Yesterday: we were renting a shepherd's cottage in Orongorongo for the night so I rode there from Wellington - 47.5km with a nice gusty norwester. I was surprised to see so few riders out, only two, both wearing Capital Cycles jerseys.

I haven't ridden over that way in the last 20 years, it was a very pleasant discovery along the Esplanade that all the cars pulling out of sidestreets gave way and waited for me to pass before pulling out, and all the cars turning into side streets waited and turned behind me. Big cheer for Petone motorists!

Wainui Hill was hard - 2.25km from the bottom of the Gracefield Rd climb. I reckon it's steeper than Makara hill or Paekak hill - has it ever been considered for a leaderboard?

Then the big zoom down the hill and through Wainui - the Wainui drivers were as careful and courteous as the Petone ones - and hammer down trying to keep above 40kmh all the way down to end of the Wainui Coast Road. So beautifully lush and green in the first part of that road, but then it suddenly changes to be really bleak and rugged, but still beautiful.

What an awesome feeling it is to have a good blast on a good road bike!

Nice one Wombat. I blissed out on my ride tonight

Beautiful evening here in Chur Chur after quite a cool day. It seems the NWer touched down once the sun set - must be 20+ degrees out in the country at 8pm.

Left home at 7pm and rode out into the country south of Christchurch for just under 2 hours. I was going to head out to Sumner but decided quiet country roads would be a safer and more peaceful option. I was right.

After watching the sunset as I rode into TaiTapu, I flicked on the (Cateye) Stadium and zoomed along country roads south of Taitap dazzling cows and horses. Pushed it as hard as I could, for as long as I could. I'm sitting here feeling completely knackered plucking dead moths and river bugs out of my teeth

A completely fantastic ride. Really enjoyed myself. Something self absorbing about hammering down the road with complete blackness all around you apart from your little bubble of light.

Nice ride over the Pahiatua track and back the saddle. Chased a guy for around an hour, getting within 30s on the steep bits and 90s on the flats. Was convinced I'd slaughter him on the climb up the saddle but had to wait for a tractor on the balance bridge and then cows a bit later. While waiting for the cows the guy turned off towards woodville. Boo. Had a rest at the bottom of the saddle talking bullshit to a few Guzzi riders. Needed the rest because my 23 cassette made the climb pretty brutal(which is why I put it on).

Had really good tailwinds, 2 min off my PB up the track and shaved another minute off up to the top of saddle.
Struggled a lot in the wind getting back into Palmy which put on about 10min.

Great day out after two weeks off the bike.

little chance to ride over the last week, busy at the Horse of the Year in Hasting. But I did get out for a jaunt with the crew from the Hub for the Tuesday night "Pain Train"......remind me any ride with the word "pain" in its tittle is to be avoided

I've since learned that I'd joined a group of super fit A&B riders out to 'out do' one another. I'm used to a sedate start and moderate 32kmhish pace spinning on the lower chain ring....these guys sprinted away at the start and didn't back off....at one point my computer said we were doing 48kmh and that was as we swung through the round-about at Havelock. I asked a lad before we set of about hills, he said a couple but nothing major...yea right! Cambell's Hill (? I think its called heading up Tuki Tuki Road) is not what I'd call 'nothing major'. Couldn't stay with these guys over the hills, (as a few others couldn't also), did the 55-60ish run in just under 1:30mins which for me is super fast.

5.30pm ride with the guys tonight (all 6 of us). Mostly a tail / side wind to the turn around (hence why I did my big lap from Kelston to Quay street, basically).
Hard head / shoulder wind home.
64kms

Al_Bushman wrote: I blissed out on my ride tonight ... After watching the sunset as I rode into TaiTapu, I flicked on the (Cateye) Stadium and zoomed along country roads ... Pushed it as hard as I could, for as long as I could ... A completely fantastic ride ... Something self absorbing about hammering down the road with complete blackness all around you apart from your little bubble of light.

I so totally agree - it's like the near death "tunnel of light" experience, or maybe a sensory deprivation thing. You just sit there spinning away, the same vibration from the road, the same purr from the chain, the same white line flicking dow the left side of your vision ... it's like being on rollers that jump you to a new dimension.

I hear you did a great job setting up a mortgage for a friend of mine recently, got him through all the hurdles and into his first home. Well done!

Did the Taupo 100K flyer today ....I was with an awesome bunch averaging about 37 or 38 Kph and was easily going to make my target of 3:30. (Not that I could have kept up that pace for the entire race but the intention was to hang in there as long as possible before making a graceful exit to the rear ). Then just past Rainbow Mountain I hit something on the road during a moment of in attention and got a flat . To make matters worse the Valve stem ended up in between 2 parts of the rim and I ended up needing a stick and a stone to bash it out the way it came. Ofcourse during this time all the faster groups that I could have backup up to went past. Once I got the valve out and the new tube fitted I spent the next 35 something K's trying to make up time. And ended up stuffing with 15 K's to go . Final ride time was 3:46 which I am fairly happy with considering I lost the good bunches.
Did I mention the head wind was at about 25Kph, sunny and damn hot?

Completely stuffed at the end .

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28113824

[quote="ArjanH"]Did the Taupo 100K flyer today ....I was with an awesome bunch averaging about 37 or 38 Kph and was easily going to make my target of 3:30. (Not that I could have kept up that pace for the entire race but the intention was to hang in there as long as possible before making a graceful exit to the rear ). Then just past Rainbow Mountain I hit something on the road during a moment of in attention and got a flat . To make matters worse the Valve stem ended up in between 2 parts of the rim and I ended up needing a stick and a stone to bash it out the way it came. Ofcourse during this time all the faster groups that I could have backup up to went past. Once I got the valve out and the new tube fitted I spent the next 35 something K's trying to make up time. And ended up stuffing with 15 K's to go . Final ride time was 3:46 which I am fairly happy with considering I lost the good bunches.
Did I mention the head wind was at about 25Kph, sunny and damn hot?

Completely stuffed at the end .

Good work and a really good time for you – even considering the flat

Thanks Farty ... yeah i am pretty pleased ... not bad after only 6 months back on a roadie. If it wasn't for that wind I would still have made my target towing the the small bunch that had hooked in behind.

Oh I also beat the outlaw by over 1.5 hours so that means i have bragging rights for at least the next week.

And it means I am on track for my sub 5:30 at Taupo later on this year ... jUst need to get a lot more good miles under my belt

fatwombat wrote: I hear you did a great job setting up a mortgage for a friend of mine recently, got him through all the hurdles and into his first home. Well done!

Cool - Thanks. Yes, very satisfying seeing them into a house finally!

Tried out my new wheels last night. Got these real cheap 30mm pro lites on special. Took 400g weight off my wheels so all good. I'm a light bastard so no flex in the front wheel like some heavier guys experience in some of the reviews. Just wish I had them for Le Race (not that they would have made any difference on the day, but I needed all the help I could get ). Got held up in Customs all week so got the duty letter on Thursday...so they arrived on Monday the 22nd My new cassete even arrived on the Friday just to taunt me as well!

Feel different than my stock ones alright but didn't make me go any faster up the hills as legs still a bit stuffed, and my Glute medius (old injury from 2007 Le Race) is giving me a bit of jip...really need to get that professionally seen to sometime as its bloody annoying when I re strain it every so often. Wth the other leg I wouldn't even know I had a glute medius which is how it should be...

No riding again....but ooooohhhhhhh what a great baked Potato for lunch from the Potato Guy at the Kapiti sustainable home and garden show in Paraparaumu. Hope that makes you all as hungry as I was before hand!!!! nom nom nom.

Ahad wrote:Tried out my new wheels last night. Got these real cheap 30mm pro lites on special. Took 400g weight off my wheels so all good. I'm a light bastard so no flex in the front wheel like some heavier guys experience in some of the reviews. Just wish I had them for Le Race (not that they would have made any difference on the day, but I needed all the help I could get ). Got held up in Customs all week so got the duty letter on Thursday...so they arrived on Monday the 22nd My new cassete even arrived on the Friday just to taunt me as well!

Feel different than my stock ones alright but didn't make me go any faster up the hills as legs still a bit stuffed, and my Glute medius (old injury from 2007 Le Race) is giving me a bit of jip...really need to get that professionally seen to sometime as its bloody annoying when I re strain it every so often. Wth the other leg I wouldn't even know I had a glute medius which is how it should be...

Come on tell us - what are the wheels?

Another great morning for a ride as Auckland’s endless Summer continues.

I rode to the shop and there was no one there. 42 of them had gone to the Rotorua to Taupo but I’d thought there would still be some riders around.

Inside there was one guy so he and I spent the next 2 hours riding together. It was nice to have someone not testing me on hills who is a good conversationalist .

We did the shorter route over Massey, through the Woodhill forest road, around the back of Kumeu (good to see some riders out) and back to Massey etc.

We then rode to the cycleway on the N.Western where we had to slam on the picks for a train of Roadies steaming our way through the narrow section of the bridge.

I then went through Pt Chev and down to Tamaki, turned around at St Heliers, back, up College Hill, stopped in at Mag Nation to read cycling mags with my sweaty paws , dragged off some Roadie who thought he was gaining on me on Ponsonby Road and found our car and got changed etc

103kms (wanted to crack the hundy)

FLATULENTFRIEND wrote:

Ahad wrote:Tried out my new wheels last night. Got these real cheap 30mm pro lites on special. Took 400g weight off my wheels so all good. I'm a light bastard so no flex in the front wheel like some heavier guys experience in some of the reviews. Just wish I had them for Le Race (not that they would have made any difference on the day, but I needed all the help I could get ). Got held up in Customs all week so got the duty letter on Thursday...so they arrived on Monday the 22nd My new cassete even arrived on the Friday just to taunt me as well!

Feel different than my stock ones alright but didn't make me go any faster up the hills as legs still a bit stuffed, and my Glute medius (old injury from 2007 Le Race) is giving me a bit of jip...really need to get that professionally seen to sometime as its bloody annoying when I re strain it every so often. Wth the other leg I wouldn't even know I had a glute medius which is how it should be...

Come on tell us - what are the wheels?