twinshock750 wrote:Sat
5am start,
Newmarket, Airport reverse until Panmure met the 7am bunch and u turned to ride with them unil Manukau then turned left to Redoubt rd, Mill Rd, Alfriston, Clevedon
Hunua back way, Down the gorge, Back past/thru Ardmore, Clevedon, Duders,
maraetai, Whitford, Sandstone, Finished off with airport loop


208km.....would have been 210km but stopped at shop and left bike there for a service....

Went to Pukekohe today to help teach people how to rider the motorcycles betterer/fasterer. Could have been a scooter insead of my 750 and still would have felt great after yesterday!

Great effort.

no ride for me today, but had a lash at saturdays karapiro half ironman ride as part of a team, I managed 2.32 ( official time 2:33 since the timing mat was at the far end of T2 ) certainly a tough course [in spite of being only 84km] with a howling wind and some rolling hills that conspired to sap the legs.
I didn't go to the prizegiving, but got a text that evening to say we had won our AG.

[/shameless brag]

Went from Lower Hutt over the Haywards, Moonshine, Blue mountains, mangaroa and then home. Worst.Ride.Ever. Wind was farken horrible. It was an effort just to ride in a straight line. Will never ride in wind like today again.

I don't care how windy it is. It has been 8 days since I was last on the bike and I am home / fed / and it is daylight too (bonus) I am going out. Nothing much as I am still not certain of the state of the bike, but I am well prepared for anything, couple of tubes, some tire patches, and pump all checked. Just an hour or so on the flat to get my confidence in the bike back.

20km commute into town then 65km of madness riding all over the place, all on a little mtb with only 8 gears

Well, the bike behaved, and I had fun out there, expecting head then tail winds but instead had strong cross winds for the best part of 28km. Feels so good to have been out there.

Anyway, if anyone thinks being a roadie is hard work, spare a little thought for these guys.....(see below) I was marshalling on Saturday for the Paralympics hand bike races. This was hard work for them. There was a 10km TT and a 30km road race.

Was great to get out there marshalling and chat with an upcoming star from the Kapiti club who is aiming to break 4:12 at Taupo, along with an older guy who had taken up riding 3 years ago and is now doing Taupo for the second time, looking at 7 hours, and finally talking to a guy who used to ride from Palmerston North to Wainuiomata to spend time with his girlfirend (to which has has been married now for many years). All in all a pretty inspirational day.

That red bike half way down looks fast as!

Good stuff, Matt!

slidecontrol wrote:no ride for me today, but had a lash at saturdays karapiro half ironman ride as part of a team, I managed 2.32 ( official time 2:33 since the timing mat was at the far end of T2 ) certainly a tough course [in spite of being only 84km] with a howling wind and some rolling hills that conspired to sap the legs.
I didn't go to the prizegiving, but got a text that evening to say we had won our AG.

[/shameless brag]

Great

Just got in from a very wet ride! I decided as the wind was minimal to ride the 116km route from the Tour De Manawatu. All was going well until I got to the top of Beaconsfield valley road, when the previously clear sky decided to cloud over and dump several gallons of water all over me! There's no shelter up there so had no choice but to keep on riding. Got back to home frozen and wet, but happy to have done the circuit in 3 hrs 25min approx.

2 X up Paekak Hill then a lap round Plimmerton, Motuhara and Airlie Rds Nice wee 2 hr ride.

No work today so no excuses (!) for not riding….
Up Henderson Valley, Birdwood, over to Old North Rd, Riverhead to see the new house that has been built on the property I rented for years.
Back to Oraha Rd, Matua, Pomona, Waitakere, down Hw 16 and up and over Don Bucks…home.
I felt badly unfit pushing into the wind but nice to be back on my bike and hammer out 61kms

Back in chch, back in business.

Ancient chinese secret intervals 2day. Managed a 4.31 to the cup in the process although the body wasn't too stoked about the whole situation after a few weeks of neglect Got burnt on one arm A lot of riders out at mid-arvo on a tuesday which is good 2 c, keeping the economy pumping and only nearly got monged twice which was nice.

Just beat the rain and got in a quick 3x reps on the Maungatukutuku's climb and home. 24km & about 500m vertical according to MMR. Was great! It is the first time that I have ever done this hill more than once, and the only reason I stopped after 3 was it was starting to rain and i didn't fancy going down the hill in the wet!

edit - just checked and the climb is 200m, which I did 3x, plus it starts about 50m above home, so ride was about 650m vertical. Not bad for a 24km ride!!!

cooper770 wrote:

rmare wrote:Pohangina to Palmy via Napier road, James Line, KG road, Watershed, got a new hole in the back of my helmet thanks to a friendly magpie on reid line, along Taonui, Stoney creek road home again. Agree the wind really did pick up. I get attacked by magpies every other ride, is this normal?? or maybe I'm too slow or they dont like the light on the back of my helmet.

Magpies now??? but nesting should be well over Red???? Ive ridden that way twice in the last week and didn't see any....but mind you going over Mt Biggs yesterday I did go past a paddock with about 25 magpies sitting in it have a meeting and I think I heard one of them squawk something about having a bit of fun with a red head on a bike..... Just kidding, but I did see loads of them going after the seed heads in a paddock that had just be mowed for baleage.

LOL That'll be it like a red rag to a bull. They love me, lucky it doesn't bother me too much, I still reckon they're pretty neat, ballsy little buggers.