In which a catastrophe is narrowly averted

When Mal rang in to say that he had fallen off his training wheels and hurt his hand I suppose we all knew it was just his way of admitting that Bob was a much stronger rider than he will ever be. Whichever way you look at it, this epidemic of broken hands seems to be getting out of control.

Since John had to go to the hospital to help Joy get her broken hand X-Rayed, it become evident that this was going to be a day for only the serious riders (ie Bob and me). At 11 am the weather was fine and sunny and heading to a maximum of about 20C, so what better way to pass a few hours? It certainly is better than sitting behind a desk and a pile of papers.

Bob and I met at Mt Evelyn and headed off in a display of prodigious speed and riding skill, passing everything in sight and soon the km began to melt away. Unfortunately Bob’s years caught up with him so I had to stop and wait so he could catch up. I suppose it is amazing that someone his age can still get on a bike, most of his peers are in various Nursing homes around Melbourne.

By the time we reached Yarra Junction the weather was so warm that we started peeling off layers of clothes. It almost felt like summer. Bob got carried away and decided to do his first nude ride of the season, but that was just TOO much for me, so I insisted that he put his bike shoes back on again.

We soon reached Warburton and cruised into the Cafe for our customary cappucino. At this stage I realised that I has somehow lost my lunch money, so had to swallow my pride and borrow a couple of dollars from Bob. Not wanting to know where Bob had been carrying his copper coins, I let him pay the saleslady and we enjoyed a brief drink break.

After the break we found ourselves heading towards Warburton East and did one quick lap of the road circuit before heading back towards home. The next 30 mins or so passed without incident, until we were climbing up the hill to Killara station. After being in the full sunshine, it was quite dark under the trees, and somewhat difficult to see the track ahead. I was enjoying a quiet daydream and watching the path immediately in front of my bike, when, out of the shadows came a female speed demon – heading straight for me.

At the very last moment Bob decided to warn me of her arrival, I looked up and swerved to the left and somehow managed to stay on my bike. I felt sorry for the girl who fell off the embankment and went rolling down into the mud, but it was probably her fault for riding too fast anyway. To avoid feeling guilty, it was best that we just high tailed it off into the distance.

When we reached Killara station we stopped to enjoy a drink and to experience the peace and quiet. While we were sitting there a HUGE kangaroo came hopping past – just as well we didn’t run into it (instead of the other rider). It’s just so amazing how every ride on this track holds something different in store.

By the time we were almost back to Wandin my mobile phone started to ring. It was John saying that he was ready to join us for the last 5 mins of the ride. So he met us at the carpark and then proceeded to complain all the way up the final hill to Mt Evelyn. Someone needs to tell him that if he rode more than a couple of km each week the rides would actually be getting easier rather than harder !

It was great to realise that this was our last Winter ride, roll on Spring and Summer – we can’t wait.