Report by Julian

We all had a good soaking on the Saturday ride and given the predicted rain for Sunday morning I was not looking forward to the ride. I must admit to waking early and listening for rain on the roof just to give me an excuse to stay in bed. However, come 6 am the alarm went off and I noted it was dry outside and checking the BOM radar, the complete absence of any rain-bearing clouds was pretty obvious. There was no excuse – the ride was on. At the car park almost 30 riders had gathered for the 100 km round trip and it was good to see almost a full field of the regulars. The strength of competition meant that any points won today would be thoroughly earned.

Peter barked out the route and we were soon off. We picked up a couple of strays on the way, Davina, Jack and Mike B, to further strengthen the group and soon we were climbing Welshpool Rd. Unusually for winter, there was a head wind on the climb but this didn’t bother the front runners. Brendan and Adrian set a good pace with Stu (back on the road bike today) and Mike working their way though the field. Above Lesmurdie Rd, we hit another group and this made working out positions a little difficult. I held on to 6th place for the climb but ahead the points were keenly contested. Brendan was in front at the top of the hill, although I gather there was not much of a challenge. Mike, Adrian Stu and Oliver filled the minor placings.

KOM 1 – 1. Brendan, 2. Mike Bonner, 3. Adrian, 4. Stu, 5. Oliver

The re-group at the end of Welshpool Rd gave everyone a chance to catch their breath. The short cut group then established themselves and we were off through Carmel and Bickley. On this run I noted (as did others near me) a decent rattle coming from my front wheel. A loose spoke was suspected as the culprit so I decided to go easy on the down hill sections. We all maintained a good pace and at the base of the second climb at Mundaring Weir Rd there was a fair bit of positioning. We bade farewell to the café sprinters and settled in for the climb to Asher road. By half way, Mike, Brendan and Sam had put a decent gap into the group. Stu, Adrian and I in turn had cleared out from everyone else, after dropping Peter, Alistair and Ben after the main part of the climb. I misjudged the finish point and took off too early only to be confronted by the last hill. Needless to say Stu and Adrian got around me pretty easily. Sam got the points at the head of the field. The rest of the group followed closely behind and therefore we only a short break.

KOM 2 – 1. Sam, 2. Mike Bonner, 3. Brendan, 4. Stu, 5. Adrian

We were back on the road towards Mundaring soon and made a fast pace down the hill. I sat back although the front wheel didn’t feel too bad. At the bottom of the valley I found myself near the back of the field and so began to pick off riders on the way up. Just as I caught Ben, a very timid car driver came around me but decided not to overtake Ben. For about 200 m I found myself with my own support vehicle and felt like was like leaning over to hear race instructions from team management but the road cleared ahead and the support vehicle finally went on its way. I snuck way from Ben but Stu, also coming from behind, took me well before the final sprint. Up ahead, John put in a good effort to claimed third, wedging himself between Brendan/Mike and Sam/Oliver.

KOM 3 – 1. Brendan, 2. Mike Bonner, 3. John, 4. Sam, 5. Oliver

The re-group was just away from the Mundaring Truffle and Wine festival site, where I reckon 90% of Perth’s 4WD vehicles had gathered. There were a few nervous moments as we started the descent with the cars getting a bit close but we soon forgot about them as we did the bonus hills through Darlington and then Ridge Hill Road. I can’t recall who had the flat at the top of Ridge Hill Rd but this gave us time to split the group into those who went up the zigzag vs. those who stayed on the original route down to, then up Kalamunda Road.

The final climb saw Mike, Brendan and Stu gain an early break, despite Mike sledging Brendan about his dislike of this hill. I made a break from the main group determined to get some points out of the day and rode solo. Up ahead, Stu dropped off the back and I briefly entertained thoughts of third but the legs had other ideas. Brendan claimed the last sprint, and then said farewell Mike who kept on going.

KOM 4 – 1. Brendan, 2. Mike Bonner, 3. Stu, 4. Julian, 5. John

The rest of us regrouped at the roundabout and were soon joined by the zigzag crew. In a break from tradition we decided to forego the regular coffee and headed straight back to the ride start. The group was still about 20 strong and a good fast descent of Welshpool Rd was followed with a nice tail wind back to the river. A few riders peeled off on the way and at the end of 102 km we made our way into the Boatshed Café. There was just enough room for us to sit but in the end I decided I was too close to home and left before the coffees arrived. Any feedback on the performance of the café would be welcome.