Bob's Extra Eyes!
On a fine day, everything looked promising for a great afternoon ride. This was to be our first October ride and, with the days gradually getting longer and warmer, we were all looking forward to the possibility of finally having a ride without having to use the dreaded nasal drip stoppers.
I had arranged to meet Bob at Mt Evelyn (hoping that he would not again get confused between Mt Evelyn and Wandin) but when I got there I discovered that he had finally lost the remaining few cogs off his mental cluster. There he was parading around in broad daylight sporting a second set of eyes !
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Bob's Extra Eyes! |
Further questioning revealed the real reason why he was looking even more like a nutter than usual. He had been so traumatized by the attacking magpies last week that he thought a pair of eyes in the back of his head would give him a little extra warning of any fresh attacks.
When I finally managed to take my eyes off Bob's "eyes" we pedalled off down the hill to look for John, finally meeting up with him somewhere between Woori Yallock and Wandin. The only problem was we very nearly rode right past him! John had apparently stolen some pocket money from Joy's purse and gone shopping in the local bike shop. There he was fully decked out in new bike shorts, riding gloves and a NEW HELMET. As Bob and I stood with our mouths wide open in awe, John was so proud of his new appearance that he insisted on having new photographs taken for the web site.
Obviously all the new gear must have inspired John to new heights of performance, because he pedalled off at the hitherto unheard of speed of about 18 kph. At least he did for about 100 metres before slowing down to his customary 14 kph, accompanied by renewed cries of "Why do we do this ?".I suppose it is comforting to know that some things never change.
Bob also managed to set a new personal best by riding for over an hour without falling off. Maybe the extra eyes helped him to keep better balance.
We all rolled on to Warburton for a nice lunch and the chance to compare riding books. John decided that my Rail Trail book was better than his, so somehow persuaded me to swap mine for his "for a few days". After making some more plans for the Upper Yarra Ride we headed back to Melbourne under blue skies and in high spirits. It was interesting to note the large numbers of very confused magpies we noticed in the trees - maybe it was something to do with the recent Grand Final, but I suspect that Bob's secret weapon may have had some merit after all.
Next ride planned for Tuesday 8th October