Monthly Archives: March 2018

Looking at circled dates on MMT’s Calendar…

Dear Rouleurs,

MMT is just back from the Emerald City. Team MMT took their adorable 21 month half pint daughter to visit her grandparents. She promptly charmed the socks off them. MMT guesses that she has now slipped into poll position as No.1 favourite grandchild ;-). MMT digresses. Whilst in Sydney, MMT did his usual morning ride in the eastern suburbs, cranking out laps around Centennial Park and avoiding potholes, divots, crevasses in the back streets of the inner west.

Honestly, Marrickville and Sydney City Councils, when will you spend some of your ratepayers money on roads?? Have any of your councillors ridden a bike down McEvoy St lately?? Its Australia’s own version of pave/stet/cobble.  Speaking of pave, MMT is waiting with abated breath for March 17 and the start of the Classics/Monuments. Here’s the list of key dates:

#

Date

 Event
 1. 17/3  Milano-San Remo
 2.  22/3  Richmond vs Carlton at the MCG…opps… not cycling 😉
 3.  23/3  E3 Harelbeke Why name cycling race after a highway?? Honestly you would think the Belgians would have a more imaginative name by now.
 4.  25/3  Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
 5.  28/3  Dwars door Vlaanderen
 6.  1/4 Tour of Flanders
 7.  8/4 Paris-Roubaix
 8.  15/4  Amstel Gold – at least the Dutch have sense of humour, naming a race after a brand of beer. Looking at you E3 Race Organisers….
 9.  18/4  La Fleche Wallonne 
 10.  22/4  Leige-Bastone-Leige

One wonders how Michael Matthews at Team Sunweb will go this year. MMT can’t wait to see Messers Gibert, Van Avermaet and Valverde go round in the bergs and cobbles.

Change of topic, how good are the Yates boys riding for Mitchelton Scott. Here’s some copy stolen directly from SBS Cycling Central.

Double Trouble – Take 1 with Simon,  Paris-Nice Stage 7

Double Trouble – Take 2 with Adam, Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 5

I wonder when Team Sky will poach these guys? Mind you with the Gods of Anti-doping staring intently at Team Sky and the British Olympic Team, they may not be that keen 😉

Until next time, ride safe avoiding McEvoy St, if you can

Marv

Marv’s February Bike Log

Dear Rouelurs,

Of course, it could never last, a unbroken run of nearly 5 months without any illness related time off the bike.  Well, that run came to an end, abruptly in February with not one but two YAFFs kicking MMT’s proverbial butt.

MMT’s February 2018 log can be found here.

The first YAFF was minor cold and inconvenience.  The second YAFF was a proper flu, that meant 2 days off work and so far 5 days off the bike….booooo!!!!.  These absences can be clearly in MMT’s monthly worm and Strava hurt numbers.  Also the second YAFF meant missing a fairly entertaining, by all accounts, Greek Wedding. 

Considering that MMT had nearly 370km in the bag by the 12th Feb, only to total 652km, this was extremely disappointing. MMT is starting to feel the mental pressure of his weekly target of 145Km. This monthly total meant that he only accumulated an extra 26km on his overall ‘lead’.  MMT is now wondering whether 7500km in a year is possible, given he’s committed to 2 overseas holidays and Christmas in Sydney this year. Hmmmm…..

The Strava Suffer score graph is still showing that Thursday and Saturday are the days MMT is out doing hard work.

Probably the only thing of any note, was that MMT, managed to take his gorgeous 20 month old, half pint daughter out on his bubba carrier Cannondale. These short trips have only been a couple of km, but have been immensely enjoyable.

Until next time, ride safe.

MMT