Stranded, in Paris no less.

Well, we have been stranded in Paris for the last 5 days, and probably will be here for at least two more days. Paris is fantastic, don't et me wrong, but when you really want to be home, it is just another place. There are some important lessons I've learnt about travelling:
First, always take extra napkins from the fast food place, you never know when you will need them, and for what.
Second, if you can, take those little wet towellettes (like from KFC) and stick a few in the camera bag. Again, you never know when they will come in handy.
Third, pee when you need to, not when you are desperate. Toilettes are much easier to find BEFORE you are about to wet your pants. Also, not all public toilettes are the cleanest places in the world, nor are they as clean as the toilet at "the G", just ask Holly. Note: refer to points one and two above.
Fourth, If you are on prescription medication, it does pay to bring more than "just enough" to get through. I now need to find an English speaking doctor to get a refill of drugs that I have sitting at home on the shelf. I have no idea how to get to the clinic, how much it will cost or how we are going to pay for it. Tomorrow is another day.
Five, when you travel to foriegn countries, don't expect them to all speak your language, and it doesn't pay to get snippy with people if they (the country you are visiting) don't speak YOUR language. YOU are in THEIR home, learn the language or go home. (Americans, Italians and Spaniards, please note).
Six, Americans, Spanish and Italians (from my observations) are very loud and obnoxious at times. If you want some quiet space, avoid them at all costs. Seven, if you eally want to see the city, walk. Yeah, the legs hurt if you're not an elite athlete like me, but you really can discover a wealth of shops and interesting things. Like gardens. Lyn loes gardens. I tolerate them.... Anyway, after a few days, the legs don't hurt so bad.
Eight (and last) Don't go to another country and expect things to be "just like home". If you want things "just like at home", go home. Obnoxious Americans, pleas re-read this. That's it for now, I can't wait to get home and back on the bike.

On the road. Again

Well, Lyn and I are on the road. Currently we are in Paris and loving it. Yes, the weather is cold and wet, but we have come from hot and dry, so I'm not complaining. Paris is a fantastic place, much more so than I would have expected. Until last year when I first visited, I never had the desire to visit Paris. I think the main reason is because I don't speak the language. This will have to change before my next visit, as I think I am missing out on too much.
We have been blessed with very helpful and friendly people. The only people who weren't overly friendly are other tourists. It's mainly the obnoxious American tourists that put me off, the French people have been fantastic.
I woke up at about 3:00 am today, and Lyn and I have been on the go since 7:00 a.m. Our legs and feet are sore and tired, but I am trying to stay up past 5:00 p.m. before I go to sleep.
Until tomorrow, aur revior!

Personal Best

I managed another personal best time at Champion Lakes last weekend. In a 20 km TT, I took off almost 3 minutes from my previous best time. I knew I was on a good ride when my first lap was a shade over 9 1/2 minutes. A bit of quick mental maths and I knew that I could do 4 laps in 10 minutes or less. I managed to do all four laps in less than 10 minutes, my last lap being the slowest, but not for lack of trying. It has been my experience (even though I'm a noob) that Champion Lakes can get you with it's gusty winds. This is what happened on my last lap, on the next to last corner. I was getting into a good rhythm when I was hit by a gust and I went off pace.
When the wind hit me, it was like riding into a wall, and I said "Oh dear, this isn't nice" or words to that effect. I re-organised my thoughts and remembered what my daughter said to me a few days before - "Pick a gear that works for you". Okay, so I clicked down two and picked up the pace. I only needed to get my average above 30 km/h to be on track for a PB.
At the finish straight, I had enough to really bring it home and it was a fantastic feeling crossing the line.
Two cyclist that I respect the most have told me not to take so much off so I wouldn't have to try so hard to set a PB the next time. Yeah, I could have coasted home and done a cruizy last lap, but then I wouldn't have done my Personal Best, I would have only done my Personal Good Enough, and that wouldn't have been good enough, would it?

The next step

Tomorrow I ride in my biggest (longest) event, the 40 km ITT Champoinships. I don't expect to win, or even finish in the top 70...but I will finish barring unforseen circumstances. I have really been looking forward to this event, and training has been going well.
Every time I ride is a learning experience as so many things have changed since the last time I seriously rode a bicycle in 1972. If you re-trace my first couple of posts, you'll see what happened back them. I remember once in '72 I rode 65 MILES in one day. Back then we didn't carry water bottles on the bikes, didn't know what "bidons" were even. We would ride to the local driven hamburger joint, have a coke or root beer, ride to the next town, lather, rinse, repeat...
We didn't have real road bikes, the old "Stingray" was very common, and I had a three speed Stingray for a while. Later, I built my firts "real" road bike. I went to the local rubbish tip, sourced a frame, wheels, handle bars and seat. Shortly after I started riding it, I broke a spoke, but kept on riding. Then I broke another, then another and very quickly, it was ping, ping, ping richochet rabbit, I had NO spokes.
Luckily I worked in the only bike shop in town and got spokes cheap. I had to learn how to lace a wheel and I trued it in the shed at home on a home made jig. I don't recommend this to anyone, and I'll happily pay someone to do this for me now.
Back then, after a few weeks working in the bike shop, I bought a set of dropped handlebars (a novelty back then) and a racing front wheel and tyre. I couldn't yet afford a rear wheel, so I stuck with my one speed coaster brake tyre. My best effort then was one mile in 2 minutes, a 30 mile an hour average which I thought was really good for a one-speeder!
Tomorrow, my goal is to finish, and to finish in less than one hour and twenty minutes. Anything less than that is gravy.
We'll see how things go and I'll keep you posted.

Almost like a gold medal.

Since the school holidays have started, I have been training to do Time Trials at Kings Park, Perth. This is the Early Bird Series during the summer. My daughter Holly talked me into doing it. The first one I rode was on the 29th of December and I did the slowest time ever recorded for this circuit. It was also my first TT with anything like a hill in it. I really wondered what I was getting myself in for and half way through I really wanted to quit, but I kept going and managed a less than impressive 45:48 for the 17 km circuit.
The next time (January 5th) I was determined to better my time and I did, clocking a 45:01. This was my first "PB" in anything, a personal best. I fully realise that I will never be an Olympic champion, never be a world champion, I'll never be on the national team and probably never make the Master's games, but that first PB was fantastic!
Today (January 19th), I set out with a goal of breaking the 45 minute mark. My daughter Holly had told me a few things to so to make my ride more efficient and this really helped. I attacked on the downhill section, and I turned the uphill into a pyramid drill to keep my focus. I was keeping track of my times on my bike computer and by my account I was doing well. When I crossed the finish line I did it in 44 minutes even, another personal best. Again, I was stoked and it is really hard to describe how it feels. I have to wait until December for the next "Birds in the Park" series to see how well I can do then.
I do know areas where I could do or could have done better. Firstly, getting a good nights sleep before the TT would greatly help. Unfortunately I only got about 5 hours last night because it was so hot AND we have a new puppy who wanted to play at 2 AM.
I had a good meal the night before the TT and this helped me get through it. For breakfast prior to the race I had a half cup of yogurt. Hydrate - hydrate -hydrate also a big key to surviving.
Training - I can always do more, and I have to admit I was a bit slack prior to the event. In the next TT, I would also attack more on the decent and I will be able to attack more on the ascent.
Next event - The Hilly Classic at Chhidlow. It will be interesting, to say the least.
Many thanks to my hero and coach Holly, and to my family to come out at such an early hour to watch the fat old man pedal his butt off.