Good to take my (new for me) ‘Crosslight’ bike into some new roads with this great bunch on such a magnific morning.
Rolling out from Flemington taking Chandler hway & east along Doncaster rd along the BR route I forgot all about that incline after the Eastern Fway overpass, haven’t even officially started the ride & I’m looking to jump into the 30t ‘bail’ chainwheel on my triple, sheesh!
Early at the start, well, before anyone else so I got out into some sun, tiring to break into double figures.
Essendon, Blah, Gags, Dutch, TimC rock in & we set off.
Even though I safely stowed on board a BR route map from Bikesoiler everything after the left turn into Old Warrandyte Rd just drew a blank with me so I just followed which ever wheel I could see, but TimC, Dutch & Gags gave me some pointers. We descended into some road works – gravel – at Tindals rd where Dutchy washed off some knots with thoughts of more unhappier times perhaps, while I rolled on weighting the pedals with a hope that my less-than-elegant cyclocross frame & beefy alloy fork would lap this sort of stuff up. Must admit though that my Vittoria Rubinos 700x23C didn’t take kindly to sudden changes of direction on loose gravel while dragging the anchors.
Past Donvale school there was an uphill bit that got the Sti shifting working. Gags rolled off half way up with some chain suck from what I remember, I recall some shifting issues he was having riding alongside him at Doncaster rd before, but he did mention that he just fitted all his gear across to the freshly repainted Cecil Walker frame & maybe there was an opportunity for some fine tuning.
Reynolds Rd I found myself 10 bike lengths off Essendon’s or Blahs wheel so I figure I try make the gap, into the drops & sort myself into a good cog, doing this looking down for a sec I round a left bend where the road eases down & I can see ahead for about 2 kms. That’s when I realise that there’s no bike ahead. Huh? Over my shoulder I catch TimC I think pointing off to the right. Yep I missed the Harris Gully Rd turnoff. Slowed up on the decent & hooked a U-ie. As I’m pedalling back, to where all the guys are waiting I can’t get any speed up & notice that I’m dragging my rear brake pad on one side (my bike runs Avid cantilevers). I roll up & fudge about, Gags saves me getting to my loose allen keys floating about in my backpack with his complete bike-tool-kit thingy. As I get my figures dirty I notice that the pad is OK, but something else is out. So I flick out the rear wheel quick release & reseat my rear wheel.
Things don’t come to me very easily sometimes & it’s only later when I’m grinding up another hill (yep, there’s a few of them on this ride) that I realise that my rear quick release is not set tight enough & later heavy braking manoeuvre again cocks the rear wheel slightly enough to cause a nuisance.
Through Warrandyte & I’m told to set my stopwatch, it’s on after the bus stop. The road kicks up a little & Ess, Blah & TimC shoot off. For a sec I think about it but realise being my first I have no idea what I’m in for so I keep a little in the bank & just grind away taking notes as I go, besides the legs & lungs where starting to tell a story I’ve heard a few times before & home wasn’t just around that corner. Gags hung with me as well so it was good to pace off.
The morning was warming up nicely & the views off the sides of these climbs made it good place to be. The traffic was light & swung wide as they passed & the roads here did have that handy bit of bitumen shoulder through most of it.
The guys were waiting for us at Pideon Hill stop (official end point of ITT) , my recorded was 16min 19sec – a good base to work from I told myself. I forgot what everyone else got. After this regroup we rolled off to the Kangaroo Ground school where Dutchy & co where waiting.
At this point I elected to head for home. This was the second early morning I left behind my other half grumbling in bed as I rolled off for more adventure, so it seemed a good opportunity to get in some quality time for the rest of the day.
As they all turned off for Wastons Creek I headed west to Diamond Creek, Greensborough & home.
Saturday morning I rode out to Beach Rd with a few blokes from work, down to Mordialloc & back. Nice easy going ride sure, but this ride, the BR ride with the a.b peeps takes in some good climbing, great descents & all wrapped up in good looking neighbourhood, certainly pales the well tread path long the bay side.
(PS: I might’ve mixed the names up in the RR, apologies)
