Stage-2

Well the $500 MRI is complete. They really pump us through, 30 minutes plus one after the other. and they run it 7 days a week I was there at 8:45AM today, a Sunday. As an experience I was surprised at the noise which made it hard to catch the few ZZZZzzzz i managed! 

Now to await the Surgeon's phone call some time next week....

I've finally decided that I am a

"cruiser by choice"

I don't think I could ride "Dirt Jumping", "Downhill", "Cross-country (XC) cycling" or "BMX". Come to think of it I don't think I could even ride "Mountain Biking".
It comes as no surprise that I am also not a "Roadie". So what am I when it comes to bicycle riding? Nothing really!

I enjoy doing things which have me...

... acquaint, appreciate, comprehend, deduce,
detect, determine, differentiate, discern, distinguish,
enlighten, experience, explore, extract, familiarise,
fathom, gather, grasp, glimpse, hear, learn, locate,
notice, observe, perceive, recognise, reveal, sense, ...

So just getting on a bike and riding a road (bitumen or gravel), track  or trail (well worn or overgrown)  will satisfy me. I can think of many reasons for covering the same stretches of the local journeys I go on and I can also think of more, possibly, reasons to turn down a different route the next time I come past.
I can not think of putting all my eggs in one basket and trying to excel in a style of riding that will see me miss out on any opportunities to go through my list. Maybe I am missing other experiences but life is too short to try to fit everything in, god I am sounding old but if, as our dopey Deputy Mayor says

"if the shoe fits..."

Roadie Respect, or the lack there of

Begin Moan;

Today's little trip saw me pass by a couple of "roadies", don't know what else you would call them. I do not think they are members of the fellowship of general cyclists. The first, after I said Gid'day, returned the greeting whereas the other saw fit to yell a callous or could it be spiteful remark "Hope you fall off!" Nice I thought! I was in usual attire, so probably stood out like dog balls to a lycra clad unpaid billboard, but, as is often the case at this time of year when going for a light road cruise, wearing thongs on my feet. (yes If I was to come off at any speedI could do some damage to my feet, but lets not forget my elbows, shoulders, knees, palms and fingers, head,hip, bum, did i forget anything? oh yeah my face.)

During the rest of the ride my thoughts drifted to contemplating the passing comment. Why bother saying that? Why not keep your negative remarks to yourself? Do you hope that others will go through your own experiences? Are you such a bad rider that you expect to fall, again, during  every ride?  Is he the type of person who verbally abuses people whilst in a queue at the bank,etc? Does he just like to tell other people they are wrong to make himself feel better about his own decisions? Is he a road rage practitioner when he gets behind the wheel of his motorised vehicle which is probably a hotted up ute or some such thing? 

It must of got to me a bit, as our paths crossed only a couple of hundred meters from the start of my ride. 

Later around the half way point in the ride, I passed another solo rider near Clothiers Creek road and that consisted of a more standard experience, just exchanging "the wave" and move on about your business.

Moan Ends here;

Wabba-Solo

Rode off today without too many plans. I turned onto the road as a shower was passing over at about 12:30pm with the intention to ride a loop on the Cypress. As I rode down Kanes Rd the rain stopped but the clouds stayed around. As it wasn't raining and was quite cool still I thought a little climb of Cudgera Creek Road would be appropriate.... When I managed to put together a climb above 9 km/hr. It seemed a possibility to ride Wabba Rd through the Mooball Forest. I was a little unsure as it is a little isolated to ride solo, but what the heck! Just do it. After reading ChrisL's ride recent report, I thought conditions would be excellent it turned out that that is what it was like. Very short grass, dry gravel patches etc and few if any large rocks strewn on the track. The only obstacle was a fallen tree across the track, and that was easily negotiated.

[caption id="attachment_287" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Wabba-Solo elevation"][/caption]

The most common creature beside birds were Goanna's scurrying away as I rode past. I didn't see another vehicle from the time I left the freeway interchange at Pottsville until I got to the Pistol Range at Murwillumbah when a 1930's car went past towards Wardrop Valley. About 2 hours of complete solitude, bliss.
The ride was undertaken without sufficent water or any food... not something I want to repeat!

Occasionally toward the end of the ride the bike started to act up on a few of the changes down to the small ring as I was climbing Reserve Creek Road, but it was suffer-able.

The distance: 50 kilometers
Average Speed: 14 km/hr
Duration: 3 hours 30 mins

It's Here

Today, after I finished welding the Sieve {900 x 1.8 weldmesh} I will be using to remove the rocks from the 8 truckloads of TerranoraVolcanic Soil over the summer for a vegie garden, my new Giant Cypress arrived at Cabarita Beach Cycles. Excellent!

I got a lift down with Joyann taking the helmet and a full water bottle... anticipation....

Gee it looked nice and clean, well lets put paid to that! So after quickly finalising the fit it's on the bike... rode along Clothiers Creek Road to the freeway to take a flat smooth 15kms to check out the feel... I was suprised at the speed and power that was available from the 24 gears with the front suspension locked out, but I must try out the handling on the dirt with it unlocked... so onto Cudgera Creek Road and off the tar onto the gravel of Reserve Creek Road and then further onto Round Mountain gravel so about 15kms of loose dusty gravel... not so clean now! The hill climbing was surprisingly easy but there was still no need to use the granny gear! I'll have to try somewhere else for this experience, maybe Cudgera Creek Road tomorrow?

Handling was throughly enjoyable with no nasty surprises! There was still some time left before sunset, ( I haven't added any lights yet! and I must remember to take a pump next time just in case that is) so rode off along Kanes Road through to Pottsville and rode over the forge hill at a speed I have never achieved before! the bike seemed to maintain it's momentum easily ah beautiful! Then it was a bit of a windout along the Coast Road at a high cadence with the wind finally on my back to be amazed that I will need to find more energy to get the ride into top ring and attain the highest speed possible on this bike. I was still able to peddle riding down some hills that i know top out on the old Elwood as soon as your speed reached 40kms/hr. Wow! I might be able to increase my long term average speed above 19kms/hr on this bike! 

Ah the pleasure of taking the first run on a new ride!

I'll post some more later about the second hand commuter with drop bars I have also just bought, but I don't want to lose the feeling of breaking in a new steed just yet!

I will need to readjust the front derailleur before tomorrow's ride it seemed a little askew and shifts between the three front rings was quite hit and miss during todays ride!

 



 

All in all I felt like an 8 year old on Christmas day!

[caption id="attachment_281" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="The new all purpose ride bought in October 2008"][/caption]

Sick and Missed it!

Called by Marks place on the return of today's Duranbah Hill Loop and he's still laying around in his PJ's. After the trip to Hell Holes was sadly called off at the last minute with Mark coming down with a major Ear Infection, I made him feel better by telling him I broke my rear derailleur cable the previous evening and had No Spares! *( a situation now rectified). This ear infection has laid him in bed for the last 5days, Sat-Wed. He hasn't even been able to see any of his clients, and they are backing-up quickly. He will need to pull some overtime to make up for this episode. Jeeez I'm now glad we didn't go on the ride and either Chris or myself catching it as well!.

Nice day for a ride over the crown of Duranbah. Little traffic or wind. I took it easy and quietly. Marvelling at the scenery as though it was for the first time. The climbs were easy, or maybe they just seemed easier without the stress, with me being quite surprised, on a few occasions, at the size of the gear I was negotiating the climb in when I was roused from my daydreaming.

Tomorrow I'll try another commute to Tweed and back.... until then....