“THE DOG ATE MY KINDLE!” >>> Gawler Wheelers Group Ride Report: Saturday February 11th 2012
Gawler Wheelers-ROUTE08-Gawler-Para Wirra-Humbug Scrub-Kersbrook-Williamstown-Gawler-HILLS
http://www.bikemap.net/route/1371190
Gawler Wheelers-ROUTE20-Gawler-Two Wells-Virginia-Gawler-FLAT
http://www.bikemap.net/route/1273195
No. of Riders : 54
TO JOIN GAWLER WHEELERS Group click >>http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/group/GawlerWheelers
*** TODAY's PHOTO GALLERY BELOW ***
Ride Summary
On a morning made in heaven 54 riders converged on Gawler for the start of today’s GW rides. Amongst the crowd were newbies Scott, Terry, Andrew and Neil (who came all the way from Townsville). Welcome to the Gawler Wheelers family! Terry and Andrew arrived very early as they were super keen as this was their first ever group ride …(both rode magnificently).
40 of the riders elected to do the 56km flat ride to Two Wells and Virginia. We were honoured to have Dale and John join us on the ride. They would normally do the hills ride but decided to accompany the flat group for a change. They ride at a fast speed and as a result the whole group was inspired to ride faster than normal and that led to many average speed PBs today.
When we arrived at Two Wells we regrouped and it was there that Barry had us rolling in laughter. First he was telling us about how he took a wrong turn on the RLC and got lost again! Then he told us that he could not find his Kindle eReader last week and looked for it everywhere. Some days later he found the remnants of it in the corner of his backyard….yes…. his dog ate the Kindle! Amazingly he got a free replacement under the warranty?? I will let him expand on both tales later!
14 riders undertook the extreme hills ride….extreme because it’s just hill after hill, includes a dirt stretch and several very perilous descents. All was going well until one of those dangerous descents when Gundi could not break in time at the bottom and went off his bike sliding into the bushes across the road. He was fairly shaken and sustained various cuts and grazes but thankfully no major injuries. His mate Tony accompanied Gundi back home...thanks Tony
We called Gundi after the ride and whilst he seemed ok he was going to go to the hospital for a precautionary check-up. Hope you are ok Gundi?…now you know why we specifically mention that descent during the ride safety brief!
Finally a special mention regarding GW regulars Reidy and Matthew (The Cadence Man) who are both doing the 900km RIDE4REPAT in a few weeks and are seeking support for their fundraising. Check out Reidy’s Blog for all the details and how you can donate to this very worthy cause >> http://cyclingaj.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/ride4repat/
NEXT WEEK: On Friday night Gawler Wheelers are holding our first Track Night at the Super-Drome. There are still a few spots left if you would like to come along…check Events for details. In view of the Track Night and the Grand Slam on the Sunday we will be holding one shorter group ride on the Saturday. It is a beginners hill climb and YOU are welcome to attend. Details will be posted on AC Events soon! Today's photo gallery follows:
Terry, (with his partner Christine), arrives for his first ever group ride↓
Newbie Andrew (centre)...."bring it on...I'm ready for my first group ride"↓
Anthony (newbie from last week) is back for his 2nd GW ride (with Dad)↓
Love the car/bike colour co-ordination↓
Reidy (right) is doing the RIDE4REPAT ..(he is not a morning person!)↓
Dale (centre).." I am going to love leading the FLAT group today"↓
Nick on the Hills ride >> "look ..is that another kangaroo?"↓
Lyndelle gives the thumbs up to her new more comfortable saddle↓
Dave on the Hills ride reaching Parra Wirra. Gundi on the right pre crash↓
Caroline (right) finally let hubby Chris (left) buy a new bike. Chris said that it took a week of passion to get her to agree. Caroline said... "I wish!"↓
Michael taking it easy on the slippery dirt stretch of the Hills ride↓
Interstate guest Neil pulls up at Two Wells↓
Hills group ride two by two on the dirt stretch↓
Big Dan gets in the swing of the US Presidential Campaign & the Giants win↓
Newbie Terry at Two Wells telling Gary & Mark that his rear is hurting!↓
Barry (left) telling us all about how his dog ate the Kindle!↓
Today's competition: Guess which GW hunks the legs belong to. A GreenEdge cap goes to the first correct entry.↓
Flat group riders arriving at Virginia↓
Regroup and rest time at Virginia↓
Gundi had a nasty crash.....the war wounds...ouch!↓
Hills group at the top of Kersbrook Hill...top effort today guys↓
Damage to Gundi's bike....oh the $$$↓
Just a few of the stunning lovely ladies on today's rides↓
Close up of Chris's new Avanti complete with electronic gears. (We ALL love you now Caroline!)↓
Newbies Scott, Andrew and Neill rate their GW experience...(10/10)↓
Gundi even rated his big crash...yes a 10/10!! Great recovery Gundi!!↓
Have a wonderful Valentine's Day everyone! Don't forget to give your bike a hug and a kiss on Tuesday...and then whisper this to someone >>>
Gawler Wheelers is all about comradeship, fun, fitness and chasing our dreams. Join the GW group on AC. Come on our rides. Contact details below. Until next week >> Cheers for now...Frank.
http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/group/GawlerWheelers
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nick on -
Good to hear Gundi is on the mend. Btw, you can see I take my job as kangaroo spotter very very seriously ;-)
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Permalink Reply by Keith Hayes on -
GW ride #2 for me. I can't help but be impressed by a few things I've seen so far. Really well organised, very friendly, some great humour out there on the road and more thrills and spills than you can poke a stick at! A few folks hit the deck today - glad all are ok. Well done everyone & thanks for your terrific company - am liking group riding very much!
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Permalink Reply by Gundi hahn on -
Hi all
What can I say...unlucky but lucky at the same time.
Considering the condition of the road, delayed braking and the speed of impact, i came out of it pretty good.
This took place on the stretch of road past Para Wirra, most of this road was down hill and was easy to build up speed. At this point I was enjoying the descent (bit too much). Came out of the previous corner still with some speed. With the moisture on the road, i should have slowed down by now. Realizing the next corner was not that far ahead I then applied my brakes, concentrating on the rear. I was still carrying too much speed into the corner, I pulled on the brakes harder, trying to find the right balance between slowing down and not locking up the rear.The rear wheel began to loose traction due to the moisture on the road, and at the same time i was trying to steer the bike around the corner. I felt my rear wheel drifting.(I felt something else in my rear at this moment too lol). My initial thought was get this Bike under control.But when you realize that its well beyond that, you just wait for whats about to happen. And we all know that its going to happen. Thoughts that came to mind was forms of swear words, followed by; This is going to hurt!!
I lost control and fell, the impact on the road was violent and loud.The first point of impact was the right shoulder, I then heard the loud impact of my Helmet hitting the road surface. By this time I had become separated from my beautiful Bianchi. I was sliding down towards the side of the road, head first and totally out of control. I came to rest on dirt surface and in front of a small tree to the side of the road. My first thought, as I laid there was have I broken my collar Bone, I decided to test it out by raising the arm above my head.All good. all the riders behind me came to my aid. Big thanks to all.Tony wished that he had got it on video so he could send it to Funniest Home Videos.Typical Tony!!
Contributing factors:1-speed
2-condition of the road surface
3-Unfamiliar route
Got checked out by the GP all good, just soft tissue injury.The Bike will be ok. Will be needing a new helmet though as it took a fair bit of damage.
Thanks everyone for your support will see you all next week
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Permalink Reply by Darren on -
As Gundi said, it was easy to build speed, but much harder to wipe it off. The surface in that area was very smooth and with the moisture it was like riding on ice - easy to pick up pace but impossible to stop. Wilson did an awesome job at the front indicating to the group early to reduce speed but braking was futile. According to Strava I was doing around 67kph at the *top* of the descent and despite my efforts to reduce speed I still took that last corner at 30kph. I was carefully regulating my brakes to avoid locking up and could feel the wheel rear snaking.
Mend quickly Gundi, hope to see you out there again sometime soon!
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Permalink Reply by Susanna Renkwitz on -
I am very happy Gundi is ok! I hope you have a fast recovery! As for my second Gawler Wheelers ride...... what can I say? Very fun, great people and even the FLAT was a challenge, I am looking forward to more riding. Have a great week!
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Permalink Reply by Barry Norsworthy on -
Begging will not help him this time !!!!He thinks life is all about eating, sleeping, playing, eating tree branches, tearing cushions to pieces, digging holes. And everyone is his best friend.
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Permalink Reply by terry heney on -
It's a dog alright... so what's new.... nuffin wrong with him at all.. they all do it hahahahahahaha
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Permalink Reply by Mathew("Dr. Cadence")Parker on -
Ah...the life of a dog. Easy happy go lucky little things. And this is a fine specimen...looks quite healthy, nice strong chest. =D
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Permalink Reply by Colin Bazeley on -
Great ride and I just kept on the tail of the front group so did a PB with an average speed of 30.7km/hr! Thanks to Dale and company. And there was virtually no wind for once. The hills guys must have been flying as they got back alot earlier than I thought they would...well done to them! Looking forward to another ride next week.
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