Alt THursday Ride Hi-Tea Celebrate End to Lockdown

Orchestrated by Kirsten, members of the Alt Thusday Ride met at the usual place to celebrate the end of Lockdown. Watch this space for future postings.

Helen 

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Post script to "Where the Fukarwe"

Things we learnt from the excursion that went wrong, blogged by Mike as ""Where the Fukarwe"

1.  Not all fire tracks lead anywhere.

2.  Despite hills having slopes, they can still present ankle deep, muddy, water logged surfaces.

3. Barbed wire fences may be intended to keep bike riders away.

4.  Jelly snakes do not a meal make.

5.  We should not disturb lovers on  remote hill slopes, without warning.

6.  There is no such thing as having sufficient climbing gears.

7.  Cleats and mud are a poor combination.

8.  Bikes resist being lifted over fences.

9.  Google maps is not always correct.

Jon

Where The Fukarwee !

Yes it was one of those moments - down to the last dribble of energy (me) having climbed under a fence into a paddock with the slope of Mt Everest we slowly climbed without bikes to find yet another paddock of similar slope with no sign of civilisation let alone a road, would we find our hidden supplies (woops that was Bourke & Wills) .. where did we go so horribly wrong ! 

The day had started off so well when Jon and I met at the Library as per usual and set off by way of a shortcut onto Beaconsfield road. Yes despite having started here for years we'd always gone "around" the library onto Belgrave Road before turning on to Beac road when lo and behold if we had just simply walked around the library in the other direction it was 10 metres to said same road - a miracle !

It was straight to the shops at Upper Beac before we turned right into St Georges Road where our real adventure began. We rode high on the ridge line past I guess what would have been the original houses in Upper Beac accompanied by beautiful views down to Beac and beyond. Turning left at Benyan we hurtled downwards to an area that on Google Maps showed simply as a dotted green line. In reality it was a magical fire trail that fed through a forest where I'm sure sure numerous bodies are buried to the same Cardinia Creek that we were trying to avoid by going in this direction This time the creek had a log across it . I bravely let Jon in his slippery cleats go first. He precariously balanced on the log using his bike as a support. As he crossed the ferocious creek I wondered what part of Port Phillip Bay i should tell Anne to head for in case he fell in ! 

Somehow we both avoided getting wet and now set about climbing out on a series of roller coaster like 4wd drive tracks to Kings Road in Harkaway. Here the scenery was majestic with rolling farmland and faraway views that we had plenty of time to take in while continuing to climb at about 3.5 kms an hour, to eventually find ourselves with some helpful direction out on to Harkaway Road. 

With the smell of a French Vanilla slice in the wind we made it to our favourite cafe in Narre Warren Nth to gorge on our delectable delights. From here it was our usual route by way of the Lysterfield Monastery to Lysterfield Park and Birdsland. I say Birdsland but upon entering yours truly made the mistake of saying, "i wonder where that unsigned path goes Jon"!. Following a muddy track, climbing under a fence and cycling up a not so well trodden path we found ourselves lost as mentioned in the paddocks of "who knows where"! With little energy left we back tracked to the normal route into Birdsland. Jon kindly deposited my body and bike at the front entrance to await a pickup by Monika while he bravely battled back to Emerald by himself. He was reported late last night as lying in a catatonic state in the lounge room - definitely a ride to do again, maybe though this time without the paddock diversion ha !

Yummy !

Ferocious Creek !

Limbo Dancing !

Where it all went wrong !

What? More hills?

Having ridden with the Alt. Thursday Grp. for some time now, you'd figure that lessons would be learnt. I think I am proof to the contrary. Just the fact that Mike, Werner, Peter D and Jurgen constituted the initial riding members of the group should have been enough to warn me, or so you'd think. After all, they each freely admit not to be intimidated by hills. To quote one member, "A ride is not a ride without hills" My thoughts?  "Shoot that person." And so hills it was. Every ride  .. a hill! Then another hill. Then the slightest of downhills followed by ... a hill! 

Often would one of the quartet would exclaim " Where does that road go?" whilst pointing to some Everest type incline. So UP! we would go  How come their legs don't hurt as much as mine? Why is it they don't get off and walk? Why aren't they running out of gears?

Even flatland rides were managed so that a few  bl...y hill were incorporated.

An easy ride only contained three hills.

800m climbing became the minimun goal irrespective of distance. 1100m+ was considered a worthwhile  ride. Meanwhile, I just hung on, as I watched the others cruise up mountains and reward me from the top with shouts of encouragement.

So, I considered it was time to make a list of all the hills I plan NEVER to climb/ride again. Let the surviving members of the Alt. Thurs. Grp. continue to conquer mountains and I will proffer applause from the comfort of my car. 

The list:

Amphlett Rd. Cockatoo

Portmans Rd. The Patch

Mernda Rd.     Kallista

Altson Rd.       Belgrave Sth.

Ryans Rd.        Lysterfield.

Shelton Rd. Pakenham Upper

Matters Rd. Pakenham Upper

And Salisbury Rd. Upper Beac. is a contender for the list. Updates will follow.

I guess they will stay on my list until such time as the ongoing dislpays of determination, pain tolerance and climbing prowess by my riding colleagues, shames me into attempting them once again.

Jon

Re: A happy ending

Over the last week or so,  my rear derailthingy began to work in a frustrating and idiosyncratic manner, thereby upsetting my gear changes just when I needed them most.

 Well today was "f" day  i.e. "fix it" day.

My second solution had been to attack the limiter stop screws and change sundry angles on the rear derailleur. My first solution, viz. adjusting the length of the gear change cable, had proved fruitless. 

Out with the Allen keys and into the rear derailleur limiter screws I went, right up to the point where I realised I had no idea what I was doing.

Naturally a call to Werner followed right after this revelation. Most timely was the call for he happened to be in Emerald at the time. So, 5mins later I had expert knowledge available.

Werner took one look and (subvocally) decided I should step to one side and let him fix it. Turns out my solutions were 180 degrees in the wrong direction. The gear change problem had was nothing to do with limiter screws nor cable adjustment. He found the entire cable and associated adjustment mechanism, had become detached from its home in the derailleur body with the result that everything was misaligned. Now, how come I didn't see that????

It proved to be a fiddly thing to fix, with the possibly of a crossed thread and thus a stuffed derailleur, looming large. So, I stood by and provided moral support as Werner addressed the problem with patience I can only admire. 

Great success!

All gears working well, rear derailleur lined up true, gear change cable housed correctly and limiter screws all content.

A happy ending.

Thank goodness one of us knew what they were doing.

Jon

.. 

On Thu, 23 Sep. 2021, 19:06 michael litchfield, <m_litchfield@hotmail.com> wrote:

Haha my legs told me so .. gee even an easy ride has lots of bloody climbing smiling

Sent from my iPad

> On 23 Sep 2021, at 2:15 pm, Jon Bate <bate.jon@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 
> You were only 7m short this time. Perhaps it is because you are so tall that you recognise heights.
> <strava1075255948341550176.jpg>

The Challenge is set !

After the insperational support of the "group" Jon, and self ground out a furrow along Strangers up to Swales Road. Now warmed up and delirious we took on Swales in reverse 3 and 1/2 hills that makes the "Piggery" 3 hills look like a small bump. Intending to do this route only once for obvious reasons it is now incumbent on others to emabark upon similar madness - the challenge has now been set !

When a First Aid Kit isn't enough !

Jon and I had taken on our usual covid style restricted ride a few weeks back when after crossing the road bridge on Mcalister Rd Monbulk (over Emerald Creek) we were flagged down by a distraught 12 year old. In a panicked voice he asked if we could help his mate who he said was trapped in the creek. Jon and I immediately jumped off our bikes and walked precariously along a row of support rocks to reach the kids trapped friend who by the sound of his yelling was in fair bit of pain. Apparently the kid had been sitting on a large rock on the side of the creeks slope when the rock gave way throwing him into the creek and trapping his ankle under the water. 

We used all of of our years of experience to formulate a plan. Jon while ice skating over the rocks in his cleats and me while trying to work out if the kids well being was enough in danger for me to warrant getting my lovely new KT26ers wet ! 

I beat Jon into the creek (he was still busy inflating his water wings) and immediately did the worse things possible. 1) I attempted to lift the rock without first checking the weight 2) I didnt check where the kids ankle was in case my lifting caused any further injury. 

I found out soon enough though - a) the rock was too heavy to fully lift and b) going by the kids screaming i was lifting the rock the wrong way !  Now committed i was at least able to lift it enough to allow the kid to get his bruised and battered foot out by which time Jon's water wing wings were nearly fully inflated ! 

As a consequence of the events and in consultation with my emergency planing partner (Jon) I have now  decided to review my rescue tools for future use (see below)  ... my only remaining problem is trying to work out how i"m going to sit on the damned bike !      

Before 

After 

                   

THE DIVYNAL RIDE

Mike and I were racking our brains and perusing every map we could locate for dirt rides around the neighbourhood that we had not experienced previously. Lo and behold we found Mountain Rd. Cockatoo. It joins the Wooori Rd. and Ure Rd. (sort of) and is a road the Alt. Thursday group have ridden downwards many times, yet never upwards. Nothing ventured, so we gave it a go. It's steep, long, looks daunting yet is just manageable, so much so the Helen blizted her way up it a week later. However  what that ride did reveal was another means by which we could get to Ure Rd. from Woori Rd, viz Amphlett Ave.

I was dubious but Mike was insistent. Amphlett Rd. was an unknown quantity and to Mike, that was like a red rag to a bull. So, Emerald to Avonsleigh, down Phillip, head past Cockatoo, turn left into Amphlett and "oh sh..t!"

As for me, I was ready to about turn and seek coffee then and there, but Mike had already launched himself onto the Avenue.

Instantly, we encountered 4232 meters of uphill (a rough estimate of distance I will admit), sufficiently steep that one quarter of the way up we had to zigzag the rest of the way. 

At the top, a welcome flat section of 50m, then a relaxing near vertical descent for 1km or two, followed by what always follow a descent ... a climb.

Not to be outdone, this second climb was as steep and long as the first and  necessitated us calling upon our zigzagging skills once more. Mike was not my favourite person at this point.

"That's it for climbing is it Mike?" I begged. 

"Yes,   ........   almost".

The third hill. The third recourse to zigzagging.

Finally, the top. I laid over my handle bars, hoping the bike would turn into a  bed, or a taxi. A local stopped his car to see if we were ok or did we normally look like this. Mike replied politely, thanking him for his consideration. I was still prone on the ground.

So onwards along the beautiful Evans Road, then a short cut through an unmarked fire track, a quick chat with a bearded, check shirt local with no bango in sight until we got to Stillwell Deviation, which, in comparison to what Mike had just put me through, was a  breeze to ride.

A Werner ride I think. Should the Alt. Thursday group want to do it, I'll get Mike to lead the way. Moral support only will come from me. 

Jon

Proposed bike tour

Jurgen and Peter have been researching a bike tour that they intend to do in the first or second week of September, assuming that there will be no lockdown at that time.
Details:
Day 1  train to Tallarook then rail trail to Yea.
Day2  Yea to Mansfield along the rail trail.
Day 3  Mansfield to Whitfield via Tolmie. Quiet road but a hill.
Day 4  Whitfield to Mytleford via Chesthunt and Lake Buffalo. Some dirt road and a hill or two.
Day 5 Mytleford to Wangaratta along a rail trail and road. Then train back to Melbourne/ Belgrave.

Accommodation:  cabins in caravan parks and a backpacker place in Mansfield. There is the possibility of spending two nights in Whitfield  and / or Mytleford if the group so desires.
If there are any adventurous souls out there that would like to participate in this endeavour, then please speak to one of the organisers.

Tues 10th. Steels Creek

9.30 Bayswater then Yarra Glen, Yering, Steels Creek and back. Gravel or road bikes. Karlo will lead us astray.

Thursday 5th. road bike ride

Start FTG at 9.30 then do the Dandenong circuit via Forest rd, Colchester, Dandenong Cr trail , Jells, East link trail – coffee at Public Corner then back to FTG via Dandenong Ck trail .  Use your own discretion whether of not  you will rock up if it rains.

RIDE TUES 15th Jul

Starting at Stud Rd Stadium, going to Sculpture Pk. 

Leaving 0930. 

Sealed surface.

Use own discretion if raining.

Tuesday 13th I in 20

Meet FTG library 9.30.  Forest rd, The Basin, Sassafras, One Tree Hill, Hughes rd, Upwey, FTG.   If it rains use own discretion. No cancellation notice will be issued.

RIDE THURSDAY 8 JUL

Starting at 0900

from Emerald Library,

heading to Officer

then up some b....y steep hills near the Toomuc Valley Rd. Dammmmm!

Dirt bikes.

The Week That Was, Le Tours, Jells to Frankston followed by Bayswater to Diamond Creek

Tuesday 29 June and Thursday 1 July

With Le Tour de France consuming a high proportion of our  Rebel Cyclists' sleeping hours, a marathon or two, drawing inspiration from Le Tour, appeared on Le Blog.  On Tuesday morning, seven Horsemen (or Horse-people) of the Apocalypse, or maybe it was eight, rose to the Occasion with vigour and speed. With excitement escalating, four rose to an unexpected and immediate change in orientation, produced by, she who remains nameless, resulting in a unique reenactment of the infamous Guernica. The result, Werner suspended from toe clips, head millimetres from the pavement following Helen's drop-bar impalement into Werner's spoke-set, a feat of, "balletic grace", to quote a creditable source. Following an untangling of the mess a great day (86 kms)was had by all, with much highly exaggerated hand signalling to over-compensate our earlier misadventure. 

Now came Thursday, of the afore mentioned Le Tour week, and six of the same horse-person pack, sped out along the aptly named, Mullum Mullum trail, in pursuit of Diamond Creek. Following a particularly long rise up and onto a bridge one of the members fell away in exhaustion, resultant from earlier week activity. On sped the remaining five, along the spectacular Gorge and winter forest land, a perfect day. The Aquaduct trail beckoned and we responded, despite Werner's "hurry-on" from a disgruntled driver, who chose not to run his (Werner's) traffic infringement down. A long lunch and back we sped. The day perfect and the trail languorous, when suddenly and innocently,  Helen fell to the impudence of a raised piece of pavement, result a bloody outcome, and a ruined set of Skins.  Miraculously, Werner failed to run her down. The little party, limped back to Bayswater 74kms later. A great day was had by all.

Helen

Tuesday 6 July Abbotsford Convent

Rendezvous:  Bayswater Park 9.30 a.m.
Route:  Eastlink & Koonung bike paths to the Convent, Gardeners and Scotchmans creeks via Glenwaverly on the way back. About 90km mostly on flat asphalt bike paths.
Alternative route if you don’t want to do the full 90km:  Take the train back to Bayswater from either Richmond or Hawthorn  OR  ride to Kooyong or East Malvern and take the train to Glenwaverly then ride back to Bayswater from there.
Leader: Jurgen

Jells to Frankston ride

Arms, legs, lights and bikes everywhere. The sight was impressive for its carnage. Not day two of the Tour de France: just day one of the Alt Thursday group's ride to Frankston. Werner and Helen conspired to present a spectacle that will go down in the annals of our rides.

Never has so much balletic grace been shown by so few to so many.

AND THAT'S NOT ALL.

In a display of impressive bike handling  capacity, Werner  proved he could still pulse the pedals to a Dandenong bike shop even if his rear derailleur was departed from its operating  cable.

THERE'S MORE

Not to be outclassed in bike riding technique, Kirsten elected to have her seat out descend into the depths of her bike frame, necessitating a Neanderthal style riding posture with her feet dragging on the ground.

And to prove it was no accident, she proceeded to repeat the trick twice more.

YET MORE STILL.

To his dismay and far too late to be helpful, Werner found the bike shop had not only reintroduced his shifter cable to his derailleur, it had also changed the position of his brake levers to a point not related to his familiar habitual position. Come a very fast,  sharp corner and the need to slow down, and ..... oh hell!  

Lucky the ditch was soft and grassy.

And so endeth our very, very, very long ride to Frankston, a place bereft of toilets. (That's another story)

Jon

RIDE THURSDAY 1 JUL

Start 1000

At Bayswater

Going to Diamond Creek.

Any bike type.

Lead by Kirsten and Karlo.

Ride Tuesday 29 Jun

Jells Pk to Frankston.

Start 1000.

Sealed surface all the way.

Lead by Karlo.

Sunday . Montague No3