Tag Archives: saturday

saturday 9th oct. main 1

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quite a warm morning and therefore a good turnout in total numbers.  juniors have dropped off a bit after the initial surge and rob and his daughter headed off alone.  as mark mentioned previously, the few novices joined up with a few of the transitional group to form a new category, yet to be named.  a complete reluctance for anyone to head out with the fast group meant that we almost didn’t have one this week.  like lemmings though, once a couple headed out, the rest soon followed.

i was riding with main 1 this week after a week off the bike on holiday.  my first ride back was the thursday fast ride and i was dropped pretty early so i knew the saturday fast group would not be a goer for me. 

it was a decent size pack and we rolled out just behind the transitional group.  this was not intentional but meant that we had an easy couple of km’s and a chance for a good chat.  the transitional group peeled off to cross the causeway as we continued on to ascot.  no real issues besides a couple of splits at the lights and i was enjoying talking to people rather than having to concentrate on sucking in air.

pretty soon we were at the turn to cresswell hill.  some had not done it before and it looms ahead of the group as the road to the top is dead straight.  as usual the hill spread the group out well, with some riders taking it easy and others racing to the top.  i was taking it easy and came up almost dead last.  dr carl was so intent on beating davina to the top that he almost ended up under a car at the roundabout. 

a quick regroup and we were off again.  down to royal so that we can get across wanaroo road easier, then all the way to main st.  we eventually got onto the road which circumnavigates herdsman lake.  after a quick stop at the lights the pace was on and we began to get strung out.  a roll through started but it was not really that efficient as some people struggled with the pace.  a few gaps formed and soon there were only a few doing work at the front.  luckily for some, the lights put an end to the “fun”.  as we took off again there was the unmistakable hiss off a tyre losing air rapidly.  luke pulled over to the side to find that his front tyre now sported some type of growth where bits were bulging through.  davina stopped with him and waved us all on again.

the pace soon picked up again but this time instead of a consistent roll through, it was all out attacks.  we were getting closer to the end of the lake road so people knew that there was going to be a rest coming up.  i came around the front pack and took off up the road.  as i was passing, i knew that i would grab someone and when i finally looked back it was ainsey.  we had a gap and ainsey came around me for his turn.  i held the wheel as long as i could, but ti didn’t turn out to be very long.  i had burnt all my matches in the first effort.  as the group caught me, it was clear to see that most of them had used up pretty much all their energy too.

another regroup and we toddled on towards shenton park.  the pace was easy and everyone was anticipation the homeward run through dalkeith.  the pace picked up again but was defiantly more restrained than herdsman.  the rises in dalkeith strung the group out a bit, but i would say that the majority of the group were together once we hit mounts bay road.

once we were on the final stretch, there seemed a reluctance to do the work on the front.  i began to come around the group just as someone started a roll through.  by the time i got to the front, there were no more riders coming through.  fine, i thought, all good time trial efforts for next week’s team time trial.  jen eventually came around but then i got in front of him again as no-one else was playing.  as we approached the swan brewery, my resolve was starting to wane and my legs were beginning to protest.  i look back and saw a train coming up the right side and soon most of the group had rolled me.  i sat up with the final few riders and cruised into the coffee shop.  not sure who won the sprint, i was too far back to see.

Saturday 25th September Transitional Ride Report

Large group in the carpark this morning, warmer weather at last! No one to lead the Transitional Group for the third week in a row so agreed with Peter to take the group after checking ride route details. Twenty one all up, made up of regulars, returning regulars and some new faces including Jackie, Lorraine’s friend (sorry forgot your name) and a couple of others, along with some Main 2 riders wanting to rest their legs before the hills ride on Sunday.

Leon joined us along Canning Highway near the freeway. A few separations at the lights and re-groups along Canning Highway, this is bound to happen with such a large group. Thanks once again to Rob and Michelle for helping to keep the group together, with Rob tirelessly working his way from the back of the group to the front, well sprinting sometimes! The hill along Burke Road was enjoyed by all?? Good pace along West Coast Highway, some commenting the fastest ever on that stretch. The group spread out quite a bit at that point.

A quick check and all OK at the top of Claremont, no one wanted to take the short cut. Ivan, Gary and co set the pace through Dalkeith. Owen, Leon, Rob and myself stayed at the back making sure all fine with the new riders. The fast group sped past us near Steve’s Pub. The sprint along Mounts Bay Road had people recording their personal bests. Thank you to Owen for providing me with a wheel and a good draft so that I could keep up the pace. Overall a good safe enjoyable ride in nice weather.

saturday 25th sept – main 1 – tv stations

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as expected the fine weather brought all the riders out of the woodwork.  i was playing in main 1 again today as in building back my fitness i just need solid k’s, not getting smashed, dropped and then finding a shortcut home.  it was brisk to start with but it didn’t take long for the day to warm up and arm warmers were soon pushed down.  the nicer weather also saw the return of the shorty, shorts.

the fast group kicked off and there was a moment of hesitation as everyone looked around to see who was going.  they started to trickle out and then there was a flood as some riders decided to take the plunge.  little did they know that ryan was out to smash them today. 

main 1 rolled out and we still had quite a few people.  the fast with a main chaser has also meant that some of the main 2 group has stepped up into main 1.  it took us a while to actually get it all together as we managed to get split at pretty much every single set of lights.  better than last week though when we had a couple hit the deck.  at low speeds people tend to get complacent and the next thing you know there is a touch of wheels.  no real injuries though.

anyway, it wasn’t till we got to ascot that we finally got a decent run (as there are no lights).  over the river and into the unknown territory of the northern suburbs we trekked up grand prom and towards the tv stations. 

as we waited for the lights, i explained that we would go hard up the “hill” and along the top but then regroup once we hit wanneroo road.  the lights changed and there was a reluctance to up the pace so i went to the front and gave it a tap.  i pushed for as long as i could and unfortunately it was not as long as it used to be.  i was reeled back in by about halfway up the hill as i was gasping for air.

the lights at the top allowed the group to squeeze up and soon we were off again.  not too hard past the shops, but once the lights disappeared, the pace was on again.  i was content (actually, not able) to sit in the pack and get swept along at a fine pace.  what is that pace???  well i am not sure as my second garmin died last sunday in the hills.  didn’t get dropped or anything.  just stopped working.

the pace was subdued on wanneroo road and we worked our way down to leederville.  once on Thomas st the pace picked up again through the rolling hills and along past kings park.  as we turned into the wind to detour around the back of karrakatta cemetery, i had to go the front to do a bit of directing.  this actually killed me a bit as the boys were making a good pace.

heading towards claremont  we realised the mistake of the day.  the show was on, which meant increased traffic in the area.  we skirted past it quickly and only got held up at one intersection.  soon we were on familiar territory heading towards dalkeith.

again, i somehow ended up at the front, but burned out pretty quickly.  dropping back through the pack and i felt a hand on my arse, giving me a helping hand (maybe a touch up).  thanks brother dan.  a couple of small sections of smashing up the undulations and soon we were back on mounts bay road.

the lights changed and again i found myself on the front with the group strung out behind me.  ok, i guess this is my training, so i tried to tempo it along for as long as i could.  about halfway along another guy came over my wheel to help out, but i soon jumped in front of him again as it didn’t look like anyone else wanted to play.  soon jen came past dragging the rest of the group as they lined up for the sprint.  i was cooked so i backed off and sucked in some oxygen.  didn’t see the sprint winner as i was too far back.

so i think that the format seems to work well with all three doing the same route.  it staggers the coffee shop orders, although it does mean that main 2 may not have any seats left.  we will see how we go.  as the weather continues to improve and people realise how much weight they have gained over winter, i expect we will see our numbers grow again.  here is your chance to step up and become a ride leader…

I knew it would be hard but didn’t think it would be this hard

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So to explain the title. Not a great deal to write here other than to say that Saturday I made my return to my SPR buddies. I had planned on taking it easy and doing the transitional ride but Dave Shalier told me I’m better than that so I went main 2.

Was good rocking up at the car park and seeing familiar faces plus some new ones. Lots seemed happy to see me back. However lots of these people also appear to have stepped up from Main 2 to main 1. This means I have some bunnies to hunt down over the next couple months.

Left the car park with Main 2. Cruising along over 30kms. Kat was alongside me on Great Eastern Hwy. When we got to Ascot was our turn on the front. Kat opened it up a bit to over 35kph and I was starting to get to my limit. After we got over Garret Road bridge and the road rose a little my speed dropped a little and I started to get over taken. Soon found myself at the back with Russ & John lending me a wheel to suck and shadowing me when I got in front of them. On the way past the TV stations the group started to string out. Few were left behind but I was still feeling good. Hunting down John and Loraine.

A few sets of lights caused a large split in the group. Russ was quick to group everyone up and have us work together. We were soon up to 40kph and the house I crashed in front of was coming up. seven weeks ago almost to the minute. We rolled past and this time I stayed upright. I made an out loud comment that is the place. I’ve got further than last time. Fitting my first ride back was the same as my last ride when I crashed. Anyway we rolled past the rest of the group who stopped for a regroup. Russ made a comment I was doing well. Wish he hadn’t because it didn’t last much longer.

The ride through North Perth was ok but once we reached Winthrop Ave I faded and the rubber band broke. The group opened up and were off. I took the chance to down a power bar on the long flat road. At Sir Charles Gardener Hospital the group was gone and I was on my own. I was now feeling it. A slow ride back to the bell tower on my own. At the bell tower there were a few SPR buddies still around.

After slightly recovering I headed for home. This last 10kms were probably the toughest I was totally drained. I stopped at east Perth for another power bar and even that made no difference. I just had to push on at what. Ever pace I could manage.

But I got home and felt buggered. Garmin says I burnt almost 5000 Cal. If this is right then no wonder I was so buggered. I ruled myself out of doing the Sunday hills ride but I still plan a lap of the river this afternoon.

Garmin : http://bit.ly/aNNUev

Transition Ride Report – 18th September 2010

With Shaw helping with the Juniors, Mark leading the Development Group I agreed to lead the transition group for a second time this week. All up 12 headed out of the carpark. We discussed the strong easterly and we knew we would be in for head winds on South St and Nicholson Road.

Good pace along Canning Highway and North Lake Road, a few calls for ëase up were heard. The left turn into South Street saw us keep in a tight group to shield from the easterly. Colin and Yo did long stints at the front along South Street which we all appreciated. Good strong efforts by Owen, Mike and Jenny kept the group together. 

The roll through on Bannister went well with Leon and Steve helping to keep a smooth pace in the group with no gaps forming. The left turn into Albany Highway gave us a nice tail wind and we were soon cruising at 38km/hour. A couple dropped off the back but caught up at the lights in Bentley. There was some discussion about watching out for Yo on the sprint leg and he didn’t disappoint on Riverside Drive.

Good safe ride with strong winds to test us. My bike computer showed an average speed of 28.3km/hour.

saturday 11 sept – main 1 no main 2 ride

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so after a week off the bike travelling (following 2 weeks off sick) i decided to head off with main 1 today.  carol is away on holidays so shaw was taking the development group.  however, they had 12 turn up today so mark left the transitional group with ruth to give shaw a hand.  i said that i was taking main 1, but as it kicked off julian was guiding the group along, so i left it with him.

i drifted to the back to talk to yas about getting some wheels built as he had done such a good job on my current pair, and this is when the trouble started.  as we took off at the lights to get onto canning, yas, sato and i were left behind.  worse than that, our bikes didn’t trip the sensor so we had to wait for two cycles of the lights before we could head off again.  by then main 2 had ambled up behind us.  sato and i took off and looked back to see yas give us a wave showing that he was staying with main 2.  we time trial along and managed to get main 1 back in sight, before the lights stopped us in our tracks.  as we sat there waiting and panting from the effort, main 2 just cruised up behind us.  the lights changed and we chased again.  got caught at the next set and main 2 cruised up again.  lights changed and we were off again.  at the next set of lights, i gave up and went to sulk at the back of main 2.

i told russell that i would look after the guys at the back and left the group under his guidance.  we made our way to north lake road and i stayed back to help scott on some of the rollers as we headed south.  about half way along we picked up a couple of stragglers from main 1.  it turns out that is was julian and another guy who had slowed down to try to help sato and myself back onto the group.  they then got split out of the main group and were left to fend for themselves.  probably another good reason for the three groups doing the same course.  you don’t have to worry quite so much when people get split out.

so anyway, the cruise towards sth lake and around the back of jandakot was quite pleasant as i remembered the last time i did this route with the fast group.  cross winds, split groups, fighting to stay in contact and being blinded by sweat on a cold morning.  yeah, good times.

so we kept the group together and made it to warton which is the only tricky bit where we needed to go single file.  they are in the process of widening it though, so it should be all good soon.  once we got onto nicholson proper russell started a  roll through to get the average up.  at the lights i asked jenelle how she was going as she has been out with glandular fever for a while.  main 2 seemed the best place as even i didn’t manage to keep up with main 1.

we continued to roll through pretty much all the way back into town.  there was a couple of small splits at the back of the pack, but we managed to bring it all back together before we crossed the causeway.  the sprint started  on riverside drive and i wound it up from the back of the pack.  the first thing that goes on me when i get sick is my endurance.  i can still punch out some good numbers, but just can’t hold it.  today i hit 190bpm on the sprint and still didn’t manage to catch doug who was off the front all the way to the end.

so an interesting ride for me.  i think it has been a while since i have ridden with main 2 (if ever???) so it was good to see how it all goes.  i was very impressed by the way that russell controlled the group and looked after it as well as tested it out by pushing the speed up for the second half.  it is good to know that each group is getting looked after.

Fast Group Ride Report – Saturday September 11

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Bit chilly this morning, but there is the sense that spring is upoon us.  The sun is up when I get to the carpark these days which is a good sign that things are getting warmer.  Of course with spring comes the wind… the next excuse to stay in bed.

When we were ordered out nobody seemed to budge.  I had promised myself I would try the fast group today after missing last week with hydration issues.  It was a small group that ended up rolling out of the carpark.  It was an odd number, 7 or 9.  Not sure.   Nico and I jumped on the front and took the group all the way down to Shelly.  I think we were thinking the same thing.  Do the first pull, then conserve on shelly.  As we hit leach Nico noticed that Ryan had joined us.  An ominous pink blur at the rear of the group.

Shelly got the heart pumping immediately.  The group rolled through very smoothly though with no one missing a beat.  We sat on around 42km/hr through Shelly.  I was unsure of where the finish of shelly was, having never ridden it reverse before. But the climax was quickly signalled by a distinctive woosh woosh of carbon wheels under a distinctive pink blur.

I sat on the back down leach with Daniel in tow, and vice versa, trying to get the heart rate down before the rollers down at Freo.  I’ve been popped on those rollers before, but today I felt I had a chance of making it.  Managed to stay with the boys over the rollers and even took a turn or two before the turn onto Stirling.

From Stirling I just I had one thing in mind.  Survive Mosman.  I did, only just.  Turned myself inside out through the speed bump section of mosman to stay in contact.  The pink blur disappeared up the road, far enough to show us that he could.

Dalkeith/Nedlands was rather tame.  The headwind has that effect.  A few surges along the way but nothing too serious.

I had a blast playing cat and mouse with Ryan along Mounts Bay, tried to hamper his surpriseattack tactics, but to no avail.  The pink blur took line honours, woosh woosh, a fitting end to his birthday ride.

Ryan at full speed...

saturday 28th aug – main 1

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well i am sitting in the emirates business class lounge in dubai and it seems like a long time since i rode my bike.  it was actually only a little over 24hrs ago that i was handing out new kit in the coffeeshop.  a long stop over in the desert has given me a chance to see what i can type up for the ride report.

so, we had a decent turn out this mornng as i think the weather improvement and a bit lighter in the morning has gotten people out of their winter hibination.  we had a fast group this morning and numbers were good according to daryls report, but only one solitary rider for the novice group.  i was riding with main 1 and we had around 30 riders rolling out with us.  pretty uneventful heading out shep road and onto welshpool with only a couple of splits at the lights.  mark had to chase back on at one stage after attempting a mid ride strip at a set of lights.  leg warmers don’t really come off that easy when you have your shoes on still.  luckily there were a couple that helped him chase back on.

hale road was fairly sedate and even the split in the group at the round about, wasn’t too hard to recover from.  this was made a lot easier though after we came upon a EX3000 excavator owned by nrw being transported up to kalamunda road.  we sat behind it for a while, but they had to keep stopping to raise the powerlines to get it under.  and there were a lot of powerlines.

jorgy eventually went up to the pilot vehicle and we then went onto the footpath to get ahead of the load.  main 2 had caught up by this stage but we jumped ahead after the wide load.  at the lights at kalamunda road, we saw that the fast group were waiting to turn.  it looked like there was still a decent size group so i though that they must have had a regroup. 

we made our way to ridge hill road and the pace started early.  a few people attacked and the group started to string out.  i stayed seated but increased the pace to get near the front and amongst the action.  unfortunately the last few weeks of sickness have menat that i really don’t have any endurance and so started struggling near the top.  i looked down at my heart rate to see that it was 190bpm and i almost fell off when i unintentionally swerved.  probably more from fatigue rather than shock, but i almost took ben out as he was on my wheel.  sorry again for that.

i had to use the decent to recover as much as possible and managed to get onto a small group once we hit the flat.  there was a bigger group up the road and i was interested to see if they were going to slow down and wait.  since this is not the fast group, they did wait and pretty soon the group was all back together. 

we made our way though guilford and once we hit bassendean we started a roll through.  the intent was to not go too fast but rather just share the load across the group.  it worked ok, but it was pretty messy as halfthe group sporatically rolled through.  a couple of light changes allowed the group to be together once we hit the rolling hills in mt lawley an this would always break the group up.  i drifted to the back to make sure that any stragglers weren’t too far away and drafted a few back to the group.

we approached the lights at east parade and toby managed to slip through just before the red glare hit him.  the rest of us stopped and watched him continue up the road.  he had the video camera on his head so it will be interesting to see the footage.

another split in east perth, but the lights kept us all together for the sprint. with his white tyres flashing, toby managed to hold off the group for the “win”.

the family met us at the coffeeshop with the boys sporting the new cycel caps, and we did a kit distribution.  the gloves etc came out quite well and i was pretty happy with the results.  there was a lot of back and forth during the design process, but it seemed come out ok in the end.

so no ride for me this week and toby will be posting the ride routes on thursday.  i am currently 11 hrs into my 55 hrs of flying this week and am already looking forward to coming home.  stay safe, stay upright.

Saturday 21st – Main 1 Group ride

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My perspective of Saturday’s ride!

I was a little excited about this Saturday’s ride, as i had been promised that the girls would finally be out in force. The last couple of weeks had seen me either as the solo girl in Main 1 or several of the fast group riders dropping down to Main 1. End result: speed change from 30-33km/hr to a very comfortable 35-40km/hr. I have seriously missed Lennie’s “slowing” calls. Possible one of the more brutal Saturday rides was when Davina graced us with her presence. I was giving it my all and trying to have a go at a couple of roll throughs and found myself rolling through on an up-hill (not my strength). Thankfully i saw Lennie on the left and indicated that i wanted to pull in. But oh no, Davina had other ideas and very nicely instructed me to keep pushing and that i could rest at the top of the hill. I love that she knows me so well but hate it sometimes when she is right 🙂

Anyway, back to this Saturday. No rain, not too cold, summer may just may be about to arrive and i was looking forward to a nice ride with some good gossip. After rolling out noticed that the mountain goat (aka Anna) was not with us…mmmmm….spoke to Jen about this during the ride and promised to dish up some grief to ensure that this unjustified lack of confidence never ever occurs ever again! Anna you kick my arse every single week and you make it look easy, seriously, you belong in Main 1 and if you do happen to have a bad week, i can provide great references for the back of Main 1. The first half of the ride was pretty uneventful. Nice easy pace of around 30km/hr….lots of slowing to wait for people to catch up after splitting at lights….felt a little too easy….

The remaining 2/3 of the ride and things started to pick up and i loved it! I think the last few weeks may have actually helped. Tried to stick with the group that broke off the front and found myself in no-man’s land. But did notice that i was sitting on 39km/hr on my own with no wheel in front. Granted it is not anything like what the fast group etc does but its a fairly large improvement from when i started cycling at xmas (these things are all relative!). I was confident that i could not catch the front group and also confident that i could not maintain that pace on my own, but figured the trick was to not die and to not lose too much pace so that when the rest of the group caught up (hopefully quickly) i could return to my rightful position of sucking wheels.

Think Daryl has covered the good team work that took place trying to catch the breakaway group. Also need to make mention of Chris (who did not inspire me to vote the wrong way) who worked hard and controlled the roll through beautifully. And a special mention to the red light god that helped hold the front group up. Cannot remember the names of the roads, but there were some smooth bits, some hilly bits, a couple of corners, think there was a round-a-bout or two, some traffic lights a few more hills and a great sprint at the end! Mention needs to be made of Luke (aka pops) who placed i think 5th at the sprint end – its the magic red shoes.

However, the most important part of the days shenanigans was coffee. Much important gossip was exchanged principally concerning whether Asian hairdressers can cut non-Asian hair. Thankfully Lisa saw sense and accompanied Pops home and hence let the rest of us fools off an extra lap of the river. Thank you thank you thank you. And much ribbing was given to Anna who has promised to return to Main 1 where she rightfully belongs!

SPR Saturday Main 2 ride report (sort of)

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This is only a part report because I only got around half way before retiring. The ride started well with the group heading out from Coode St and down mill point road. I was sitting along side Shaw down great eastern hwy and over Garret road. Group was rolling along nicely and on Grand Prom Shaw and I lead the group for most of the length of the road. Things chopped and changed a little along past the tv stations.

Along Ravenswood drive a roll through started. This seemed to go well until I had a coming together with the riders wheel in front.

I don’t want to repeat what i have already written so please find details for the rest of today events on my own blog.

http://www.lionslair.net.au/2010/08/07/my-first-real-crash-on-the-bike/

Then

http://www.lionslair.net.au/2010/08/07/update-on-my-bike-crash/