On the road again.....

Rode into work yesterday to test out my fitness after a couple of months off. i wasn't too sure if my foot would be up to the task, but then again if I keep waiting I will never find out!

I decided that i would ride the single speed into work for a while as I haven't had a chance to ride it at all, having finishing its build the same weekend I broke my foot in March. 44x17 gearing and a spinning rate of around 100rpm had me wandering down the street at about 30kmh for most of the trip in. This put me at work 28km later in about 55minutes, which I think is pretty bloody good for a first ride, in the wet no less.

Quick breakdown of the ride? The gearing felt a little low and I really had to concentrate on spinning quickly to keep my speed up. I can see this being a valuable tool at the moment in recovering leg speed and cardiovascular fitness. It is clearly going to require a bit more punch on hills, but I dont really think that my legs are ready for that kind of abuse just yet, maybe in a fortnight or so. Stem length and seat position were pretty much spot on, maybe slide the seat back a couple of mm, but otherwise its right on. Theonly problem I encountered was with the wheels, which didn't appreciate a short detour across the park on the way in, and a bit of a shudder through the front end under heavy breaking. Although I do suspect the braking problem had more to do with the tyres i was running, and the wet conditions.

wednesday is a day off the bike, kids to transport to school and afterschool activities. We shall see a resurgence of effort and activity in thursday morning and friday as we lead up towards a weekend hit up on the dirt.

Kayaks Australia kick in major coin for the Flying Doctors

Well fundraising for the SDCC has taken off with a flying start. The good people at Kayaks Australia have promised $5 per kilometre in sponsorship for the Royal Flying Doctors Service. This means that potentially they are going to kick in almost $3000.00 towards the RFDS. Their support is up on their website with a bit of a story and they even have a shocker photo of half my head up on the site!

Denise and Troy from Kayaks Australia have put money into charitable works for some years now as their own way of giving something back to the local community, and their belief in my ability to complete this endeavour has really charged me up to give it my best shot.

Fired up by their support I headed out this weekend to chase some support and quite a few friends and family have been steam-rollered by the sponsorship machine this weekend. Currently I have about $7 a kilometre in sponsorship, so I am pretty chuffed with the support. Hopefully they will all remember in October when the race is done!

The only big thing for me to sort out now is the logistics support for the race. I have the truck, bike and all the camping gear sorted so the last thing is a driver to get the whole lot to the other end of the race and offer me a kind word or two along the way. I have a couple of tentative offers, but I'm sure that it will sort itself out in a week or two.

I guess all that is left to do now is a bit of training!

It's ON!

That's right intrepid readers, I have decided to enter the SDCC, the Simpson Desert Cycle Classic. A 5 day cycle race across the Simpson Desert. It's been called "Satan's Velodrome" and for many competitors it has certainly been hell. And yet they return, again and again, from throughout Australia and around the world, for those five days of the year when this unique location plays host to an extraordinary cycling event ......

I have completed a number of 24hour races and 100km races, although this will be my first stage race, and it seems I may have chosen a slightly difficult first race. I never have been one for taking the easy route. My good friend Wayne (Elvis) Chapman competed last year and after some long discussions in the quiet of the evening at the 24hr Solo MTB race at easter this year I have decided to make the trip out to the Red Centre to compete in this years event.

The race is a fundraising event for the Royal Flying Doctors Service and I have decided that this will be my charitable work for the year. I am hoping to raise between $10 and $20 per km in sponsorship for the 600km race. Sponsors will be asked to sponsor me for the KM of the race that I complete. It is on all accounts a gruelling undertaking and will help focus my resolve in the desert, knowing that every step forward is going to be providing the RFDS with the money they need to continue their vital work. All the race costs (entry, cars, food, support, etc) will be entirely covered by me so that all of the funds raised will be donated directly to the RFDS. So head for your cheque books people, I'm coming for donations soon..............

Got the cast off my left foot today, the Orthopaedic Specialist informed me that the walker boot could stay in the cupboard and I can start some easy walking about on flat surfaces. He also told me that I can start some gentle riding to get my leg strength back. This is psychologically a big bonus as I have really missed being on the bike over the last few weeks. A little worry still remains however, and given how stiff and sore my ankle and foot still feels I think the trainer will be a good starting place. Its almost been 6 weeks off the bike, so I will probably hit the trainer 20-30 min a day this week to get my legs turning over.

On the down side, a long overdue visit to the physio this afternoon confirmed what I have suspected for a couple of weeks now, the fall at soccer which broke my ankle also did a real number on the soft tissue, with torn ligaments and tendons all over the shop. The down side is that these haven't been treated proactively, the plus being that 6 weeks in stasis means that the tissue damage is largely sorted out, it is just a stretching and strength program.

Looking forward to my new training program from Alex Simmons from RST coaching. Hopefully a solid effort on the bike and plenty of physio will see me racing again in a month or so.

Well avid readers its true, I am back and writing once again. My over caffinated creative talent is oozing from my clogged and sweaty pores onto the keyboard, producing a series of delightful letter patterns to amuse you. Given the time of my absence I have to say that your dedication is - well to put it politely - creepy as hell.
I haven't written anything on this blog for almost two years and you still check it regularly!
Honestly, I thought that I had issues..................

I went to work today. I got out of bed and got dressed and rode my little bicycle to work. It was a pleasant enough ride, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and trucks were pumping tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. I even got to work in time to have a cup of coffee and some breakfast. Not great coffee, but good coffee. And a bacon and egg roll. Good.

And now I am stuck here - in the dark. Its not raining. I don't have a flat tyre. I feel just fine, thanks for asking. So why am I here? Well some random, useless git has just rung me and given me another hour's worth of work because they are clearly not capable of running their own business. If they cant sort themselves out - then why is it my job? what happens to the customer gets what they ask for? not some second rate excuse why it cant be delivered. Why should my business stop because you cant run yours?

Now I have a 30km commute across one of the worlds biggest bogan/redneck communities - on a bicycle - in the dark. No I dont have lights, thats a stupid question to ask. I dont need lights when i leave work an hour and a half before sunset.
If I get run over tonight I 'm going to haunt you.

I went outside today. It was raining. my suede jacket got wet. i went to the coffee shop around the corner. coffee made me less grumpy.