The first of many

The week before Christmas has been a week of post uni work relaxation. I'm so relaxed that I'm sick of it and have nothing to do. This time last year I was working so much I was run off my feet and had no time! How things have change. Not that I mind, it means I can get in some quality time on the bike, on the ladies and on the lounge (I can also do the last two at the same time [and when I say do, I mean put my male genitalia inside her numerous orifices]).


I'm doing this crazy Month of Madness shenanigan again. This will be my fourth MoM, and hopefully not my last. The last three have all been different, and difficult for many reasons, some of which I don't personally agree with, but if nothing ever changed, we'd all be the same. The first one was 100km every day. The second one I was hit by a car that drove off. The third one had only Fester and I complete it after Jon got really sick with only a few days to go.

This week:

I had a measured smashfest on Wednesday during Dawn Patrol. This ride is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, you need a buddy. Everyone has their partner and no on really likes to break it up any other way. Secondly, it is overrun with guys that work in bike shops. While the official count is unknown, there was, at one stage, four of us at the back rocking that shit. If anyone asks, we weren't trying to sell each other bikes. Thirdly, no one calls out any holes or anything. Navigating Hornsby by memory was the only reliable method. Later on while rolling through Church Point at a fair clip, the two riders in front of me suddenly freaked out and this was the only warning I had for a traffic hazard sign in the centre of the road that I must have only missed by mere centimetres.

Dawny is a ride definitely worth doing. Not because it's super fast or hard, which it isn't, but because it has a different bunch dynamic to club rides.

The feel and culture of a Peloton Sports bunch is unique to itself, and after all, variety is the spice of life. Yesterdays Calga Classic was NOT a classic. It was a tempo ride which are just as awesome as smashfests. Awesome for that fact that you get to chat to different people and have a relatively easy ride.

Something like this

The Fatbuster has a jolly, happy feel. It's the end of the working week and we're all hanging out to sit down at our favourite cafe for sometimes an hour and a half for a minimum two drinks before heading off to casual Friday (the record is just on two hours I believe, but only four coffee's - my record is three chai lattes and I almost vomited on my way home from so much milk). And yes, we like the Corner Cafe more than Pierres, sorry Jack.

Chai latte or cafe latte?

The Reeperbahn however,  has a business feel. It's not a smashfest, but it's solid, as we want to get through the ride as quickly as possible so we can have a coffee before heading off to work.

This ride was borne from Zac and I being more committed than everyone else, WORD. With no Thursday alternative from laps of Duffys Forest (Gay Laps, as they became known), we set about mastering another route. As we had done it before, but separately, we banded together and for three weeks we mastered the three gorges ride - although we called it the Galston Berowra loop, because we don't care about sounding better then we really are *Four Gorges?*. As with most businesses in the 21st century, we re-branded it as The Reeperbahn and made it fit for public consumption.

As we are the creators of the Reeperbahn, the moniker follows us around. So while the ride officially starts at Pearces Corner and finishes at the Corner Cafe, it really finishes in Artarmon where we part ways. We are the patrons of the Reeperbahn.

He just rode the Reeperbahn

Side note? Side note!
Side note:
The Corner Cafe in North Turramurra knows more about my secretive personal life than my mum does.

Hi mum!

Thursday I did the Reeperbahn carrying an injury to my VMO. I suffered a strain from the previous day, most likely due to a big dog effort up Bobbo. It was better than the previous afternoon, but still ginger, or wranger. By Friday it was almost gone.

Friday Fatbuster! I was planning on completing an extra loop of the Wakehurst Parkway and Roseville Bridge, but instead I met up with a friend and had sexy time.

For all intents and purposes, I burned the same amount of calories as if I had kept riding. So it's a double win!

Double win, ohhh yeah.

Saturday was a recovery ride because my legs were thoroughly smashed. I had several levels of tiredness pumping through them, I hadn't even ridden that hard! Damn you fishing week (more on fishing week later)!

Calga on Sunday was a group ride, not a smashfest. I rode off the front twice to get some efforts in. The first effort wasn't even a hard one, I just rolled off the front and didn't hit it until Pig Hill and the descent. I knew I had to push hard to stay away on the decent, and it didn't happen. I was spinning out in my 12 and one corner from the bottom I got picked up. This was, from what I'm told, after an epic turn by Simon, and then a few guys swapping off on the front on the descent only (pussies).

One day someone will come with me, and we'll get away. It has happened before! I remember attacking once at the Cowan sprint and having 2:45 at the top of Mt White on an Ettalong ride earlier this year. One day...

Dreams can come true.

I was planning on riding every day from Wednesday the 14th until January 31st. But today I woke up and decided I didn't want to ride until later. Then it rained and I stopped caring. Now I feel bad. But then I remember, I'm going to a friends house for pancakes tonight.