Well with a week off the bike I’d been enjoying the painfully slow rediscovery of my limited runner’s legs. However, come Tuesday morning, the cycling legs were a wee bit keen to be used.

I think the name of the Tuesday morning ride needs to be changed… if we are being honest I don’t think we can claim that it is a recovery ride. Notice that I’m proposing a name change not a change in pace. But good turnout of numbers – and hardly any point in having the lights on. Down to one layer of clothing minus the arm and/or leg warmers.  Oh yay.

It’s the little things that I appreciate about this slowly mounting riding experience. When I first started, getting from the path onto the road was a bit of a challenge – the idea of gentle hopping the curb with feet clipped into the bike was a non-starter. Shuffling to the edge, picking the bike up and putting it on the road and then trying to clip in was much more my style. This also meant that the entire pack had pretty much hit UWA by the time I’d sorted myself out. Now, not so much of an issue 🙂 Give me 5 years and I may be able to pick up dropped water bottles while still clipped in.

Anyway, front half – close enough to see what was going on and with enough people behind me so that I could slip back but not be dropped on a slight incline, but not too close that it would be necessary to actually have a turn on the front. I’m working on finding enough form/courage/stupidity to have a go on the front. I’m still scared that if I ever hit the front the pace would drop 5km on the flat and then if I had planned it badly enough and there was a slight incline the sounds of “slooowing” would be deafening! But I really like (and greatly appreciate) it when the strong riders are on the front, they keep the pace up and they don’t surge too much. Makes for a nice consistent ride. So it was a nice strong ride behind UWA. Got out to Claremont where Jess joined in.  Turned onto Stirling Highway and I’m not sure what happened but somehow I actually managed to overtake a couple of people on the “hilly” bit…flying pigs….

Lovely descent bit before THE hill (sorry limited knowledge of road names). I was missing Lenny as at least I can see her at the end of the climb. Pres Pete’s chain came off in the bottom half of the hill but I have no sympathy as he managed to get it back on and then the whooshing sound of his wheels as he came powering up the hill turned me green with envy. I did my usual plod up THE hill and spent the rest of the ride to the water tower trying to get my chain back into the big front cog. Yes an adjustment/service/new chain/new bike (!) may be in order.  I may be wrong but I don’t think I was the stone cold last person to reach the water tower….have I mentioned flying pigs?

So far was feeling pretty pleased with myself and really enjoying the ride. The bit to Point Walter was uneventful except to say the wind had picked up so thank you to the guys on the front having a go! Love going down the hill at Point Walter and called a roll-through at the bottom.

Now I’m slightly confused – probably needlessly so, but I thought that bit was meant to be a roll-through section and not a smash fest. I have just answered my own question – it is clearly a smash fest. Anyway whilst still hampering under the illusion that it best online casino was a roll-through, thought I’d play my part and positioned myself in the right lane of bikes (I’m sure there is a proper term for this which I should be using, but hopefully you will still understand). So the pace seemed to be getting faster and faster which is all good. By the time the guy in front of me peeled off to the left, I had to accelerate even more and ended up hitting 50km/hr. Ahhhh I love a nice recovery ride 🙂

Not being cut out for these sorts of speeds it was with great relief that while I was still trying to overtake the left lane rider, I noticed Carlos effortlessly starting to overtake me and very nicely pulling over in front of me the instant I hit the left lane. So having given it my all I then tried to stay on his wheel… 51km/hr, 50km/hr, 49km/hr, 48km/hr….POP!

Anyway nearly caught up with everyone at Canning highway but the lights were not cooperating. They did however let me catch up with Gus and Nathan. Soon after the lights Pete and Toby came whizzing past. I have it on good authority that they had been doing a fair bit of work at the back of the bunch sweeping up riders – again a quality that I treasure! So in true presidential style Pete offered his wheel and between him and Toby they had us powering along.  Loved the rest of the ride, the silver lining of being in a smaller group is that you do have to put in a wee bit more effort and I had recovered enough to not totally start going backwards on the slight inclines. Toby and Pete did a very impressive sprint for the end. I dream of having that acceleration…one day 🙂

So thanks all for a great ride, I really enjoyed myself and while I’ve only specifically mentioned Pete and Toby, know that us mere mortals sitting in the bunch do really appreciate the cycling demi-gods that regularly either sit at the front or sweep at the back and consistently get us/me home in a timely manner 🙂