Sunday, June 15, 2008
Saturday's epic
Damn i knew Saturday would be one of those days.
with Simon staying at home, and only Keith and Paul turning up for a 3-hour ride some time after 9am (the sleep-inners!), i had a feeling that i would be toughing it out alone again. How fitting, since this would be my last big-ass weekend ride in Melbourne for the next seven months at least.
So the three of us set off from INCC and did the Mt. Pleasant loop. Some good climbs, but when it came time to part ways, they turned left; i turned right to find my way towards Mt. Dandenong.
Clocked a new max speed on the road: 76.59 km/h - somewhere between Warrandyte and Ringwood... and this was without pedalling. For safety reasons, this was done using the Graeme Obree tucked-in position (with my hands covering the brake levers). What a rush!
Lovely weather by the way: cool temperatures, overcast skies, rain-slicked roads and a constant drizzle to maintain the consistency of the road grime as i picked my way towards the Mountain Highway.
Upon reaching the base of the 1-in-20, i proceeded on the first of three hill repeats. This was interesting as the cloud was really low. Took my time coasting on the descents - no point smashing myself into an oncoming car or falling off the hillside.
On the last one, i kept going through Sassafras, eased it off, then toodled up to Skyhigh on Mt. Dandy. On the way, i dropped my energy bar on the road - so numb were my hands from the cold. Picked it up and ate it anyway, for i knew i would be seriously f***ed on the way home if i did not keep up the energy intake. I had to get to Skyhigh, since i had never been there before despite my three years living in Melbourne. Hah.
Skyhigh was nothing much to crow about that day, given the atrocious weather and poor visibility, but i could imagine how nice it would be in summer or on a clear day. Just a handful of wandering families taking in the bleak view. I was soon out of the teeth of the wind and cold, coasting serenely down the long descent into Montrose singing songs to myself - strangely i don't remember a single car passing me as i did so.
Toodled home via Canterbury Road, then Riversdale Road (and i felt every undulation on this road for sure!), then my favourite: Burke Rd and its mother of a last climb into Malvern. Overall, i did feel i over-reached a bit on this day, but i was also glad i did the quality training where most others would have packed up and gone home long ago. The weather did contribute to overall fatigue, but the tough conditions just made it all the more worthwhile for me!
with Simon staying at home, and only Keith and Paul turning up for a 3-hour ride some time after 9am (the sleep-inners!), i had a feeling that i would be toughing it out alone again. How fitting, since this would be my last big-ass weekend ride in Melbourne for the next seven months at least.
So the three of us set off from INCC and did the Mt. Pleasant loop. Some good climbs, but when it came time to part ways, they turned left; i turned right to find my way towards Mt. Dandenong.
Clocked a new max speed on the road: 76.59 km/h - somewhere between Warrandyte and Ringwood... and this was without pedalling. For safety reasons, this was done using the Graeme Obree tucked-in position (with my hands covering the brake levers). What a rush!
Lovely weather by the way: cool temperatures, overcast skies, rain-slicked roads and a constant drizzle to maintain the consistency of the road grime as i picked my way towards the Mountain Highway.
Upon reaching the base of the 1-in-20, i proceeded on the first of three hill repeats. This was interesting as the cloud was really low. Took my time coasting on the descents - no point smashing myself into an oncoming car or falling off the hillside.
On the last one, i kept going through Sassafras, eased it off, then toodled up to Skyhigh on Mt. Dandy. On the way, i dropped my energy bar on the road - so numb were my hands from the cold. Picked it up and ate it anyway, for i knew i would be seriously f***ed on the way home if i did not keep up the energy intake. I had to get to Skyhigh, since i had never been there before despite my three years living in Melbourne. Hah.
Skyhigh was nothing much to crow about that day, given the atrocious weather and poor visibility, but i could imagine how nice it would be in summer or on a clear day. Just a handful of wandering families taking in the bleak view. I was soon out of the teeth of the wind and cold, coasting serenely down the long descent into Montrose singing songs to myself - strangely i don't remember a single car passing me as i did so.
Toodled home via Canterbury Road, then Riversdale Road (and i felt every undulation on this road for sure!), then my favourite: Burke Rd and its mother of a last climb into Malvern. Overall, i did feel i over-reached a bit on this day, but i was also glad i did the quality training where most others would have packed up and gone home long ago. The weather did contribute to overall fatigue, but the tough conditions just made it all the more worthwhile for me!
