Wise Decisions, Yellow Jersey and a little tender

So…. following last night’s ruminations, in the end I went with the early group (the softer option) and am very happy with the decision.  Half the bunch went at 7:00 (and the faster guys at 7:30), and they caught us at the top of the climb (so they did in 1.5 hours what we did in 2).  Kym is a rider who is about my standard and decided to go with the later group – lets just say he was looking a lot the worse for wear as we pulled in for lunch!

I mentioned the hotel in Mansfield was a bit ordinary, and breakfast, consisting of 2 bits of bread in a lunch bag and a mini box of special K meant it maintained that high standard.  It was 60k to the far side of the big hill for the day and a lovely little cafe in the middle of nowhere was assaulted by the arrival of 40 cyclists (the dear old owner rang her son in law in a panic to get some help!), and it was bacon and egg rolls all round.

The hill did have a big descent off the top and with a bit of dirt on one corner, one rider came down.  But on the faster part of the descent the big men came out to play (less kind people call me a Clydesdale) but it is the one place where all that extra baggage I carry means i just go faster.  Baxby and I rolled past one of the whippet’s of the bunch (who was pedalling like mad) as if he was standing still.  Lots of smiles from the Clydesdales as we pulled up for coffee.

80 k to lunch was steady and the group started to get the hang of each other, so we made good time.  Lunch was one of those great country bakeries in a village outside Wodonga called Myrtleford – even snuck in another coffee - Nice.  A cheeky 30k ride into Bright and that was 173k just like that.  Someone somewhere must think i rode OK today, as i got the yellow jersey at the awards ceremony tonight, so will wear it with pride tomorrow.

Have to say the appetite has started to kick in, as i think it has for us all.  Half the smorgasbord was gone before they’d brought the other half out.

Sadly my GPS completely gave up the ghost today, so i don't have the ride stats.

Legs are tired but doing fine, upper back is a little stiff, but its some tenderness downstairs that is perhaps most notable.  Might mean i resort to 2 pairs of padded bike nix tomorrow – bet you cant wait to find out whether i go with one or two pairs!

h

Day 1, 2010 Tour de Kids

I am sitting in Mansfield in a pretty dodgy hotel, 191km in my legs (I know what you are thinking, they only promised 180k – i was equally disappointed!).  Vertically we travelled just under 2km (again well over the advertised rate)

Opening day had pretty much everything, rain, sun (tan lines off to a very good start) wind, one guy got a serious speed wobble and his son (also riding) swallowed a bee (didnt help that we is allergic to bee stings, so he spent a few hours in a hospital but back with us now) and a few guys burst a heartilage but are backing up to try again tomorrow.  I was happy enough, it hurt, but i am in pretty good shape, so ready for another 170k odd tomorrow – first 40 or so up hill – eeek. 

A slow start to the day getting out of Melbourne, and then a steady 9k climb to morning tea at 60km (almost 3 hours), in Kinglake (where the bushfires were last year).  Pretty eerie riding up through the lunar landscape but life is slowly coming back into the forest and the villages.  Certainly dusted off the cobwebs, but this is a long game and day one should never hurt too much.

Day 4 is shaping up as the biggy, a couple of very serious climbs, so the plan is to try and protect myself for that.  To that end about a third of the boys are heading out early tomorrow, so that they dont slow up the day up the first hill.  So I have a choice and a dilemma, be the laggard in the main bunch and hold them up, or be quite comfortable in the lead group (well at least based on today’s form).

Short answer is I just dont know, but am leaning towards protecting myself and going early.

Richard if you are still reading your comments are ringing in my ears – its a long way… if you make it.  I am determined to make it, so perhaps caution is needed!

Will let you know tomorrow.

h

Tour de Kids 2010 – Here we go (again)

Biting off more than i can chew

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/hamish_fraser_10

Well its too late now.  The training is done and its too late to cram. I feel a bit like I've bitten off a little more than i can chew, but am chewing like mad.

I have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity and easily made my $3,000 target, but still hope to top $5,000 (it was only lowered to 3 because of the GFC).  Thank you to those who’ve sponsored it me, your generosity is quite humbling.

But sponsors or not, please follow this blog (there should be a button on the right somewhere) and I'll try and share some stories and maybe add a little light to your day (as i whinge about mine).

Have i done enough training? Well its trite to say that time will tell, but i think so.  I’m not sure i am as fit as last time, but was very comfortable on my weekend rides, so that has to be a good sign.

Bikes get packed this Thursday morning, and we fly to Melbourne on Friday afternoon.  A couple of house payments on black on Friday night at Crown and then we roll out Saturday morning, returning to Sydney on Friday next week.

Here is the website http://www.tourdekids.org.au/Pages/default.aspx.  And as i sit and type this on Monday night, the first 3 days do look awfully long 180km, 172km and then 176km and i can see that the first thing we do on day 3 is go over a hill we did last Tour call Tawonga Gap – from memory, only about a 4km climb. 

I wont go over the rest of the course now (i’ll be going over it all in due course – boom tish) and you and you can hear about it then perhaps.

I’ll try and send updates from the road and send emails and facebook updates with embedded links.

Bye for now…