I just dug up these Plus-X black and white pictures I took back in the mid to late 70′s of a fire at the Marrickville Army Barracks. It was no longer an active defence base but was yet to fully evolve into the wonderful neighbourhood centre it is today. The fire was a local news event and drew a crowd at the time. Hopefully no-one in the crowd objects to being revealed as a gawker 30-plus years later.
I should add that I lived my whole childhood and early adult years in a house that abutted the camp, so there’s a strong personal element here. As well one of my grandfathers was an AIF light horseman and stabled his horse at this camp at some time, perhaps between the world wars. It was also an induction point during the Vietnam conscription days (something my brother and I luckily missed by just a few years) and the scene of some anti-conscription protesting. Before it was an army base it was a dairy farm and before that – like much of Marrickville – it was a swamp, home to a diverse ecosystem as well as the local indigenous people. How’s that for a potted history?
This fire seems a world away now but it was really just a few decades. So much has happened in the interim and I wonder how much of the finer detail will be lost as the dust of history settles. And I no longer shoot Kodak Plus-X black and white film either 
      
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Krefft’s dwarf snake_0147
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
This is our 2nd snake find in our Central Coast, NSW garden. Although we have seen many ‘nearly legless lizards’ (a seeming cross between a skink and a snake) this Krefft’s dwarf snake is a rarer find. This one was lurking under a plastic clamshell sandpit. I happened to move said sandpit and the tiny (15cm long) elapid leapt at me. It seemed a bit dazed and confused and its aim was poor (I should say the fangs are tiny and unlikely to work on a human target anyway). If I had been a skink however I think I would have been dinner.
So our small suburban Saratogan garden has so far (in the last 7 years or so) revealed 2 Krefft’s dwarf snakes, several geckos, 1 blue tongue lizard, a bandicoot, umpteen skinks and semi-legless lizards and a host of birdlife. Beats my old Marrickville haunt by a gazillion, although inner-western Sydney is getting some wildlife back I hear.
I have to admit that I’ve worn out a lot of *cycling clothing* over the last 30 odd years. Sometimes – /luckily/ – it’s just been good old fashioned wear and tear. Less luckily I have managed to write-off valuable gear on even just the first or second ride, by the application of *unintended deceleration*. Memorably I wrote off a pair of shoes by the simple expedient of snagging the right-hand shoe on the large chainring – something I’ve done just /once/ in over 250,000km of serious riding and /never/ got near to doing again. I can’t even work out /how/ I managed to do it! The shoe simply *ripped apart*. Mind you bike riders are apt to do strange things when training at 04:30 in the morning. Like most riders I have also written-off a few jerseys and knicks by testing their ability to slide over asphalt and gravel.
Anyway, the nice people at *SKINS* (thanks Matt!) have given me a set of their *compression gear* to test and I’m keen to wear these out rather prosaically by actually keeping upright and /not/ testing their road adhesion. Whilst I haven’t paid for ‘em they (ie *SKINS*) and I have agreed that I should be fair and honest and pull no punches in my assessment. _So that’s what I will do._
What I am testing right now (well not right this minute as I’m at the keyboard) is a *C400 men’s mesh tank baselayer* undershirt (well I call it an undershirt, anyway) and a pair of *C400 men’s compression BIB shorts. *I am hoping to get a sample *jersey* to test as well. The size is *medium* and it’s a fine – if snug – fit on my 1.69m and overweight 73kg body. I like snug. I can’t fault the *undershirt* at all (only the body underneath, frankly) and the *BIB shorts* (I really only wear the BIB style, it’s the only way to fly) are well made and a good fit.
First impressions of the compression shorts (or *knicks*, if you prefer) are of something akin to the /”Russian Rubber skinsuit circa 1980″/ feel – a sort of elastic “springiness” that /almost/ helps bring the upper leg back up. It’s a /very /slight effect but noticeable. I like it, it brings back good memories of when I was younger and fitter…
The ‘*compression*’ certainly leaves its mark on my pudgey body, though. There’s a faint but visible reddish outline on my upper legs that becomes apparent only upon removal, post-ride. And no, it’s not a rash or other skin irritation. It’s also *not* uncomfortable at all and the mark disappears quickly – it was a surprise to see it, frankly. It’s not like the sort of mark tight elastic leaves, rather a broader, wider fabric ‘impression’ that suggests surface blood flow. It may well be a sign of improved circulation – I can’t be sure. The chamois is also comfy and I have had no issues with badly-placed seams or other possible pain-points. If anything after 3 short rides in this gear my incipient saddle sores have markedly improved; but again I can’t be certain that’s because of the *SKINS* product. It might be, though. The chamois in any case is broad and deep, ideal for my purposes, and caused no chafing or rubbing in any sensitive spots – unlike some brands.
Both products ooze *quality* and compare well with anything I’ve used in the past, be it a premium brand product or something quite cheap that I got for Christmas (in many ways the best knicks of all are free). I did think that the *packaging* is superb but tending towards overkill, however my 4 year old son has taken a liking to the boxes so perhaps they are *re-usable* after all ?
This is a *long term test*, and I’ll post regularly on progress with both pics and data (I’m logging power, speed and heart rate and looking for improvements that can be attributed to clothing alone – a challenge I know but I have a standard protocol in place and my spreadsheet awaits my command). To paraphrase the words of Eddy Merckx, all I have to do now is “ride lots”, I guess.
    
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In a moment of distraction I took the most recent SRM data from Ivan Basso’s website and loaded it into the only power software you really need (apart from ibike’s own and maybe one of my spreadsheets): Golden Cheetah. It came out all pretty and impressive to boot, so here it is in pics. You can get Basso’s (freely available) blood tests and training data here – but you have to register: http://www.mapeisport.it/IvanBasso/default.asp?LNG=EN
If only every rider provided this sort of data on the web. Bravo Ivan Basso! (By the way his blood profile shows his haematocrit is typically lower than my own, so I have no excuses, have I?) Bear in mind this is just data from one training ride in March 2010. Whilst it’s the last one I can find before the Giro he may have logged even better numbers in the weeks after. To me he looks good but slightly underdone – however it’s a single, short sample, too. If the rain keeps up I’ll load more data and plot it over time. Just for fun, of course.
The pics show Critical Power, Intervals and Peaks, ride summary, hsitogram analysis (wow) and a pretty 3D graph.
You can also get Golden Cheetah if you search for it.
    
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I think that’s my race number from the ’87 Grafton, or was it from ’88? (‘GET’ is Great Eastland Television, btw.) My greatest yet least fond memory of the Grafton to Inverell race (some 228km for those who don’t know) is of half my grade climbing into cars at the top of the main climb, less than half way to Inverell. Mostly they were ‘locals’, riders from nearby clubs who had been pressured into entering but never intended finishing. One year I was so disgusted at the disappearing bunch I threw my bike in a ditch (gently, kinda) and tossed my Oakleys away, to my instant regret. Unlike the bike the sunnies disappeared in the long grass. I went back years later to look for them, not really expecting to find them, more to relive the moment. Ugh.
The Goulburn program is from ’84, the race numbers from ’85. ’84 was the first of several failed attempts at what was a 200km handicap race – yes, really – and I’ve marked the Central Coast club riders (from nowadays, apologies if I missed any) and noted also that the organisers got my first initial wrong, as they usually did in race programs (‘R’ is a very difficult letter, apparently). I was with Randwick-Botany club at the time and for some of us criteriums a la Heffron Park were our only experience – and we quickly realised this was not a crit. There are some memorably good riders on the program if you take a close look. I think I cruised into Liverpool about an hour and a half after the winners, beseiged with cramps the like of which I had never felt before. I had managed to puncture on Governor’s Hill, just a few kays out of Goulburn – and changing clinchers with frozen fingers is not recommended. (I converted to singles (tubulars) after that race.) Being a handicap race each succeeding bunch was faster than the previous, so I was spat out the back of increasingly more elite groups. I came back for more the following year and copped a hailstorm in Picton.
Lastly it’s a track program from ’93 when I still lived in Sydney and raced Wednesday nights at Tempe, organised by Bankstown Club. You’ll see some very recognisable names (Sean Eadie for example, much lighter and with a memorable attitude, if only I had pics!) and again I’ve marked the obvious Coasties (even if we weren’t with CCCC at the time!). Funny how I’ve raced with so many people I didn’t know then but know now. Digging up these old programs is a revelation.
   
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It’s simple enough, but in case it helps – here are some pics. I have an early ibike with wires and I simply updated the bar-mount and sensors to wireless standard (it comes in a kit from ibike) in order to use the power meter on the ‘indoor’ trainer (which I actually keep outdoors – but you know what I mean). It involves hooking up a rear wheel magnet and sensor with cable ties and mounting the new head unit bayonet on the bars. I still use the old head unit, of course.
I also fitted a cadence sensor (which you can also see here) and mapped the head unit to a similar indoor trainer from a list presented in the head unit’s setup mode. You may get an exact model match but I didn’t, so I went as close as I could. Batteries go into the mount and the 2 sensors (cadence and speed) plus the head unit itself (not shown here). The sensor batteries can last for months but the head unit chews ‘em up every couple of weeks, depending upon how often and far you ride and how cold it gets. Cold kills lithium batteries. (And trainers kill tyres, but that’s another story.)
Voila – power figures on the indoor trainer using the ibike. Just remember to swap back to normal ‘road’ mode when off the trainer.
     
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These giant green caterpillars are following me! When last I saw them in such profusion I was about 8 and lived in Marrickville… didn’t expect to see them in Saratoga, too. When it hatches I’ll let you know what it is.
And the moths are – having moth fun I guess.
    
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We’ve read about it, and like most of us he knows the theory. But is it for real? Like tadpoles growing into frogs, caterpillars turn into butterflies. Yeah, right. As if. So we carefully captured a fat stripey caterpillar and temporarily relocated him/her/it from a ficus in a pot to a plastic bug holder. Within 2 days we had a lumpy blobby chrysalis that dried overnight to a dramatic gold sheen. And a week or so later emerged a Common Crow butterfly (black with white spots). Theory turned into practice, we let the butterfly flutter by, off to sip nectar somewhere nice….
   
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Clearly it wasn’t. Despite knowing that I should clean, inspect, lube and replace cables (having broken plenty of gear cables in my time, and clutch and accelerator cables in cars, too) somehow this one passed me by. In hindsight I knew I had a problem. I saw the cable wearing against the head tube and I should have wrapped it with some tape. I also noticed the lack of responsiveness in shifting but I assumed it was related to cable tension and friction, and having lubed it where I thought it “needed it”, I left it at that. Indeed, performance had improved markedly, so I thought I had nailed it. Then yesterday it started to skip gears, or shift belatedly under power. At the end of the ride it refused to go into the smallest gear. No big deal, I thought. I’ll adjust it later. But later didn’t come.
Instead I went for another training ride today and forgot about yesterday’s problems. Until I tried to grab a bigger-diametre rear cog. No dice. It would go up but not down the range. (Which is to say I could grind out a bigger, harder gear but I wasn’t going to get a smaller, easier ratio if I needed it. Considering I live on a hill this was no small thing.) That’s when I started playing with the cables, looking for a kink – whoa. That’s not a kink. That’s a snap. You’d think after almost 30 years of bike riding I’d be on top of this stuff… but complacency never lets up, does it?
   
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Clearly it wasn’t. Despite knowing that I should clean, inspect, lube and replace cables (having broken plenty of gear cables in my time, and clutch and accelerator cables in cars, too) somehow this one passed me by. In hindsight I knew I had a problem. I saw the cable wearing against the head tube and I should have wrapped it with some tape. I also noticed the lack of responsiveness in shifting but I assumed it was related to cable tension and friction, and having lubed it where I thought it “needed it”, I left it at that. Indeed, performance had improved markedly, so I thought I had nailed it. Then yesterday it started to skip gears, or shift belatedly under power. At the end of the ride it refused to go into the smallest gear. No big deal, I thought. I’ll adjust it later. But later didn’t come.
Instead I went for another training ride today and forgot about yesterday’s problems. Until I tried to grab a bigger-diametre rear cog. No dice. It would go up but not down the range. (Which is to say I could grind out a bigger, harder gear but I wasn’t going to get a smaller, easier ratio if I needed it. Considering I live on a hill this was no small thing.) That’s when I started playing with the cables, looking for a kink – whoa. That’s not a kink. That’s a snap. You’d think after almost 30 years of bike riding I’d be on top of this stuff… but complacency never lets up, does it?
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I had a break. Well several breaks really, and a fall (with no breaks, just pain!). But I’m back on the bike and racing – and training – with the intention of staying race-fit until the “road season” (which is Aussie-speak for our winter as we do track and crits in summer). We shall see. Although I raced at least twice (maybe 3 times) back in October/November last year I have taken January 2010 as the “real” starting point. I am training, rather than just riding, and trying to have an influence on the race.
So here’s an iBike power-meter view of what was race 2 for me in 2010. I was carrying a hamstring injury (of all things) and wasn’t sure how hard I could push it – I could feel a twinge of pain when I rose from the saddle or pulled up with the right leg – so I “sat-in” as any old ex-Randwick-Botany racer would do and just followed wheels. For the 2nd race in a row – hey this is only D-grade at CCCC’s Lucca Rd circuit, don’t get excited – I got 3rd place. But I contested the sprint and didn’t ever feel like getting dropped. Average speed was just under 33kmh for the 30mins + 1 lap. Nornalised power (my own formula with coasting “zeroes” removed and weighting given to “power-on” rather than “slacking off”) was just under 200W (seeing as how I have been cracking 200W training it shows that I was taking it easy, but the iBike is also not that great at measuring power whilst sucking wheels, either). You can see that the sprint (end of the bike race, folks) was the only time I exceeded 50kmh but we cracked 40 every lap. That’s on a downhill but there was a headwind!!) There’s a small but painful “rise” that starts at a left-hand turn (so only the brave really take a run-up at it) every lap and the wattage hit 450-600 every time up that incline as someone always “had a go” to dislodge a few non-trainers. There’s also a smaller power peak each lap just after the “big” hill and past the start-finish straight where we go left again and kick up a smaller but noticeable gradient. The speed rises once more as we hit that gentle climb – must be enthusiasm or the excitement of it all. If you took this seriously you could train to these conditions and increase output in key situations. You could replicate the course or sections thereof and impose repeated loads. Or you could use this race data to optimise race speed whilst keeping the lid on over-enthusiasm, power-wise. Hang back a bit, save the powder as it were. Now you could do this without a power meter – heck, I raced for more than 20 years without one – but it’s so nice to get pictures, isn’t it?
Onward, ever onward. Even at 52.
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Airline timetables_0761
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Would you believe I have stashed away these 1970s-vintage airline timetables for posterity?
Weird, I know. But printed material of this nature – anything at all, really – is fast disappearing. You may not recognise it yourself but paper as an office “staple” has been on the slide for at least 30 years. With every passing year more paper invoices, receipts, tickets, timetables, instructions, labels and “forms” are replaced by an online equivalent. Once gone they won’t return. Not that I’m a Luddite, far from it. I just like to document some of the simplest, perhaps least important details of our human civilised history as it passes….
Wet day, a camera, some fruit and flowers. You are warned.
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Some light rain and even light under a cloudy sky – perfect!
Wet day, a camera, some fruit and flowers. You are warned.
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Some light rain and even light under a cloudy sky – perfect!
USB Guitar snake_0259
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
This USB ‘light snake’ is an alternative (and possibly cheaper) way to get your guitar signal into your PC.
M-Audio K61es MIDI controller_0258
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
An alternative to software keyboards is this MIDI controller that recently landed in my collection of gadgets. MIDI-out via USB to PC where I use Reaper or Mixcraft (amongst others) to play with the sound. It’s powered by the 5V USB output, so it’s very easy to connect. Just select ‘USB device’ in your software preferences and away you go.
USB Guitar Link_0260a
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
For those who are interested in such things, I use a Behringer GuitarLink USB cable to link my Strat with my PC, using various software ‘amplifiers’ to get the right sound. On the PC I record to a WAV file and mix it in Mixcraft or Reaper. Quick and simple.
Mod Luna Park Invasion_062
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Tribal Sydney in the late ’70s, early ’80s. Mods roamed the streets on Vespas and Lambrettas from the 1960s onward, especially enjoying a re-birth with the 1979 release of the Who’s film ‘Quadrophenia’ (which also helped rebirth the British film industry).
This is a scan of a cheap and cheerful Mod ‘zine from circa 1980.
a017
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Love the shadow of the photographer… probably my father. Don’t know who was driving. The car is (I think) an Austin 7. Circa 1950.
Free airshow up the Tamar valley_0243
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
These are RAAF Pilatus PC9/As in a tight aerobatic formation (called the Roulettes). It was an unexpected show, 6 of these aircraft suddenly arrived in the Tamar valley (Launceston) and went into what was either a warmup, practice or a holding pattern. I think they were waiting for their slot for a display over the local Symmonds Plains race track but that’s just a guess.
Short Sandringham Rose Bay_006
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Some nostalgia… Sydney during the early to mid 1970s.
This is one of 2 ex-Ansett Sandringham flying boats prior to handover to Antilles Airboats in late 1974.
There were 2 of these ‘boats used on the run to Lord Howe Island:
(1) ‘BRC had the rounded nose of a more ‘pure’ Sandringham (even though it was a converted Sunderland) and was called ‘Beachcomber’, becoming N158C with Antilles Airboats in 1974. ‘BRC is now landlocked, at Southampton, UK.
(2) ‘BRF, named ‘Islander’, was a ‘near-converted’ Sunderland with a blunter nose. It’s now landlocked at Miami, Florida.
I may not have taken this shot – I took a lot, but so did my late friend James Davidson, who had access to the Rose Bay base via his flight engineer father. James got me hooked onto black and white photography in the first place.
Very old cockatoo_0801
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Once a wild parrot gets this old – maybe 60 or so, possibly older – it finds it harder to eat, let alone get around easily to find food. We just experienced a long period of hot, dry days which would have stretched this guy’s resources to the limit. He’s now perched under the roof of our back deck, keeping out of an otherwise welcome blast of cooler, wetter weather.
Channel Billed Cuckoos_0771a
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Just for a change of pace… here are some juvenile Channel Billed Cuckoos – world’s largest cuckoo, btw – calling to their surrogate “mum” (a Pied Currawong) for more food… like many cuckoos they are parasitic, in that they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, the expectation being that the “foster” family will raise the young for them, unknowingly. Generally that’s exactly what happens, with the cuckoos outgrowing the other chicks and starving them. Not exactly charming behaviour but very effective!
Huntsman_0649b
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
I can’t help it, this is one cool spider…!
An open case_0784
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Amazingly, there’s little left at all. 4 combs of uncertain providence – and I don’t think I even used a comb back then – I certainly haven’t touched one in the past 12 years! And some Internet connection software on a 3.5inch floppy disk – something I couldn’t use today without booting up an old 486 machine (also in the garage).
Today of course I work from home, but when I do venture out I carry my laptop in its bag, so these handy cases are simply NLR. Hence they are confined to the dustbin – or the dusty garage.
A shut case_0780
Originally uploaded by gtveloce
Whilst cleaning out the garage I found my old work bag, or case, circa 1996 or what I’d call my ‘Internet Account Manager’ days. How much – and what – would be left inside?
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