Its raining... raining in my heart.

And on my head.. and apparently everywhere else as well.  

One way or another I have ridden.. and had to ride on 13 out of the last 14 days.  On every single occasion I have got wet.  On several occasions soaked to the skin.  On one occasion.. on Blackburn rd.. ridden through fast flowing water over the bottom bracket.  

Someone commented   "we need the rain"   Not true.  I have ridden in no rain catchment in the last two weeks.    Where I have been the rain does no good.  Well it sure as hell is doing some good for the panel shops.  Business must be booming.   Wrecks everywhere.  And broken glass,  the bogan droppings left over from vehicle intercourse.

Which brings to mind the question.   Why oh why does everyones driving.. usually barely adequate,  go completely to crap in the rain?    Been thinking about that a lot this week.   I think some of it is the cyclists perception.  Less brakes means we feel more vulnerable.  Visibility.. especially at night.. especially with oncoming lights can be nearly non existant.   With glasses on you cannot see a thing.. with them off you risk grit in them.. and only one of mine works.   You blink a lot  and in heavy rain you just cannot see a thing anyway.

The bike moves a bit quicker for the same effort which in reduced visibility has the same effect.   Tire noise from cars overtaking is way louder..  making them seem closer.    Near misses are in the nature of things a bit nearer.   All this is perception

And the car  drivers seem to lose peripheral vision.  they can see only straight ahead so instead of ignoring your presence some dont even see you.   And you are out of peripheral vision sooner.  We have all dealt with the stupider bus drivers who move over when halfway past you.. cos the cab has overtaken you.. so they have forgotten your existence.   With car drivers in the rain this happens the moment you are out of the the wiped zone of the windscreen.  Somehow the reduced visibility means the dumber have to stick their nose out further from the side streets too.  And one meets the ocasional nong like the one who lurched out yesterday from a parking spot as I passed.. no lights and it was well and truly dark. Without lights in the rain.. he had no chance of seeing me.. so he didn't.  Missed by inches.. on the left.  on a one lane road.

But  all this aside it seems to me that some of the time many car drivers show a serious callous disregard for others just because its raining.   For the last 3 days I have been coming straight down Johnson St in peak hour in the dark and rain.  Plenty of cyclists.  And its a 40 kph zone.. with a bus/bike lane.   But its full of way faster than 40 traffic  using both lanes and stupidly .. ruthlessly determined to beat the cyclists to the next light or to get in front to brake and turn left..   Although you are clearly going to pass them at the lights.    They push pass stupidly close just to stop on the end of a line of traffic 3 lights long.   Its like they were wet and miserable and rushing home to get dry.

I really dont understand it.   I do a little more understand road rage.   I got hooked on a fast downhill (in the rain on Wed.   I had to turn with the car to dodge him.   Chased him down.  Lets just say... the discussion was physical.. luckily his wife apologised for his stupidity.    Dave Rafferton (Vidman) had his lovely felt written off in much the same accident a month ago.   And I could name a dozen others from the last few months.

We really really need laws that make people responsible for the injuries they actually cause.   We need the onus on proof to be on the heavier vehicle.  We need hit run drivers put in jail even when the injuries they cause are trivial just so people get the point its unacceptable to run.  What we need most of all is a little common sense.   Its wet for crying out loud.. be a bit more careful.. not a bit less careful


  

Can you believe a month?

I cannot believe I let the time get away from me like that.  Its been so long.  Its been so busy.  Its been racing.. and fun and much work and Christmas.        I won an MRR KOM again,  am riding really rather well, quite  a bit better than this time last year.   And much other stuff has happened.   Writing about it all in one blog is going to be somewhat large.

OK the bus story..     Following the MRR near miss with an agressive and stupid Grenda bus on Doncaster road   which I followed up in earlier posts...  I finally received this communication from Bryan Tudor of Grenda bus lines 


" Dear David

I have been unable to identify a driver of the description you gave who was in the
area at that time.
I understand that does not help either of us, you would prefer a more satisfactory
resolution and I are keen to address any behavioural issues of my drivers as
required.

On behalf of Grenda I apologise for your unfortunate experience however I am
heartened to hear that you have observed improvement in Bus Driver behaviour over
the years.
We do work hard to ensure that standards are maintained and the safety of our
customers, drivers and other road users is paramount.

Yours sincerely

Bryan Tudor"

To explain the situation again briefly we pretty much narrowed the bus down to one of two at a specific time.  But it appears that another bus service  occasionally supplies drivers and despite a description of the driver as female, Indian appearance,  somewhat overweight and at least into her 30's and probably older she could not be identified or so it appears.    Which led to my response.

"Sorry to hear that Barry.   More than a bit perplexed tho.

 I will at some point get a picture of the driver concerned or possibly
demand to see their licence.   Assuming they turn up on this side of the
world again.    If I get a pic I,ll send it on.

I do think it possible you have unauthorized people driving your buses...
bothersome that.    More so for you.. the liability issue is horrifying.

Anyhow have a very pleasant Christmas.     Should you need any IT related
help feel free to contact us..  we wont be going on hols. 
 Take care. 
 Regards

Dave "


I hasten to add that Barry has been responsive and I have no reason to believe he and Grenda have not tried their best.    Generally the bus drivers have been great.  Especially on that route.   Although I had a near miss in the subie a week ago when the bus beside us in the RH lane swerved hard left to pick up a fare.  I braked savagely as did the two lanes of heavy traffic behind.   Stood on the horn.    He swerved back into the right lane.    stopped dead.   As did I 2 metres behind... and behind us many more pre christmas rush hour trafic vehicles.     He eventually moved forward and left a couple of meters  so he was blocking both lanes.. and propped until his passenger ran up to him and crossed for the bus.  I gave him a good look.. nope.. not our homicidal Indian.   This one looked to be a homicidal Anglo Saxon.    Bus was a Ventura.   Was in Middleborough rd at 9:16.   And I had a camera.  I always have a camera these days.  And having a mate working for Ventura was able quickly to establish he was from the Oakleigh depot.   But I guess  that the companies are mostly trying.    And one idiotic move is still not the same as trying to intimidate cyclists.

What else has happened?   Got the snakebite site up and happening on shopify   Difficult to get it up and one customer will be getting a decent bill.  It involved in the end some custom programming.. setting up a spoofing mail server.. so mail could go to and from the address without us actually dedicating a mail server to it, image editing..  and some customised programming that stretched even Kathy.   Woot.  Really happy with that one.   And another 2 sites to do for that customer.    And I now know a lot about on line ecommerce sites.   If I can find the right product(s) we can run one of these ourselves.   If you have the right product let me know.

Two good friends have broken up.   And the person who didn't leave is determined to blame.. and probably in the end to hate the other.    For everything.. right back to the war.    Not entirely without cause.. but not entirely with cause either.    Cos its very seldom black and white.   I just find it unspeakably sad.     Both of these people are good people .   Both of them are well worth knowing.   Seriously sad.     

Did anyone see the Dr Who Chrissie special?   Your love has a day of life left.   She can stay frozen forever but has one more day of living to go.    So you grow old scared to let her out for that last day.    What would you do?    Loving and losing is tearfully awfully sad.   Loving and never having is way way way worse.   Grab that day.. cherish it.. say goodbye.   and remember them for the rest of your life.   So I say.   Of course its easy to say. 

  Love is the most special of all (insert Deity of Choice) gifts bestowed.    And the one thing sadder than losing it has got to be seeing it turn to hate.   We see family homicides all the time on the news.  Its by far the saddest of all outcomes.  Luckily I dont understand it.  I dont understand hate.  I understand dislike and despise.. but hate involves too much negative energy.  It takes as much energy to sustain as love but without the upside.     I remember having a row with my dad.. when I was a teenager in which I saw him visibly age.   Thats stayed with me my entire life..  it was a revelation.   No more hate for me.   If I have too I could hurt someone.. even kill them.  Not hate them.   I loved my Dad.  I still love my Dad.  Kevin  mate..  its nearly your birthday and I miss you every day.     

I dislike and despise this stupid dangerous bus driver,   perfectly willing to be a 10 000 kg bully .. not willing to risk her skin.. likely knowing she would be difficult to trace..  and scaring and possibly injuring or killing someone else not even a problem for her.   I do wish her the Christmas and indeed the life she deserves.    And I would very much like to see her not driving anymore.. in fact being on a bicycle would be so karmic.   But hate?   Nope..   Not worth the energy.

 I shall write briefly on the death of my Macbook.   Poor thing was a victim of a domestic.   Members of my extended family plotted and murdered the poor innocent thing  (full of wireless snooping and network hacking software as it was)      Loved my Macbook.   Leah and Mike poisoned it.. it died in great agony,  its life flickering out.  as scotch oozed out of every orifice.

Getting the data back was no real problem..   It is what we do for a living.  Bit of a ding in the work tho   A couple of days later A very depressed Dave sent Kathy  down to buy another for $1340 ish.   Could have taken a few bucks of that by shopping around but not much.    Anyway I completed the autopsy yesterday, it looks like the casualty was the main board.    (The logic board in Mactalk)    Its got one chip that looks hot,  some exposed copper.. one slightly damaged connector.. that looks melted.   Sigh.   Poor thing.   I have found a bloke that is going to have a go at the board.  its multi layer, and beyond my repair.    But I am guessing its going to wind up as bits on Ebay.   Guess what Apple want for a motherboard.  Go on guess?     Machine new is $1340.. how much do you think the main board is?    Try $2200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   And $180 to fit.  Ok the fitting price is reasonable.  Holy frak tho.  

The new one has the dodgy charger connector finally sorted.  Runs a teeny bit cooler.   Has not got all the software reinstalled yet.  Getting there.   

  Leah..  I love you.     And I am mildly fond of your old man.   Dont go doing that again.    Please.  

Who dat driving the bus

Following my meeting with the very annoying Grenda bus on Doncaster road, as detailed in this post,  I had several phone calls from the operations manager at Grenda.  Interesting.   You can follow this in the appropriate thread here on BV forums.  Anyway it was good that they were proactive.  The bloke who rang me was certainly being responsive and good on Grenda for that.   BUT..

Several conversations later an issue became apparent.   We will see if quote works better this time in this blogging software.. but this is my forums post.

Well I have had a further conversation with the operations manager at Grenda bus lines. It seems that the bus was one of two.. I suspect the earlier of the two.. that were Grenda services but actually driven by drivers supplied by Tullamarine bus lines. To date they have not positively identified the driver, as neither should have been a woman. 

Sorta interesting huh? I explored the possibility of their driver being of uncertain gender. The Grenda bloke is quite serious about following this up.. and I will carry a camera for a bit.. but it looks like their is some possibility that unauthorised people are driving their buses.... or at least their is some issue of accountability to be sorted

I really dont know how thats going to turn out. I,ll keep on it tho
Editing my first shopify site at the moment.   Well actually the owner and I are editing it from different suburbs at the same time.  Strange and likely to end badly  but so far so good.   Cheap URL registries on the other hand I am going to keep clear off in future.  Register free has some connection with Oz IT... but Oz IT is easy to set DNS up with and Register free has hidden those settings somewhere.  Not cool

Getting old

But I dont feel it.       Riding rather well atm

Sunday was the waffle wace (nope.. not a type)   Meet up in Kingsbury  ride to Whittlesea and back.  Then to Canucks and Marties and eat waffles.   Pretty cool way to start the day.

I rode to the start... advancing years meaning I have to start taking training seriously.    Sigh.     On  Doncaster road.. with a loud ping.. the front derailier cable snapped.  Small ring for the rest of the day.

About 9 or 10 of us at the start.   We set off..  A pootle and a good chat on the way to Whittlesea.   The public dunny in Whittlesea bears witness to many blokes with bad aim.    And then we set off on the return.   Where things got a little frantic

To quote Ducky..

 What a wipper of a wide

Somehow I did actually manage to get up at Stupid-o'clock, and arrived at the start point at precisely 7:03. Being unfamiliar with the route I just sat in the bunch & cruised on the out trip. A very light tail breeze helped waft us on our merry way.

For the return trip I had secretly decided I was going to turn the wick up just a little bit anyway, even if it meant an ITT. So just as we left Whittlesea I started to wind it up & see if anyone followed. Nick (non-forumer), Percrime, Bek & Marty took the bait, but after a while it became just me, Nick & Percy, cracking along as a TTT, cruising at 43 km/h. As previously noted, Percy had no use of the big ring, so he was spinning at about 250 rpm to keep with us on the descents. 

Finished of with a well-earned feast of waffles etc. Thanks again to Bek & Marty for the catering. 

What he doesn' mention is that I took him in the slightly downhill final sprint.  I hit 60;00   my highes speed ever in the small ring.  Not bad for a grinder.

And the Waffles were great.

It looks like being a slow week this week.. one client decided he liked his sisters work more than mine..  meh..   he is biased.    Today is my birthday so I had to have a decent hitout on the Maling Room Ride 

But met the stupidest bus driver of the year.   In a "Smart Bus"   You know why they call em "Smart Buses" ?   No?   Its a comparative IQ thing.   Compared to the driver.....
Ok its an oldie. and not very nice, but hey if the companies carefully choose drivers that fit the stereotype..    I,m happy to use it.    Anyway here is my email to the Operations Manager of Grenda Buslines.   With who to date I have no bad experiences  worth mentioning.   Unlike the unloved Driver Buslines.

At about 7:37 this morning (23 November 2010) a Grenda bus lines bus
traveling westbound on Doncaster Rd  Doncaster west of Blackburn Rd tried on three separate occasions to merge into bus stops though a bunch of 20 +cyclists.

On the first occasion she overtook.. pulled hard left and braked hard
immediately she had passed. On the second occasion she did not bother
overtaking and pulled through the middle of the bunch several riders
having to take evasive action.   On the third occasion she pulled up,
overtook and with the front door alongside me started merging left into my lane.   Coming well within a meter of me.
Bullying arrogant aggressive behavior.    I gave her a finger on the next lights.. she looked at me and then drove through the red light.

I take this attempt  at vehicular intimidation particularly amiss as its my birthday.  This is the sort of behavior one might expect of 19 year old tradies in shiny utes.  Most of the buses we see along this route are extremely well behaved to cyclists..   and most are particularly nice to this well known training ride.  Then again most are National.     The roads were clear and all but empty.   The bunch is a well behaved one.. does not run red lights and except for the odd dropped rider  is mostly a pretty tight group.
The driver was female.. middle aged and appeared indian.  I appear to have the wrong rego.. but it ended in AD.   I have no doubt you will have no issue identifying the driver.  Next time I see her I will make sure I take a photo  and publish it.
You will be able to read about this incident on various cycling forums and my blog (Percrime.blogspot.com) shortly.  I will be sure to publish any response .    It should be noted that I have 20 odd witnesses to this behaviour.   Anyone who needs a  10 000 Kg weight advantag to be a bully has my utter deep contempt and loathing.     If at any time it comes to my attention that a Grenda bus has hit a cyclist I will make sure that the details of this incident  find their way to the appropriate person..
 My phone number is 0412 506 123.   I urge you to follow this up
Regards
David Thomas.
I doubt I get a response but who knows.    Stupid stupid woman.  If I had got the rego I would be talking to the cops right now.  Mental note to take a camera tomorrow.

On the positive side I claim the King of the Mountain up Belmore.. and my speciality  KOF  King of Fintona.    First decent hit out up Belmore in a while.. first time I have lasted to the end.    I have to say I don't feel 50... er.. something. 

Pretty happy overall.  Looking forward to racing. 

Ya gotta wonder.

Its been a week since I have posted..  Meh.   Such a tough week, and not a hell of a lot of excitement in my life.   I rode a bit.. worked a bit and turned a week older.   Sigh.  

Well my riding seems to be improving.. I was going to race today.. but I have spent 2 days working on a server for which I quoted 5 hours..   so I thought I had better try to break through that stonewall.   Made progress..  hopefully enough.    This server turned out to be deep in RPM hell.. where you install bits of software from various sources to try and get a particular thing running, and in the process screw the package manager software and make updates, and installs a thing of horror.     Depressing.  

I had a near miss this week when some fool in a taxi overtook me heedless of the oncoming ambo then swerved left and jumped on the brakes.    I came close to dragging him out of the car and beating him to death.   If we have to import our cab drivers from a different sub continent could we weed out the really useless ones first?    Seems little to ask.  Another friend is in hospital  when she was stopped at a stop sign at a T intersection when a woman cut the corner and drove right over her.   You just have to wonder.   How can anyone argue that that person should be given another chance to drive?  Ever?   How about on the same street your kids are playing?   Comfortable with that.. or should she only be allowed to drive where other peoples kids are playing?

Conversation with my mum.    Mum.  "Can we go to Bendigo to visit *********. "   Me  "Sure..  we are going down there pretty often for business meetings..     we can fit that in.  We will drive up the night before... stay at Pyalong with KKKKKKK,   and then go the rest of the way..   go to our meeting and then go on and visit **********"   Mum.. " I could't put KKKKKKK  out"  Me "They have the beds and we are going to stay anyway.. you wouldn't be putting them out"   "Mum.   "NO,  I couldnt put them out.. you can drive me into Bendigo and put me in a hotel,  and then stay with them"

Its like talking to an alien.    Yeah right mum... thats cool,  no worries.     I deny all genetic relationship here.   I was stolen from gypsies,  clearly.

One of my close friends has left recently..  its pretty upsetting.    Maybe I am getting warm and caring in my old age.  If so..  I am unconvinced its worth it.

Outclassed and not fast.

Sunday was the monthly Blackburn Sprint Series  at Blackburn Velo.  This is the same event I won D grade in last month with the infamous Team Splat!   Did not go so good yesterday.

Only I and Jenny were racing.  Sally has been very sick and incommunicado for the last fortnight.  I cannot speak for  anyone else but she has had me worried.  I have been mildly crook for the last week myself, although I seemed to be riding rather well.    Anyway Kathy kindly decided to come along and lend support.    

Had been troubled by a few mysterious flats on the track bike in the last few weeks..   and in fact fixed one on the friday in order to ensure a trouble free start to the racing.   One flat the Sunday prior resulted in a fall at DISC and I am still replacing skin from that one

   I find being in the right headspace and being confident in the bike is seriously important to my results.   Threw a couple of spare tubes in just in case and we set off .. in plenty of time to Blackburn.   To find some people warming up on the track.      Sigh.   Not so early.  Went to pull the bike out of the car and it had a flat tire.  Damn.   Change it..   go to get stuff out of the car.  And Jenny tells me that my bikes back tire just went 'bang'.   This is not funny.  Is doing my headspace in.   I change it again.. can get no consistent reading off the pump.   Try another pump.. same.  What is going on?

At this point someone rings about Kathy's old BMW we are selling, this is doing my head in.   Change it again.. tube has a hole.   Give the tube to Kathy to patch.   Looking at wheel for some explanation, tire is perfect.. not even nicked..    Thinking 'rim tape'   the rim tape is newish and undamaged  but is clearly being pushed into the spokeholes by tube pressure and it does seem like the tubes have spoke hole marks.    Maybe the tapes not thick enough.   At this point.. Kathy.. asks me to show her how to fix a flat.    Wha.....?     I really really really don't need this.    Start times for qualifying  are now up.. looking rather bad.   I show Kathy how to patch a tube.    Express opinion as to how much help she is being.  She hits me.

Great.        I take roll of insulation tape out..     run it around the rim tape 3 times.  Put a patched tube in.    Pump it up.   Kathy goes off to get some new tubes.   Tire stays up.    For a couple of minutes.  I put shoes and helmet on..   and check.. tire is still up.. maybe a bit softer  but.. its qualifying time.. and I go out and discover I am 2nd off.     Wow.   great preparation.. headspace and warmup.

So I go out and find myself unable to hold the bike down in the corners, waiting for the flat.  End up with 16.6 or something.    A bit slower than last time.  Meh.     didnt crash.   When I get back in the tire is noticeably softer...maybe second was not so bad.   I pull the tube .. and Kathy turns up with new tubes.    Win.

I put it in..  goes in perfectly. Pumps up normally.  I do the same with the front tire.. just in case.  With qualifying over I am able to go out and do a warm up.  Starting to feel happier.   And  Carl calls me over.    Its been decided that I did 2 seconds better than I did in my flying 200.   Which does mean I have finally cracked 16 secs.   And that I am racing in C grade.  Doh.

First race.   David Thomas vs Emily Apilito.  Em is 15.    She is the current 2nd fastest 500 metre racer in her age group in the country.. We are racing over about 580 metres.    She can accelerate like a cannon shell.   I am even slightly awestruck.    I lead,  try pretty hard.. aggressively pushing her up and  down the track..   My plan such as it is is to try and get in her face,  have the sprint start late,  grab a tow when she starts,  and try and come around the top when she spins out because of being on restricted gearing cos a junior.    It all works except for the grabbing the wheel bit.   Jeez she can accelerate.    I pull back a bit on the run to the line and I dont think it was all because she sat up and went to sleep.. but Em wins by 10 metres.  Watch my defeat here

Next round I was up against Justin Perrin,  an up and coming kid.   Good rider who definitely had the edge and the race unfolded much the same way.   I was just outclassed.. more work to do.   I looked up just before that race to see Sally watching.. very uplifting.


 In the last race I thought I had a chance.. I led out.. the other rider tried to jump me earlier and I decided to turn it into a drag race and held on for the win.   Not a bad finish to the day.


Jenny made it into the finals and very convincingly beat PennyR to take 3rd in D grade and uphold the honor of Team Splat!.

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.