Wild Eyes

two k to sassafras

seven-thirty pm

heart-rate one-seventy-nine

one in twenty

...

Night Training in Winter

Last night I had the most lovely ride. On a crisp, clear, cold winter evening I rode up Mt Dandenong. Did the 1:20 twice, round the tourist road to Montrose and back home through Lilydale.

The full moon lit my way and the views over Melbourne's suburbs were spectacular. The roads were dry and Grace seemed to lift me away from all my cares. This course gives me a great workout with the two runs up the one in twenty, a few nasty hills on way home along the Maroondah and a really hare, fast, flat run from Montrose into Lilydale.

There are some definite benefits to riding in the outer suburbs. This is cycling at its most sublime.

city sprawls beneath me

and i, mad samuri

flay it open

spray globs of light

from sea to horizon

full moon carries

my dream

...

Trans-Melburn Express

I'm back and ready to talk bikes.

This morning was my first big commute from my new home. 54.9km to work! From deepest Croydon to darkest Craigieburn straight into a stiff north-westerly. Of course I did it on the fixie with a 78inch gear. Just a bit high for the Banksia St hill.

The biggest culture-shock from my old commute was that I had street lighting most of the way and the traffic lights. Hardly any of them picked up the bike so I was left at a few deciding between running the light and sitting there forever. The great part was the difference between my speed and the car traffic speed. I'm used to travelling on open roads with cars and trucks passing close by at 110kph, so the moderated speeds made judging turns and distances much easier. The other nice thing is that my cycle-commute time is much more comparable to driving.

I've already spotted half a dozen bike lanes to add to my Stupid Bike Lanes series so keep an eye out here. From the bike lane which disappears on a bend, just as the road narrows, to the one with a collapsed roadwork sign in it. If there was a metal sign laying in a traffic lane with pointy steel legs in the air, it'd be a major issue. In a bike lane, I'll bet it stays there for a week.

My cycling is languishing a bit right now. With moving house, I've been a bit undirected. I've been riding a bit, but without much purpose. There's been a bit of racing but largely undistinguished. I still have an appointment with the AAC in January and a score to settle. I still have the sprinting power of a diesel tractor. I still don't have a new bike and I'm still planning to make it to France for PBP 2011. I also plan on updating this blog a lot more regularly.

At least I have a tail wind on the way home....

...

the officials

intoxicated

sunshine smiled commissaires fall

putty before her

...

Audax Riders - Keeping fit and healthy

Thinking about the nature of being an Audaxer recently I came across this picture.


And while it's dangerous to generalise this is pretty much how I was feeling the day I finished the GSR last year. If it wasn't for the lack of a beard, I would have sworn I'd seen this guy on a recumbent recently.

If he could just lose a little weight I reckon he could set a decent time on the Alpine.

...

Grace

I suppose it's time to add to my bike blog. Yes, I've been very slack. I've been riding though, and gotten back in the gym.

This installment is all about my new girlfriend. Her name is Grace. Grace Jones.


She is a fixed gear road bike and goes like nothing I've ever ridden. I've wanted to try fixed gear for quite a while and having an alternate bike for training and commuting will certainly mean that poor old Nancy doesn't take such a thrashing

Grace is a Giant Bowery. The only mods so far are a set of road bars, second hand Look pedals and a couple of bottle cages. She's got a flip-flop hub with a free wheel on the one-side which kind of defeats the purpose so it'll go for a different cog. Right now she has a 46-17 which gives a 73 inch gear in the old money. I'll stick with that for a while and see how I go.

I've had a couple of moments so far. While riding to work in the dark yesterday, a pot-hole appeared in front of me. Instinct took over and I stopped pedaling to lift my bum while making a quick evasive manoeuvre. FAIL! On both counts. I got my legs ripped off, nearly thrown from the bike and didn't miss the pot-hole. The second was more straight forward when riding home. I don't need to use the brakes on this hill, I can spin it out. Ooops, no I can't.

What a workout though. Almost every stupid cliche you've heard about riding fixed gear is absolutely true. The feel for the road is just astounding. I can feel what I'm doing on the bike so much more clearly. Lastly, if you want value for your time on the bike and you're prepared to put in, a fixie gives a top workout. Leg speed, strength, skill and endurance.

All this for less than $800!

...

Wait, weight, weights.

The keys to my cycling right now.

Wait: I can't have it all, do it all, be it all right now.  I have to wait for opportunities and work to get results.

Weight: I have to lose that last few kilos.  I'm just on the edge of fit weight and moving that last bit is really hard.  It's just discipline but discipline I don't have right now.

Weights:  I need strength.  Fast explosive strength that will let me blast out of corners, respond to surges and sprint for a line.  I just don't have that kind of strength and weights are a big part of getting it.

These are my targets.

...