Chasing Cars, or, Horsham-Halls Gap (23/06/07)

I thought I'd document my weekend ride, it was an awesome day on the bike in a nice part of the country. Route - Horsham to Halls Gap via the Zumsteins (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Horsham-Halls-Gap). Around 10 degrees in Horsham and no wind, perfect for a long ride to somewhere other than Horsham! We were staying in Halls Gap for the night, so the plan was simply to ride to get there. No training efforts were planned, just grind away and arrive. Like all good rides, after 30 seconds it was RACE ON! Long flat roads and no traffic were perfect for a long ITT effort. Just after I'd chewed down a snack, in the distance I could see a peloton of touring plodders heading towards me. Lots of safety vests, clunker bikes, and smiling faces as I zipped past giving them a wave. It took another 30min ITT effort before I hit the first hill a few kms before Wartook. Into the Zumsteins and up the hill flat out - 26mins to the Reeds Lookout turn off. I later checked the cycle2max climb but the finishing point was the top of the lookout itself, another few minutes from the turn off, arh well.

I sat up for a drink and snack.. 15kms out of Halls Gap I was planning on spinning down nice and easy... Passing the Barooka Lookout turnoff from the Mt William Classic route.. 30 seconds later I wave a car though that was on my tail... arh what the hell, I'll chase it. The golden Toyota something saw me sprinting and out went a puff of smoke as they stepped on the gas. The descent has no long straights, just lots of wide corners, so they had to slow for those. Out of every corner came a puff of fumes as they tried to pull away, but into every corner I was on their tail and on my brakes! 53/12 all the way with out of the saddle bursts of 120rpm+. Hooking into the corners and sticking like glue - keeping a safe-ish distance from the car so as not to freak them out. One last sweeper and Halls Gap just appears from nowhere. I was pumped! I sat up and clapped them for a good race. As I pull up beside them at the intersection the car window comes down. Oh here we go. I brace for the earful of abuse about how reckless I am..... then the passenger yells "hey! well done!". HAH! Awesome! I acknowledge their appreciation and spin through town with a huge smile on my face. Only 80kms, but they were some of the best kms I've done in a while.