I really didn't want to leave Ems 30th at B'wood. Not only was the wine plentiful and the company outstanding but what lay before me was undecidedly uninviting. We left at about 10.00 amongst the thousands of golden oldies that had been in the hunter for a beach boys concert. A short way into our drive we were reduced to a crawl by the heaviest rain I have seen in years. By the time we got home the rain had eased off but the slow trip home had eaten into my already inadequate sleep allocation. Four short hours later i got up, avoided looking out the window, lathered most of my sore body with dencorub, downed a few panadol and Lycraed up. The last thing I felt like doing was riding 90 k's in the rain.
As we drove into the city the stop start rain became less stop and more start. The team photo was taken and without too much fuss we were on the road. If you enter as an individual you get allocated a departure time based on your estimated time to cover the 90km's. I was shooting for a sub three hour time which should have equated to a 6am start. Unfortunately because I was riding with the work crew we started at 7am. Of course this meant we started behind the 3 hour riders, the 4 hour riders and even the 5 hour riders. Anyone who has been in the car with me will know I don't like being stuck in traffic. The first 10 k's was all about ducking and weaving, trying to get into a rhythm, longing for the open road. The rain continued falling and within minutes the rain along with the water being thrown up by 10,000 cyclist (most of whom were in front of me) drenched us to the bone. We managed to make our way through the bulk of the slower riders and by the time we got to Engadine we were pretty much in the clear. The rain stopped the sun came out and before long I was enjoying riding with the sun on my back.. With renewed vigour we started ascending the main climb of the day through the royal national park. I loved riding a completely new route through such a beautiful area. The RNP and the northern Wollongong beaches might be easy on the eyes but they are certainly hard on the legs. with a strong southerly blowing the undulating hills were taking more of a toll than I had anticipated. I was well and truly ready for the waiting sausage sambos and powerades that were waiting for me in the CSC tent. Nat was good enough to pop down to the gong to pick us up. I finally got to catch up on a weekend of sleep deprivation with a solid 4 hour arvo kip.
This was my first organised ride of any sort and I have got to say it was pretty awesome. I'm sure I'll be back next year but until then it's time to look for the next challenge. The list of epic rides keeps on growing:
I should proably start with something flatish
http://www.bv.com.au/great-rides/20005/
Then something with a few hills but still close to home
http://www.audax.org.au/alpine-course.htm
I'm probably not going to be able to make it to Europe this year for the Etape de tour but it's pencilled in for 09 http://emandgav.blogspot.com/2007/10/new-challenge-etape-du-tour-2008.html
If I do the Etape in 09 and am looking for a challenge on 10 I could always go the Marmotte
http://www.sportcommunication.com/GT/epreuve.php?langue=2
If the marmotte isn't enough to keep me fired up I can always ride across Canada.....
http://www.freewebs.com/jacandaaron/index.htm
I'm not an attention to detail kind of guy. This deficiancy can present in a number of different ways and in a wide variety of circumstances. I did something last night that I have't done for a long time. I sat an Exam..... It's been about 8 years since my last exam and 11 years since I last had the feeling I had last night. That sinking feeling you get when you realise you've stuffed something up big time. Can I just say attention to detail is very very important when reading an exam paper. Had I read the paper properly I would have seen the bit that said "answer 4 of the 8 following statements" in the short answers section. It wasn't until we walked out the door and Nat asked me which 4 short answers did you answer that I realised my folly. Of coarse the extra 40 minutes I spent answering all 8 short answers made it very hard to punch out three essays and as a result I'm pretty sure my essays will come up a little short too. Oh well at least we are saved by faith alone not by exam results so that no one can boast.
