Road: June Rec TTT

June 27 2010

Ray Issac, our favorite roving reporter, writes:

Pre-emptive apology from the scribe: To those new riders who braved the terrible conditions last Sunday and haven’t been mentioned below, my apologies. The registration sheet was drenched by my bike clothes in the car boot and I can’t read any names on it. Come to our next ride and I promise you the recognition you deserve!

37 riders who are clearly impervious to the effects of cold winds, driving rain and misty fog for some reason assembled at the members' gate to the Ballarat Racecourse on Sunday 20 June for the Miner’s Rest RecTTT ride. The occasion was touted as the final RecTTT ride before the winter break. I can attest that this was the wintriest RecTTT ride ever and couldn’t have provided any worse conditions if it was held in the depths of winter.

One RecTTT favorite who attended but wasn’t riding was Cath McLennan, back for the first time since her terrible accident the day before the Snake Valley ride. It was great to see you up and about, Cath, and the Goddesses will undoubtedly welcome you back in a few months time!  All RecTTT riders please note that Cath was a marshal at Miner's Rest.  You are encouraged to put your hand up for this thankless but important task.

Given the shocking conditions, it was no surprise that the numbers were slightly down from our recent events. Even so, some of that can be ascribed to the absence of the Myer group. Their patron, Mike Bigarelli, had just touched down from his extended Fabio/Gran Fondo/Giro trip, and in his absence the group had obviously degenerated into a leaderless rabble. Time to crack the whip, Mike, and get them organized for the Burrumbeet ride in August.

After some confusion (who would have guessed), the course was set for three laps of a 23 km loop taking in Kennedy’s Road, Gillies Road, the Creswick Ascot Road and the Maryborough Road back to Miner’s Rest.

All the other teams from Snake Valley had re-assembled for the battle. The Goddesses have a mortgage on the first departure. As ever, they found novel ways to reduce their average speed. Marg Crocker attempted to take off with her front wheel fixed to her front forks by a Velcro strap. That minor difficulty overcome, they headed off. They may have had trouble mustering enthusiasm for a second lap as, after completing the first lap, three of their seven starters suffered some undefined mechanical difficulty and pulled out. Trudy and Chris Charleson were two of those three.  They put their spare time to good use by firing up the BBQ and making sure the snags were good and black by the time the RecTTT teams were finished.

The remaining Goddesses pressed on, but the need for a natural break proved too much to resist for three of their team. This is a growing trend with this team. All following RecTTT riders should obviously adjust to the possibility that there may be a middle-aged woman behind any tree whilst on a RecTTT ride, and the usual rules of etiquette apply.

The eight-strong Saxon House team headed off next with John Ives, one of Ballarat’s best known financial planners, back in the fold. John is a fair-sized unit, despite his punishing training regime, and the Saxons seemed to relish the chance of sitting in his considerable wake. He added serious oomph to their team. Last ride’s CSC winner, Trevor Smith, cruised below the radar, anxious to avoid another tongue-lashing from team leader, Neil (Adolf) Goad.

In a demonstration of the sort of commitment Neil is looking for from his team, he drove himself to the point of puking as they climbed Blowhard for the last time.

Unfortunately this lesson was lost on Ivesy. True to the financial planner’s dictum, he diversified his portfolio when the powerful Yabby Divers cruised past, by latching onto their train. This investment strategy provided a satisfactory return for all. The Yabbies were unaware he was back there, and Neil was glad to regurgitate in peace without him. Of the five teams whose average speed was lower at Miner's Rest than Snake Valley, the Saxons’ speed reduced by the smallest amount. I hope that’s not damning by faint praise.

The Turret Café team welcomed Les Bilney and Stu Brien into their team. You might remember Stu from one of his earlier films. Stu and Les helped the team to a very impressive first lap. As they caught and passed the Saxons in the driving rain along the Maryborough Road, Stu was on the front, creating a bow wave that threatened to swamp the Saxons team.

However the pace was beginning to tell on some of their less experienced riders, and as they turned off Gillies Road for the second time, they were passed by the flying quartet from the Lake Health team. A momentary attempt to match their speed was brought to a crashing halt when Stu punctured his front tyre. In the true spirit of RecTTT riding the team stood off at a distance in a downpour while Stu repaired the tyre and resumed the battle. It was a bedraggled group of Turreteers that eventually limped to the line.

The Dennis Family Homes team of five included their spiritual leader, Peter Martin. The rolling hills apparently suited their roster as they eventually recorded the second –fastest time of the day. Unfortunately the curse of failed equipment struck the hapless Dennis Homes team for the second time in two rides. Fergie had to abandon again after another mechanical issue. Talk about unlucky.

The good news was that Peter Martin managed to get through the ride without cramping. The bad news was that he didn’t have any dry clothes to change into and showed up at the after-ride coffee looking like nothing so much as a hip middle-aged fixie rider from Oxford Street. Shudder!

The five Yabbies who arrived included at least two new RecTTT riders- Brad and the Old Timer, Gerry White. George announced that this was in fact the Yabbies' “A Team,” fresh from their Giro training camp, and so it proved, with a strong showing put up.

In a disappointing departure from previous Yabby efforts, however, these Yabbies were professional and debonair and did nothing to embarrass themselves or their fellow Yabbies. If they had not all got into the one car to get changed into some dry clothes after the ride, I would have struggled to write anything about their attendance at all.

The tyros from the Lake Health were mentioned earlier. They had added two boys named Huggett to their team. I am predicting illustrious RecTTT careers for these young men. That is not just based on their excellent bike riding – theirs was the only team to increase their average speed from the previous ride – but the fact that that increase was just 0.01 km/h. Improvement, but not so much that further improvement is impossible. We applaud this skill in those so young!

The results were:

Goddesses 23.95 km/h (down 0.75 km/h)
Saxon House 28.79 km/h (down 0.27 km/h)
Turret Café 32.48 km/h (down 3.56 km/h)
Dennis Family Homes 34.25 km/h (down 0.74 km/h)
Yabby Divers 34.15 km/h (down 1.17 km/h)
Lake Health 37.45 km/h (up 0.01 km/h)

We tried to enjoy the BBQ, the coffee van, the cold drinks and the company, but it was really a bit chilly for such frivolity.

The CSC Award was hard fought, with most of the shenanigans mentioned earlier coming under notice. However a very popular winner was the Starter and Timekeeper, Tim O’Doherty. He unilaterally decided that two laps of cold and wet were sufficient for all the RecTTT hardheads that day. This decision is not, strictly speaking, Courageous, Stupid or Cunning, but no one seemed too worried by this technicality, and Tim was warmly applauded for his wise choice.

*********

Peter Canny, Rec TTT ruler, writes:

Thanks to the hard men and women who turned out this morning in conditions that could only be described as challenging.  We had over 40 riders, with teams from Saxon House, Lake Health, Dennis Family Homes, Goddesses, Yabbies and the Turret.  Ray's report will follow soon

Thanks to Wendy, Don, Cath, Trudy and Chris for assisting with today's event and Tim, Ray and Pete Martin for organizational matters.  Special thanks to all marshals, who were doing it harder than the riders.

Our next event is August 15 from the Burrumbeet Hall.  We would love to see old and new riders and teams.

Thanks again to everyone for a great morning of Serious Fun. 

********

We're looking forward to seeing old and new teams. Remember - it is not a race but some serious fun in equaling or bettering your average speed from last time.

While for some teams it has become a ride of shame, and I don't want to name names (Yabbies and Dennis Family Homes), it is our last hit out for two months and a last chance for some to gain some fraction of respect before our winter break.

******

For some, it's time to get organized; for others, time to start training, for a few, time to fine-tune; and for others - and you know who you are - time to start sledging and making up excuses. 

While some have been to Italy to find inspiration (and God knows they needed it ), and some have had therapy in the mountains of South America, others have attended courses in map reading and simple comprehension, and the majority of us have quietly been going about our training for the next big event.  Remember, it is not a race, but a chance to either establish an average speed or improve on your average from last time.

We hope to see all the teams from our last event, including Lake Health and Myers, and the the old hands of the Goddesses, Turret, Yabbies, Saxons and the domestiques of Dennis Family Homes.  We would be very pleased to have any other bunches out there who enjoy great riding in a fun and very social environment. You only need four to make a team, so phone a friend.

When: Sunday June 20

Where: Miner's Rest.  See the on-line calendar for a map of the course and the start: click on "Road" on June 20.  As the map shows, the meeting point is at the entrance to the members' carpark in Kennedys Road, Dowling Forest, off Gilliies Road. 

What time: registration is at 8:30 AM.  Goddesses are off at 9.10 AM. Others are off from 9.30 AM, at 5-minute intervals.

What does it cost: $5, unless you're a member

Distance: a little over 60 km - 2 laps

Attitude: serious fun.

---

Corrections? Questions? Comments? Contact the web lackey

back

show all articles