An absolutely spectacular day today, one of those moments where i could almost cry with happiness.
Thursday i was only able to get out for 18k on the Dawes, to the top of the Kin Kin Range and back, not feeling particularly strong but still managed 32.7kmh avg.
Saturday morning i had the short Coolum-Noosa commute on the Repco, and while it again went exceptionally well, with an average of 32 for the 26k run in, the flat bars were literally a pain. Trying to tuck down with such an upright position lead to a ridiculous amount of pain from my elbows, so i flipped the bars upside down for the return, which helped quite a bit. The round trip of 52k ended up at 31.7kmh.
Overnight i flipped the bars around so they were upside down and backwards, and popped on a road stem from an old Malvern Star, and all was ready for the Sunday morning bunch ride. After only 2hrs sleep i woke up just in time and got to the meeting point at the noosa river 5 minutes late, with no-one around. Knowing which way there were headed, i jumped on the bike and tore off up the road, hoping to catch them. Just as i was about to give up hope (after about 6-7k) i spotted them up ahead. Now the usual procedure would be to get on the back and mumble a breathless 'morning', but what kind of an entrance is that?
No, far better to wind it up to 50kmh (on a 44-16, so something like 175rpm) and roar past in a blur of supersonic legs.
The ride that followed was one of the best i've ever been on, a quick blast down the highway (with a max of 65kmh, very quick for the Repco, which tends to be rather nervous), spinning up from Eumundi to Eerwah Vale with mist and soft early morning sun making for an extraordinarily beautiful sight (the highlight being 2 horses running alongside the road with a backdrop of a misty dam, i mean you couldn't make this stuff up), some hills which were obviously not especially enjoyable, and finishing with a ridiculously quick run up the coast which almost made my legs explode (sustained 110rpm pedalling is not familiar territory for me!). In total, 94k at an average of about 30kmh.
A priceless morning, made only better by the particularly attractive young lady who served the magnificent tomato cheese and ham omolette i got afterwards
. Of course if my girlfriend asks, the waitress was old and hideous
.
With the Noosa Century (the most important event of the year for the wannabe racer) less than a month away, i'm very pleased with how the legs are getting along, whether that translates into an improvement on last years placing remains to be seen. Once i get the geared bikes back on the road i'll be hitting up gyndier for some solid hill repeats (as that was where i was dropped last year) and at least 2 runs of the full course to get an idea of where i am in relation to last year.