Gidge Superhilly Sunday 25th April

 Image by Troy Coulthard

This is the hilliest TT on the calendar. 40km on rough chipseal.
Luke Durbridge (uner 19 World TT Champion) beat the one hour barrier today - 57m 59s - an incredible ride. What an up and coming star. It was great to see him over the finish line.
I knew a slow time was coming when I did the warm up and the legs felt heavy with lactic acid.
I also had trouble shifting to the smallest chainring when under any load at all. So I badly missed the changes on two hills.

My time was 4min 37sec faster than last year, but I came in with the slowest time.
Time: 1h 44min 37s Av Speed 23.7km/h

I played elastic bands with a few riders. They pass me on the uphill and I pass them on the downhill.
That is until the elastic broke.  The first rider got ahead of me. The second rider was further back.

The scenery was beautiful bushland with only a few cars until the last 5km along busy Toodyay Rd.

160km ITT Sunday 18th April

I realised a milestone in my cycling and personal achievements by completing the 160km ITT, in less than 6 hours. I really wanted to finish well in 2010 as last year I was only able to do 3 out of the 4 laps.
160km
5h:49m
27.7km/h average
With less than a week before the event I lost time fixing rear axles. The freehub broke on wheel 1 and a retaining nut would not tighten up on wheel 2. I made up good wheel out of the two and hoped it would hold together to the finish.
Laps 1 and 2 went to plan. I stopped for my second drink bottle and lost time turning ice into water. Lap three I just could not eat. I gave up on solid power bars and started on the gels. Lap Four - Hot, no wind, lots of aches and pains, but each corner got a victory salute.

I don’t like Punrak road at all as it is only one lane of potholed bitumen and lots of gravel shoulder. I love Rapids Road with the cool shade over it and the greenery around the Serpentine River. I worked out the best way to ride St Albans with its very bouncy chipseal. Simply ride faster. Like driving over corrugated roads, ride fast enough that the wheels float over the high spots. The other advantage to this method was to flatten the hill and gradual rise. I am sure I made good time over this section.

Yes, I was the last to finish, but it was pretty cool having my own pace car with flashing lights. I must have looked real important. Around the final corner and up to the finish line. I was euphoric, I had finally done it.

I want to thank all the organisers and volunteers for their time, effort and encouragement. A fabulous event and your enthusiasm and encouragement to riders is highly motivating.

Rear wheel fixed

All the grinding was from a collapsed bearing in the the freehub.
I got the shop to swap out the broken FH and use the spare that came of the first wheel with the stripped FH retaining nut.
Completed a 60km ride and it worked perfectly.

Roll on Sunday and the 160km TT.
By the way I am first rider away wearing Numero Uno. :)

Sorting out Rear Wheel Issues

My second rear wheel is now making a scraping grinding sound when I pedal.
If I freewheel there is no awful sound.
When I start pedalling again the sounds come back withing 20 seconds.
The spokes are fine so it is something in the hub or cassette......
Back to Quantum Cycles to get it sorted.
They have a secondhand Easton hub for my other rear wheel, so will go with that.
The spokes will be silver not black which will match the front wheel they rebuilt.

Freeway Run

Did a ride straight down the Freeway yesterday.
I had intended to ride from South Perth to South Yunderup and back, but two things stopped me part way.
1. My right knee started tightening up and aching (no sharp pains) just after Thomas St.
2. The newly rebuilt rear wheel started making a grinding noise.
I turned around at Karnup Road, making a total ride of 110km  instead of the 160km I had planned.
My knee is still stiff today but getting better.

After the runaround this morning to and from Quantum Cycles, I had the derailleur hanger straightened and the derailleur readjusted. Also the rear brake pivot had binded (?) up and had to be serviced.

My other wheel had its free hub retaining nut come loose and stripped its thread.
I am not going to muck around. That wheel is getting rebuilt with a Shimano sealed bearing 105 hub.

80km TT Wandi

Had an absolute blast today and did better than my target of 2.5hours.
2:26:23 - so I am rapt. :) - that gives me an average of  33.8km/hr.
Lap 1 - 0:18:25
Lap 2 - 0:18:37
Lap 3 - 0:18:41
Lap 4 - 0:18:19
Lap 5 - 0:18:50
Lap 6 - 0:18:05
Lap 7 - 0:17:38
Lap 8 - 0:17:48
Time - 2:26:23
Average - 33.8km/h 
I found it very difficult to eat and ride. The best thing I did was starting to eat a gel, an energy bar
and a saltstic about thirty minutes before start time.
On the ride I consumed: two gels, 3/4 of a power bar, one saltstic capsule and 1.2l of water.
I think I will have to eat more for the 160km TT, or else use liquid food of some sort.
After the ride I consumed 1/4 power bar, 750ml of water and 750ml powerade.
I was all over the place with gear selection the first two laps. By lap 3 I settled on
sticking to higher cadence to protect my ankles and knees and this helped me settle into a better rhythmn.
I always felt out of breath (especially after a drink). I might have been a little too close to going anaerobic??
On the flats I would catch up to riders, but they would inch away from me on the crest of hills.
I almost stopped on one corner for cars existing a roundabout and on a few others, sprinted to get in front
of a rider I had been closing on and new I could get around the corner faster.
Laps 5 and 6 were really ratty. I think the wind changed direction and blew hard down the front straight. Every gear seemed too tall.
Then for laps 7 and 8 there was no wind at all.

I pulled up really well with no soreness in my ankles or knees.
So, hopefully, I am on target to complete the 160km in two weeks.

Bibra Lake TT

A beautiful morning and Bibra Lake is full of wonderful wild life.
So close to Perth and so beautiful.

The course is 2.5 laps of a 6.2km circuit.
Rode to and from the event from home- 18km - checked out the last half of the circuit on my way to the finish where registration was located.
I felt really good on the ride down.
Going to the start I felt the lead in my legs and my lip was stinging like mad (sunburn from last Sunday).

First half lap felt good but sorting out gears. Nearly missed a turn as the lollipop man was off having a smoke.
First full lap felt good, but fell into trying to maintain too higher a gear in the second.

36km/hr - 26m:46s - Happy and will aim for the 38 next time.
Fasted was 50.7km/h in 19:03 - new record - would love to do that average on a recumbent. :)

Chatted with a few of the really fast guys and girls, helped a little at getting results to the rego desk and headed home to some delicious Hot Cross Buns.

There were a lot of occasional riders out today. One couple had parked in the middle of the blind corner going onto Canning Bridge.
"Park it on the Grass Mate!" I yelled and cursed having to stop and get a lower gear.
What is it with some cyclists? Why don't they get off the path when they have stopped to do something?