The pre-dawn rain shower stayed away for this morning’s Fluffer; perfect conditions for a roll along the beaches.

Eleven ER’s in the traps (now this will test my memory!) —Satnav, Flash, Fore, Magoo, Ivan the Terrigal, Jamie, Rob, Ben, Scott, Simon, and B1/m CFM (acting.) Big Bird, very pleased to report all regroups conducted in an orderly fashion, the peloton remained nice and tidy through Bayview in the pre-dawn light despite a seemingly endless stream of “cars back” — a bit busier on the beaches this morning.

Unharrassed through Dee Why. Briony pulled up south of the col; wasn’t too sure why at first, no obstacles in sight at all but close inspection revealed a flat rear tyre (which wasn’t slowing her up at all.) Tyre changed successfully despite everyone’s best efforts: Briony thought she’d check the cartridge by emptying half the CO2 into the gutter, Satnav got most of the rest into the tyre, then Flash thought he’d check everyone’s work by pressing the little button on the end of the valve. Simon’s pressure gauge barely registered a 30 so Fore finished off the job with a mini pump. Like watching a well-oiled machine without the oil. Under way
again until just around the corner where Satnav’s rear tyre relaxed in sympathy. First tube fitted — and exploded; Scott diving for cover like we were under fire — second fitted then on our way with nothing further to report from the mechanicals department.

Glorious through Manly — a nice little longboard wave this morning — busy up through Seaforth (saw us up, ahem, up on the footpath for a bit; apologies, BG) but all present and accounted for either side of the dip. Safe passage through the lower north shore saw us into the B&T for the tail end of the first sitting, well situated for the second, and in prime position for the morning academicals with Herb in tow. All in all, a fine morning on the pedals.

A champagne breakfast ride in this morning for the lucky few along the OTP, conditions could not be described as anything but absolutely perfect for a pedal in to the Office..

Aboard the bus were new riders Matt and Mark…Fox valley tapping a rich vein of new blood..welcome and quickly do something silly so we can find names for you..

A darkish morning requiring the assistance of Ayup Industries to illuminate the road, once en route though a swift change as the illumination became rather too bright and thence the “eye wear” had to be swapped for darker shades..perfect temperature and air moisture content, banter at full volume as usual, and as usual the Gordon launch was filled to capacity awaiting the horn from BOF at the appointed hour.

A regular rabble formation through the Hills of Death, YHC sliding to the rear to catch a word or two with another new rider Alex, on his second ride in, but was not finding the pace intimidating, so YHC slid to the front to cane it a bit..( not ) .. with a good 20 in the bunch, regroups and camaraderie are what make this the second best way to start the day. “Goose” there is an APB out for you, calculations being that your garden should be just about dug now and it is about time to see you back on the pedals..apart from missing your humour and occasional wit, plenty of new names are required so an extraordinary meeting will have to be called..you know the drill.

Archer St …well paced assault only had to put a toe down once ..not calling a red letter day until we make it through as a bunch..unhindered..I think the last time that happened we only had 8 on the ride and Kevin Rudd was still PM..

ERs all on through the Tindale turn and it was on for a KOM challenge, Turnip and Teflon off the front and weaving through the oncoming traffic looking for a small advantage, YHC a third wheel forming a tight breakaway into the park, however it was only for a short while, into the dip there was the unmistakable tones of ¼ , getting ready for a gassy explosion of power into the Scaramanga ascent.
¼ by a length, Turnip and then YHC well behind but still on the podium..

Burlington regroup and by now there was the usual 30 passing muster, and into the North Sydney shredder, ERs joining a growing cluster of cyclists making their way through the road works..I think we are nearly on speaking terms with all of them, even the Irish lollipop ladies. Climbing the Bridge steps too is becoming a bit of an ER overload, seeing the entire staircase covered ..please let those at the top through.

B&T regroup was in waves, as each ride arrived the queue never seemed to shrink much, hot seating it required and standing room only for the Fluffers who unfortunately only made it in well after the last chairs and milk crates were dished out.

Whispers of an Allambie Flamby tonight…falling on deaf ears here though ..I will be crystal cranking home at my usual 5pm bus, and will hopefully be overtaken by the 5:15..by the time I reach Tindale..

With only a few weekend rides left before the 3p challenge, no doubt we’ll see some epic achievements advertised shortly..a smorgasbord of suffering on offer..enjoy.

Have a great one all
BT

Due to my naive* interpretation of the feedback I received to last week’s edition, I’m back again with another reflective message.

I want to echo Ben Lee’s (or is it Daffy?) sentiment – quite a group you have going here.   I reconnected with Old Spice yesterday – we used to sleep through the same lectures at uni 30 years ago!

Part way through week 2, I’m happy with progress, even managed a ride home last night with the 6pm bus, safely directed by Old Spice and Norman.  From St Ives I rode with MRE along MV Rd and down Forest Way, then solo to Seaforth and finally home to Allambie.  45km!  After taking a 25km route to work, I covered 70km yesterday – and didn’t hear those legs until I got home.

(As I type this, my legs are mumbling –  “You deaf head – too many rock concerts in the 80s” and “We woke you up 5 times last night with cramps, what does it take to get the message through?” )

Enough of the emotional soppy group hug stuff and the painful physical update – over to the topic for this week:

Bike Budgets – or to put it another way:  “How can I get away with spending lots of money on my bike and not get busted by my wife?”

To those ERs who ride under a male ride name (I’m assuming that is the females of our group) my apology for the sexist assumption underlying the alternate title for this week’s topic.  I promise that next week’s ramblings will be more attuned to your tastes.

The tips below come with no guarantee, and you can be pretty sure that if one approach works this week, it will not work next week.

In the end, it all comes down to psychology – and being a lawyer, I know more about psychology then anyone (except other lawyers).  It was part of first year law – not psychology – knowing everything.  All lawyers learn that they actually know everything about every topic known to man (and even those topics not thought of by anyone yet) just by virtue of them completing law.  How else can judges sit and make decision about anything and everything?  😉

But I digress – back to psychology – that is you know which buttons set off your significant other.

So what do we know to help us?  A few things that are pretty commonly experienced:

• That for some reason, our significant other has a soft spot for us (when we are not disappointing that significant other);
• Generally, money is not important in a relationship, it is time that counts;
• If I change my approach to money, my partner doesn’t like to be told, but would rather be able to understand;
• Money becomes a focus if we make it the focus.

So let us just imagine that you have just seen your dream bike – imagine a shiny yellow and black 2012 BMC Cadel Evans signature edition – with your favourite number “34” on it.  Unless the owner decides to let it go for $100, the price is likely to exceed you delegated (or single signature approved) authority.  How can you justify the spend?  FAIL  – as soon as you start trying to justify the expense, you have lost.

You should let the Cadel go – until you can lay the foundations for success:

(You wouldn’t do the 3 peaks without some sort of training?)

• Highlight the importance of cycling to your well-being:
  • You have a hot body thanks to your riding (ok – maybe don’t go that hard – but you are in better shape than if you didn’t ride at all)
  • You are more relaxed due to the way you commute one or more times each week  (don’t yell at the kids from the couch when you are totally wrecked from having ridden 70kms in a day – on top of a day at work – trust me 😉 )
  • Highlight the extra time you can spend with your loved ones:
    • You save time by doing your exercise in your commuting time, leaving more quality time you can spend with your partner and kids
    • Mention the dollar value of riding (but don’t go overboard or it will look like you are scheming)
      • You save money on bus/train fares by riding to work.

Once you have laid the foundation (over time) and you have demonstrated the benefits mentioned above (eg take your partner out on the money you have saved on fares and using the time you previously may have gone to the gym for a run) then you need to slip in the odd comment about servicing the bike etc.  It should become part of the fabric of your household, just like getting the car serviced – but with the exception that your saved bus/train fares could never come close to the cost of car service – in fact there is another saving – you don’t need to drive to the station anymore, so you save on car servicing.

I’ll leave it to you to work out all the possible benefits and justifications, but everyone knows that there comes a time with all cars, that you should get rid of it and replace it with a new or recent used car.  If you have laid the foundations for success – replacing your bike will just become another expense in the household budget.  Just make sure when you go shopping for a new kitchen, you don’t put the brakes on the budget – you always have to give the ultimate decision to the one who knows best – so if you talk about good value … you get where I’m heading yeah?

Then the end result is that you explain that the Cadel Bike cost nearly $27,000 brand new, so $15,000 is a real bargain …

For those who have read the whole of this perspective – you are a hardy lot.  I’m a lawyer – you are not supposed to believe anything I say – basically the above is just a load of (^@#.

Alternate strategies

In my experience, you have to act like a 5 year old, just keep asking until eventually the “no” turn into a “yes”.  Or live according to the rule that forgiveness is easier to get than permission.  Or work really really hard on that spreadsheet, adding up everything you have saved by riding (it still will not work) but threaten to kill yourself if your partner says no again – that’s really just a variation of acting like a 5 year old …

One thing that actually works (kinda)

The only thing I’ve found that helps (nothing works) is to have some mates over, let them give their opinion of what an awesome deal you got on that bike and how they wish they were as good a negotiator as you – for some reason, most spouses like to hear their other half get compliments – even stuff they said “no” to counts on this list (and once your partner has put your skilful purchasing skills on the “pros” list, the world is your oyster- or should I say bike shop?)

So the most important thing is – make sure your mates are free for a BBQ (and know what to say) the weekend after you pick-up that new bike!

Note:  No guarantees – good luck – I know a good divorce lawyer.

For more serious reading – http://www.marsvenus.com/

Happy cycling,

Mavis

* When people send me a compliment, I take it on face value – I’m actually prepared to fool myself that some folk get enjoyment from reading my dribble – anyway, I’ll continue in my state of delusion for  now …  😉

As newly (self-) appointed Press Secretary for our Spiritual Leader, Le Bullet, the Cycling Sadhu, it is incumbent upon me to chronicle his greatest deeds for the global audience and future generations. In this capacity I lay this short passage before you.

Last Friday, for reasons known only to himself, the Good Shepherd Saint Navigation spruiked the running of the first Flambie, seizing upon the opportunity to welcome pink-jersey aspirant, Sam, with a ‘slightly more challenging’ way home than the sacred OTP.

And so it was that, on a hot 32 deg, 95% humidity Friday afternoon, we turned right instead of the holy left at SHBN and in what can only be described as blasphemy we strayed from the Golden Path to the GG, that most sacred house of Friday afternoon fellowship & libation.

Had it not been for the spiritual credentials of two of our crew I would have truly feared for my mortal soul. Our small band of heretics assumed a formation of sorts and rolled out – new girl Sam (ride name pending, I vaguely remember Bullet trialling ‘Cadel’), Bullet, SatNav, YHC and a homeward bound Mavis completing the quintuple.

Through the back streets of Kirribilli, Neutral Bay, Mosman we weaved our merry way. No rush, a long weekend ahead, embracing the key tenet of OAFATSR. With lots to look at and chat about, and encountering many other cyclists in a similar mood, revelling in the holiday atmosphere.

Down Parriwi and over the bridge we picked up a couple of GOTFR tokens from a passing STA bus clearly in a Friday afternoon fluster. Up Mont Seaforth at a slow and steady clip then the sprint along Pittwater Rd, SatNav demonstrating great SS skills with a mix of high cadence, drafting and crouching for max speed, the pilgrims arrived at the base of Mt Doom.

A quick farewell to Mavis and YHC looked for signs of trepidation in the new recruit but was disappointed – Sam merely grinned, took firm hold the Specialized’s reins and got stuck into the climb.

North of Frenchs Forest the group split further with SatNav and Bullet continuing north, Sam and YHC turning our steeds’ heads west to cross the much feared Roseville Speedway. Taking the advice of the Good Doctor Watsford, we erred on the side of caution and prudence and pulled our mounts onto the footpath for a couple of kilometres of windy, root-infested, debri-strewn, overgrown concrete before making it onto the bridge bikepath – no improvement here with large gaps between segments and open to the northerly cross-wind. All up a true bone rattler and not be repeated by any who care for their rims.

After the bridge, back around, under, then up and out for a pinchy climb through the back streets of Castle Cove. Ciao to Sam, then a gallop on to Chatswood and back home to Artarmon for a hot shower and a cold beer. Total ride time about 2 hours and well past the previously agreed hour with the good lady requiring appropriate levels of genuflecting and contrition from YHC as penance.

A small price to pay for yet another great Easy Riders adventure. Thanks again to SatNav for the inspiration and guidance. Strongly recommend the Flambie to all – a great complement to the Fluffer – get one or two of these in before daylight savings comes to an end.

Cheers
Dora

Thanks to all 11 of the Flufferers who attended the Birthday Fluffer this morning.  We have 4 Virgin Flufferers including our youngest Flufferer to date – Grant aged 14.

No mechanicals to report.  Flufferettes were on great form (Briony and Anna Banana). The Sunrise and views were all delivered on schedule along the beaches – Thanks for booking these.  A little bit untidy today in the Group Riding but that’s because we were partying hard and enjoying ourselves.

Graham organised the Birthday procession into the B&T right on schedule with a 7.45 delivery.  Great timing.  Well done.  Ravi bought the Birthday drinks – thanks mate.

All Flufferers welcomed by the OTP – Thanks for all the ‘Happy Bird Day’ messages – Go Fluffer your feathers today and enjoy a wonderful day.

Fluffers organised every Tuesday and Thursday – 5.15 start at St Ives – Next Birthday Fluffer Procession is 14 Feb.  Let me know if there is a Birthday on a Tuesday or Thursday before then with an intended Fluffer.

Lots of fluffering fun and frivolity

Enjoy

Big Goaders/Big Bird

YHC was aroused well before first light , atop the col de Monte Dural to the sound of B-doubles rolling past and the unmistakable swish of puddles being bulldozed into atoms..not a portentous  beginning to the second best way…Rule #9…

So straight into the car for a swift transfer across to Fox Valley Rd and strapping on the plastic with Ravi there was some talk as to who and how many “Bad Asses” would be on the ride..Bad Ass Saintnav was the next arrival, “Googleman” made a quorum so roll out was ..Rule 87..on time. On this side of the valley in rainshadow it was a dry roll down the hill to Gordon, of note was the darkening tan on Satnav’s bike, getting the look of a ironmogers yard. ( and adding a kilo to bike weight for training effect )

Much frivolity and jocularity happening on the launch pad, holiday atmosphere but undertones of business as usual, how fast those heady days of alcohol and family rows recede to make way for three peaks training and superhuman basecamp training..base meaning peak in cycling parlance. YHC is still confused sometimes as “base” training entails peak training..and YHC is always base and wanting peak..no matter where in the continuum..perhaps there is an unwritten rule about where in the line between base and peak one actually “is”..Professor has YHC missed a chapter in the explanation of “non event” appreciation, or just eaten one or two of Schleckies “brownies” for breakfast…it is all too beautiful man…???

20…on the pedals to ply the OTP, names and addresses to follow, greeting to “newbie” Greg, from Dural ( meaning the Dural Chapter has expanded by 100% in the first month of the new year )…and  a slow wind up into the hills of death..the first point of safety to discuss was YHC..first roundabout, Ute approaching from the right , YHC jammed on the ancors but only managed zero braking and had to commit to riding through the roundabout hoping the ute was able to stop and give way…I was not travelling fast but had no chance of stopping on the slick road with ‘gatorskin slicks..simply no grip..

Luckily no sticky ending but lesson again on wet road considerations.

Traffic has definitely increased, and once into Roseville we were overtaken by a car intent on breaking road rules ..possible frustration due to peloton size but no excuse for dangerous driving..ignored the double whites and mashed into the peloton when meeting oncoming traffic..could have been messy but again thankfully no injuries to report..there are now nice cycle symbols stencilled on the road to alert the road user to the danger of cyclists but it seems that 15 seconds of delay is not acceptable to some.

Archer St lights did their thing and chopped the 24 strong group into sections of about 6 ..regrouping at Tindale, again the moist conditions making the surge into the park and shared path a possible health hazard..but one ER has mastered with sensible precautions taken..slow speeds and single file, much vigilance to ensure all arrive in one piece..( and no pillory in the SMH due to the predatory practices of the “lone” cyclist ) ..YHC slipped to the Lantern Rouge position to ensure that Greg made it up Scaramanga and would know where the KOM line is, unfortunately by the time he arrived up to the carpark, his hypoxia was such that he rolled over the footbridge, and could not hear YHC calling for the right turn ..he rejoined the group on West St, having found some oxygen on the freeway section.

North Sydney and red light action making light work of the peloton again, good discipline on show, meaning the B&T tables had already been rearranged by the time YHC rolled in for a mega coffee and conference ..rule #56. And a quick thank you to Schleck for the degustation  menu, no evil wheat and a calorie filled comestible with delicious mouthfeel, enough sugar to cause havoc with your endocrine system but keep those legs pumping..( 15 pages of food commentary deleted here )

Great to see such enthusiasm and vigour on show, enough to encourage the other 180 on the list to make an appearance in the near future..

Returns all teed up and ready for the usual times..

Have a good one all

BT

On the hottest day of the year so far the intrepid Flufferer’s conquered yet another ride without a mechanical between them.

9 riders in total – Anna, Alex, Ravi, Blue Stratos, Andy H, Sam, Simon, Sir Lunchalot and Big Goaders (think I got everyone right).

A stunning ride by all involved with regular regroups on the first part of the ride at the Terry Hills Turning, The bottom of the big drop in the National Park and just before we hit the main Mona Vale road.  Pace was as fast as the slowest rider with calls that ‘The Back’ is now the ‘New Front’ where all the conversation, fun and banter happens.

The ride was Hot with a fully diverse team!  Simba – still missing you in your pink!!!

The Captain would have been proud of us – down the 15km of bus lanes we were practising our ‘rolling groups’ where the average speed was 32km per hour due to the amount of drafting going on – effectively we got a ‘free 10km/h’ from working as a team in a closely nit group – lots of changes occurring with military precision. Great fun and great effort. Well done and thanks to all involved.

By the time we hit Manly Sir Lunchalot felt hungry and targeted a $1.5million tuna seen closely offshore.  Running down the beach like Daniel Craig he quickly dived in supported ably by Blue Stratos.  Unfortunately missed the Tuna but had a fantastic swim.

Enjoyable ride from Manly with a good climb from Spit bridge, through Mosman and over the Bridge. Joined by the Flutterers just short of North Sydney which was great that they rode in with us rather than just whizzing past us with a wave.

Great effort by all. An enjoyable ride.

Next Fluffer on Thursday at 5.15am at St Ives

Enjoy the heat

Big Goaders

Comrades,

I acknowledge the traditional owners of this email and give thanks for allowing me to commune in this sacred place. I can feel their presence.

Australian Property Monitors report this morning a sharp spike in interest and value of postcodes 2070-2075 citing “The appearance of the Captain” as the overriding influence.

Local investors and owner occupiers were out in force to see this rare cyclical phenomenon in action, as such factor convergence in market conditions is far too rare these days.

That said, 30 of the 2070-2075’s most attractive offerings were on display this morning. For many it was their first foray into the market this year, for others it was the hope of a more buoyant times after the sluggish conditions of the previous week.

Some highlights from the catalogue:

• Captain’s evergreen stunner – “Rolling Downs”, the perfect combination of ease, with just a hint performance. Luxury and delusion in perfect concert.
• Turnip’s fixer upper – “Balboa Estate” – a rustic charmer in need of some TLC after a recent run in with an erratic buyer during last Thursday’s inspection
• Shleck’s classic Art Deco – “Moneypenny”. The impressive property has been let go in recent times; the hedges are a little overgrown, all of which adds to the mystery of this top drawer offering. Insiders note a recent garage sale of certain fixtures and fitting suggest that the Schlecks may be more motivated than first indications. Potential for good buying here.
• Chippo’s compact entertainer – “Nads”. Crisp, clean presentation with bright colours that create an ambience of fun and functionality. A lot of value has been squeezed into this appealing unit. If you poke around inside you’ll find hidden nooks and private spaces to please. This one’s a real peach!
• The Houghton Family Estate – “Strato Cumulus” a collection rambling gems that carry a warm familiarity. One for the family here

With stock numbers on the rise, many are looking for expansion opportunities to new developments and undervalued opportunities; Flufferville, Aallambie-by-Sea, and Getalong Grove all attracting early season interest.

Tomorrow sees up and coming agent – Goader Partners, testing a bold  marketing innovation – a pre-dawn tour through Flufferville. Expressions of Interest have been strong with many hoping to get the jump on the market and snap up a bargain off the plan.

It’s shaping up to be quite a year and we’ll be looking to set records, maintain high clearance rates and continue the stimulate the market with interesting and attractive offerings from the FM group of companies.

5.15 & 6pm briefings as per.

Bullet (Le)

Sky dark..clouds obscuring the morning stars, quiet…all except for the odd shell exploding over the enemy trenches…YHC drawing lazily on the last few puffs of a  French cigarette..”when is it time to go over the top sir ?”..( then the alarm went off ) any number with a 4 in at the beginning is ridiculously early if you are looking at an alarm clock.. meanwhile having donned the safety lycra, fired the Ayups and kicked the GPS into service it was into the second best way to start the day.

There were a few fellow cyclists heading through the Galstone, but all in the other direction, and one very large chicken transport that headed into Acadia, but other than that the roll into the valley of the shadow of gallstone was pretty uneventful. Perhaps the tradies are still sitting on a beach somewhere making life back home just a little more pleasant for we who pedal.  Travelling under lights in  the warm , well gassed and at an enjoyable though slightly faster than comfortable speed, the “bonus” was arriving at the end of Galstone road with time to throw in a Bobbo for good luck..and still make the Gordon departure.

Rolled onto the rear of a well behaved peloton,…the BOF was already in the station, and they were off..cranking the pedal in perfect unison..a machine of men and carbon, banter paced, all pleasure and little business..among this merry band..( not all as YHC is weak of mind and may have forgotten a few ) Bullet ( le) , Brownie, BT, Turnip, Phantom, ¼, Clive, Virgin, simon, Fore,  and this is where the synapses fail,..please feel free to add your name in to the blanks……. conditions do not get much better than today for a commute, a bit like hitting the jackpot, all the cherries in a row, 20C, dry road, clear of traffic, nil wind, sunshine but behind high cloud, great company, and plenty of bonhomie to enjoy.

The KOM..a stoush between Brownie and ¼…hit the first slope with little speed but accelerating to the first flat, YHC was hanging onto the coat tails, Bullet half wheeling phantom and matching the pace to be in contention on the last blast, ¼ took the outside and was strong but matched by Brownie all the way to the bollard, as the carpark loomed ¼ put in a couple of extra kicks to nose in front and claim a very well deserved KOM jersey.

A pleasant troll through North Sydney put the peloton onto the SHB sprint a little ahead of schedule, first coffees being enjoyed at 7:30..a recovery caffeine enjoyed as various pelota re-congeal for a few tall stories and to sort out return waves..Big ( but getting smaller ) Goaders arrived at just after 7:35..epic effort, and the Epping chapter shortly thereafter..welcome to 2013.

That ERs are fielding double figures, while many are away interstate, holidays, O/S..sabbaticals,  over slept, and otherwise engaged ( ok in plaster or healing  ) ..is still what I call a “leading “ indicator..but not for resting on the laurels, more = merrier, there are now plenty of places available to be filled by new riders, if you have friends, enemies, or relatives that can ride a bike and work in the city..time to introduce them to the one true path. You know you want to.

Seems like the 5:15 and ( newly introduced 4:30 ) may be the ones to catch, though I heard a 6 mentioned..choose yours wisely.

Have a great day all

BT