A year in the life of a wannabe racer- Part 2!

[ironhanglider]

Just when I was thinking that a vodka martini might hit the spot.

Cheers,

Cameron

[ldrcycles]

You always hear about how time poor people are these days, always busy and unable to fit in exercise. Well the simple fix is, if you don't have time, MAKE time!

So with other commitments lined up for daylight hours, but still in need of some long range riding, I pressed start on the Bryton, clicked into the pedals and set off down the road a little after midnight today .

I was very surprised at the number of people out and about at such an ungodly hour on a Tuesday, especially the mother and daughter walking their dogs . But once away from the busiest areas, the roads were blissfully empty, between the Big Kart Track and the Caboolture Showgrounds I saw a total of 3 cars! On the other hand, the forests around Beerburrum are SERIOUSLY creepy at 2am .

Up until reaching Caboolture I felt a bit subpar, but was getting along ok (in fact better than ok if the strava segments are anything to go by) but my legs simply stopped working shortly afterwards and after only a few kms on the D'Aguilar Highway I realised I was down on the aerobars and working pretty hard for only 25kmh. Now that pace was not going to get me to Kilcoy and back in the time I had available, so I decided instead to do a loop through Caboolture to get back to the road north. After getting lost and finding myself backtracking my mental state was, let's say, less than ideal. I had some food and a rest but was still no good afterwards and limped all the way back to Coolum at low speed. The last few kms were not much fun at all, a great deal of pain for as little as 17kmh thanks to a headwind.

Why I felt so poorly i'm not sure, the super early start may have had my body all sixes and sevens, perhaps it was due to a very stressful day at work on Monday? In either case I felt a lot better once the GPS was uploaded and showed an average speed of 29.9kmh, perfectly acceptable for 184kms with unfavourable winds . Every time I do a tough ride like this one though it is just another bit of experience to draw on when I need it, onwards and upwards!

I also discovered today that the aerobars do a great job as a shopping rack



EDIT: and I forgot to mention, after knocking off said long ride by 7am, I was able to have a quick nap, do some work around the house, then out to look at windows/doors for the house and then do some fencing and cleaning out at my parent's farm. How's that for a productive day!

[singlespeedscott]

I thought your Oppy was broken. Did you get it repaired?

[ldrcycles]

The crack is still there, budget constraints preclude getting it repaired at the moment and the bike shops I've taken it to were unanimous in their opinion that it is unlikely to do anything without warning. If I had used something better than a Box Brownie for that photo above you would be able to see it, it starts 4mm down from the top tube/seat tube junction and is 14mm long. It's an odd place for a crack to form and given that's one of the less stressed areas on the bike it shouldn't be a problem (fingers firmly crossed). I'm keeping a very close eye on it and building up a steely with STI shifters to take over some of the riding.

[ldrcycles]

After a horrendously long time off the bike (more than a week!!) I finally managed to get back on the Oppy for a quick spin this morning. From Coolum I headed down to Bli Bli to have a go at an interesting climb I had spotted on Strava. The KOM at that stage was an average speed of about 24kmh, so as I floated up the lower slopes at the better part of 30 I was laughing, I had it in the bag .

Yea sure.

I turned the corner and there was a bloody great wall rearing up in front of me, and then once over that there was another, even harder pinch to deal with. After the break from riding my insides felt like they were being sprayed with acid and the lungs were just refusing to do anything at all, but I managed to clear it, and got 2nd place .

After a wee break I set off home again, only to have Special Cecil make an appearance, this time in a Landcruiser ute which passed me with barely more than a cubit to spare (or 50cms for those so inclined) in spite of the fact that I was doing barely less than the speed limit and we were approaching a red light. At my request to stop and have a chat he tapped the brakes but then must have thought better of dealing with 6'2 of pissed off wannabe racer sprinting hard for him and he took off with all the urgency a knackered oil spewing diesel can manage.


The rest of the ride home was uneventful, but it's about time I shared the thought pattern that cycling induces in me. Some kilometres after my encounter with Special Cecil another ute passed me, this time at a safe distance.


"Well looky there, every other man and his dog can overtake safely"

"Maybe that's why that other idiot couldn't, because he didn't have a dog"

"Perhaps he was upset because he doesn't have a dog"

"What was the rego again, PIG 270, Papa Indigo, what the hell is G?"

"Gravy. Gravy is a good word for G"

"When was the last time I had gravy?"


And so on and so forth, so you can see how when riding for 8+ hours at a time, the rigours of the road are trifling compared to the endless stream of bollocks from inside my own head.


Before the next ride I will definitely need to move the saddle from it's TT optimised position, as I was walking a bit funny after this morning's ride.






So after knocking off the ride it was out to the farm for a bit of turning blah






into blah






and then blah








so that it can be populated with blah








Yonder behemoth is a Boer cross called Prince, and is so big and musclebound I am considering training him to be saddled and ridden up the Obi Obi to snipe the Strava segments.


I've heard that sort of thing is very popular in Europe nowadays.

[singlespeedscott]

You should see the billy got in our paddock, Stinky II. Not fat but I reckon at lest 100kg of pure sticky muscle. His horns would be twice the size of that bad boy. Despite his size he is quite apt at jumping fences. God know's how he doesn't tangle his nuts up on the top wire :lol.

MY wife wants to harness him up for Billly cart racing

[ldrcycles]

"Stinky II" is a fantastic name for a goat! Pepe and Zorro (the only 2 I had until yesterday) hit puberty seemingly overnight a week or so ago and the stench and depraved behaviour reminds me a lot of my own experience.

You've got me thinking (always highly dangerous) now with the mention of billy carts, that could be a great way to use some of the half million worthless 26" wheels I have lying around!

[foo on patrol]

A mate and I made a go-cart with 28'' wheels on the back and pram wheels on the front. It looked like a drag car but you needed too be ready for when the wheels caved in on you.

You'll have the Greenies chasing you Idry if you go hooking them up to a cart.

Foo

[ldrcycles]

Ya can't have any fun these days .

Maybe if I had a team of goats, like sled dogs...

[singlespeedscott]

At least the goats smell better than some of the greenies

[ldrcycles]

At least the goats smell better than some of the greenies

Lost it, just absolutely lost it .

So, yesterday was a GOOD day.

First thing in the morning I was off to Bli Bli to have a crack at a KOM, and though I felt ok on the flatter lower sections, when the grade kicked up I had nothing. Or at least that's what it felt like, after struggling to the top and then making my way home I found I had taken a good few seconds off my previous best, though still 5 seconds shy of Jacob_t. *Shakes fist*.

After work the northerly that had come up during the day (peaking at 56kmh around 3pm) was still blowing pretty hard so I hopped on the Oppy once more with the intention of taking a KOM in Coolum that has eluded me for a long time, and then hopefully getting over to Bli Bli again. Well I romped in the KOM, and even took 2 seconds off my existing KOM for the segment that continues for a kilometre or so further, in spite of the fact I was dawdling after giving the first climb everything I had.

It was apparent by this stage that the wind was too strong and in perfectly the wrong direction for Bli Bli to happen, so instead I just went to Marcoola and back. The wind lined up really well past the airport and I wound it up a bit, averaging 54.7kmh and topping out at 57. (Strava reckons I topped 63!) It's a bit of a pity I didn't put in a sprint, it would have been interesting to see what that could have got to. But the wind is still blowing today so watch this space...

And now I need to ask for some help, i'm restoring a 60s roadster for the next Warwick to Stanthorpe train race (only 20 days away! ) and a big stumbling block is the headtube logo. There is very little left to go on and i'm struggling to work out what the top half of the logo is supposed to be. Another tricky part is recreating the typeface for "THE LOCAL CYCLE CO", I haven't been able to find a font that comes close and my drawing ability is slim to non-existent (even with the help of gridlines etc in MS Paint). If anyone is able to help, the pics are here viewtopic.php?f=23&t=64707" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

On to the Oppy again now, off to the pistol club this time.

[ldrcycles]

Well no ride to the club yesterday, just after I submitted that post my wife woke up and wanted to go with me, so it had to be the car. On the plus side though I got to shoot this


(Shooting a Morini is the pistol equivalent of being allowed a test ride on, I dunno, a Cervelo Project California, or a Storck or something. We're talking $2,500 worth of Olympic grade match pistol right there )


Today though the car had a rest as it was the turn of the Mercier to provide my transport. And true to her infuriating Gallic form, there was a mechanical issue. The seatpost clamp bolt came loose and within 10k my knees were around my ears. Clever me had forgotten to put the multitool back in the Backpack of Courage so in all I had to stop 3 times to forcibly wrench the post back up (scratching the living bejeesus out of it in the process, this is why I can't have nice things).
Somehow I still managed to average 31.4kmh so hurrah for that.

After knocking off work and putting about 5 billion ft-lb into the seatpost clamp bolt I headed for home and with the wind mostly at my back it was a pretty good run with a 35.3kmh average.

So after a protein shake and a lasagne it is now time for bed, because tomorrow morning, rain, hail or shine, i'm coming to get you Trotter! You hear me boy!?

[ldrcycles]

Ok so I didn't get Trotter. But I did say "rain, hail or shine" and didn't mention wind, which was the issue. With the northerly still pretty strong I headed for Bli Bli but before getting even halfway up the hill it was obvious there was nothing I could do against the wind so I turned tail and headed home. Then it was out to the farm to remove rubble and dig post holes in God's own concrete until nightfall.

Then on Wednesday morning I needed to ride to work, as her wifeness would be picking me up for a family event in the afternoon. Problem was, the clock in the lounge had stopped and by the time I realised that, I was 15 minutes late. Time to start pumping hard then!

I turned myself inside out, to the point that I mistook a concrete block in the distance for a cyclist and chased after them for a good few seconds before working out that the "cyclist" hadn't moved . In spite of sore legs, a headwind and a backpack of steel capped boots and pieces of timber, I still pulled out an average of over 35kmh.

So that would suggest that either i'm getting faster, or the threat of being late for work is great motivation!

[jacob_T]

Aha mate. I have to applaud you on your commitment!

I'm sure it'll be yours soon. I'm off to Darwin and Perth for two weeks, so try and grab it early so you can enjoy it for a little while

[ldrcycles]

Don't you worry about that, when I get that KOM you'll need a Kawasaki to go better!

[ldrcycles]

No riding since Thursday as I wanted to be super fresh for the big day I had planned for today, onto the single speed to ride down to Caboolture for a track session organised by the local fixie crew, then back home again, probably about 180kms all up.

And then Queensland happened.






So no riding happened .

But on the plus side, the front hub on the Dawes is now serviced and I swapped the 46t for a 52, so once the weather improves I will still be doing that ride!

(and yes trotter I still have my eyes on that KOM)

[ldrcycles]

If nothing else, cycling can teach us that if you just stick at it, your fortunes can change dramatically very quickly.

After Sunday's non event, and more rain Monday, I set off on Tuesday for another assault on the Bli Bli water tower. After 6 days off the bike my legs were fresher than a laundry detergent commercial, but my lungs were completely AWOL. While I hit the first section of the climb reasonably well I hadn't even reached the halfway mark before I completely blew up and had no option but to stop and head for home, tail tucked between my legs. I did feel a bit better though at clocking 56.5kmh over the David Low bridge, and getting a KOM around the airport .

This morning though things were different, my lungs were back to their usual mediocre standard, and in spite of plenty of hard work at the farm on Tuesday afternoon my muscles were still willing to play. So away I went, feeling no better than average but taking it very steady until Bli Bli. With Obi Wan Foo giving me the "pace yourself" spiel again I kept a bit in reserve on the lower half and after clearing the first pinch feeling ok I went hard on the next rise, and changed up a gear to give it everything I had for the final section. I was digging DEEP, trying to block out the pain in my chest and legs and just concentrating on the picture of my feet on the pedals. As soon as I was over the line though the pain came through and it hurt like billy-o.

On the way home I had a nice sprint over the Bli Bli bridge, matching Tuesday's effort, and then at the bottom end of the airport I came across a bloke on an S Works Tarmac. I sat behind him for a bit as he slowly built up to 40-41kmh which was a bit slower than I wanted to go, so once I was onto the straight and the traffic had cleared I clicked up a gear or 3 and gave it a bit of welly. I've never been much of a sprinter but on this occasion I popped up to 55kmh straight away and stayed out of the saddle, head down bum up for a good hundred odd metres at that pace before settling to the mid 40s .

Then I was home and it was time to upload the GPS.



Oh yes there was much rejoicing in Castle LDRstein, even if a still sleeping Mrs LDR didn't quite share my enthusiasm .

All of this bodes well for Friday night, when I finally get to do another crit!

[ldrcycles]

Yes, there was a crit this evening.
Yes, I went.
And yes, I will tell you all about it.

Tomorrow, once I've calmed down enough to not say something i'll regret.

[foo on patrol]

Ok it's tomorrow, so spit it out!

Foo

[kb]

Was going to suggest http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/meteye" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; but they haven't rolled QLD or NT yet.

And now Australia-wide

[Cossie Phil]

I've just finished catching up LDR, now we need to hear about the crit!!

[toolonglegs]

I like updates ( and photos ) of the farm... Very jealous!

[ldrcycles]

I like updates ( and photos ) of the farm... Very jealous!

Not quite the same as all your empty lakes?

Ok well i'm still mightily brassed off but thanks to picking up a great rear wheel from Daus (the rim of which will be used on the Local for next Saturday's train race) I am in a marginally better mood than I was.

So after I finished work yesterday I headed on over to Girraween, as in spite of the BOM radar showing the whole eastern side of Australia being covered in technicolour yawn, Noosa was somehow staying dry. The C grade race went by without any trouble, and then around 7pm the commisaire called A and B up. After explaining that A and B were to run separately, he sent us off to "form into 2 groups, then i'll say go when you come around".

The other 30 odd riders immediately took off, leaving me completely baffled. Was I listening to the same commisaire? There were a good dozen people standing closer than I had been, so surely they heard him. For whatever reason, it was on like donkey kong with all the B graders sucking A grade wheels like their life depended on it, so I had no choice but to chase as best I could.

The thing is, I am a B grade rider at the moment, no more, no less. So especially given my lack of drafting ability, there was just no way I could possibly maintain A grade pace. I was off the back immediately with no chance of rejoining in spite of setting a cracking pace by my standards. Before long I had been lapped no less than 3 times in spite of my best efforts, and therein lies the reason for my frustration and anger.


Now as anyone who has read this thread will know, I know i'm not Cadel Evans and I am no stranger to having my backside handed to me. If i'm doing my best, and coming last simply because I am not strong enough, then so be it. But when it's because the people i'm supposed to be racing are cheating, then i'm not ok.


After about 35 minutes, and having seen 2 B graders that I know are both strong and good at bunch riding pull out completely knackered, I called it quits, handed in my number and headed for home. I contemplated saying something to one of the club officials but decided against potentially causing a scene that could ruin the night for the people gathered around, and instead posted on the club facebook page.


Predictably the only responses so far are telling me to "harden up". Riiiight.






Yes we must do as Monty Python says, and in this case there is a bright side, that I effectively did a 22km solo TT at an average of 37.8kmh on a crit track with a dirty great big hill in the middle. So hurrah for that.


For the next few days my number one priority is getting the Local finished, there is a great deal to be done and sod all time in which to do it (as per my ridiculous usual) but I will still get a couple of good hard rides in to keep the engine in tune ready to take on the train down south in exactly a week's time. Tally Ho!

[foo on patrol]

Some advice Idry from an old fart. If the race officials say one thing and then the opposite happens, then scream your tits off at them after the race or during it! If you don't do it, then it will continue to happen.

This crap of keeping A and B separate is plain stupidity and did not happen when I was racing, that is why, you have different coloured number bibs!

Stuff upsetting the apple cart just lodge a protest next time mate.

Foo

[ldrcycles]

Wise words as always foo . Well the thread on the facebook page went kind of...



But now that the dust has settled somewhat the conclusion is that I will be racing the next crit in C grade because apparently that will be a "better fit" for me. So as you can imagine, this means I will go out and smash seven shades of snot out of everyone else to prove my point .

Unfortunately due to the number of jobs requiring attention, there was no riding today except for a 15min spin on the trainer.

But I have photos to share! (not from the trainer, from the farm )


Stef hosing out the house (I did suggest leaving the concrete bare so we don't have to do any vacuuming in the future but she just gave me THAT look)




The view from the back of the block at 100m altitude, if not for the dreadful picture quality you would be able to see the sand blow on Noosa North Shore, and you can just make out the house on the right (it was previously completely hidden by all the jungle around it, so this is very exciting to see!)




The block gets a bit steep up the back...




And pretty thick on the vegetation too!




And this is a gratuitous photo of a goat, because goats.