Richard from South Africa
(another ghost rider in the making?)
A couple weeks ago I made the comment that it would be easier to organise 40 polar bears to dance Disney on Ice than it is to organise the ageing members of the Warby Riders to successfully complete a Club Ride and today's ride was to be no exception to this rule.
When it became obvious that we would not be able to attempt the Donna Buang ride because of the large amount of snow still on the summit it was decided to alter the destination to the Upper Yarra Dam. We had already had a great deal of interest in this ride and early indications were that we would have a peloton of at least 12 riders. This would easily set a new record for our club. All we needed was a good day to enjoy the experience to the max.
On the preceding Friday afternoon the skies opened and the wind was so wild that trees were blown down all over Melbourne. Not exactly the kind of weather that we were hoping for. The forecast was still for a fine day with a top temperature of 20C, although I can say that I was still somewhat apprehensive about our chances for a good ride.
When the sun rose on Saturday morning all my earlier fears were quickly cast aside when I looked out the bedroom window to see a completely blue sky and, even more importantly, not a breath of wind. This looked like the kind of day that us cyclists dream about but only rarely seem to experience. All thoughts of any further sleep were immediately scuttled as I jumped out of bed and started to get ready for an early departure.
It was about this time that the phone rang for the first time. It was Peter Warren ringing in to say that he would not be able to make the ride due to unforseen circumstances. This was somewhat of a blow, since Peter was going to be acting the role of resident bicycle mechanic. We even had a 25kg pack of assorted bike tools already packed for him to strap onto his bike for the day.
Soon afterwards I had a call from Daryl to say that he was already at the start and he was wondering what had happened to all the other riders. Of course the problem was that Daryl had got the starting time mixed up and would have to wait around for the rest of the peloton to assemble. Mal later said that the real reason for Daryl's early start was that he is such a weak hill climber that he needs a two hour start in a three hour ride.
By the time I arrived at the prearranged meeting spot at the Launching Place Pub, I found Bob and Ross already there and of course Daryl had been waiting there for the past two hours. A quick glance at the assembled group showed that most riders were carrying ample evidence of a long wet winter, with all-to-few rides. Ross' legs were covered with their usual gleaming winter pelt (he is the only rider I know who can grow his own leg warmers).
There was still no sign of Mal, Duncan or Cameron but I did see that Dennis Shepherd was there with a couple of riders from his own riding group. He was able to introduce us to a tough looking Afrikaaner with the name "Richard" and a likely looking young rider named "Paul". He also informed us that another mystery rider called "Norm" would also be meeting us, although so far he had not shown up.
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Richard from South Africa |
Mal finally arrived at about 9.59 am but when Duncan and Cameron had still not shown up by 10 o'clock I was starting to worry that something might have happened so I decided to ring him on his mobile.
The call was answered by Linda who informed me that they had "gone riding" somewhere. Apparently dear old Duncan had forgotten all about our planned ride and had gone off doing his own "round the bay in 2 hours" with Cameron.
Since the mysterious "Norm" had also still not appeared we had no alternative than to head off with the existing peloton of 8 riders. I suppose an octon is not such a bad size, but I was really sort of hoping for the 12 riders we had expected. At least the weather was still perfect, even if it was still a little chilly.
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The mysterious "Norm" An identikit picture based on information supplied by Dennis Shepherd |
At 10.10 am we headed out of the carpark and up the highway towards Warburton. I think that everyone was in good spirits and looking forward to the challenge, although Bob did keep bemoaning the fact that important parts of his anatomy were continually wobbling loose.
We proceeded up the quiet back roads and the bike path to Warburton, arriving soon after 10.30 am. It was time to stop at the coffee shop to stock up with food and drinks for the remainder of the ride. After leaving Warburton we turned into Riverside Road for the scenic ride alongside the Yarra up to Warburton East. The sun was starting to get higher in the sky and we could feel the welcome warmth on our bodies as we started the long climb into the hills.
It was at about this time that Mal's self discipline deserted him and he shot off into the distance with a furious pedalling of his cranks. The further we got into the hills the more some of us realised the dastardly hazards of spending a wet winter grazing in a lush paddock. What had happened to all our hard work of last summer ? Surely a couple of extra kg can't make all THAT much difference? (I wonder just how much it would cost to get my Cannondale fitted with a nice set of Granny gears - maybe a 29 tooth rear sprocket is just what a man of my unique stature needs).
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Assembling at the letter
box Richard, Bob, Mal, Dennis S, Daryl, Paul, Ross |
Our first prearranged assembly point was at the letter box near the top of the saddle. As we started to arrive it was becoming evident that the peloton was beginning to spread out with the mountain bike riders discovering that knobby tyres are not a blessing when you have to push them up a long steep hill.
I think it was also at about this time that we finally heard from the mysterious "Norm". Apparently he had been enjoying the comforts of his bed so much he had slept right through the alarm. I suppose I should be somehow relieved that the Warby Riders do not have the sole claim to extreme riding incompetence after all.
After all the riders had regrouped and had time for a drink and a chat we again headed off further into the hills with the plan to regroup again at the Reefton Pub, about another 8 km further up the road. Although the hills were a little steeper than they were at this time last year, the weather was absolutely delightful, and, with my new MP3 player I was able to listen to the diverse sounds of Bob Marley and Tommy Emmanuel as I rode towards Reefton. Does it ever get any better than this? I think not.
The verandah of the Reefton Pub was bathed in brilliant sunshine as we started to assemble and discuss the ride so far. Although it would have been tempting to just settle in for the next couple of hours we knew that there was still another 7 km or so to go before we could rest on our laurels. It was at this time that we noticed that our youngest rider, Paul, had apparently gone missing in action. We decided to wait in the sunshine until he showed up, which he did a few minutes later. As he puffed his way to a waiting chair he stated that his ride was over and that he had decided to stay the pub for the rest of the day. We tried to convince him to keep going but he seemed determined to travel no further.
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Enjoying the View from the
Dam Wall |
Our reduced peloton of 7 continued up to the Dam, arriving at approximately 1 pm. Gazing out over the mirror smooth waters of the Dam we decided that the level had risen a little since last year, although it was still nowhere near the spillway. A rapid descent back down the road to the picnic ground was followed by a leisurely lunch, punctuated only by the sounds of Bob's accounts of his heroic victories. As I was half dozing in the sun I was not sure whether Bob was talking of his cycling victories or his equally heroic victories over his legendary haemorhoids.
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The view from the top |
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Some of the gang enjoying
the sunshine (and all carrying ample evidence of a long, wet winter) |
Although it was so pleasant just sitting in the sun, eating and talking about secret bike stuff, we knew, of course that the ride was only half over. With no waiting support crew to ferry us safely home we knew we would have to ride the whole way back ourselves. At least we could gain some comfort from the fact that the return ride was predominantly downhill. With some reluctance, and a cactal rating of about 36, I remounted and began the return ride.
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Ready for the return ride |
Fortunately the return ride was completed with no mishaps or punctures, although my chain managed to jump off the chain ring and thus ensured that my hands were covered in black grease for most of the ride. We also made quite good time (although I discovered some extra hills that weren't there on the outward ride) and arrived back at the coffee shop not long after 3 pm.
It was at this point that we realised that Mal (along with Daryl) had missed this last important checkpoint, and thus managed to keep his disgraceful record intact of never having actually completed a ride. If this guy cannot improve we will have to break his Lady Sunbeam shaver and confiscate his lycra pants.
Over a hot cappucino we were able to relive the day's events and make the decision to reattempt the Donna Buang climb on Saturday 11th October. Hopefully the snow will be long gone by then and we will have a clear run at the summit.
The final event of the day occured when we showed El Capitan to Richard and Dennis (S) to see if they would like to attempt to set a new record. To our surprise Richard tried a full frontal assault but unfortunately did not get very far up the other side. Maybe it was a mistake to leave his bike in top gear! Oh well, there's always next time.
Back at the carpark at Launching Place we all shook hands and agreed to meet again in three weeks for our next challenge. Now let me see, how many sleeps away is that?