Friday, June 25, 2010

Au revoir Sydney

 An over due final post. 

My mission is complete. 
I started this blog more than six months ago to get me on my bike training for a cycling trip in France.  As you know dear readers, my training has been patchy, but the blog has kept me honest or was it THE Coach?

Anyway, whatever... my bag is packed, tickets and passports are ready and we fly out for Paris very soon.
 
Blogging has been surprisingly enjoyable, even addictive at times.
Perhaps the greatest surprise has been the amusing and encouraging comments you've offered. 
It has been fun, but now the real fun begins. 
Fingers crossed that I make it up the famous hills of the Dordogne. 

Merci beaucoup. 
Thanks Therese and Bruce for my final training ride last weekend.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Not just THE Coach

but also THE photographer. 

There have been lots of comments from blog readers about the blog photographs so I must finally acknowledge the talents of THE Coach.  Today, not only did he gently persuade me to do 8 of the Lilyfield hill inclines, but he also photographed me in the process.  THE Coach has a new phone with a camera so these shots were all taken with his latest gadget.  I've edited out some of the most unflattering behind shots, not wishing to lose any blog readers.

Not much riding yet again. The weather has improved but as we spent the long weekend in the very chilly Blue Mountains we didn't ride.  Only one ride this week - today 25kms with 8 of the Lilyfield hill climbs.  Really a bit of a worry...

Sunday, June 6, 2010

You see so much more...

from a bike.

I would never have noticed the two men crouched under the pine trees beside the bay, if I hadn't been riding past.  Just seeing them with their simple implements and buckets took me back to the damp, chilly, pine forests in Canberra where mushrooming was our reward after days of wet weather.   I can't remember what we did with the mushrooms, but I do recall the excitement of finding little outcrops that we would gently cut to add to an overflowing bucket.  As I rode past the foragers yesterday, I wondered just what delicious mushroom dish would appear on a Leichhardt dinner plate in the evening.

Following the training instructions from Phillip last weekend I've focused on a 'strict' regime of riding the Lilyfield hill.  THE Coach was impressed. YES! Can you believe it?  He actually congratulated me for riding up and down the Lilyfield hill two days in a row.  Of course, he couldn't leave it there but had to remind me that if I can do 6 hill climbs each day, then this week I should try 8.  We'll see... who knows what else I might notice on the ride?
 Doesn't look much, but can you see the people pushing up the hill!
Homeward bound hill - yes it is flat round here.