Report by Julian

A very cold start to Sunday morning meant that the 20 or so riders who gathered were all rugged up. Then Stu arrived in a short sleeve top and no arm-warmers, which made everyone forget how cold they were! A quick explanation of the ride route was given by Peter , after which we set off up Mill Point Road, Great Eastern Highway then on to Orrong Road. The first rays of sun hit us in Welshpool but had little impact on the shivering bodies, especially when we went past the small parkland depressions that seemed to be a couple of degrees colder than the surrounding area.

By the time we hit Welshpool Rd hill the group was sufficiently warm to attack the climb. Stu, Hunter and I made an early move but Hunter dropped back when he experienced chain trouble. Jerry and Lorraine were amongst the others making good progress and also passed Hunter, who by this stage couldn’t get his chain off the big front ring. On the last rise to the top of the climb Stu made a decisive break, helped by shedding excess weight in the form of his pump and sunglasses. Only after he claimed the points did he turn around and pick them up and the rest of us followed on to the re-group at the end of Welshpool Rd. Lorraine was very excited about her 6th place – could this be the day she’d breakthrough for here first points?

KOM 1 – 1. Stu, 2. Julian, 3. Jerry, 4. Peter, 5. Mark

We lost a couple of riders at this point but the main group headed up to Carmel on the way to the top of the observatory hill. The cloud had not lifted here so visibility was low and good ride etiquette was observed with a safe pace being maintained. One advantage of the fog was that the initial steep part of the climb was not visible so the hill did not look as daunting as usual. Despite this, John (I think) still managed a cry of disbelief when he realised we weren’t turning left. As we ascended, Stu and I made a good break and were the first to be greeted by full sun. We turned into Patterson Rd together and again Stu attacked to collect the points. We then turned to watch the others finish and saw Jerry bring home 3rd. Behind him a flash of red hair indicated Lorraine would indeed collect points as she finished with Peter. At the re-group we waited for Hunter before Jerry set off back down the hill to find him. At the same time Hunter phoned in to say he’d broken his chain and he was going to be picked up. We waited until Jerry was just out of earshot before yelling this out, ensuring a bit of extra climbing for him!

KOM 2 – 1. Stu, 2. Julian, 3. Jerry, 4. Lorraine, 5. Peter

The fog re-appeared into Pickering Brook and in the Bickley valley but had cleared by the time we hit the time-trial climb on Mundaring Weir Road. I sat on Stu and we made good pace up the first hill. When it flattened out I was keen to hang on the Stu and try to set a PB. Behind us, Brendan, Peter and Jerry were pushing Lorraine though and apparently being kept entertained by her loud breathing patterns. At the top, Stu took points and I equalled my PB time of 7.56. Brendan, Jerry and Lorraine rounded out the top 5 and the rest followed in good time. About half the group left for coffee at this point whilst the 10 or so left headed off to the zig-zag and a climb up Kalamunda Rd.

KOM 3 – 1. Stu, 2. Julian, 3. Brendan, 4. Jerry, 5. Lorraine

John and Brendan set a good pace down the hill and were first to Ridge Hill Road. The last turn on the zig-zag was covered in gravel but the advance warning to other riders was excellent and no mishaps occurred. The smooth surface of Ridge Hill Road and the sun finally providing some warmth meant that the last descent was pretty quick. By the time we got to Kalamunda Rd lights we had re-grouped for the final climb. Stu and I set off from the front and were still together as we approached the service station roundabout. Sensing a chance to steal the points I went into the big ring on the last turn and overtook Stu, then was relieved to not see a counter-attack. We all re-grouped at the coffee shop to re-live the dream and to hear exploits of the days climbs. Despite some slow coffee service for some, the enjoyment of the ride was not lost.

KOM 4 – 1. Julian, 2. Stu, 3. Lorraine, 4. Brendan, 5. Peter

There were no dramas on the way down with low 80’s the maximum speed obtained. Gregor’s arm warmers stayed close to him this week, as did the $5 he still had in his tyre. At the first McDonald’s Stu made a comment about how nice and warm he was and noted he didn’t have any arm warmers or the like to remove and carry. Peter and Brendan had a fast final sprint in Berwick St before we gathered at Bunnings and went our separate ways home.

Footnote: I didn’t note any hill climb times at coffee. If anyone set a PB can they please leave a message in the comments so it can be updated on the list.