STUFF! (that looks like other stuff*): Part 2

With great delight I present Part 2 of...

STUFF!
(that looks like other stuff)*

Is it a tree? Is it a Mr. Grim, come about the reaping? You decide, with "Stump of Death":

Picture courtesy Miss Bunny

Secondly, a photograph entitled "Heart Shaped Pox":

Is it a sign of love abounding, or merely a blob of last night's dinner that got jettisoned onto the sink during the washing of dishes?

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*A shamelessly stolen idea, thanks Ben.

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Dallas Dating

Sydney to the Gong 2007 full report

2007 MS Sydney to the Gong Ride
November 4, 2007

5:45 Alarm


6:00 Leave house after getting dressed, eating a banana and staring at the cloud-filled sky and wet driveway for five minutes, thankful for loading bike in car the evening before


6:45 Park car in McEvoy Street, near the start, with about 50 other riders and families setting off


7:00 Ride the 2.4km to the start line, realising that there were many parking spaces much closer

Not the actual start line, but just over the hill. Very wet. Very rainy.

7:14 Ring dad to find him, no answer


7:15 Ring dad to find him on the opposite side of the building I was standing under


7:30 Set out in pouring rain to start line with dad & his regular ride mate John


7:45 Meet their other regular ride mate, Bill, after finding he’d already had one puncture pre-ride


7:50 Walk across start line


8:00 Finally get on bike in rain


8:01 First bottleneck


8:10 Get riding seriously, raining, easing and patches of blue starting to show already


8:30 Chain starts to skip, stiff link due to rain and grit


8:40 Stop to check chain, nothing I can do, push on


8:42 Hit sweet rhythm as we hit La Perouse, stiff link begins to ease as sun comes out


8:43 See first crash, mountain biker weaving in and out comes unstuck, nobody really stops


9:00 Stop to see Bill changing second flat for the day, Sutherland turn-off


9:30 Rest break at Loftus, bean-up

The steeds make it to Loftus in one piece and much dirtier.

10:10 Reach Waterfall and turn off main freeway, held at top of hill awaiting recovery of crashed rider #7 for the morning


10:15 Reach mid-point of descent as woman goes over side into bush at medium pace, no injury


10:20 Reach bottom, start climbing already


10:40 Lunch break at Cedar Flat


11:40 Leave lunch for climb out of National Park


12:10 Finish climbing out of National Park after passing lots of granny-geared MTB’ers

From the lookout atop the National Park climb. Note the eagle scouting for dead cyclists.

12:45 End of Seacliff Bridge for photo opportunity

South end of Seacliff Bridge.

12:55 Lift toppled lady off kerb and dad’s bike, try to loosen her pedal tension unsuccessfully, remount and start the final run


1:57 Get flat rear tyre, limp last 500m to finish with squeaky, bumpy rear wheel


2:00 Finish


2:30 Get back on bike to ride to adjacent sports facility to meet a friend for a ride to his place and warm shower


Trip computer:
86.4km
4:38:41 riding time
18.5km/h average
58.3km/h maximum speed

Polar HR monitor:
137bpm average HR
185bpm maximum HR
6:44:00 running time (includes stops)

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Dont you hate it when...

...your bike suspension fights itself? Pay attention to spelling.

Their website has some pretty nifty gear on it though, aside from grammatical errors.

It's like all those bikes being peddled with 'peddles', as opposed to being peddled with pedals (or indeed, pedalled with pedals). Or those that come with a free German national. What Helmut thinks about being given away for free is anyone's guess.

Nitpick plus for today.

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Sydney Gong 2007 - brief report

Finished.

86km showing on the computer

4:38 riding time

18.5km/h average

- all right where I thought the figures would be.

Numbers:

4 - stacks

1 - no-helmet fool

3 - kg backpack (with water)

4 - bottles consumed

1 - rainy start

1- warm, sunny finish

1 - flat tyre 500m from the end and no way I was changing it that close

too many - bikes that hadnt seen a spanner since last year

I'll enlighten you all more later.

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Three days to Sydney-Gong

Three days out from Sydney to the Gong 2007 and I think everything is ready.

I took the flat bar out for a road test on monday night, and aside from a pinch-flat rear tyre, everything seems to be working well. No creaks, no undue noise, and no muscle/positional discomfort. The repaired chain took a bit of hill work without protest and no visible signs of expansion or stress. The bag is packed with tools, energy food and clothes.

Rain is forecast for sunday though. I've got a rain jacket tucked in the bag, and the bag has a rain cover, so aside from being uncomfortable, I should be right. The arrival and return plans are in place, and a 7:30 start at St. Peters beckons.

I can still smell tyre patch glue on my fingers from last nights repair job.

I must be ready.

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