Lunn Ave Bicycle Club: September 2012

Peppertree does an awesome lunch

-- Great Coromandel Spring Equinox Dream Ride (GCSEDR), Sunday 24 September 2012

The ride went well. Mostly.

Twelve riders.

Shaky start - snapped chain riding out the gate.

Thankfully, a spare chain and chain link in garage stock (and thankfully Andrew, unlike me, appreciated the difference between outside and inside links).

The bunch was kind enough to wait and we departed 10-or-so minutes behind schedule.

No matter.

Wet Auckland roads, but no rain till the final hilly leg before Coromandel town.

Persistent headwind all the way to Coro.

But not too bad.

Two punctures (one rider) before Clevedon.

Business as usual to Kaiaua.

Good coffee.

Shop newspaper stand promotes disturbing headline - eel enters mans arse, or something.

Onward, to that quaint semi-rural hamlet where the goldfish-eyed P-addled samurai sword enthusiast Andrew Dixon severed his girlfriend's hands.

At that point someone said Chris Taylor's wheel wobbled, but testing showed no wobble.

An illusion?

No, it was a broken frame (chainstay) wobble.

Day over for Chris.

Did his wife respond to the SOS call?

Mark kindly offered moral support.

The garden centre lunch is always good.

Toilets groaned - Not you guys again. All of you, sick.

A moderately windy slog up the coast to our favourite set of hills.

Body and soul shook hands and went to their respective corners.

Peppertree kindly organised a private lunch room...with heater.

"Strippers, too?" someone enquired.

Lamb burgers and fish popular choices.

Beer was as tasty as last time.

Post ride thoughts:

- Good idea? Hell yeah. Good timing, especially for people eyeing up K1/2 and Taupo

- Consider scheduling ride for first daylight saving weekend (this weekend) for more end-of-day sunlight (better for wobble home). Though that means darker start

- Chains and frames the weakest links. I always pack a chain link, but not sure what can be done about frame breaks

- Packing a change of clothes was a good idea

- Personally, I prefer the Hunua route: less traffic (especially boat traffic between Clevedon and Kawakawa) and a superior bucolic setting. But both options are lovely

Roll on February.....

Day 6. Final day

Galibier (ridden on Day 5)

Galibier

Peter Hall reports -

Please ignore all the earlier comments on precipitous roads (tracks?). My knowledge level has reached new heights.

The whole ride was only 29.7 km. Hardly worth it I hear you say?
The trip up is equivalent to going up the Waitaks 3 times in terms of height gain.

We literally left our village by the back door. Straight onto the mountain.

The road for large part is cut into the cliff face because there is nowhere else for it to go. And no barriers to a 1000 m drop.

There are 4 tunnels, completely unlit. Bending through the mountain. Wet, rough and uphill. Scary. And the post still gets delivered daily.
Coffee at Village Notre Dame.

First customers. And probably the only customers that day she said. End of season.

Onto a metal road for 3 - 4 km to the next village. Mostly flat, but some rolling. Partially along the cliff top. Mountain bike paradise up there. And then down an excellent road to our village front door.

Still no marmots.

A good end to an excellent 6 days....

Bike packed.

Debra and I are enroute to England to visit Robert, our son. Two and a half weeks.

Just enough time to get totally unfit again...

Day 5.

French Alps peleton sans Helen

Hire bike; svelte Peter

Peter Hall reports -

One of the big names. A must do just because of that.

But first - the broken bicycle saga.....I went to the cycle shop again yesterday.

We have replaced every moving part and most non-moving parts. New bearings, bearing cups, cranks, wheels and on and on. Every bolt regreased and tightened. Seat posts etc. and still the clicking noise.

The only possible conclusion is that it is a fault in the frame. A distinct possibility given that I recently had cracks to the bottom bracket repaired.

My only realistic remaining option was to hire a bike...

Mike Pengelly - look at bike - look at that colour. A Shimano frame (I didn't know they did a frame). And Di2 electronic shifting...

Galibier is a long day. 97 km and if I recall - some 2,200 m of climbing. Virtually 40 km of continual climbing. That makes also for a magnificent 40 km downhill with good roads and wide sweeping bends. A joy.

Galibier is one of the classics. On the first time it was included in le Tour, it had never been cycled before. 1911??

(Correct, Pete!..... Wikipedia says: The Col du Galibier was first used in the Tour de France in 1911; the first rider over the summit was Emile Georget, who, with Paul Duboc and Gustave Garrigou were the only riders not to walk.[1]

Those were the days before derailleur gearing.

One of those men (I can't remember his name and don't have Internet access to check) went on to win le Tour the next year.

His advice on Galibier - "the only way to cycle the mountain is forget that you are on it..."

Richard will of course tell us the the man' s name without needing the Internet...

(I used the internet. But what the internet doesn't explain is the contents of his magic suitcase...... On July 10, 1911 during stage 5, Emile Georget was first over the Galibier during the 366 kilometres stage from Chamonix to Grenoble. Including Col du Télégraphe, it took him 2h 38m to reach the tunnel......)

To me the biggest issue is altitude - I struggle to get enough oxygen.

On the way down, Derek felt the need to make up for the failing detailed on day 2.

He did an extra 20 or so km and and an extra 1,000 odd meters by adding in les Duex Alpes.... Go Derek.... And very well done.

Tomorrow is the last day and we are debating what we should do. There has to be a mountain in there somewhere....

Still no marmots...

Day 4.

Col de Sarenne

Peter Hall reports -

After the previous days appalling weather, we woke up to overcast skies, low probability of rain and a minimum and maximum temps of -2 and 14 and high wind.

We opted to do a little used route up the Ferrand Valley, one of the most beautiful of the valleys, up to Col de Sarenne. From Col de Sarenne the road drops down to Alpe-d'Huez.

The bike shop described it as a hard route. The guide book as gruesome. And it was...Only 64km but just under 2000m of climbing. The road, described as average, was a patchwork quilt of repairs.

Gradients varied from a civilized 8% to at times 15%.

Once again incredible scenery and a close up sighting of a pair of eagles.

Only 40 pairs left, so I am told. But we still haven't seen a Marmot... (The name of a famous cycle race, and a small furry animal endemic to the area).

On the way up a bunch of Poms came past. The only cyclists we saw. "From Australia are we?" - a comment designed to provoke.... It was all on. Derek and Simon took them on - showing clear superiority....

For me it was a particularly hard ride. I have been having bike problems that are a challenge to solve. A peculiar clicking sound from the bottom bracket area. And a rear dérailleur that seems to keep going out of adjustment. A couple of km out of the village, I hear dérailleur vs spoke. I did most of the ride in a 25. I am too unfit for that, particularly with 15% gradients.....

We were sheltered from the wind most of the time but towards the top of the Col it was blow you off your bike stuff. Character building.

One other worrying incident - a fellow standing in the middle of this isolated and remote road with a shot gun.

Fortunately nothing untoward in this country where there was a massacre of British tourists a few days ago and just a few km away...

Down Alpe-d'Huez via Villard-Reculas (a third way up/down the Alpe), a cold shower and the obligatory glass or two of red wine before dinner.

The hardest part of the day. The red wine that is.

Postscript. Is anybody reading these updates? There has been close to zero feedback....

Day 3.

Peter Hall reports -

Fog. Rain. Snow.

Went to Grenoble.

Rain.

Came home....

Talked to a kiwi who went up the Galibier. His hands are still frozen.

'That was stupid'.... 'But I got there....'

Today Galibier is closed unless you are a vehicle with chains...

Day 2.

The road to la Berarde

Peter Hall reports -

Well well - a slow start to today's excursion. Very civilised. Coffee and croissants at 8.00. Then off to la Berarde. A small village in the Veneon valley. Literally at the end of the road. Once again spectacular scenery with mountains towering above us.

So high my GPS kept giving me messages 'Weak GPS Signal'. Off to the side, once again precipitous drops, many without even the token 2x4 single plank wooden barriers.

Cascading waterfalls down the mountain sides joining the white alpine glacier-fed river far below. Made more scary by the long sections of gravel strewn over the road works - very easy to just 'lose it' as a fellow did a couple of years ago when he hit a stone, lost control, and went over the side. A cross marks the spot.

25 km of climbing, 7 km at 9%, some 3 km at an 11% average and the last 10 km or so at 4 - 6% gradient.

There is some 2 km of flat along the Plan du Lac. A local once said to me 'we like this road as it is one of the only roads in the area where we can practice drafting. You hear a comment like that and know you are in a different world to the one we normally cycle in.

The round trip, there and back, 64 km with 1,200 m of climbing. The last 5 km was a fast 40 km/hr ++ on the main road back into town - a welcome change of pace....

Thoughts for the day....

Embarrassing - up there in the distance the fellow who fell off his bike - no gravel - no apparent cause..

Smart - taking the car back avoiding the gravel....

Disappointing - the fellows - full of bravado - easy day, let's add in les Duex-Alpes (1100m extra, occasionally a stage finish in le Tour) - and didn't..

The weather tomorrow looks bad.

Fog in the morning with little visibility, replaced by rain in the afternoon and light snow tomorrow night.

Let's see what happens....

Day 1.

A long hard slog.

Peter Hall reports -

This is in large part (for me at least) about unfinished business.

A broken spoke going up Galibier. A partially incomplete trip up Col de la Croix de Fer (for once not my fault).
So here we are - le Bourg-d'Oisans, at the foot of l'Alpe-d'Huez.

Who suggested this as the first day for jet lagged weary people? Must have rocks in their head...
My friend Lance did it in some 39 minutes. Standing on the pedals the whole way up. Maybe he was on drugs? But still inspiring.
An average of 400 cyclists a day make the pilgrimage. To get that average, you may have some few thousand on a good summer day.
So off we set. Each with our differing objectives.

Some to beat PBs, some doing it for the first time full of excitement. Some hoping to just make it....

21 switch backs. The first 3 km at 12% gradient (still easier than the Pyrenees).

A long hard slog.....

Derek Cooke the first to the top.

A coffee.

A cyclist arriving at the top. Greeted by admiring and cheering wife and large entourage.

He holds up his hands in the air, sweat pouring off him.

The classic salute of success. And he falls off....

Back down the mountain again.

A cautious descent due to stone chips on the road.

Fascinating to see the endless procession of 'ants' struggling their way up, sweat pouring, pain etched on their faces.

Three quarters of the way down, we take a left and ride the 'rocky road' from which there are spectacular views over the valley, folded schist mountains and glaciers. Not a recommended route for those prone to vertigo.....

Back to town for lunch and a tasting of the region's beers.

Who was it who suggested l'Alpe-d'Huez as the first ride? A good choice.....

A small 60 odd km but 1650m of climbing.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Weekend rides and daylight savings

Sunday, September 23, 2012

GCSEDR ride report

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Weekend rides and cockpitular brilliance

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Weekend rides and precious medal

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Peter and co. French Alps classic

Whoa! Two