From Left to right: Tom Barrett, Mike Willacy, Jerard Ghossein, Carlos De Oliveira, Phil Anderson, Jarrad Lumbewe and Ryan Mo’Fynn

Firstly, a big thank you to the organisers of the weekend, Luke for corralling 36 people into six groups of similar abilities, I think most if not all people were happy with where they ended up.  Many people trained hard for the weekend and for many it was a first for stage racing (definitely a first for me).

Thanks to Andrew for the accommodation, great location and plenty of room for all and bikes..

I don’t have too much to say about the racing, it was Fast, it was Hectic, I made mistakes but the main thing I was worried about was falling off..  And it is amazing that there were no crashes (that I am aware of) in any of the races in any of the categories..  AMAZING and AWESOME as it was fast and congested on small roads..

The SPR ‘E’ (E for Elite naturally) team was made up of some strong individuals who all did respectively well:

Jarrad Lumbewe, tore up the first lap of the TTT, helping rip off Mike’s legs early on..  Proceeded to get a puncture in stage 2 & 4.  Enjoyed the Kermese, had a play but decided that there was only so much bumping of shoulders and knuckles he was prepared to do whilst going close to 50km/hr and decided to hide a little bit more with Jerard towards the end of the race (when he was meant to be at the front leading me out? ;-)..

Mike Willacy, besides the TTT, had an awesome time, always up near the front of the race doning his wayfarers, beard and beaming smile.

Tom Barrett, mr TT, a strong man during the TTT and also during the races, having digs off the front regularly, one notable effort during the Kermese, perfectly timed to be off the front when passing the start/finish line for maximum kudos from the fans ;-),definitely a force to be reckoned with at the moment.

Carlos De’Oliveira, the gentle Mexican Giant (well besides when getting upset at the site of transparent white knicks), very strong in the TTT, keeping things steady and never in trouble.  Gained confidence in the races, great to see him looking comfortable and enjoying himself in the fast paced hectic environment we were in.

Jerard Ghossein, forever the strong man who talks himself down but expects allot from himself.  Old enough to be the dad of a majority of the field (as am I..  Shh, don’t tell anyone).  Jerry was strong in the TT, showed some signs of fatigue on lap two but clung on till the finish..  Kudos..  Jerry, despite being more nervous than me in races, stuck in and finished all the races and finished strongly on the final day..  No doubt will be hitting the TT season this year with a big stick..  Great to have you out there.

I asked the team to submit their lists of highs and lows, so enjoy what we all took from the weekend (can’t believe I feature in so many lows..  I thought the speedos and uggs were a winning combo).

 Ryan

What is a write up without some stats??  See a couple stats from my Garmin for the weekend:

 

	Fri	Sat warm	Sat 1	Sat 2	Sun	Sun Home	Weekend
Distance	25.15	13.15	31.9	29.44	75	52.87	227.51
Max	61.6	53.6	71.2	64	67.9	70.1	71.2
Ave	43.1	36.8	46.2	47.6	40.7	30.9	40.13
Hr Ave	–	157	167	167	153	137	153.3
Hr Max	–	178	194	192	186	167	194
Garmin Effort	–	3.4	5	5	4.4	3.6	4.3

 

Highs:

–          Qualifying in the Elite category, even though we joked we would like to sandbag and go Cat 1, we did well as a team on our first outing together.

–          Defintely staying upright, very nervous beforehand.

–          Organisation of the accommodation and the event, could not fault much.

–          Sunsets by the ocean, great way to cool the legs down post hectic rides.

–          $10 pizza at the Colonial (others who waited up to 2 hours may not agree).

–          Mike getting into the break on Sunday meant we could take it relatively easy in the pack (although, somehow I failed to conserve much..  Not race savvy I have been told).

–          Tom riding past me on the final hill (great to see a non-hill man powering up after the others).

Lows:

–          Jarrad getting punctures in two of three races.  My main helper gone (I am sure we had a plan of some sorts 😉

–          Chasing a breakaway man in race two, just over one km from the end.  Breakaway man sits up, I am at the front for the final km..  Not ideal place to be for a sprint..  Hope Satalyst (and Dome) appreciated the lead out J

–          Final hill of the weekend.  I delivered myself to the bottom of the hill totally spent..  Will be kicking myself for awhile as I undid the zipper, put bike in its easiest gear and just pedalled to the top of the hill..  I guess I may need to enter another race to remedy this feeling..  B-Grade masters anyone??

 CARLOS

First thanks for a fun filled weekend. Hope there are more to come.

I think we did outstandingly well considering that in reality we are weekend warriors.  Given that we had not ridden together, practiced a ttt, or talked about team tactics too much,  to be mixing it up with the “serious” riders and holding our own is outstanding.

…Satalyst (NRS), Unicorn (race Masters regularly), GDT (raced in Belgium a couple of months ago), SWCC (had Trent Derecourt and a national road race champion in their team) and Dome (semi-organised)….

Highlights:

– Tom’s coffee’s first thing in the morning

– Kermesse was my favourite race

– We all worked hard in the ttt and set up the weekend by placing well

– Mike’s ability to hold his position and watching him mount a curb in the second stage. Those MTB handling skills are awesome.

– Fynn’s lead out of 12 Satalyst guys and watching the peleton string out like chewing gum.

– Tom’s huge attack in the Kermesse was awe inspiring. It amped me up to have a few goes on the front on the next lap.

– Mike getting into the break on the last stage

– Jarrad’s huge turn of speed in the ttt. I dont think I had warmed up properly and “asked” you to slow down…you must not have heard me…

– Gerard, although the oldest of us, held his own and mixed it up with guys half his age and still looked like he was breathing through a straw.

– For me personally this weekend has given me a lot of confidence about our ability to race with the elite guys and has given me the confidence to start being more active in positioning myself well within the bunch. I basically felt like I belonged there.

Lowlights:

– I think we all agree on this, but seeing the picture of Ryan’s speedos has taken the cake over seeing his arse in a see through skin suit.

– Meg cracking the shits after Ryan put the pace on during the 60km ride back from Augusta!!

– Jarrad’s double puncture. Sorry mate, I feel like I should have stopped on the last stage and given you my wheel as you are a better climber.

Great weekend, well organised by SWCC and the SPR gang, great bunch of people, hope we continue to work together as a team in the season to come.

JERRY

Thanks guys for letting me ride on your team, you are all very strong riders and I definitely need to get some power/speed/courage/Hematocrit or years from somewhere.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be of much help on the second lap of the TTT, hope the anchor wasn’t too heavy

I made a mistake of not coming to the front at the end of the last road race, I had the legs to climb but was too far back when we hit the hill. I did pass half the field then but paid for my inexperience, another lesson for the future

I think we did extremely well in our first race as a team, and for me it was a morale boost to know that I can still mix it with boys younger than my son

The TT season is upon us and time for me to start training; kings park TT today was very painful on tired legs.

Time to get back to reality and see some patients, hopefully I’ll be stronger next time my services are required

TOM

My highlights…

– our team qualifying middle of the elite category. Considering we all do other things, it’s incredibly satisfying to turn up to an event like that, and be competitive. It’s nice having a few big engines in the team.. thanks to Carlos for the tow back into the line when I’d over cooked my turn on the front.

– Mike’s devotion to a plan… getting himself in the break, and allowing us to stay off the front of the pack down to Augusta was awesome. It definitely allowed me to sit in as the pace went up (50ish km mark) and save a few beans for the hill climb. Doing it in a fluro helmet and a set of wayfarers makes it all the more special.

– The look on Johno & Luke’s faces when a bright green SPR jersey caught up to them 500m from the finish line of stage 4

– Ryan’s ability to get himself in a good position for the sprints. It’s definitely a skill I just don’t have.

– Jason’s reaction to Mel, our nanny… priceless.

– Just getting the opportunity to spend the weekend with crew from SPR. I’ve made a lot of good friends, and the smile & cheery “hello” you get from everyone is really special to me.

– Jerard the limpet mine… I think we should pack you off to Europe for the giro… you’d probably get a top 10 place there and it just seems impossible to get rid of you!

– Finally, the roar from the SPR tent on my kamikaze break away in the Kermesse.

Lowlights:

– launching a kamikaze attack, only to round the corner to the start/finish line and seeing the race official holding up a sign with “2” on it, rather than ringing the bell.. I really should learn to count better than I do.

– the pant filling experience on the TTT when the car reversed out. I seriously thought we were going to go down.

– Jarrad’s flat tyre… it sucks to go all that way, and get taken out by something so trivial.

– Getting fined for going over the white line… I still think we were probably the team that did that the least. I hope he enjoyed his free pizza’s, and that Jerard & Ryan asked for a tax receipt.

– Monday. I could hardly muster the energy to get out of bed.

catch you saturday folks.

JARRAD

Highs:
– A solid TTT putting us well within the pack, and really set-up the weekend;
– ‘Qualifying’ so to speak via the TTT – a great way to seed the grades;
– A 2nd shout out to the SPR Committee for the accommodation and organisation;
– Hitting the beach and the food;
– Tom – The Machine. Solid attack on Saturday’s Kermesse, covering the breaks Sunday and great final result. I hope to see you out road racing a bit more.
– Mike – Tearing it up all weekend – The Racer’s Racer. Loved your work getting in the break on Sunday. I can’t speak for the other guys but I was using all of my Jedi mind powers to help you bridge that gap – for what they were worth  – TAKE YOUR MEDICINE UNICORNS!!!
– Carlos – The Rock. Strong as an Ox. Never looked in trouble out there and super solid in the TTT.
– Jerard – Looking solid all weekend, keeping out of trouble, I know there were some nerves at the start, but you belonged up there.
– Ryan – Capt. Fynn, Satalyst’s 13th leadout man. Keeping up the front, and mixing it up all weekend.

Lows:
– Old matey in the Corolla (I think) on Friday arvo – looking at my Garmin, I forgot how much we had to slow down there.
– My dismal showing.
– Yelling at a cow from the side of the road.
– Ryan’s Speedos.
– The state of my perineum and surrounding area after wearing that Champion Systems gear for 12+ hours all weekend.
– The prospect of now having to pay money for Bindi’s ‘Magic Melon’ or whatever it was called – that stuff was fantastic.

Also, apologies for being perhaps a little abrupt, b!tchy, moody, aggro or whatever on Sunday – I wasn’t exactly a happy camper.

MIKE

Highs:
-The SPR accommodation and organisation was perfect. Really well organised. Massive thanks to Andrew, Peter and crew.
-You boys landing 6th in the TTT despite my way earlier than I expected departure.
-Ryan’s epic 1km turbo turn on stage 2 leading out the sprint and still grabbing a near top 10.
-Tom’s attack on Stage 3 – my nomination for the attack of day 2.
-Me just making the break on the final stage was my personal highlight. Despite finishing basically last on the climb I rode an honest race at the front.
-Tom’s stage 5 finish. Smashed it!
-Ryan’s Mo (Not sure if its a high or a low?)
-Carlos being invincibly strong all weekend.
-Jerry hanging tough all weekend and keeping out of trouble.
-Jarrad’s big turns in the TTT – so big that he vaporised his rear tyre leading to subsequent numerous punctures.
-The Pie and coke stop after the Augusta to Margs return ride – delicious.
-Great result ending up 6th best team in the race despite all riders being part time, social riders / weekend warriors with masters licences.

Lows:
-Mike getting dropped on the first lap of the TTT. Turns out I’m allergic to TTs.
-Jarrad’s double punctures. Double morale hit.
-Ryan’s Speedos.
-Ryan’s Uggs.
-Getting caught by the peleton 5km from the finish after being out front for 70km on the last day.
-Ryan recording someone’s snoring and sending it to them (omitted name, don’t want to be giving people’s secrets away ;-).

Cheers for having me on the team, I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend riding with you guys.

Mike

A big congratulations on all who partook in the sportif last weekend in the Swan Valley, stats on SPR participation numbers will be in the main post but I have posted the times (can’t be results for a participation ride) for the 4 SPR teams who tackled the 80km option.  All four teams were in the top half of the results (59 teams registered a time on the day for the 80kms).  The all girls teams chicked a whole lot of other teams out there and managed a 35km/hr average despite plenty of chit chat (Lennie and AnnaKate were on the team..  Chit chat was a certainty)..  They are hardcore..  The cowboys did a half decent time averaging 42.4km/hr, the Choco Canards almost averaged 40km/hr..  Impressive..  And the chasers almost averaged 37km/hr and managed to keep the ladies at bay with some room to spare..  It would appear the seeding worked..

Position	Name	Total Time	Average Speed	Cum Diff
1	SPR 1 – Raging Cowboys	1:53:07	42.4	0:00:00
4	SPR 2 – The Chocolate Canard	2:01:41	39.4	0:08:34
18	SPR 3 – Chasers	2:11:09	36.6	0:18:02
26	SPR 5 – The Princesses	2:17:26	34.9	0:24:19

 

Below is a story of sorts on the Cowboys (or riders) in the SPR 1 team..  The first section was my rationale (and part of the email I sent out looking for recruits) for wanting the men on the team, then there is a picture of each (if I can learn how to embed them) and then I give a little commentary on the performance/contribution on the day (no, I am not a teacher.. :-)) for each rider..  It was a great day out, we only lost one rider on the last lap and we all got a pretty decent workout (we even managed to keep Jonno awake the whole way)..

1.  Mr Luke Ellis Mr NRS who is SPR’s Race co-ordinator, has come along in leaps and bounds over the last year or so after his adventure to South Africa last year to compete in Masters world champs..  He now regularly competes in competitions, has his own coach and is preparing for an international tour with Dome.  Oh and is head of the race committee for SPR (don’t know why he is still smiling?).

Luke turned up on the day with his Enves on the new steed, ready for action..  He was always rolling through strongly, then on the last lap, after he asked if this was the last lap, and I replied yes, he proceeded to put the hammer down on his turns at the front, putting everyone else into the hurt locker..  A very strong man at the moment..  Coaching, training and power meters do make a difference 😉

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Mr Tom Barrett, I am not sure he will be interested in partaking in a Sportif, his Journey to Italy (for the Masters World champs) has begun.  He is a very motivated man who has a plan and sticks to it..  (I need to take some leaves out of his book (not just because he takes a close interest in the performance of the ladies in the club ;-))..  Maybe we can entice him into the fray  by promising him some extended stints at the front where he can push out 400w for 4 minutes at a time?

Tom turned up with his Carbon clinchers, probably around 50mm deep which is allot less than the 70-80mm Reynolds carbon clinchers he usually has on his custom Aura bike (just in case anyone does not know, Tom makes custom made bikes..  If you need a new one, check out his, then hit him up) but he was worried about the pace on the inclines on certain sections of the course.  He needn’t have worried, he coped with them well, although the picture above shows he was putting in some effort.  Mr Barrett can go all day at 42km/hr but put some surges in and he starts to struggle..  Never in trouble and always rolling through on the day..  Ox as per usual..

 

 

 

 

3.  We have Carlos the Mexican man who is very silent these days, must be all the wedding plans he has to sort out??  Always a strong man, I am hoping he has not been enlisted by his better half to ride with the ladies (I will be jealous if he has) and pull them around..  Obviously if she is at the sportif, he will be required to be too..  I hope he is allowed to ride with the cowboys, maybe I should send Meg’s an email to ask permission?

Carlos rocked up at my house at 6:10am (without Carbon wheels, did he not get the memo??)..  Fec it was cold..  We rode the 26kms to Midland and he seemed pretty happy..  During the sportif, his happiness seemed to dissipate somewhat, I think he must have had too much time to think about wedding plans..  He kept on saying ‘take the pace back a notch bro’ when he felt people where being too over zealous…  He also ramped up the friendly encouragement from ‘take the pace back a notch bro’ when out of one corner I took the speed back up a little faster than he liked (I had someone on my wheel so assumed everyone else was also on), he proceeded to spray some encouraging words *&*&^*^& my way..  Oops…  I was scolded..  His kind words probably kept us all together a little longer..  Carlos was the only man to pop on the day (happens to the best of us..  He had been sick the week earlier so had a good excuse for popping, I hope Megs has tended to him appropriately and brought him back to full strength).

 

 

4. We have Dr Ghossein, eager to get the Dogma out (hopefully a sunny day), he is preparing for Italy as well at the moment so I am sure he will appreciate some extended time at the front of our group where he to can push out 400w plus pulling us along (assuming he is not feeling under the weather ;-).

The Dogma got probably it’s final outing to a semi-competitive event, never the less, it had its Zipp 404 firecrests on and was ready to fly..  During the sportif, I tried to get a paceline going on the 4^th lap, I figured we had been rolling relatively easily for 3.5 laps, so we could form a line and let the guys still feeling very strong let some steam out..  Jerry was very impatient during this phase (when he was not on the front) and requested we started rolling again..  On his next turn at the front, I shouted out for him to get the pace up (I mean, if he needs more of a work out, he should put himself in the hurt locker during his time on the front..) so he commenced the roll through again (miscommunications?)..  On the final lap, Luke and Dave H took turns on the front ramping the pace up and I think Jerry was happy not to be rolling through for a bit..  The Dogma and Jerry were strong on the day contributing and definitely never threatening to drop off…

 

 

 

5.  Mr Cawthorne..  Fresh from the Tour of Indonesia (correct me if I am wrong??)..  International man who gets to ride his bike for 600kms + a week when in town (which is over 60% of the year)…  Always a strong man who is itching to pull the team along (if he is in town).

Luckily he was in town for the weekend and signed up to play with us..  he pitched up at mine at 6:15am..  Fec, it was still cold..  He was most upset when he saw I had some deep dish wheels on (I had borrowed Jarrad’s 70mm clinchers (I was worried for the same reasons Tom was as there were some undulations and some strong men on the team, I did not want to get dropped) as he had not put his on, instead he was rocking his Dura Ace rims (light wheels..  Maybe wise for the day??)..  Mr Cawthorne had an awesome day carrying out a very important role, sitting last wheel and filming the rest of the team as they rolled through, although, he was there on the final straight to roll over me just before the finish line..   Happily I can say the sprint really took its toll on him as he was struggling to hold 25kms/hr on the way home after lunch..

 

 

 

6.  Mr Hind, a strong man from way back..  NRS participant who has shown his colours..  An asset to any team as he does not know how to sit in and will happily bury himself at the front if he feels the pace is too low..  I hope he wants to come bury himself in Swan Valley (also hope I will be able to hang on..  I will eat my wheaties).

Dave pitched up just after we wanted to roll out to the startline (as usual but this time around, he was not late because he had ridden out to the sportif but because he had had people over the night before..  A changed man I tell ya..).  We got him into a SPR top and we were on our way to the start line..  Dave was super strong as usual and we needed to keep him in check till the last lap where he put in some very strong turns (he may have done a few big efforts during the ride too..  And received a couple of ‘take the pace back a notch bro’s ;-)..  He is definitely still a very strong man and was never under threat of dropping off..  Glad as always that he came out to play with us..

 

 

 

 

7.  Mr Jonno Bolton, the man who did an excellent job in the NRS series and is now a force to be reckoned with..  Finally signed by a team of substance (Dome has substance of course..  But no free bikes ;-)..  Probably another no show as his coach may not approve him time playing with hacks..  Even if we promise him ample time on the front in his orange suit…

Thankfully Jonno was allowed to come play with us (probably more because Emma was going to be there so he would need to do some riding so came to play..  Although, I don’t think he really came to play, more to watch us from within (I mean, hepitched up with alloy training wheels and gator skins)..  Never looked like he was working at all..  And laid low on the last lap when Dave and Luke were digging deep..  I don’t think we paid him enough to get his A game..  Obviously he was never going to drop off, I am glad we kept him awake and happy as always that hechose to come to play with us..

 

 

 

 

8.  Dave Manners was an unknown entity who Jerry had persuaded to sign up with us..  Strava says he had been on some rides with us and that he had done ok, so he must be ready to be a cowboy??

Dave pitched up on the day with some flash Zipp 404s (he had the team bug) but still had hairy legs??  WTF..  Her obviously did not get the email where I stated even ya derrière needed to be smooth..  But he rode really well, never showing signs of being dropped although he did take some turns out to keep Jason company at the back..  Glad he came to play and look forward to riding with him more in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

9.  Then we have that old man Ryan Fynn (last and getting close to the least)..  Has done nothing of note but seems to always be hanging onto someone’s coat tails till the end..  Hopefully he eats his wheaties and manages to finish with the group (maybe someone can offer him some pushing services?)..

Ryan managed to source some flash carbon clinchers (70mm) and a carbon skinsuit (bling bling but no pockets so a g*y bumbag was required to carry his gus which I believe completed the fast look??)..  Ryan managed to keep up with the team (despite carrying the really heavy timing chip on his left ankle and having to blow kisses at the paparazzi on the course (I can imagine this gets tiring) but was not first to cross the finish line as Cawthorne passed him in the lead  up to the finish and then blocked him to take line honours.. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all cowboys and fellow SPR folk for a great day out..  Thanks to Pete and Ben Madsen for letting me use their snaps I located on Facebook (thanking you retrospectively is cool isn’t it?)..
See you all out there on the road soon….  Stay Safe..

FF

 

 

Hi all, I know there are a few kiwis and Saffas out there (as well as Aussies of course (and English folk for whatever reason)) who are passionate about rugby (and not just lycra).  So I thought I would create a pool where we could go and make our biased predictions..

 

Will the Kiwis choke again, or will the current Tri-Nations champs prevail..  Orwill one of those lesser sides get one over again (Bokkes..  Pffft, cheaters ;-).

Pool details are below:

http://www.superbru.com/rwc/pool.asp?p=215632

 Pool name: Wanabewallaby

Pool code: ovensand

 

Sing with me:

‘I, I, Wanna Be a Wallaby………….’

In bed by 1am on Fri night/Sat morning and a slightly fresh morning (although BOM told me it was a balmy 11 degrees, I think BOM was lying) meant I decided I was not ramping up my training this week (read, riding to the Sat ride) and into the car Shrek Bike went.

 I arrived relatively early this morning and I actually got to ride into the car park before the ride set off. A fair few people congregating there these days as Captain Pete was doing his spiel.  No sooner had I unclipped and Pete was telling Fast group to get going.  I overheard one guy being encouraged by his mate to go fast but he declined saying, ‘those guys average between 35-38kms/hr’ and I would not be able to keep up.  Possibly wise for today as there is Ridge hill which usually breaks things up a little.

The group was relatively large today, must have been a smidge over 20 people.  A big group for fast.  I did my customary slip to the rear (for sweeping duties of course..  Not that much sweeping is done in the fast group at the start).  I had a brief chat to Stu who only had short sleeves on..  I know he would have been the oldest in fast and skin is meant to get thicker with age (or is that thinner?) but he was in the same boat as me, he had checked BOM before the ride and it had indicated 11 degrees, I had still donned the arm warmers and wind vest though and it definitely felt colder than 11.  I think the cold was going to have an effect on Stu’s ride today as he slipped off the back of the group when we were not pushing too hard along Welshpool road.  I suspected a mechanical or slow clip in had affected him but at the next set of lights, he was back on and said he had just dropped off.  Very unlike him, I hope all is ok.

I then had a brief chat with Nick Churchill who informed me he was conserving his energy for the inevitable acceleration over Ridge Hill and back home.  Time will tell whether this strategy would pay off.  Onto Hale road, on Mike B’s command, we started rolling ‘the correct way which, for the day, was clockwise.  I was slightly nervous as there was some wind about, a fair few riders and we had had a crash on Hale road (going the other way) not so long ago whilst rolling fast.

Soon the number of workers on the front had dwindled, with the bulk of riders strung behind the 6 or so workers at the front.  I was up the front with Jonno when we were stopped by the lights on Kalamunda road.  Once off from the lights and onto the lower part of Gooseberry hill, I looked back and Jonno and I had a small gap on the rest, perhaps a few slow clip ins and general apathy so Jonno and I kept up a reasonable pace rolling through on each other.  We would ensure that all legs in the chasing pack were getting a little work out.  As it turns out, everyone was sat on Mike B as he pulled us back.  Left onto Watsonia Drive for the descent to the bottom of Ridge Hill, this is where I would usually ramp things up to take a few people by surprise but I felt the slight stretch of legs up lower Gooseberry would have tired a few legs already.  So Jonno and I sat at the front some more.

Right at the round about and was behind Jonno and everyone was strung out behind me.  Jonno was still setting a good pace so I thought no use going past him, soon he pulled to the right a little and let me through.  I was not going to smash it up Ridgehill, I would just keep the pace ‘honest’.  Just nearing the ridge, Jarrad came up next to me and kicked towards the crest.   No probs, I will follow him over the hill.  Once over, we kept the pace on.  I rolled past Jarrad and tried my best to descend like Mark DeCastro (i.e. super fast) but I blame my massive chest for the inability to really fly down hill ;-).

Left at Helena Valley road and it was time to take count of the damage caused by Ridgehill.  Jarrad rolled past me and I jumped onto his wheel.  The front group had been whittled down to 5, Myself, Jarrad, Jerard, Mike B and Jonno.  Then I heard some huffing and puffing and Nick Churchill was on the back of the train too.  His strategy had paid off (although, it sounded like he had spent a few pennies ensuring he caught up to us on the downhill).

Some fast rolling ensued, Jarrad was doing his customary, go to the front and hit it whilst I had to ensure the gap to him did not open too much, whilst at the same time I tried not to chase him too hard as a gap behind me would open.  So slowly real him back in was my mission on each of his ‘roll throughs’ (admittedly, he is getting better though).  All clear at the T junction with East St and we were on the return journey into town with a sizeable gap on any chasers.

A quick count of numbers and we were back at 5, Nick C had blown a gasket during his efforts to latch onto us.  Poor fella, so close and yet so far J.  It was a relatively uneventful run onto Guildford road.  A pleasant but fast roll through was established within the core group of 5.  Then I heard the load roar of truck wheels bearing down on us (in the right lane), so shouted truck back.  The truck went past us and lo and behold there was Toby stuck to the back of the truck..  So close he could have reached out and touched it, next in line was Mark resplendent in his Italian colours, with the Belgium champion (Iian I believe on his gold Biacnchi) not far behind.  Seems the pretenders had to enlist outside assistance to catch up..  Surely the commissaire should have pulled them up and had words.  But there seemed to be a lack of officials on the road that day.

So rather than let them disappear down the road, us 5 core riders upped our pace a little but kept a respectable distance behind the bulky vehicle traveling at pace down Guildford.  Upon approaching a set of amber lights, there was no way that the truck was going to stop and thankfully a wise voice rang out from the group to say ‘STOPPING’ with still plenty of time to actually wipe the speed off and come to a stop.  Mark, let out a ‘now that is a motor pace’ with wide eyes and wide smile. J

Well free ride was gone and we had the slight undulations of Guildford to contend with.  I was into cruise mode, no attacking yet.  Mike B set the pace on the undulations and we all lined up behind him.  Then Jonno took the reigns and Mike B turned left at Garret road to head to his kids sporting events.  Jarrad slipped to the rear with me and we had a look at each other and gave the nod, we would attack on the next rise.  Mark was sitting behind observing and as we went, the call went out that we were coming.  Jonno jumped on.  Jarrad rolled through on me, then I rolled through on him with Jonno sitting pretty on the back.  Recovering from his efforts along Guildford  and the chase to get onto our train (he had been on the front when we attacked..  Good work Jonno for getting on J).

Coming down the hill to the lights on East Parade, the lights were green but the cars in the left lane were not moving.  All three of us started using expletives and shouting and waving arms as we approached the rear of the cars..  Why were they taking so long to get off the line? Grrrr….  But as we drew near, we saw there was a red arrow for turning left..  WTF..  It made no sense but we were stuck at the rear and soon the rest of the core group (+ the truck drafters) were back with us.  Grrr..  Jerard requested I let him know next time we planned to attack (but it was the same place I went off by myself the week before.  I thought it was common knowledge by now J).

Lights went green and I set the pace along East Parade, I did not want things to ease up too much.  I pulled up a little nearing the graham farmer cross over and people rolled through and past me.  I was at the rear, good place to be nearing the Plain street hill.  Toby attacked the hill hardest and I picked a few riders off, ensuring there was no gap to split me from the front if the lights were green.  But we all got through the lights together.

Now we were nearing the ‘sprint’ section.  Hmm, what to do??  Attack from the start and hope no one had the legs to hang on or chase the full distance?  I would sit back and see how things played out..  Turning onto Riverside Dr I was last in line, I saw Jonno stand up and kick..  He was going from a long way out..  Noice..  So I kicked and then went into tt position, I would real him in.  I cruised up to the back of him..  I think he was a little tired from doing the lions share of pace making during the ride.  So I gave a little kick past him and then tt’ed the rest of the distance down Riverside drive.   I waved my arms in the air a little as I crossed the blue line.  In my mind I was doing some uber cool moves, but if there were any witnesses, I am sure they would have thought I was being stuck by a swarm of bees.

Apologies for the long winded recount of ‘MY’ ride..  Seems I spend more time in my little world whilst riding than I do watching what others are up to..  Thanks for the enjoyable hit out.  A few strong legs out there and some outside assistance.  I hope the rest of the Fast group enjoyed their rides after Ridgehill.  I would imagine there were some little groups of like abilities making their way to the Bell tower.  Coffee + Milkshake + banter was enjoyed before bike was put back into car and homeward bound I was to collect the little one to take to his swimming lesson..  Till next week when I will attempt to ramp up the training again (all things going well (read me not being a soft pr*ck), I may even ride to work a few times this week :-))..

Due to ill health, Spin this week has been canned.  Apologies for late notice but board meeting is this week and I have been under the pump (as well as in ill health..  Noice)..

Due to lack of enthusiasm for spin, possibly due to my sagging physique and tiresome personality..  I will not be taking spin for the foreseable future..

It has been fun over the past few years.  I think I missed about three Wednesdays in 3 years..  It was my regular training..  Watch me slip deeper into mediocrity now..

As you were

The Not So Flying Fynn..

Hi all, late notice I know but Flying Fynn has decided to change days for his training session from Wednesday nights 6:30pm to Tuesday nights at 6:30pm.

So details are now:

Tuesday nights 6:30pm – 7:30pm under the Narrows (SOUTH side)..

Bring your trainers and running shoes if you would like to turn the session into a brick session.

I have a feeling  I will be going solo tonight..  But I have my music so all good.

I have a couple of spare trainers, so if there is anyone out there who would like to give a session a go, just let me know and I can hold a trainer for you.

To get in touch, either email: rfynn2010@gmail.com or call/message me on 0433 096 726.

I am thinking we need to Jazz spin up a little and have the following material to draw ideas from..

I just need some input as to which angle may attract the best audience 😉

First up we have a suggestion from Mr John Doyle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2cngUil5AM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Perhaps we can get a SPR spin outfit? 

This next one would make us fitter all around, I hear X-Training has its advantages…

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1hGGsQx5CE&feature=related

Then there is the spiritual angle (this South African man has more grey hairs than me, he must be a wise man) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=rNaLBfKbOVI&vq=small#t=26

All suggestions welcome..

Non forthcoming and we get to stick with crude jokes and nudie spin with Fynn.. 🙂

Hi all, this is an article I was reading this morning and thought I would share it. It is just about ensuring you do as much as you can to mitigate the risks of cycling. Rather than get angry with ignorant drivers, do your best to minimise the chances of getting in the way of an ignorant driver…

One example which is not covered in this article is riding into the direction of the sun (a problem at sunrise and sunset)… I for one will never share a road with cars if I am going in the direction of the sun, I will either go on the kerbside or chose a new route…

http://m.theage.com.au/sport/cycling/blogs/cycling-tips/mitigating-the-risks-of-cycling/20110201-1abln.html

Report by Ryan

Well, after a week of nights ending at approx 2am (I may start sounding like Tomic if I complain about late nights due to tennis), I thought I had to make an effort to get to the start line on Sat morning.  Especially as I had told Nick C I was going and I had not ridden my bike since the previous Sunday…
Well my alarm went off and I do not remember switching it off (a sure sign the body was shattered)..

Next I woke with a start and checked the time…  6:50am… Feck, jumped out of bed, fed the dog, threw some clothes on and grabbed a bottle of water.  Had to put bike in car, shoes and helmet and I was off..

On the road I called Jerard, to find where we were heading and to also alert the group I was on my way (maybe they would wait a minute or two for me).  I was also banking on Pete chatting a little longer than usual as it was his first day back..

Well, pulling up, I saw Pete and his group come past.. Cool, fasties must have waited behind him.  Threw bike together, threw on shoes and helmet and I rode to the carpark..  Feck, noone there, the fookers had fooked off…

So off I started on my solo chase towards Canning Hwy.  Pete had turned left but I thought straight was the go.  Once on canning hwy, I called Jerard again.  They were by the Macdonalds just past raffles and I was coming towards the freeway.  They were just over a minute ahead of me…  Nioce..

Left at Risely and the headwind was starting to make me feel a little tired.  No worries, keep on pushing, there is a hill..  I was thinking to myself, I wish we had to go up a 4km 6% gradient, then I would definately catch them but a group working together into a headwind was going to be hard to catch.

Right onto Leach Hwy (I thought main group was heading towards Freo) I called Jerard again as I did not know where the group would go from here.  Jerard then informed me they were on Murdoch drive heading to South St and were going to turn left and head towards the hills..  Ahh well, the chase had been for nought.  I turned left at the next road, and took some back street which was slightly uphill and straight into the headwind..  Nice,,, I guess a solo ride it was to be..

Turned onto South, then left at Nicholson.  No sign of anyone, not even people who had been dropped…  Left onto Albany Hwy, I looked down at the speedo, just over 30kms, and the main was scheduled to do 54kms, I must have chopped off a huge amount.  I thought to myself, we always come back down Albany Hwy, I will wait here..

8 mins later and still no sign of anyone.. Hmm, then a few cyclists came into view.  It was Melvyn, Carl, Brett and the Avanti man…  So I tagged onto the back of them.  They went into the right lane.. Hmm, this is a new route…  Melvyn said they had gone wrong somewhere they were going to try go a little longer and cut in on Welshpool road where we may have a chance of coming across the fasties..  he also informed me I could ride in their group as long as I did not smash them…  I would try…

We worked together a little, and I endeavoured to take it easy up the rises…  When we were on Welshpool and came to turn right onto Albany, we figured we were still ahead of the fast bunch.  I was going to pull over to wait but looking forward the other four were motoring up Albany, sh*t I better chase them down..  So off I went..  They were going at a fair rate of knots but I knew I should be able to reel them in..

The group started to splinter and Avanti man had broken off the front with Melvyn starting to fade behind him (Carl and Brett had already been spat out).  I pulled infront of Melvyn and slowed to allow him onto my wheel and then started to reel in Avanti man..  Once on Avanti man, I came slowly past him to give him a chance to jump on my wheel.  We were then going up a small rise, so I put it in the 53/12 and upped the intensity.. Sure enough, they all popped and I was going solo…

I stopped pedaling and stretched a little giving others a chance to catch up but they were not going to get back to me so I decided to push by myself for the rest of the trip…  Needless to say there was no explosive sprint but I still won 😉

Ended up with 44kms with an average speed of 36kms/hr.  Not bad for a ride with a majority headwind when going solo… 🙂  So I guess a good hit out.  Still sad I missed the first totally fast ride..  I guess they were running scared from me…  Fair enough, easier to win the sprint that way..  I thought Judd had won the sprint??