With all the yodelling to the tune of some Lion King refrain, the bongos were drowned out by factor of 10…leaving an annoying catchy little Disney tune doing its thing bouncing around the skull like a scratched record ( yes YHC is old enough to know what that sounds like )

Growling into wakefulness almost before nightfall, and onto the gorge run, nothing was moving through the Dural village, even the drunks were still at the bar…

Chilly but dry, no fog, stars and the open road, perfect conditions for a ride into town. Conditions so perfect that the only traffic I encountered into the gorge were two other cyclists chuffing their way up, and one ninja runner dressed in black carrying no lights running down the hill from Hornsby, only saw him because a ute overtaking me painted him in the headlights, you had to be there.

Much ute traffic heading Hornsby way, but it was chilly enough not to have windows wound down, if I scored any GOTFR tokens they were well contained in the cab of origin.

Noticed a few more cyclists on the highway to Gordon, the left lane now seems a lot clearer which might be because traffic is used to being bailed up behind and choose now to occupy the middle lane..I think the end of the beginning has arrived in the battle, “ the few “ seem to have gained ground.

15 on the pedals gathered for the off, Goose aboard defending ride names against a recasting agent, setting boundaries and leading in the FM style , Poombah was squashed quick smart, ‘nuff said.

A rollicking pace on the BOF, the temperature being incentive to generate some internal heat, not sure if there was a rush on but there was a rush on. In a snap the hills of Breath were behind, and YHC was not in any mood to sprint the Rawhiti bends, but there was a hardy bunch up front giving it a bash. The regroup at Roseville growing the peloton by a few more, so keeping the average up…remember the July challenge is nearly upon us, if you have not got your cool weather clothing ready you will regret it…the “every working day in July” challenge is one not to miss. Drastique has promised to lead from the front on that one defending his championship jersey.

KOM was hotly contested, Comet finding himself in the front of field making an effort to hold back the hoards using Team Sky tactics, commanding the pace along the SUP but alas was attacked on the first slope as Schleck McDaid and BamBam tussled for space, YHC was watching the action amid a scrum and was locked in, DT charging along the outside with a snowballs chance, in the end it would have been a photo finish…

A scattered field regroups atop the col de CrowsNest, and the B&T dash commenced immediately, it is interesting to see how the lead riders put just a little bit extra in to secure their seat at the table first..nudge through lights on the change, shove into the line up the stairs ahead of slower randoms, sprint off the top of the stairs..incremental seconds accumulate to ensure a winning combination…

B&T output has now increased, coffee arrives at a swift pace, often before the order has been given…

News of the Sea to Summit beginning to sound like an ER challenge…gauntlets being tossed already, pick one up at your own risk, but who can resist the moniker of “ the most difficult ride on the continent” …if they added the incentive of a Rapha jersey for all those who complete it would be hands down misere…

Have a good one all,

BT/Jenny

A Monday special on the pedals this morning, FBW never certain so early in the week, so it was ride hard for the office time.

YHC parking at Gordon, either the Captain has invested in a huge new Harley, or another bikie has usurped the ER turf and is looking for a showdown, ( G’day mate, noice boik )

Counting being almost as dodgy as my memory for names, put at least 20 in the starting gate, sans Bucky who made a catch somewhere en route..as the BOF rolled in and the peloton rolled out it was wall to wall egg and tomato and the omelette seemed to expand as we ate the OTP.

The hills of breath were attacked, and conquered, fresh Monday legs making light work of Fridays torture, the greyhounds baying into the distance pedalling at a hare raising 30+, steaming to a halt at the Roseville bus stop. Schleck in the pink jersey although ¼ and BamBam high on the GC , busy making plans to scuttle the Clutters on the KOM.

Today we stood in the middle of Boundary St for a good 3 minutes….30 odd cyclists feeling the draught as mega trucks chickened their way past barely a foot from disaster…a reminder that our lobbyists need to get onto the case again regarding a bike path along the railway bridge.

The Archer St lights sequenced to perfection, changing to red exactly as the first 3 or four had slipped by, making a peloton spread across Chatswoo’ ..the Tindale regroup was 15 strong and was then swamped by another bigger group which meant we were about 30 or more at that point..and still there were a few missing ranks …Captain, what is the ruling about being awol these days…

A comfortable churn up the KOM for YHC as usual, chasing Falsh and saving the legs for the flogging later today in the Pamp my ride office..will see how my not riding much has improved my chances of taking line honours on the Etape.

As usual the blast up into Crowies seems to break whatever discipline was holding the “Tete de la course” on to the Caboose as they seem to fly across the bridge and are supping coffee before the combined might of the peloton arrives…( one day I shall be there…just not today )

Records were broken, stops removed, coffee delivered in exceptional time…alas though Ashleigh achieved her place on the ER wall of fame…departing the B&T and upwards to pastures new.

The northbound posse promises to be monster, climb aboard the 5:15 if you can.

Have a great one all
BT

Hands up all those who did not take advantage of the second best way to start the day….

Now use that hand to smack back of head…or front of head and say “D’oh.” …( the medically challenged are exempt )

Utterly perfect weather to pedal that bike.

20 or so in the OTP departure lounge at the appointed hour, and after the usual back slapping and rib splitting humour it was into the hills and valleys of the one true path. Traffic though was a little up on the average, and seemed to get in the way at all the various junctions, roundabouts and lights making gaps in the peloton that only the most energetic were able to cross.

The other key word on today’s list is “Spokes” …the pesky little bits of metal that keep your wheels in tip top circular shape. There was a rider pulled up lame at the first hill with a broken spoke on the front, and another had to have a spokectomy in the departure lounge having popped one in full flight on the highway. Essential kit for today at least was one spoke spanner…have you even got one… ( YHC has to confess no…will be rectified very shortly )

Apart from that, all was well on the ride in, spectacular conditions making for a brisk but enjoyable roll, KOM leaders were way ahead so I am guessing that it was a tussle between ¼, BamBam and Clutters…my money would have been on Clutters…YHC had already blown up the legs on the brief Rawhiti sprint so was in no position to attack the Scaramanga, although made another failed attempt at the Burlington dash, I am not sure how the likes of Cavendish can ride 200kms and then find the explosives to blast in at a 70kmh…or more.

The SHB was once more congested with road works so be aware, it is rude to be sprinting on the downhill hoping that the on coming traffic will give way..it was a marginal call guv honest…

Coffee just keeps on getting better…no doubt the budget will soon extend to some outdoor heating, ( although how that fits in to the “green…I am so green I even ride a bike to the office” ethos ) Vic was churning out the coffees so fast they were arriving at the table in mere seconds after ordering. He must have been concentrating as he was on the job training again.

Returns have been discussed, mulled and voted on, ..all the usual times and tickets.

Have a great on all
BT

A warm nor-westerly last night rustling through the leaves of the Nor’shore wafting in over the sound of the bongos…damn the natives were restless. As dawn broke, ERs who had been girding their loins in the Sanctified Ives , Col du Colah, Ra de Turramur and all the Wees of Wara started gathering in there clan colours for the winter highland to lowland roll.

Elders piped in, some rarely seen, could not resist the bongo’s call.. 3 FMs in one place, an event Mayan Astrologers predicted would occur in 2012 heralding the end of life as we know it…Drastique, swung into view, Cavewoman, Bucky ( making the catch early today), indeed we were overweight in leading lights( Brownie was even tempted off the Pacific driveway too) , although the gap in formation made by the Chippo and DLHK was noted by YHC.

26 clad in “Egg and Tomato” made the sacred march along the one true path, blazing the trail where Rouleurs have transformed themselves from Middle aged into Mamil, ( and Mawil) from rotund to rake, ( and there were a few rakes on show today)

The honour roll was at gentlemans pace, YHC wheezing into the hills of breath, a balmy 16C making for delightfully sweaty conditions, fooling all those in winter garb, FM Goose stripped down before the off, YHC was not so inclined, and melted in the unseasonably warm air. Old friends chatted, new chums genuflected, and the peloton sallied forth triumphally.

In aviation terms this was a wide bodied heavy…traffic that gets all priority, pushing aside light weights and prop traffic…and we did…traffic was stopped as we passed, lights changed to green on our approach , and the fat controller above smoothed the tarmac and dried the path to ensure all made their way into town in tip top condition.

KOM leaders were a good kilometre ahead of KOM trailers…YHC took up the lantern rouge ceremoniously as it was of yore, then as only the tardy were watching, YHC launched at full gas along the Burlington sprint finding a suitable opportunity to thrash the horses and smash through the threshold of pain. ( You can see how I do like to keep these sprints secret )

A sedate if wind broken correspondent then filtered purposefully through the shambles of North Sydney and SHB to arrive at the B&T in time to see the first sitting finish their first cup of coffee.

FM Goose has again struck gold…watch this space for more about the St Lucy Hill climb, an ER event that will no doubt be the stuff of legend soon.

Coffee / Communion as I call it was exceptional, Vic taking on new staff to manage the avalanche of lycra.

Return to your family seats, clan grounds, or castles when all business for the day is done…Bullet saying his Lunch was the keynote of todays effort, but I have also heard that the 5:15 is tipped to be bus du jour.

Have a good one all…

BT

A two dog night last night and a dingo’s breakfast for YHC on the upper slopes of Monte Dural. Layering up and pedalling out into what would once again prove to be perfect conditions for a ride to the office.

Dry air, clear sky, stars and a gorge, who could ask for more.

I can tell you it was colder today than a mother in law’s kiss down there in the depths of Gall Stone.  The rooster who usually is heralding the dawn at the bridge was a no show..( first best way maybe )

A steady climb out, making way for the utes/trucks and lead foots while keeping a 65 tempo and 130 heart rate, practicing long range cruise for the impending Etape put me into the bosom of the north shore in good time to meet the Fox Valley bus. The legs feeling a little less fresh than yesterday and any urge to sprint / launch off the front / show off / duly squashed into submission. Content to tuck into the draught behind Satnav and get towed into Gordon at an eye blasting 38kph average.

Gordon was at Gordon, as were 20 or so ER leading lights, winter coats looking fresh and clean, our fearless Captain in full regalia scrambled egg on shoulders and cap lead the troops out in tight battle formation. It was mentioned that the dark mornings and cooler air may thin the ranks a little, but it seems the opposite is true, or the call to a ER lunch proved just to attractive to miss…( I can now confirm the Captain’s credit card will NOT be on the bar for the occasion, but no doubt will see a little action)

Cut and paste yesterdays report, all except for the bits where YHC showed any flare, it was an FM ride ( although different FM ) 20 plus and accumulating more along the way..Bucky making the catch at Archer St..

KOM BamBam..followed but Schleck and ¼   ..Burlington smell of coffee exploding the peloton into smaller pieces for the sprint through North Sydney and SHB to Communion at the B&T.

The SHB road works were in the way again this morning, and like most road works had zero men or equipment in sight, be a little careful there though as YHC had to brake heavily from the usual 40kph charge.

Lunch still booked at the Bavarian Bier Cafe…12:30  24 York St

Returns by arrangement …bespoke schedules to fit all tastes.

Have a good one all
BT

PS

Half says big hugs to all…and next time hell book a lunch  venue with class at 1/3 the price of BBC..in the bosom of academe ( no credit card on the bar though )

Waking as I do about an hour before I go to sleep, it was still very much the middle of the night when I turned the first pedal on what turned out to be a spectacular morning for a ride to town. Checking the radar for any hint of inclement weather was a waste of time, a blank screen depicting the lack of cloud cover from all angles to about 500kms…but at 7C the temperature was crisp going on dam cold as I charged into the depths of Gall Stone Gorge. Without really intending to pedalling out became a PB driven mainly by the need to climb up above cold air and keep warm in the meantime…so cadence and gears selected to chaff those parts best designed to elevate the core temp and get out of there pronto.

Once aloft on the leafy NorthShore a different climate ensued, a balmy 13C and wafting warm breezes from draughting Mercs and Lexus 4X4s, however still collected a “GOTFR” token from a ute that was not even going my way, must have forgotten his meds this morning and the turrettes just took over.

Rolling to the top of Foxvalley for the Satnav bus stop , I was just in time as it rolled out exactly on time at 6:35 Old Nick aboard with B1 Satnav and YHC causing the usual traffic jam along Pacific driveway, well we took the blame at least, but pedalled trouble free to the Gordon Launch pad…and into a fast growing Monday FM ride…having genuflected and taken a Pugh communion was promised at the B&T…and thus it was so.

A 20 strong bunch of pedallers on the OTP made grate by Ravi, in his birthday suite, ( happy 45th mate ), Crushant took the opportunity to show a little form and attacked early on, the baroudeur though ran into trouble at the top of the Hills of Breath and was passed by a rampant Schleck chased by YHC who then charged onto the Col Du Lindfield. Descending fast and tempted to stretch the peloton but ER ethos observed the traverse through to the Rawhiti sprint was at a mild canter…Stealth made his way to the front, looking for a hill to attack, and was attacked by Schleck in the hope of beating PBs with fresh legs, that section is blessedly short so YHC thrashes out a sprint but can only hold Schlecks wheel not able to find the strength to pass without passing out.

Effort over for the day, social considerations take over and with a cast of thousands on the ride ample opportunity to exchange pleasantries which is after all why its the second best way to start the day.

Archer separates while tindale accumulates, and numbers seem to swell as 22 count achieved at the top of the ER KOM stretch. Once more unto the breach YHC lead the assault on the Scaramanger listening to BamBam and schelck toss up between them who would steal the glory, in the end Schleck motored past me with gas to spare, BamBam commiserated and held 3rd place, YHC in a hypoxic stupor barely able to complete the final few pedal turns to the crest..Schleck already attacking the Burlington sprint. The bunch overtake me as I regain some consciousness I see a red light and relax on the turn WBA and Stealth whip past, red rag to a bull, so digging into reserves I did not know I had it was once more past the threshold of pain into the quiet world where peripheral vision reduces slowly to a tunnel and noise fades to a murmur…until WBA sits up at a pedestrian crossing, unable to comprehend this event I charge past…only realising too late that a person could well have been crossing the road. ( so that’s how accidents happen..note to self…flagellation is fine on a turbo trainer but be sensible on the bike.)

Chastened I made the North Sydney SHB section with aplomb and in company, making no attempt to sprint against the turning lights across Pacific Driveway..and thus into the B&T well down the GC, Schleck taking line honours, already seated having kissed the podium girls and accepting his stage win with grace.

FM rides..minutes taken…

1. Charity ride…meters climbed being mooted as the target. Bobbo repeats, BBQ in the park, ERs to attempt either side as many times as they can..resting with a sausage in between climbs. Sounds perfect…
2. Beneficiaries, perhaps St something or other schools in Wahroonga..Goose to confirm.
3. Before Christmas…
4. Suggestion re challenge still a work in progress feel free to weigh in.

Dress rehearsal FTOTM lunch…Bavarian Bier Cafe was selected, however as the menu is pricey I would suggest having a burger first and just drinking the bier..unless you feel like a $25 meal with a $ 10 bier.

Other suggestions still possible

The ER home bus schedule is running to timetable order you decide the one for you..make sure you email the group at least 5 times to announce your intentions…

Have a great one all
BT

The sparrows were less flatulent today, or I managed to depart the slopes of Monte Dural before they woke, it was blacker than a B&T coffee with a smattering of fog to make things a little more interesting on the New Line rollercoaster. Temperature was a tricky 9C not cold enough to layer up but chilly enough aggravate the lumbago, so I peeled on the winter gear and boiled my way over to the top of Fox Valley. My lack of training seems to be working, as speed across to the Gordon launch point was 2nd fastest meaning I could have used a harder gear and added a little more pain for a little more gain.

The clear skies and mild conditions drew out the crowds today, YHC losing count beyond 11 again. A magnificent effort after Satnav clearly admonished the HMOTN for their poor turnout earlier in dispatches. Rolling out onto the OTP in all their finery, having removed the winter layers were the north shores finest , Herb unleashing his new weapon for the first time in anger, and shouting “it really makes a difference” yes mate ..it does.

The hills of death ( one of the great misnomers of our time ) were conquered with gusto again, pulses of ERs visible snaking over the landscape due to multiple coloured lights and a varied sense of urgency to arrive at coffee.

Plenty of peloton etiquette on show today, shouting out hazards, intentions and just plain shouting…it was great to see. Our 2 abreast policy seems to be holding out well, if you split the lane into dual carriageway, although with a large bunch it is not always possible to maintain a tight formation, I think the RAF would describe ours as “loose” ( and a bloody shambles off the record ) .. Archer St in mind, I think it is safer to use left lane (until forced over by parked cars ) and cross to the right turning lane at the top if clear..it then gives the lead foots a chance to roar past until we catch them at the next set of lights.

Tindale saw a standard regroup and avalanche into the dip, ¼ and Schleck already sorting out their podium speeches, and leading the charge into Artarmon park, alas as the path was both moist, sandy and covered in a greeninsh tinge of algae Rob managed to repeat Clint’s exploits on the first tight bend losing his front wheel at walking pace thankfully , bruising more than just his ego. It did not look like a bad fall, but hitting the dirt is never fun. HTMON as he is I think he still managed a good showing on the KOM.

A whiff of coffee climbing up the Burlington dash aka Willoughby Rd seems to fire up the crew as all cohesion seems to be lost as the coffee sprint ( which used to start at the SHB steps ) commenced at about West St…suddenly a 20 strong peloton is shattered into groups of 3 to 5… only brought back to a tight formation in the queue for Vic’s wares.

Just a note to all…vote for Vic on http://www.mycoffeemybarista.com.au/CafeDetail/Default.aspx?cafeId=762

The 5:15 is reportedly on time and running to schedule, 45 mins before the 6.

Have a great day all..

BT/Jenny