There and back

When we were children, whenever we travelled, and we travelled a lot, we would always say to dad, “Where are we going?” And his standard reply used to be, “There and back to see how far it is. And, if we get there and find it’s too far, we won’t go.” It’s fair to say that I’ve used the line a few times myself so it’s a “dad joke” well and truly in our family.

Firstly, my apologies for not posting much over the last week or so (not at all, actually). I have no excuse except laziness and the end of the racing season. HOWEVER, it is now only 43 days to the start of the 2013 season with the running of the 20th Anniversary Island Classic at Phillip Island. Special guest for the weekend will be the legendary Giacomo Agostini and I will be covering the event for Motopod again. The teams event will be bolstered by a dedicated American team including Jimi Mac and some other hotshoes from the US classic bike racing scene. Am I getting excited about the IC? Damn straight I am. Oh, and “Mad Ed” Haazer will be there too, but not racing this year as he continues to recover from serious leg injures incurred earlier this year in a big “off” at Thunder Hill Raceway.

So, getting to be some stuff to talk about there, but, back to my theme.

As I noted a few months ago, I have started a fitness regime that involves good diet and low-impact exercise in the form of cycling and it is really paying off. It’s been quite hot here this week but today it was cloudy and a bit milder so I thought that I’d get my chores done and then try something a little more adventurous.

So, I rode all the way around Lake Illawarra. This is a distance of 45.2kms and I accomplished it in 2 hours and 40 minutes at an average speed of 16km/h. Many years ago, when I was younger and fitter, I did this exact same ride in about the same amount of time but I was absolutely knackered when I got home and took days to recover as well. Despite some soreness in my right leg (obviously), I feel great at the time of writing and have bounced back well. I should add that the ride included a total climbing height of 174 metres, most of which was the big hill out of Dapto heading up to Mt Brown school. Not bad for an old guy who, two years ago, was in a wheelchair. Pretty chuffed with that.

I have been spacing my riding out so that I don’t ride on consecutive days but, after this one, I’ll probably take a few days before I hop on again.

We’ve hit a minor speed bump in getting the Moriwaki engine into the Shadowfax, too. Dave was all ready to assemble the new head and block when he found out that it has Manley valves and one of them was damaged when the bike dropped the valve in 1988. Apparently they are very hard to get and a standard Kawasaki valve will not fit, so we’ll have to get one from the States which will take a bit longer. However, Dave assures me that the bike WILL be finished and ready for me to take to PI for the IC and display it there, where, I am sure, it will cause a major sensation.

Christmas is coming soon, guess I should do something about presents. Catch you later.