Afternoon all

Slightly belated report today…..

Many in the barriers this morning with energy to burn given few outings on the weekend due to the high humidity. Schleck on his not-oft-ridden Scott MTB, Agro, Capt, Kimba, Crashant – a great crowd and a crowd of greats out to greet the Fatty O’Barrell at the annointed hour. Good to see Matt back on the (real) pedals too – after peddling the CBD sale via FB lately….

My various discussions en route – sailing around Tasmania, ASX to go sub-4000, ER charity effort in Asia next year, Brownie not yet paying his way in the GiroTip, Agro’s doctorate in Accounting – where else could you squeeze such a diverse range of topics into 45 minutes. Without even a chance of catching diseases floating around CityRail this time of year.

Disappointing the much publicised FM return ride on Friday night was only attended by our Captain – the hoardes of press must have been disappointed.

ER 2012 Fridge Magnet in final draft version – hopefully awaiting word from Lady Satnav re availability of Opera House for the Xmas Party. Or the Hornsby RSL if Allen’s already have the OH booked up.

FTOTM Lunch Club tomorrow – Bav Bier Caf at 24 York Street, first schnitzel dropped at 12.30pm. Let me know if you can’t access the spreadie (tradesman’s term) and I’ll drop you on.

Have to get back to it.

Have a good remainder of the day all.

Departures as per normal from SHBS – 5.15pm and 6pm.

Mark / Satnav

A classic winter high is sitting over the Victorian Alps, which we can all enjoy in that mornings in Sydney are calm, North/East breeze off a warmish ocean, some fog but definitely no frost…Perfect weather for a ride to the office.

The radar was a blank screen today,  Monte Dural was shrouded in patchy mist just before the crack of dawn. Launching into the commute on a lull in the traffic the bike turned right away from a Gall Stone and onto the aptly named Hoar’s Drawers. The Hills Shire has still yet to send in repair crews to fill in potholes along New Line road, making for a bone shaking ride and requiring YHC taking evasive action among P plate, Ute and white van drivers..The Gall Stone may be 10kms longer but it is way safer.

Rolling into Fox Valley at the appointed hour, and happy to see the Satnav posse, ready to flog the horses for a swift transfer to Gordon.

Hump day over, the weekend in sight, today’s order of battle was many ranks deeper and led magnificently from the rear by HRH FM Goose. It gathered steam rapidly and launched as the FOB arrived for an on time departure, twenty plus ERs charging down the north shore saving CO2 running on saturated fat , blowing hard and fast.

One day this report will state there was an orderly peloton, two wide, spaced correctly, dressed impeccably in Egg and Tomato, a soft whirring of chain on sprocket, tones hushed, but not today, probably not this month, or year…and I think that is a good thing, our usual mayhem, raucous conversation, ample opportunity to surge, rejoin and fall of the back works a treat for me. Traffic , powered and pedalled meshed well without incident today paced on the top end of comfortable, all aboard were gassing freely unstressed and purposefully. It was poetry in motion, Banjo would have enjoyed the spectacle.

YHC was unsighted at the KOM, ( my excuse book is not alphabetic but seems to be stuck at “was too far back to see “ ) I can say though that I saw a continuous stream of ERs stretching up the hill, in various states of hypoxia, all giving it a fair crack, passing the odd random on the way. Stirling effort which meant the bunch made it to the top of the Col de Crow’s en masse.

Taking tips from the Goose, YHC maintained an aerobic pace which meant arriving at the B&T in good shape, a little behind the leaders but well back in the queue for coffee…had to find a bike rack, and then a place to park.

Order of business …Bike NSW are collaborating with the ER HMOTN to create an exciting event in the Spring Cycle …Bullet will be thinking up a catch phrase to start an equivalent to Earth Hour but for bikes..a global, nay galactic reach is required, viral marketing , it will be big…your suggestions on this forum greatly appreciated.

Returns are all in timetable order, the 5:15 will be leaving at 5:15 no doubt the 6pm will be leaving at 6pm…

Have a good one all

BT..

A mystery man in a suit aboard BamBam’s bike passed the B&T at 8:15. Pinstripe over Lycra looks like it will catch on. Very spiffy.

Morning all

Numbers down a little this morning, rounding out at 12 by the time we hit North Sydney. Let the minutes show:

– Great to see HB joining at Gordon this morn, asking where everyone’s been. I think I was the only one who knew who he was…..good to see you back mate

– guffaws of astonishment with BT’s recent revelation that carbs are actually needed in the diet. His scores of followers are now left dazed and confused as they walk past a bakery. His press people clearly need firing at the way in which this breaking news was “snuck under the radar in 6 point font”. A full explanation will be provided at next Tuesday’s Lunch Club.

Let’s go to the stoning…..

– a fallen comrade on Lavender St, just after the left turn off Blues Point Road. He looked OK but a bit shaken. Suspect he hit the back of the ambulance like many of us nearly did.

– recent joiner and fellow Squizite Dobbo reported setting up a few new Strava segments for his commute from Epping which joins us at Artarmon Oval. Clutters, Bam, Fore soon to be deployed to put some pressure on.

– more additions to the membership ranks with new boy Mark (Snives) joining in again this morning, new boy Toby (Killara) last night – bringing our numbers to 94. Defection of the remaining Peppou clan will get us to 96. List attached so you can keep an eye out. Autographed ER mug with photo of the Captain for the 100th recruit.

– WBA has queried when the annual 2012 ER Fridge Magnet will be released, listing out our ER-sanctioned events for the year. Tradition dictates we only release in May, so shortly.

– kit update – order now in, production started, 15 days to shipment. Apols for delay as it’s taken a while for our man to appreciate that he should be taking the hit for the devaluation of the AUD recently. Might have to call TFS in to provide him some guidance on the FX hedging he should be undertaking.

– AOB, nil.

Return journeys pencilled in the ledger for 5.15pm and 6pm.

Have a good one all.

Mark / Satnav

Morning all

In order to ensure some semblance of productivity from our ER Patent Attorney WBA today – who disclosed that his day doesn’t really start work until reading the ride report – I thought I’d get in early with an amatuer effort……

The few drops of rain overnight and damp roads did little to discourage the ER entourage today – we’d amassed around 20 by the time we hit North Sydney. Long gone are the days when we’d only have 4 or 5 on the pedals in such conditions. Great to see so many out – in fact many I only saw for the first time at the B&T. No incidents, accidents etc which in these conditions is an achievement eh Crashant? Thankfully there was no water covering the drains outside Fort Street Public.

B1 started the day on the right note, exclaiming on looking down the line of Coopz frame towards him “ahhh, you’re quite short”. A master of the bleeding obvious is our B1. Coopz response can’t be published here. B1 mumbled something about cable outer length, but by then the damage had been done. One for the judiciary.

Captain clearly tapering for the BEWDIJ (pronounced “bewdy”) challenge – ie Bike Every Working Day In July. We hope his sniffle subsides in good time for the start of this annual event. Punters keen to see Drastique’s approach this year, being the winner in 2011.

Old Spice accused of revving up the 6pm return last night, then heard later complaining the pace was a bit toey. For goodness sake Brownie keep that peloton in order will you pls.

With Phantom in Hingapore we expect some comical musings live from the exec club lounge later in the week.

Great seeing and reading VD’s commentary of his tour. Keep them coming mate.

Our Facebook forum has confirmed the continued existence of our Dominator, rarely seen or heard at this time of year.

Bring back Half. Without his learned views we could easily think Greece’s problems aren’t all that bad.

C.Hippo rumoured to be making a come back next week, which will align nicely with next Tuesday being ER FTOTM Lunch Club – extensive consultation with Sir Lunchalot has resulted in the same venue being suggested as our last outing – all those in favour – the yay’s have it:

Normal return flights tonight – fasten seat belts for the 5.15pm or 6pm.

Have a good one all.

Mark / Satnav

All quiet up the slopes of Monte Dural as YHC rolled slowly into the Gall Stone Gorge…Perfect conditions for a ride into town, air chilled to perfection, traffic calm, only the odd ute and the ghost of Ernie’s Milkcart making their way through the back blocks. ( All jokes aside once you get out pedalling at that time of day, it is almost a spiritual experience ) ..a balance of breath, effort, working with the landscape, sound of the chain, and wind past the ears…even the ute brigade cannot break through in a fit of smoky rage.

The gorge delivered again as only it can, no matter the temperature going in, climbing out is tropical. Having a new saddle position makes a big difference on the climb, no records broken but some nice new sores developing where the sun don’t shine. Apparently the hip joint and Glutes are the key and I now know where they are…a pain the @r $e.

The bugler was busy last night, keeping the bongo drummer awake..mustering 20 plus on the one true path to call the OFF on the fat of O’barrel.

A staged roll out, thankfully orderly and well managed into the hills of breath. Man Machine interfaces behaving well, banter at half volume, attention to details such as “Car Back” and “Stopping “ being the order of the day. 15 departed Gordon, building to gone 20 by Chatswoo’ and a smart catch by Clive and WBA …Bucky ..where fore art thou…

Only one incident to report…ute ( yeah strange I know ) piled in rudely turning left into Strickland without indicating then barging through again to turn left again without indicating into Chelmsford Ave..missing an accident by a whisker. Rare to see such aggression..but from my vantage point it looked far from unintentional.

Nothing to dwell on though , the pace continued to be at banter speed, which highlights the best reasons to be pedalling in the first place…why would you be on a “silent” train or be jostled on a bus when there are stories to tell and strava segments to attack.

The KOM champ will have to chime in, as YHC was determined to not be up there, seated climbs and listening to planet Bullet…until it was time to lift out of the saddle and raise the heart rate beyond the threshold of pain.

A gentle roll ensued to the B&T , although I did manage to create confusion on the bridge as I chose to use a lay by on the right side of the carriageway short of the road works, it is not really clear where to wait for on coming traffic but as there are bollards everywhere I used what space there was. Derek nearly cleaned up the approaching traffic .

Coffee …well yes, what a turn out , and there were heaps of ERs too.

All set for the return ride, should be another cool one.

Cheers All
BT

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