Sunday Morning

Mid morning to lunch time on a Sunday is shaping up as an ideal time to ride at the moment. There is little to medium traffic on roads/paths and the temp is staying cool. As winter recedes and warm spring days appear, earlier starts or more water and sunblock will be the go.

A relaxed Sunday ride around the river via Subiaco, following the train line to Fremantle and returning by the south side of the Swan. From Subiaco to Fremantle, the cycling paths and lanes work very well. they allow mostly PSP riding however when on the road, the lanes are clearly marked. Again I was impressed with how easy it was to share the roads with traffic and I never felt unsafe at any moment.

A little bit of work on the trainer during the week showed good results up the hills. I had some knee strain last weekend and because of that decided to attempt a higher pedal cadence. This meant being one gear lower with the same speed. The lungs kept up and the hills were not anymore difficult than with a slower cadence. I am going to persevere with the higher cadence and see how my power develops. I will aim to keep it in the high 90s and gain more uphill speed.

If you do ride to Fremantle Beach check out the new boardwalk. We rode right up to the edge,sat on our Barons and enjoyed the calm, glistening ocean with the odd sailboat coasting buy.

Kailis, just around the corner are not only fish and chips but also have a cafe section. I was impressed with the pot of tea served in a china pot, with a second hot water pot and a small china milk jug.

As the lunch crowd arrive we headed back to Perth. There was some traffic around Leeuwin, however after that it was quiet. The wind became stronger and turned into a headwind with many insects struggling for direction. A couple of these were involuntarily ingested. Protein?

Brads and Barons

I mapped out a lovely 50 km circuit to Guildford, Maida Vale and Canning River. I had not ridden to Guildford for a number of years and also wanted to ride the new PSP extension.

Perth To Guildford is PSP for three quarters of the way. I then got onto the road and across the bridge avoiding the winding narrow path at the river’s edge.

The traffic on the PSPs and roads was very quiet for the first part of the ride and allowed side by side riding, with the occasional single file when needed.

After the drink stop and closer to midday, there were more cars and a pinch spot over Welshpool Road had drivers hitting the horn for no reason. Most drivers, however, shared the road really well, especially when they had to wait for us to change lanes etc.

We did our best staying in the cycle lanes, taking the lane at roundabouts and riding defensively.

A steady easterly headwind and long small gradients had the muscles aching early.

With a high cadence and continually finding the best gear to maintain the cadence I felt I was managing quite well. However the rough chip seal roads and many false flat rises tested my right knee a little too much.

With about 10km to go I took it really easy and also reduced distance by taking the shortest route around Canning River.

This ride was all the more enjoyable because there were two of us and it was squeezed in between my social and family commitments.

I think there might be an inverse ratio that the more difficult the scheduling, the more enjoyable the ride.  

Added to that, there is certainly something special about two recumbents of the same make and model travelling along together.