The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

This week has seen the Good, the Bad and the Ugly come out in a really big way. Most weeks see the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in much lesser strengths but this one they came out in almost maximum strength. I have to say that it has been a week of extremes but I will write about the good first as it is the bit we use to take our minds off the bad and dilute the ugly.

The good is that I have signed up for the Amy Gillett ride in Victoria and have sighed on as a fund raiser. I am normally a doubter but a doer and put the word out on Sydney Cyclist, The Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club Website Forum and the MASSBUG and Critical Mass email lists. I really doubted if I would raise much at all but I am pleased to say that so far I have raised $210. This is in spite of an economic down turn and the closing proximity of Christmas.

The good also flows into the logistics I have organised for the ride. I have been able to get a promotional first class seat on the train to Victoria on the 2^nd of January. I have booked the bike onto the train and have been able to get a flight on Jetstar with carbon offset to return to Sydney on the 5^th . I have also been able to book a motel room in Geelong for the evening of the 3^rd (the ride is on the 4^th). I will book a room in Melbourne for the 4^th and Vline ticket for the 3^rd on Wednesday when I get paid. I intend on travelling light and will get a day bag soon.

I now have to give you an idea of the bad and believe me I have had some interesting times. I have been doing some training for the ride and was using the Fearless Gearless for some hard training. I rode out to Olympic Park as a Training/Recon ride. I had a reasonable tail wind most of the way there and was able to get there quite comfortably. I have to say that I have encountered what athletes call the “bonk” on previous occasions. One this occasion I was hit pretty bad. I was able to keep myself going but had to stop at a service station on the way and got a cereal bar which got me the rest of the way home.

The problem with the bonk in my case is that it is a condition that can raise it’s ugly head and affect me for days. I have only limited time before the Amy Gillett ride and am anxious about copping the bonk on the ride.

I also had a moment which could have qualified as an “Ugly” moment but just works out the be a bad one, when I left my keys at work and went to the Broadway Shopping centre for Christmas shopping. I found out that I left my keys at work when I went to lock the bike to a rack and got the shock of my life. I searched my jersey pockets and the bag I had desperately. In the end I put the cable lock on the bike in such a way that it looked like the bike was locked. I went to Rebel Sport and bought a cable lock and locked the bike securely. I got my shopping and emails done and then went to the Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club roller training session. I had a dream run to Tempe Velodrome and got through the training session. I then helped one of our guys out with some advice on a first aid course before heading back to work to collect my keys.

While I was on my way to collect the keys I ran into Paul Johnstone and we got talking about what was happening. It sounds like I will have to put the link to the Amy Gillett Foundation page on the Critical Mass email list again soon. Fortunately I got to work and found the keys. Things would have been ugly if I hadn’t been able to get them. The Broadway shopping centre is known for bike theft so it was a good thing that the bike was still there when I came back with the new lock. Curious thing about the new lock is that it is not all that good , I found this out when I had to lock the bike outside the office when I went to get my keys. The lock literally unlocked without keys. I will have to tinker with it to see if I have done anything with it or if it really is a useless lock.

On the Ugly side I am sad to say that I and other rider with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club were witness to some of the worst demonstrations of driving I have ever seen. We rode to Centennial Park on yesterday as part of the Saturday Slowies ride. We got there and did out individual training and were waiting for the group to regroup before heading back to Marrickville when we saw a black BMW 4 wheel drive do a left turn and drive the wrong way up a one way street. It seems that with drivers with big cars and no brains have come out with the drop in petrol prices.

We then headed out towards Marrickville and I and a few others got separated from the main group. When I caught up one of our guys was rendering the air blue with expletives directed at (from what I could see through the tinted windows) a woman in a small sedan. The others had moved off and I asked what had happened. It turns out that our idiot driver had either almost reversed into the group while reverse parking. Our rider was quite irate and I decided to hang with him until the anger subsided and we headed off. I did this because if could have turned violent and it may have been necessary to restrain either party. When I caught up to the main group I checked if everyone was OK – they were fortunately.

While motorists actions imperilled the safety of the group of riders, our riders reaction to the motorist’s actions was not good . I would not be surprised if we see more issues with drivers not all of whom will have the good sense to stay in their cars.

The other ugly incident I had was with a white HSV Commodore on one of the back streets behind King Street. I was on my way to the Rocks Markets and turned into one of the side streets off King Street Newtown and he followed me. The driver started yelling something unintelligible and revving his car’s engine. When I got onto the back street he sounded the horn and overtook me at speed. It was unsettling but I got to the Rocks OK.

These incidents have made me determined to do the Amy Gillett ride. I will do it and raise the funds. I will let you all know how things go.

The week that was – shit happens to good people (including me)

Well it looks like this week has been one of those weeks where anything that could go wrong did go wrong. I had a relatively easy week commuting. I was able to get an early mark at work on Thursday. I went to Ashfield Cycles where I had dropped the Red Hybrid off for a service. I was able to made it on time and collected the bike. The price of the service had grown due to the number of parts that were needed (Mainly brake pads and a bidon cage). I got the bike back and took off to the Cooks River Cycleway.

Unfortunately I missed the park where I was able to get on to the cycleway and wound up going through the streets of Ashfield, Campsie and Canterbury, until I found a point were I was able to join the cycleway. When I got back I wound up going to Tempe Velodromefor the spin session with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club – my club. I rode to the velodrome only to have the chain snap at Tempe station. I lost half the removable link.  I searched desperately but could not find it.

I met another guy on his way to the velodrome who suggested I continue on to the velodrome where someone would be able to help me. I went to the velodromeand caught up with Lindsay Munks who sorted out the chain issue. He had the tools and was able to get the chain linked together. It was strongly recommended that I see the guys at Ashfield Cycles and find out what went wrong. It was also recommended that I get a new chain as the chain was too tight.

On Friday I rang the guys at Ashfield Cycles and was told that they did not remove the chain for the service. I get the feeling that things were not going to get any easier despite the dead chain. On Saturday I got up and prepared for Slowies only to find that the rain was going to put the kybosh on the event.

I went out to Coles in Monterey for a Birthday present for a friend of mine and a carton of UHT Skim milk. I took the fearless gear-less to see how it would handle the path. There has been some changes but the fearless gear-less handled everything quite well. I got the milk but did not get the present as it was not in stock. As I went back to Tempe my rear tyre blew out. I cursed and swore and got the bike to a shelter used for picnics. I took the rear wheel off using a spanner from my multitool. I found that the tyre was worn out at the side rim, with the tyre coming away from the bead. I replaced the tube with a thorn proof tube. I intended to get back to Tempe pushing the bike but wound up riding it.  Towards the end the issues with the tyre became problematic. I copped the fishtailing as I turned and wound up slowing down. I got the bike in and changed the tyre. I will now be running WTB slicks from the Iguana.

I will write back with details of how the Fearless Gearless preforms with Slicks.

The other issue was major. On Sunday I was still in Sydney for some overtime. I decided to go to Waterfall with DHBC and had prepared myself for the event. It would have been my first Waterfall and I got myself down to Mick Mazza cycles at 06:30 after getting a new chain from Mick I headed off. The drive train seized up with on the way which was the reason for the new chain. After the Club President gave his speech outlining the risks of cycling and stressing that we accepted the risks if we rode with the club that morning, we headed off. We headed down Warren Rd and went through to Gannon Street. We got on to the highway and went past a RBT station and were going down Marsh Street when the rear derailleur came off.

Geoff said it was the end of my ride and I concurred with him. I walked the bike back to Tempe and met a guy who left the peleton due to concerns about rain. He said that the bike may be dead because the hanger is bent and may be elongated as the derailleur bolt has been sheared off. However he reckoned it would be repairable. I got the bike back and put it into the car for the trip to Bike Minded in Wentworth Falls. I took the Green Trek out for a ride. Woolys Wheels was open but it is booked out till the 18th. I dropped into the Addison St Markets at Marrickville after checking out Cell bikes and Stanmore Cycles (both closed due to the long weekend). After the week end I went back to Lithgow.

This morning I took the Red Hybrid to Bike Minded in Wentworth Falls. They reckon it may be dead but it will be wait and see. They will try to get the bolt out and then straighten the drop out. If all is well there will be a new derailleur and everything realigned. If not I may either make the Red Hybrid a single speed or take it and stip it for parts to be put onto a frame either from Europa Cycles or Peter Bundy in Riverwood. In short it was not a good week. God has had an ear bashing from me and I am not a happy boy. But there is always next time. I will also be willing to get out and give everything a go when the Red Hybrid – or it’s replacement is ready to roll.

Spinning – the road to nowhere AKA Roller training

On my last ride with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club I was told about roller training which from what I was told is a good part of the training at Dulwich Hill. I initially thought as many would of a glorified version of what happens in Gymnasiums across the world, namely people sitting on exercise bikes spinning in a horribly low gear going absolutely nowhere. How wrong I was!

It seems that the image that is projected through gymnasium advertising (even they try to make their “bikes” look like time trial bikes with bullhorns or MTBs with bar ends) is so misleading it isn’t funny. On Thursday, the day the club does it’s roller training I rode to Tempe Velodrome. As a St John Ambulance volunteer I used to do the track cycling there when Bankstown Cycling Club (who now meet at Dunc Gray Velodrome) used Tempe for their racing and training.

Cycling New South Wales shares Tempe Velodrome with the NSW Touch Football Association. The ground in the middle of the velodrome was done up as a state of origin field, complete with advertising. Getting in to the velodrome was an issue. There were two security guards stationed outside the gates and when I approached they asked why I wanted to go inside. When I explained that there was cycling training about to happen that night they seemed not to have known. To make matters more interesting they explained they were guarding a meeting of the executives of the NSW Touch Football Association. They claimed they did not know anything was going on in the velodrome but someone had left their shoes behind. I had a look thinking that maybe someone had dumped their cycling shoes but they were football boots which had well and truly seen better days.

As I was beginning to wonder if I had got the wrong night, another Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club member turned up. He and I waited patiently outside the gates until Lindsay turned up. He spoke to the security guards and gave he gave his details for their records and they in turn let us in. He turned on the lights and let us in to the stands. He unlocked the men’s toilets which also had a room where some track bikes and the rollers were stored. He got a couple out and we began setting ourselves up for the nights proceedings.

My companion got set up on a track bike and began warming up. Lindsay warned us that we would not suffer as much if we warmed up as much as we could. He then set me up on the Green Trek, which was hard to set up owing to it’s thick tyres. Once it was on it’s roller and it’s front wheel in a block of wood with a groove in it we were set. Both of us were facing the velodrome but we wound up turning ourselves around when Randwick Botany cycling club turned up to do their track cycling training. We turned ourselves around and were joined by Camilla and her partner and other riders from the club including Simon Llewellyn and Philippe and some others I have not seen on the Saturday ride.

When everyone was ready Lindsay began the nights proceedings going saying that not only were agony faces compulsory they encouraged. We did 20 seconds of sprinting for 12 times for about 45 minutes. During this time I noticed that there were times when it appeared that my feet were a couple of blurrs. Indeed it seemed as if my feet were beside each other. I was sorely tempted to slow down or even cut it short.

About half way through I was well aware that I was not dressed for the occasion. I had turned up in my usual riding gear for a winters commute – long sleeve jersey, a pair of longs over my knicks, my fluro gillette and a cycling cap under my helmet. As time went on I took off the gillette. I had started the spinning with out my helmet and just the cycling cap on. As the night progressed I rolled the sleeves up and seriously contemplated taking the longs off. When we had a break I took the hat off and filled a bidon with cold water and desparately began to rehydrate.

While we were riding one of our riders was training with Randwick Botany and we watched with interest as he kept pace with their riders. One rider from Randwick Botany is Thirteen, his father knew Philippe and they got talking. He is a reasonable rider and some suggested he will go fast soon.

I got back on for the final 10 minutes of training where were were going all out as fast as we could (in my state it wasn’t as fast as I would normally go) and sprinted for 20 minutes. After a while I began to count the seconds on the sprints. The pace was furious. It was welcome relief when we finished our training. I have a suspicion people thought I wasn’t going to finish the night but with Lindsay’s encouragement I did. We finished off the night putting the gear away – I copped it on the nose and scone from track bikes hanging up. Nothing serious though. I got talking to the Randwick Botany rider’s dad about the Olympics and what sports or non-sports we would get rid of. We both agreed Synchronised Swimming would be one that gets the chop but that’s all.

Lindsay did warn me that that night everything would be good. I would feel like I would feel ready to jump out of the blocks, but the next day I would really know about it. He was right. I took on the ride home with gusto but was and am still sore almost a week later. I will miss tomorrows roller session because I have toastmasters but will definitely be back next Thursday.  Given it looked like rain on Saturday I missed slowies but will make up the lost kilometers over the coming weeks.