28 Feb

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Woodend – 28th February 2016

24 riders assembled this morning in conditions which have been the same for the past weeks, cool with a strong south wind blowing. 14 riders rode the longer route and the remaining 10 the shorter route but at the regrouping point at the end of Ashbourne Road John Mc decided to ride the shorter route leaving 13 on the longer ride, 10 the shorter ride with one member deciding to ride back to Woodend.

Both rides were conducted in similar conditions with cross winds at the start followed by a good tail wind section, followed by more cross winds and the final section a strong head wind back into Woodend.

However on a much more serious note disaster struck on the longer ride with a nasty accident occurring which required 2 members having to be taken to the emergency department at the Brooke Street Medical Centre in Woodend. The accident was caused by a water bottle  dislodging at the start of the descent from Shepherds Hill on a bumpy section of road and in the ensuing melee with riders dodging said water bottle 2 riders crashed and sustained injuries.

John M ended up with a broken collar bone, cuts and bruising and Luke severe bruising to his collar bone, shoulder area and multiple abrasions to his knee. When they both  departed the medical centre one rider was trussed up and the other with his arm in a sling and both naturally feeling sore and sorry. Club members then drove them both home and ferried their cars and bikes back to the relevant properties.

This incident also highlights one of the dangers we all face when we go out on the roads to enjoy our chosen pastime and that is the possibility of accidents happening through no fault of anyone.

On behalf of all club members we wish them both a speedy recovery and hope to see them back fit and riding again in the near future.

25 Feb

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 25th February 2016

10 riders assembled this morning under ideal conditions, overcast and cool with little wind however unfortunately both conditions changed during the ride when the cloud cover disappeared. We rode a circuit out Ashbourne Road, Carlshrue, Cobb & Co Road back to Woodend, a distance of 45km’s though some members decided they wanted a fast few Km’s with the tail wind and rode approx an extra 5km’s at a fair speed and arrived back at the cafe looking a lot worse for wear. very hot and bothered.

They rode past me and said jump on the back, “you can do it”, I managed to hang on for about 50 metres before being dropped but i was soon joined by 4 others and the 5 of us all rode back to Woodend at a more sedate pace.

A good ride was had by all and everyone enjoyed the break at the cafe out of the sun.

21 Feb

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – 21st February 2016

A smaller number of 21 riders were ready for today’s ride from Gisborne with very chilly conditions early that quickly warmed up, and those members who were wearing multiple layers very soon started disrobing. 12 riders rode the longer and the remaining 9 riders the shorter route except that 2 members on the shorter route went up over Mt Gisborne and arrived at the regrouping point after the riders on the shorter ride had departed from there. However all was resolved and they rejoined the shorter group at the next regrouping point and the rides continued, then disaster struck with Brett having a puncture and in true fashion Lawrie stayed with him to enjoy the experience. The riders on the shorter ride continued and the two riders later caught up with the other members of the group, which by this time was down to 6 members as 2 riders had to branch out (last time I will use that joke) with another who also stopped at the cafe in Gisborne at the mid point of the ride.

The original 9 riders were all together at the cafe at the finish and by the time they were getting ready to depart the cafe the riders on the longer route were starting to arrive, especially as two members took a short cut but I will not name them ( a husband and wife combo) followed by others in 2 groups as some chose to vary the scheduled ride and go to the Trading Post for a coffee and surprise surprise Dave was not one of them however his other partner in crime (Roscoe) was a part of the group.

All riders were back in Gisborne by the time the remainder left for home and a good ride was had by all.

 

18 Feb

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 18th February 2016

9 riders prepared to battle the elements on a Woodend morning which has been typical of the last few weeks, being grey skies, strong south wind and the ever present threat of rain. As Lawrie says a 2 layer day and just about all riders had arm warmers and some with leg warmers also. We managed to complete the ride with no rain and clearing skies towards the end of the ride. A very good ride for the conditions.

We rode a 55km loop out to Newham, Carlshrue and back via Chanters Lane and Ashbourne Road. A good ride except for the middle section which was into the breeze and basically uphill for the most part. 2 riders also had to shorten the ride due to other commitments with the remainder riding the above route and having a good coffee break at the usual cafe to finish off the morning.

15 Feb

Ride News – 7 Peaks Challenge

Luke and I successfully completed the last 2 climbs in the 7 Peaks Challenge of Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain to Omeo and return on the weekend from where we stayed in Harrietville. We have now both completed all 7 peaks challenge climbs. The two days were great for riding with very warm conditions at the base of the climbs but cooling to about 20 degrees as we climbed to the top of the mountains.

The only issue we had was that on the Saturday climbing Mt Hotham there was a very strong crosswind blowing near the top of the mountain which only had minimal impact on the ascent as the wind was a cross tailwind, but made the descent quite precarious as we were traveling much faster on the way down from the top of the Mountain until we got about 8km,s into the descent. Once we got lower down the Mountain the wind was still as strong but not a concern and by the time we reached the bottom conditions were good but obviously getting into the warmer 30 degrees temperatures.

A great 2 days climbing was had by the two of us and we returned home today tired but happy.

 

14 Feb

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Kyneton 14th Feb 2016

24 club members took part in our Sunday rides this morning from Kyneton, in great weather conditions. 25 actually showed up, but our somewhat laconic leader left his shoes and helmet at home. Perhaps he just wanted an unearned coffee? A waste of getting out of bed early, if you ask me.  Apparently, these 8.30am early summer starts are a bit of a problem for some of us. There are some who think it should be a criminal offence to get out of bed before 8am!

We split up into three ‘official’ ride groups.  The long ride group were heroic today as they managed to pass through Lancefield without the controversial extra coffee stop, mainly due to our two most prominent coffee demons not being on that ride. The seven who completed the ride arrived back in Kyneton in time for conversation over a much anticipated coffee with the other riders.

We had two new riders today checking us out, one doing the shortest of the three rides with two club stalwarts as companions – the other breezed through the long ride. Eleven of us completed the middle distance ride, with only one mishap – a long standing club member who will remain unnamed, fell off her bike. I missed seeing the event, but it may have happened as her partner walked past us as we were riding along High Street. Perhaps it was a swoon related to St Valentine’s day?

Two of our rider’s bikes seemed to be floating above the road, brightly polished and newly acquired. It’s amazing how many justifications there are for getting a new bike – fitness, lifestyle, companionship etc!

Good spirits all around, lots of conversation, and the usual anticipation of our next ride. Next week, our regular ride reporter will be back from climbing the mountains to keep you up to date with the news.

11 Feb

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 11th February 2016

9 riders assembled this morning ready to tackle the strong wind and while there was considerable debate as to which direction to ride most routes into the wind involved a fair amount of climbing and the consensus was that the majority present did not want a lot of climbing today. We then rode a 54km circuit out to Bryces Lane, Newham, Chases lane and back with obviously the last 20km or so into the wind. The ride was therefore quite fast for the first portion and a bit of a slog back to Woodend but most rides recently have featured strong winds in one direction so we are getting used to riding into the wind.

The coffee break at the finish was welcome and after a rest everyone went their way home.

 

07 Feb

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Woodend – 7th February 2016

A record number of 32 riders assembled this morning in Woodend in excellent conditions for a ride. It is great to see the club continue to expand and newer members enjoying their riding with us. As was advertised via email etc. we commenced our ride with a short session of practice riding in a group lo learn how to safely ride with  other riders around. Club members who take part in racing are used to riding in bunches but for members not used to bunch riding it takes practice to be comfortable in close proximity to others. The main reason for the practice is for the safety of our members and others who are on the road at the same time. All riders enjoyed the experience and apart from a few minor issues to be sorted out we will endeavor to have sessions incorporated into some of our rides in future where routes are suitable for practice.

After the practice was completed 17 riders rode the longer route and the remaining 15 the shorter route. Both rides followed the same route to the end of Chases Lane where the longer route continued on to Newham via 3 Chain Road and the shorter route rode back to Woodend via Cobb & Co Road. The weather was beginning to get warm by the time the rides were finished but a nice tail wind back to Woodend made for an good finish to the ride and both groups were back together in Woodend  at the end for coffee and a chat.

A great time was had by all.

04 Feb

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 4th February 2016

9 riders assembled this morning under grey skies with a very strong southerly wind blowing. We rode a 43.5km circuit to Macedon then Baringo loop to Ferrier Rd and back via Black Forest Drive to make sure we were riding the last portion back into Woodend with a tail wind. As luck would have it the plan worked out with no rain and a mainly sheltered ride through Baringo and a lovely tail wind back to Woodend. A couple of members dropped back to keep me company on the climb up Black Forest Drive and then told me to go to the front and ride my pace on the downhill section to Woodend and then said I was going to fast so I proceeded to speed up more. No names mentioned but said member has some tattoos which made for some laughter back at the coffee shop.

A good ride was had by all and it was nice to have a ride and not get wet as one foolish person did the previous day. Again no names mentioned but it was the writer of this post.