure that we did actually leave, and we had a final meal at the airport before heading out through Customs.

The meal was a pleasant surprise - a French restaurant smack bang in the middle of the terminal - and it was bloody good! A great way to finish off the trip.

Something that kept us guessing, pretty much right until we climbed on the plane - we'd booked a Malaysian Airlines flight, were checked in by Air Italia staff, boarding passes printed on Air Italia stock, boarding gate staffed by Air Italia staff - onto a Malaysian plane with Malaysian Airlines staff. Some sort of strange code-share arrangement - maybe so MAL don't need to maintain a ground crew in the UK? Not that I'm sooking about it - but I was sort of looking forward to seeing what Air Italia airline food was going to be like - somewhat curious to see if it was a quantum leap on normal airline offerings, just like Italian food and coffee was so much better than the rest of Europe.

Once again, I've pulled my usual stunt of not being able to sleep on planes. I surprised myself and managed to grab about 4 hours between London and KL - 5 hour stopover in KL - and then only an hour between KL and Sydney. I'm trying to push through the pain barrier and now not sleep until tonight, as to hopefully reset the body clock - but this technique did not do spectacularly well on the way out of the country, so I haven't really got high hopes of it working today either.

If this is rambling a little, it will be due to the lack of sleep over the last God knows how many hours.

So, anyway, we're back. Nearly. Marc & Sue, we'll see you this afternoon (4:45pm at Albury airport if you see this before then) - Mum, Dad, I'll call you once I've had some sleep and can string a sentance together.

I'll need to post a couple more things here, just to round out the trip:

- General impressions of Europe and the different countries
- General impressions of the different towns and areas we visited
- What went well, what didn't
- What to pack next time, what not to.

Ciao.

Nearly Home

2010-06-03T18:54:00.000+10:00

And so, we have been on the last leg of our journey.

We trained it in from Brussels to London on Saturday, and have been lurking around the UK for the last few days. It has been somewhere between a shock and nice to come back to an English-speaking country (if you can decode some of the thicker accents on show), but at the same time, coming back to a Western-civilisation 'Superpower' has brought the point home that our trip is nearly over.

Remind me to discuss my observations on UK and Australia vs the rest of Europe. But that's for another post.

Had the pleasure of catching the Eurostar, under the English Channel - very smooth journey, and a quick, well functioning public transport network is a joy to behold, when it's doing what it is supposed to. I don't think we've had to wait more than about 10 minutes anywhere for a bus or train. After jumping a couple of underground tubes, we were met by Choppy, who has been a brilliant tour guide and host, shown to our quarters at Matt & Cor's house, and then dragged down to the pub for tea. When in Rome, and all that, I headed pretty quickly for bangers & mash, and a pint of Guinness.

Sunday, it was decided that I had far too much energy, and needed to see the sights of London. And the sights we saw! Onto a genuine double-decker red London bus, into town, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, River Thames, Trafalgar Square, St Pauls Cathedral, Camden Markets, Primrose Hill, Regents Park, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Baker St & Oxford St, Fleet St, Downing St, The Strand... we covered a heap of ground pretty much all on foot, and I seriously wish I had my GPS with me that day - it would have been very interesting to map out how far we trekked. Finished it all off with an Eritrean meal, which was fantastic.

Monday, Matt & Cor (Els & Choppy's brother, and his partner) arrived back from an African Safari (yes, really), and we spent the day catching up with them, visiting their allotment (community veggie garden where people can plant out and maintain a patch for their own use), and visited Belgo's (local chain of Belgian beer and mussel restaurants) for tea.

Tues & Wed, Els and I headed up to Coventry (up in the Midlands) to visit one of her old friends, Ali, and her husband Ant & their two kids. We had a ball - visiting Warwick Castle - which is a Middle-Ages castle that has been restored and opened for viewing. It was a little touristy, but still great fun. There were loads of displays - including a bird of prey display, jousting displays, re-creations of various scenes and rooms within the house, a dungeon (super creepy) and to top it off, firing of a trebuchet. This thing was evil. Think of a massive sling shot, which is spring loaded, and utilises a 6 1/2 tonne counterweight. And it worked super well too - firing a 80 kilogram rock I think a good 300 metres horizontally (and vertically as well). It really packed a punch. Dinner at a Middle-Eastern restaurant, a couple of glasses of wine too many, which seems to have been the standard for this trip. The scales are going to hate me on my return, I'm not sure of the damage, but it is not going to be pretty.

On our return yesterday, did a little more sight seeing around London, including London Bridge (just another bridge really), Tower Bridge (much more impressive), The Tower of London, Brick Lane and so on. Finished the night off with a fantastic Indian meal just off Brick Lane.

And so it is now Thursday. Time to pack, time to get organised, and time to go home.

See you soon...

Warwick Castle - Coventry & London

2010-06-03T18:01:00.000+10:00

Rapha Cycle Cafe

2010-06-01T02:30:00.000+10:00

This place has got to be one of the finds of the trip.

Super cool cafe, excellent coffee - and ginger beer - and cakes, uber-cool bike clothing, massive tables with wide screen televisions where you can just sit and watch the Giro, and a Fausto Coppi display in the basement, including replica Bianchi bikes as ridden by Coppi.

Not posting 500 photos of this place was incredibly difficult.

London

2010-06-01T02:26:00.000+10:00

Belgium

2010-06-01T02:23:00.000+10:00

Missing in Action

2010-05-27T19:05:00.000+10:00

Missing me?

Please take a peek at www.elsant-italia.blogspot.com - I've got some photos and stories up about our trip so far.

Greetings from Belgium

2010-05-27T19:02:00.000+10:00

It's starting to become hard to keep track of what country we are in.

Languages in particular have been doing my head in somewhat. Italy I survived because I could manage to order a coffee, and say please and thank you. France was more intimidating, but at least we had a French speaker with us, and I could still say expresso, (it is expresso in France, as opposed to espresso in Italy, and I suddenly feel bad for all the coffee joints I have sneered at in Australia for having signs out the front saying 'Expresso'), I could also say merci.

Belgium is a whole other kettle of fish. The language is Germanic as opposed to Romantic (so is structured and sounds a little like German and English) - but with no knowledge or back up support, I am swimming blind. Plus there are different regional dialects, their proximity to France and Germany means that a lot of people speak one or both languages, and a lot of what is spoken is a hybrid of German, French, Flemish and English, rolled into one big complicated sentance.

Being multi lingual here seems to be a way of life. If you want to communicate, you need to speak multiple languages. We're currently staying with Elsie's cousin Mia in Belgium, her kids are very multi lingual, and in particular her daughter Ida studies 6 languages at school as a matter of course - including Latin - compulsary for all students. Immersion seems to be the preferred method - as Ida said to me, she first learned French by reading French magazines. Plus being surrounded by French speakers almost daily, I can imagine that you would osmose the language and develop an understanding of it, even if you were not actively studying or speaking it.

I suspect that Australia may become the last bastion of exclusively spoken English. Even the good 'ol USA has Spanish spoken by over half it's residents.

As John Travolta said in Pulp Fiction, it's the little things that you notice in Europe. Thus noticed so far:

European (and in particular French) obsession with 80's rock music - unbelievable. Every radio station you tune into, every shop you go into, something 80's and memorable will be playing. We seem to be hearing 'Africa' by Toto on a daily basis, Meatloaf is on pretty high rotation, really too many blasts from the past to individually mention. I wish I'd been keeping a list.

Wide availability of beer. Every service station has a beer fridge. Not uncommon to pull into the bigger ones (with food court type arrangements) and see people drinking beer with their lunch.

General price of alcohol. Pubs and cafes charge the normal premium one would expect for a drink, but if you're buying retail, damn cheap. For example, 700mL bottle of Gordon's Gin for just over 7€ (probably $12 Australian). Bought 12 longneck bottles of beer (individually) - mixed brands, and what would be considered 'boutique' in Australia, for 12€. Effectively a carton of beer for under $20 Australian.

Daylight hours. Coming into Summer here, and we have genuine daylight until 10:30pm at night. Makes Australian daylight saving hours pale into insignificance.

Siesta. Not sure if that is the official term - but pretty much everything shuts down between 12:30pm and 4:00pm. Want to buy something in the afternoon? Tough, you can't. I haven't actually observed this in Belgium as yet - so cannot confirm if it is the status quo - but it was certainly the case across Italy and France.

Belgians eat their main meal at lunch time. Everyone comes home at midday for a hot meal, which is eaten as a family. Breakfast is generally bread and spreads, and dinner is bread, cheese and fruit. Given the amount and variety of cheeses I have been consuming this trip, I have serious concerns for my cholesterol!

I am really enjoying Belgium. Gent, in particular, is beautiful, and I would love to spend more time here. I shall endevour to get some photos posted sometime today or tomorrow.

Until later, ciao.

Final Tally

2010-05-26T03:19:00.000+10:00

Just added up the numbers.

In Italy, I rode 420km and climbed over 5500 metres.

Not as many km as I hoped for - better preparation next time - but happy with that climbing number!

Garmin Catch Up

2010-05-26T03:14:00.000+10:00

Finally have an opportunity to post some of the Garmin logs from Week 1 at Belvedere.

Tim did the following ride - and as such all the HR and speed data is his. It was a ripper, I have not seen him look as stuffed after a ride as he did after this one for a long, long time.

The next one was an 'easy' ride out to the the owner, Maria's, Country House for lunch. A lovely ride, a lovely location for lunch, and a lovely meal.

And finally, the last day ride to San Marino, an independant principality located pretty much on the top of a rock. Apparently it's a tax haven, and the relationship seems to be pretty fractious with the Italian authorities. One of the other ride groups went there also, the result nearly being the tour guide getting arrested for not carrying appropriate identification.

Great spot for a coffee though.

Another Crop of Photos

2010-05-26T02:53:00.000+10:00

Cross Continental Travels

2010-05-23T17:51:00.000+10:00

Good morning All!

Wifi and internet access has been a bit more sporadic to find than we would have thought, so sorry for the lack of updating.

Currently we're in Chamonix in France, arrived here yesterday afternoon. There has been a fair bit of time spent in hire cars over the last week or so. We picked up our first car in Riccione in Italy, drove from east to west, staying at Monte Terminillo - where we saw a stage of the Giro d'Italia. Think I've already described that drive, but in brief involved a mountain pass with 6 foot snow banks on the side of the road. We then drove from Terminillo to Levanto - the Italian Autostrade network is crazy - 130km/h speed limit but this is more a loose guideline more than anything for the locals. The safest thing to do was just stick with the traffic flow, it at least allowed sufficient reaction time, rather than have traffic screaming past like you were standing still.

The drive was almost uneventful - I must confess to a small incident in the hire car. We came off an exit - 2 lanes - which was very quickly merged into 1 lane via some roadworks - unsigned and with no warning. A right turn was coming up, I had a car approaching at velocity on my left, I instictively hit the brakes and pulled right to avoid them - SMACK - took out the right hand mirror with one of the road work markers. No other damage, and apart from an elevated heart rate, nothing else wrong. Establishing the right hand limits while driving a left hand drive car has been a bit of an ordeal!

Luckily, 50 Euros was the only damage, and judging by the condition of most vehicles, these sorts of incidents are the rule rather than the exception. But I was a little pissed, having spoiled my nearly flawless driving record. Oh well - that is why they're called 'accidents'

Driving in Milan was a terrifying experience - at least in my mind. Practically though, the traffic was well behaved, moved well, none of the crazy horn blowing that one tends to associate with driving in big cities. Until we got to the train station, had to find the hire car office, and had to find a car park. That was an ordeal, and more through luck than anything we stumbled on the office, and made our train out of Milan with some time to spare.

Train from Milan to Grenoble (France) was spectacular - the line runs along the southern side of the Italian Alps - magnificent scenery the whole way. Grenoble was at first intimidating (having just sort of got comfortable with Italian, being thrown into a French speaking city was a shock) - but once we got out of town the countryside was awesome. Stayed in a little town called Bourg-de-Oisans at the base of d'Alpe d'Huez and woke up to street markets out the front of the hotel, baguettes and expresso for breakfast.

Had a crack at riding up d'Alpe D'Huez - not my day unfortunately - a broken spoke and badly collapsed and buckled wheel put paid to that idea - but we did get to drive up it and have a stickybeak around. Magnificent at the top, and more importantly, a very well stocked bike shop and all the Santini clothing you could possibly imagine. A serious wallet drain!

And so we are now in Chamonix, after a marathon drive yesterday through the French Alps, getting up as high as 2000 metres via the Col d' Glandon, some creative detours thanks to the GPS and some roadworks, and lunch at a random roadside bar.

And so today, up d'Aguille de Midi - which looks over Chamonix from 3845 metres. Not as high as the other peak looking over town - Mont Blanc at 4850 metres.

Going to be a great day...

Hopefully some more photos up later.

Ciao!

Australia's #1 job site If It Exists, You'll Find it on SEEK

Photos

2010-05-19T20:29:00.000+10:00

Quick post - running out of time.

Enjoy.

Greetings from Cinque Terre

2010-05-18T23:13:00.000+10:00

Good afternoon Southern Dwellers!

Sorry, it has been quite a few days since we have had access to an internet connection. I've had to swallow my pride, and enter an internet cafe' for the first time in a very long time.

It was with great sadness that we departed the Belvedere Bike Hotel on Saturday. Our stay there was fantastic, I managed to ride 5 out of the possible 6 days we had to ride, haven't counted up how many kilometres ridden or how many metres vertical climbed, but I suspect it will be in the region of about 500km for the week and about 4000 metres vertical.

It seems we lucked out with the weather as well. Saturday, our day of departure, saw torrential rain - perfect conditions for learning how to drive on the wrong side of the road, and how to negotiate Autostrade traffic that seems to think a 130 km-h speed limit is purely a loose advisory.

Saturday we loaded up the hire cars and set off for Monte Terminillo, which was about 350km away, and involved crossing the mountain range that runs NW-SE down Italy like a spine. It was a spectacular drive, including climbing up over a mountain pass that had 6 foot high banks of snow still on the sides of the road.

Our accomodation was 'rustic' - a polite way to say it was a fairly dated ski lodge. At least the bed was comfortable, and the heating worked, some of the time anyway.

Sunday morning, Giro Day, we woke to fresh snow on the ground, sub zero temps, and rain. Great day to spend outside watching cyclists ride up a big bloody steep hill! If we were cold, I can't imagine how the riders were feeling, most of whom were still out in short knicks and jerseys.

The atmosphere surrounding the Giro is something to behold. It wasn't as busy as I thought it would be, but the amount of support and infrastructure for the cycling teams was phenomenal, and the amount of sponsor presence, giveaways, promotions, and merchandise sales was pretty huge as well. Easily there would have been over 20 vans selling merch - from full cycling kits, team clothing and jerseys, right down to plastic clapper hands to cheer on your riders.

We spent the bulk of the afternoon on the side of the road, waiting for riders, and got to see all of our favourites - Cadel, Robbie, Matt Lloyd, Matt Hayman, etc etc. Being the patriotic sort, we had the Aussie flag out and were making all manner of a racket. Got huge smiles out of most of them (especially Robbie, slogging up the climb SCM last), and Matty Hayman chucked us his bidon as a souvineir (I prefer to think it was for that, rather than chucking it at us to shut us the hell up). A great day, and something do you don't get to do often.

Yesterday (Monday) we loaded up the car and are now in Levanzo (part of the Cinque Terre Coast). It is truly spectacular, heaps of photos so far, and too much to see and do!

Hopefully a further update later in the week.

Talk soon!

A week in Italy

2010-05-14T17:53:00.000+10:00

What a HUGE first week in Italy. I never dreamed we would fit so much in.

This week I have visited Urbino, a beautiful village perched in the mountains. I have shopped in Riccione and the markets in Rimini. I have ridden 55km on my very nice De Rosa road bike. I had a glorious one hour massage and danced for hours last night to awesomely tragic 70s and 80s music. Not to mention the three buffets each day with some of the best Italian food I have ever tasted and the drinks by the pool during sunset most nights. Oh and the coffee!!

We are so looked after here. The owner, Marina, has an eagle eye on everything and nothing slips by. The staff are wonderful and so helpful. Nothing is too much trouble. And I think the cyclists are spoilt rotten. A choice of four different rides every day with seriously good guides, and their cycling laundry washed for free every evening and ready for the next day. I really need to take the chefs and laundry staff home with me!

I have a day of R&R planned for today. Maybe a wander into the markets in Riccione, some time in the spa and sauna, and some catching up on blogging and emailing!

Tomorrow we begin the adventure of hiring cars and driving to Monte Terminillo for the stage of the Giro Ditalia on Sunday. From what I have seen of Italian driving it will definitlely be interesting!

Now off to the spa :-)

A few of the gang ready for a ride.

Pre-dinner drinks last night by the pool.

Thoughts on on Italian Life

2010-05-14T00:40:00.000+10:00

Probably a little premature posting this, because to date we have been living in a bubble here. Buffet meals three times a day, no need to leave the hotel unless you are sitting on a bike seat... pretty hard to take.

But a few things that have caught my eye:

High density living (and that is what it is here) really lends itself to either a motor scooter or a bike. The public transport network seems to be pretty darn good (regular buses and trains), they seem to be regular, reliable and modern. I can see it would be very possible to live without a car altogether. And with fuel at about €1.30 (about AU$2.00) a litre, living without a car would probably be a pretty sensible financial decision.

Bike helmets seem to be optional. Certainly for the people scooting around town on their bikes, a helmet would be an added burden to carry around with you, and I wonder if compulsary helmets would deter people from riding, or at least deter people from obeying the law. The bulk of commuting cycling seems to be around town at low speed, with very few vehicle interactions.

Every so often a study is trotted out that claims that there is a negative benefit to public health created by mandating cycling helmets. That is, by forcing people to wear helmets, people are being deterred from riding their bike, foregoing the health benefits of regular exercise. The suggestion is that is helmets were not compulsary, more people would ride, and be healthier, which would outweigh the effect of more severe injuries incurred through people not wearing helmets.

I always thought this was rubbish, but seeing just how many people ride here, I can see how there may be some truth to it. Do not get me wrong, I simply cannot see a no helmet policy working in Australia - there are simply too many bike - vehicle interactions, crossing busy roads etc. But for village or small town life here - well it seems to work.

By the same token, I am shocked by the number of road cyclists who ride without helmets. That just scares the bejesus out of me, especially given the business and general craziness of the Italian roads. Stupid decision no doubt, and I think that it is certainly one discipline where helmets should be mandated.

Cannot get over the number of people here that smoke. Seeing less at the moment as we are circulating with healthy bike riding type people - but in Rome, jeebers, I think every second person was smoking. Being that the Italians seem to be incredibly fashion concious (image is everything), the collolary must be that smoking is still seen to be cool.

Coffee - so freaking cheap, and so freaking good! I have not had a bad coffee since we have been here, and we have drunk a fair bit. Quick and cheap. €1 for a capucchino is about the mark. And it never ceases to amaze me that they can have 30 people milling around a coffee bar, and every has a coffee in their hand pronto, where if you had that in Australia, I would probably still be waiting for my coffee, which would be over extracted, bitter, and the milk burned. The Italians have really hit the nail on the head in this department.

OK, enough drivel. Photos and Garmin stuff from today's ride... later.

Ciao.

Day 5 Update

2010-05-13T17:26:00.000+10:00

A quick 5 minute update while we wait for this morning's bike ride to start.

I had a day off the bike yesterday - a nasty sore throat and a mild fever put paid to any ideas of heading out on a hard ride. I made the call to have a tactical day off the bike and rest up, rather than flog myself out and destroy myself for the rest of the trip. Feeling a bit sharper this morning, so heading out with the 70km - 800 metre vertical group. Tomorrow will be the last day on the bike, I cannot believe that this week has gone so fast!

Yesterday we took a half day tour to Rimini, where there were local markets on. Typical market that you could see anywhere in the world, but Rimini is quite a nice town. It is a walled city with large gates - arches to enter through, everything is paved, and there are bikes everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE. They would have easily outnumbered cars 5 to 1, maybe more. Everyone rides - just chuck the wife, kids and the dog on, and off you go. Seriously.

OK, time to ride. Further update later today.

Ciao.

Day 3 - Easy "Recovery" Ride

2010-05-12T02:57:00.000+10:00

Day 2 - Road Ride

2010-05-12T02:54:00.000+10:00

This ride was as tough as I have done in a long time. Not the distance or the climbing (although both were considerable), but the speed. The group included a team of UCI ranked Dutch mountain bikers, who I think are camped out here for a training camp. They are seriously pushing the envelope every time they go out, and trying to stay with them is bicycle suicide.

The final run home yesterday (20 odd km), I don't think dropped much below 40km.

I was a drooling mess by the time I got back to the hotel.

Ride 1 - "Easy" apparently...

2010-05-10T01:53:00.000+10:00

Some more pics

2010-05-10T01:31:00.000+10:00

Some more pics - apologies for the messed up order. Just getting them uploaded challenged my small brain enough! e.

Tim & Al having a pre-dinner, sunset drink at Belvedere Riccione

Looking over the pool at Belvedere Riccione

River Tiber, Rome

St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican

Arrivo

2010-05-09T02:51:00.000+10:00

We've made it to Riccione unscathed!

Hotel is lovely, hire bikes picked up and ready to go, and the last member of the Italian travelling show (Choppy) will be here in a couple of hours.

Jetlag stuffed me up last night, waking up at 2am and unable to sleep until 4. Managed to get a couple more hours and rise at the normal hour of 7am. Hopefully tonight will be a lot more straightforward in the sleep department.

Off to dinner shortly. Hopefully also access a real computer soon and post something more substantial, more than I can do with an iPhone!

When The Moon Hits Your Eye...

2010-05-08T01:17:00.000+10:00

Well, we made it. 3 flights and 30 hours in the air and we are in Rome.

No major dramas for us - some temporarily misplaced baggage at the airport. Met a couple from Syd in KL who were also heading to Rome, good value, plus they'd been here before, so they were able to give us some directions.

Have met up with Mike, Tim & Al Mat, 3 more of the party arriving tonight and tomorrow.

Spent the afternoon today at the Colluseum & Roman Forum, spectacular.

I am completely exhausted, only slept for 3 hours on all the flights, now 36 hours without any quality sleep. Nearly 6pm here and about to head for bed.

Girls have just headed out to try and find a bus tour around Rome.

Lesson 1

2010-05-06T13:14:00.000+10:00

Don't change currency at the airport.

Gouge-o-Rama.

Out. Of. Here.

2010-05-06T07:32:00.002+10:00

T minus 120 minutes. Slightly apprehensive. Nervous excitement, I think it's called.

Follow the adventures at www.elsant-italia.blogspot.com

Countdown

2010-05-05T09:47:00.000+10:00

The Countdown is on - 24 hours from now we'll be boarding a plane in Albury to fly to Sydney. Then we fly from Sydney at 2pm, stopping in Kuala Lumpur before arriving in Rome at 6am on Friday morning.

My bag's packed, and I've just got to finish up some work today and I'm ready to go!

Laughed out Loud

2010-05-02T16:13:00.000+10:00

Lucky I wasn't drinking anything when I saw this:

T minus 4 days

2010-05-02T15:53:00.000+10:00

Yep, 4 days until we flee these sunny shores for the slightly more sunny shores of Italy and Europe. Slightly excited. And by slightly, I mean extremely.

This blog will be a bit of a ghost town for the next 5 weeks or so. In the interim, I've created another blog at www.elsant-italia.blogspot.com - which will be pretty much completely dedicated to travel updates while we're away. Easier doing it there than here - for the simple reason that this blog has been relatively undiscovered, and so gives me a degree of latitude when posting - and I'd like to keep it that way. Editorial independence and all of that.

If you're interested in how our trip goes (or is going), please keep an eye on the above blog. I'm hoping to update daily, even if it is just a few short lines and a photo or two.

Nail Can MTB race this morning. Phew! 13.7km (short point to point course), 380 metres of climbing, 49 minutes, MaxHR 182 and AveHR 172. I was seeing stars by the end of it, that is for sure.

More info below:

Welcome

2010-05-02T15:37:00.000+10:00

Hi folks

We've created this blog to keep everyone up date while we travel overseas. Not being lazy - just much easier to have a single source of info that we can update, and everyone can see.

Updating will be pretty much solely dependant on our ability to source free wireless, wherever we are.

We leave this Thursday, with the rough route being Albury - Syd - Kuala Lumpur - Rome - Riccione - Monte Terminillo - Cinque Terre - Milano - Grenoble - Chamonix - Belgium - UK - KL - Sydney - home.

Phew! That is a lot of time in planes, trains and automobiles.

Yes, much excitement here at the moment.

More Garmin

2010-04-26T21:11:00.000+10:00

Geez I need to get my record keeping sorted out. Garmin is great, but it makes it far too easy to dodge filling out my training diary, or updating my kilometrage.

So - today's ride:

Pre-ride of the Nail Can Hill MTB race course. 15km point to point, 200 metre climb straight off the gun, and you climb 300 metres in the first 8km. A fair bit of down hill after that.

Italy? t minus 10 days. Busy busy busy!

Garmin & Me: The Adventure Begins

2010-04-12T23:10:00.000+10:00

Yep, I'm now one of those smarmy Garmin owners.

Which is great. 'Cos I can now bore you to death with stuff like this:

And this:

And this:

The possibilities are mind boggling. As are the questions. Two that have come to mind for me so far are (and I'm just copying these straight from posts I have put on Rotorburn):

Yes - I know that Polar have the better (patented) algorithm for calculating calories burnt than Garmin etc etc. I know that comparing numbers between devices isn't going to be accurate, etc etc.

My question is - has anyone worked out a rough 'conversion factor' between the two?

The reason I ask - I've just bought a Edge 705 and gave it a test run this morning on the road. In my training diary, I track 'intensity' - pretty much calories burned divided by length of ride. This gives me a rough indication of how hard I was working. With 3 years worth of Polar data, this roughly works out to 40 - 50 kJ / min for road ride, 50 - 60 for quicker road ride, 55 - 65 on the MTB, and anything up to about 80 for a lactic XC sufferfest. (I convert Calories to kJ for my tracking)

Plugged my first Garmin data this morning into the sheet. What was a pretty relaxed ride (would have expected about 45kJ / min) came back as 93kJ / min. Obviously a bit of different between the data for the two!

I'm thinking I'm going to have to wear the Polar AND the Garmin for a few rides to see if I can't work out what the difference is between the two - unless someone has already crunched the numbers?

And:

Well, interestingly enough, I ran the Garmin today for the Wagga 3+3, which gives me useful comparison data to last years race.

Intensity for last year (measured with Polar) was 71kJ/min. Intensity this year (measured with Garmin) was 63kJ/min. This year I'm about 5kg lighter, and was lapping around 4 minutes quicker, I'd expect intensity to be a little lower. So maybe the gap between the two devices is not that great?

One thought that did occur to me. Polar (at least mine, watch style F6) doesn't take into account bike / equipment weight, where Garmin does. This does mean it's important to make sure when I'm switching it between bikes, I change the bike profile (also to keep odometers correct). Maybe the reason the road ride's result was so far out the window was because I hadn't changed the profile, and it thought I was doing 50km/h on a 13kg duallie.

Anyway, still learning. It certainly looks like going close to being the killer device though!

So, sit down, settle in, and prepare to be amused as I struggle with the complexities of this new toy.

One good thing I've found though - public domain contour and street maps to upload. Check out Shonkymaps and Contours Australia if you're interested.

Thankyou, Traveller GST Refund Scheme

2010-04-06T07:29:00.000+10:00

One of these on the way:

Dee, I've even worked out how to suck data from it into ArcMap.

A Terrible Loss

2010-03-29T13:08:00.003+11:00

The mountain biking community lost someone special last week.

James Williamson - rider extraordinare, National 24 Hour Champion 2006, World 24 Hour Champion 2008, MTBing journalist, and Editor of 'Enduro' mag, passed away apparently in his sleep, while competing at the ABSA Cape Epic MTB Stage Race in South Africa.

James wouldn't know me from a bar of soap, any contact I have had with him was brief and fleeting - usually him screaming past at a gazillion miles an hour while racing.

But I have followed his career and his riding over the last few years. I've enthusiastically read his articles, and I've religiously bought his magazine. He was an excellent author, a great rider, and a great role model for people wanting to get involved in the MTB scene. To have someone who is so passionate about the sport in such a high profile and public position can do wonders. When I saw him win the 06 Australian title, I think that was the moment that I decided 24 hour racing was something I wanted to have a crack at.

And I suspect that Willo has touched the lives, in some way or another, of many other MTBers. This was shown at the Mont 24 Hour on the weekend, where a minutes silence was observed for James, and the race start delayed 1 hour so that a Lap of Honour for James could be ridden by all 2500 entrants.

As we were standing quietly, just about to observe the minutes silence, I saw a butterfly flittering it's way through the crowd, landing on peoples shoulders, arms and helmets. I watched the butterfly for a good couple of minutes, and thanks to the wonders of the iPhone, managed to get the attached photo as it landed on my helmet.

I'm by no means a religious person, but it would be nice to think that this butterfly was James, working his way through the crowd, telling us all to go and have a ride.

It is done

2010-03-21T12:32:00.000+11:00

Apart from the last 4km being dirt, and steep dirt at that, a fun time was had by all!

And for my next trick:

2010-03-20T08:02:00.002+11:00

View Larger Map

Quick Check In

2010-03-16T22:36:00.000+11:00

2 days into the new job. My head is spinning and my brain hurts! (In a good way, of course)

Job and responsibilities still taking shape, but there is a very, very large fire management project (courtesy of the Black Saturday bushfires last year) that looks like it will take a large chunk of my time. Cue many hours staring at the computer screen, validating and fixing other people's data.

Dee, you will be pleased to know that 'attendance at SSSI meetings' made it into my work plan.

Bike-wise - a surprise 80km jaunt Sun morning. Long story short, went to bed Sat night with the better part of a bottle of red on board. Woke up at 5am Sun, badly dehydrated, and to the sound of the dog dragging the cone of shame across the floor (another long story, another time). Couldn't get back to sleep, so lycra'd up and headed out with one of the bunch rides.

Ride started well, with one of the group pulled up by the cops for running a red light. Ironically, he is a local solicitor who is one of the biggest agitators in the area for improved cycling infrastructure and Council accountability. But it did get better - and finished off very well, Eggs Benedict with salmon and a bloody good coffee.

World Cup tonight - hung with the big boys in B Grade right until the end - nearly got dropped in the middle when I got hung out to dry in no mans land on a break - but fought back and hung on. Nothing special at the end, but it was good to be in the mix.

140km ride in the wind for Saturday. Time to ramp up the km's and hours in the saddle for the Italian Assault.

MIA

2010-03-07T15:00:00.000+11:00

What a month.

It seems like I, along with a few other bloggers of note, have suffered some sort of weird malaise - busyness combined with writer's block and a helping of apathy.

I really feel like the last month has just been go, go, go.

Otway Odyssey was a ball as always. I got within 4 minutes of my target time (wanted 8:15, ended up with 8:19) and a clear picture of what I now need to do to get under 8 hours. I've discussed this ad nauseum elsewhere - but as always, by the time I finished the thing on Sat, I was well trashed and swore never to do it again. By Sun lunch (there may have been beer involved) - we were talking about next year's plans.

So, just to document it, and so I don't chicken out:

2011: Sub 8 hours
2012: Single speed. Probably out to 10 hours.

With the excitement of an impending new job comes great anxiety also. I spent half a day in my new office - just enough time to learn that the bloke who hired me has himself resigned, and will have finished up prior to me starting. No clear replacement for him as yet. The other chap in my department will likely end up seconding for him - but is heading on leave the second week I am there.

So - Week 2, new job, I will be alone in a department that I have no idea how it runs, using computer systems that I know nothing about, and will apparently be GIS Support for the bulk of the state. That has caused me a sleepless night or two!

And life at the bike shop continues to be, um, exciting. We've all been burning the candles at both ends, using this month to let people run down their annual leave before I desert the ship. So it has essentially been 4 weeks of working 6 days a week. Fair to say that we are getting short, testy, and on each others nerves. No worse than any other workplace, but the tiredness and sleep debt is catching up with us all.

So much for me that Friday night I got home from work, cooked dinner, and went straight to bed. Before 9pm - which is completely unheard of for me. And then last night much the same - except I did read for a couple of hours, which I have not had the luxury of doing for a while. And woke up this morning at 9am - again, completely unheard of for me.

And to top of the month, unfortunately things have not been sweet in the world of kayaks and fishing. I take great, great pride in what we have created at AKFF - and I take great offence when people are unfairly critical. So when someone - that I used to admire and respect greatly - took a unprovoked swing at us, and subsequently crapped on us from a great height, I was hurt, distressed and confused. My fault for wearing my heart on my sleeve and being so protective, but I still cannot process the whys and wherefores.

This probably makes no sense to those of you reading, consider this just me venting and trying to clear my head.

So - with so much going on, something has suffered, that being my ride log. The entries have been thin for 2 reasons - firstly not much riding going on (other than the commute to work), secondly, I haven't been filling the bloody thing out. So today I've gone back and made a post-humous effort to fill the gaps. Thanks to Polar Technology, it's pretty good I think, the weak link in the equation being my memory.

So - 1 week left @ the shop, then I enter the vortex of the Service.

Interesting Times Ahead.

Eep!

2010-02-15T19:11:00.000+11:00

Just about to drop a swag of money on these:

More information and loads of confusing numbers here.

How May I Serve You?

2010-02-07T18:20:00.000+11:00

Exciting times in the Ant household.

It would appear that I have secured a job with the Department of Sustainability & Environment (DSE - a Victorian State Gov department) as a GIS Operator.

It's only a 12 month contract, and the pay is pretty lean - but it's a job, a GIS job at that.

Woo hoo!

Looking like a mid-March commencement, so I'm scrambling now to kick the brain back into gear, remember some of the stuff I've been learning over the last 2 years, and trying to remember what working in an office is like.

Anyway - I'm excited!

Results

2010-01-25T22:12:00.001+11:00

No 2010 results as yet. Unsure what Audax do actually - not sure if they release individual times or not. The website is a little clunky to navigate.

BUT

I found this from last year:

My 5:40 would have put me somewhere between the Top 10 and Top 15% on last years numbers.

Bit chuffed.

All Audax-ed Out

2010-01-25T09:55:00.000+11:00

Well what a day.

This was to be my first Audax event (www.audax.org.au) - and I must profess, I really enjoyed it.

2500 odd riders, all riding different distances and routes, Bright transformed into a French themed Carnivale, bikes and people everywhere, and hills to climb.

As for my ride, not much to say, other than it all went to plan. For the first time in a long time, I went into an event feeling properly prepared. After plenty of climbing over the last couple of months, all stages of the route recce'd and practiced, it was just a matter of stringing them all together and getting the job done.

The one problem I had was trying to find a comfortable group to ride with. I started at the rear of the field (needed to finish my coffee before I left), so spent probably the first half of the ride bridging from group to group. On the climbs I found myself in the unusual position of regularly overtaking people (I climb like a hippopotamous usually, so this was a most strange revelation to me) but I just kept riding to my plan and pace, and kept going.

Tawonga Gap (the Mt Beauty side) was a little challenging, hitting it with 100km in the legs and full sun was somewhat demoralising, but just spin, spin, spin, and keep talking to other people on the way up meant that the time flew, and before I knew it, I was over the top, and on the final run home.

So in the end, 130km in 5hrs 40 - 5hrs 28 of which was riding time, I am a pretty happy camper.

Next challenge - Otway Odyssey - time to get back on the MTB and somehow hang on to the climbing legs I've managed to create!

Arthur Vichot, we salute you

2010-01-22T21:19:00.000+11:00

I couldn't work out why Cycling Tips was plugging this guy so much. I put it down to my lack of knowlege of the Pro cycling scene.

Now I know.

Would you like to know?

The Italian Job

2010-01-21T13:11:00.002+11:00

Hire bike sorted for the trip:

Pain Machine

2010-01-20T21:05:00.000+11:00

Computer Says No

2010-01-20T19:27:00.000+11:00

And I thought I was doing so well.

Missed the bunch ride this morning - after a late night and a busy couple of weeks, I opted for the sleep in on my day off. (7:15am is a sleep in, right?)

So I snuck out on the singlespeed tonight to do a lap of town, on a few little known dirt roads and tracks. There is one particular hill that has always challenged, not too steep, but looong and constant, and straight up. This was the first time I'd tempted it on the SS. Made it the whole way up while staying seated, I was pretty stoked. HRM said 164 the whole way up, and I was superstoked by this - I thought I would be red lining for sure! Must be getting fitter, right?

So feeling quietly chuffed, I continued on my way. There is a short, steep, pinchy section that involves a fair bit of out of the saddle grinding to get up, you know the type, just leaning and pushing as hard as you can, while praying that the chain doesn't snap and you don't do yourself an injury. Red line territory for sure. I made it up, checked the HRM expecting to see something in the 190's - and what do you know, 164 still.

The flipping thing had locked up on me.

Grrrr. So, no HR data and no distance data. How on earth am I supposed to ride a bike without DATA?

So, long and the short of it, I rode my bike for an hour. I don't know how fast I went, and I don't know how hard I worked, but it was fun.

That's probably what bikes were intended for in the first place.

Data - More data!

2010-01-13T15:26:00.000+11:00

Cycling Profiles data for the two legs of last weekend's ride.

Harrietville to Mt Hotham
Mt Hotham to Omeo

And for this weekend:

Tawonga Gap
Bogong Village (Note: this is the Falls Creek data, we will be turning around @ Bogong Village, approx 15km up the climb)

In The Bag

2010-01-10T19:13:00.000+11:00

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Knocked this off today. 88km including an alpine ascent, and at least 4 other granny gear climbs over 10 minutes in length.

Fair to say that this ascent of Mt Hotham went a whole lot better than the last. (Can't find a link to what I wrote last time I climbed Hotham, but it was ugly, and involved a nearly complete mental breakdown. And I'm not joking). With a few less kg around the belt, fitter legs, and a better bike, I won't say I sailed up this time, but I did a whole lot better. To the ticket office - no problems - 10 minute break to wait for others in the party. CRB Hill - hurt, but just got out of the saddle and pushed through the pain barrier, and the next climb (can't remember the name) was ugly, but a 30 second regroup at the Razorback helped no end.

Quick stop at the General to replenish bottles and eat, and we tackled the next 55km. Plenty of downs in this, but some sneaky little sharp climbs, and as mentioned above, 4 climbs that really tested the mental fortitude.

But we did it. Ride time for the Hotham leg was just shy of 2 hours (34km climb), and then the 55km to Omeo was 1hr 45.

We're all pretty happy with ourselves.

2010 Starts Well

2010-01-06T09:22:00.000+11:00

Well I've hit the ground running.

Commuting to work every day so far this year, Tuesday night World Cup last night (C Grade - 2nd) and then the standard 50km out and back Wednesday morning ride.

Feeling pretty tired, but in a good way. Aim is to keep the volume pretty high for the next couple of weeks until Audax. Will need to throw in another Alpine ascent before then as well, thinking probably Bright over Tawonga Gap, up to Bogong Village, and return.

Week and a half away from TDU, and fair to say that I am insanely jealous of all the people heading over for it. BOO I say, BOO! It promises to be a cracker, Cadel vs Lance, Alan Davis declaring his intention to defend, and I wouldn't be ruling out some of the local talent either - Jack Bobridge for example, a local SA boy, who turned in an impressive first effort last year, and now has a year of serious racing and hardening under his belt. Watch carefully, especially on the northern suburb stages.

Housekeeping-wise, have updated the side bar with the first four events of this year. 1 big event each month for the next 4, going to be busy, and that's without factoring in any local stuff as well.

Time or Distance?

2010-01-01T16:04:00.000+11:00

Read an interesting interview with Simon Gerrans over at Cycling Tips yesterday.

Gerro says that he doesn't train by distance, rather by time. Logic being that you could pound out alot of very quick km's if you wanted to on the flat, but if you're not putting in the hours, you're not getting the benefit.

So I'm going to track my time on the bike this year as well as km. I've always suspected that the volume of MTBing I do affects my kilometrage (d'uh - of course it does - anything with an average speed of 13km/h is going to drag it down), so I will be interested to see the results.

You may now resume normal programming. I shall continue to metabolise far too many Heineken beers consumed last night.

Au Revoir, 2009

2009-12-28T21:25:00.000+11:00

So nearly another year draws to a close.

It is probably time for me to become self-indulgent and reminisce about another 365 days, what occurred and transpired, and what I hope for the next 12 months.

The Bike

It was a big bike related year, in more ways than one. I was mentally fatigued at the start of the year, and made a fairly public commitment that 2009 would be a year of less racing and less events.

Yeah right.

Feb saw me ride the Otway Odyssey, March the Wagga 6 Hour (in a pair), April the Mont 24. Somewhere in there was the Tumut 3 Hour, then there was the Forrest 6 Hour (my first 6 hour solo race), then the Scott 24 Hour, and Gravity 12 Hour. Phew.

On less fun bike stuff, I also got cleaned up by a car, which resulted in the untimely death of my beloved Trek road bike. Luckily though it did not result in my untimely death.

After all the insurance malarky was sorted, I was able to upgrade somewhat to a Giant Defy Advanced - a very nice bike, and far far better than I could ever hope to be as a cyclist.

I was also able to add another bike to the quiver - a rigid, singlespeed, 29r mountain bike. Behold, the GT Peace 9r.

It was a bit of an impulse purchase, but one that required alot of scrimping and saving. I've wanted a singlespeed for a while, firstly to toughen me up a bit on the trails, secondly to double up as some strength training. And the opportunity to secure something in 29 inch, just to see what the fuss is about, and something fully rigid, to teach some smoother riding, was too much to pass up.

The bike has only seen limited dirt time thus far, but has commuted to work with me on a number of occasions. The ratio is pretty low, relatively speaking, so on the daily commute, it encourages smooth spinning, high cadence, and is proving to be good for recovery rides. On the dirt, especially climbing, it is tough but achievable, sticks like velcro to a floor rug, and is surprisingly comfortable to ride. It may sound trite, but you learn very quickly to conserve energy and ride efficiently. Attack hard and early, and pray that you don't get caught up behind anyone when you're out of the saddle.

I've tried my hand at a little low-level road racing. I saddled up for C Grade again in the last race before Xmas. A little smarter riding had me with the bunch for much longer (a bigger bunch helped as well), and I managed to attack with about 5km to go, taking 2 with me, and shattering the peleton.

We got caught with about 500 metres to go, giving me a quick chance to regroup, take a breather, and see how it was going to pan out. Someone took off earlier than expected - the baggy shorts gave him away as being a sacrificial lamb - but then someone fitter and faster made a break as well. I took off after him, and absolutely turned myself inside out chasing him down. Slowly, slowly making ground, someone on my tail ready to pounce, am I going to get there... BOOM. Got him on the line, not more than 1/2 a wheel in it.

Now starting to up the training load, as Alpine Audax is in about 4 weeks, and then I've stupidly signed up for the Otway Odyssey again, which is in about 8 weeks.

Km-wise, I didn't set myself a goal this year (well, not publicly anyway). After missing my 4000km goal the year before, I secretly hoped to hit that number this year. And today's ride up Falls pushed me over the line. Very, very happy. Hopefully another hundred by the end of the week, getting me close to 4200 for the year.

Sure, it's not the 15000km that our northern brethren have clocked up, but I'm happy with it all the same!

The Job

Study and job hunting has been slower than I would have liked this year. The initial plan was to have my GIS course completed by the end of 2009 - but with ever increasing hours and responsibilities at the bike shop, time to study has been leaner than I would have liked.

I finally got myself to a position where I felt confident in applying for GIS related jobs, and the back end of the year produced a rash of opportunities, which I duly applied for.

Positions came up locally with GHD (very large engineering firm), Murray CMA, North East CMA, and North East Water. I interviewed with GHD and NE Water (no call up for the other two), and initially thought I interviewed very well and was in with a shot. Unfortunately it was not to be - GHD opting not to fill the position, and NE Water opting for another candidate.

It's a little hard not to be dejected, as the positions do not come up all that often, and to have jobs come up with all the major employers within the space of a couple of months makes me think that it will be a while before any of them need to recruit again. But I am keeping my chin up, focussing on getting the course done, and getting out there and doing whatever piecemeal GIS jobs and projects come up.

The BMI Challenge

One of the bonus side effects of increased bike riding is increased weight loss. For a very long time I bounced around the 105kg mark, give or take. When I started working at the bike shop last year, a more physical work load resulted in a few kg starting to fall off. I never really noticed the weight coming off, the only benchmark I really remember was last year at the Scott 24, I was 100kg.

Things got a bit competitive amongst me and a few of our mates, as we all had a few kg to lose. The idea was to get us all down to the 'healthy' BMI range (for me this is 85kg) - and a little competition never hurt, right?

There was pride on the line, plus a pretty healthy prize to boot. And it came down to the final weigh in, and a 0.01% difference, for it to be won.

We've continued on with the challenge, in a slightly reduced form. I got down as low as 88.5, with Xmas socialising and associated eating, this has crept back up to around 91. But whatever the number is, it is a damn sight better than it used to be.

One could say I am 14% less of a man.

2010

What does it hold?

No idea really.

A couple of things that I know are going to happen:

# Alpine Audax in Jan
# Otway Odyssey in Feb
# Mont 24 in Mar
# Italy in May

A couple of things that I would like to happen:

# Finish the GIS course
# Get some sort of GIS related (paid) work
# Get down to 86kg
# Ride 5000km

But above all, another year enjoying life and being happy is what I'm really aiming for.

The Whippings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

2009-12-28T17:52:00.001+11:00

So after my recent rush of blood to the head, it becomes sensible to get out and do some climbing and training before I get thrown in the deep end, Audax style.

Headed off early to Mt Beauty this morning. Plan: Climb Falls Creek and return.

Mission accomplished. Time up = 2:15, ave speed 13.7 km/h. Time down = 50 minutes, ave speed = 37 km/h.

Just need to string this together with a climb and descent of Tawonga Gap (both sides) to pull the 130km together.

Groover, please tell all about the Tawonga Gap climb?

Chinglish

2009-12-17T22:40:00.000+11:00

Got to love an amusing lost-in-translation type translation.

But this one is a ripper. No translation required, this is a straight cut-and-paste from the Bianchi website.

Just looking for information on the Bianchi Methanol MTB - and this is what they've got:

Bianchi Methanol SL. To win all the challenges on any grounds. Always. Join tradition and vanguard is not an easy job. But if this mix becomes reality, the result could touch the excellence. With this philosophy Bianchi presents Methanol SL, the new top range bicycle among the mountain bikes for competition. Two years of research and development and one of test on dirt patches trying different technical solutions, thanks to the collaboration of team TX Active-Bianchi, guarantee to Methanol SL the certainty to answer to the most extreme requirements.

Maximum lightweight, extreme rigidity and excellent performances: here are the answers of Bianchi Methanol SL to the bikers who want be always at the top. This frame, in its final version, was used by Leonardo Paez in World Cup XCO races and taken to the success in the "Internazionali dâ€™Italia" and in the granfondo "100 km dei Forti" and "Cimbri".

Source

Great bike, not sure about the sales pitch.

Committed

2009-12-16T21:45:00.000+11:00

Alpine Audax 2010 - 130km. Signed up and paid.

Tour Of Bright Retrospective

2009-12-16T14:40:00.000+11:00

Pull The Ripcord

2009-12-11T07:17:00.000+11:00

This week has seen an unprecedented amount of entertaining, travelling and eating. And boy, oh boy, am I feeling it.

It all started Saturday night. Friends over for dinner. Made risotto, alot of risotto.
Sunday morning - breakfast at the Bright Bakery, pre Tour Of Bright spectating.
Sunday night - leftover risotto for dinner.
Monday morning - no milk in the fridge, bakery muffin and coffee for breakfast.
Monday night - leftover risotto for dinner.
Tuesday night - Elsie's birthday, friends over for dinner, BBQ.
Wednesday morning - drive to Melbourne. Bacon and egg roll for breakfast.
Wednesday lunch - McDonalds (just to use the free wireless, really, I promise!)
Wednesday night - pub for dinner with a mate in Melbourne. Mixed grill, I think 4 animals died for it.
Thurs morning - Still in Melb. Cafe breakfast, Eggs Florentine, coffee.
Thurs lunch - Subway and coffee.
Thurs night - Els away for work. Mate's wife also away for work. Apply the formula WIVES AWAY = TAKEAWAY. Pizza and garlic bread.

This weekend is not going to be any better.

Tonight - Elsie's work Xmas party. Finger food.
Tomorrow night - MTB Club Xmas party. Taking over the wood fired pizza oven.
Sunday night - Another MTB Xmas function. Ride and then pub. Will no doubt involve a chicken parmie the size of a TV screen. And beer too, no doubt.

Monday's weigh in is going to be very, very ugly.

I hope that is the end of the Xmas socialising, and I can get back on the wagon!

Training For The Week

2009-12-07T06:57:00.000+11:00

Week 1 was slow, real slow. 3 rides, but I would have been lucky to clock up 3 hours on the bike.

Week 2 prescribes:

Mon 1 hour Level 1 - 2 (riding to work this morning)

Tues 1.5 hours Level 2 - 3 (slow cadence work).
Might try and hit the World Cup bunch ridie tomorrow night - but it is Elsie's birthday, so might not be hugely great form.

Wed 1 hour Level 1 - 2
Might need to reschedule this, looking like I have to drive to Melb Wednesday, but that's another story

Thurs 1.5 hours Level 2 - 3 (high cadence work).
A good excuse to take my new singlespeed for a ride, but that's also another story.

Fri Rest

Sat 1.5 - 2 hours, Level 1 - 2
Gentle afternoon spin, possibly also on singlespeed.

Sun 2 - 3 hours, Level 2 - 3
Longer commute to work maybe.

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. I've got a plan, that is the first step. Let's see how we go from there.

NSW: New Cycling Guidelines

2009-11-30T18:32:00.000+11:00

From smh.com.au:

Cycle rage: new rules for pack riders

JOHN HUXLEY

November 30, 2009 - 2:23PM

Wear bright clothing. Leave MP3 players and mobile phones at home. Never ride more than two abreast. And never travel in packs of more than 20.

That's the basic message for cyclists riding in groups contained in new NSW Government guidelines aimed at reducing the increasing number of road injuries and deaths.

"Riding in traffic can be safe and enjoyable for cyclists who follow some commonsense tips," Assistant Transport Minister David Borger said today when he launched the safety campaign at a Darlinghurst coffee shop.

"We all know 'the road is there to share' and, in order to save lives, all road users need to obey the rules and respect others.

"Cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users and it is important they understand the safest way to travel."

The guidelines were formulated with the help of Bicycle NSW, the state's peak body for recreational and commuter cycling.

The group's chief executive, Alex Unwin, said he was confident the measures would be adopted, despite not being enforceable.

"This will be embraced wholeheartedly by the vast majority of cyclists ... it will help keep their groups safe, there's no doubt about that," Mr Unwin said.

Last year, there were almost 700 cycling accidents, three involving fatalities, in the Sydney region.

The number of deaths is expected to have doubled this year. There have been several highly publicised incidents recently.

They include two serious accidents on Southern Cross Drive and a case in Seven Hills in which a cyclist, who was allegedly riding illegally on a T-Way lane, followed and boarded a bus, before bashing the 64-year-old driver.

Parramatta police duty officer, Inspector Beth Sturton, said police had still not been able to identify the cyclist involved in the T-Way dispute.

"There's still a couple of witnesses [we're] trying to speak to but nothing's come to light there that can identify the individual at this stage," Inspector Sturton said.

But Mr Unwin said he believed the growing popularity of cycling was helping keep cyclists safe.

"It's counter-intuitive but as more people take to their bikes ... [motorists] are more and more aware of people on bikes and take more care around them," he said.

Mr Borger said cyclists, like all other road users, were expected to obey the rules.

"This includes all signs and signals, staying clear of moving motor vehicles, wearing a helmet, ride no more than two abreast unless passing and follow lane markings.

“Cyclists should also look out for pedestrians and give way to them and they are strongly advised to wear brightly coloured or reflective clothing to help make them more visible.”

Mr Unwin said the single most important thing new cyclists could do was take time to familiarise themselves with their bikes and build up their skills.

"It's important to develop your skills and experience and not ride 50 kilometres on your first time," he said.

"Take it slowly and steadily and build up your skills and understand how your bike works in different road conditions."

URL: http://www.smh.com.au/national/cycle-rage-new-rules-for-pack-riders-20091130-jzmw.html

Riposa In Pace

2009-11-29T22:30:00.000+11:00

There has been a death in the household.

The hard-working, long suffering, much abused, much maligned desktop computer has finally bitten the dust.

It caved under the load of 80 gig of music, another 40 gig of photos, a terabyte drive half full of video stuff, multiple programs running pretty much continously, plus the biggest drain of all, ArcGIS.

All the gaffa tape, positive thinking, friendly taps, and percussive maintenance that have held it together over the years have finally failed.

I know it can never be truly replaced. But it can be upgraded. Possibly with a machine that is much more suited to what I need it to do than the coathanger wire and chewing gum solution the old box consisted of was.

So - uber nerds, geeks, GIS freaks unite.

Please tell me - what am I going to need in a new PC?

The Program Starts Monday...

2009-11-28T21:00:00.001+11:00

Alberto has been kind enough to come up with a training plan for me.

I sense I'm going to be a difficult customer. Not a regular road rider, not training for a specific event (not in the short term anyway), no real defined riding pattern, but having what is politely termed as a 'big hairy audacious goal'.

The goal?

Italia2010, 800km of riding in the space of 7 days, with God knows how much climbing. Yeeeeouch.

So - anyway, back the the progam. This week the Doctor prescribes:

Monday - rest (swim or stretch)
Tues - Easy commute, 1.5 to 2 hours
Wed - rest
Thurs - easy commute, 1.5 to 2 hours
Fri - rest
Sat - easy commute, 1.5 to 2 hours
Sun - rest

Probably going to look more like

Mon - rest or commute (undecided at this point)
Tue - rest
Wed - commute / short dirt crit or bunch ride
Thur - rest
Fri - commute
Sat - commute
Sun - rest (Tour of Bright, does spectating and screaming at the top of my lungs count as rest?)

Going to be tough having an 'easy' week - not in my normal week, and being sooo close to topping last years kilometres, the temptation is to just get out and pound out a solid week.

Must. Fight. Temptation.

Still need to schedule in benchmark TT as well (need to decide on route as well) - stay tuned?

White Line Fever

2009-11-25T09:41:00.000+11:00

An unexpected change to the work roster left me available to contest one of the weekly 'must-do' rides - the Tuesday Night World Cup.

This is a 35-ish kilometre out and back along a quiet but undulating road. Numbers vary, anything up to 80 people can turn up, and it will generally split into A, B and C grades - with the variant being the turn around point.

I rolled out with the intention of coming back with C grade - I haven't done this ride for quite some time (over 12 months by my calculation), my bunch riding / racing skills are not sharp, and I just wasn't sure what the pace would be like.

As it turns out we missed the C grade turn, and I ended up in a bunch of 4 trying to chase them down. The pace was strong, nothing much less than 40km/h most of the way home. The turns were pretty rapid, and as I mentioned before my race bunch riding skills, not so sharp. I was surging alot as I pulled out to the front, and if my turn came on a hill (as it did twice or three times) the elastic would break, I'd be off the front, and the other three would have to work to get back on my wheel. Considering we were supposed to be working together to reel back the bunch, this was not ideal.

We cleaned up about half of the field, mostly stragglers off the back, but couldn't quite get the rest of the field.

The finishing run in is a steady climb over about 1km, followed by a flat run in to the finish line. We dropped the fourth rider about 2km out. Somehow I got hung out to dry on the final climb up, but peeled off and took second wheel. Not quite sure where the finishing line was, I was hoping to take the cue from the other two. First wheel didn't contest, and the bloke on my wheel sprung out unexpectedly. I took off after him, but he had a good 5 or 6 metres on me that was going to be difficult to bridge.

But I dug in and really had a crack, and managed to wind up, and up and up.

I don't think he was expecting me to be there, and as he looked back to see if anyone was contesting, I was right there.

Got him on the line by half a wheel.

Road racing could be quite a bit of fun.

Hell Of A Commute

2009-11-15T20:06:00.003+11:00

Thinking idle thoughts about doing this on a weekly basis:

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