e = EIO

I love modern, shiny, fast bikes, I love wheels that will rotate for 6 days with one little spin, I think heart rate monitors and computers are a brilliant training aid, interval training makes sense to me, but when I read/hear about things like Nomex honeycomb technology, ultralinear geometry and carbonstructure-Nanostrength technology
I'm just left thinking, WTF ?
I really wonder if any of this lingo has ever sold a bike, wheel or jersey or if the pony tailed wankers that come up with this stuff have ever even sat on a bike, let alone ridden up a mountain, wondering if there is actually a summit or is this just the way to heaven. I bet you they have never even wiped snot with their gloves.
But today, I saw a product which would have left any one else speechless, it was a particular brand of chamois cream, who's claim was (get ready for this)"aromatherapy for winners", yep, it's printed on the sample sachet I was given in a bike shop, you just gently apply a little on your bum and look out Lance. OH, COME OONNNNN ! Will we now be expected to re-discover our chakra or maybe carry an incense burner and memorise The Prophet ? Don't get me wrong, I love hippies, I even had a no-dig garden once, but this is cycling, I wonder if Eddy Merckx ever sat in the lotus position before a stage of Le Tour ?
Aaaah gee, there's a ride on this weekend meeting in the usual place in Lancefield at 8am. We might do a longish one, but like last weekend, those that had a little less in mind were able to take a short cut and head for home in a much happier bunch.
Last Sunday's list was: Steve, Glo, Leigh, Meaghan, Ken, John, Leo and Guru Andy. Let us know if you're coming.
See you Sunday.
Steve.
And I also love beautiful steel bikes with friction levers, leather saddles and lots of polished aluminium.

Scary little critters

Good luck to two of the Lancefield Lairs favourite sons/rednecks.
Joseph and Robert are racing their first criterion tonight.
Go get em' boys.
Steve.

Rides and birthdays

Two of our favourite Lairs had birthdays in the past week, Siobhan (our golden haired girl) turned 21 and celebrated big time last Saturday night, surrounded by her usual crowd, made up mostly of vampires, robbers and people wearing chaps-those that weren't immediate family members were even less desirable.
Nick, our newest Lair also had a birthday and I'm told looks the goods in his new Live strong jersey. Nick has been doing a bit of secret training too, with the long ride to school and to footy training, he's one we'll have to keep our eye on-just look for the black and yellow flash.
Happy birthday to both of you.
We plan to do a longish ride this Sunday but will have plenty of options for short cuts for those that that don't have the time or are not keen to go so far. Daylesford may even be lucky enough to see us. (140k return). Bring plenty of food and water if you are keen to go all the way.
Lastly, good luck to those representing the Lancefield Lairs on the MS ride through Melbourne. The boys are planning to have a "red hot go", so we hope you are very red hot, and we also hope you wear your' Lairs jerseys.
Steve.

Murray to Moyne

Phillip Don is short of riders for the Murray to Moyne on March 27/28. Phillip has been associated with riding in and organising the Kyneton team for the last sixteen years or so. The support is fantastic - buses, meals, masseur, showers and fresh drviers to get you home. All you have to do is ride 40k or so then have a rest for 80k before doing it again. Last morning everyone rides into the headwind!
All enquiries to Phillip asap - mrdon@westvic.com.au or 54234182
cheers
Andy

Dave

This is Dave, sometimes Dave likes to ride a mountain bike and he usually likes to ride it fast. When Dave rides his mountain bike fast, sometimes he likes to go over jumps, and this is where things get a bit complicated. You see, people make mistakes, and it's not good if you make a mistake when you are going over a jump on a mountain bike, because then you could crash.
If you look closely at Dave's head you will see a big graze on it...Dave had a crash.
Having a crash on your' mountain bike, when you are going fast and going over a jump is bad, because you can smash your' helmet in two and graze your' head, and that hurts.
Having a crash on your' mountain bike when you are going fast over a jump is also bad because you have to land some where, and it's no good if that place is on a
bull ant's nest because those angry little buggers could bite you eighteen times, and that would hurt a lot too.
Poor Dave.

Please stop crashing.

Sundays ride had Ken, John D, Myra, Leigh, Steve and I head up the Bourke and Wills
track and work our way across to Kyneton. Ken and John had things to do so turned off before we got to 3 Chain Rd. Once in Kyneton we headed across to Tyledon then to Woodend. Head winds and cars were both prevalent between the two towns, so Woodend and it's bakery were a welcomed sight.
Back on more familiar roads we headed for home, doing our best to avoid the traffic the Hanging Rock picnic and the swap meet were generating.
By the time we got back to Lancefield we had clocked up 100 Klm and another great ride.

Steve.

A wish come true

As a dad, I wish a bit of me rubs off on my kids, apart from things like my thoughts on the environment, racial justice or the Bombers winning another premiership, I'd really like my kids to get into cycling.
This old photo was taken around 1946 and shows four mates who got together and decided to ride from Melbourne to Mildura. Take a look at what they are wearing-the Lycra is well hidden under their shirts and long pants, the fella on the left would surely be hoping to spot a tiger and perhaps make a rug out of it. I'm guessing the road to Mildura would have been a fair bit rougher than today and dirt for a lot of the way.
The bloke on the right is a lucky guy, for one thing, he's off on an adventure with his mates, but I think he's had a wish come true. His son has turned out to be a pretty nice bloke, he looks out for his mates and he rides a bike...a lot, and he loves it.
His name was John Maxwell Thornton, Leigh's dad, I think he would say he's had a wish come true.

John Maxwell Thornton 1928-2001

There is a ride planned for this Sunday morning at 8am, meeting at the usual place in Lancefield, hope you can make it.
Steve.

Last Sunday, Next Sunday

Sunday's ride..... eight o'clock in the usual place.
Last Sunday..... was a short and sweet 38k with a couple of new lairs. Cast was Steve, Meaghan, Peter, Alex and Nick (Burridges won the family competition!), Andy, Glo Trivess, Pete and Jacquie Ginn, Anthony and last but not least Robert. Nearly half the riders are under 30! and nearly half these riders are on steel bikes!(not that anyone was counting). Perfect timing got us all back to the Mad club rooms just as they opened at ten. Iced coffee won the day. Alex missed out as she took the short cut home.
The Moores and Burridges headed down to Donnybrook to help Leigh celebrate his 60th - crickets loss was our gain!
see you Sunday
am