Sorry about the lack of postage. I've been very sick lately. Spent all week lying around doing nothing much. I'm still trying to get Nomes to post something here.
This weekend is the first time I'm venturing out of the house without being drugged to the eyeballs (the morning anyway).
I went to the local Bow hunting club range this weekend for some target practice. It's a good way to relax and shoot at some cardboard. The more sqeamish among you might notice I'm shooting at a rabbit target but in my defense I will say that bunnies are feral and all the targets out at the bow hunting club are feral animals (even cats, which is the target next to the bunny. Some people take a special joy out of shooting feral cats). I'm sorry but that's the way it is.
That voice you can hear is my mate Ben who is implying that my shots are a little close (only 5m). This coming from a guy who shoots something that has aiming sights, whisker biscuit arrow rest, release aid probably has a remote control, laser guiding, some kind of satellite global positioning system and... well, you get the idea.
Here he is taking some shots at the 50m targets. I know he can't shoot a recurve (the bow I'm using) as well as he can shoot that thing but I'm determined to get good at shooting a recurve before moving up to crazy, hi-tech town.
This spot we're shooting in is also by the rifle range. The bullets sound like trains getting thrown at the surrounding hills. Sometimes we shoot at a range that is right by the rifle range and when you're taking a shot you can hear the crack of rifle fire followed by the whizzing sound as it flies by ahead of us. A little off putting as it feels like we are getting shot at.
Oh, well. That's all I did this weekend. Next week we have a grading shoot so I'm hoping to get some good points to get a grade for competition. Apparently Darwin is coming down soon so we want to kick their arse. According to Dead Centre Bowhunters (the club I'm in. Good name huh?) they cheat!
This weekend Naomi and I and the great Alice Springs Cycling club went on their annual fun ride to Kings Canyon.
Kings Canyon is about 323km South West of Alice Springs and to cycle there it takes approximately 500kms of saddle-riding joy. Just as a point of comparison North Sydney to Parramatta is only 40kms. Erskineville to Woollongong is only 90kms.
Here are some pictures.
Saturday the 5th of May, 5:30 am. 200kms to go for today.
No one sane is awake except for us. It was so dark that my flash couldn't penetrate the darkness. The few huddle together to wait the critical mass before we take off.
We don't get very far out of town before the toll of a saddle pressing into your perineum show. The first "piss stop" as it is colloquially known (also slash stop, snake stop or whiz-by (if you're into that tour De France feel of non-stop peeing) is also yelled up and down the peloton) sneaks up on us at 20kms.
Boys to the left, girls to the right or which ever side had more bushes. I didn't take a picture of the other side of the road out of modesty but as the ride went on the girls were not walking far enough into the bush and a few bare bums could be spied if you were looking (also some guys just put their bikes down and piss into the wind right where they were). I love nature.
Then we were off again. This is a video of the back of the peloton as we pull off. Now times this by 500 and thats pretty much the riding side. Looks like fun huh?
The other side of this ride is the food! My goodness. FOOD! I heard some stories about riders putting ON weight riding to Kings Canyon.
Not surprising considering we had a support vehicle that was a tuck shop on wheels. It would ride ahead of us, set up, feed us with delicious fruit, cake, drinks of all kinds and then would chase us until we stopped for a slash stop every 30km or so and it would take past us to set up at the next stop. We would gladly stop and line the road to watch the tuck shop roll past...
Part of this riding caper is to sleep outside like your common everyday, garden variety insect which there was no shortage of. Bloody insects. This part of the world is just full of stuff that wants to bite, stab, stick or eat you.
Camp site 1. Erldunda. Nice place. It had flushing toilets. The future was here. No clothes lines though. I guess thats why we brought the bike...
Sunday 6th of May, 7:30 am. 165kms to go for today.
Here is the full group of nearly 50 riders standing in front of one of the 3 support vehicles. It took me till the third day before I realised that there was a port-a-loo on the back of the truck (it's that white box in the middle). They really should tell you these things. I was wondering why no one else was complaining about getting their arse stabbed full of thorns in the dark.
This truck carried all our swags and 1000 litres of water that we drank nearly dry over 2 and a half days!!
This day we had a sleep in from our 5:30 start the previous day. Look, the sun is actually up and casting our shadows a long way.
There was, of course, more riding. Here the landscape swallows the peloton in the distance (this photo was taken by Naomi from the Sag wagon. The 3rd of the support vehicles with tools and spare parts and seats for those not wanting to ride all of it. Naomi rode 180km over the 2 and a half days. A great achievement for her considering she only started riding seriously since we got here in Alice).
Camp site 2. Desert Oak bush camp.
No comfort here except for the bare minimum. No bathroom, no building just a water tank, a picnic shelter and various vehicles that some people brought themselves. Wish Naomi and I brought a tent... Some people had there family drive a motor home to meet them. That was just old fashioned cheating. I slept on an old yoga mat and my sleeping bag trying to practice for cycle touring. Naomi had a swag and thankfully a friend lent us a mosquito dome (highly recommended if you're coming out here).
Here I am sitting in our bedroom. Beautiful isn't it? Lots more bugs here. I think it was one big ants nest. The view at night made it all worth it though. The stars are stunning and I can't take a photo of it.
The food again was on the stove within seconds of stopping. Road, fire, trees and food all on a bicycle. Really, what more do you want?
The only picnic shelter was where we had dinner that night. We kind of hogged it and stayed until the unseemly hour of 8:30 pm before going to bed. That night I had the strange experience of hearing mosquitoes descend into our camp ground from out bush. It was like a World War 2 movie during the blitz. I expected to hear Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries.'
Monday the 7th of May, 6:45 am. 135kms to go for today before lunch. Today I ate kilometres for breakfast. The boys and the girls split off with the girls leaving earlier and the boys chasing them. We had been averaging 25km per hour till this day when the all male peloton pushed into 38km with our speedy cycling at a comfortable pace. We had to hold back a little as there were some septuagenarians with us (amazing people. When I'm 70 I wanna be just like that).
The peloton cycled with everyone taking a turn at the front in a rolling formation. I felt like a fighter pilot with guys peeling off to my left as we came up the right hand side of the peloton going around from right to left then dropping to the back as guys took there turn in front of you then back up the right to go back to the front all at 30 odd km per hour. It was the fast getting faster when young blokes got to the front and started picking up speed forcing us closer to 40km on some points (I have to say it was hard not to want to go faster).
Here is the first tea stop. This was the terrain on the last day. Long, flat and straight with a 15 knot headwind and around 27 degree heat. Murder. The guys coming back in the wrong direction are sprinters who race each other in the last 2km of each leg and fly past the stop going at almost 50 to 60km per hour. They were absolute machines.
One of these guys got a puncture on one of the stages and had to draft behind a car to catch up to the peloton. The speedometre in the car read 70km per hour and he was still on its tail!! Absolutely amazing. Next time you are in a car drive at 70kmph and imagine doing that on a bicycle.
Here we are in The canyon. 494km later (we still have to ride to the resort which is 6km out of the canyon proper). We look happy don't we? Check out Eddy in the front row third from the right. 70 years old (or close to) and has ridden 500km on a bike with only one gear for the fourth year in a row (or fifth. He's a little deaf so he might have thought I was asking for how many toes he had left).
Naomi Joined in for the last 30km into the canyon and we got a picture together before riding together to the end at the resort car park. A fantastic ride.
The bus ride home was so relieving. We were grateful to be sitting on something wider than our bum cracks for a change. If you are ever in town and want to do something challenging try this ride. It is great.
Cycling to Simpsons Gap. Great ride out of town along the Larapinta Drive for a good 25 km from our house (I think).
Naomi and I started out with the best of intentions as these things usually start. Here you see smiles and jovial jocularity as we start out. All seems well with the world and our Bikes are fit and ready to go.
But troubles started early. Getting on the bikes was a little painful. Naomi trying to look comfortable on a road bike. Second time out and the strained smile says more than words ever will.
Here we are on the turn off to Simpsons Gap. It has been raining lately and the green, frothy fringe is more green than usual. Pretty. That's Simpsons Gap in the distance.
Unfortunately I don't have photos of what happened on the ride home (after road side puncture repair). Naomi is never one for riding very close to my rear tires when we try to draft but for some reason this time she stuck to me like glue without me realising.
As we pulled into Flynn's Grave I turned in the saddle to see where she was while slowing down and I think you can guess what happened with someone right behind me...
Oh well. Naomi almost made me choose between my two true loves ;) Nah, I would only choose one thing; my bi... I mean, Naomi (she was very fine except for a few scratches. I was lucky to be totally unscathed).
This weekend we ride 500kms to Kings Canyon. It's about as far as Ayers Rock and we are doing it in two and a half days. Let you know how we go.
