Well guys (and girls) Saturday will be my last ride with you while I am in my 40’s. On Sunday I turn 50. Over the last couple of years I have been riding with you I have had great fun and it has helped kept me fit but I have had limited success at the finish line. I have tried training, tried getting a better bike, tried getting lighter wheels, tried to find a person bigger than me to shelter behind etc – all of which make the cycling more enjoyable (except cycling looking at a big persons backside) but have not changed my performance significantly and sustainably. So, in a last desparate attempt before I join the veterans class and no longer care where I finish, I am going to try and bribe my way closer to the front.
Therefore on Saturday, I will pay for the coffee (or hot chocolate, tea) of everyone behind me at the finish line!
damn, the melbourne cup was this week which means we are well and truly into november which means that we are almost to christmas which means that the year is almost over. where the hell did it go.
as you may have noticed on the previous post, ryan has become a mo bro so support him in the only way we know how…lots of crap about his bad mo.
there is a really good track meet this saturday night. last year was really good racing and if you have never been to the velodrome before, this is a good experience. there will be some really fast racing so come and support some of the riders that occasionally come out on the spr rides.
we are down to the last box of drink bottles and will be doing another visit this saturday to the coffee shop for collection. if you haven’t collected or paid, this will be a good opportunity to get it sorted out. please try to bring exact change as it is a pain when everyone brings $20 for $12 of drink bottles.
this saturday we will be tackling the majority of the river ride in preparation for the great perth bike ride. there is only a couple of weeks till the event so we might as well check out the hill at mosman park now so you can practice it if you need to.
sunday will be a big day with both sides of the kahuna to be ridden along with peet rd. four categorised climbs so lots of points on offer. looks like the weather should be clearing up too so i am expecting a big turn out.
movember is a charity drive to raise money to benefit men’s health specifically ‘prostate cancer’ and ‘male depression’. two very good causes especially after listening to the three urologists in our group talk quite openly about the finer aspects of their profession. we can also see the signs of male depression whenever anyone beats ryan in the sprint.
anyway, ryan is becoming a mo bro this month and is looking for sponsorship for this cause. just follow the link here to make your donation or just see how he is going (growing).
2. ECU have a study that needs cyclists (I haven’t called as I’ve only been riding for a few months so I don’t know what it involves but it might be worthwhile and interesting).
I’ve included the flyer about it via the ERC website:
an early morning text from chris claiming chain troubles had me heading to the startline a bit earlier that usual. a pin was had not been put back in properly and was only hanging on by one side of the chain. not the best thing for a hill climbing day that would place a lot of strain on the chain. we popped the link out and put on a sram powerlink that i had spare. it was spare cause i asked for a removable link and they sold me one that once it is on, it doesn’t come off. not really that removable. i need the wipperman one next time.
with an ideal cycling day predicted, the number of cyclist was sure to exceed expectations and did not disappoint. we had around thirty turn up ready to go by 7am. we had a few new faces with ronny trying to get extra points by bringing a friend, jill and the ceo of cycling wa, chris turning up to see how the group runs. most of the regulars were their but noticeable by his absence was ryan who we think had been scared off after we talked up chris’ climbing ability during the week. mike was also a no show, so stu and i would have to be carrying the torch for the spr team. just as we were about to roll out, dr melvyn turned up and told us that darren was just down the bottom of coode st with a flat tyre. i gave everyone directions and sent them off while steve and myself went to find darren. dr mark was also down there helping with tyre, but he had it fixed promptly and we were soon on our way.
while the rest of the group headed along angelo st and out onto canning, we passed the roadblock and headed out along mill point rd hoping to connect with them before too long. as we worked into the wind along great eastern, i was not confident that we would even catch up as we could not see the main group even when the road straightened out. as we got closer to the airport, we saw them at the top of the rise and managed to catch up just after tonkin hwy. that was my first effort for the day, and it hurt.
we eventually made it out to the base of greenmount and started the hill in earnest. after a blocking move by our chris, the real pace began to kick in. it took quite a while and is a testament to the increased climbing skills that the group has developed, but we eventually whittled it down to the final 8 riders. most had held on for the majority of the hill and it wasn’t until it really steepened up and the pace was on that they began to drop off.
a couple of bends in the road before the finish and i decided to see if i could shake things up a bit and went on the attack. i got a fair gap before i think steve led the group back to my wheel and i was swamped within sight of the finish. i explained to everyone where the line was and realising it was that close they all started sprinting for the finish. i had nothing left and should have timed my attack a bit later.
stu – 10, brendan – 7, chris – 5, jerry – 3, peter – 1.
a regroup at the top and we were on our way again. the winding, rough roads through john forrest always seem to break the group up and i told the guys on the front that we would regroup at oxley road before the next climb. luckily i did as the call when out that darren had gotten a flat again and was changing it. i went back to see if he was ok and found him on his own.
probably a good time to set the ground rules about what we should do about flat tyres. if during a climb or descent where it is going to be too hard to pull the group up, then the person closest to the flat tyre should stop to make sure that they have all the right equipment to change it. anyone else around should continue on and tell the rest of the group that there has been a flat so we can wait at the regroup point. during a normal transition stage of the ride where we are just cruising along and are easily forming a pack, the call should go out immediately for everyone to stop. if the person with the flat is on the back of the group then a call forward to stop should be passed down the line and a rider should also come forward to make sure the group knows what is going on.
the reasoning is simple. firstly they may not have all the appropriate tools (which in itself is an offence, but usually punishable by public shame) and secondly they may not know where the hell they are. we don’t always stick to main roads and some of the newer riders may not have even been on these roads in their cars let alone on a bike. the worse thing is a triple play of no tools, no mobile coverage and no idea where the hell you are. it is usually about then that you hear banjo’s playing and billy-joe wanders out of the bush and asks “what y’all doin’ out ‘ere all alone”.
so, i checked with darren and since it was his second flat of the day i bludgeoned him to death with his own sub-six kilo bike and left him for the bears. he was going to find his own way across to mundaring weir road. i continued down to the regroup point.
once there, i explained the hill and where the kom line was for the points. this was a particularly nasty climb and has some really steep pinches that test the legs. the move was made early by chris and stu and i tried to go with is for as long as i could, but both put distance into me. chris danced away from stu and neither of us made up any ground there. behind me jens was waiting for brendan and steve to make their moves but they never did so he had to attack to make sure that he didn’t have to sprint for the points. hugh came with him and made up the final points.
chris – 10, stu – 7, peter – 5, heiko – 3, hugh – 1.
when we got to the top, julian and nick were already there. it seems that thay didn’t hear the call to regroup at oxley and thought that they had the points in the bag. as the group gets bigger, it is important that messages, like regroup points and such, are passed on especially if people move forward to the front of the group. this message didn’t get through and created a lot of confusion.
we soldiered on and took a different route out of parkerville as we headed towards stoneville. this would allow us to skip the section of great eastern hwy that we usually tackle for about a km. it was at the turn though parkerville that nick received a puncture and the call went up. however, he was left to fend for himself which is why the rules of engagement have been set out above. by the time the message got to the front, there was confusion over who it was, what the problem was and how far back they were. this unfortunately meant that he was left with no mobile coverage, little tools and a banjo themed soundtrack.
the rest of us headed across to mundaring township and onto the weir road. i needed to stop to explain the next bit as we were not going to regroup until the coffee shop. there would be two lots of kom points on this next stretch of road and there would not be a regroup after the first. this meant that any chase group would have to go hard to catch up after the first main climb, and any leaders would have to go hard to stay away. much like racing really.
a group got together and bombed it down towards the weir. i was not initially worried as the main climbers were not in attendance, but stu managed to find his way into that group and they had made some ground. we chased hard and managed to catch him as the climb started. john had the dubious honour of leading the charge up the hill out of the weir and i was wondering how long that would last for. before we turned the corner at the carpark brendan had decided to up the pace and soon it was the two of us with stu and chris making up the front runners. as we hit the corner and the hill hit it’s steepest part, chris attacked and stu didn’t respond. i sprinted around and got on chris’ wheel but it didn’t last long and i had to watch him disappear up the road.
as the hill flattened out, i sat up and waited for stu as i thought that the two of us had a better chance of catching chris. we made some ground, but he always pulled away ont eh climbs and by the time we hit the last pinch, there was no way we were going to catch him. stu put in one last effort and i couldn’t respond so he ended up with the second place on the climb. i held on for third with a fast finishing brendan taking fourth and heiko rounding out the points.
chris – 10, stu – 7, peter – 5, brendan – 3, heiko – 1.
as this was not a regroup spot, i pushed on and headed down the hill. i was limiting my effort as i was worried about how much i had left in the tank. brendan scared the utter crap out of me as i flew past on the descent. no time to react and he was off down the road after stu. i made sure i kept an eye on the road behind me after that to make sure i didn’t give up any more ground.
the final hill was a lonely affair for me but we managed to pass dr paul, dr greg and darren who had found their own way along the course. there was no way that i was going to catch brendan and stu, so it was just a matter of continually looking back to make sure jens and jerry didn’t catch up. jens came close on the final pinch, but i made sure i had enough to stay in front.
chris – 10, stu – 7, brendan – 5, peter – 3, heiko – 1.
coffee at paris-brest
the beautiful day meant that the coffee shop was already busy but we managed to make enough people uncomfortable that they moved. we took over the bottom section of the outdoor area and made a pretty pattern with the tables and chairs. coffee points went to the following 1 – heiko, jill, dr ronny, lorraine, dr jerry, john, stu, dan, brendan, chris, jules, dr mark, dr carl, dr greg, dr paul, dr melvyn, mike, john, phil, steve, hugh, todd, peter, nick, darren, christophe, paul.
during the trip home we kept seeing this couple in a 4wd standing on the side of the road watching us go past. the first time was weird, the second time was freaky, and on the third time where they were waiting for us at the maccas south perth, jules explained that it was his and dan’s parents. not really sure why, but i guess it is like going to watch your kids at footy training. the sprint to the welshpool rd maccas was won by heiko who teamed up with john for a 1-2 punch where john gave a long lead out to make sure the german left everyone behind. the final sprint to south perth found christophe taking off early but brendan managed to overtake everyone and take the win.
so a glorious day weather-wise and a pretty good ride despite the issues with tyres and instructions. it does however allow us to reiterate the groups guidelines on flat tyres and why we should stop. remember, we have to look out for each other out there.
a few riders have been asking about the thursday ride the “a team ” do, and are interested in participating, however believe this may be beyond them. so for those looking for a solid hit out during the week spr presents “the b team thursday training ride”.
the “a” team average mid to high 30kms/h, the aim for the “b” team will be mid 30’s with a focus on rolling through. there will be working sections followed by recovery and no-one will be left behind.
with a 5:30am start under the north side of the narrows bridge the aim will be to be back at the canning bridge by 7 am.
the route will be the classic river loop (reverse of route 01, saturday rides) with the addition of a pass of the “col la majestic point” and the possibility of an extension down to mt henry which can be agreed on the day.
for those that have the time we will stop at atomic cafe for a morning constitutional post ride
me (chris), please post a comment if you would like to join me. and don’t be afraid of a little wet weather. 5:30 is now dark thanks to daylight savings, so lights are essential.
the redbull air race forced us to move up the road a bit this morning as they had commandeered our carpark. generally this is not a problem, but there are a few people that do drive to the start and i didn’t want to make it too difficult for people to get to the ride. also, the road blocks will be more extensive tomorrow and start at 6am so i had to make sure we could still get access for the hills ride. by the time i rolled up the majority of the group was lurking outside the south perth senior citizens centre. i know that this is not a young group, but i didn’t think we needed to sign up just yet.
as i was giving the morning spiel about the ride route, i was rudely interrupted by someone’s mobile phone. it was mine, with lorraine asking us to wait as she was stuck in the redbull restricted area and was getting an escort from two burly austrian security guards. i asked the group if we should wait and someone suggested that we could if she was bringing brownies. since she provided us with brownies and coke at the last cyclo-sportif, i was sure we could wait a couple of minutes.
great eastern hwy
the change in venue didn’t seem to affect numbers as we had around 40 roll out from angelo st. we picked up mike on douglas and doug on great eastern as we headed towards guilford. the wind was not that pleasant, but i have definitely survived worse heading along helena valley rd, and the group stayed together well. i was sitting well back once we hit ridgehill rd and was never in the hunt for king of the mountain points. i was taking it easy for a while but as the field thinned out i found that i had room to accelerate around the slower riders. i got to the top with paul, jules and dr mark but then waited for the back markers to make sure we had everyone when we jumped onto kalamunda rd. dr carl was in struggle town today after over a month of trekking in nepal with simon. different diet and different muscle groups while over there meant that it will be a long hard road back to full bike fitness. i said that it was probably the lower altitude air was creating too much resistance for him. good to see him straight back on the bike though.
we cruised though to guilford and created a bit of a mobile road block along parts of kalmunda rd which would have made traffic happy (but safer for us). once we hit the lights at lord st in bassendean, i announced that it was all on for rest of the way back to the city. christophe said that i should lead the way, but i said that i was hanging back to help the stragglers. he volunteered so i headed off, but luckily not at the front.
the pace picked up almost straight away with little breaks getting a few metres up the road before being brought back by a concerted effort or a lucky traffic light. i was just sitting in, but managed to move forward after we crossed under tonkin hwy. about half way up the first of the rolling hills, ben made a move and ryan took off after him with jerry. i managed to get around the rest of the group and eventually jumped on the back. we held it together for a while before we were pinned down by the traffic lights which allowed the rest of the group to rejoin. ryan and i just set tempo after that as it seemed that that was the end of our escapades. mike had a different idea and too off on the next rise. i didn’t react straight away as i wanted a few more wheels to follow as i was feeling like i needed so recovery time. after about 5 or so riders had come past i gave chase and jumped on the wheel. i managed to come around them and catch up with ryan and mike just as they had the lights change at the turn to east parade.
still on great eastern hwy
the majority of the group headed along the last stretch into the city and the last attack was on the hill near the police station. ryan was boxed in next to me and we waited till halfway up the hill before attacking together and gapping the group. the traffic lights soon paid heed to any break as did the road block as we approached riverside drive. the old guy manning the detour said that the cops went off a the last group of cyclists so i forced the group onto the bike path for the remainder of the ride. jules and his brother dan took the road and sprinted it out, but the rest of us took the more dangerous route along the path with all the tourists trying to walk and look at planes at the same time.
the coffee shop was full as expected but we managed to squeeze in and take up most of the outdoor tables. they actually had them set up ready for us, which was a complete contrast to last year where they told us off for moving them. service was slow as they were so busy, so i had to forego the hot choc that i had bought as i was on the clock today. another hour and a half of riding the mountain bike with ben on the front to watch the pre-redbull entertainment was to follow. it was all going fine until the f18 came past and was so loud it scared the crap out of him and he wanted to get back on the bike and go home. the rest of the arvo was spent cleaning the bike and adding a bit of bling to it. i managed to weigh it in as i missed out at the breakfast and i have finally got it below the 8kg mark to come in at 7.98kg. no cheating involved and it still had the computer mount, seat bag clip and two bidon cages on. dr paul said the the new wheels should be ready by next weekend, so hopefully i can shed a few hundred more grams. still a long way off competing with the cervelos in the group though.
with the redbull air race on this weekend our usual meeting point on both saturday and sunday wil be in the restricted access zone. this is not a concern to those that ride to the start, but the few that drive a distance to come and play with us, it will be a problem. for this week only we will be moving the start location to just up the road at the corner of coode and angelo street. there are a couple of car parks in the area that you can use and we will ride along angelo onto douglas and onto canning hwy to start the ride.
on saturday the coffee shop will also be in a restricted zone. as we come down off plain st we will probably be confronted with a road block. last year they were stopping cars, but pedestrians and bikes were still using the path along the foreshore. we will play it by ear and see if we can sneak though, but don’t hold your breath that there will be a sprint on riverside drive.
we may have to negotiate using the tables at bells like we did last year as they had them set up for lunch time and didn’t want us to move them. we will see.
our good friends at ride magazine have a new calendar out for 2009. if you read their magazine, you will know that it is a quality publication with only the best cycling action shots. the calendar contains images from the 2008 tour and examples and explanations of the pictures can be see in the attachment below.
unfortunately (and i don’t know how they were missed) there are no actions shots of the spr crew. cost is about $40 delivered and would make a good gift from someone who doesn’t know what to get you for christmas. add it to your list and hope santa can collect it on his way past. click on the logo for website details.
daylight savings. it almost caught me out this morning. well actually last night. i was still up blogging and suddenly realised that 10:30 was actually 11:30 and i had to be up in just over 6 hours. i like my sleep and feel ripped off losing it just so some politician can go for a walk along the beach after work, in 40 degree heat, with 40km/h winds sand blasting your legs. nice. especially since the shops shut at 6.
anyway, i am assuming that the lack of clock winding vigilance was the reason that our numbers were down a bit today. a couple of text messages confirmed it a bit later that the clock was to blame. you will probably hear me bitch a bit more about daylight savings as the summer rolls towards autumn and it gets dark in the morning again.
so about 12 or so riders turned up to fresh conditions this morning and we headed out albany hwy. there were five categorised climbs mapped out this morning and it would have to be one of the most difficult routes that make up the sunday ride suite. we would start by peeling off brookton hwy to tackle the infamous f_ckenberg, before stomping up canns rd. a descent down soldiers rd before heading up peet and urch. a transition to the observatory climb and finish up mundaring weir rd with a coffee at paris-brest.
the fresh start was beginning to give way to a very nice day. little wind and seemingly not a cloud in the sky. less than half the group had actually ridden the f_ckenberg before and i was talking it up. “somewhere from steep to very steep”, “you won’t be able to start if you stop”, “hope you have a 27 tooth cog on there”, all those types of things. alistar was gunning for more mountain points as he was the only one close enough to challenge ryan for the october overall. the points reset next week so it was a bit of a battle for these two. alistar had definitely not ridden this climb and came past asking what it was like. i said that he will see when he rounds the corner. he headed up the road a bit and ryan tagged along to make sure he didn’t get too far ahead. i said to judd (i think) to listen to alistar reaction as we come around the corner. “holy f_ck” was what i am sure he said. judd had not ridden the climb either and was now dreading what he would see.
pete & stan. waiting on top of the world
alistar attacked the hill with gusto and managed to gap ryan from the start. i know that this climb will really wear you down and the only way to approach it is to get in your easiest gear, stand and find a rhythm you can maintain. on the bottom half, jens came around me when he surged a bit with stu. it didn’t last long and i came back past and put in a few hard pedal strokes to get ahead of both of them. there was no way that i was going to catch ryan and al, but i now wanted to keep ahead of the others to stay in the points. up ahead, ryan almost caught alistar near the top but conceded valuable points as alistar was first to the blackwood road intersection and the unofficial and invisible kom line. i had to put in a bit of an effort once the gradient slackened to stay ahead of stu with heiko/jens taking the fifth spot.
alistar – 10, ryan – 7, peter – 5, stu – 3, heiko – 1.
the regroup was a quick affair as the smaller group was quite well matched and it didn’t take long for everyone to reach the top. we were soon headed down to canns rd for the next climb. i had to give instructions to everyone on the fly as we hadn’t really stopped in one spot for the regroup and we had already started the next climb. this was a categorised climb and i had to tell everyone where the finish line was.
the first small rise in the hill (as it undulates as it climbs) was soon upon us and the group was relatively together. alistar asked if the top of the rise ahead was the end of the climb. we were only just really starting the climb and i think he was ready to sprint. i told them all that there was quite a way to go and everyone was just looking to see who would make a move. it was me.
i took off to see who would chase and only alistar and jens came with me. i looked back to see stu and ryan happily riding tempo up the hill not worrying about challenging for this one. i assumed that ryan had done the maths and realised that his initial 22 point buffer over alistar meant that he was fairly safe even if he came in mid points every climb. as the road rolled and pinched again we took turns at the front until we paced it up a bit too much for jens and he dropped off the back. the road starts to flatten out before the finish and i had to point it out to alistar to be fair about where we would be sprinting too. i made him lead out but at the end he pushed me too hard and i had to let him go to stop myself from actually spewing. it took me a few minutes of riding around to cool down before my spew-meter was not in the red. these mountain points are making for an interesting ride. jens held onto third with ryan and stu following close behind.
alistar – 10, peter – 7, heiko – 5, ryan – 3, stu – 1.
the always fun descent down soldiers rd was interrupted at the bottom when a couple of guys said that someone had a flat or someone had to stop to fix something. it turns out that judd’s “behind the back” triathlete drink bottle holders were coming loose and he didn’t want to drop a bottle in the path of another rider. a couple of minutes to fix and he met us at the bottom.
the next climb was the start of peet but then swung left onto urch for a change. the road was arguably as steep but had a slight reprieve in the middle before it hit you with the final ascent. john had jumped across the road before we got stopped by traffic so had a good head start on the climb. i took it as a tempo and was waiting to see who would try to go early on the lower steeper slopes. ryan and alistar took off but not at a blistering speed so i could easily hang onto the back of their train. stu was hanging off the back with me as we al pulled away from the rest of the group. john was caught and dispatched with little fanfare as the hill was now dictating what we were to use our breath for. by the time we reach the urch intersection, the rest of the group was a fair way behind.
true to form, both ryan and alistar didn’t actually listen to instructions (it is probably on their school report from about grade three) and were about to turn right to follow peet as we would normally do. ryan said that he didn’t hear me say that we were not going to stop at the school. i also didn’t not say a lot of things, but i did say that we were to turn left into urch. we rolled down the slight hill before hitting the next climb proper. again i was asked how far to the top and the answer was “a fair way off yet” as the climb kicks up twice and can be quite brutal. i got to the front and started setting the pace. once i thought that we were in a good rhythm i would put in five or six really hard pedal strokes before returning to the same pace. i was just testing the others to see who would come with me, or attack me. i managed about four small attacks like that before i finally dislodged stu and alistar. ryan and i kept going as we were very close to cresting the top of the climb and it flattens out for a bit before the intersection finish. we swapped off turns to keep away from al who had dropped stu in his pursuit of us. as we approached the finish, ryan sprinted off to make sure he maximised points and i was left with second. the points for fifth came down to stan and jens fighting it out along the flat with jens coming out on top.
ryan – 10, peter – 7, alistar – 5, stu – 3, heiko – 1.
refuel after the climb up urch
we headed towards the end of the kahuna climb and across to canning rd. i got to have a chat with a new guy out with us today. his name is hugh and he is a rowing cox out to do some cross-training. he did pretty well in the hills too so it was good to see him come along. he wasn’t the only hills “virgin” but the others were familiar faces from the saturday ride. the couple of bonus climbs as we headed towards the pickering brook intersection are not categorised in out competition as they generally do not split the field up enough. it now seems that without the points, no one is going to try to smash the rest of the field and so no-one took off where they usually do. i thought that i would make use of the nice smooth road and put it in my third biggest gear and just ground out the climb. in order to keep a cadence of above 40, i had to get the bike moving at a decent pace and was soon at the front of the field and led them over the next two hills and onto pickering brook.
we did a quick head count and with no-one opting for an early out (i didn’t offer it either) we all headed towards the base of the observatory. ryan and i talked tactics on the way down past the pickering brook school and decided to not attack and see if we could get to the top as a group sprint. the climb started and we set a very even pace. the group stayed together and there were even a few nervous joke thrown around as the rest of the group didn’t know whether we were going to go hard or not. alistar finally made his move and ryan, stu and myself had to go with him. jens hang in there for a while but soon was off the back.
as alistar had initiated the move with an attack, we were content to let him set the pace for as long as possible. he indicated the top of the main climb and asked if that was the top. not suite as there is a plateau before a final kick to the finish. we crested the top and he pulled over a bit to let someone else work. we slowly moved past, bu no-one was in a hurry to do a turn. i jumped on the indecision and attacked even though it was way too early. ryan and stu managed to come along and then past but alistar was spent from his initial attack. we stayed in that order to the top, with jens taking fifth again.
ryan – 10, stu – 7, peter – 5, alistar – 3, heiko – 1.
one more climb to tackle before a well deserved coffee stop. the descent down the steeper side of the observatory is always fun and the rolling hills through bickley are a nice warm up before the main climb. i had to make sure that i did not lose too much time on the rolling hills as when mundaring weir rd starts there is not much time to catch back up. we hit the climb together the usual foursome plus judd and jens and started to set the pace. i slotted my way (pushed in front of judd) into fourth wheel behind ryan with stu setting tempo for the majority of the way. jens and judd fell my the wayside of the constant stu pace setting and pretty soon we were at the plateau of the climb. i noticed that ryan had left it in his big ring for the climbs so far so we obviously were not putting him in any distress. alistar wanted to step it up a bit so went to the front and too over the pace. i thought that this was not the best idea, as ryan will jump all over him when it comes to the final climb. in race situation i have adapted a technique where by i will be at the front but not actually put in much effort if nobody is willing to come around me.
alistar was going quite hard and by the time we reached the final pinch stu and ryam started to come around him. i tried to stay on ryan’s wheel but he was going for the win and i didn’t have the legs to go with him. the kom line came up fast and i held off stu to take second, although, both ryan and stu claimed that they didn’t even see the kom line which they must have ridden over at least 100 time in the last couple of years.
ryan – 10, peter – 7, stu – 5, alistar – 3, heiko – 1.
coffee was ordered and croissants devoured with pretty much everyone staying for coffee. 1 socialisation mountain point for all that attended.
final points for the day.
ryan – 41, alistar/peter – 32, stu – 20, heiko – 10, stan/john/hugh/daryl/paul/kim/judd – 1.
the ride home was fast and furious for the first part. an unofficial sprint point to the tonkin hwy intersection meant that whatever buffer you could gain by descending like a demon was what everyone else had to try to make up once the road flattened out. even before we had left lesmurdie rd, the pace was on and people were trying to all get ahead before that small rise that breaks up the descent. the field was spread by the time we hit welshpool rd proper and i was with judd and alistar. judd jumped to the front and cut a nice hole in the air for me to follow. alistar was on my wheel until he must have thought that it was too slow and pulled out. it feels “slow” when you are in the draft and you have to touch the brakes a bit to wash some speed off, but once out in the clean air, that extra wind resistance pushes you back. he didn’t make any more ground so slotted back in behind me. we worked together with a couple of others that had joined us as the road flattened out but we didn’t make up the ground on the front runners and ryan, stan and john made it to the end first.
the next sprint point to the maccas at the end of welshpool road was uneventful for me. ryan shot up the road early and a string of other riders took off in hot pursuit. i was content to watch from afar. the final run to the berwick st maccas was a bit more eventful. ryan had a very small gap left after john peeled off his wheel to go home. he managed to get through the lights at kent st while the rest of us had to wait. when the lights changed, alistar took off up the road after ryan who had already disappeared. i was left on the front and stan asked if i was chasing. i said that i was hoping that the lights at george st would slow him down. they didn’t but we all got stuck when they turned red. as we took off on green, we looked up the road to see alistar waiting up ahead. he started going before we got to him but jens used the momentum off the hill and a bit of a draft from a passing car to get ahead of al to claim second.
so the final wash-up of the mountain points will be on the web soon, but it was clear that ryan ran away with the inaugural title. the points reset each month and next sunday will see the start of the november competition. all up i would say that it was one of the best hills rides i have done in ages. the points competition has really invigorated the climbs with attacks and tactics starting to come to the fore. if anyone has any ideas on how we can involve the rest of the group during the ride, i would love to hear it.
