Progress

Thursday was another missed lunchtime session so got out at 5pm and did the 12.5km loop of Centennial via the Cross and Ocean St.  Sick of the wharves and love getting out to the Park.  Even the prospect of all the hills didn't put me off.  Also feeling really upbeat with the achilles starting to feel better.  I'm still as slow as.  It's like the increased strength of cycling muscles just doesn't allow me to run freely very well.  Either that or I'm just crap at running due to lack of training.  Anyway, it was an enjoyable 4:45's.

This morning was a response to a call to arms from Timmy.  6am bike training in Centennial was called, and I felt as though I needed to keep the NOTB in the game knowing Macca couldn't make it.  It involved a 4:50am alarm, motorbike to the city then ride from work to Centennial.  Kroney and Timmy had just finished a warm up lap and 30km was called comprising the 6.65km hilly loop we did last time followed by an easy lap x 3.  A beaut of a morning and a brief shot from Timmy before we were straight into it:

Good loop for me as we start with only 400m on the flat loop before we swing left up the hill.  I give this a bit of a nudge, see I've got a small gap on Kroney and a bigger gap on Timmy.  Head around the U and down the hill only to see it was actually Timmy just behind up the hill with BK nowhere in sight.  Some big fella comes past down the hill, I jump on his wheel and we are flying.  Work well with Timmy for the rest of the loop and we finish in 10:30 - much quicker than I expected.  Kroney just dips under 11mins having ridden solo.

Then a gentle lap to recover before we're straight into it again.  I jump out of the saddle up the hill but this time Kroney matches all the way and, seeing a gap between us and Timmy at the top we then work together all the way round.  Far out he's strong, taking big turns on the front into the wind.  Plainly he was just sizing us up on the first lap.  Legs go lactic as I push the false flat around Fox Studios Gates and we finish together in 10:22.

Another sort of recovery lap but we're all dreading the final interval.  It comes around too quickly and we're off again but this time Kroney really pushes the hill gapping me by about 5s at the top.  I look around to see Timmy about 10s behind and realise that I can:

(a)  put a huge effort in to catch Kroney knowing he'll drag me around ahead of Timmy; or

(b)  not do so and have Timmy catch me and work with him.

So (a) is obviously a much more attractive proposition so I do that.  Catch him around the U and again we work together well but at times I'm giving 90% effort just to stay on his wheel.  Finish in 10:23.

Stoked with that session.  Really fast times and a rock solid effort.  But always satisfying to do a great session early in the morning on a beautiful day.  Full cycling gear wanker coffees ensued: