BR: Quick detour to work

[TimC]

Get up at 6:00, out the door by 6:40, come back quickly, and grab the
bananas I left on the floor, out the door again by 6:48. Detour 75 or
so km to work, get in by 11:00, which is earlier than normal for a
weekday, and proceed to write up my job application which is pretty
much now due. Take a short detour to the 6m TV in the VR room, to
watch cycling central.

I'm stuffed (I have been hungry all day, no matter how much I eat),
but what a fun day.


I'm ever so slightly faster than DaveB and I presume Brett, at the
start, but gee, the going gets hard at the end. I'd like to be able to
stick with the bunch down that hill that is marked as 80km on the BR
map. I probably should go to a Mitre-10 to grab some glasses too -- I
hate not being able to see because of the wind in the eyes.

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
Stapp's (of Murphey's law fame) Law: the universal aptitude for
ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle.

 

[Blah]

"TimC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm ever so slightly faster than DaveB and I presume Brett, at the
> start, but gee, the going gets hard at the end.

But what a ridiculously great job you do on that bike - seriously, I'd say
the bike makes a large difference, particularly towards the end. Surely the
small (or huge?) difference in the amount of effort you're putting compared
to the rest of us in is magnified over the course of the '75km detour'.

 

[hippy]

Blah wrote:
> "TimC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>I'm ever so slightly faster than DaveB and I presume Brett, at the
>>start, but gee, the going gets hard at the end.
>
> But what a ridiculously great job you do on that bike - seriously, I'd say
> the bike makes a large difference, particularly towards the end. Surely the
> small (or huge?) difference in the amount of effort you're putting compared
> to the rest of us in is magnified over the course of the '75km detour'.

What sort of bike is it to require more effort? Knobby-tyred mtb?

If it makes you feel any better, I eat for the rest of the day after
similar rides. (OVER-eat probably but that's half the fun ).

sick hippy

 

[TimC]

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 05:50 GMT, hippy (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> Blah wrote:
>> "TimC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>I'm ever so slightly faster than DaveB and I presume Brett, at the
>>>start, but gee, the going gets hard at the end.
>>
>> But what a ridiculously great job you do on that bike - seriously, I'd say
>> the bike makes a large difference, particularly towards the end. Surely the
>> small (or huge?) difference in the amount of effort you're putting compared
>> to the rest of us in is magnified over the course of the '75km detour'.

I haven't yet had the luxury of having riden a road bike before, so I
still don't beleive that it is easier to ride a road bike. It's all
just a conspiracy to make me part with my money

(and the day that I do test ride one, I can bet that I will hate the
rest of my days road-riding on a MTB)

> What sort of bike is it to require more effort? Knobby-tyred mtb?

Nah, just a slick tired GVBR bike.

One day I'll do the BR without having removed the panniers and rack
first.

(doing a bike lift with that last CM was *seriously* hard; I was
wobbling all over the place while I was trying to lift it before
finally stabilising, just like a weight lifter... only with 10 times
less weight.)

Now proof reading my job application. Maybe I will have this submitted
before tonight Münich time (even if they do preferentially treat
applications written by people WHO GET OF THEIR BUTTS AND ARE
ORGANISED more than my own[1]).

[1] I hope the application doesn't read as badly as that sentence
reads.

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
``Here, sanity ... niiiiiice sanity, come to daddy ... okay, that's a
good sanity ... {*THWONK!*} _Got_ the *******.'' -- Anthony de Boer @ ASR

 

[hippy]

TimC wrote:
> On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 05:50 GMT, hippy (aka Bruce)
>>What sort of bike is it to require more effort? Knobby-tyred mtb?
>
> Nah, just a slick tired GVBR bike.

haha.. so you're out to prove all the doubters (me included) wrong?!

Headline: "GVBR bike lasts more than 6 months!"

> [1] I hope the application doesn't read as badly as that sentence
> reads.

They're German.. their English is backwards anyway

hippy
- hobbles away rapidly

 

[DaveB]

TimC wrote:
>
> I'm ever so slightly faster than DaveB and I presume Brett, at the
> start,

HURRUMPH!

DaveB

 

[TimC]

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 07:07 GMT, hippy (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> TimC wrote:
>> On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 05:50 GMT, hippy (aka Bruce)
>>>What sort of bike is it to require more effort? Knobby-tyred mtb?
>>
>> Nah, just a slick tired GVBR bike.
>
> haha.. so you're out to prove all the doubters (me included) wrong?!
>
> Headline: "GVBR bike lasts more than 6 months!"

It makes some sick sounds. Don't know what's wrong with the head
gasket^W^Hset. Derailleur (woo, I appear to have spelled that
correctly for the first time ever) occasionally clunks in a bad way,
too.

Hope it lasts long enough that either I know I am staying here for
several more years, or long enough for me to move overseas. I'm not
going to buy a bike and use it only for a year before finding out that
a) I have to carry it overseas, or b) whatever bike I buy doesn't suit
the conditions of what every country I move to. How do road bikes fair
in snow, anyway?

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
"Thanks to the joint efforts of OpenOffice, Mozilla, and a few others, Emacs
officially entered the category of lightweight utilities." -- kalifa on /.

 

[TimC]

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 07:32 GMT, DaveB (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> TimC wrote:
>>
>> I'm ever so slightly faster than DaveB and I presume Brett, at the
>> start,
>
> HURRUMPH!

The really start (ie, not the steep sections, and even in the shallow
sections we were swapping places quite often - weird)! You beat my up
to the top of the hill, but not by much

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
"If geiger counter does not click, the coffee, she is just not thick."
-- Pitr Dubovich, User Friendly

 

[flyingdutch]

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 07:32 GMT, DaveB (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> TimC wrote:
>>
>> I'm ever so slightly faster than DaveB and I presume Brett, at the
>> start,
>
> HURRUMPH!

The really start (ie, not the steep sections, and even in the shallow
sections we were swapping places quite often - weird)! You beat my up
to the top of the hill, but not by much

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
"If geiger counter does not click, the coffee, she is just not thick."
-- Pitr Dubovich, User Friendly

and a big welcome to PiledHigher. was that your first BR?
or ahd you done another whilst i was chasing herbal remedies?

Damn BRs are getting over-populated by, eegads, climbers!

Suggestions:
i think next week we need to delay our ride a tad to allow the full contingent of staff at Smiths Gully cafe to arrive. The poor lone sod doing 11 coffees.
and he aint so... 'barista'd'
and perhaps the front markers could order for all so we dont get so cold next time waiting?

 

[Gags]

"flyingdutch" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
>
> TimC Wrote:
> > On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 at 07:32 GMT, DaveB (aka Bruce)
> > was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> > > TimC wrote:
> > >>
> > >> I'm ever so slightly faster than DaveB and I presume Brett, at the
> > >> start,
> > >
> > > HURRUMPH!
> >
> > The really start (ie, not the steep sections, and even in the shallow
> > sections we were swapping places quite often - weird)! You beat my up
> > to the top of the hill, but not by much
> >
> > --
> > TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
> > "If geiger counter does not click, the coffee, she is just not thick."
> > -- Pitr Dubovich, User Friendly
> and a big welcome to PiledHigher. was that your first BR?
> or ahd you done another whilst i was chasing herbal remedies?
>
> Damn BRs are getting over-populated by, eegads, climbers!
>
> Suggestions:
> i think next week we need to delay our ride a tad to allow the full
> contingent of staff at Smiths Gully cafe to arrive. The poor lone sod
> doing 11 coffees.
> and he aint so... 'barista'd'
> and perhaps the front markers could order for all so we dont get so
> cold next time waiting?
> --
> flyingdutch
>
There were a few PBs today.....

DaveB took 40 seconds off of his best time up the hill from the roundabout
at Diamond Creek.
I cracked 13:58 for the climb out of Warrandyte.
Blah sculled his latte in about 5 seconds......

If the BR keeps growing at this rate, we will have to ask the cafe to get in
some more tables and chairs!!

I really noticed the effects of including the "goat track" detour
again.....I ran out of legs at the front way too soon on the way back from
St Andrews and then struggled to get back on when Blah and Dutch went past.
Once I was drafting again I started feeling OK and decided to have another
crack at the front when Blah was tiring and I promptly felt like **** again
within about a minute or so. I was madly waving the right elbow and Blah
came around for another turn at the front (god bless him).....he died in the
****....I went around....I died in the ****.....etc. I was actually pretty
happy when we met up with the "short cutters" again as I was well and truly
pedalling in squares by then.

Blah......you gotta practice your "taking a turn at the front" technique.
Note how when I went past you for my turn, I crept in front of you so that
you were immediately on my wheel?? When you got out of the saddle and flew
past me, it took me about another 100m or so to make up the 10m or so break
that you got on me! The main reason for this is probably because nobody
except you ever has a crack at the front along there so you haven't had to
do it before, but...I expect to see a vast improvement next time so that my
lungs can stay on the inside of my body

Ride On,

Gags

 

[flyingdutch]

Blah......you gotta practice your "taking a turn at the front" technique.
Note how when I went past you for my turn, I crept in front of you so that
you were immediately on my wheel?? When you got out of the saddle and flew
past me, it took me about another 100m or so to make up the 10m or so break
that you got on me! The main reason for this is probably because nobody
except you ever has a crack at the front along there so you haven't had to
do it before, but...I expect to see a vast improvement next time so that my
lungs can stay on the inside of my body

Ride On,

Gags

oi! i resemble that remark!
i went to the front for at least, oh, 100m!!!

learning how to be a 'sprinter'. go to front. mysteriously pedal fast yet go slower. go back and suckwheel. hehehe!

F"smart"Dutch

 

[[email protected]]

TimC wrote:
> Get up at 6:00,


and till the spring weeds.

 

[[email protected]]

TimC wrote:
> Get up at 6:00,


and till the spring weeds.

 

[[email protected]]

TimC wrote:
> Get up at 6:00,


and till the spring weeds.

 

[[email protected]]

TimC wrote:
> Get up at 6:00,


and till the spring weeds.

 

[[email protected]]

TimC wrote:
> Get up at 6:00,


and till the spring weeds.

 

[[email protected]]

TimC wrote:
> Get up at 6:00,


and till the spring weeds.

 

[PiledHigher]

and a big welcome to PiledHigher. was that your first BR?
or ahd you done another whilst i was chasing herbal remedies?

Damn BRs are getting over-populated by, eegads, climbers!

Suggestions:
i think next week we need to delay our ride a tad to allow the full contingent of staff at Smiths Gully cafe to arrive. The poor lone sod doing 11 coffees.
and he aint so... 'barista'd'
and perhaps the front markers could order for all so we dont get so cold next time waiting?

Yes it was my first time, thanks for the welcome.

Me climber, unlikely!

Liked the route, used to train over a lot of those roads in the past just never connected them in quite that way.

Wasn't sold on the backstreets through greensborough and heidelberg but can't really suggest a more direct route.

Found that there were a few too many catch up poinnts for my liking, ie. could the first catch up be at the coffee shop, maybe the stronger riders could do a minor regroup at kangaroo ground and then go up and back to sugarloaf b4 coming back to cut through to the coffee stop. (this might be a bit too far for the regroup but you know what I mean.)

Tim C. - you would definitely feel the difference of a lighter bike, the BV bike could be up to 5kg heavier than the lighter bikes in the group (and given my 925m of climbing for the BR part of my ride) that equates to a lot of extra work!

 

[blah]

Yep, duly noted. I have no idea about bunch riding as I was very much
the lone rider (think western movie) until BRs. I think it may be right
that I hardly get to draft people ('cept Lindsay) when we're going for
speed as that's really the only place that it's essential (draft or
die...). I think that yesterday was the first time I'd seen anyone use
the elbow gesture on a BR - I actually had to look for it a second time
to make sure that's what it was, then came through... too fast. For the
sake of your lungs, I'll work on my technique. Actually, a smoother
overtake will probably save my lungs. I'm always aware of bogan traffic
along there, and am a bit cautious about spending too much time two
abreast, so the overtake is quick.
So those are my excuses...

 

[flyingdutch]

Yes it was my first time, thanks for the welcome.

Me climber, unlikely!

well, more than some

Wasn't sold on the backstreets through greensborough and heidelberg but can't really suggest a more direct route.

yeah, its more about avoiding the **** road if you stay on Grimshaw/greensborough Hwy. Maybe we could try turning left onto Para Rd and right at Main Rd. The nastiest pinch is LwrPlenty Rd/Rosanna Rd. seriously dangerous.

Found that there were a few too many catch up points for my liking, ie. could the first catch up be at the coffee shop, maybe the stronger riders could do a minor regroup at kangaroo ground and then go up and back to sugarloaf b4 coming back to cut through to the coffee stop. (this might be a bit too far for the regroup but you know what I mean.)

if this group is going to keep like this, i think its time to organise 2 groups!
One 'faster' group who does the extra Watsons Creek loop without stopping at Kangaroo ground, and the others who do stop there and go straight onto the caf?

maybe the character of the ride is changing but i seem to recall the name starting with 'Bunch'. Obviously this aint gonna be totally practical when lots of climbing is involved, however the practice of some to drop others on the flats (approach to Warrandyte for eg) isnt helping. Besides, save it for the climb! . Perhaps after the 'speed-descent' hill we let the slower riders get a 1-2 minute headstart so were all getting to the caf ruffly the sameish time?

Also i think the ones NOT doing the TT between StA and Hurstbridge should just keep going once they get down to the roundabout, just to negate one more stop.

The other reason for the gather points is not to lose someone, as we almost did with TimC a few weeks' back. Not nice for the newer guys/gals.

suggustions, anyone?