Hola Canola

 Got on the bike as part of the ongoing program to be out and about at least three days per week.  We spied a yellow field in the distance last time and there was debate about whether it was a planted canola crop or just a paddock of  weeds gone wild. We have seen canola in this field before and it was a few yar ago so the timing fits.  I continued on the usual circuit but cut out the bypass road, all the while keeping one eye ready for any bombers which seems to have settled done even though we are only just into Spring. There was a stiff cool southerly the whole time. I can also report another huge subdivison going up on the other side of the rail trail. We used to ride thru fields here when one side was built out. Now the other side is getting the treatment. There are never enough houses.

Cove Ride

 Last time we were around the Kewarra beach area a new bridge over the creek was being completed to link the bike track with Palm Cove. You can turn this into a 30km ride to Cairns all along bike paths however you have to get out from the beach and next to the highway to do it.  We tried looking for hire bikes in Cairns and the shop owner/mechanic there was negatively talking it down.  Worst bike theft rate in the country, the glass on that highway path is so bad, insurance is impossibly high for bike hiring yada yada. I got bikes in Palm Cove without a problem and wound our way to Trinity Beach right on the shoreline or thru forest most of the time. Last year I attached the gopro to the handle bars but the camera kept switching off.  I did it again with this ride and there was no problem. It may have been a heat issue back then but this time it was in the low 20s. 

Curlewis Ride

 These mouth and tongue stitches have been a pain and the dentist hoped they would stay in place for at least three days.  On the fourth day two of them pulled out rather suddenly. This was becuase they kept getting caught in her teeth and this has loosened them out. However the whole area is much more relaxed now to the point where we tried a ride in the cold.  Curlewis has a north facing balcony cafe, so we made that the target for an out and back ride, probably no more than six kms.  I don't like the magpies there as they are persistent and since I got swooped the other day I am on the lookout. 

a big plus for tea in a teapot

OverBoots

 When is a good time to start riding after an appendectomy?  For me it was today but only for half an hour. I went down to the nearby boat harbour to check out the views.  The main problem was my fingers.  We have been dealing with a fingerologist recently who says I should get some arthiritis gloves. They keep in the warmth but allow the finger tips to protrude for activity. Now that sounds a lot like bicycle gloves and my fingers were getting numb anyway. Nothing a warm basin of water can't fix.  I also put on the overboots which helps the next part that freezes, being the toes.  You could also just wait for the Sun to come out.

Sun Ride

 Yesterday was a rainy ride in the morning and a sunny walk in the afternoon.  We have gotten the bikes out again to much better conditions this morning and the grandies were better at the riding as well.  Absolute calm and acoustics to go with it as we rode the same track as yesterday. This time it was smooth going and Kaia was speeding along to everyone's amazement. There were less dogs and people so no holding back.  We finished the morning with a cake bake session. Estelle arrived just in time for some pancake snacks. Good timing.

Grandies Ride the Rain

 We checked out the sky and the forecast. No rain in sight. The scooters were being ridden inside and there were a few near misses so let's get some beans out by going for a ride along the cliffs. Yay they say.  We got all the gear on and made steady progress to the end of the track. Confidence was up and cartwheels were being performed along the way. In the distance we could see it coming.  The all enclosing rain cloud. So we got going with the usual dog hazards, people hazards and three year old bicycle skills. Kaia did well and Asher rode all of it but we did not make it back before we got wet. All part of the adventure.

Bicycle Views

 I have arranged to use a few bicycles in Europe but we are way out of practice so I went out for a tester spinner round the block ride. Some days back I mentioned the weather and the calmness of it, that was a mistake given the blast we have had for three days. Not today though. Riding was calm and sunny and I picked an old route where I was always swooped by a crazy bird no matter what time of year.  It was all clear this time so I will put that ride back in play. It has slight rises and lake views.

Zen moment

Ride to the Pool

We followed up on the Winter swimming idea by checking out the local pool.  There is a huge construction for stage 2 right now that includes an indoor pool and gym. The pool will be closed soon for Winter due to construction activity. We collared a local swimmer who says that is just an excuse. She says it is also closed for wind, for rain, for school use, for lack of an attendant, any reason they can think of. It seems to me when stage 2 is open it has to stay open.  There is always plenty of water across the road if a dip is required.

Ride for Recovery

Debbie is trying a range of exercises in order to get some strength back after lying low for a year or so. Getting back after drugs seems to take as much mental effort as dealing with the original problem. The morning was calm and sunny so we got the bikes out for a lap of the town. The bay front was awash with boats getting out for some fishing. Elsewhere there were many dog walkers and bike riders to dodge around and as usual jams of Sunday drivers.

Ride Mule Save Fuel

Well I can't ride a mule but I can ride a bike especially if you only need one of the shops up the road like the chemist where the packages are always small. I took the long way round though, via the jetties and boat ramps. The whole area there and the beaches are looking good. There was a photographer setting up for that iconic shot with the YouYangs at the end of the pole line. I saw that shot as a microsoft background photo once. They got the caption wrong saying it was in the US of A.  There does not seem to be too much fuss about fuel here. We are paying $2.00 a litre but there are no queues or shortages as yet.

tripod check, long lens check, bikini model ? 

The Bypass Ride

 That was a wet one yesterday but the rain was handy. I should go and check our tank. It all cleared away so we got the bikes out for a spin. Debbie is stepping up her exercise regime so we are working up to longer distances.  This was still a modest 16km but it did include the bypass track around town. I hadn't been along there for maybe a year. Too bad we can't have smooth flowing bike tracks beside all of our roads. For this ride it would be 8km on track and 8km on road.  Now we have to get consistent with the rides.

Riding & Eating

Those Clancy's are well setup to take on some extra bike riding with the new all tilting bike rack that enables easier access to the car's rear even with the bikes in place.  So it was given a test run by driving part the way towards Queenscliff and unloading from about 6km out. We followed the rail trail to town with a coffee stop and then back to the car the same way.  We had booked the Whiskery for lunch so had to get a move on once we reached the cars.  The Whiskery has a good ambience. The cool shade trees were occupied so we went indoors where we had it to ourselves. The style is more fingerfood than pub meals and I wish they would bring back the lobster roll however we made do with at least five platters. This is a good spot just 10 minutes away.

Cycle Suspension

 I got the video unloaded from the GoPro which I had mounted to Debbie's handlebars. There are numerous places to mount these things which would have had an unobstructed view however it is what it is. This is an enclosed water proof version of the camera and we have had heat issues in the past where it will switch off if it is too hot.  No such problems this time.  I have had to cut it severely to get down to clip size but it shows the trail ok. There are many bikes and some at speed.

Bicycle Beach

 We have been wanting to try this and had to get a bit makeshift.  The bikes were still prepped from the morning effort and I found that if I slung the large umbrella across my back I could still peddle freely. Keeping it there was tricky.  I emptied my backpack and we gould get two towels as well as four travellers in there with the weekender questions and a packet of snacks. The drinks were wrapped in a cooler bag with ice blocks.  It was the biggest crowd I have seen for a while on Williamstown beach and the water was inviting.  The transport worked well and was an easy breezy ride of 15 minutes. There are many options with kiosks at both ends plus a restuarant and a cafe.  They are all the things we don't have at ours but get a beach on your doorstep first.

VeloWay All the Way

Hooray, this time we were allowed onto the veloway after finding it was all locked up about a month ago when we last tried it.  This is an engineering masterpiece with large sections suspended over Footscray Rd. The whole area is unrecognisable compared to when I was riding thru here to MMBW and MITS last century.  We stopped at Docklands for the 2nd day in a row.  We haven't been there for years and now it is twice in two days. The veloway is a dream run and gets you there in 14km of largely uninterrupted riding. Don't be a pedestrian on the suspended section.  It crosses the Maribyrnong but not the Yarra, you will still need to use the bike ferry to do that but this way gets you to the city in good time. We took 40 mins each way for the total 26km.  There is also some video which I need to unload soon.  At least this way I cleared the sinuses.

Riding for Travel

We got on the bikes this morning with the idea of calling into the local travel agent to get some last minute bookings happening. Pure Bookkeeping has a product launch  in London in June and we will attend the session however the agent website doesn't gel with the sign stuck on the door. Closed on Saturdays!  We want to support the local business but this time we are in a hurry and our travel skills are rusty.  Our old contacts at FlightCentre are no longer there either so need to move into no phasement mode. We rode across the road to the Zoo Cafe.  This is a good leafy garden setting for a coffee but they could do with a bike rack as the fence was littered with treadlies.

Cadel Ride

 Last year was too hot this year was cooler. We rode to the closest intersection of the race from our place which was about 12km away but 20km into the course. I estimated our time for 12km would be similar to their time for 20km in order to get there before they do. It worked so that we had five minutes to spare and were able to get a good corner position. I tried slowing the speed down for the below clip.  Getting up close is good but brief.  We went back to watch the finish on TV however in the excitement I rode back without my helmet. So a second trip was needed to retrieve it!  

Tudor Pro training two days ago

Under the peleton sign

Bicycle Coast

 Now that the word is in about the cessation of treatment maybe the next phase in recovery can begin like building up some strength to be able to lift some of those grandies with out pulling a muscle. I am still having elbow trouble but heavier items aren't my problem, it's the pincer movements that send pain like pulling zippers. We got the bikes out for a leisurely 15km and suffered some abuse at 10am on a Sunday morning because we were in the way. I got back in time to mow some lawns, apply some fake tan and take a trip to the library. I checked out the children's section. They have computer games as well as other toys and looks like they are set up for story telling with a circular set of cushions. All good to know for the next grandie extravagandie.

Riding Nostalgia

 20 yar ago we would often ride from Collendina and out along the coast. Once we went to Torquay and back for 80km total. This time it was more relaxed with a maximum of 13km to Barwon Heads. We would mostly stop at a bakery which also did reasonable coffee. The lady there was always talking up her retirement and trying to sell the business.  I can report that the business is sold, the coffee is down graded and the concentration is mostly on the baking. So don't go for coffee anymore, there are plenty of other options.  We rode the exact route taken years earlier and the traffic is minimal pre-Christmas, even stopping to see what the LifeSavers are up to. 

100,000km service

 I have been wary about how long it takes to service the car now that we have a few Kms on the clock. Last year, whilst I waited, I rode every bike trail in Geelong, over several hours and was under prepared for such riding, giving my self a knee problem as a result.  Not this time.  They said it would be 8 hours for the service.  So we had a change of plan and rode the 25km back home.  This was along the rail trail and took a few busier roads to get to it. They will send an Uber when it is ready.  It also meant that the rendezvous with the Disseldorps had to be shifted from Geelong to Drysdale but we used the rest stop to good order and got all the gossip that was going.

a christmas forest

There were many riders and walkers