Yeah well its a little hard for us cyclists to singlehandedly make the roads safer for ourselves when there are idiots around like that!

Anyway did my usual commute into town to do a bit of work. My 3rd 60k hillyish ride of the week and I'm not even training! Cool and dreary but not too bad. Hardly any cars out though in the am which was nice.
Saw and passed a few cyclists going up Dyers for a change on the way in, as most usually avoid that side.
Was feeling the beer in the legs from the night before up that last quarter, so didn't catch the last guy until just past the top of the climb.

m-r-h wrote: Can't believe I didn't see a single bike until top of Evans outa Lytt !!!

Yes, it's quite shocking how few cyclists there are out and about these days. I guess with all the big races out of the way people have gone into hibernation for the winter - not me though! Did the Fig 8 yesterday and saw the BM team guys sipping coffee in CC Sumner - softcocks!

Felt bloody good all the way round which is promising.

Laps of Halswell Downs.... managed to pull a few wins back from Mrs Beeker today

Surprisingly uneventful on the driver-mong front. Only one guy in a Mazda 1 that really thought his car was a lot bigger than it was & we were clearly in his way. Invited him to stop & discuss this in a civilised manner but he clearly wasn't interested.

Probably my last session on the bike for at least a week. Wisdom tooth out on Tuesday, then driving to Invervegas for the Track Carnival.

Road up North East Valley, over the top, down and then back over and home. 45k's in the hills with a 1k steep climb to finish.
Wore my new, garish white shoes... feeling pretty damned self conscious.
Now to have a shower... may even get my alchy on and drink a beer while I'm in there!

Just a quick thread hijack. Couldn't ride today as I was on the water. Had a race across the strait yesterday, finishing at Ship Cove inside of Queen Charlotte Sound. After a slow start in only a zephyr of a breeze and flying the code zero (2 hours in we were having a coffee and reading the newspaper still not having got out of the harbour) we found some southerly breeze out in Cook Strait and got the big masthead gennaker up to clear out and take line honours by half an hour.

Rafted up with the other finishers inside of a nice little bay before enjoying copious amounts of rum. No breeze and some wicked hangovers this morning meant cranking up the donk for a nice relaxing motor back home. The last couple of days were Cook Strait at its rare tamest.

Would rather have been sailing today!!

Nice ride out to Sumner and back. Went there and back around the bottom of the hill including Maltworks etc. Agreed that there weren't that many people out and about but it was a nice afternoon.

Went up gebbies and the B'stard, really misty. saw a couple of riders coming down in the wet. hate those cattlestops!

Al_Bushman wrote: Yes, it's quite shocking how few cyclists there are out and about these days. I guess with all the big races out of the way people have gone into hibernation for the winter - not me though!

yep - when we did LBs last sun we saw a whole 4 other roadies. If it's any consolation the tracks are equally deserted - in a 3 hour ride yesterday I saw maybe 10 other mtbers tops (oh and a gazillion groms playing on the jumps up vic park - but they don't count)

12-23 wrote: Went up gebbies and the B'stard, really misty. saw a couple of riders coming down in the wet. hate those cattlestops!

I really don't see the point of ANY of the cattlestops along the summit rd now - especially those ones down to gebbies which are a total death trap (had a huge spill due to them in the wet 20-odd years ago).

It's not like they actually stop stock wandering - cos the fences around them are full of holes!!!

maybe a concerted letter campaig to the council to get them ripped out?

Al_Bushman wrote:Did the Fig 8 yesterday and saw the BM team guys sipping coffee in CC Sumner - softcocks!

You know some people have an easy ride before a big race?

Intervals on the rollers with my Powertap fixxy. Start of the long journey that ends with Masters track worlds. Bugger all power, piss poor cadence and heart rate wasn't all that high. At least I have started.

I had a ride to forget yesterday...

Rode over to Sumner, felt good and legs were strong for a change. Got a puncture on the way back about 7am - changed it fine and then bugger me I realised the thread was stuffed on my CO2 inflator gadget. So I had no damn air !! Was getting chilly, so walked over to Penny Cycles to see what time they opened; said 9-5 on the shop door, so rather stupidly I assumed whoever opened would be in 10 or 15mins before that to get ready to open.
Let's just say the shop was still shut at 9am, this was 2hrs after I had punctured and I was absolutely freezing. 9:20am and still the shop was shut, and my new job was telling disgruntled customers in 4x4's that no, I didn't work there and I can't open the shop. Walked down to a cafe, borrowed their phone to call the missus and ask he to pick me up - and she was out shopping already. So back to bike shop where I waited a bit more... UNTIL 9:50am. Had no $$ on me but luckily the cafe let me sit in to warm up as I was shivering pretty badly and even had a little trouble stringing my sentences together.
Wife picked me up at 11am lol, a mere 4hrs after that damn puncture
I am going to write a letter to Penny Cycles as that's pretty slack IMO. The guy who was meant to be opening probably had a big night the night before, he was there when we drove past just after 11am. Not a good look, nearly as bad as the state of the shop itself... whoever closed up had left V cans strewn all over the floor and their fridge had 3 bottles of drink it. HUGE selection for us thirsty riders, well done boys!!

Rant over

bigjimsty wrote: bugger me I realised the thread was stuffed on my CO2 inflator gadget. So I had no damn air !!

well lesson learnt there - co2 is for race day! The number of riders I've had to rescue by lending them my frame pump when their co2 has either failed to get them up to pressure or just straight crapped out is surprisingly high

go buy yourself a proper pump, carry some cash (I always whack a $20 note in with my cellphone - more than once it's saved me when i've bonked), and stop blaming a shop for your inability to plan ahead (like what would you have done if it was anzac day and they were shit til lunchtime?)

in a word - DOH!

Jim - you do realise that they have air over at Mudfish Cafe across the road, & I think there is another bike shop (Cycleways) out on Ferry Road too?

Beeker wrote: Jim - you do realise that they have air over at Mudfish Cafe across the road, & I think there is another bike shop (Cycleways) out on Ferry Road too?

double Doh!