Life is a beach.

Last Saturday of the month.   Beach rd Bicycle Victoria  Belgian Beer Cafe ride.   The BBC ride.   By now its traditional for some of us.    Early meet at the infamous Belgian Beer Cafe in St Kilda rd.   A ride at some appropriate newbie training speed (its essentially a newbie training bunch ride) to Black Rock.   We try very hard to look after the newbies and teach them bunch skills and they (it seems ) try very hard to learn nothing.  Because if we are going to wait for them then they dont need to hold a wheel and if we ride away its too late..  sigh.  It seems like that anyway.  Turn around at Black Rock  and back and now we have done some work we can enjoy the wonderful waffles and chocky sauce  that members of the Belgian Beer Cafe Cycling Club get once a month.    Hence, of course, the ride.

Today I woke up and it was pouring.  Astonishingly.    The BOM radar suggested it was going to keep up.   For the first time in a year I wimped and did not ride to the start.  In spite of wearing a rain jacket I got soaked just putting the bike on the car.     So bored with riding in the rain but still it has to be done.  Got there...  the rain had discouraged many.  Although I am sure most have valid excuses.   Or pretend they have.    We ended up with 6 of us.   Including the gorgeous Jenny, a foundation member of Team Splat!,    the gutsy but slow to learn Katrina and her Dad,  both members of the huge and expanding Squeaza clan,   and the always entertaining Baudman..   but sadly missing Sally,  the other member of Team Splat.   ( I have a bad feeling about that.. hopefully just my normal paranoia)   I hasten to add that Katrina is actually an exceptionally smart young woman..  its just this sort of skill she seems slow to learn.   And if I understood why.. I would be much smarter than I am.


 It was a pootlefest down to Black ROck   just the lightest drizzle.. and a notable absence of two of the usual standout features of Beach Road,   parked cars and other riders.

Hopefully parked cars will be history in a while.  Beach Road becomes a parking free zone for a few hours in the morning starting November 6,  just a week away.  At least in theory.  Councils have been involved and I am more and more coming to the conclusion that councils only exist to fsuk things up, so I bet it does not happen even close to as advertised.     But in theory thats what will happen.   Read some propaganda about it here

Anyway the 6 of us pootled down.. Me and Jenny on the front.  Katrina not holding a wheel because  "the pace was easy enough so I did not bave to bother"   Some fundamental lack of understanding of the concept of practice by this particular muso.    I just dont get it.  WTF would you not practice when its easy?   Arghhhhhhhh.    And a pootlefest back.     And a great brecky..  a snooze on Jennys couch, a looking at Blackburn Saturday track racing.. yep.. I can do that.  Next week.    And so to here.

But I was pondering most of the way the absence of cars and riders    cars and riders..   Click.    No riders because of the weather?   Lots of marshmallow people around  and today was a likely day..  Even I wimped somewhat.   No parked cars because of the lack of riders.   Lots of people do drive to Beach Road for their ride.  It is the premier bunch riding location in Melbourne.    So could these people park on Beach Road.  Its riders.. lots of riders who have been agitating for parking to be banned on beach road.   Most riders are supposedly strongly in favour of the bans.   So is it possible that riders while supporting the bans  should drive to and park on Beach Road?    Is it?     I have the sinking feeling that that is exactly what is happening.  And that these same people will applaud the ban on parking when it comes in

I really really don't understand people but I really think this is exactly whats happening.   Amazing.

I have to go now and punch myself in the head.

NB...  Sally sick.