Not the best preparation for this mornings ride. Beer & pizza. Can’t eat pasta every night. Woke up feeling fine.

After being weak and going back to bed Thursday and not even attempting to get on the bike Friday morning I had plenty of carbs to burn off.

Was assisted by a nice tailwind on the way to Coode St but knew it would come back to bite me on Hale Rd. Felt confident of keeping with Main 1 today so again rolled out with them.

We soon caught the back of the fast group. Fast and Main 1 seemed to kind of join together. So we had a large group rolling down Welshpool Rd.

As expected the wind on Hale road was punishing along with the pace. When I dared look at my speed it was in the high 30s so I stopped looking and focused only on the cluster of the wheel in front sucking the thing for dear life. I didn’t want to lookup, did not want a bearing of how far more this pain was going to hurt or how it would make me suffer later. Finally we rounded the bend and saw Kalamunda Rd. I think I then discovered I had Jen following me all the way. Thought he went with the fast group.

Passed three or four mountain bikers with all but the kitchen sink on their bikes. I thought they are totally mad if they plan on going up Gooseberry Hill Road.

It was about now I discovered I had not restarted the timer on my Garmin. So Coode St to here had not been recorded. I don’t know why no alarm exists for this it is so frustrating.

Seemed to have fallen a fair way back on Ridge Hill Rd. Shaw was suffering so I got in front and he sucked my wheel. On the descent he was right on my back. That is the last I saw him for a while. Feeling good I put some more effort in and was hovering around the 45kph mark. Yo yoing with another spr kit rider we started to work together to peg back a pack of three including Blair and Michael Roper.

Felt like I was doing all the work on the front but was enjoying it. Short recovery for a few hundred meters and on it again slowly slowing cutting the gap. About 1km or less from Guildford Road the gap was just meters. Few more hard pushes and we were now on the back. Instantly the relief of a draft was felt and time for a drink.

Guildford Road was great fun with the tailwind. Didn’t really look at the speed but it was fast. Small WTF moment when three riders took the right lane at some light then were stuck there for a while with cars and trucks backed up behind them. Couple splits along the way but due to some lights the group of around 7 or 8 were all together at East Perth and finished together.

Enjoyed the ride and hope I carry the form into tomorrows long hills ride.