All posts by peter

perception = reality

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so anyway, ben (4yrs old) did a picture of me with my bike.  i had to help him with some of the finer details of cycle design but the general bicycleness was there.  the lack of downtube was a bit disturbing until he managed to join the front and back wheels together using an ingenious piece of design skill.  the integrated seat post and pencil thin seat stays are a common theme on many high end road bikes and he managed to capture that quite well.

now i had to get a custom made bike due to my own physiological inconsistencies.  namely long legs and short torso.  well ben managed to capture that quite well too, as to fit both me and the bike on the same page, my torso became the shape of a piece of toast and my legs stretched out long enough to reach the pedals.  luckily the bike has a short stem as my arms do not seem long enough to reach the bars. 

sunday 11th july – hills ride

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checking the radar this morning and i could see that it was going to be a wet one.  it didn’t look consistent, but there would be no way that we would be able to totally avoid any showers.  i was a bit late and turned up with bec to make a total of 11 at the start.  people don’t seem to mind the cold, just not too happy about the wet.  it is all km’s to me though, so i need to be riding lots now as august has a pretty full race schedule.  bec and i had been discussing being overdressed on the way to the start and it did feel a bit warm before we set off.  out along great eastern and across kalamunda rd made navigation easy but an early shower set the standard for what we had to come.

 soon we were facing the bottom of kalamunda rd and young jamie set the pace early on.  the ride last week was the first time that jamie had ridden kalamunda rd and then didn’t know what to expect.  today we had the added bonus of wet roads to deal with as well.  jamie, ndcc nick and i made it up to the first plateau but i was struggling at the steep point and was sure that nick was going to smash me when he looked back to see how i was going.  no, he waited till the road flattened off and then attacked once the road started upwards again.  jamie and i basically just watched him ride away.  we continued to tap out the pace as stu bridged across and just kept on going.  i sat on jamies wheel for a while before he started to fade a bit and i came past.  i wasn’t really expecting to catch nick and stu, but just wanted to make sure i had enough space ahead of jamie to make sure i held 3rd position.  the rest of the climb was just survival in the wet.

kalamunda rd – ndcc nick, stu, pete, jamie, claire.

a regroup undercover just near chicken treat, and we were down by one as ndcc nick rode on ahead to meet up with some others.  the state junior road race this year is to be held at pickering brook and takes in the observatory.  a group of juniors were headed out that way to try out the circuit.

we were headed along to lesmurdie rd with the intent of using that descent as part of the precursor  to the next climb.  unfortunately, as we approached, the fog got thicker and thicker to the point where we could see that far in front of us.  nick c came up to the front to suggest that we neutralise the lesmurdie descent as if we couldn’t see the cars then they won’t be able to see us as they pull out of side roads and driveways.  we cruised down to the welshpool rd intersection and turned left to take on the top section of the hill only.  we lost two more as nick c and di turned right and headed off home.

jamie took off like a shot and attacked the first climb instantly getting a gap on the rest of us.  we set a tempo on the climb and slowly pulled him back.  stu eventually dispatched me and went on ahead.  i caught jamie and left him to continue alone as each of us seemed to be doing today.  usually with the bigger groups, there is someone else that is around your climbing capabilities so you tend to form into little echelons.  today, it was more of a solo thing.  as we got closer to the top the rain started coming down harder.  i didn’t pull back any time on stu but kept away from jamie to hold my position.

welshpool – stu, pete, jamie, mark e, claire.

we lost ivan here as well as he was heading straight to coffee.  by now i was discovering the limits that a wind proof jacket had in a downpour.  it was shower proof but not water proof and now i could feel the water slowly seeping down my arms.  the previous discussion with bec about being overdressed was revisited and we decided that we could do with more.

past pickering brook and we started the observatory climb.  stu moved ahead and i told jamie that he better get on his wheel.  i followed him and sat on their wheels for a while until my legs just decided that they had enough.  i sat up and just tapped out a tempo until claire and bec caught up with me.  i sucked wheel up the rest of the climb until we hit the plateau before the final kick.  up ahead, is saw that stu had dropped jamie and was powering on alone.  as the pace went up on the plateau i came around to offer some support.  unfortunately i was going a bit hard and so gapped the girls quickly.  i looked back and decided to just keep going to see if i could reign in jamie.  as the road kicked up for the finale, i came past him and continued on to the top.  stu was finished and had turned around already by the time i got there.

observatory – stu, pete, jamie, bec, claire.

at the top i noticed that claire had the electronic dura-ace on her bike.  it had been raining fairly consistently but she was doing fine.  claire competes in the disabled athletes category as she doesn’t have full use of her left arm. she said that the electronic was awesome as she didn’t need to try to push the front derailleur like on the manual system, just push a button.  i said that even i had trouble changing to the big ring some times.  maybe i need to go di2.

with the rain, low numbers and increasing discomfort, we changed the route to head straight up lawnbrook so we could head straight home.   the descent from the observatory was pretty straight forward for everyone except for nathan who got the speed wobbles.  he had to slow the thing right down so he didn’t come off.  meanwhile mark e had hit the climb hard using his momentum from the descent and started the hill in front.  i chased him down and set the pace at the front.  that was until stu came past and never looked back.  just before the end of the hardest section, my phone rang.  with the big gloves on i didn’t get to the hand free kit in time so it was going to have to wait.  it had pretty much cleared up weatherwise and the climb was not too bad.  unfortunately that didn’t last long and the heavens opened up with a vengeance.  i never saw stu again until i reached the end where i found a tree to hide under.  i checked my phone to find that it was my wife checking up to see if we were ok as it was absolutely bucking down at home.  it was certainly getting wetter.

lawnbook – stu, pete, mark e, jamie, claire.

it was hammering down by now so we made a break for the servo to wait out the worst of it.  the consensus was to head straight home.  we had already changed the route to change the climb to kalamunda and skip the goose altogether so skipping coffee wouldn’t really matter.  sorry ivan if you were waiting for us to turn up.  the descent was wet so we pretty much took it easy the whole way home.

so even with the wet weather, the lack of cold wind made it pleasant enough.  it was wet though and the bike now really needs some love to get all the sand out.  but i suppose we can’t really complain as it is winter after all.

saturday 3rd july – fast (kind of) group

ride report by peter.

0.1 deg.  see that isn’t zero.  not even close.  well that is the official temp at 7:00am and that is on top of one of the building in the city.  i drove over to the bell tower and while riding over to the start, i am sure it dropped a couple of degrees  going from the city to south perth.  numbers were a good reflection of this and usually follow the temperature down.  as such we combined the two main groups and sent everyone on their way.

well, i started heading out on the fast group ride and looked back to see if anyone was going to follow me.  at first i thought that i was going to be on my own.  by the time i reached the lights at mill point rd, we had a massive group of six.  probably not just the temperature, but also the course kept some people away from the fast group.  we were going to tackle gooseberry hill.

joining me today were captain poseur, ben diesel, danny boy, daisy ainsworth and tim (with no real nickname yet).  no pace on at all today and we could hardly be called the fast group.  we basically took turns  riding two abreast all the way out to gooseberry.  it was cold and muscles were not really in the mood for any hard riding.  plus everyone was saving themselves for the goose.

it was obvious that  we were going to stick together today and agreed to regroup at the top of the climb.  my legs were so stiff and hammy’s so tight that i really had trouble from the start.  danny boy was off like a shot but got reeled in early and the four headed up the hill with tim and myself off the back.  that is pretty much the way it stayed to the end as i made no ground on anyone.

just some facts for those of you that haven’t done the goose before.  it has two main sections of climbing with a short flat section as it skirts around the hill.  the first section is the “easiest” but still manages to hit 12% before it reaches the flat.  once you round the corner, it starts heading up again.  the first section hits that 12% pretty quickly and you roll back through the gears that you changed up to on the flat.  pretty soon you run out and next thing you know you are just standing to keep some semblance of cadence.  it takes a couple of bends as it wraps around the hill so you can’t even see the top as you continue on.  each time it takes a bend it seems to get steeper.  finally you can see the traffic sign for the roundabout at the top, but that is where it is the steepest.  it peaks out at around 18% just before you crest the top.

tim hadn’t done that climb before and slowed a bit towards the end, but i was still a convincing last.  we headed down the zig-zag and onto Helena valley rd.  we continued to stay together and all started to do work at the front.  it stayed this way from midland all the way to maylands.  once the rolling hills started we lost tim for a while after he did a long turn on the front.  as per our agreement, we slowed down and he finally managed to catch up once we turned onto east parade.

no real sprint to speak of, just a quickening of pace as we approached the end.  so even with the cold weather and low numbers, it was still a good ride.

sdcc club races – pickering brook

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Racing returns to

 Pickering Brook

May 30th, June 13th, July 18th 2010 

 

Start 9.00am

Noms from 8am – close 8.50

Pickering Brook Primary School

Pickering Brook Road

All Grades including Juniors – except June 13 which will be seniors and U19 only

Depending on numbers

All Riders MUST hold an ACF 2010 licence

No Licence No Ride

NOMINATIONS  on the day Sen.$10.00  Jun. $5.00

For further info. Ring Karen on 0417804855

ride routes 22nd & 23rd may

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social day – the club social day will be held this saturday at the spcc.  for all those that have rsvp’d we look forward to seeing you there.  the weather is not predicted to be that good, but we should have enough room inside to keep everyone warm and dry.  there will be entertainment for the kids and food for all.  pay at the door as you enter and please try to bring as close as possible to exact change to help us out. 

calendar and races – the event calendar has been updated with the new improved version.  this shows all the events coming up over the year so you can plan your event training.  upcoming events include cyclo-sportif york this sunday and wembley 6hr mtb the following weekend.

saturday 22nd may- all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 39.11km (canning vale)

main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 50.72km (rebold hill & cott)

fast – spr saturday 51.36km (sth lake)

sunday 23rd may- all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

main – spr sunday 56.93km (kalamunda)

fast – spr sunday 90.10km (kalamunda & chookenberg & observatory)

saturday 28th nov – hale rd (fast group)

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ride report by peter.

 

a predicted max of 32 degrees is a good sign that summer is bearing down upon us.  actually it is only a few days away.  it also is a good chance that we will have a good turn out and this didn’t disappoint with around 70 or so turning up.  i had driven over to the bell tower so that i could set up a kit and bottle stall during coffee as there was still over 100 bottles stacked in my house.  on arrival i found lorraine also unpacking her bike from the car so we trundled over to coode st together.  on the way we picked up jason and julian so had begun our early social part of the ride.

once we reached the carpark, there was already a bit of a crowd milling around but most noticeable was the car and trailer parked in the middle of it all.  in the back was a bunch of malvern star oppy bikes so we weren’t sure what was going on.  after a while a couple of people got out of the car and told us that they were there all day promoting the new bikes and giving people test rides.  there was a free draw to win a  bike so a few people took up the offer and entered.  apparently, phil anderson was going to be there tomorrow to help promote the bikes as well.  now there is someone that we should try to get out on the hills ride.

with a quite big group and a big novice group as well, we all set off in search of cycling adventure.  well, set off anyway.  the route was a tried and true one with both groups heading out shep rd and onto welshpool rd before heading north along hale rd.  the main group would then head home via kalamunda and guilford while the fast group would take on ridgehill rd before returning via helena valley rd and guilford.  all nice and simple.

it was a pretty uneventful trip out past welshpool with the group being split at lights as expected.  all together along hale rd and the aim was to get the fast group to the front by the time we hit tonkin hwy.  after that we would put the pedal down and split the two groups apart.  russell volunteered to act as the paceman for the main group and would ensure that the groups split cleanly. 

after tonkin, to enforce the split, ryan and myself went to the front and started to up the pace.  russell kept the main group together so if anyone wanted to do the fast ride they had to come around and make the break.  it seemed to work well from what i could see as there wasn’t as much interaction this time around.
after a while we started a roll through, but due to the wind, had to roll the opposite way.  this always causes problems with the group and there were a few times when there was only the to few doing turns.  is soon sorted itself out and everyone rolled through well.  jarrad, after spending a week up north, had to blow some cobwebs out of his legs so shot off the front.  no-one chased him down so the group stayed together well.

crossing kalamunda rd at the lights, there seemed to be a reluctance to go to the front as everyone seemed to be wanting to save their legs for the hill.  once we got there it was on.  an early attack from alistar and others was soon pulled back as the hill continued on.  i jumped around the group to find ryan’s wheel but caught it just as bonner and he attacked.  i stayed on his wheel as long as i could but had spent most of my effort finding it in the first place.  i soon slipped back and crested the hill about 11th or so.

now i know with this ride that if you are not on the wheel going over the top then you really have to be chasing hard to make sure you are at the bottom.  i had red-lined on the hill and now couldn’t chase at all.  i watched as the group inched further away from me.  looking back there was a group of about 6 hurtling down the hill towards me.  like any good handicap race, you don’t chase to bridge the gap, you wait for the group behind to catch up so you can all work together.

at the bottom we came together but before i had a chance to work out how to chase, alistar sped past.  well there’s a wheel i thought so gregor and i jumped on board.  after a short while he began to fade so we started a roll through.  there was 7 of us and we all managed to take turns well and kept the pace relatively high.  we were not making much ground on the front group, but pretty soon they were shedding riders and we managed to pick up 4 more.  the tailwind was helping as we were averaging 45km/hr, but the pace was taking a toll and people started to miss turns and gaps were starting to appear.  we rolled into guilford and turned the corner to see the front group stuck at the first set of lights.  we got there just on the change so integrated into one big group and cruised across the bridge into bassendean.

once again the pace was on and the group rolled through keeping it high.  riders were starting to fall off the back even along the flats as the average speed was close to 50km/hr.  by the time we hit the rolling hills we had shed a few riders and would probably loose some more very soon.  there were no real attacks, but the pace did not let up through the hills and we managed to only get one real traffic light.  with an average speed of 45km/hr it was hold on for dear life for most of the group.  we picked up a few riders from the main group towards the end and hit the lights at east parade were we came to a halt.  the chase had ended so the trip to riverside drive was at a pedestrian pace as everyone was preparing for the sprint.  nico was on his tt bike preparing for tomorrow so i said that he and i should lead out.  ryan was playing his usual games and had started to drift back to find a wheel to suck so he wouldn’t come to the front too soon.  there was a bit of a gap from brendan and i to the rest of the jockeys jockeying for position and the lights changed quicker than most had expected.  i rolled through the corner and looked back to see that i had a big gap.  oh well, might as well have a crack.  with 1 km to the next set of lights, it was a tall ask on my own.  looking at the download from the garmin i managed to hold an average of 54km/hr for the first half of the block.  i then steadily declined back to 48km/hr over the next 200 metres and the group started to make some ground on me.  i was riding scared but was running out of legs fast.  up out of the saddle and i managed a small burst of speed but couldn’t sustain anything.  the lights ahead were red and the traffic was still at a standstill by this time.  i stopped pedalling as we were running out of road just as the group sprint flashed past me.  as i was slowing for the lights and since ryan had to actually go around the traffic to stop hitting them, i will claim the sprint victory.  a well deserved win by the yellow jersey.

saturday 7th nov – scarborough beach road (main group)

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ride report by peter.

 

with the golden spokes race on the sunday, i opted for an easier ride for the saturday morning (that’s easier, not necessarily easy).  my body is getting old and i can’t back things up anymore.  the route today would take in the city as well as osborne park before passing through scarborough beach.  a quick trip down west coast hwy and home through dalkeith as usual.  the fast group would split off just after osborne park and tackle ewen st which climbs up higher but parallel with scarborough beach road.  they would start to come along west coast hwy, but would spear off to the left and take in the boulevard and oceanic drive. 

back in the day, the scarborough beach ride would skirt around kings park before heading up over thomas rd and through leederville.  this was a 50km ride so to make this the main group ride the extra kms on the fast group would push it up to 56km.  this is pushing the distance a bit and means that the time starts to blow out.  to cut the kms down i re-routed the ride through the city and straight up to kings park road.  this is where the fun began.

there were about 50 people that turned up this morning but it did look a bit light on for numbers.  i worry about splitting the group if numbers are low but it always does look low until we get moving and then i’m glad we split.  it wasn’t the numbers that caused the problem today but the lights through the city.  last time we did this route i am sure we received a better run.  this time we pretty much got every single light.  even along scarborough beach road we seemed to get them all.  probably a good case for changing the ride route.

anyway, we finally hit the split point and the fast group headed up the hill.  i sat on the back of the main group and let russell get his troops organised.  this section contains a number of roiling hills so russell wanted to regroup once we hit west coast hwy.  i saw scott and darryl fall off the back but i was waved on so moved back onto the group.  i was content just to sit back and picked up a couple of stragglers to meet up at west coast hwy.

we waited for a bit, but it didn’t look like they were coming in a hurry so we pressed on.  down the hwy the group managed to get a roll through happening and it seemed to work quite well.  we now had the wind on our backs so the pace had picked up but there didn’t seem to be any one suffering.  on the small hills heading up to oceanic, the group seemed to split apart a bit as the stronger riders continued the pace to the top.  the lights allowed a regroup and we were soon off again.

along the way we picked up matty who was waiting on the side of the road.  the position he was in would mean that the fast group would go around him as they shot in the boulevard and out oceanic.  i waved for him to join us and he chased to catch up.   i was content to just sit on the back with the occasional roll through so just chatted to matty for a while.  the group strung out on the last hill before swanbourne but everyone was together by the time we turned past the shops.

the dalkeith stretch was uneventful, with a couple of surges that were brought back in.  the final sprint at the swan brewery was punctuated  by a number of last minute attacks but i was again content to sit back and watch.

straight home for me as i had an appointment to attend, so not sure what happened to the fast group.  i’m sure that someone can fill us in.

sunday 1st nov – darlington and mundaring

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ride report by peter.

 

kids change everything.  and they don’t even have to be your own ones.  today i was sure that brendan, mike and ryan were not going to be at the sunday ride.  when i arrived, i found that steve and julian were also absent.  great, i thought, i should be able to get some points today.  however, lurking in the group were a couple of young bucks in matching cyclemania kit.  recently promoted to under 19 (which means that they are probably 17) sam and adrian had been out with us quite a few time before.  actually it was quite a few months ago and what a difference those months have made.  but i am jumping ahead again.

the weather report said a  minimum of 10, but with a strengthening easterly wind blowing, the apparent temperature was more like 6.  it was going to be a brisk start, but the expected top was 24 so i was sure that it would warm up soon.  i made it to the start probably a fraction over the allotted time and found the group standing in a line all facing the sun.  o.k.  at least i wasn’t the only one that was cold.

a quick briefing and we were off with lisa and myself leading the way.  the idea was to do a turn early on before we reached helena valley road where we knew that it would be all exposed and would be smashing the group.  just after burswood, there was a call for a mechanical as christophe’s crank had decided to make moves to depart from the rest of the bike.  simon was on hand and with some tools from brett, we were soon on our way.  however, during the stop, lisa made note that brother julian was sporting some nice newly de-haired legs.  lisa does seem to notice these things, and i have seen her “checking out the talent” so to speak.  as we got going, i asked julian about it and he said that he got his sister to wax them for him.  he said that it was so painful and she stuffed up a couple of areas making it hurt even more.  the things we do to look beautiful.

we made our way out to bushmead road which becomes helena valley rd with only a slight detour when the group failed to negotiate a roundabout properly.  the wind certainly was stronger the closer we got to the hills and jarrad did a fine job pushing into it for the majority.  at the turn towards darlington, the trio of simon, christophe and melvyn continued on towards ridgehill rd and bade us farewell.

the first climb up coulston is not particularly steep but does start and finish with a pinch.  the first bit hits you at around 13% before evening out to a more settled 3 or 4%.  once through the steep section i looked back to see who was in the group and found the majority still attached.  i made a little attack to see who was playing and most bridged across and then alistar counter-attacked.  i jumped on the back and the group seemed content for now.  sitting at the back on the wheel of sam and adrian, i noticed that they were getting a bit frisky so i thought i better be attentive.  sure enough, sam jumps up and attacks and adrian is straight on his wheel.  i jump on the back and we gap the rest of the field straight away.  unfortunately for me, maintaining an attack like this is still just out of reach for me and i soon hit redline and blew up quite spectacularly.  by the time we reached the final pinch, and i could see the sign for the approaching intersection, the rest of the group were all over me.  bloody kids.  so much for easy points today.

1st – sam, 2nd – jerry, 3rd – adrian, 4th – chris, 5th – brother julian.

brother julian said that he just flew up that last bit due to his new aerodynamic legs.

 

a short regroup and we were on our way again.  there was a short but quick decent along glen rd before it kicks up again at a max of 17%.  we then turn left into ryecroft and follow it to the end.  it steps up a few times, but not really steep.  just enough to make it really hurt after a while.

sam and adrian took off on the decent and i didn’t want to give them too much leeway.  i was kind of caught in no-man’s land until the uphill hit and heiko smashed past in the big ring.  a few crunchy gear changes and he was back to spinning the granny gear.  the sharp pinch had also slowed the kids and i managed to leap frog heiko and bridge across to them.  adrian then attacked leaving me with sam on my wheel.  i just plugged on the best i could and about halfway along the climb, alistar managed to catch up with us.  sam grabbed his wheel and i slotted in behind.  we sat this way for a short time and i looked back to see a number of other riders closing in as the gradient diminished.  sam took this as a cue and attacked leaving alistar and myself behind.  alistar tried to up his pace but just managed to drop me as i was hitting my limit chasing the kids.  we were nearing the top and i just had to watch as the groups picked me up and spat me out the back as i was not able to even hold a wheel now.  i was really at the point of feeling like i wanted to spew.  that is two days in a row and i don’t think i have pushed myself that hard for a while.

1st – adrian, 2nd – sam, 3rd – alistar, 4th – chris, 5th – brother julian.

 

 

we headed towards mundaring township and since it wasn’t a “categorised” climb, i was not in the mood to push it.  i had burnt a lot of matches early on the first two climbs trying to play with the kids and those that took the “slow and steady” approach had reeled me in each time.  there were a number of people that stretched out the group but i was content to just hold a wheel and tap out a rhythm.  we regrouped at mundaring to make sure everyone knew where we were stopping next.  for us the climb ends at asher rd as this is the highest point before it drops down into the final climb to kalamunda.  adrian asked if the finish point was at the top of the hill and basically it was so i said yes.  this would cause a little confusion, but the rest of us knew where to go.  i stressed a number of times that the fiish was at asher rd.

we started our decent and the kids shot off the front but no-one was in the mood to chase.  i was a bit worried about giving them too much room leading into the climbs, but they didn’t look like they were actually making a move, more like just dicking around.  we caught them as the road hit the last little bit of climb and the group swamped around.  mark started pushing the pace and soon there was a little group of four off the front.  i was caught up in the next group but now wasn’t sure how well my legs were coping.  through the roundabout and sweeping corners we dropped down into the bottom of the weir before the gradient slowed our progress.  the front bunch hadn’t capitalised on their escape and so they were only 50 metres up the road once we started to climb. 

i came around our group and started to bridge across the to the front.  my legs started to feel it as the road steepened up and my pace dropped off.  chris came past and i jumped on his wheel and forced myself to stay there.  after a few more minutes of climbing i was starting to lose the deadening effects of decent and my climbing felt smoother.  we had picked up mark and damir and there was just sam and adrian in front of us now.  i came around chris and started to slowly make ground on the kids.  chris has dropped off by now and so i was on my own but seriously wanting to catch them.  towards the top of the climb i managed to finally bridge across to the wheel of sam.  i wasn’t going anywhere so sat on for the rest of the climb.  as we crested the top, adrian threw both arms in the air to signify a win.  unfortunately i had to tell him that there was a long way to go.  and there was no asher rd where we were.

looking back there were a few riders catching up so sam suggested that we roll through.  after about three or four times when i was just finishing a turn sam attacked and sped up the road.  adrian sat on my wheel for a moment to see what i was going to do before joining his teammate and leaving me behind.  bloody kids.  i had been setup and spat out.  they basically had me played from the start.  i kept a nice tempo and tried not to lose too much time to them but knew that i would not be catching them before the end.

after a while i looked back to see a group moving up behind me.  i eased up the pace to allow them to catch me so i could at least catch a draft.  jarrad was leading jerry and brother julian so i sat neatly behind to recoup for as long as possible.  after the main climb out of the weir there are two more main steps in the hill before we reach the finish.  between each one is either a flat or minor downhill section.  as we made our way up the first step, jerry attacked and dragged julian with him.  i dug deep to stay on the wheel, but after so long at the front, jarrad was left behind.  it turns out that jerry, like adrian, was also sprinting for the line that didn’t exist and once we reached a carpark full of mountain bikers, he sat up and realised his mistake.

we came to the last climb and the road swings left just after the hill starts so you can’t actually see the finish line.  it also flattens towards the top to effectively the finish is over the horizon as you are climbing it.  i told the guys that the finish was just at the top of the climb and so jerry attacked as soon as the road started to push upwards.  i couldn’t hold that wheel at that pace so didn’t try, but knew that the hill was a lot longer than that.  julian went with him, but soon both of them were sitting up and sucking in air.  i kept a strong pace and dragged myself back to them before the halfway point of the hill.  instead of just sitting in i just kept going past at that pace hoping like hell that they had spent all their energy on the attack.  i was a little worried about julian as he had just gone with the attacks rather than instigating them, so may have had energy in reserve.  up ahead i could see a couple of riders and saw that the kids had split up.  i kept my pace on but was starting to fade towards the top.  i knew that i wouldn’t catch second place, but was more concentrating on keeping the wolves at bay.  finishing the climb in no-man’s land at least got me some points as a redemption for the earlier ones where i blew.

1st – sam, 2nd – adrian, 3rd – peter, 4th – jerry, 5th – brother julian.

 

the thing that stood out to me before we started out again was when i finished the climb and looked back down the road.  usually there are a number of smaller groups spread out over vast distances.  this time, however, the majority of the field were all on the final climb by the time i finished.  this was a great sign on the level of climbing fitness the group has developed, especially after three climbs over 6 kms.

with one more decent and climb before coffee, i reiterated the timed portion of the final hill climb.  we hadn’t really done much on this for a while, but i was feeling fitter than i had for a long time, so thought i better give it a crack. 

the group sped down the hill and a couple of splits appeared.  nothing major, but the kids had enough of a break at the bottom to make it hard for me before we actually started.  mark and i started our clocks at the same time and then put in a big effort to bridge up to the leaders.  damir, oliver and jarrad pushed on with the kids and i managed to bridge across before we were too far into the climb.  unfortunately this effort killed my legs and i didn’t last long and slipped off the front group.  i continued to tap out a rhythm trying not to lose too much ground but was caught before the flat section by a little train being towed by brother dan.  up the road, the kids and damir had dropped oliver and jarrad but they were still working well to keep ahead. 

brother dan put in a big effort along the flat section and soon we had jarrad and oliver in sight.  it looked like damir had also been dropped by the kids and was clawing his way up the last bit of the climb.  i sensed an opportunity and chucked it up a couple of gears and came around the brothers and mark.  no-one reacted so i just kept the pace on to try to pick up the next position.  my legs were not feeling too bad so i powered along and came past oliver and jarrad just as the road hit that last pinch.  mindful of just how steep that bit is, i dropped it back to the small ring and sped past a dying damir who had put in such a great effort keeping with the kids for so long.  i looked back to make sure that oliver didn’t take me out with a late surge, but i managed to keep third place all the way to the line.  my time was not a pb for me, but 8:08 i was pretty happy with as it is only 16 sec slower than my best.

1st – sam, 2nd – adrian, 3rd – peter, 4th – oliver, 5th – jarrad.

 

some other times were –

sam 7:30, adrian 7:45, mark 8:14, dan 8:20, heiko 8:50, chris 8:29, paul 9:10.

 

the merchant didn’t really have room for us, but we managed to get some seats and make enough noise that people made more room for us.  it is the downside to the place, but better quick service than all sitting together.  had a good quick break and managed to have a chat with sharon (from livingston specsavers on the back of your jersey) who used to be such a regular on our rides.  the big baby bump in front of her now would make riding almost impossible unless on one of those cool upright chopper style bikes.  the kids left us with damir to find more hills and we made our way back into town.

the easterly wind was going to make the decent down welshpool road a fast one and jarrad managed to crack the 90 km/hr mark so he was happy.  some of the guys had to actually pass a car as they were going so fast.  apparently it surprised the crap out of the driver as they flashed past.  i managed a good lead out for paul as we hit the end of welshpool road, but the group was quite subdued as everyone was content to sit in the tailwind.

the highlight would be the final sprint along berwick towards the maccas.  jarrad and brother julian were off the front a good 30 metres on me when i saw jules suddenly lurch to the left and almost collect both the kerb and the large tree in the nature strip.  i could then smell the burning rubber so i knew that there had been a touch of wheels.  i decided to sit up then as did jules for some reason.  better wash those knicks out tonight as i am sure that it was a brown trousers moment for him.  probably just a good time to remind everyone that this is the reason we don’t have an official register of sprint points.  it just gets a bit too dangerous when just the slightest lapse in concentration at the end of a long ride can almost bring you unstuck.

apart from that it was a pretty good ride and i enjoyed the fact that sam and adrian made it very hard for me as it is good to be pushed.  with the golden spokes next week, most of the racing guys and girls will be away, but there is bound to be someone that wants to crank out a hills ride.

saturday 24th oct – hale rd reverse

12 Comments

ride report by peter.

 

so in the middle of the week the weather report said that it will be a brilliant saturday.  mid 20’s, moderate winds, all the good stuff.  i predicted that this would mean that we would have a good turn out so set the ride routes to split early to ease the road congestion.  as i stepped out the door this morning, the brilliant saturday was nowhere to be seen.  it was overcast, the wind was howling and someone said that there was rain on the radar.  i didn’t check the radar as it was supposed to be a nice day but it certainly looked like the clouds were bringing rain.

as was predicted, there was a good turn out with about 60 riders at the start.  i would say that there would have been a few more if the wind hadn’t picked up early and scared them away.  we set out to get to great eastern hwy and were instantly split at the first set of lights.  i am sure that we got pretty much every set of lights between the start and ascot but managed to keep the group together. 

the split went as well as it can with the fast group turning left and heading towards ascot and the main group continuing along great eastern.  i would say that there was almost a 50/50 split this morning as i guess that some people opted out of the fast group due to the wind.

the pace wasn’t high along garrett rd and we soon turned onto guilford.  the wind was coming from the right and into our face so the group started to roll through.  unfortunately, people are used to rolling through in one direction only and it was a bit much to get them to roll to the centre of the road.  it caused no end of confusion and this combined with the wind made things a bit hectic.  people were already starting to opt out of the roll through as the wind seemed to be getting stronger as we got closer to the hills. 

just through bassendean, there was a touch of wheels and josh went down.  we pulled up the group to make sure that he was ok.  it seemed superficial physical wounds so he was up an riding quickly.  however, it would take it’s toll later as the adrenaline wore off.

we grouped back up and passed through guilford and onto bushmead road.  the wind was hitting us in the face here and the group was pretty much single file with pretty much only the strong guys rotating at the front.  splits were starting to appear here and the group was getting strung out as there wasn’t many places to hide.

i moved to the front as we approached the roe hwy crossing to let the group know where the turn was as we haven’t been down midland rd before.  we had to wait for an oncoming car so this allowed much of the group to catch up.  the wind was howling off the escarpment and as midland rd runs parallel to it, we were caught in cross winds for this whole stretch.  this meant that there basically was nowhere to hide and i soon lost contact with the front group. 

i pushed on regardless and had jason on my wheel.  we caught brother dan and i think it was snuggles so the four of us stayed together till the end of the road.  the front boys were held up at the lights to turn onto hawtin rd so we managed to regroup with them, but there were lots behind us that didn’t. 

there was no real reprieve along here either, as we started moving parallel with the escarpment again so the crosswinds were just as bad.  i lost contact again but found a few wheels to jump behind briefly.  the front guys had managed a gap and there were a few of us trying to bridge it without success. 

after a turn at the front, i looked back to see that it was only jason and myself once again.  we put in a couple of big efforts and managed to catch back up to the group before we hit tonkin hwy.  just after the crossing, there was a loud expulsion of air and jerry slowed his bike.  there was a tentative slowing by the front guys before deciding to keep going as a few of us had stopped with him.

this was the second week in a row for jerry so it may be time for a new brand of tyre.  we moved over to a driveway as it was mostly dirt here and got off the road.  he went to take the tyre off but michael said to see where the hole was.  it wasn’t a hole.  there was a slash across the width of the tyre that even a $5 note wouldn’t save.  after a couple of attempts, he managed to get hold of his wife to come and pick him up so we left him so we can head home. 

the following groups had caught up by then and everyone had stopped so we had a decent group to get home.  josh had joined up with us after being quite a way off the back as he found out that the little stack earlier on had buckled his back wheel quite severely.  he managed to keep going by loosening off his brakes, but i am guessing the stack had not helped his body much either.

we formed up on welshpool rd and started to roll through.  the pace was not exceptionally high so we pretty much kept together.  dan rolled off the back but it wasn’t till we hit the lights that the others said that he got a flat but told everyone to keep going.  josh turned around to make sure he was ok.  it is probably worth noting that last week brother julian came out in a trisuit in which we found a lot of pleasure in taking the piss out of him.  i am pretty sure that brother dan joined in with it.  however, today dan turned up in his spr undershirt with his red bibs over the top.  from a distance it looked like a trisuit.  up close it looked like he was ready for world wrestling federation or the mardi gras (probably the same thing really).

we kept the pace on all the way to the finish and had a sprint for 15th place on riverside drive.  the rest of the group was already waiting at the coffeeshop and the brews came out quite well today. 

so a hell of a gusty day today and it really showed out who was strong and who was left wanting.  it is hard to hang on when you can’t hide but it is good to stretch you limits as it is only way you get better.

saturday 17th oct – benara rd

6 Comments

ride report by peter.

 

the sun shines bright on spr
the sun shines bright on spr

just as predicted the sun was shining brightly at 7am this morning.  also as predicted there was a crowd waiting for me as i turned up late…again.  however, it was a pleasure not to have to put on three or four layers of clothing before leaving the house.  i quickly did a ride briefing and we headed out as i had already put us back a couple of minutes.  there would have been close to 70 riders as we stretched out for the length of the block before we turned onto mill point rd.  due to the expected big numbers i planned a course that would take us onto double lane roads until we split quite early.  this would hopefully calm any traffic issues.  unfortunately we had our first two on mill point road.  a guy coming the other way screamed abuse at us to get off the road.  a bit further up the road we saw the bikeforce crew on the edge of the road so maybe he got held up by them and wanted to vent at us.  then just before we turned onto canning a car tried to squeeze past us and got to within about three riders from the front before having second thoughts and slowing down.  the traffic islands were approaching fast so i motioned (in not a friendly manner) for them to get past.  i ended up on the footpath just to make sure they had enough room.

so we were finally away on great eastern hwy and had not trouble all the way to ascot.  there the group split and the main group headed towards guilford road while the fast group continued up the hwy.  at the entrance to tonkin hwy we had our next brain fade of a driver.  overtaking the group and then realising that they weren’t going to get around before they needed to turn left to get to the tonkin onramp.  we had to slow for the lights but they ended up pushing in and cutting the group in half to make their turn.  the rest of the trip up great eastern was pretty low key.

we turned towards guilford before spurring off to the right to cut past the golf course and onto helana valley road.  the group was still all together at this point but with the wind directly in our faces, it had started to string out a bit.  ryan was doing a good job of setting the pace with some other guys rolling through as well and it was starting to splinter a bit.  we then turned to run parallel with roe hwy and back through midland.  back on great eastern hwy meant that we had a nice breeze on our backs and were ticking along at 50km/hr.  a number of traffic lights slowed us a bit but the pace was so nice in between that everyone felt good.

a quick turn onto a guilford back road and we started to cut across to west swan road.  this is were we encountered the rudest old wanker that should never have been given a licence. 

the road was narrow here and the is practically no shoulder as the “traffic calming” islands cut in and out so frequently that you wouldn’t get a free run.  so anyway we are riding along and i am close to the front when i here this constant honking of a horn.  i look back and see this van right up the arse of the group and this old fart shouting abuse and honking his horn.  i slow down to drift to the back of the group and gesticulate a basic “where do you want us to ride”.  he starts shouting abuse saying the we should be riding single file.  i yell back that we are allowed to ride two abreast, he keeps yelling so i keep yelling all the way to west swan road where he is also turning right.  he revs the van hard to try to intimidate us as we are turning but the road here also has no decent shoulder, double lines, oncoming traffic and a bridge to stop him getting past.  the road finally widens out and he speeds past but makes sure he keeps honking abuse as he goes.  the funny think was he threatened that he has called the cops to let them know that we are not riding single file.  good luck with that since the traffic code says we can ride two abreast.  for the sake of the few minutes that we held him up i really hope he develops a very painful ulcer.  i really need to put my camera back on the bike.

so we head up west swan road the the group starts to split a bit as the cross wind makes it hard for some people.  we turn onto benara road before long so i don’t think we lost many. 

the pace was on straight away and the group soon split.  i put in a big effort to close a gap and managed to get on the wheel of the back of the front group, but the previous week of ignoring a cold has meant that i was really struggling.  i maxed out at 188bpm and suddenly couldn’t hold a wheel.  i watched as the group rolled away from me.

i was picked up by the next group back and sat on the back as best i could.  up ahead the group splintered again and at the lights the front boys got through while we caught the back of the split.  a slightly bigger group now meant that we could keep the pace high, but we pretty much got every traffic light and the heat was also taking it’s toll.  at almost the last traffic light the group was split by a red and as the first guys came to a stop brother dan went around them and through the red.  now this got a lot of discussion the other week as a number of riders did it.  i don’t particularly want to be scraping someone off the road or have to tell there partner/family that they were stupid.  so do we as a group enforce a penalty on riders that blatantly break the rules.  maybe a week suspension from riding with us.  i don’t know but add your feedback via the comments.  dan, add your feedback via half a page of the consequences of running a red light.

the trip back was pretty uneventful.  we tried to stick together through the suburbs and along whatley crescent.  at the end we were just happy to be finished.  i couldn’t stick around as we had some family stuff to do so i missed the coffee shop banter.

no idea what happened to the front end of the group or the main group so hopefully someone can fill us in there.