What a great day. The weather couldn't have been better, and I reckon we must have had a bit of tail wind.
We had a group of 14 (4 girls), and it was decided to try and stay together. So we didn't get up it for the first half of the busway, and really weren't stretching the whole pack until 50km mark. Then Comedian et al came through all gunz blazin. And we hopped on them. I lasted about 10 minutes before falling off the back and watching them slowly move away, and no fast packs were coming through to help me get back on them. For the last 40k I cat and moused a group, and eventually sat out the front until I caught up with another from our bunch on a fixie. When I slowed to have a chat with him, I realized I had a pack of 40 on my tail. Caught up to them after the chat and the pack averaged high 30s the rest of the way.
I averaged 34kph for 2.56.48. The faster guys in my group did 2.45.
If we'd pushed it as a group earlier, it would have been interesting. As it was though, we lost 3 of the 4 girls off the pack around half way. That was a great effort on their part.
Two of our guys fell and suffered minor abrasions, but bikes and bods were ok to keep going. This happened when a young solo guy in front of our pack didn't move to his right to give a guy on his outside room to get around a parked car. The outside guy eventually moved in and touched the young guy's back wheel, and immediately went down, bringing down two of our guys behind him. I wasn't with the pack at the time and didn't see it happen, but it highlighted why pack leaders have to be extra diligent, and read the play better.
I also saw a few guys today like this young fella who weren't thinking of anyone but themselves, not making room for others when necessary, and not calling danger, and keeping to the right when they shouldn't. Anyway, that's the B2GC. The earlier you start, the more experienced the riders in general. So we'll certainly be looking at gunning it from the beginning next time.
We had breaky at Tedder Av, and TBH and I had a nice walk on the beach....looked very inviting, and next year I'll have a swim....emulate an ice bath. a nice lunch at Northcliffe SLSC with the fat bogans
and a walk back, then home to Bris.
Finally, after all that time on the bike, back in Bris we are driving along North Quay - William St CBD to pick up my car, and we're stopped at the Queen St red light. We watched a cyclist and bus come across Victoria Bridge and turn right into William St where the Treasury Casino is. The cyclist was on the green cycling strip, the bus on his outside. TBH and I were commenting about the cyclist and watching him when suddenly he turns sharply left in front of the bus to get onto the footpath. We both audibly gasped expecting to watch the bus run him over as it was right on top of him.....to this moment, we are both still stunned how the bus driver managed to stop the bus in time to not hit him. I am going to contact the Logan bus company tomorrow and commend the bus driver because I think 9/10 drivers would have hit the cyclist. Meanwhile, the middle aged cyclist on a mountain bike was an absolute tosser, and half a dozen pedestrians on the footpath gave him a serve, rightly so.
Great event....lots of volunteer marshalls out, and the earlier start time was great traffic and wind wise.
My garmin data if interested.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/120035030