Ride updates- 15th Dec to 20th Dec 2007

More backdated ride reports including several wet and soggy rides to Sorrento, our first MRR ride and PDL's first crit pseudo race.

15th December 2007 - Frankston > Mornington > Sorrento return
Distance: 104km
Description: Flat with some hills
Weather: Rain, LOTS of rain!

PDL and I met up with Vicjane, Commi and RedZ61 around 8.00am and huddled under a shelter as we waited for everyone to get ready. It was raining non-stop and the flies were fierce (I thought the flies went away in the rain?).
PDL and I were hopelessly under dressed for the rain- no booties, no under layers, no rain jackets or vests. Doh! What were we thinking?

Up Hopes Rise and within a few km’s, Jane had a flat. A few km’s later Jane had a second flat and while waiting under the shelter of a servo fixing the flat, the owner comes out and tells us to bugger off. Nice! I finished changing flat in the rain and Stu rode past. We tried in vain to call out to him, but he didn’t hear us so Commi rode off to catch him whilst we finished off the flat.

We rode on and met up with Stu and Commi where Jane had her third flat (yes- third!). I helped fix it and gave her my tube so she could turn back for home (Stu had already 2 flats on the way down to Frankston).

PDL was shivering in the cold so we rode on, turning off for Mornington so we could get some garbage bags to make vests to keep PDL warm. They looked silly and felt icky to have the plastic against our skin (I put one on also- we wore them under our jerseys) but it kept the wind away from our skin and they achieved their aim.

Stu had to ride on as we were now so far behind schedule, so it was down to just the 4 of us. We rode on down to Safety Beach in pouring rain with water running over the road 3 inches deep in places!

Stopping for a break at Safety Beach, a guy hopped out of a car (with cycling jersey on) said we were tough for still heading out in this weather and I agreed. LOL

At Rosebud, RedZ61 had to turn back as we were running so late (he had a flat on the way home) while the 3 of us kept riding to Sorrento.

Riding past Arthur’s Seat, I pondered riding up it one day. I imagine it would make the 1:20 look easy. I’ll keep that challenge for another day.

Finally made it to Sorrento and stopped for late breakfast. We sat outside as we were soaked and dirty but this only made us even colder and PDL and I were shivering despite the warm drinks and food.

The waitress asked us where we rode from and after telling her, she thought we were very hardcore- damn right! LOL

Riding home apparently Commi and I had about 50 flies on our back. Damn freeloaders!

Into Mount Martha, I was getting hot in the plastic bag vest and tore holes into the chest area as I rode to try and cool myself down. Eventually, PDL and I stopped and ripped off the whole bag and we felt much better.

Back on Nepean Hwy I had a flat rear and had to wait for Commi and PDL to realise and ride back to me (I had no tubes now and no pump). I fixed my flat rear and as we were about to get going I found my front was now flat.

Now out of tubes between PDL and I, I borrowed one of Commi’s tubes and then found PDL’s rear was flat. We used Commi’s last tube (the 6th flat I had changed on the ride) and we limped back to the car - 7.5 hours after we started!
Whew! What a ride!

I spent the evening washing PDL’s bike and cleaning the drive train in preparation for the coffee crits in the morning.



16th December 2007 - Northcote > Port Melbourne > Black Rock return
Distance: 60km
Description: Flat with some hills
Weather: Fine, cool, headwind riding south

PDL and I rode down to Port Melbourne for the Women’s Coffee Crits today for PDL’s first crit. We got there a bit early with Sally (RedBike) turning up just after us.

There was a big turnout of Women for the coffee crit with plenty of nervous and apprehensive women standing about.

PDL was pretty nervous while I wished I could have given it a go myself. I will have to wait till I drop more weight and get a road bike. *sigh*

There were lots of nice bikes to look at all around me. I felt a bit feeble on my Kona flat bar next to all the nice road bikes.

During the warm up instruction session, PDL picked up plenty of skills, going around the corners faster and in the drops which was good to see as corners were her weakness.

I acted as a domestic for a few of the women we know, holding jackets, etc.

The women’s group was split into 2 groups- a leading group and a chasing group (PDL was in the chasing group). As PDL came around every lap, I yelled encouragement for her, urging her to go and chase the leading group but the pace was too high for her to mount a chase. At the end, PDL finished second in the chasing group without her even sprinting for the line. I was impressed. She even smiled for the camera as she crossed the line, hehe!

Afterwards we rode with Rey down Beach Rd to Mordialloc. We were behind some older guys at first who were all over the road and pretty slow so we eventually passed them and rode at a much faster pace, only to have them sit in our draft (it was a headwind). After a fair while of us leading the way we stopped at lights. One of the previous slow guys pulled up next to me so I cheekily said with a smile that he was “welcome to take a turn on the front” to which he replied “we were waiting for you to go up front earlier”. I don’t think he got my joke. Oops!

I wasn’t feeling it today so pulled out at Black Rock and sat down at Kennedys while PDL and Rey went to Mordi. On the way back they found Redbike and the four of us rode back to Pt Melbourne as a group for breakfast.

At home, PDL went and rode around the block to make it 200kms for the weekend. Nice work!



20th December 2007 - Northcote > Canterbury > Mitcham > Doncaster > Canterbury > Fitzroy > Northcote
Distance: 50km
Max Speed: 75.3kph
Description: Hills
Weather: Warm and humid with rain later in the ride

Full of trepidation, today we did our first Mailing Road Ride, arrived at the start a bit early. I was feeling like crap on the way to the ride, and doubted my ability to complete the ride at the groups pace.

We rode down Canterbury Rd and I was dropped straight away. Jim and Barry rode with me which was nice of them but I really hate being a charity case and holding others up. Gotta get faster…

We were just about to catch back up to the group at Maroondah Hwy when lights changed and Barry and I were dropped again. Bugger!

We finally caught up in Nunawading and rode with everyone till Doncaster where me and another guy were separated from the group again by traffic lights (damn it!).

I took off down Elgar Rd, clocking 75kph (which was a total surprise as I didn’t know I was going that fast), however up Belmore Rd the guy I was riding with (forgot his name) rode past me as expected and I rode the rest of the way solo, with no one in sight. The final hill on Balwyn Rd after Whitehorse Rd had a kick to it that really hurt. I finally limped into the Mailing Room café knackered and a bit wet.

Apparently PDL took Queen of the Mountain points and she impressed many seeing as this was her first MRR. Not bad considering she was a fair way behind at the bottom of Col de Belmore and had to close the gap and then pass up the hill. I think she is starting to believe in herself now. Finally! 

After a drink, PDL rode back to work but by this stage it was raining steady and we were wet and soggy.

Just near work we met Commi outside his work and gave him back his tubes from last Sat’s ride.

During the day I had to buy new socks to ride home in as my others were soaked through with no way to dry them during the day.

Ride updates- 15th Dec to 20th Dec 2007

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Ride updates- 1st Dec to 8th Dec 2007

Continuing on with the backdated ride updates, here is a few ride reports from 1st December to the 8th of December 2007.

1st December 2007 - Northcote > St Kilda > Frankston return
Distance: 109.5
Ride Description: Flat with some hills
Weather: Fine with a little headwind on the way down

Today’s ride was an especially early start as Polkadotlisa and Sara had to be at Hampton at 7am for the first Cogs Girls session. So we were out the door at 5.30am in the dark for the ride down.

This was Sara’s first ride in cleats so that was also something for her to come to grips with, but she took to them without any problems at all. She’s always good with picking things like that up and she doesn’t have much fear either. Good for her!

I was a touch concerned with Sara’s pace after last weekend so I wanted to allow plenty of time to make it there, however at the top of Brunswick St; Sara got a flat front tire. I jumped into mechanic action and was whipping through it all in no time at all.

However when it came time to reinflate the tyre, I discovered that the CO2 canister was empty (even though I DID put in a fresh one). Ok, no stress, so I put in the spare one I carry. But wouldn’t you know it as I screwed the new canister in place; it let all the air out of it before I could use it. SHIT!

Now I had to pump up the tyre by hand- which seeing as this pump only has that as a backup option; it was a very slow process and very hard work. By the time I had the bike back on the road we were really running late so I sent Lisa off ahead to let the others know we were on our way.

Sara and I kept pushing ahead as best as she could go, but we copped every single red light! Sheesh!

Finally we made the meeting point late and I immediately borrowed Marti’s pump and got Sara’s tyre up to pressure and we set off to Hampton. Once again I suggested to PDL to ride off ahead to Hampton to make it in time and I asked Dave if he wouldn’t mind pacing Lisa (he seemed to relish the challenge).

We all rode along at Sara’s pace and I did my best to encouraging her along. Up an incline in Brighton, I gave Sara a push along up the hill with one hand, accelerating as I did this. Sara played a joke on me and stopped pedaling and let me do all the work. Everyone who was behind us had a good laugh! Yeah… ha ha! 

Eventually we made it to Hampton 15 mins late and there was nobody at the meeting point. I called PDL and found out they were 100mts away in a car park so we dropped off Sara with the group and the rest of us went on our merry way towards Mordi.

The group rode along in the high 20’s until Andy (53-11) took off a bit faster and I tried to keep his pace but I wasn’t feeling it that morning and I dropped back pretty quickly.

With everyone racing off ahead, Marti and I were dropped by Black Rock so we worked together towards Mordi. After one hill, Marti commented to me that I was a strong rider. I didn’t know what to say to that complement and said “um.. I guess?” LOL

Finally into Mordi, I was happy for the break as up until now my legs just weren’t feeling as strong as they normally are. So a drink and a bite to eat were well in order.

Several of the group headed back to St Kilda so it was just a few of us left- Ian (Parawolf), Dave (Percrime), Marti (Marti), Richard (rdk) and myself.

We set off south again in high 20’s, low 30’s and I was feeling a ton better. Along the way Marti turned back for home and it was just the 4 of us guys riding.

At the train crossing intersection, there was riders coming and going in all directions, as well as cars also going in each direction. There was a comic moment of mass confusion with no one quite knowing what to do. I got dropped at the lights and with one of the confused cars now next to me I apologised for the confusion, but they saw the humor of the moment and had a laugh with me.

I caught back up to the guys and we cruised along in the low 30’s, joining up with a bunch of triathletes with one guy in a futuristic looking Y framed, plain silver bike. I pulled up next to him and asked with a smile if it came with booster rockets which thankfully he took it with humor in which it was intended.

All along I was NOT intending to do Hopes Rise but as I came into Frankston I changed my mind and said I would give it a go (as the legs were feeling much better now).

I made it up better then my last effort and got to the top with a gear to spare and not trashed. Dave looked surprised to see me up as fast as I was and I gave him the “bike lifted over the head celebration” routine that he ribbed me about last week, except I threw the bike so high I ended up almost letting go on it in the air, LOL.

Back down Olivers Hill I didn’t push it this time with an easy 63kph top speed, then stopped at the Frankston visitors centre for a drink refill and dunny stop where there was the Peninsular Toy Run (motorcyclists carrying toys for disadvantaged kids). As I came in someone was taking a photo of the assembled motorcycles so I rolled past the frame and waved at the camera. Would make a funny photo and I just hope they see the humor in it (tho with digital cameras, they will probably delete it straight away).

Back on the road after a very quick stop and we set a whip cracking pace with Ian and Dave leading the way with Richard and me bringing up the rear. We were passing everyone riding along at around 38kph. At one stage Ian looked back and asked if I was ok back there (which I was, for the moment anyway).

Then we caught up to a bunch of triathletes and they picked up the pace to around 40kph making it a pretty impressive paced peleton (I think we had a few others tag onto the back of us as well).

With only 2kms to go till Mordi, I wasn’t able to match the acceleration from a set of lights one last time and I didn’t have the legs to get back on, so I backed it off to the mid 30’s and me and a woman who was behind us rode in together.

At Mordi, Richard and I were feeling the fast pace a bit and we were both intending on taking it easy but somehow yet again, we were racing along in the mid 30’s (with Dave and Ian disappearing into the distance).

As this day was the Sub Women’s ride, the road was full of newbie women and some were very wobbly on the road, so we gave them a wide berth for safety.

On the last hill into Black Rock, a fly flew straight into my throat, hitting my tonsils in the process. This was the equivalent of putting my fingers down my throat and I was gagging as it buzzed down the back of my throat. I dropped right off the pace and tried to cough the fly back up, taking mouth fulls of water and spitting them back out but I think the bug went down instead of up. Yuck!

Back on the pace again and I was working hard to catch back up to Richard after my fly moment. On the hill out of Black Rock, I was abused by the passenger in a boat towing 4wd who leant out the window and yelled “get out of the way ya arsewipe” to which I raised my middle finger and returned a “Fuck you too”.

Now back with Richard, the two of us were cruising along at around 35kph when Richard suggests we back it off a bit. I think I was to blame here; I always end up pushing myself hard despite my earlier intentions.

We kept riding along and for some reason we never really did drop our speed. We passed so many riders it was incredible as for so long it was ME being passed.

At North Road, Richard had to turn off so I was left to ride the rest solo. I glanced down at my average and it was 26.7 kph which was fantastic considering I had the very slow start with Sara. Man we were pushing it and I was beginning to regret it now keeping in mind the following days ride I had planned. Gulp!

Finally I made it back to Fitzroy St and Dave looked stunned to see me there already. Apparently, he and Ian were flying all the way back, so to see me just a few mins after him surprised him somewhat. While I was happy to take the complement, I’m guessing that I just had a better run of the traffic lights to account for my great time *shrug*

I found a seat and slumped down, feeling really trashed from the days riding. I wanted lots of cold drinks and food and FAST, but the service this day was rotten and even a bit snooty!

Breakfast over and we rode home via the city. While stopped at a red light on St Kilda road, a fellow rider went straight through the red light, and then he stopped to pickup something he dropped. As we came up to pass him, we saw him finish eating an energy bar and just fling the rubbish on the ground! Nice…

The rest of the ride was uneventful except for a rather massive incident with a 4WD which I will make a separate post about.



2nd December 2007 - Brimbank Park > up Calder Highway before turning around > Riding around Port Melbourne
Distance: 40kms
Description: All uphill
Weather: Strong headwind

I was very tired from the previous day’s ride, with legs feeling weary and weak so I went into this ride a bit apprehensive. There were very strong winds and it was quite warm; a bad day to be on the roads.

After a bit of confusion on the start point, we eventually found the others and 6 of us headed out, however within 3km we lost one guy with knee problems.

Onwards we rode into the cross/headwind and never ending uphill which sucked (for me). Out onto Calder Hwy and it was a non-stop incline into a strong head/side wind. I was giving it my all but was reduced to 15kph as the rest disappeared WAY into the distance.

My saddle was causing me a lot of pain. The centre of it had gone soft and was sinking in the middle. Eventually the combination of wind, tired legs and buggered seat saw me throw in the towel. I felt really crap for giving in.

Johan, PDL and I turned back for the car (downhill, tailwind- whew!), leaving just Beatmasterbee and Marc to go on to battle the conditions.

Despondent, I drove back and decided to get a new seat at Freedom machine (we were a bit early so waited in crap café next door). I think the café next door to Freedom Machine would have to take the award for the worst eggs I have ever had. Microwaved- yuk!

In Freedom Wheels I brought a new Specialized seat and it immediately felt better. I could feel more power in my stroke and a ton more comfort overall. I should have done this age’s ago.

We decided to go down to Port Melbourne to watch the crit (had no idea where it was plus I think we were a bit late). After driving about for a while, we eventually just stopped in the industrial area and rode our own crit course just PDL and I.

After a few laps, the heat, wind and flies got the better of us so we went home.



8th December 2007 - Northcote > St Kilda > Frankston return
Distance: 106km
Description: Flat with some hills

Today PDL was supposed to do Cogs Girls but she had been moaning all week that she wanted to get in a good ride and didn’t feel like doing Cogs Girls. I kept telling her it was her call.

We met up with the others at St Kilda and rode down to Hampton. Kathy and PDL turned off at Hampton while the rest of us rode onwards south. Suddenly as I was chatting to Commi, PDL whizzes past us. HUH?

It seems the lure of a long ride was too much for PDL and she changed her mind when she arrived at the meet point with Kathy and chased after us. LOL

Into Black Rock I was determined NOT to go too early for the sprint. I sat on Dave’s wheel as he increased his speed heading towards Black Rock and he knew I was there the whole way. He could have tried to lose me harder but he was kind enough not to do so. As he got faster and faster, I decided that this was the moment, clicked up another gear, pulled out from him and gave it my all to power past him and finally take out a sprint. Woohoo! I was so knackered after that sprint but it was fun all the same.

Arount Mentone, a bunch of riders passed us pretty fast with some of then cutting past us a bit close and silly. Then as we rounded a corner, we saw the aftermath of one of these riders crashed on the ground. He was getting up and had mates with him so we kept on going. Then as we came into Mentone, a HUGE pack blew past us very fast, must have taken them a good 45 seconds for all pass me. WOW!

Down to Frankston as we cruised along, PDL was trying to tap her bar plug back in with her hand, but she lost control for a second and had to lean on me to regain her balance. Nice work.

On the lead up to Hopes Rise, I urged PDL to chase down Dave up the hill and after closing the 75 meter gap she wasn’t quite able to beat Dave up the hill. She getting better and better tho.

Back at Modi on our return, we saw the Cogs Girls and stopped to say hi. While at Mordi, the Drapac Porsche team went past at a great rate of knots as a BIG group, followed by the team car all done up in team livery. Very impressive!

We stopped at LeKnicks and I brought a Caisse D’Epargne jersey. It looks heaps better than the plain red one and I was pretty happy to be free of the plain red. At last I can fit into a decent looking jersey and I wore it for the rest of the ride.

I was caught behind the group trying to cross the road, and had to work flat out to catch up with the group, which I finally did when they were caught at lights and I zoomed past (they didn’t recognise me due to the new jersey).

We all stopped at Hampton to catch up with Kathy and others for breakfast where I dobbed Lisa in to Warren from Cogs Girls re the coffee crits and Warren agreed that PDL was ready.

As the group left breakfast, for some reason everyone followed my suggestion about which way to go, where I made a total mess of the directions. Doh!

We stopped in at Startline and had a look around and chat to Liz and Caren. Liz was amazed at my weight drop.

Riding back into St Kilda, I heard a spoke break, so once again we all stopped while I pulled it out. Dang it!

Stopped at BSC on the way home to book my bike in for a service and replacement of the spoke.

Ride updates- 1st Dec to 8th Dec 2007

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Ride updates- 10th Nov to 25th Nov 2007

Its been ages since I updated my blog so here is the first of several posts that backtrack on what's been happening. Some of it is simple point form while some is more detailed. Read on...

10th November 2007 - Northcote > Docklands > Werribee River
Distance: 83.55
Ride Time: 03:27:52
Average Speed: 24.10
Max Speed: 46.60
Ride Description: Flat, flat, flat!
Weather: Fine

- PDL and I met up with beatmasterbee (Andrew) on way down to the ride start where we had equal numbers of flat bar bikes as road bikes.
- The group was abused within the first 5 mins of starting the ride (for daring to ride on the road) down Footscray Rd.
- Along the way there were tons of stinky factories, green smoke, etc. We played guess that smell!
- Stu caught up with us along the way after changing his mind about his days ride and they riding in the general direction hoping ti catch us. Dunno how he found us- I would have been totally lost myself.
- The bike path was ok except for the annoying road crossings breaking up a good path surface.
- The path was mostly empty path except for the occasional slow casual riders.
- Eventually the path ended at Werribee River, where we boys relived ourselves against the trees. However with no toilet for PDL, we rode back to a servo so lisa could avail herself of the facilities.
- The ride back uneventful, but I did try to chase down Stu after he took off to no avail.
- At one stage, I found myself on the rough footpath and while trying to cross back onto the road, I rode over a sand patch and was lucky not to be thrown over the bars.
- Towards the end of the ride, the pa e picked up more and more, leaving Johan struggling to keep up.
- Back along Footscray Rd we passed heaps of cars into Docklands due to the road works. Love doing that.
- All back in the Docklands, we had a group photo taken for us by group of excitable women.
- We all sat down and had breakfast at Docklands; it’s always good to have a feed at the end of a good ride.
- On the way home I saw Saw 53-11 (Andy) in the city and yelled hi as we zoomed past.
- After the ride we drove to Le Knicks (picked up a second pair of bib knicks and a cap), tried on jerseys- still don’t fit me. Damn!


11th November 2007 - Northcote > Black Rock return
Distance: 53.30
Ride Time: 02:36:56
Average Speed: 20.40
Max Speed: 49.80
Ride Description: Flat
Weather: Fine, Practice ride with Sara

- Today was a test BBC ride for Sara.
- We did an OK pace all the way, the hills hurt Sara but it reminds me of myself when I started.
- Met up with an older bloke I met ages ago, so I rode off from Sara and Lisa to chat with him as he was trying to keep up with his group.
- After riding ahead, I dropped back for Sara to encourage her along.
- Later on, I raced off ahead to chase down some road riders on the long incline before Black Rock (did it easy).
- Sara bumped into a woman she knew from music course at Uni on the road, and I think Sara was happy to see so many women on the road.
- We stopped at Kennedys for a drink, then a look at LeKnicks (Lisa bought Bojour jersey).
- The older bloke saw us again as we rode up the Black Rock hill (I was going slow for Sara, wanted to race off to show I really wasn’t slow hehehe).
- Lisa and I raced each other along the flat for a little while- I got to 48kph but it left me stuffed.
- After the foolish sprinting above, I backed off and worked with Sara all the way back, stopping in St Kilda for breakfast at The Grocery Bar.
- After breakfast, we rode home up Collins St, a really hard hill for Saz but she never gave up. Good for her.
- In the end Sara finished the ride with a decent average speed; impressed.


11th November 2007 - Northcote > Boulevard return
Distance: 20.74
Ride Time: 00:57:15
Average Speed: 21.80
Max Speed: 49.70
Ride Description: Hilly
Weather: Warm

- PDL and I hit the Kew Bouli for an extra workout later in the afternoon after the mornings BBC ride.
- It was still hard work but I find the Kew Bouli a bit easier every time I do it.
This time I was able to ride up all the hills in the middle ring.
- Interestingly, I discovered I only use the brakes just the one small moment on the entire bouli.
- At the Richmond end we waited for Sally and Bryce.
- We all set off for Chandler Highway together with me leading the way down the first hill, but everyone passed me on first up hill. Bugger!
- I tried to keep Sally in sight but lost her half way around the Bouli.
Lisa apparently was keeping Bryce honest the whole way (she really is good on the hills).
- Rode home having done our first full lap of the Kew Boulevard (there and back).


13th November 2007 - Northcote > Boulevard return via Fairfield boatshed

- PDL and I took Sara on the Kew Bouli for her first time. Credit where credit’s due to Sara for giving it a go.
- An unknown rider fired a pretend gun at PDL and me as we rode up the first hill (he was riding down)- WTF?
- I stopped to wait for Sara at top of the first hill, where I was bailed up by the unknown gunman (a BV forum member it turned out). I was so pissed off after he talked AT me, that I hammered along the Bouli as hard as I could, so much so that PDL couldn’t catch me until the final hill.
- Sara made it all the way- a top effort on a tough road.
- On the way back we took the short cut through the Kew boatsheds and headed home feeling rather shite.


17th November 2007 - Anaconda > 1:20 > Sassafras > Skyhigh > Kalorama > Sassafras > Anaconda
Distance: 47.70
Riding Time: 02:21:27
Average Speed: 20.20
Max Speed: 67.60
Ride description: Hill climb
Weather: Warm

- There was a big group for this ride, with about 30+ riders joining in.
- I lead the way from Anaconda, with everyone treating me as the group leader (which felt pretty strange).
- We regrouped at The Basin where some riders were already waiting.
- Everyone (I thought) passed me within 100mts of the climb, leaving me with a long and lonely ride up (which I always expected).
- Along the way up I was able to pass just the 2 riders on mountain bikes.
- Sette came back down twice to me after reaching the top which just served to highlight my lack of hill climbing ability. *sigh*
- I finally made it to the top with no rest stops, so I achieved my aim for this ride (I still collapsed on the grass at the top though!)
- After a rest, we all headed to Sky High, where Louisa and I rode together at the back, urging each other along up the hills.
- I flew down a long downhill and turned off to Sky High (where several riders were waiting at the intersection, looking a bit lost). I was passed again up the hills, but I kept pushing up some really steep hills that had me in my lowest gear- ouch!
- Finally I made it to the top, where someone (an angel perhaps?) took my bike from me when I got to the top- thanks!
- It turned out that Dave, Shane and Richard took the wrong turn and went the long, steep way up to Sky High.
- On the way down, I was group leader again, leading the way down a very steep fast downhill with a sharp turn and stop sign at the bottom. You could smell my disk brakes at the bottom I was working them so hard!
- Back to Sasafrass was hard work again. Glad to make it as I was getting pretty weary legs by this stage.
- After breakfast in Sassafrass, we headed back down the 1:20. I left after most (I was busy jabbering to Dave) and I pushed all the way, finally catching and overtaking our entire (now smaller) group before the end. I was dubbed the “Red Flash” afterwards! Hehehe
- We rode back as a group to Anaconda in the high 30’s which was fun (a bit of a tail wind).There was HEAPS of fast traffic on Bayswater Rd; loud, scary, and not fun at all.
- We drove home stuffed and hot and sweaty, but it was a great day’s ride all the same.


24th November 2007 - Northcote > Hampton return + Bouli return + Brunswick St > Northcote
Distance: 71.35
Ride Time: 03:42:23
Average Speed: 19.20
Max Speed: 51.6
Ride Description: Flat + hills
Weather: Warm

- Today’s ride was a very slow ride to BBC- Sara struggling bad- not sure what the problem was.
- Lisa chain came off- again! Getting frustrating.
- Matt turned up with his new bike- finally! Wish I was on a road bike, but I need to wait for A- more money, and B. more weight loss.
- On way down with the group, Kathy and I stayed back with Sara.
- The group stopped outside Startline to wait for us (which was nice), but they then passed us straight away as Sara struggled up an incline.
- Sara was finding it harder and harder- and eventually we turned around and I told Kathy to go ahead and let them know what happened to us.
- On way back was I was buzzed by a big fast group and tapped on shoulder by a rider at speed. It turned out to be Andy so I waved hi back.
- Along the way we were passed by many of the fast 7am group.
- Back at the BBC, breakfast was back to normal after last months poor effort. Good.
- After breakfast, PDL, Sara and I rode to Spoke(n) to have a look around. Lots of nice stuff in there, and very friendly staff who even parked our bikes for us in the store.
- As we rode back up Nepean Hwy, we were was buzzed by a Wattle bird. Never been swooped before.
- We rode back via Swanston St, up past Melbourne Uni, and took the Rushall Station way to avoid hills for Sara.
- I really felt for Sara- she was just having a really bad day on the bike and she was crushed I think.

- After the ride we all voted and John Howard lost. Finally! Very happy.

- Later PDL and I went to do the Kew Bouli via The Pipe bridge. It was a steep climb and I pushed too hard and gulped too much water which made me feel sick.
- PDL’s chain came off two more times on the way back, so I cracked the shits and we rode to BSC to have it fixed properly.
- They could make it jump proof but it was a “lazy shift” (double click to move the big ring). PDL didn’t like this so we took their advice and paid for a Shimano 105 big ring to be fitted- fixed the problem and now shifts better than it ever has!


25th November 2007 - Northcote > St Kilda > Mt Eliza return
Distance: 116.31
Ride Time: 04:34:21
Average Speed: 25.40
Max Speed: 70.30
Ride Description: Flat with some hills
Weather: Fine with some low headwind on the way down

- A cool morning start to the ride.
- An idiot in car on Gertrude St screamed out at us as we were crossing the intersection (with a green light)- “FUCKING CYCLISTS” *shrug*
- PDL and I made the meet point with time to spare for once.
- The group was made up of- Dave, Matt, Richard, Rey, Katrina, PDL and me.
- Dave and I lead a fast pace on the way down. I tried to out sprint Dave into Black Rock but I still went too early but i beat Richard. hehe
- We kept the pace up into Mordi, where Dave took off, so I encouraged PDL to chase him down (she didn’t quite make it).
- We backed off the pace to Frankston, and we saw a woman in a group in front of us almost crash in front of us- lucky save.
- One guy that passed us had a Brumbys Bread jersey on and the back had French bread sticks printed to look like they were sticking out of the rear pockets- very cool!
- The woman who almost fell earlier, was walking up Hopes Rise as I rode towards her. She looked back and upon seeing me she started running up the hill in cleats. Very strange.
- I made it up Hopes Rise without walking for the first time. Woohoo!
- Apparently PDL passed Dave up Hopes Rise for a while- wow!
- Katrina made it up on her first attempt- VERY impressed!
- The ride towards Mt Eliza was hard work and my legs were a bit wobbly by the end.
- At the coffee stop in Mt Eliza, we stopped for a rest and I had a choc mud muffin served to Dave with a birthday candle for his birthday.
- After the stop, Dave took off so I pushed really hard down Olivers Hill to catch him and topped 70kph for the first time!
- As I was riding down at 70kph, a car slowly passed me and the kids in the back seat were all staring at me, mouths wide open in amazement; funny stuff!
- The ride back towards Mordi was fast and in the mid 30’s. After Mordi we were supposed to back off the pace a bit but Richard and I got carried away and we were sitting in the mid 30’s again.
- Dave and Lisa took off, from the rest of us and I was passed by everyone by the last hill around Ricketts Point, but I passed Katrina and Rey back into Black Rock, caught up with Richard and we rode the rest of the way north together.
- Into St Kilda I saw my average was 25.9kph so I pushed hard the rest to get up to 26kph (made it).
- Turns out that Dave and PDL had been waiting for a while at the cafe as they were really flying the whole way.
- I really enjoyed lunch as I was starving by the time I made it back. I really worked hard this ride.
- After breakfast, PDL discovered that some kids had cleared her computer while messing about- damn them!
- The rest of the ride home was uneventful.

Ride updates- 10th Nov to 25th Nov 2007

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Sacred Heart Mission Community Cycle

Well it's been a while since I last updated my blog due to having a ton of stuff to do and not a lot of spare time. For those who asked- yes I am still churning out the miles every week with continued weight loss to boot (tho the last 2 weeks its slowed right down- GRRR!) and I do have a summary of these rides tucked away which I will flesh out into a series of short ride reports to be posted soon (prob after Christmas when things are quieter).

However one important happening in my cycling life is the Sacred Heart Mission Community Cycle ride I have organized.

The Sacred Heart Mission Community Cycle is a FREE ride from Frankston Visitors Centre (Melway's map 100 A9) to the Sacred Heart Mission in Grey Street, St Kilda (Melway's map 58 A9), on Saturday the 22nd of December, 2007.

The Sacred Heart Mission's prime activity is to supply food to, and cook for the poor and homeless. To assist the Sacred Heart Mission with this ever growing demand for their services, the Sacred Heart Mission Community Cycle will be delivering food to the mission via the backpacks/messenger bags/panniers that all riders will be carrying with them on the ride from Franskton.

The ride from Frankston to St Kilda is a regular route for many cyclists and it is well known for its long stretches with few traffic lights, it's mostly flat elevation and its wonderful views over the bay.

Ride start: 8.30am, Saturday the 22nd of December 2007
Start location: Frankston Visitors Centre
Route distance: 40.5km
Ride finish time: 11am
Ride pace: Approx 22kph average
Ride finish location: Sacred Heart Mission, St Kilda
Ride cost: FREE! FREE! FREE!

All riders are encouraged to dress with a Christmas spirit. Leading the ride will be Santa and his nine reindeers with the rest of the group following. So wrap your bike in tinsel, or dress as an elf, snowman, what ever. Lets make it a fun ride! Even better- several prizes will be given away at the end for the best dressed, so make sure you hang about at the end!

Now, go do yourself a favor and go visit the website I built for this event. It's gonna be a great fun ride and a nice way to give something back to the community and to help those less fortunate than yourself.

So don't let me down OK? I expect you (yes- YOU, the one reading this) to join us on the road with a bag of food to donate. Even if you just join on for the last 5km- I don't mind. Just as long as you come along, have a laugh and share in the giving spirit.

Cya out there on the road this Saturday the 22nd of December! I'll be looking for ya (I'll be the one dressed as Santa).

Sacred Heart Mission Community Cycle

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The horses are on the track!

Continuing with the overdue ride reports, this ride report is about a Melbourne Cup public holiday ride to Mordialloc and back.

The day dawned sunny, clear and warm. Heading down to the meeting point in St Kilda and the roads were extra quiet except for all the early morning race goers at Flinders Street station headed for Flemington in their finery. Polkadotlisa and I had a good chuckle at all the cashed up bogans (CUBs) dressed on in wanky suits with their collars up and tool-worthy shoes and sunglasses on. I weep for the future!

At the meet point the group all arrived promptly except for the rider organiser- Jane (vicjane). One rider I had never met before was an older guy John (fixie on the BV forum). He was on a MBC R1 bike that he had just recently picked up and Matt (commi) was green with envy (Matt was STILL waiting to get his bike). John was a bit stiff and sore from a recent crash and wasn’t able to reach his back pockets, so I was a little worried about him right from the start. Eventually Jane turned up and we all set off towards Mordi.

We had a slight headwind so we rode at a manageable pace of around 26-28kph, but before we even got to Brighton, John had to pull out with his heart rate apparently skyrocketing! We were all a bit worried about him but he assured us he would be fine so we rode onwards as he turned back.

At one set of lights, a few riders pulled up behind us with a car load of partying louts yelling stupid crap at us all. As the riders rolled past us they commented that “their not with us” which was pretty funny. Just what is it with some people in cars wanting to yell things at cyclists who are not in the way or doing anything wrong? I just don’t understand it!

With the headwind giving us some resistance, Richard (RDK) and I took over the lead a bit before Hampton to give Jane and Marc a break from the wind. Richard and I pushed hard to keep the pace up with everyone giving a bit of a sprint into Black Rock.

As we left Black Rock, I called PDL up so she could take her turn on the front but combined with the effort to sprint, her lack of drinking while riding and the rolling hills around Rickets Point, PDL was struggling with the pace and she dropped off a bit. We all splintered up over the hills but with some hard work, we all regrouped into the final flat into Mordi.

The tradition rest stop was pretty quiet for a change with not as many riders assembled. So the usual pee, drink and chat were had and we all headed back towards St Kilda for breakfast.

The pace back was really on and everyone was splintered up fairly quickly over the hills. PDL was a bit ahead of me on the uphills but I was able to close back in on her without going into the red zone too much and we rode together from Black Rock all the way to St Kilda.

Along the way we passed a heap of riders, some looking far fitter and lighter than me, and on lighter, faster road bikes than my heavy flat bar. To say I was pleased was an understatement. It’s not that I want to beat other riders; it’s just the fact that I CAN beat other riders that makes me happy. It’s a measure of my improvement and that is the best reward I can think of.

Back in St Kilda and the rest of Melbourne was just starting to wake up. We took a table outside the usual post ride stop (the Grocery Bar in Fitzroy St) and had our usual eats and drinks. Yum!

PDL and I talked about doing a group ride up the 1:20 and everyone seemed keen about the idea which would later on turn out to be a really popular ride (see later post).

After breakfast we all split up and went our ways. As PDL and I rode down Brunswick St back towards home, we were both enjoying the ride so much we just wanted to roll on and on and on. However a BBQ that afternoon was beckoning so we finished with a good speedy 72km of early morning riding under our belts.

PS- Later that day there was a horse race. Some horse won with a tiny guy on its back, much cheep booze was drunk, many a cheap polyester frock was vomited on and the trashy had their moment in the sun. The sport of kings they say… classy!

The horses are on the track!

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By the time we got to Woodstock…

By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration…
'Woodstock' by Crosby Stills Nash & Young

A few weeks ago on a drizzly Saturday morning of November the 3rd, three guys set off on a ride from Melbourne to Sydney in three days as part of a fund raiser called ‘Ride Like The Wind’ for the Starlight Foundation. With the route passing right by our door, we really had no excuse not to join the trio for a send off ride, so Polkadotlisa and I found ourselves rolling up and down the service road at 6am, waiting for the group to ride past.

The guys (and other entourage of fellow riders) suddenly arrived from around the corner right on time, so we took off up High Street with them. As we came up to the Westgarth Rd intersection, the group kept going straight rather then turning off towards St Georges Rd as per their predetermined route. This route diversion really isn’t a big deal, but it meant we now had to ride up the High St hill which for some reason I had always viewed as killer hill (yeah- this from a guy who has already ridden up Mt Dandenong twice- go figure?).

Fearing I would be totally dropped up the hill and knowing the guys were not going to wait around (fair enough, they had 900 odd kilometres to go), I really put in a big effort up the hill with no warm up to get the legs going and I was happy to find that although I was last up, I was well in sight of the group and was quickly back with them. Whew!

From High St we zigzagged to St Georges Rd and continued north. As we rode on, the drizzle started to fall on the quiet Saturday morning roads with only the sound of our breathing and chatting cutting through the silence. It was great!

The whole way north out of Melbourne was slightly uphill and with a pace around 28kph, I had to push hard to keep up. Somewhere around Epping, a group of the riders ahead found themselves running through a heap of broken glass on the road which resulted in one of them having a flat. With all the ‘Ride like the wind’ riders ok, we kept going, eager to help the guys keep to their schedule.

As we left the suburbs behind us and headed into the paddocks, the drizzle progressed into rain which meant the now country road caused muddy water to spray up from our wheels, leaving us not only wet but also dirty. Me- I loved it and was enjoying the whole experience, even though I was struggling to keep up the pace on the constant incline.

By the time we got to Woodstock (which was nothing more than a house and a roundabout), I said to PDL that I was done for the day and wanted to turn around. PDL also had to be home in time to go to work, so four of us (Marti, Dave, PDL and I) said goodbye and good luck to the group and headed back to the city.

Now with the road all downhill slightly, we kept up a cracking pace in the low to mid 30’s. I looked down at my bars as we rode along and it was covered with watery grit while PDL’s lovely new wool jersey was left with a great big brown dirt streak down the back. Nobody wanted to ride close behind me due to my tyres throwing a huge water spray so I sat up the front and went progressively faster and faster until Dave yelled out to me to slow down as I was dropping everyone. Oops!

Back in the suburbs and while rolling up to a set of lights on a 3 lane road (with no traffic), Dave was ahead and had pulled up at the lights taking the whole left lane. A blue 4WD had pulled up right behind him. On the lights changing, rather than just pull around Dave, he sat right on his ass, revving his motor aggressively, so Dave ignored the 4WD and held his line (as he had every right to).

Around this time I arrived on the scene and pulled up on the left of the 4WD wondering why he was doing what he did. I moved up to get the drivers attention and waved for him to just go around Dave (2 totally traffic free lanes next to us remember). The driver ignored me so I yelled to him and again motioned for him to just go around. This time the driver started hurling abuse at me and started to drift over towards me. I yelled at the driver but he kept moving over on me so I thumped my fist on the side of his car to get his attention. Next thing I know, there is 2 tonnes of blue metal swerving towards me, forcing me right into the very depths of the gutter. I unclipped as I attempted not to fall and the 4WD sped off (wow- now he changes lanes – dick head).

In hindsight, thumping my fist against the guys car probably wasn't the smartest thing to do but I was trying tell him off for drifting over me.

With that scare over, we kept riding south towards Melbourne with a few sprint points raced for on some of the downhills just for kicks which were great fun! Eventually we arrived back at our apartment having done a swift 52km’s, wet, mud splattered, but happy.

By the time we got to Woodstock…

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Yes I know - I'm overdue for an update!

Before you all start pestering me to update my blog, I've been REALLY busy with work and I have been generally lacking in spare time. However I'm over the hump now so stay tuned for a complete update very soon. I promise!

Yes I know - I'm overdue for an update!

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It started as a dare…

Last weekend was the monthly BBC ride. However with the Around the Bay in a Day ride just the week before, many of the usual riders seemed to have backed off. Its funny but I only just realised that while I view cycling as a personal challenge and I really enjoy pushing myself every week, for most people cycling is actually just a fun activity and they are quite happy to have an easy ride. I have to remind myself that not everyone’s as driven as I am and that’s perfectly OK.

Anyway, the BBC ride this month was split up into two groups- the 7am fast ride to Mordi and back; and the usual 7.30am easy ride to Black Rock and back. Being the limits pushing guy I am (hehe), I went for the 7am ride. Polka Dot Lisa wasn’t able to make the ride this weekend due to her working at the Illustrators Festival so it was just me heading down to BBC for the start.

After a late start (damn the snooze button!) I hammered all the way down via Brunswick St, Collins St, St Kilda Rd. I think I averaged about 27kph which wasn’t bad at all, however I missed having PDL along to pace with. :(

The ride down to Mordi started as a fairly easy pace as far as I was concerned. Commi from BV (Matt) rode next to me and somewhere around the Hampton area I piped up and asked the guys up the front if we could “pick it up a bit”. Opps... BIG mistake! Andy, Stu and one or two others took off like a rocket and that was the last we saw of them. “Hey guys, I said a bit faster, not 10kph”! LOL

Into Black Rock I did my usual trick of pulling out and sprinted at the top of the hill, only this time everyone tried to follow. I really MUST time my sprint a bit later. 1km of sprinting is a bit too much and everyone streams past me at the end!

As we rolled through the hills around Ricketts Point we spread out a bit as usual but we all pretty much grouped back up as we rolled into Mordi for a quick stop. Apparently we were only a few mins later then the uber fast dudes which was nice to know. It was warming up into quite a warm day so I took off the arm warmers. Unfortunately 10 km later I had wished I had taken off the leg warmers as well. I’m still getting the dressing for the temperature thing dialed in at this stage.

The ride back we all spread out a bit. My legs were feeling the fast pace down and I dropped off the pace in the hills. Thankfully, jmcleod waited for me which I really appreciated and we rode all the way back just the two of us. Along the way I noticed that his rear wheel was very out of true which upon making it back to the BBC we discovered was a broken spoke and cracking all through the rear wheel. Yikes!

As the day was so nice and sunny, BBC had moved the breaky outside, however the usual buffet breakfast was replaced with cardboard trays filled with an assortment of food. No fruit salad (wow, a mandarin!), no cereal, no refills of juice. Not impressed seeing as most of the foods was not low fat. Grrrr…

Over breakfast I was working on Matt re a ride up the 1:20 that afternoon. The night before I casually mention if anyone would like to do the Kew Bouli after the BBC ride as I wanted to do some more hills work and Matt jokingly suggested I do the 1:20 ride again. Taking the dare, I said that I would if he joined me. Matt was a apprehensive about doing the 1:20 but I nagged him until he relented. Oh I’m such a bad influence, LOL!

After breakfast a group of us rode to Melbourne Bicycle Centre to get Matt a new tyre and jmcleod some new wheels. 15 mins later and jmcleod wheels his bike out with a killer set of Mavic wheels (very bling!) while Matt has a new tyre. I brought nothing! :( Back at Matts place we fit the tyre and then ride over to my place to load up for the drive out to Mt Dandenong.

The day was heating up into the high 20’s and we were both pretty hot by the time we got to Northcote. A couple of glasses of Poweraide and a cool down, then it was into the Renault and onto the freeway to attack the famed 1:20 ride!

Because it was so hot and we had already done a good 74km’s of riding already, we parked right at the base of the climb rather than Anaconda for a warm up ride. A quick dunny stop and then it was straight into the 1:20 climb.

Matt quickly dropped me (just like I knew he would) and I pretty much did the same as last time, spinning in the mid 80’s rpm at around 11kph. It’s slow, damn slow, but any harder and I can feel my legs blowing out and my heart rate overdoing it. Last time I had to take 2 rest stops on the way up and my aim was to just stop the once this time which I managed to do.

As I stopped and sat on the bike catching my breath, I glanced down the mountain into the trees and there, about 50 metres down the hill in amongst the trees and rocks was a late model Honda road motorcycle leaning against a tree, facing back up the hill. It didn’t look damaged other than the rear cowling missing the top part and I couldn’t see how on earth it could have been ridden down there. I was worried that a rider may have crashed and somewhere down there was a hurt rider but I couldn’t see any sign of anyone. Another motorcycle was coming up the hill so I waved him over and showed him what I saw. He and his pillion had the same thoughts as me but unable to see any sign of a person, we both left to go on our way.

Now back on the road I only had about 2km to go. As I rounded the final corner I could see Matt standing at the timing finish line with his camera. So I rode towards him with one finger raised to signify how many stops I took. Next time- zero stops is my aim!

As I rolled to a stop in the small park at the top, I retained a bit more dignity than the previous week, and just sat down on the grass rather than falling in a heap. I was still rooted after a pretty hard day but happy all the same. Matt was pretty thrilled to have done it as well, giving me a big hi-five in celebration. He was hard to convince to do it before hand, but now he was rapt to have made it!

Both of us were pretty hungry after the meager breakfast at BBC, so we stopped at a café with tables and chairs out front and both ordered open gourmet burgers and soy chi lattes. Mmmm… it was good!

The ride back down was awesome with both of us flying all the way down. I lead the way with Matt right behind me. I think my top speed was about 55kph and it was a buzz. Approximately nine minutes of downhill is a ton of fun and at the bottom Matt and I were both buzzing! We packed up and headed back, stopping at Anaconda (Matt discovered he needed new brake pads) and a stop at Glenvale Rd to get some photos to show the steepness of the road (pics weren’t much use- I need a level and protractor).

After dropping Matt at home, I drove back home, but along the way, PDL called me to say she had just had a crash. She sounded a bit upset and shaken up with a few tears over the phone. I was really worried about her and said I would come and pick her up as fast as I could but to her credit, she wanted to get back on and ride home. I rushed all the way home, thinking she would beat me but as it turned out I got home about 3 minutes before she did. As she came in I was shocked to see how banged up she was- ripped clothing, weeping big grazes on her knees, shoulder, chin and assorted bruises and scratches all over. My poor polkadot was a mess!

I immediately went into nurse mode and helped get her out of her ripped clothing so we could wash all the wounds. It turned out that PDL got her front wheel caught in a tram track at the top of Brunswick St after some guy was sitting in his car with his door wide open, leaving PDL to ride out over the tram tracks. After hitting the ground and sliding along, not one miserable prick bothered to stop and help her. She was lying on the ground, bloody, with her bike in the middle of the road and no one gave a damn! One cyclist that was behind her slowed down but never said a word and kept on riding. What is wrong with people?!?

Anyway, PDL was pretty sore and lacking much in the way of bandages we drove up to a chemist to stock up. At the chemist, the woman there suggested we use the spray on bandages as nothing else they had would cover the size of the grazes. As it turned out this was the WORST thing we could have done. The spray on bandage was SUPER painful, leaving PDL screaming in pain. Never EVER use that stuff. It’s useless.

The next day (Sunday), PDL again had to head into the Illustrators Festival. As she had a lift already arranged she was right to go so I went for a ride with my sister Sara and Dave (Percrime) from BV. We met in the city and rode down to Port Melbourne on the bike track. It was a really windy day with the wind pushing up sideways on the road, but thankfully the wind was mostly at our backs so it wasn’t too bad.

This was Sara’s first time down Beach Rd on the bike so it was a new experience for her. Unfortunately with the crap weather, not a lot of riders were out so she missed that part of the experience, but it was good all the same. Dave and I were in super cruise mode with the wind pushing us along while Sara was doing fine also (tho still a good 8kph slower than I would have liked).

We stopped in at Startline to see Liz and then kept on riding to Black Rock. Sara struggled a bit on some of the inclines along the way and it SO reminded me of the first time PDL and I rode down this way. That time we stopped at Hampton and trained it back to the city as I was dead tired. So for Sara to ride to Black Rock without too much bother (all be it with a massive tail wind) was a great effort. We stopped in at Kennedy Cycles for a bite and a drink and Sara got a taste of the cycling culture of post ride café gatherings. The social side of riding is a great attraction and it was most unexpected when I started. Now if I have a ride without that part, the ride is really missing something.

Heading back was always going to be a tough ask for Sara. The head wind was so strong that drifts of sand from the beach were stinging us and we were being pushed all over the road. At one stage I almost got caught out by the gutter and only JUST unclipped in time. I tried to ride as a wind break for Sara to help get her up the hill just north of Black Rock but I just couldn’t ride slowly enough for her LOL. But to her credit she never stopped, even despite the wind and the hill. We rode on until Sandringham where Sara and I left the road to train it back (the wind was just too much for her and she had an appointment to keep). Dave kept riding on back to Startline where Kathy (Dave partner) was doing some training and I really felt for him in that wind on his own.

On the train as we traveled along next to Beach Rd we saw Dave struggling on. At one point the wind was so strong it blew his forward momentum to a stop and he had to get off. I really felt for him.

All in all it was a pretty tough weekends riding. I did about 74kms on Sat morning at an average of about 27kph, and then I did 15 km up and down the 1:20 ride, followed by 30km on Sunday with Sara and Dave. Sunday afternoon I crashed on the couch and slept for about 4 hours. I was stuffed.

Oh yeah- I lost 1.8kgs the past week. That made up for the previous week where I actually put on 0.1kgs. I'm getting there, bit by bit.

It started as a dare…

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Hubba Hubba! How cool does my wife look!

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*

Hubba Hubba! How cool does my wife look!

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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

My first 1 in 20 ride - a picture tells a thousand words!

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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*.

I wonder who stenciled this on the road??

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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!

Mofo snakes on a bike!

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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!

I'm proud of my sister!

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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).

The new bike blues...

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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!

Wet tram tracks are to be respected!

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