Heidelberg and surrounds group training rides

[anth73]

Sean and I were joined by Matty P (aka the P-train) for a Monday morning Tour De Eltham. Nicko pulled out last night sighting the impending cold morning. My response to him was that if he thought this morning was too cold to ride, best you hang the bike up until October.

I haven’t ridden with Matty for a while but it didn’t take long to remember how good a climber he is. He positively zoomed up Bonds Rd, leaving Sean and I squinting to see the reflective bits of his clothing as he disappeared up ahead in the darkness. The battery on his rear flasher had gone flat!

Whilst I did manage to stay with Matty on the climb up Mt Pleasant Rd, I’m sure it was courtesy of my Ayup lights as opposed to my climbing ability. Matty had no front light either.

Sean, meanwhile, wasn’t his usual self on the climbs and generally trailed Matty and I. Turns out he’d had a BIG Saturday night with the boys and he was using this morning’s ride to sweat out the beer. He also managed a disappearing act heading home on Banyule Rd that had Matty and I ride all the way along Beverley Rd back to Banyule Rd to search for him. Sean (aka Harry from this point on in reference to Mr Houdini) decided he’d had enough of his beer-induced lack of climbing ability this morning and diverted along the bike path to avoid the climb to Beverley Rd. Bravo maestro!

See you for a serious dip on Wednesday morning…hopefully you’ve detoxed by then!

[anth73]

In comparison to our recent morning rides, this morning's conditions were beautiful with a respectable 12 degrees displayed on the Garmin. The milder conditions attracted a healthy bunch and we set off at a rapid pace up the Beverley Road climb. Welcome to Ian who joined us today for the first time.

Unusually we had a car trailing us along the back of Rosanna golf course and towards Bonds Rd. That would set the scene for the traffic today, especially on the return leg down Main Rd. I was still feeling heavy-ish in the legs after Monday's Tour de Eltham but decided to give the Bonds Rd climb a fair crack regardless. Paul, Sean and Rowdy led the way and I believe Sean j-u-s-t pipped Rowdy for KOM honours...bravo buddy! A few riders shed layers at this point, it seemed warmer than usual...or was it just the fast pace?

The bunch was keeping well together and at the end of Bolton St we were joined by a rather exhausted looking David. He'd turned up late by about 5 minutes and set off to catch us. I hope you enjoyed your individual TT.

The climb up the back of Monsolvat and Mt Pleasant Rd was very dark and very foggy. My twin Ayup's looked like massive light sabres as they pierced the fog. Ian only had a small commuting light to guide him, hence I stayed back with him to make sure he got through OK. Of course my tiring legs has absolutely nothing to do with this decision. Uphill and down dale, we got to the end of Mt Pleasant Rd barely behind the main bunch. David had recovered from his ITT and taken KOM honours ahead of Paul, Rowdy and Sean.

The blast down Main Rd was dominated by calls of "car back" as traffic seemed heavier than usual, both in volume and type with buses and trucks a-plenty. A bogan ute driver tested Paul's braking skills also...what is it with ute drivers and cyclists? We kept single file and there were no rash overtaking manoeuvres attempted....opps, forgot to mention Nicko wasn't riding again! Well done to everyone in keeping your wits about you and riding responsibly.

The final leg from Eltham to Heidelberg passed uneventfully this week as we all went around the roundabouts as their design had intended. It seemed a lot cooler than when we set off and my glasses were useless at this point as they were permanently fogged. Approaching the final sprint point I was well positioned behind Rowdy and Sean as we passed the horse paddocks. However my fogged over glasses meant all I could see was Sean's flasher and I almost rode off the road twice.
David took out the sprint ahead of Paul and Sean...I'm sure Rowdy was in there somewhere too but I couldn't see a thing!

Lastly, a special mention goes to John. He did the entire ride carrying his commuting backpack for ballast. Bugger you David and Sean, today's KOM awards go to Johnno! And well done to Ian for completing the ride in fine style!

[anth73]

Given we all piked out on Saturday due to the inclement weather, Sean and I took the opportunity to get some k's in the legs and try out a new ride this morning. It's a variation of the Tour de Suburbs ride that extends down Fitzsimmons Lane and comes back to Heidelberg via our usual Wednesday route. The ride is a smidge over 29kms and we did it at a very comfortable pace in 75 minutes this morning.

As a Monday morning ride it's a great start to the week, suitable for beginners (and you too Nicko ), well lit, light on for traffic and it doesn't smash your legs for Wednesday's prestigious Tour de Eltham. Hence the plan is to do this as a regular shop ride leaving Peak Bike Hub each Monday at 6am.

I've christened it the Monday Molehill Ride. KoM bragging rights will be up for grabs at the top of the Doncaster Hill and Williamsons Rd hill. We also get to contest our usual sprint past the horse paddocks in Viewbank.

Here's the ride:


And here's the profile:


Hope to see you on it soon!

Catch you Wednesday!

[anth73]

A still and clear morning greeted the Peak Bike Hub peloton. The air was somewhat crisp but riding conditions were perfect. Our departure was delayed a little as Elias was running late. He was kind enough to SMS through and we waited a little but once the clock hit 6:07am Sean decided it was long enough and off we went. He did manage to catch up pretty quickly though so no harm done.

Despite Peter's patience the riding Gods weren’t to shine on him this morning. As we rolled down the little descent over Salt Creek a cha-ching was heard as Pete rolled over some glass and that was the end of his ride as it slashed the rear tyre.

We rolled at a brisk but steady pace towards Bonds Road and at the base of the climb Sean decided enough of the pleasantries. He lit rip with a viscous attack up the climb that shattered the peloton. My initial hesitation cost me and in no time it was clear Skippy had returned! Sean crested the top of Bonds Road a good 100m ahead of me….impressive riding mate and great to see you pre-kangaroo form is returning in spades.

As a sign of the relatively consistent level of the riders now days, our peloton more or less stayed together right through to Mt Pleasant Road, except for Devo David who decided to forego the left turn into Hillcrest at the back of Monsolvat. Given his lighting predicament (his rear was on its last legs and up front he had but a meek little blinky), David quickly turned around and blasted back to the front of the peloton…I’m sure it was so that we couldn’t see how embarrassed he was!

The Mt Pleasant Road climb always sorts out the men from the boys and in today’s edition I managed to reverse the aging process. My legs felt great and as we rounded the tight left-hand hairpin I put it into my usual gear of choice and let it rip with an out of saddle acceleration that dispatched of all bar Sean. In my valiant attempts to stay with him I went up to another gear and it proved very successful…..at completely red-lining me! So whilst I made it over the first little crest second to the bounding Skippy, I was toast and fell into the clutches of the usual climbing goats in David and Paul. Adrian – who was riding brilliantly today – also had my measure and I spent the next section up to 525 trying to recover. Sean managed to keep David and Paul at bay until 525 but then David reversed the result on the final climb. Meanwhile I’d managed to get into a more comfortable heart rate zone and crested the final climb a little way behind Adrian, with Elias and Jeremy closely following.

One again the return leg was dogged by heavy traffic through Eltham, so whilst myself, David and Paul initially rode away from the chasing bunch, it was David and Paul who got a nice rest at the top of Bolton Street as I fell back due to a silver sedan wanting to squeeze me into the gutter through Eltham…nice.

Today’s bunch sprint was a hotly contested affair with at least 6 riders giving it a fair crack. Adrian jumped (too?) early and gave Elias and I a good lead out. At that time both David and Sean lit the wick on their sprint and in a close finish it was Sean just ahead of David with me about a bike length back. Paul protested him being boxed in but meh…winners are grinners.

Given we’d left quite late our return time of 7:30am demonstrates how well everyone is going at the moment. Great riding guys and be sure to check out our new Monday ride for those wanting to get some more k’s in the legs.

[Missy24]

Nice to meet you today, great chat!

[anth73]

Nice to meet you today, great chat!

Same to you....it's always nice to put a face to a name!

[Missy24]

Nice to meet you today, great chat!

Same to you....it's always nice to put a face to a name!

You can now tell everyone I'm a nutcase

[anth73]

You can now tell everyone I'm a nutcase

like i didn't know that before lunch today???

[Missy24]

You can now tell everyone I'm a nutcase

like i didn't know that before lunch today???

good point

[anth73]

My concerns about the overnight temperatures and foggy conditions were equally shared by the riders who fronted for this morning's ride to St Andrews. We all rugged up expecting colder conditions but soon found ourselves way overdressed for the milder morning than expected, though fog was starting to roll in from the valley. It was a nicely paced ride out to Diamond Creek. We picked up a few along the way, including John in his pyjama top again! Darren was also with us today for the first time in a while and Vic was back from his Whittlesea Challenge last week. Cota was on his maglia rosa bike, he lacked the matching bidon cages though.

The descent through to Diamond Creek was a little eerie with the now heavy fog blanketing the surrounds. It also seemed a little colder than when we ventured off. Despite having heavy-ish legs, courtesy of my first big week of riding after the flu, I pulled at the front from Diamond Creek to Hurstbridge with a little help from Rowdy....thanks mate!

The rolling hills from Hurstbridge to St Andrews tested us a little but again we kept the pace fairly even, with Xavier and Vic riding tempo at the front. As we approached St Andrews I could see the anticipation building in the peloton for the impending sprint as the pace quickened a fraction. This split our peloton with Xavier, Vic, Rowdy and Kieren up front. Myself, John, Cota and Darren were about 50 metres back so I set off to bridge the gap and the others also followed my lead.

Just past the footy oval Xavier had done his bit and pulled to the side. Great riding champ! This left Rod and Vic up front with Kieren and myself following. Given the work Vic had put in I built up some speed and gave him a massive push from behind with screams of "go-go". At this pint Kieren went past on my right and Rod also upped the ante. Vic managed to hold them both off to take a well deserved win.

On the homeward leg we hooked up with a bunch who’d started at Hawthorn and rode to St Andrews via Warrandyte....they must love the hills too! They initially passed us on the climb out of St Andrews and had opened up a substantial gap. Undeterred (or perhaps motivated by the best calf muscles we’ve seen on a ciclista femminile) John set an incredible pace and quickly bridged the gap to sit in behind the group...or perhaps to just admire the view as he caught his breathe.

After a while I needed some action again and we decided to overtake the bunch and give them a tow for a while. Well, the tall dude riding the Look 595 up front wasn’t one to mess around and we started swapping turns at the front as the pace was cranked up several notches! We flew towards Kangaroo Ground and I’m happy to report I had his measure on the climb out towards Eltham. The legs were burning something shocking and I crested the rise absolutely spent but still ahead of Mr Look , who was several metres back.....only to be passed on the next rise before Eltham College with Mr Look looking more like Joe Cool, whilst I was nursing a stitch and enough lactic acid to wash a house down!

With a regroup at Eltham College our peloton set off down Main Road. I don’t know what it is about this stretch but I find myself having to really focus on holding back each time we ride it. Maybe it’s my inner time-trialist wanting to escape and be free???? So despite my heavy legs I ushered the pedals faster and faster until I was pulling at the front. John asked me to slow down as we approached the Fitzsimmons Lane roundabout to conserve some energy for the Bolton and Old Eltham climbs. Opps...sorry John...must be that pyjama top sapping your strength.

The last leg though Viewbank passed without incident, except for the impatient tool in the X5 who decided to overtake us, across double white lines, around the left hand sweeper just after the one lane bridge! Nice....

Vic had set off up front as we approached the horse paddocks and our final sprint, with Kieren and I a few metres back. I felt I had a little left in the legs so as we rounded the bend I quietly went up to the big ring and choosing my timing well I was out of the saddle – head down bum up - with a click-click of the rear derailleur. The legs were begrudgingly responding and I overtook Kieren halfway up the slight incline towards the roundabout. They were truly burning by the time I went past Vic and using my shadow cast on the road I could see that nobody was following....yeah a very rare sprint victory.

We were back at Burgundy Street right on 8:40am and averaged just under 30kph...great effort guys! Now, tonight I have a date with the foam roller...should be a treat!

[Missy24]

Missed you by 11 minutes... on the return part... not the start part

[anth73]

A small but quality quartet of riders threw caution to the wind to brave the wrath of the weather gods for this morning's Tour de Eltham. Ominously there were a few drops of rain as we headed off and the wind was certainly blowing! We were joined by George and Troy, who have been absent for some time. Curious decision fellas in making this of all mornings your comeback ride but welcome back!

Adrian obviously thought there wasn’t enough of a gale blowing and decided to make his own contribution whilst I was tucked in behind...thanks! At least it was a crosswind at the time! Heading up the Bonds rd climb it was George and I throwing down the challenge to the peloton. I gave it a fair crack and with the absence of the usual mountain goats in Paul, Sean and David, I duly took my first KoM!

It was a steady but cautious pace around the back of Monsolvat as the intermittent rain started to become heavier. Onto Mt Pleasant rd it was Adrian who set the pace with George tailing him all the way up the climb. Hopefully George didn’t experience any additional gusts of wind!

Meanwhile I was about 30 metres back and unable to bridge the gap, with the rest of the peloton back somewhere in the darkness. Heading towards the final pinch climb I could see Adrian and George going pedal stroke for pedal stroke and it was Adrian who took the chocolates...well done! At this point a bloody great big kangaroo bounded across the road in front of me, no doubt looking for Sean!

It was a windy and wet scoot along Main rd but traffic was thin and the traffic lights kind. I tt'd this up the front and was surprised to see nobody following when I looked behind me…opps!

We regrouped at the top of Bolton St and commenced our homeward journey a lot colder and wetter than when we started. It was Jeremy setting a frantic pace up towards Bonds Rd, no doubt wanting to get back to the warmth of his car! Once again Adrian felt the desire to create his own little zephyrs of wind but this time it was a headwind which carried the offending breezes straight into my mouth!

I took my revenge on the sprint though with a seated acceleration that blitzed the wannabes!

A hot shower at home was my reward and I piked out of riding into work in the rain, opting instead for a warm but very late train.

[anth73]

A freezing morning greeted the Peak Peloton as the mercury struggled to maintain positive figures. Certainly the weather bureau’s optimistic 6 degree overnight temperature was more like ridiculously wrong! A quick check of the Viewbank weather station had me rummaging through the wardrobe for my windproof bib tights and ear warmers to dend off the near zero temperatures.

Despite the cold a brave group headed off for this morning’s Tour de Eltham. Conversation was scant as we all tried to warm up, or perhaps it was because our mouths were frozen shut. By Bonds road however we were all in the groove and John launched an attack to stake a claim on the first KoM. It was in vain however, as Paul and Sean duelled up the climb, with Paul just taking the chocolates. This was a fair effort given his recent flu and lingering sniffles. Meanwhile I stayed true to my “wheel-suck” Wednesday regime and brought up the rear of the field.

Through the back of Monsolvat and Jeremy’s light gave up the ghost. It’s not a place to be without any form of lighting so I stayed with him to guide him through. Much to my embarrassment my you ‘beaut Ayups started giving up the ghost too and I’d realised that I hadn’t charged the battery. Hence soon enough it was just Jeremy and I crawling along Mt Pleasant Road in near darkness, barely able to see the white lines on the road. My glasses were also completely fogged over which just added to the mystery of what lay ahead.

Up ahead however it was Sean demonstrating that the king had returned (no...not Nicko, he’ll go by Princess from now on...more on this later). With Paul still flu’ey and David sucking the doona big time, this was Sean’s moment to shine and he dutifully took it. Both KoM’s were his up Mt Pleasant Road and he also led the bunch down Main Road for a fair distance. If that wasn’t already enough, he also went BANG at Viewbank and took the sprint victory...bravo!

We also had the oddest experience at the top of Mt Pleasant Road, near the big house at 525. As we rounded the bend the temperature shot up something like 20 degrees before once again enveloping us in near freezing conditions...weird and almost enough to make Sean vomit!

Now onto our dearest friend Nicko. I tried everything this week to get his butt onto the bike but to no avail. Logic, reverse logic, reasoning, motivation and compassion all failed! I heard all the usual excuses...too tired, too cold, no time, blah, blah, blah. In truth I think he’s lost his mojo. It’s not like me to make the most of a bad situation, but in this case I’ll make an exception:

There once was a neo-pro named Nicko,
Who though himself to be really shmicko.
Though loud of mouth,
His form did head south,
As the temperature got nearer to zero.

Enough complaining and excuses princess, now HTFU and get on the bike. Otherwise come January crits you’ll be the Michelin man with $100 legs on a $10,000 bike....not a good look!

Confirming also our Monday molehill ride leaving at 6am. It should be 70 minutes max so see you there this Monday!

[anth73]

The first official Peak Bike Hub Monday Molehill Ride and boy did the weather gods put on a show. The fog was that heavy that I could barely see Burgundy Street from my front gate...and that’s less than 100 metres!

Given I’d organised the ride I thought I better see if anyone was going to be tough enough to ride with such heavy fog. I was hoping nobody was going to be waiting so that I could turn back home. (Un)fortunately, my enthusiasm and encouragement got the better of seven other riders huddled under the veranda outside the shop, including (amazingly) Nicko...well done big guy in finally getting on the bike again!

Off we went it was apparently quite quickly that my glasses were not more a hindrance than help to visibility so off they came. Given I was the only person who knew the route this would become a telling moment. Down the Ivanhoe hill and we had intended to turn left on The Boulevard, however in the fog and poor visibility I misjudged where the intersection was and decided to roll on to the Chandler to do the full Tour de Suburbs route up to Doncaster.

We kept the pace fairly sedate and it was nice to see new guys in George and Caley on the ride and enjoying themselves despite the conditions. Down Kilby Road and my decision to lead the pack sans corrective eyewear almost proved disastrous. I heard a few calls of “Car” behind me but with ear warmers on and the sound of wind around the helmet these were somewhat muted. Then....oh sh!te! I realise there’s a dark coloured car parked about 10 meters in front of me, only visible to me due to the reflection of the number plate. A quick serve kept me safe...just, but I felt very embarrassed!

Thankfully that was the only drama on the ride. We regrouped at the top of Doncaster and also after the pinch climb on Williamsons Road. There was a reasonable amount of traffic on Fitzsimmons Lane but it’s only a short dash to the rolling hills of Rosehill Road. Rod took the KoM’s up Doncaster and Williamsons Roads, the latter upon which I tried to stay with him until I almost put myself over the handlebars when I changed from the 50 back to the 34...not good when you’re standing on the pedals!

Nicko couldn’t help himself and made an early dash for the sprinters jersey at the horse paddocks. Given he’d spent most of the last six weeks off the bike it wasn’t the strongest of challenges and I was able to go round him with a good turn of pace to claim the win.

We rolled back at about 7:20am, which was a good time given the conditions and lack of familiarity with the route. Congratulations to everyone who braved the conditions and sorry again for the scare on Kilby...my chamois needs a good wash now!

[anth73]

With the temperature struggling to stay above 1 degrees and the wind chill dropping it below -2, it was a brave group of riders who fronted for the Monday molehill ride. Troy was oblivious to the cold however, turning up in three quarter knicks and a bare head under his helmet!

The pace was brisk in an effort to warm up and the group stayed together throughout the ride...except when Troy went ballistic on Heidelberg Road when we rolled past Darebin Creek...gees that bit was c-c-c-c-cold! Thankfully the fog was absent this week so there were no close calls with dark coloured cars hidden from view and I was able to keep my glasses on...yeah!

Courtesy of a favourable change of lights (and a blatant disregard for the red ) it was Elias and Troy (a copper BTW) who stole the march up Doncaster Road hill. To be fair they did ease the pace and wait for the rest of the law-abiding peloton to catch up. I think Elias may have taken the KoM for that climb, whilst yours truly did the same on the Williamsons Road climb. After that I was toast and the rolling hills of Rosehill Road seemed more like the severe gradients of Mt Pleasant Road!

Mental note to myself also – despite the freezing conditions I was a little overdressed in my windproof bib tights, double socks, long sleeve base layer, jersey, windproof jacket (front, sleeves and shoulders), long fingered gloves, cap and ear warmers. I think I’ll forego the cap next time, though my toes were frozen by the time we rolled past Viewbank.

Troy took out the sprint uncontested, perhaps the rest of us were too frozen to react to his charge as we rounded the bend near the horse paddocks, or maybe it was just his hairy legs that put us off.

[anth73]

It was a weary and bleary eyed peloton who fronted for this morning's Peak Bike Hub Tour de Eltham, no doubt due to Le Tour and the World Cup...it's tough being an early morning rider in July! The mercury was barely nudging one degree whilst the wind chill was in negative territory but that was the perfect excuse to warm up quickly and the pace was on up Beverley Road. I noted the collective lumen output from our assortment of ayups and nite lites would make our peoloton visible from the moon!

We had a moment near the one lane bridge at the back of Rosanna golf course, with our leading riders failing to give way as required to an approaching car. David and I managed to pull up whilst the rest of the bunch continued on, much to the disgust of the driver. We copped a fair and warranted spray from the irate driver on behalf of the rest of the peloton and duly passed this on once we regrouped at the top of Bonds Road.

We have to give way here guys!!!!!

By this stage of the ride I knew I was in trouble. I'm still coming off my cold and mild chest bug from last week, leaving me struggling to breathe and the legs under done. Not even my best Jens Voigt impression of Shut Up Legs could keep me from falling off the back of the peloton as we traversed up Mt Pleasant Road and the blinkeys of the guys ahead disappeared into the distance. It was an eerie feeling cycling up towards 525 and down again in pitch black darkness except for the perimeter of light from my ayups. Strangely we had the most oncoming traffic on Mt Pleasant ever and their high beams made life a little difficult, though most obliged with a dip back to low beam. Apparently Paul took the 525 KoM whilst David took the Mt Pleasant / Reasearch - Warrandyte Road KoM. I wasn't even in the same postcode to have witnessed these great achievements myself unfortunately.

The scoot along Main Road back to Eltham was much better. Traffic was thin which made for good progress but a couple of poorly timed lights meant our peloton was split. The legs were far happier on the flat, however I had little to give up the Boolton Street pinch climb and trek back up Old Eltham Road. Paul took off up the front heading down Bonds Road and Sean and I gave chase to bridge the gap. I was spent by the time we got to the infamous one lane bridge again and quickly formed a pact with Sean to give him the best lead out I would muster for the sprint at the horse paddocks. I nestled up front next to Paul as we rounded the bends behind Rosanna golf course and did my best to hide how bad I was hurting! Jeremy kicked off the sprint early so I had little choice to start my lead out as well. I think I lasted maybe 50 metres before I blew but luckily this was enough to get Sean going and he took the sprint ahead of Paul. Mission accomplished.

By the time we rolled back to Rocket Cafe it had warmed up to three degrees, so warm coffees and muffins were the order of the day! Other than the bridge debacle, great riding everyone. Sorry to have held you up a little and thanks for waiting.

[anth73]

After the leg smashing Kinglake off-road climb on Saturday and a brisk "recovery" ride yesterday on Kew Boullie with Nicko that included laps of the crit circuit, I fronted for the Monday molehill ride with my legs feeling very ordinary. Thankfully my cold is f-i-n-a-l-l-y clearing (yeah ) so at least I was able to breathe relatively well without sounding like an wheezing pack-a-day smoker.

With the World Cup final and the first mountainous stage of Le Tour on overnight it was a very small peloton this morning, but it did positively oozed quality. We made brisk progress in the cool conditions and were set for a record time when disaster struck on Fitzsimmons Lane. We all ran over something in the bike lane that resulted in Elias having a cut front tyre and slow leak, necessitating a tube change.

Despite this we rolled back to Rocket Cafe in 75 minutes having averaged just short of 27kph. Elias took the KoM's whilst Ian continues to show excellent riding form..well done big guy, all that commuting is coming is useful! On the downside I've also go a small cut to the front tyre, whilst Ian also a cut but also a chunk missing from his front rim.

We also ran into Jason at the Cafe. It's been a while since the man has ridden with us. He tells me his tapering for the NZ ironman.....in Jan 2011...

[anth73]

Call me soft....but with my legs feeling the last four days of riding and getting up at midnight to watch Cadel loose eight minutes on the Madeline, I just didn't have it in me to ride this morning and convinced myself the roads would be too wet from the rain I rode though on the way home from work.

Walking to the train station this morning and Burgundy Street was just about dry.

Anyone ride this morning?

[Missy24]

Call me soft....but with my legs feeling the last four days of riding and getting up at midnight to watch Cadel loose eight minutes on the Madeline, I just didn't have it in me to ride this morning and convinced myself the roads would be too wet from the rain I rode though on the way home from work.

Walking to the train station this morning and Burgundy Street was just about dry.

Anyone ride this morning?

Beach Road, much more pleasent than out your way... no hills

[anth73]

rug up everyone, cold one in the morning. Watsonia down to 4, Yarra Glen to 2...brrrr!

The weather bureau predictions were spot on for this morning (a nice surprise!) and a chilly 3 degrees greeted our peloton for this morning's St Andrews loop. It was a brisk but steady pace out to Hurstbridge with a couple of regroups along the way. Ian continues to ride well...keep it up big guy. Cota brought along his mate Rob today and fair dinkum, this guys makes Sean look like Thor Hushovd....there's absolutely nothing of him he's that thin. It was also my first ride with Brazilian Leo, you ride well dude but I think that seat could come up a little, it looks like your crouching on the bike!

Troy was riding very well and did a fair bit of work up the front, as did Xavier heading towards St Andrews. I jumped on the front to give him a rest before the sprint and it was fitting that Xavier crossed the line marginally ahead of Troy, in what's best described as a canter rather than a full on sprint. Thankfully the head butting antics displayed in the TdF were also absent.

Ian decided he'd make his own way back and Xavier, Cota and Rob did the KL climb. The journey home was a quickly paced affair with Troy and I doing the lion's share of work up front. It was a fairly event free leg with the rising sun providing a beautiful vista towards the Dandenongs. The highlight of the journey home has to be Troy being shat on across the face as we neared Rosanna Golf Course. Given his predicament it was fitting he took out the final sprint past the horse paddock, again in a canter.

Thanks for the ride gents. My feet are just about thawed now!

[anth73]

THis Monday's ride report through the eyes of Troy.....

This edition is called 'A lesson in molehill climbing' by Elias (aka Andy Schleck).

A not so cold morning greeted an intrepid two (thats right 2 you bunch of lazy Nancy's!). Elais and I set out on our Monday morning molehill ride without Peak stallwart Anthony who apparently had an early start for work.

Damp roads meant that I left my proper cycling gear at home and doned a skirt befitting my riding like an old woman. A situation on which Elais capitalised and gave me a lesson up Doncaster Rd, Williamson Rd and Rosehill Rd. Great work fella, your hill climbing is coming along nicley.

To retain some pride and reclaim so semblance of manhood I shook of the skirt and powered to a stunning victory at the KoM after Rosanna gold course but I suspect that Elais was just being nice.

Well thats two from two for me. I dont want to come out and ring the bell but...awww bugger it! I'M BACK BABY!

See you all Wednesday.

[anth73]

A c-c-c-old Monday morning for the Peak Bike Hub Molehill ride, not that I noticed as I was snugly tucked up in bed until 6:45am!

Worthy of mention was the record time set by the guys who did ride. They were done in an impressive 1hr 5min riding time....phew that’s a good pace! Well done!

[eezz]

It was a quick ride indeed. With just Troy and Elias and I braving it, I knew I wasn't going to get it easy keeping up with those two machines.But managed to hang in there somehow. ... tnx mostly to the hurricane-like slipsteam I suckerrd up on them molehills

[anth73]

Whilst I'm getting over my "man-monia" and sitting out the Tour de Eltham, a dozen riders fronted for this morning's epic trek in the cold and fog. David got to test out his test-fleet 2011 model Oppy C6 by doing an ITT as he missed the bunch by a few minutes and had to try and catch up. Phil did likewise but thankfully for them Elias scored (another) puncture on Mt Pleaseant Road.

Not sure who got the chocolates on the KoMs and sprints but the last thing the normal folk within the Peak peloton need is David riding a lighter bike than his all-alloy Felt. It gets worse though, word around the traps is that Paul is also considering upgrading from his alloy Fuji.....that'llmake the KoM's even more challenging now!

Should be all set to go for Saturday's St Andrews loop as long as everyone else around me stays healthy. The number of sick people at work is ridiculous.

Special "get well" mention to Nicko who was in hospital yesterday due to severe gastro. That's one way to lose the extra weight but not the most pleasant Get well soon buddy!

[anth73]

My first St Andrews ride for several weeks and I came to realise what a great ride it is and how I missed it. A good showing of 7 riders fronted this morning, including first timers in Michael and Kevin. Welcome to both and you rode well fellas! Xavier missed us by a couple of minutes so had the unenviable task of an individual TT to catch us.

We kept an honest pace all the way to St Andrews in the comparatively warm conditions. Poor Vic was absolutely boiling in his winter jacket and beanie. It pays to check the Viewbank weather station! Meanwhile John was suffering courtesy of a cold and was wringing everything out of himself and the bike ala Cadel Evans! It didn't stop him and a few others doing the Kinglake climb however.

Congratulations to Xavier who got the chocolates by a country mile this week in the sprint at St Andrews! No doubt Paul on his new Oppy C6 will seek to address this next time.

The rest of us enjoyed a moderately paced ride back to Heidelberg, though Vic was suffering due to a 6 week lay off from the road bike. Leo seemed better positioned on his bike this week courtesy of a 1cm lift in seat height. Yours truly did a fair chunk of the work up front and felt good for it. The legs are tired but...shut up legs!