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The day dawned as perfect as could be wished for
and after washing the bike the day before and making sure the gears worked properly
I packed my gear and headed off to Monash to meet with Bob and Darryl for my
first taste of competition. I rang Bob to make sure he was coming and arrived
at Dunlop Rd. at 1.20 p.m. Whilst waiting for Bob I followed a couple of other
riders around the circuit and got a feel for the place. Aside from a very slight
uphill section it was all pretty flat. Bob arrived and we went and paid our
fees. At Bob's insistance I registered to ride C grade as I had no idea what
level I could compete at. The racing started at 2.00 with A,C and E grades taking
the first time slot, (this is done to ensure there are marshalls for the corners)
and B,D and F grades riding the second hour.
The pace was quite sustainable over the hour with speeds between 35 and 40 kph
most of the time. The basic format is to keep with the group for as long as
you can and then on the last lap everybody waits until the last corner and then
you sprint for the line. There were no incidents during the ride and I was rapt
that as we warmed up Bob rode beside me and prayed that we would have a good
day without incident or injury. The last lap was the one that held most interest.
By this time a couple of riders who had gone out early had dropped off, something
that had been picked by Bob early in the race. We stuck together and as we went
past the finish line for the penultimate lap the bell is rung. The pace picked
up a bit and as we went along the slight uphill we found the A graders going
past us. The organisers made sure nobody picked up one of their wheels by holding
us all back as they went past. Once they were gone our pace picked up again
and the scramble for positions was on. This is where experience is everything.
BOb got about four bikes back from the front and set himself up for a strong
finish. As we came into the last corner we ended up on top of the E graders
and that meant they had the inside line through the corner for the last sprint
to the end. It was at this point that my lack of confidence
showed as I was not sure how to run the race from here. The speed increased
from about 45 to 50 kph for the first 200 metres and despite my legs going around
at 20 to the dozen, I didn't change up or get out of the saddle for the sprint
to the end. I ended up about 10th out of 28 bikes and Bob took out third in
a great finish. I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the competition. I
am looking forward to gaining a bit more experience and seeing if I can finish
a bit stronger next time out. I think I will enjoy the social rides a bit more
too as I now have an outlet for all that testosterone!
Next week we tackle the Avonsleigh to Woori Yallock Road. Start and finish
at the Macclesfield School. A few hills to sort out some of the punters and
a downhill sprint to the finish. Could be worth coming across for a look.
PS. They have a BBQ at the end for $2 and youget
a chance to speak with a
few people. It is great fun. Till next time thats all from the Warby Riders
racers edge.
Saturday 21st September (Dennis
& Bob)
Dennis & Bob Race The Poowong Circuit
During the week Bob had asked if I would be interested in having a go at one of his old racing circuits. I reluctantly said "Yes", not really knowing what to expect. When Saturday dawned bright and clear it was obvious that I would have no valid reason for not donning the lycras. (It must have been a good morning because I even had a call from John saying that he was going to hit the trail as well - although I think he was referring to the trail from his front door to his letterbox).
Bob and I met at my place for the long drive down to Lang Lang. We arrived at about 1.15pm and hit the bitumen at about 1.30 pm. Bob set off at a cracking pace and I tried to keep up with him. I soon discovered that something was not quite right with my gears as I had a constant "click click" coming from the rear with every turn of the crank. Oh well - what can you expect from a $200 bike ?
I had been warned about the steep climbs so I was ready for the long climb up the ridge to Poowong. We eventually made the top and cruised up and down the main Poowong drag looking for a coffee shop. Since there was only a country pub and a Milk Bar, we tried the latter and managed to buy a couple of scoldingly hot drinks. We retreated to the local park bench where we discussed the future of the world while we waited (and waited) for our drinks to cool to a temperature that would still leave some skin on the inside of our mouths.
After about a 30 min stop we were refreshed and refuelled for the rest of the circuit so off we set at a blistering pace down the other side of the ridge. In spite of the clicking from my gears I did manage to set a new personal speed record of 72 kph - probably could have gone faster but I still building up my courage. It's scary going at that speed on such a flimsy piece of metal.
While racing down the hill with Bob right on my rear wheel, I happened to glimpse a large pothole in the road just a few feet in front of my front wheel. I desparately managed to swerve enough to just skirt by, but but the howl of dismay from behind it was obvious that Bob had not been so lucky. Sure enough, a few km further on we pulled over to examine the carnage and found that Bob's precious rear wheel had sustained a serious enough whack to put a bend in it and loosen a couple of spokes. (I could not help but wonder at the irony - after all those hours of bashing along the rough Warburton Trail without mishap, our first road road resulted in a ruined wheel.)
We continued on to the finish line withour further mishap, although the quietness of the late afternoon was punctuated by my clicking gears and Bob's profanities over his bad luck. Nevertheless when we arrived back at Lang Lang at about 5pm we agreed that it had been a great ride. It even allowed Bob to retreat to the memories of the halcion days of his racing victories. I guess when you get to be as old as Bob, memories are really important. The trouble is that by the time you reach the age that all you have is memories, that's the same age that you start forgetting what you did yesterday!
Sunday 8th September (from Dennis)
Weather: Overcast and Windy,
about 16C
I left Lilydale at about 11.00 am and rode the Warburton Trail
to Warburton, arriving at approx 12.50 pm. After a 20 min break to enjoy a pie
and coffee I proceeded up the higway to "Lewis' Loop" - the 8 km road
circuit that follows the old road up the Yarra and then returns back down the
main highway to Warburton. I was having so much fun that I ended up completing
4 circuits non-stop in 75 mins. (Average about 24 kph).
Since I was wanting to hear how my team was doing in the football final I headed back to Lilydale, and in spite of the strong wind, got back to the car at about 3.45 pm. My odometer told me that I had completed 107 km - MY FIRST CENTURY RIDE !
By the time I got back home my legs had turned to stone but I felt that I had achieved a minor milestone.
Other contributions should be e-mailed to Dennis. We need more feedback from our riders to keep this site interesting.