An early morning ride.

.. and on a weekday too!

Marc will confirm this - I am so not a morning person. I normally struggle to get up at 7am. But I suppose I make an exception for bike rides. [Yes indeed.. how many early mornings on the Big Ride?!] But basically, if it's suggested, I'm not really game to say no! Can't be a party pooper.

We made arrangements to meet a bike riding friend to do the ride down the highway again.
Despite being half an hour earlier than the other Sunday we did it, the highway was, of course, much busier, which freaked me out a bit. Still, we had a good ride... think I did better on the 3km ride up through the banana plantations this time. Marc said he could feel the 'after burners' kicking in a couple of times. Perhaps a few of my little rides helped. [*Note to self - continue solo ride training, there's a good girl]

45km, 1 hour, 45 mins, average speed 26.1 kph, max speed 69 kph. (yee ha!) With a tail wind back along the highway, Marc reckoned we were doing around 40 kph. Home by 8am; Zoe was only just getting up, and the other two were still asleep!

Riding the Santana is a real hoot!

[Oh yes, the magpie factor! We'd just passed the school, and I said to Marc, "Phew, no magpies today". Oops, spoke too soon. We got swooped a couple of times, but at least the tandem moves faster than my MTB. Needless to say, though, the return trip was playing on my mind. By unspoken agreement our rate increased as we approached the maggie zone. Increased? I was pedalling as hard as I could. Hah! .. too slow this time Maggie. ]

Rate your fear factor..

Bloody magpies!

I rode to my hairdresser friend's place today (for a haircut). She's maybe about 4km from here. Nice day, plus it was in line with the pact I made to myself about choosing to ride instead of drive where possible.

The route took me by the school, and, silly me, I'd forgotten about the current Magpie Factor. Alison has been complaining about it for a few weeks but, heartless mother that I am, I've tended to dismiss it a bit. "Make a choice then Alison.. either ride to school and cope with the mapgpies swooping, or catch the bus for the duration of magpie swooping season. It will probably be nearly over by next term, anyway." Despite having actually been pecked once (on the helmet), she keeps opting for magpies over bus, and makes elaborate plans to meet up with other kids who walk or ride, so they can run the gauntlet of the magpies together. And they devise strategies, like holding a stick up on top of their heads. (I have no idea why that helps, but apparently it does.) The territory is right on the boundary of the school, and extends into school, and, as I discovered, a few hundred metres up the road as well. I gather the magpies have been razzed up a bit too, by stupid boys (being boys) throwing rocks at them, so they are possibly even more evangelical about protecting their nests than they might normally be.

I was past the school gate, and the stand of trees, when suddenly I heard flapping, and felt the swoop. I kept pedalling, waving one hand above my head, as I weaved crazily over the road (much to the amusement of passing motorists I daresay - I bet they wished they had a video camera - potential Australia's Funniest Home Video material (though only if I'd crashed I guess.) With the sun behind me, I could see the shadow of my head, and the shadow of the bird, and it was pretty determined I'll give it that. And it looked pretty close too! I didn't think it could really get at my head, but, hey, I didn't really want it to peck my good helmet either.

It's a bit hard to then contemplate returning via the same place. Chicken? Who me? Yup. I did have an alternative though, but not an attractive option. I could take the long way home, going out on the highway for a few km, in the 100km/hr section that I've sworn not to do, because of a) the speed of the passing traffic, and b) the narrowness of the shoulder on that section of highway.

Hmmm.. Magpies vs Pacific Hwy traffic. Swooping magpies? Swooshing trucks. Decisions. Decisions.

I'll take the highway.

It wasn't as bad as I expected... though fortune favoured brave old me this time because I wasn't passed by a B-double on the narrowest bit of shoulder. Glad I was on the MTB because I caught a few of those reflectors, and the shoulder was pretty rough and gravelly.

It extended my ride to 10.5 km, which still isn't terrific, but it was 35 mins of riding time - certainly better than nothing.

[And, yes, I'm going to post about every bloody kilometre that I manage to drag my butt over, because I want it all credited to the 'Tracey is working on her bike riding AND general exercise' ledger.']

Not even worthy of being called training...

.. but I did go for a ride... to pick up some tomatoes from a local tomato stall. And dropped in on a friend for a coffee (and a much needed chat about being the parent of a teenager..)

Funny how your perspectives on things change. Now anything under 10km .. (anything under 20km in fact!) doesn't seem like it's a worthwhile ride.

Didn't quite chalk up 7km in all. To be fair I was going to go further (to another fruit stall!).. but it rained.. so I waited for a break in the rain.. and .. yeah, well.

But I did 'put in' up a few small hills.. and I can feel it in my legs. So it's got to be better than not going out at all.

Feel like a bit of a gig getting dressed up in my bike clothes for 6 km, but they are just the most comfortable thing to ride in. And a good thing to ride in if you get a bit wet.

Tomorrow I'll go further, I promise!

Countdown is on.. 3 more sleeps till Marc and the Goodies machine get home. Big question is whether it will be assembled by Sunday!

[I spent the time I was riding trying to come up with an idea for getting like-minded other mums (or dads I guess) around here together to get active... bike riding, walking.. whatever. More pipe dreams...]

A bit of a ride at least.

Chalk up 12 km to my "time in the saddle" register, and a big tick for actually doing what I promised myself. Only 6km/22 minutes to get to lunch, and the virtuous feeling of having done so outweighed the 'feel like a dag in my bike shorts and shoes' look. Proved to myself I could use the bike as transport.

As I left the tavern, there was a short uphill bit, and I overtook a bloke riding up himself. "G'day" I said, and zoomed past him, but, as I slowed near the top (pretty typical of me), he caught me, and we exchanged a few words. He managed to tell me that he probably shouldn't be riding because he has Muscular Dystrophy! Whoa. (But his car was out of action.) Wasn't sure what to think! To be cheesed that I'd been caught by by a guy with MD? Or just impressed that he was out there on the bike himself.

Either way, it emphasised the camaraderie bike riders tend to feel.

And I felt good. Like I'd done some exercise! Funny that. I backed that up with my usual one hour adult swimming squad at 5.30, and am now hyped up on endorphins and making plans on fitting in a bout of exercise after a planned slothful morning! (I do like a good sleep in!)

Grand plan for tomorrow is to get Zoe out on her own bike and chalking up some solo kms herself. She has managed to avoid it because she is scared. Not a natural at bike riding like her older sisters, she got spoilt when we bought the trail-a-bike, and has used it as a 'get out of riding my own bike' card. I have to be in a very good - in fact, excellent - mood to deal with her procrastinations. Fingers crossed I manage that tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~
Marc should be arriving in Vilnius, Lithuania, soon. Fingers crossed that little adventure works out as well.