The blogs continue to come fast and furious. Stay tuned for more reports from the Tour Down Under. Meanwhile I want to know who cleaned up after Australia Day? Crossing the Narrows on Tuesday morning I expected the glassy shards of revelry to spoil my last-ditch attempt at a Kings Park TT, but the bridge was as clean as I’ve ever seen it.
Archive for January, 2008
The astute reader may have noticed that I stopped posting excuses for not turning up for Kings Park time trials after maybe the third (non-)event. I would feel more ashamed about this were it not that Stuey and O’Dirty are the only other Coglioni who have managed to turn up at all. Nevertheless the accumulated shame of five straight non-appearances was enough to push me out of bed the day after returning from the Tour Down Under. So once again a Coglioni was on the start line, albeit incognito, as I rode in the colour’s of the Belvedere Hotel.
There’s not too much to say about the ride itself, except that I don’t like the alternative course (three anti-clockwise laps of the north-west side of the park, starting in Lovekin Drive and looping back around May Drive). The gradient changes regularly, making for a constant struggle to find the right gear. I could feel lead in my legs from Adelaide, and was struggling to concentrate hard enough to keep the effort up in the pain and suffering zone. And yet I suffered. Starting second-last meant the road was pretty quiet, except when I would pass a few fellow-sufferers on the drag up Lovekin Drive past the start/finish line.
With the third lap completed I was far more relieved than elated, but still glad to have done it. I’d failed in my vague ambition to crack 30 minutes for the 17.7 km route, but had managed to beat Stuey’s time back in November by just over minute. I’m sure if he’d been in his allocated spot behind me on the start line the fear of being caught would have driven me hard enough to get that 29:xx time. Still 23rd on the day in a field of 72 didn’t seem too bad, even if the inscrutable handicapping system did push me out to 40th on standard time.
| Lap 1 | Lap 2 | Lap 3 | Total | Speed | Std Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:01 | 10:20 | 10:20 | 30:41 | 34.0 | -2:31 |
Footnote for those who doubt the advantage of riding in a bunch: my average speed for this TT is 0.9 km/hr slower than I rode over 132 km in the Tour Down Under étape stage on Friday.
Having not carted my bike on a plane since our last Tour Down Under adventure in 2006, the delicate process of deconstruction was not as quick as it might have been. Half-remembered techniques had to be reconsidered and rejected before being reinvented. Finally, after an hour or so of twiddling allen keys the Colnago was safely ensconced in my bike case. But not even its free-rolling wheels could make light of the tortuous journey from the new long-term carpark at Perth airport to the terminal. The designers seem to have neglected to consider that after parking most people will probably want to catch a plane, as there is a dearth of pedestrian signage and only one usable exit point. Having found the way the hodgepodge of paths seemed more suited to a Sunday stroll than heavy haulage, even with the benefit of the discarded trolley I’d chanced upon.
A few hours later I was collecting our other bags from the carousel with half an eye on the oversized luggage door. I’d seen several bikes checking in in Perth, mostly in matching blue Scicon soft cases, so I was expecting plenty of activity in that area. Nevertheless I was surprised to see some chap standing in a coolly possessive way next to my easily spotted oversized suitcase. The mystery was soon explained - behind him was an identical bike box. Though he might have noticed that mine was less battered and a slightly darker colour, his mistake could be excused on the basis of us both having used the same kind of black cloth tape to safeguard the side latches against opening in transit. Or perhaps he’d checked the contents and considered an upgrade was in order?
No problems with trolleys here, as the good folk at Adelaide Airport provide them free - perhaps I should check a few in on the way back and flog them at four dollars a pop back in Perth. Our rented Ford Territory was ready and waiting to swallow the bike case in its capacious boot, and I was soon considering the reconstruction of its contents at Jo and James’s place in West Beach. Everything went smoothly together with a slight tweak of the front brake callipers being the only adjustment required after the trip. A good torque wrench is a wonderful thing.
Not content to prove that you don’t need a lightweight bike to fly up hills Blinder has taken a swipe at that old myth about the effect of cycling on your, um, coglioni. Simon and Eliza, and existing offspring too numerous to remember, welcomed Rhett on Australia Day. Weighing in at 4.530kg, I think we have a sprinter!
With our latest order sales of C.C.Coglioni jerseys have reached 42 units, in two colours (Flandria Red and Heidsieck Blue), and two styles (short zip and full zip). Depending on whether or not this diversification brings the short-run loading into play, we may make enough profit from this art-cost free order to fund our next item of merchandise - C.C.Coglioni socks!
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