Lisa brought a pure merino wool jersey from eBay and it turned up today. We went on a short ride with my sister and PDL looked so good in her total outfit that I just HAD to get a photo of her (I took it while riding next to her).
As I said to PDL, she looks like she could be riding in Europe with a bunch of other hardcore cyclists. I would even go so far as to say she looks sexy in her cycling gear.
Yep- cycling has become such an obsession that I think PDL in the gear looks sexy.
What have I become... *shakes head*
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Hubba Hubba! How cool does my wife look!
My first 1 in 20 ride - a picture tells a thousand words!
The sun is creating dappled patterns on the road as it shines through the trees and the sound of birds is the only thing I can hear other than my own labored breathing. I have been in pain for the past 40 odd minutes and the countdown to the finish rolls under my wheels bit by bit- 500mts, 250mts, 100mts and so on. My chest is burning, my legs are aching, the sweat has soaked through my headband and is dripping onto my sunglasses, my feet feel like they are on fire and my jersey is unzipped as far as it will go in an attempt to cool my body down. All I can think of is that next meter of road in front of me...
Man it feels good!
Ok; I’ll go back a bit…
The first time I heard about the 1 in 20 ride up Mt Dandenong, I thought it was crazy. Sure the pro riders can climb the mountains but we mere mortals don’t ride up such hills. Or so I thought. Then I read more about the climb and while it still sounded like hard work, I was feeling stronger and stronger on the hills and the idea of pushing my limits up such a climb sounded like a good idea.
Polka Dot Lisa and I drove the course one dull Sunday to see what it was like and while it did seem like a long hill, it wasn’t too steep and not unfeasible. “We can do this” I said to PDL, but she just thought it was way too much for us and deep down I think she was right. Then on one of our rides down to Frankston, I attempted Hopes Rise for the first time and didn’t get very far before I had to stop and walk up. At the time I was really disappointed in myself and the whole idea of riding the 1 in 20 was put on hold.
Then all of a sudden, my fitness and strength seemed to ramp up suddenly and I felt like I had a new burst of strength in my legs when riding. The rolling hills around Ricketts Point didn’t slow me down too much and all other hills that previously made me work hard, no longer seemed to be a problem.
Then, with the Around the Bay ride coming up and with PDL and I not entered, I figured what the heck- let’s undertake our own personal test and give the 1 in 20 a go. “We’ll just spin our way up slowly in a super low gear” I said to PDL when she thought we were biting off more than we could chew. And so, reluctantly, PDL agreed to give it a go with me. She calls my constant pushing of our limits the "Vidman School of Accelerated Cycling!"
Sunday morning I did my weekly weigh in after getting up. I discovering that not only did I not have my weekly 1kg weight drop, but I actually put on 0.1kg! Not happy, not happy at all! 
We packed our bikes into the back of our Renault Megane for the trip out to Anaconda for a 7am start. We had never tried to get two bikes into the car so it was a bit of an experiment but luckily they fitted in easy with room to spare.
At Anaconda we met up with Ian from the BV forum who had done the 1 in 20 before so it was good to get a bit of a guide. Sunday had dawned hot with a hot northerly wind so it was less than ideal for us newbies to be attempting such a challenge but so be it- I wasn’t about to let a bit of heat stop me.
As we rode towards the mountain down Colchester Rd, PDL picked up a rear puncture. Damn those tyres are puncture magnets! A quick swap of the tube, a short burst of the CO2 cartridge and we were back on the road. On the approach to the official start of the 1 in 20, we climbed some decent looking hills and I was worried. My legs felt dead and I was hurting already. I doubted my ability to do the climb and I was feeling crappy about me lack of energy and my morning weigh-in.
We stopped at the shops at the base of the climb and had a breather. Ian had to take off up the mountain as he was running short on time so we said our goodbyes and PDL and I discussed whether to go on or not. After weighing up the prospect of how much physical pain I would go through to ride the climb or how much mental pain I would have to deal with if I DIDN’T do the climb, I figured the physical pain was the lesser of two evils and I would give it a go. Plus- given my lack of weight drop that week, I HAD to push myself harder if I was to keep on dropping the kilos.
We set off and ouch, ouch, ouch, it hurt. My lungs were working hard and my legs ached. I had to spin fast in a low gear as my legs didn’t feel like they could push harder for long. I was sitting on a pathetic 11-13 kph and at a cadence of around the mid 80’s. PDL was obviously doing it easy at my pace but she stayed with me to help me keep going.
After about 15-20 minutes I had to stop to catch my breath. Even though I had been working on keeping my pedaling and breathing at a steady pace, it got away from me and I had to cool off before I totally blew up. I staggered off the bike and sat on the embankment, breathing hard and dripping with sweat.
I took my mitts off for the rest of the ride up to help cool me down and that helped me a lot. PDL was concerned about me doing this climb but I assured her I would stop if I felt like it was too much for me.
We continued on and the road felt a touch easier and I was even able to click up a gear or two and my speed picked up to about 18kph. Unfortunately this easier section of road didn’t last long and I was back down the gears, plodding along at 11kph again. Riders we riding past me regularly and I felt so damn slow and crappy.
Another 15 mins and I had to stop again for a breather, only this time I didn’t slump on the ground. I sat on the bike and sipped water while slowing my heart rate down. PDL pulled the camera out but I felt too trashed to even raise a smile. Before we took off again I told Lisa to watch out for the distance to the top painted lines on the road and to go off at her own pace at the 1km mark so she could take a photo of me getting to the top.
Slowly the distance lines on the road went down- 1km, 500mts, 250mts, 100mts, etc. The view off to my left was great but all I could do was concentrate on my breathing to keep a steady pace. At once stage I rounded a corner and was hit by some of the northerly headwind. Gee great, as if the mountain wasn’t enough of a challenge!
Finally I made it past the official end timing point but there was still a corner and short rise to reach the top. As I rode towards PDL, I raised one hand in mock celebration but PDL was too slow with the camera and I was too stuffed to do it again.
I slowly rolled to a stop at the park, dismounted, found my legs were supper wobbly so petty much dropped my bike and staggered to the grass and lay down (well it was more like I fell down). As I did this spectacular dismount and lay down in the grass, all the other cyclists who were sitting around burst out laughing at me with one yelling out to me- "yeah that’s how we all do it!" I didn’t take offense to the laughing and comments as I must have looked pretty funny.
As I lay there, one guy asked "if I wanted an ambulance called", so I waved I was OK. I was too stuffed to actually speak. PDL walked over and asked if I was OK as she tried to stifle her laughter. She asked if she could take a photo of me and I just spluttered that she could do anything she wants for all I cared at that point.
Eventually I got up and sat with PDL. One cyclist said that "he was trashed the first time he did it too". I suggested he try it with a keg strapped to his back to see what it felt like for me but I‘m not sure he got the joke. PDL and I then took some photos, had a pee and made a few phone calls to work out the rest of our day. Even though I was stuffed, I was elated to have ridden all the way up. It almost seemed surreal to think I had ridden up Mt Dandenong. Woohoo!
The ride down was great for me but it scared PDL. I cruised down at around 45-50kph while some riders zipped past me and left me for dead. Wow they must be flying!
After a quick breather at the shops, PDL and I rode the rest of the way back to the car including a stretch with a tailwind down Canterbury Rd at about 40kph. You little ripper!
Back to Anaconda and after packing up, we brought some more tubes (where PDL was ogled at in her lycra by a bloke with his wife and kids!) and left to drop in and visit my mother and prepare for the afternoons ride with my sister Sara.
All in all it was great to have done the 1 in 20 and I felt a real sense of achievement to have made it up at a weight of 135kgs. Yes it hurt but I still did it all the same! My aim next time is to make the ride with only 1 break next time and then the time after that with no stops.
I know I can do it. I won't allow myself NOT to meet my goals! Its the "Vidman School of Accelerated Cycling" way! LOL
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
I wonder who stenciled this on the road??
Last Saturday was the first Saturday in a long time that I didn't get up at the crack of dawn to head out on a group ride. With the ATB on Sunday and all the events in the city as part of the Melbourne Cycling Festival (because Melbourne just doesn’t have quite enough festivals…), no one was doing a group ride this weekend so we figured we would have an easy day as well and just head into watch the races and meet up with some of the BVers.
After the drama of PDL’s new bike breaking, she got it back but Shimano had forgotten to send back the spacer for the brifter. Good one! BSC didn’t have any of the shims in stock and said they would get some in, however it seemed they didn’t know of any part to fit the Shimano 105 brifter after all and they suggested we take it back to their city store (where it was fitted in the first place) as they didn't know what they had done. Now, why-O-why they couldn’t just call the city store themselves I don’t know but that’s Brunswick St BSC workshop for you. *sigh*
On the way to the race, we rode over to BSC in Elizabeth St and picked up the shim and fitted it ourselves (after getting the extra little lug cut off to fit right). Now if I could figure out the deal with the shim and fit it while standing in Elizabeth St, why couldn't the Brunswick St BSC workshop guys do it? Anyway, on the way down I MADE PDL ride in front as she seems to ride more confidently when she leads and low and behold, she rode confidently and without fear.
Once at the cycling course, we rode a lap of the botanical gardens on the closed roads, which was really nice. As we rode up Anderson St, we stopped to take a photo of the HTFU stencil spray painted on the road. Hmm… I wonder who did that?? After stopping on Anderson St, PDL and I ended up racing each other to the top and as usual, PDL beat me but not by as big an amount and she used to. I’m getting there!
While wandering around the start finish area, checking out all the riders and their oh so trick bikes, PDL decided to enter a race and she won in a mass sprint finish! Ah… comedy gold!
Next we bumped into Richard and Meggles from the BV forum and then as we returned to Anderson St for the TT we met Freckle and her partner. We also saw Weg across the road and waved from a distance (well, actually I didn't see her but PDL did). We caught up with Kathy and Dave on Anderson St and then saw Kenneth and a cast of many other BV’ers. It's nice to be able to go to a big event like this and randomly meet up with so many people we know.
It was fun watching the TT riders fly down the hill for a while but it was watching them punish themselves going back up that was the fun bit. We all shouted encouragement to them and Stuart O'Grady got the biggest cheer. I just wish there was a big crowd with cow bells, air horns, flags waving and devils- just like they do on the Alp d’Huez”!
After the race we all rolled over to the bar for a drink and chat with more BVers and then left to go do the Kew Bouli, this time starting from the Richmond end.
To get to the Kew Bouli we had to ride down Swan St which was jam packed with cars. PDL rode through the mayhem with ease and zero stress. She was riding like a champ.
The start of Kew Bouli was riding up the big uphill climb and I was hurting. On the downhill I flew past PDL but she just caught back up to me on the next uphill which we repeated several times until PDL rode out of range (I think she picked up her downhill speed a bit).
I’m not sure but the Bouli seemed that much harder in this direction. Eventually we turned off at the track that goes down to the Fairfield Boathouse to avoid the Chandler Hwy bridge and boy that trail was interesting! Not only was is steep but it also had a series of narrow switchbacks, one after another!
By the time we made it across the bridge, PDL was feeling good about herself and her riding that day. She rode confidently in traffic; she rode the hills well and even picked up a bit of speed without feeling out of control. The smile on her face was unwipeable. Good stuff.
The following day we had planned to attempt the 1:20 ride up Mt Dandenong. I am expecting to be very slow but I think it’s doable *fingers crossed*.
Mofo snakes on a bike!
Last week after work on Thursday, Sara dropped over after work to go for a ride with me. I suggested it to her to help keep her rolling along and Sara seemed to appreciate it.
Once we got sorted and ready to go, there wasn’t a whole heap of sunlight left but have lights will ride! We decided to follow the Merri Creek path as we had not ridden that way yet. Dropping down onto the path at High St the path was a bit of a surprise. The trees and creek crossings made it feel like we were a million miles away from the city and it was cool and refreshing.
As we passed under the Heidelberg Rd bridge, the path took an unexpected uphill so I jumped out of the saddle and worked the pedals hard to climb my way to the top. The light was low so my vision was less than optimal so as I approached a stick on the ground half way up the hill, it was something of a surprise to see the stick was in fact a SNAKE (see image above, note- not actual snake LOL)!
Now, I’m not the biggest fan of creepy crawlies, snakes and spiders so to say I was surprised was an understatement! I swerved suddenly around the snake, freaked that it would rear up and bite me. As I was moving pretty slowly at this stage I almost lost my balance but I kept it together and rode on past as fast as I could. I yelled out a warning to Sara and stopped at the top. Sara was able to keep pedaling till just past the snake where she got off and walked to the top. Whew, that was a bit of a scare for both of us.
We rode on along the path and wouldn’t you know it- there was a sign warning of snakes. Pity they didn’t have that sign up earlier! LOL We turned across the creek towards the Fairfield Boathouse to make it a loop. Both of us rode cautiously and kept our eyes open for more snakes. Strangely enough, in the dim light on pretty isolated tracks in the park, there were several single women walking in the dark with their iPods on. I don’t like to be paranoid but that seems like a bit of a risky thing to do.
Along the way I chatted to Sara about her getting some knicks and she was starting to get used to the idea. I think it’s just the initial idea of lycra that freaks most people out until they get out with other riders and see that its not all that bad. We crossed over Heidelberg Rd onto Westgarth Rd and cruised back home for a nice quick spin.
Neat-O!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
I'm proud of my sister!
It seems that lately my ride reports have been more about the people and bikes around me more than myself, but I suppose that’s a sign of my own riding with less fuss and stress. The hills seem smaller and the pace seems easier to do. It’s all starting to feel more of a pootle and less of a struggle to keep up. And even though the incidents are not happening TO me, they are having an impact on my cycling life so here they end up, as posts on my blog.
So once again I have a ride report that’s more about someone else, this time my sister Sara.
As mentioned in my post about Polka Dot Lisa's scary first ride on her new bike, Sara has started cycling with PDL’s previous bike- the Kona Dew Delux. So for Sara’s first ride, our aim was to start her of gently on a bike track by riding down to the Docklands and beyond.
After fitting the bike up for Sara and getting her set up to ride (Lisa’s old helmet which used to be my helmet) we set off. A few laps of the side street to get comfy with the bike and get a feel for the brakes and gears and off we went. PDL was also keen to go for a ride to try and shake off her fears from the day before.
The sun was out and it was a nice day. I rode in short sleeves and it felt nice to feel the breeze against my arms for a change. PDL had on her new Castelli long sleeve jersey with no gillete and she REALLY looked good in her outfit.
Straight away I could see that Sara was awfully slow and it was hard not to streak away from her. Sara hadn’t been on a bike for a LONG time and it showed, but to her credit she showed no real signs of nervousness and seemed pretty confidant despite her lack of fitness or speed. In fact she was even able to reach down and take the drink bottle as she rode almost straight away.
The first hill we hit was the rise after the underpass under Royal Parade and straight away Sara was hurting (she said “Ouch!” as she hit started to climb! LOL). I rode with her and told her to change down gears and spin rather than grind the gears. Eventually she made it and we stopped for a second as Sara caught her breath. Its funny but I can remember my first time down this path and struggling up the same hill, stopping to catch my breath at the top and thinking how unfit I was. My how things change fast!
As we approached Docklands we had to ride along a multi-lane road and cross over 4 lanes of traffic to make a right hand turn. Sara and PDL both followed me with no stress and Sara in particular was totally un-phased about riding on the road.
A quick stop for a drink and bite and we headed off towards Southbank. As I rounded a corner there was a dad with his 10yo daughter on bikes and of course the daughter wobbled straight into my path as I was just a few meters away from her (she wasn’t looking where she was going *sigh*). A slam of the brakes and an emergency unclip saw me come to a stop. The girl looked shocked so I said in a calm but forcible way, “You have to look out for other cyclists” and I then rode off. Sara and PDL who were behind me heard the dad’s response which was to say “well you’re riding awfully fast”. Good one dad, your daughter learnt nothing from that incident, did she?
We rode along the light rail trail to Southbank where we dodged peds on our way to the Yarra trail. Along the Southbank precinct I worked at riding to the 10kph speed limit and boy is was slow- stupidly slow. In front of me at one stage was a man in a motorized wheelchair and even he was doing 11kph. Passing the Hun building, I mentally gave them the finger and that made me feel good.
As we rode past Burnley I gave Sara the option to turn off there and ride back via the roads or keep following the path (the longer way) but she seemed keen to keep going and she was enjoying the ride even tho her backside was hurting.
Approaching Bridge Rd we decided that we had better hightail it home on the main roads as it was getting dark and none of us had brought lights with us except for the rear lights on mine and Sara’s bike. To get up to Bridge Rd from the bike path there was a super steep section of path that ended in steps, but remembering this bit from when I was a kid living in Richmond, I dropped down to my lowest gear and got up on the pedals and rode up as far as the steps. As it was so steep I almost had an incident unclipping but saved it JUST in time. Whew! PDL and Sara walked up and PDL didn’t believe that I rode up. It took much convincing to get her to belive me that I made it that far. Sheesh…
On Bridge Rd and up Burnley Rd, PDL lead the way with Sara in the middle and be behind offering encouragement (she was getting tired at this stage). PDL preferred the ride on the roads and she was starting to feel more comfy on the bike. To me she looked really good on the bike, pedaling very smoothly, riding wobble free and dealing with the traffic fine.
The climb up the hill to Queens Parade was a real struggle for Sara. I sat behind her and told her what gears to press and gave her encouragement to help her keep going. Eventually we made it home and she pumped the air in celebration of completing the ride which turned out to be exactly 30km. Sara said she felt like she had just won a race and I was proud of her. 30km's for a first ride is pretty darn good!
I was pretty surprised that she wanted to go on that far and that she even managed to make it all the way without once walking the bike up a hill. She was sore after the ride but she loved every minute of it. PDL also benefited from the ride as it helped wash away the previous day’s bad experience.
We ended the day by watching the classic cycling movie- “Breaking Away” which inspired me to want to try racing criterion's one day. I can still remember the first time I saw that movie as a 10yo with my parents. At the end when the hero wins the race, the whole cinema cheered out loud. Awesome stuff!
Monday, October 22, 2007
The new bike blues...
If you have been reading the posts in chronological order, you will know that this post will be about Polka Dot Lisa and my ride to Frankston with the BV group.
We started the day with our usual trip to St Kilda via Collins St. As we set off PDL was really feeling unsure about the bike and she was super nervous. So as we rode down to St Kilda I sat on her wheel just to the right of her to act as a kind of protection for her. However PDL was just really in a bad frame of mind the whole way, eventually coming to a head on St Kilda Rd. I had to pull over and comfort her and assure she was doing fine but it didn’t seem to help much. Eventually PDL calmed down a bit and we made our way to the meeting point, a bit late.
As we rode down Beaconsfield Pde, PDL’s front derailer was rattling as she rode on the small front ring and the small back ring. I suggested she give the derailer a slight adjustment but it didn’t do anything. So once we pulled up at the meet point (and with everyone eager to see PDL’s new bike) we asked for some help to adjust the front derailer. Dave jumped in to give us a hand while everyone else patiently waited for us as they got cold (sorry all).
After a bit of fiddling about we discovered that the front derailer brifter was not working at all, so we left it in the small front ring and took off for Frankston.
The pace south was gentle and Dave and I rode together while Kathy and PDL rode together behind us. Kathy was riding in cleats for the first time and she was very nervous about it so I was hoping that the two of them sharing their fears would help each other. Somewhere near Black Rock, PDL moved up next to me while Dave dropped back to Kathy and that unfortunately was the last we saw of them for the day.
PDL and I rode on south and I dropped PDL around the hills of Ricketts Point (wow- ME dropping PDL on hills!). I think PDL was finding the going a bit tougher on her new road bike as the ride position is far different to her flat bar bike, and also the ride position wasn’t quite right yet. We all regrouped at Mordi for the customary break and chat while we waited for a while wondering where Dave and Kathy had gotten to, but eventually we figured they had turned around and so we continued south.
As we attempted to get through the round about at Mordi, our group was split up with PDL, Matt, FlatBarDave (we had too many Dave’s on the ride so we assigned different “Dave” names to each) and myself being dropped at the intersection. As we tried to get through the roundabout with a black 4WD in the right hand lane, the group of riders grew and grew. Finally, the black 4WD moved out into the intersection and positioned itself to allow all the cyclists to get through. Everyone waved and yelled their thanks to the driver. Must be a cyclist we figured… LOL.
Down Station St it was Matt and Dave in front, me behind them and PDL just a few meters back. I was trying to get PDL to move up just those few meters to catch the draft but I think she was struggling. Slowly but surely PDL dropped back and by the time we came into Frankston, she was about 50 meters back. I backed right off to bring her up to me and I thought she was right behind me so I lead the way down the road. After a min or two I did a quick look back to check on PDL and she was no where to be seen. SHIT!
I turned around and rolled slowly back on the footpath. In the distance I could see PDL walking towards me and judging by her hand movements she appeared to be upset. When we met up she was struggling for breath and I immediately saw she had some sort of panic attack. Having had one of those many years ago I can understand how scary they are.
After a bit of a hug and calm down, we decided that it was all a bit much to deal with today and that we would catch the train back. FlatBarDave, rode back to us to see if we were OK and I told him our decision and also called Matt back to let him know also.
So we slowly rolled into the station and tried to remain inconspicuous to avoid the abuse by the bogan knuckle draggers who were yelling crap at anyone they didn’t like. Somehow we made it into the station unscathed and trained it back into the city.
As we rode up towards Brunswick St, Ben from Australian In Front happened upon us. I wasn’t 100% sure who it was at first as he was on a MTB, in street clothes and he had also grown a beard. Anyway the three of us rode down Brunswick St, all stopping at BSC for a quick chat (Ben wanted to check out PDL’s new bike and we wanted to get the broken brifter fixed).
In BSC we explained the problem to the mechanic and how we at first tried to fix it ourselves with our experienced cyclist friends only to be met with the comment- “Is you mate a bicycle mechanic? No? Well I am, I’ll have a look at it!” What a smart arse! So we go and sit down on the couch to wait for the verdict only to have the mechanic come out and tell us EXACTLY what we already knew- the brifter was broken (gee, fancy that- us average Joe’s knowing a broken part when we see it!). At least the mechanic was friendly with us for once. Maybe he is starting to get the fact that we are not total know nothings after all. Grrr.. lets not go down that path shall we?
The verdict was that the mechanic had seen this happen before and they had to remove the part, send it to Shimano for a replacement part to be sent out. As nothing could be done on a Saturday, he left the bike in the small front ring so PDL could keep riding it over the weekend and return the bike on Monday morning. My thoughts are- why can’t they just put in a new part off the shelf and deal with Shimano in their own time, but I didn’t want to have an argument so we just let it slide.
We made it home and PDL was super down on herself about only making it to Frankston and not riding back. As I kept on telling her, she has only had the bike for a week and the different ride position coupled with her fears early on and the bike issues all tallied up to wear her out emotionally.
She will live to fight another day and I still totally believe in her (even if she doesn’t).
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Wet tram tracks are to be respected!
My last post was about Polka Dot Lisa’s new road bike and that theme has run into this post as well.
Monday morning and on the way into work we dropped into BSC on Brunswick St to get the brifter shims fitted (we forgot about them when we purchased the bike on Sunday afternoon). The brifter shims for those that don’t know about them are little rubber wedges that fit between the levers and the stops to space them in closer to the bars for easier reach.
Anyway, BSC didn’t have them in stock but the city store did have them so PDL had to ride into the city on her own on her new bike. She was nervous about doing it but I kept reassuring her she could do it and so she did (I had some urgent work to do and couldn’t go in with her.
As it turned out, PDL made the trip with no stress and it was fitted in a matter of minutes. She even enjoyed the ride so much she even took some extra side tracks down some back streets just to enjoy the ride on her new bike. The shims made a difference to her ability to control the gears and brakes so it was good news all round.
Everything was going fine all week with our commutes until the ride home Thursday after work. We left a little late and it was getting a bit dark (PDL’s new lights hadn’t turned up yet), the traffic was heavy, the road was damp and it was raining lightly just to add to the miserableness of it all. I was fine and I rode in front up Brunswick St. PDL got stuck at a set of lights so I pulled over up ahead and waited.
By the time PDL caught up with me she was very freaked out. The traffic was bad (why does the afternoon peak traffic all want to shove aside cyclists?), the rain was scaring her with the skinny tyres and she felt like she had no braking power. So we kept going in an attempt to get home before we were soaked through. As I turned right across the tram tracks, my back tyre got caught on a track and skidded sideways until it caught traction and just about high sided me. Luckily for me I had quickly unclipped as it was sliding and my now unclipped foot enabled me to maintain my balance when it tried to flick me over the left side. Whew! That was a close one!
PDL once again was scared and I had to calm her a bit. I think she feels pressure from traffic behind her and lets it all get to her rather than just dealing with what is in front of her. I didn’t tell her that I was nearly flicked off my bike as I didn’t think she needed to hear it at that stage.
Anyway we made it home and while wheeling our bikes through the foyer, PDL’s rear tyre was hissing air. Bugger! However by the time we took it upstairs, the hissing from the tyre had stopped- very strange.
Friday was our traditional Badminton night, so no bikes that day as usual. After a bit of research I discovered that it might be worth changing the brake pads to a high quality set to give PDL more power and a better sense of safety. So $44 later and we has a set of Swiss Stop pads which I fitted myself.
With no one wanting to play Badminton this night, I canceled the whole thing and went into Cecil Walker to buy some shoe covers (none of my LBS’s had them in my size). Cecil Walker was a cool shop with some really nice bikes and plenty of accessories to spend your money on.
Then it was on to Goldcross Cyclces at Victoria Gardens to get PDL a Specialized mini-wedge saddle bag (same as mine) in Navy blue, which looked very nice on the Kona Lisa RD.
Once home I noticed PDL’s rear tyre had gone flat after all, so I whipped it off to pop in a new tube- one problem, the spare tube was in fact a patched one. No stress, that should do the job so I put it all back together and pump it up but I can here the air hissing out of the tubes patch. Bugger, bugger, bugger! So off with the tyre, in with the second patched tube and re fit everything until- SHIT, this tube is worse!
Now we are in trouble. It’s now 9.45pm on a Friday night with no tubes and a ride that starts at 7am in St Kilda. So I turned to the BV forum to see if anyone could help me with a tube tonight. Within several minutes I had several offers for patched tubes, etc that I was assured would work.
But the best idea was Commi who suggested the 24hour K-Mart might have tubes. Bingo, brilliant idea! A quick call and yes they do have them in stock so we drive over and to our surprise the place was full of people shopping for stuff at 10.30pm on a Friday night. Get a life people… why are you shopping for crap at this time on a Friday night? At least my situation was an emergency.
So now we are set for the morning’s ride to Frankston and the weather is looking fine.
Whew!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Polka Dot Lisa on a Lisa
If you read my previous post, you would seen that Polka Dot Lisa was looking at upgrading to a road bike from her flat bar of just 9 weeks. But how did this happen so quickly since starting riding you ask? Read on…
It all started after I was talking enthusiastically to my sister Sara about our cycling and my improved fitness and weight loss. Sara expressed an interest in doing some cycling herself and after promising to fix up her old MTB and put road tyres on it, I then saw the condition of the bike and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t worth the trouble of fixing it.
I had a chat with Mum and we decided that we would help Sara out by both putting in for a new bike for her (flat bar road), just to give her a head start to help her with weight loss, fitness and generally a improved outlook on life.
So one afternoon I was wasting some time looking online at bikes for Sara, including Ebay and the local online bike shops. While looking, I saw that BSC had the 2007 Kona Lisa RD on special for $1499 (reduced from $1999). We had already had a quick look at it in the shop a few weeks ago, mostly because it was a really pretty looking bike and also because it was called Lisa (hehe), but upon seeing it on sale and then checking out the specs in detail, it was obviously a good deal.
So the mind gets ticking… “What if the money that was to go towards a bike for Sara, was put towards PDL’s road bike and then PDL’s current bike (the Kona Dew Delux) is handed down to Sara (giving her a MUCH better bike than she otherwise would have gotten in the bargain)”. I run it past everyone and all think it sounds like a great option with everyone winning as a result.
On our way back from our Frankston ride on Saturday, we drop into BSC to have a better look at the bike and allow Lisa to test ride it. A few rides back and forth between the 49cm and the 46cm and it looks pretty obvious that the 49cm is the right size. The only tiny issue is the seat tube is too long and wont drop down enough to allow PDL to sit right but a few mins with a hacksaw will fix that.
The next day (Sunday) we head out to Freedom Machine in Port Melbourne to give PDL a chance to test ride some other similar bikes. While they didn’t have anything in the same price range (a women’s Orbea about $2200 and a full carbon Specialized for about $2600), PDL did have a test ride on them up a side street to give her a point of reference. The Specialized especially was an impressive bike, so light it was laughable!
On the way home we forgot about the Melbourne Marathon and we caught up in the detours and traffic jam which ultimately directed us towards Prahran Freedom Machine and with a car park open right out front- well, how could we NOT stop?
The staff at Freedom Machine Prahran, were super helpful, even though they were flat out busy. After seeing a 2007 SUB 2.0 on special for $1399, the staff grabbed a 49cm and put her on the bike on a set of rollers to make sure it fitted her. They took the time to measure her up and check all aspects of the fit for her which was fantastic. While they did this, it helped give me a guide on what to look for when fitting a bike to a body which would turn out very helpful later on. Anyway, PDL took the SUB for a test ride and once again it felt good to her but she was struggling to feel the differences between them being so new to road bikes.
In the end considering that the SUB’s wheels were average Shimano’s, to upgrade to Mavic Aksium Race wheels like the Kona had, would add another $300 to the price. Hmmm...
So back to BSC we go to look at the Kona Lisa RD again and another test ride. After thinking and pondering for a while, PDL was just about to leave it for the night to think when while I looked at floor pumps. The sales man tells us the Serfas is the best pump and he will throw one in with the bike (the pump is priced at $100). PDL and I looked at each other and we both knew it was a done deal!
So with the shop in the process of closing up, they prepped the bike for us while PDL looked at the helmets to upgrade to, finally choosing a white pearlescent Met Stradivarius II (its VERY nice and I’m jealous). Then before we knew it we were walking out the door with a new bike, new top of the line helmet, free pump and more free rim tape (yep- after my bike had a blow out from a failed rim tape the day before, PDL’s flat bar did the same thing overnight on the bike rack).
Just we were about to walk out the door, I realised they had left the Shimano SPD pedals on the bike that they had fitted for the test ride and just as I was about to open my big mouth, PDL gave me a “shut-up” and so we also scored some free pedals. Noice!
When we got home, we were both pretty excited about the fast chain of events. PDL quickly put her gear on and we went down stairs to take it for a spin on the side road. A few photos and then PDL rode up and down, practicing corners, riding one handed, and some general bike handling skills. She was a bit nervous about her ability to handle a road bike but I just know she has the skills to do it (even if she doubts herself). As she rode up and down the side street, she looked so good and pro looking. Watching her ride made me smile and I even got a tear of joy. Ahh I’m a silly duffer!
That night, we hit the online OS bike shops to order bottle cages, a bike computer and lights. Cha-ching!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Rain drops keep falling on my head...
Yes I know. I’m late with my weekly report. Very late! But I have legitimate reasons including being busy with work, bike repairs and bike shopping (yes bike shopping!).
Two weeks ago (gee, am I THAT far behind with my blog?) we had planned to ride to Frankston with an attempt at Hopes Rise (gulp)! Our usual Friday night badminton game saw my upper thigh muscle pain return which had me a bit worried about the following morning’s ride, so a hot shower and some deep heat on the affected areas were in order when I got home to try and salvage the weekends ride.
The day dawned and oh no- it was pissing down with rain and the city was enveloped in a grey cloud. Polka Dot Lisa was having second thoughts about riding but a few choice HTFU’s and it was decided that we would tough it out and to heck with the rain.
We started just after a shower had passed and set off on the now rain soaked roads and within the first 200 meters, my arse was soaked from the spray off my rear wheel. I foolishly put my hand behind me for the first 20 meters to shield my backside from the rain but all that did was soak my palm. Good one David! What was I planning to do, ride one handed for 100kms?
We rode on towards St Kilda, rolling down Queens Parade, Brunswick St, Collins St and onto St Kilda Rd. As we rode past the National Gallery, Bowi_68 from the BV forum joined up with us asking us if we were Vidman and Polka Dot Lisa. Seems everyone knows us!
As we rode up St Kilda Rd, we had to make a strange right turn to get onto Kerford Rd across wet tram tracks which I think spooked PDL and she freaked out a bit. I slowed and rolled next to her, reassuring her everything was ok and also replaying what just happened to show her that she actually had nothing to worry about.
As we approached Beaconsfield Pde, the rain started to fall. I rolled through a set of lights while PDL and Bowi_68 were caught at the lights but I figured there was no point in my hanging about in the rain so I powered on in the now pelting rain. The water from my front tyre was soaking my summer vented shoes right through and my socks were totally soaked through. The rain was streaming down the front of my helmet and my backside was numb from the cold. By the time I made it to the meeting point, I was soaked through all over and shivering a bit. Eventually all the hardy souls turned up (though a lot wimped out) and we set off down south (thankfully the rain had stopped at least).
We rode at a moderate pace with the streams of water streaking off all the riders’ rear tyres. Apparently my tyres were particularly bad at this, causing the riders’ behind me to drop back to avoid the soaking I was giving them. Sorry guys! It was strange to see Beach Rd with so little traffic on it. You could tell that the riders still out there were the real HAF riders. My toes were so cold that I really wanted to stop and buy some dry socks but we were out too early for the shops to open. Damn it!
Along the way I mentioned to a few others that PDL was considering getting a road bike as part of a trade down deal with my sister, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for a road bike. Everyone thought she was well and truly ready so I said for them to have a word in her ear about it (yes- I’m devious but all for a good cause).
As we started the downhill into Black Rock I was feeling a bit frisky so I pulled out from behind Matt and sprinted forward, taunting Matt to follow me. As I flew off ahead, no one seemed to be following me so I backed off after a very short while and just cruised thinking why bother if I am the only one doing it. However after I backed off and was soft peddling, Stu flew past me yelling something about my going too early and then Dave and the rest flew past. Damn- I should have kept going- now they all think that was all I had. But honestly, I had PLENTY in the tank and I could have kept going all the way to the round about.
Eventually we rolled into Mordi and the usual gathering of cyclists in the car park was very much reduced. After the usual pee, drink and munch we were rolling again with some of us dropping into the small bike shop to look for a change of socks but it was not to be. So we kept riding south in a nice tight knit bunch until PDL, Sachamc, Mark and 1 other were caught at a set of lights (and then boom gates it turned out), so Matt (Commi from BV forum) and I soft pedaled to wait for them. With no sign of them we assumed they must have been caught at several lights so we rode on, catching up to the rest of the group.
As we rode into Frankston I have to admit I was pretty nervous about the Hopes Rise hill. I gulped down some drink and tried to rest my legs as much as I could in the final few km’s. I felt like flinging my bidon’s off to the side just like the pro riders do to save every last gram of weight LOL! As soon as we hit the hill, all around me left me for dead as I dropped down and down through the gears. I was spinning as hard as I could but I was going slower and slower. Just past the first speed hump I tried to get out of the saddle and “dance on the pedals” as Phil Liggett would say, but I forgot to click up a gear as I did this and I was spinning too fast for a standing position. My legs just about crumpled under me and I had to quickly unclip and get off and walk the rest of the way. DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!!
As I walked up the hill, rider after rider rode past me and I felt a bit demoralised about my inability to make it. About half way up PDL rode past me and she looked ok doing it too. As the hill flattened out I got back on the bike and slowly rode up to the group who were waiting for me. Matt had his camera out to take the prearranged photo of me but I waved for him to not bother. Yes I was at the top of the hill but having to walk it means it doesn’t count. We stood around, sipping from our bottles and talking about the hill but I was in a dark mood. I smacked my bottle against my bars in utter frustration and I was cursing my weight for making hills so hard on me. A happy camper I was NOT!
After the quick regrouping we all decided to do the Mt Eliza loop. PDL and I were apprehensive about it with all the hills around us but we were assured the rest was pretty easy. As PDL and I rode down Nepean Hwy, the rest were disappearing ahead of us and we were pretty stuffed from the hills (well, I was but I think PDL was ok). Not knowing how much further we had to go, we decided to turn around to head back to the Frankston visitors centre and wait for the group there.
As we came to Olivers Hill, I told PDL to just ride down at a speed she was comfortable at and to use her brakes all the way down to control her speed so she didn’t get too scared. I on the other hand was looking forward to flying down the hill at top speed. As I dropped over the top, I pushed the pedals reasonably hard, clicking up through the gears until I was in the highest gear. I pedaled with reasonable force but defiantly not as hard as I could go. Into the visitors centre I rolled and I was surprised that I hit 67.9kph down the hill. Sheesh- I could have pushed it much faster than that and still been within my comfort zone. I wonder what the speed restriction is down their? LOL
Eventually the rest of the group rolled in and we were informed that we missed the turn off for the loop by just a few hundred meters. Argh.. it’s just like my first attempt to make Black Rock all over again! As we all sat and chatted (see the photo taken by Matt), we were wondering where Dave (Percrime from BV) and Sasha had gotten too, but eventually they made it back after they had given up looking for PDL and myself. Sorry guys...
The ride back was nice and tight with a good average speed the whole way. There was a bit of a headwind but nothing too bad. As we rode through Seaford, some moron screamed “nice pants” as he zoomed past. Wow, I bet that one took a while to think up! I was really enjoying the ride, singing to myself and generally loving life. We were an odd numbered group so there was always going to be one rider without someone to ride next to and that was me but I didn't care at all. In my head was that song 1,2,3,4 by Fiest and I was wishing I had an ipod in one ear just to add to the vibe.
Mordi and another quick stop and we were back on the road for the final stretch to St Kilda and a yummy breakfast. As we rode towards the rolling hills of Ricketts Point, Sacha was next to me with Stu and someone else in front, all making for a nice big wind break and draft for Sacha. Everyone seems to like riding behind me for the draft it seems, I wonder why?
For the first time ever, the hills around Ricketts Point didn’t have me being left behind. I was flying along at a great pace, even passing a few of the riders and leaving PDL working hard to keep up with me. It felt great! But as we left Black Rock and were just starting on the hill, suddenly my front tyre went POP and I was straight onto the rim. Now considering I was travelling at about 26kph, it was a bit hairy trying to pull up to a stop with a totally flat front tyre. Matt, Mark, Sacha and PDL all stopped to see what was wrong but I said they might as well keep going while I fixed the flat with Mark and Matt.
In no time at all we had the wheel and tyre off, all working as a team. As I inspected the tyre for what ever caused the flat, Mark saw the puncture was actually a big round hole on the spoke side of the tube and a quick inspection showed the spoke tape (well… it was more like a big rubber band) has deformed into the spoke holes, cut open and exposed the tube to the sharp edges of the spoke holes. So in with a new tube and now I had to figure out how my CO2 pump worked (my first time using it). After a bit of head scratching I figured it out and with a quick burst of CO2, it was ready to go again and the three of us were back on the road.
After the rigmarole of the flat, I had lost a lot of my rhythm that I had going before. Damn! So the three of us all pushed reasonably hard towards St Kilda, each taking a turn on the front in a random pattern of drafting (hey- we are not that organised to do the whole team time trial thing LOL).
Eventually we made it to the Grocery Bar Café and pulled up a spare seat with the rest of the gang. As we sat and eat, Richard walked past with his arm in a sling so he came and sat with us for a while.
After brunch, we all went our separate ways with PDL and I planning to stop and check out the 2007 Kona Lisa RD that BSC had on special. After a few test rides on different size bikes, PDL seemed fairly settled on the 49cm size even though the seat tube was too long and would have to be cut down to fit her properly. But all in all the bike seemed like a great deal and it sure was a pretty bike! While at the bike shop I picked up some new rim tape to replace the crappy rubber bands in my wheels.
Finally we made it home after spending a while at BSC, and it was yet another great day’s ride (even if the start was pretty miserable). In the end I completely dried out, however I vowed to buy some shoe covers and also rig up a simple rear mud guard to keep our asses dry like Marti had on her bike (a bit of plastic jammed into the rear of the saddle to form a splash shield against the spray).
Monday, October 1, 2007
The green jacket has been retired
The past week has been a bit busy in my cycling life with a new jersey, 2 rides and a bit of a self image crisis to report on. Rather than crap on for a stupidly long post, I will "try" to keep it short and too the point for a change. :)
A day off and time to hit the Boulevard
With work pretty under control this week, I took most of Thursday off to go for a ride and generally chill out for the day. So buoyed but my noticeable increase in hill climbing ability from last weekends ride, Polka Dot Lisa (PDL) and I decided to do the Kew Boulevard with maybe a bit of extra riding beyond that.
As we headed down Heidelberg Rd towards Chandler Hwy I was prepared to do a hook turn after our last attempt here freaked PDL out, but as I came to a stop, PDL told me she felt comfortable enough to change lanes and turn right with the traffic. Not only that, but PDL dealt with the ride over Chandler Hwy bridge with no stress what-so-ever. I’m so proud of her having overcome her fears of the traffic. She is moving ahead in leaps and bounds!
The Boulevard ride went smoothly (well, about as smoothly as the Bouli’s surface will allow!) however for some reason all the uphills were into a headwind just to make it that little bit harder. Grrrr! We rode without break until the Studley Park overpass where we stopped for a drink, photo opportunity and natural break. While I found the hills hard work, not once did I feel like getting off the bike while just a few weeks ago, I had to force myself to stay on the bike and keep pedaling (even with several breathers along the way). I can really tell I am getting stronger with each passing week and that is an awesome feeling.
We decided to go all the way to the end of the Boulevard and then roll down to Richmond to drop into some of the bike shops. The last climb to the Richmond end of the Bouli was not nearly as bad as I had expected.
Down Burnley St and we peeled off to have a look in Richmond Cycles. Mmm, Colnago’s and Pinarellos… it’s nice to dream! Back down Burnley St to Swan St and the traffic was all bumper to bumper. Traffic down there was a bit nuts, with cars trying to park, trams, trucks etc. It was pretty easy to deal with for me, but I think it was all a bit much for PDL, so I comforted her and assured her she was doing fine and not to worry about keeping up with me.
Back on the bike after having a look around at Total Rush (more drooling) and it was straight up and over the Church St hill which was a surprisingly hard slog that I didn’t expect. As we came up through Collingwood and Fitzroy we were hit by a mega headwind that saw me having to drop down a gear or two to keep going. It was pushing me a bit sideways and I had to cycle on a lean into the wind. Ouch!
Just as we we’re riding up Queens Pde, PDL pointed out a MASSIVE black aircraft approaching us pretty low and slow. It was some sort of bomber or cargo plane and everyone around us on the street was looking up and pointing.
Ride Stats 27-09-07 - Northcote > Richmond via the Bouli > Northcote
Dist: 20.00km
Time: 01:00:00
Max: 46.9kph
Average: 20.00kph
New Cycling Jersey
Later that day (Thursday) after the Bouli ride, I received a call from Liz at Startline Cycle Fashions who called to tell me she had a jersey for me to try on. So Friday morning we drove down to have a look. It was plain red and despite Liz and PDL’s assurances of how good it looked on me, I felt super conscious about it showing my rather ample gut. But I threw caution to the wind and decided to get it on their advice, along with a pair of Pearl Izumi arm warmers.
Later that day I was feeling very dubious about wearing the jersey and I feared I had wasted my money. I felt really ugly in it and didn’t want to be seen in public wearing it. All I could see was that it showed every bulge of my gut, and this just made me feel fatter and uglier, causing my self confidence to come crashing down like a house of cards. Urgh!
After a game of Badminton that night, PDL urged me to try the jersey on with the rest of my kit. I felt a lot better about it and had to admit that I did look a LOT better in it than I did in the old green jacket. So to everyone who knew me by the green jacket out on the road- sorry, that was the old Vidman! The new Vidman is now in red (red goes faster remember!).
BBC Ride - Saturday
Saturday morning and after the worries that it was going to be wet and windy, we woke up to an almost clear sky and not a breath of wind. Thanks big guy in the sky! We set off on the Northern Stopping All Stations, picking up Gregg (Gregga from BV) and Ian (Parawolf from BV) at the old cannon and then collected Snuffy and another guy who’s name I have forgotten already (sorry!) at Johnston St. I led the way down Punt Rd, through Gosch’s Paddock and was left for dead up Anderson St hill. Some things never change… LOL. Down through Fawkner Park (trying to make sure I was going the right way having never actually ridden this path before), onto St Kilda Road and before we knew it we were at the BBC with plenty of time to spare. Cool!
The BBC group was pretty big this time with over 30 riders. It was funny to think this time last month was our first time on a group ride and it was all so new and slightly scary to begin with. Now just a few weeks later, we felt like old hands at the whole thing, knowing how the hand signals work, group etiquette, and even just having familiar faces to chat to.
As we took off, the guys on the tandem got a puncture just on Fitzroy St which was a rotten way to start the ride and wouldn’t you know it, the street sweeper was just a few streets ahead sweeping and blowing any broken glass in the gutter, straight out onto the bike lane. Nice work.
As we rode south towards Black Rock, we had a tail wind slowly picking up behind us and the pace was swift as a result. I rode mostly with Matt and Gregg until Matt dropped me at a set of lights. From then on Gregg and I rode together and at one stage we were cruising along at about 40-43kph on the flat (a new record for me)! However as I was to discover on the return trip, that was probably mostly as a result of the now sizable tail wind that had sprung up, so that record is officially marked in the books with an asterisk for "wind assisted".
We cruised into Black Rock and my back was giving me a few twinges so a few stretches and it was fine again. PDL rolled up with Dave (Percrime), Rey and Katrina so I waited about for them to refuel and catch their breath. Dave was worried about the whereabouts of his partner and brother-in-law so we hung about wondering where they were. Eventually we figured they must have turned around somewhere so we took off back into the headwind.
I was the first to get going and for the first half of the rise out of Black Rock I was leading the way until Dave pulled around me with the comment “you will be very popular in the peleton, thanks for the draft” LOL. A few more passed me up the hill (Matt, etc) but I caught back up to them after the hill and was looking forward to hanging with them the rest of the way.
Unfortunately a set of lights caught PDL behind me, so I soft pedaled for a quite a while until PDL caught back up to me. She was exhausted by the time she caught up (the headwind was dropping our speed a fair bit) so I led the way to give her a draft in the wind. What a gentleman I am! LOL
Apparently Rey and Katrina were behind us with Katrina struggling with the wind so PDL promised to save them a seat at the BBC. We rode on just the two of us, passing a few riders and being passed by a few as well. With the headwind we were sitting on about 24-26kph the whole way which wasn’t too bad considering we had no pack to work with.
At one set of lights I pulled up next to a guy who I got chatting to about the headwind. He was telling me about his ride the previous Sunday from Frankston back to St Kilda and how the headwind was so bad it took them 4 hours to ride the 50 km! Ouch! As we took off, he offered to give me a draft for a while but I said I didn’t think I could match his pace and he blew off into the distance. That will be me one day, I thought to myself.
As we rode up Fitzroy St, I saw Dave pootling along with his partner (Kathy) and Brother-in-law so I accelerated up and tapped him on the back as I rolled past. Hehe A little later as we made a hook turn, I felt someone fiddling around with the back of my shirt and shorts. Looking around I discovered that Dave had snuck up behind me and was trying to dack me. Fat chance mate- bib shorts!
Breakfast time and like a good boy I stuck to the fruit salad and juice, while everyone around was having waffles with chocolate sauce, danishes, croissants, etc. Rey and Katrina made it back not that far behind us and we sat with them.
After breakfast we decided to do a few laps of Albert Park with the girls but as we started our first lap, the wind was freezing and hitting us in the face. It looked like it was going to rain and so deciding that dry was better than km’s, we piked out and headed home. The city was full of feral footy fans (Grand Final day!) so we took it extra gentle, up through Carlton, along Brunswick St and home the usual way.
When we got home we felt like we hadn't had much of a work out at all. I didn't mind though as I had intended on having an easy weekend after the punishing we gave ourselves the past month. Next weekend- Frankston most likely again with perhaps Hopes Rise as an extra challenge!
Ride Stats 29-09-07 - Northcote > Black Rock > Northcote
Dist: 53.03km
Time: 02:22:32
Max: 50.9kph
Average: 22.3kph
Lazy Sunday
I had arranged with Matt to meet up with him and Stu for a few laps of the Kew Bouli but upon waking Sunday morning and txt-ing Matt, Matt had chickened out of the ride and after lying in bed all warm and comfortable, we decided the bed was a better option. Later in the day PDL and I decided to drive out and check out the 1 in 20 ride up Mt Dandy (for future reference of course). Man, that looks like HARDWORK, but I no longer doubt that I would ever be able to do it. In fact, I am sure that I could make it now, even though it would take me a ridiculous amount of time... LOL. Anyway, I will keep that challenge for another time and another lower body weight!
Speaking of weight- Sunday mornings weigh-in and like clockwork- another 1.1kgs lost. I can now start to feel my clothing getting looser on me, my shirts hanging better and even my belt has gone a notch tighter. The road to a healthy body weight is long but I am traveling well and I’m enjoying the view!
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