On Saturday I was planning on meeting up with Spence for a climb up Camp Mountain but due to some fuss with work I had to miss out. Instead some quality time with Rohan was planned and we decided that a fishing trip would be good training for Daddy. Training for what I am not quite sure... Rohan recently turned 5. He used to be quite strong willed and insistent but now he is just bull headed! He wanted to do everything himself including baiting the razor sharp hooks and casting his own line out. Fortunately we had some very understanding people fishing next to us as there was the occasional misdirected cast that often ended up tangling across their lines and creating a knot a Mexican macramé expert would be proud of! But we did catch a fish.
Sunday was a day in the hills for me with Steve and Leanne showing me another of their awesome training loops. We were also joined by Paul who is a very strong rider and a nice bloke even if he is a kiwi! It started with a run down Winn Road out to Mount Samson Road and then up Kobble Creek Road to sneak in the back way to Dayboro. The Kobble Creek run is really picturesque with farm land interspersed with bushland saved by the Land for Wildlife fund. You cross Kobble Creek itself a couple of times and the beautiful little swimming holes where pretty inviting after 30 odd K's in the already building heat.
Dayboro is the last flat road you will see for a while as the bottom of Mt Mee signals 6.5km of climbing. The gradient is a reasonable 6% for most of the way and I really found a zone and powered up the hill. The views as you climb are spectacular. Unlike if you're driving up the hill you actually get a chance to see the vistas and appreciate them. There is a small hiccup in this expression of all that is wonder and light in the cycling world and it is called Townsend Road. Holy crap! It's about 300m of 20% gradient climbing. You just have to pull up on the bars and push down on the pedals as hard as you can and hope your legs can cope. Quite the challenge....
After Townsend Road the climbing is pretty much over though. I was really enjoying the zip down Mount Mee and the cruise back along Mount Samson Road. The last time I had done this road I was dropped like a hot potato by the group and left gasping for air. This time I got to help out the front a little and drop the pace to let everyone hold on when needed. I felt strong. It really is amazing what a good mental outlook can do for a ride. I even cranked out a lazy forty K today just because I felt I could.
Not bad for an old bloke...
No comments:
Post a Comment