It's been a great week 🙂
Fronted up for the Vets series Road Race at Angaston on Tuesday.
Being an old fart I was drawn in Division Six and going great
guns until we hit the hill on the left turn after Eden Valley - stood up
to climb
and came to an abrupt stop as the back wheel came across to rub on
the chain stay - lost contact with the group while saying a few prayers
and adjusting the wheel, but still managed to come in about 10th.
On Wednesday drove out to Willunga early in the morning and rode
the
course for the Vets TT on Saturday - revenge would be mine !
Thursday morning watched the TDU guys depart from Unley and
returned
home to discover that No 3 son had been out shopping and bought me
a
new bike - Azzurri Milano. The afternoon was spent in setting up
the
bike and a couple of short rides to familiarise myself with the bike
and the changes to seat height, seat position and cleat settings brought
about by a change in crank size.
Friday morning an early wake up at 3.30 to ride the seven km into
the city to load the bike and board the transfer bus to Angaston for
the Mutual Challenge Ride (134 km) over to the TDU Stage 4 course.
There would be nine of us in Team UPNOVER - with five to ride in a
group.
About 45km into the ride an inexperienced girl rider went over the
handle bars just in front of us with the result that Nos 1 and 2
in
Team UPNOVER went down and No 3 explored the trees on the side of
the
road. After repairs to the two bikes and their riders we soldiered on.
Another 20km down the road No 4 suffered a broken spoke in his
back
wheel - fancy wheels and supposedly aerodynamic spokes that
couldn't
be replaced by the Support Team. So new wheels were called for.
While
they were being fitted Nos 1,2,and 3 decided to ride on to avoid
getting stiff. Muggins volunteered to stay behind and then ride on with
No
4.
Ten km out from Strathalbyn a kind soul who had ridden out from
the
town to assist stragglers in beating the close down of the course
ahead of the TDU riders decided that we could do with some help and
volunteered to make it easier for us by pacing for us. He pulled to
the
front of us and promptly took out my front wheel while we were travelling
at 35
k/hr. Muggins went gravel gathering and managed to spin/slide
around
in the gravel to face the other way - with the emphasis on 'face'.
My one day old bike !!! Miraculously only a 5 cm tear on the LHS
grips, a slight graze on the hood of the RHS brake lever and the RHS
gear change lever had punctured the grip - otherwise not a mark on the
bike. But the same could not be said for the rider, his helmet,
safety goggles and spectacles, and gloves. Despite the abrasions down my
left leg - calf, thigh, hip- and left elbow and shoulder - not a mark on
my
nicks, jersey or shoes !!!
A nice trip in the ambulance resulted. Lotsa gravel removed from
various body parts and orifices in the Strathalbyn Hospital and
fourteen stitches in three cuts around my left eye and cheek - cut
to
the bone plus pain in the groin so a trip down to the Royal Adelaide
Hospital for more treatment and further investigation. X-rays to check on
damage to hip and pelvis (all clear) - a scan to check on facial orbit
damages
(fractured cheek bone and appointment with cranio macular surgeon
next Thursday) Blood alcohol test because the crash was the result of
a
collision on a public road, tetanus shot, antibiotic shot and a
plentiful supply of pain killers and more antibiotics.
So I didn't make it to the Vets TT yesterday nor the Kermesse this
morning.
Right now I am starting to feel the need for a short ride, but
SWMBO
has'volunteered' that she doesn't mind if I wait until tomorrow
morning.
bjt
"barry taylor" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: just testing
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: a friendly growl from the bear on the Zephyr that roars
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: /_ / _ / /__/ /__ / \ / \ ....Kawasaki Zephyr
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: barry j taylor < [email hidden] >
: Ulysses #25871: netrider #549
: Skype: ursusaustralis
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: ~~ (*)/ (*) . . . bjbear on his treadly
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