i really do seem to be experiencing it atm. as a kid we had moto’s but a good friends brother passed away in an accident an i never really felt comfortable with the idea… but it is really starting to grow on me. i guess comfort and confidence can be attributed to the amount of road riding i have done over the past couple of years.

a 250 > 450 café race may seem cliché but i still love the size of the bikes and the low slung, almost slammed look/feel of them.

it would be the perfect way to get to work every OTHER day. or even just as a station runner. i’d love to build it all up myself as well but that would require a garage which RIGHT NOW we don’t have

once again the crits were called off.
i left work and the weather wasn’t too bad but by the time i made it to penrith it was shit. the regatta centre was overflowing.
not happy, i really wanted that intensity before saturdays race.

almost there – a podium finish anyway.
today i took to the road with the shits. after picking up carbo from blackmans i re-taped the rim ready for tubeless. i then refitted a tube and pumped it up to 38psi to bed in the tape. i took off up the road with the intention of taking back the KOM out and back to Gross Head South lookout of yarson raymod. i made it half way up the road and the rear started hissing. shit.

the tube had torn near the valve. i had to walk the bike back, refit with another tube and try again… but this time i only made it half way along booker street and exactly the same fate. hissing rear tube – torn at the valve. by now i was super pissed off. i only have tomorrow to get the bike ready for next weekends MTB Cruise.

i ended up just throwing my leg over the roadie and taking off in a huff. i started probably a bit too quick but still set a good time up to springwood. passing the golf course i can now totally feel my legs are very strong when seated and climbing.

i didn’t really know where i was headed but on the way down toward lappo i could here the NP calling. i hadn’t been in there for a while on a roadie so it was a good change of pace from my constant lappo slug. my legs were heavy sore but i still felt pretty strong.

i thought i would only attack once side so i put a shit load into the climb out of the wier toward the oaks. i smashed it up the hill but as i rose up and over the main climb i kind of eased off, not really knowing where the end of the KOM was.

i was totalled by the effort and need to just bring it home up the return climb past the gates and then all the way home. i obviously checked when i goto home to find i had posted the 3rd best time on the gorge south side climb.

i think the best thing was i did still have more in the tank, i was pretty fatigued before the ride – and did ease up across the top. if i had known where the KOM finished i could have improved somewhat… next time

or is it more like training in a storm. either way some how in the worst weather i can ever remember i still seem to be able to smash out the right amount of hr’s & km’s for training. 9hrs was the plan and i ended up 26min over that – with additional time made up swimming and stretching it was a really good week 11hr week. i only missed the friday grind due to weather.

i smashed a full saturday session of 99.8km [so close LOL] but best of all i PB’d across to richmond from penrith with a KOM in 4th place and sitting in Z4 for a long time – at one point for almost 30min which is good LT improving not to mention a very solid avg of 31.9 for the ride. i did end up returning home in the pissing down rain. it was good as it made me pull my finger out today and give the roadie a really good once over clean. including the cassette and freewheel, small amounts of work on the pedals and a few other tweeks.

i dropped carbo down to blackmans as well. after visiting churchys and attempting to inflate the new race kings i/we realised the rear has rim tape sealing issues so i stuck a tube in it and took it down for a quick gear service before this weekends 4hr*. i picked up some stans 25mm rim tape as well so i can now re-tape it and get it all running smoothly before the MTB Cruise 100km week after next. this 100km race is going to be the real opener for my season and it will be the first race i should really be able to gauge my current form.

Last weeks monday night crits were again another example of my lack of form – although i did try to bridge a gap, i could have bridged, but 2 riders followed me which in tail bought the entire bunch with them and the gap was shut down to us crossing, then sequentially to the original break.

i lept early for the intermediate sprint and managed a 3rd but again my tactics are wacky. you’ve/i’ve got no hope of making an early or long sprint stick if your starting from the rear of the pack. i’m still riding without at brain. still love crits – good intensity goes down everytime.

*the yellomundee 4hr this weekend is looking like it will be called off. the amount of rain has destroyed all bridges and reeked major havoc throughout the trails and it’s looking like more rain this week. doesn’t look good at all for race start.

i also replaced the rear refuse [front will swap out after the crit tyre change]. i am going to try and document the amount of KM’s i can get from the one set of tires.