Mon 31st C28's Pace Akuna Bay 6:30am at MRC

Road cycling & upcoming rides
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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 25 Dec 2012, 19:16

Hey hey hey. Mon 31st Dec I'm planning a New years eve ride to Akuna Bay without West Head (105k's) at C28's pace. 6:30am at Marrickville Road Cafe. Maybe a silly swim at some beach, weather permitting. Here's the route >> http://app.strava.com/activities/21325001

Ride is off if it's raining (or even vaguely wet - SMS me!) and check here on the day if it's wet

Any interest?

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 26 Dec 2012, 17:20

I'm interested. Why can't we do West Head too though?!

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 26 Dec 2012, 17:28

I'm in. Happy to stick with the shorter ride for aforementioned reasons (sorry Camilla)...

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 26 Dec 2012, 18:11

I'm interested. Why can't we do West Head too though?!
because it makes the ride take too long, adding 30k's and about 1.25 hours ... 105k's is surely far enough :shock: Anyway, it's my ride and that's what I'm doing. You're welcome to add West Head if you feel so inclined :-) We are returning via Wakehurst parkway, not Pittwater Rd so we get about 1300m of climbing in ....

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adrian
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Postby adrian » 27 Dec 2012, 09:11

I'm in. Goodbye Christmas calories...

adam
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Postby adam » 27 Dec 2012, 12:46

I'm certainly in. Been feeling the need for this ride. I might join you for a West Head extension Camilla. Then we'd have to catch the rest of the bunch :lol:

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Postby GregPankhurst » 27 Dec 2012, 14:17

I'm almost certainly in.

Extension exshmension. 105km will do me :D

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Joe
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Postby Joe » 28 Dec 2012, 18:08

I'm in too. I'm sure 105ks will do me fine - enough hills and sun for me. Looking forward to it!

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 29 Dec 2012, 21:17

They have HOTMIX going out to West Head. Sweet! But only Adam and I will know. The rest of you will be enjoying a decaf latte at Dee Why whilst you should really be fortifying yourselves with a concrete smoothie*

* may change my mind and just come with you on the day, in accordance with peer pressure.

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Postby Eleri » 29 Dec 2012, 21:28

I'm going to West Head too. No changing your mind now Camilla!

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 29 Dec 2012, 21:52

That's three 4ths of a quorum then!

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 30 Dec 2012, 08:14

Was thinking of moving start time to 6.00am as it got real hot on Fri at RNP and this is longer. What say the starters?

@Camilla, we'll be drinking coffee at Church Point, as my route doesn't go to Dee Why .... More climbing up Wakehurst Parkway instead. But for you ACE riders, I would expect to be overtaken about then as you power on past, even with your extra 30k's :-)

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Postby GregPankhurst » 30 Dec 2012, 08:44

Sounds a good idea to me. Forecast isn't quite as hot as Fri, but it will still be warm and sunny.

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 30 Dec 2012, 10:04

I'm personally not keen on a 6am start as we will have been down the track the night before.

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 30 Dec 2012, 11:54

Having been riding through some hot, hot weather in Inverell I'd be keen for 6am start. I get a little anxious about my water running out when it gets too hot. Eleri, I'll make sure you are home in bed at a reasonable time tonight... ;-)

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 30 Dec 2012, 13:22

Start Time: So far it's three for 6:00am and one for 6:30am .... anyone else? Eleri + Adam, you could always meet us on the route instead of riding to the start? We'll be going down Crystal St / Balmain Rd / Catherine St / Anzac Bridge ... ?

Lets discuss down at Tempe tonight.

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Postby AndrewBurns » 30 Dec 2012, 14:08

I'm keen. Don't really care about the start time but I'd prefer 6:30am because half an hour more sleep will make way more difference to me than getting home half an hour earlier. I won't be at the track tonight so whatever gets decided please post it up so I have time to read it before I go to sleep!

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 30 Dec 2012, 18:22

I have it on good authority (Stuart), that it's a 630 start time.

andrewm
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Postby andrewm » 30 Dec 2012, 19:13

I have a late leave pass for tomorrow's jaunt. I'll probably take the west head extension.

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 30 Dec 2012, 20:51

Start time 6:30am : Start time 6:30am : Start time 6:30am : Start time 6:30am

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 31 Dec 2012, 04:57

I'm out. Dare I blame the sausages? Too crook to ride. Enjoy it people.

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Postby GregPankhurst » 31 Dec 2012, 13:56

Well that was entertaining. It's probably fair to say Stuart going down sick set the tone for the day. It was somewhat chaotic out there, though nonetheless a lot of fun 8)

Moments of mild chaos included:

Stopping for Eleri's puncture, even though Eleri wasn't riding with us
Interesting mechanicals
Interesting near misses after said mechanicals
Looooonnnngggg toilet stops
A few roadside route debates
The formation and reformation of a number of splinter factions (predominately the let's pound to West Head Set, the let's go to West Head at a sensible pace faction and the bollocks to West Head group)
Ian riding clear past us at the drop into Akuna and not realizing it was us
Me fantasizing about a berry smoothie for the last 20km only to discover the cafe was shut
....and I'm sure there's bits I've missed

The bollocks to West Head group thinned out a bit over the last few miles. Iain (v2) left us at Mona Vale, Jo jumped the train at Milsons, Joe we left in the city, and Ian and Michelle headed west over Anzac, so it was only Jonathan and myself who made the (annoyingly shut) cafe - felt a bit like the Last of the Mohicans by the end.

Thanks for a fun day everyone. Hope you all got back safe

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 31 Dec 2012, 14:04

I ride the city cycleways every day for work so hopped on the train to avoid them - they get very frustrating (my excuse anyway - and I'm sticking to it)!

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 31 Dec 2012, 14:26

Yep, chaos is how I would describe parts of this. Anyway, got mostly sorted out in the end. It was a big bunch with about 20 by SHB.

I went with the "sensible pace to West Head" and return via Northern Beaches bunch. We ran into Christian, John and Jake at the West Head turnoff and I'm sorry I didn't go to Akuna with them because they saw an echidna!

I only got yelled at once for riding off the front in traffic. Umm - sorry! We had a nice lunch in Dee Why, but were sadly disappointed at Freshwater.

But even that bunch split with Ted, Camilla, Adam and Andrew catching the ferry at Manly. Mark and I rode back through the Spit and I learned a new back route through Mosman in the process. I got home about 40 minutes before Adam proving that bikes are quicker.

And that finished my Christmas riding bonanza with 695km done - not counting the track last night. Tomorrow I'm having a day off the bike ...

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Postby andrewm » 31 Dec 2012, 14:34

Got a bit hot tho didnt it?

The let's pound to west head set started as 7, but thinned to 5 by the west head turn off. It thinned to 4 somewhere on the way out to west head. Given there were do many of us I assume the capo clad time rider was picked up by one of the other factions?

A sub faction formed on the way back that thought Akuna Bay was a good idea seeing as it was just there. Paul sensibly decided to give akuna a miss and ride straight home leaving three of us to do Akuna. My garmin had the temp as 36.5 on the climb out. I made it to the Thai restaurant with a little vomit in my mouth and gratefully accepted the ice cold bottle of water offered by conner. Hugely appreciated. It was a long ride home on empty. Although strangely Strava tells me it was at least as fast as many of my solo efforts.

A good day out.

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Postby andrewm » 31 Dec 2012, 14:39

That mosman back way was the one I suggested with the very detailed description of "up, down and around" at SHB. Possibly not large bunch friendly.

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Postby JoTheBuilder » 31 Dec 2012, 15:07

Did anyone else notice the countdown to the 'Sommet' up Akuna Bay...? Turns out there is no spell check on asphalt.

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 31 Dec 2012, 15:39

Did anyone else notice the countdown to the 'Sommet' up Akuna Bay...? Turns out there is no spell check on asphalt.

It's, ummm, like French or something :wink:

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 31 Dec 2012, 15:42

Did anyone else notice the countdown to the 'Sommet' up Akuna Bay...? Turns out there is no spell check on asphalt.
I think you'll find that 'Sommet' is French for Summit .....

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 31 Dec 2012, 15:46

Oh and I hope I didn't leave everybody too much in the lurch by not turning up. I needed to be near the bathroom. I was sure there were people who knew the route, and as there's a link at the top of this thread I knew that the diligent DHBCers would have studied its every detail, creating their very own map of the parcours :-) No? I'm shocked. :shock:

I will however be looking to do this ride again, probably in Feb.

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Postby GregPankhurst » 31 Dec 2012, 16:50

Jo and I were thinking they were shooting for sonnet, and thus needed another DHBC haiku at the top.

Stuart - indeed I did study the journey thoroughly, but a series of bloodless coups took place en route and your fine parcours was overthrown :-)

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 31 Dec 2012, 17:08

Having studied Eleri's Strava ride profile I see you went DOWN Wakehurst Parkway; was this so the West Head bunch would actually be able to do the distance ?

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Postby Eleri » 31 Dec 2012, 17:42

I like going down Wakehurst Parkway and "might" have influenced the bunch ...

There was a published route? who knew? :-)

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Postby adam » 31 Dec 2012, 17:44

If that was the intention, it didn't work - at least not for those of us in the sensible pace West Head bunch who opted for the Manly ferry. There was a cover story that Ted hadn't been on it before and was particularly looking forward to the experience. Sadly, in my case I was actually feeling a bit tired an emotional (hence the un-called-for quiet word about riding off the front) and simply needed the bracing sea air.

On other matters - sadly it was my puncture that caused one of the early delays (as I left the house), and again when the tire blew out down Wakehurst Parkway. Perhaps that's when I began to become tired and emotional - although it didn't really feel it set in till after we had finished the West Head route.

But the truth is that the West Head ride was worth it - the view is so good, and the ride back to the turn-off is actually heaps of fun.

Chaotic, hot, tiring - but very well worth it. And even in absentia, thanks Stuart for getting it all to happen. Sorry you missed it, and hope you're feeling better.

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paul
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Postby paul » 31 Dec 2012, 20:37

Sorry. That was me on the long toilet stop. Having slipped quietly off the back, and spending a leisurely 10 min, I was a little embarrassed to find the bunch waiting for me. But thanks anyway. I finished up getting the train from Gordon. Paul.

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tedrobin
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Postby tedrobin » 01 Jan 2013, 08:48

That was a very long, very hot day in the saddle, but a totally excellent way to see out 2012. I'm not sure I've ever been to West Head before, and the view knocked my socks off. Thanks to all for organising it, and to those who shepherd the slower riders. Stuart, are you casting nasturtiums at my sausages? Actually I feel a little delicate myself this morning but there are about a dozen other suspects to be interrogated first.

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 01 Jan 2013, 09:04

@Ted, more the 'never been washed, ever' BBQ more likely. Anyway, probably a good day to miss as it was bloody hot and I wouldn't have got past N. Sydney. I'll organise a repeat sometime in Feb, probably a drive to Narrabeen, ride the West Head loop back to Narrabeen (70k's), swim & breakfast.

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tedrobin
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Postby tedrobin » 01 Jan 2013, 09:15

That sounds more manageable, and would keep us off so many big roads to concentrate on the picturesque stuff. And a swim, without the prospect of riding home in soggy nicks with sand in all the wrong places, sounds more enticing too. Plus I wouldn't have to set a day aside - we didn't get back until after 3 (OK, we did a fair bit of mucking around), and then an extended nap was an absolute necessity. I had planned to do quite a few things beyond riding yesterday, but did none of them.

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 01 Jan 2013, 10:39

We live in Australia...

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Postby jonboy » 01 Jan 2013, 10:45

@Ted, more the 'never been washed, ever' BBQ more likely. Anyway, probably a good day to miss as it was bloody hot and I wouldn't have got past N. Sydney. I'll organise a repeat sometime in Feb, probably a drive to Narrabeen, ride the West Head loop back to Narrabeen (70k's), swim & breakfast.
Like Stuart, I was in the dodgy tummy category too - I'm not sure if it was the yum cha for lunch or the sausages at the track. I'm happy to volunteer to be the bbq cleaner next year.

Gotta run...

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Karzie
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Postby Karzie » 01 Jan 2013, 20:24

Well, just recovering from this ride. The portents were to be seen in the late start, waiting for riders who in fact were meeting us elsewhere. The extended waits continued thru the ride as the solstice sun climbed ever higher in the sky... I started suffering early on, not realising that I had Stuart's tummy problem. I began to dread the Akuna Bay part, knowing that my climbing bike was at work and my racer's gearing was going to make tough work out of it. After yet another extended wait at Church Point it turned out that out of 20 people only five, maybe six were doing the advertised ride and no-one actually knew the route! By now I was feeling awful. No way could I do West Head. I would be lucky to finish the ride. I was putting it all down to my recent blood pressure issues.

For some reason, it was decided everyone was going to leave in groups, and the Akuna Bay mob were relegated to last. Sitting off the back I managed to drop the chain 200 yards up the road. No-one paid any attention to my call and I was on my own. That was that. I relaxed and tried to settle into my pace. Not helped by John Nguyen and Christian Lees and others then peddling past at a rate of knots! :? Sheesh, a no pride day for sure.

The long slow grind started. I saw the West Head mob waiting at their turnoff. Waiting again? I gave a quick wave and was glad just to keep moving, even if it was to the tyrany of the 'Sommet' countdown. I was going to be damn slow and my group must be a fair way ahead.

I disturbed an echidna by the side of the road and almost ran it over as it scuttled out in front of me. Prescient readers will now realise that I was actually in front of my group, who'd stopped for a chin wag with the West Head group as I creaked past in myopic ignorance.

That bloody hill almost killed me. And no-one at the top. I had to keep going or I was going to die. Actually, it was so hot and I felt so awful that I actually was a bit worried about that. I didnt' know what the route was. I assumed my group may have gone back down McCarrs Creek road to meet the others, but I wasn't going to. Much better to head down Mona Vale Rd and Forest Way. Knowing Jo was in the group, I would sent Christian a random text telling him what I was doing. I'd just done that and a group of DHBC riders called out to me from behind some bushes on the other side of the road. I waved back, but they disappeared. A little while later my mob made their way across the highway to where I was. Never did find out what they were doing in the bushes, but hey, I was glad to see them. They could pull my body off the road if I went down (this thought actually did cross my mind).

Anyway, the rest is a bit of a blur apart from the Awaba St nightmare. Thanks to Michelle who realised I was pretty far gone and kept an eye on me right back to my turn off. The thought of getting to that turn off was all I could think about at the end. I got home to the blessed coolness of my house, had a quick sandwich and a bottle of soda water and then realised what Stuart had some seven or eight hours previously.

I've spent most of today recovering. I have no idea how I managed to finish the ride, but thanks for looking after me Michelle.

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Postby Eleri » 01 Jan 2013, 20:54

Ian- that sounds epically horrible! Glad you made it to the end.

You went up Awaba Street????

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Postby GregPankhurst » 01 Jan 2013, 21:07

We came up Parriwi rather than Awaba, but I dare say the nuances of such things were lost on most of the group by that point. Not sure what was lower, ability to ID streets, blood sugar or morale. :?

Apologies for not picking up that you dropped the chain at Church Pt Ian. I didn't hear a call and given the splintering of the groups I had no sensation where anyone was on the road by that point. We obviously saw you go by at the drop into Akuna, but also figured you'd seen us.

Re: emerging from the bushes. We missed the tunnel that took us under Mona Vale Rd, and once we saw you on the other side we looped back to it.

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Karzie
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Postby Karzie » 01 Jan 2013, 21:41

We came up Parriwi rather than Awaba
Spoil a good story... 8)

Someone needs to get onto that BBQ with some caustic.

The sausages were ok I think, cause I fed some leftovers to the kids (cooked on my barbie!) and they're fine.

(Actually, they were in the fridge and they got taken out and cooked while I was in purgatory)

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Postby Eleri » 02 Jan 2013, 07:58

I don't think the BBQ itself was a problem. Indeed, a number of us remarked on how wonderfully sparkly clean it looked when we arrived that afternoon and it was clear that it had received a fair bit of love recently.

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Dougie
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Postby Dougie » 02 Jan 2013, 09:24

I ate a sausage and was OK. Then again, I went to Boarding School so I can eat most things. The Spawn also ate sausages and they were fine. Having said that, their cast iron stomachs have been refined through the consumption of high grade "Bunnings Sausage Sizzles". I don't think it was the snags' fault.

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 02 Jan 2013, 10:41

Ok, well, something must have been a bit suspect for three people to go down with a similar stomach bug after the carnival, or maybe my stomach is just 'soft' too ??

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 02 Jan 2013, 21:31

I also apologise for not hearing your call Ian. I was way down the back too but heard nothing. I also dropped my chain on that climb interestingly enough. Nor did I know you weren't feeling 100%. You were going quicker than me on the way home (not hard) too! But you didn't hop on the train with me?

I felt mildly dodgy the previous evening and I did have a sausage but I get very nervous before big rides so put it down to that...

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Karzie
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Postby Karzie » 03 Jan 2013, 10:53

I also apologise for not hearing your call Ian. I was way down the back too but heard nothing.
Thanks Jo. I didn't really mean it as a complaint. These things happen. I obviously just didn't yell out loud enough!
I also dropped my chain on that climb interestingly enough. Nor did I know you weren't feeling 100%. You were going quicker than me on the way home (not hard) too! But you didn't hop on the train with me?
I probably should've got on the train with you, as the northern line turns into the inner west line I think. It just didn't compute. Just had making it home in my brain.
I felt mildly dodgy the previous evening and I did have a sausage but I get very nervous before big rides so put it down to that...
I had three hot dogs, so got really loaded up. Can't think what else it might be, as I'd skipped lunch. Maybe the sauce? Anyway, it's still with me a little bit. Have to beat it before Saturday's Vintage ride!


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