Toby / Club ITT cancelled / Corima Wheels

This weekend was a little different. I had planned to travel to Rockhampton (650 km north of Brisbane) to do some racing and to visit my 13 1/2 y.o. son, Toby. The plan changed a little and we decided to fly him down instead so we could race the HPRW ITT Championship.

Toby got here last Thursday night and with all the chatting and catching up after dinner, I could not get up for the River Loop & Raisin Toast Ride next morning. That was a shame as I later found out it was the last one as our friendly host, Kevin, couldn't negotiate a new lease and had to shut down. Terrible for him as he worked hard to get it going and the business was certainly growing. Well, we wish him well and hope he can find another shop and start brewing his good coffee again.

Friday was a day off the bike and with lots off walking in a shopping center. At least I was keeping my legs moving for the ITT next morning. Saturday comes and the alarm went off at 6:00. Having done all the preparation the night before, it was just a matter of having a light meal and a strong coffee, pumping tyres and meeting Daniel and Mark for the ride to Closeburn. We were on the road at 6:30, ten minutes later I was calling Sandra for the rescue, as I got a puncture. Sure, I could have repaired the tyre with a can of Pit Stop but there was a chance that it wouldn't have worked. Sandra showed up with my FSA wheels and her Corima Aero. How lucky is that, not just having Sandra coming out with the spares but also letting me race her Corima Aero.

In a few minutes we were in our way again and I now had a chance to feel how those Corimas roll. We went via Bunya Road, an undulating stretch of country road in typical Australian bushland. We even happened to ride through fog on our way to Closeburn. It is an unique road, quiet, undulating and picturesque.

It was also a cold morning. When we got to the start, I was told the temperature got down to 7 C. But that wasn't the real news. Soon, I was told that the race officials had forgotten to pick up the trailer with all the equipment (signs, paperwork, chronometers, permits, witches hats, etc). Although we were all very understanding that everyone is there as volunteers, the question was: How the hell does someone forget to pick up a trailer?

It looks like this one but it is higher and painted white....

Anyway, turning the situation into a positive, we got a bunch together and headed off to Dayboro . Some thought it was going to be an easy ride but others decided to take a TT Training approach and we did get to Dayboro fairly quick - we average 38 km/h for 2/3 of the way. Once in Dayboro, some opted for a coffee stop and others to do the 7 km climb to Ocean View. For me, it was a good opportunity to test the Corima (I only had the rear one) and the Continental Tubular as I normally run Vittoria KS.

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On Sunday, I had another day off the bike. Toby and I went to the markets in Redcliff and then met Sandra , and Daniel, for lunch. In the afternoon, I managed to start fixing my wheel as I want to have a go at gluing the new tyre myself.

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Step One: Remove the tyre

We even made it to the cinemas, after a removed the tyre and cleaned the rim, and watched Agent 86. A good laugh! That night, I got into making a few pizzas, had a couple of glasses of red wine and that was it. Obviously not planning any training for the next morning.
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Home-made pizza and red wine, perfect for a cool night

Monday was Toby's last day before heading home so we decided to spend as much time as possible just "hanging together" as he puts it. We ended up doing a bit of bush-walking and had lunch at a cafe in Mt Glourious. I guess it counts for a bit of cross-training...
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Corima Aero and Continental Competition Tubulars
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It rode pretty well and fast on the rough road, it felt stiff and fairly responsive also. Although, I might not have had the correct pressure in the Conti, it felt comfortable and with grip. I do think the Vittoria gives a smoother ride and the impression that it has a little less rolling resistance = goes faster. On the climb, the wheel/tyre combination proved to be a good one. I decided to push a little doing the climb on the 53 for a bit of strength work. They responded really well and I could not notice the extra weight. Definitely a good choice of wheel and tyre if someone is looking for an aero and stiff wheel. One factor to have in mind with the Corima Aero is that you have to remove the tyre to work on the spokes, a definite negative for me.
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Sandra and her Corima Aero wheels

On training now, I am about to start a new phase of the program and should be getting a new program from Iain soon. I am looking forward to get on the bike and Train & Race again!