Glenvale Crit

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Glenvale 17-Oct-2004

Today’s Glenvale crit ended with a similar result for me as last week, that is, placing mid-field. I did feel much better after this race than last week’s and could actually ride up the hills on the way home rather than crawl up them, gasping for the cruel punishment to end.

I’m not sure why I felt better – there may have been lower C grade numbers due to Around the Bay in a Day or it could have been the two days in a row off the bike prior to the race. Does dancing use the same muscles as cycling? Extra sleep certainly wasn’t the reason for feeling fresh! ๐Ÿ˜‰

The race was fairly non-eventful. I just tried to stay upright and find good wheels to follow. I did chase one break attempt down, simply because I was on his wheel when he jumped – silly boy should know these things before wasting all that energy! ๐Ÿ™‚

There was more craziness towards the end with pedal strikes and people changing lines mid-corner which of course had others swinging around to avoid them. All of this worked to push me totally out of contention for the sprint. Next week I’ll move up earlier so I don’t have to deal with all the slower-rider scrapping!

(Jeez, listen to me.. I actually think I can contest the sprint pah! ๐Ÿ˜‰ )

I think I will wear knee warmers more often. My knees seem to like the idea and it covers the big-ass scare on my knee from the track crash last season.

Howdy to the Ringwood Tri Club chick in blue kit riding along Mitcham then Canterbury roads. I think you should join the Wednesday-night Croydon Cycle Works shop ride up the 1:20, with Mickos, Bartos, occasionally hippyos and loyal fans. With your build you’d kick my arse! (until we got to the downhill..) ๐Ÿ™‚

Ahh.. I’m stuffing my face post-race and those ATB suckers are still pedaling! Lucky bastards got awesome weather this year though.

Race Stats:

Time 0:55:30.5

HR 188 Max 192 Avg 171 Min 122

Dist 36.6 min/km 1:31

Avg Speed 39.6 kph

Avg Cadence 111 rpm

Temperature 17 ?C

F U public transport!

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You heard! Farking tram takes an hour to get from Hawthorn to Richmond when I could ride it in 10min, only to find out the store I want to go to is shutdown. (A small but noteworthy “GRRRR!!!” to Pervert clothing for not updating their website) 2.5 hours and I’ve got nothing to show for it instead of 45min and a nice pair of jeans.. f’ing PT!

Lesson Learned: Take a bike EVERYWHERE!

Addendum: So it’s 11:15pm and I’m heading into the city for some fun. The train moves 20m away from Box Hill’s platform and jerks to a halt.

“Sorry folks, I’m stopping the train. It appears a woman is trying to commit suicide. I’ve notified the police, but we’ll have to wait here until she is taken away and the track deemed safe to proceed.”

So we wait for about 10min. I’m feeling sorry for the driver, he sounded quite shaken. Totally understandable too the poor bastard.

As we move off, I notice a flashlight beside my window. Looking closer I can see two cops escorting a woman along beside the train.

“Fsck!”

The woman tries to dive under the train!

A few of us were watching and I think we all gasped when we saw her try to find death right in front of us. I’m going out to a party and she’s trying to kill herself – all I could do was shake my head and wonder “what the hell?”. I mean, I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this sort of thing. I don’t know the woman but I feel sorry for whatever situation she’s in that would cause her to try this. Makes my earlier anger seem pretty petty doesnt’ it?

Banks are scum

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So I wanted to get a copy of “Rubber Side Down“, a film about the 2001 Cycle Messenger World Championships by Tristan Verboven. I email Tristan and he’s more than happy to send a copy to me:

Thanks for your email. We have never gotten an order from Australia. If you don’t mind my asking, how did you hear about the film? I have some copies left and would be glad to send you one on DVD or VHS for CAD$25 plus $10 for shipping. Please send an international money order..

Well.. I just got back from the Post Office and the Bank. The international money order from the post office costs almost $10 and can only be written for $USD, which means I’d have to include extra money to cover the $USD->$CAD exchange at the Canadian end. The woman at the post office agreed that the cost was ridiculous and suggested I try the bank for an international bank cheque.

One of these cheques for Canadian dollars costs me $20!! $20 just for the frickin’ cheque paper!

She then tells me an international fund transfer (electronic) costs $30!! WTF?! How can altering a few digits on a computer cost $30? How can it cost more than a piece of paper that achieves the same thing? Totally bloody ridiculous if you ask me. So I pass up on the order, simply because the fucking banks make it too expensive to transfer money.

This means I have to go to Canada now.

What? You think I wont justify a holiday to the other side of the world just to buy a DVD?

Don't eat apple crumble and wish to die.. it might just happen..

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I got off the bike around 11.40pm last night… alarm going off at 5.55am this morning. Yay. I figure I’ll sleep properly when I die..

which was almost last night thanks to some tool in a white Falcon. He was obviously blind to bright flashing lights and reflective material and decided to drive across a couple of lanes to get into the service station. The same service station that I was riding in front of.

As soon as I realised he was coming at me, I hit the brakes and did the ‘panic turn’ move, turning ‘with’ the car in order to avoid hitting it. The move worked out well. I was forced into the servo alongside the car but there was no contact between us. Go hippy!

I yelled and gestured at the driver and he apologised with a wave. I continued on merrily towards home (as merrily as I could with way too much dinner sitting inside my normally cavernous stomach.. mmm.. apple crumble).

Lesson learned: No matter how sick you are feeling from eating too much baked apple product before riding.. don’t actually wish to be run over.. I did, and my wish, was nearly granted!