I think he knows something

Where we live in Brisbane, we’re close to the “River Loop”. A popular ride of about  thirty-five km around some of Brisbane’s nicest suburbs. Whenever we’re out running, cycling or walking the dogs we see a father and daughter training together.

I have known the dad, James for more than twenty years. We have never been close mates but we always recognise each other and give a wave. James cycled at the Commonwealth Games in the road race. I don’t have the details of the year etc. but he was a very good cyclist. He is still a very fit man in his mid forties.

One memory which sticks with me was the Strathpine to Woodford bike race back in the late eighties. I was just starting out at triathlon and used to do some road races for experience and fitness.

On our way out to the start line we passed James riding out. We were driving. He raced the hilly 130km race, won outright, then as we were driving home we passed him riding back to Brisbane. I was impressed. I raced in the vets race of half the distance and was smashed, and he won and was riding home.

He has raced in Europe and been a bike mechanic on a pro team. He’s been in cycling all of the time I’ve known him. His daughter has done a few triathlons as a junior and trained with a junior squad at the same pool where I coach my own squad. She was selected into the Queensland Academy of Sport junior development squad.   I have no idea how she went there but she seems to be focussing on cycling at the moment. She’s about sixteen.

It appears James is developing her as a road cyclist. What’s interesting is the fact that they are never seen going fast. They spin along at 25-28kph all the time. Sometimes they cycling in the morning and again in the evening. I see them around 4-5 times a week. Whenever I’m out and around the area I’m more likely to see them than to not see them.

This girl at fourteen could out time trial all of her squad and her coach (an experienced Ironman athlete who I used to coach). She now spend hours going very slow. I’m sure she does other training which I don’t see, but the funny thing about all this is.

Her Dad’s a proven winner. He’s trained and raced with the best in the World. She trains lots of hours real easy, and is constantly passed by the “River Loop Heroes”. These are the guys who time trial every training ride.

Brisbane’s River Loop has more wankers on it than any thirty-five km stretch of road you could find in the world. There are the guys who have to ride with their knees sticking out to each side to get around their big bellys. But will challenge anyone who dares ride past them.

Then there’s the young “semi pro cyclists”, that’s the guys who ride around with every set of cycling gear perfectly matched, often right down to the lycra shoe covers. Ninety percent of these guys actually never enter a race. Their event is the Wednesday morning “river loop”, or the Friday morning gran prix, where the first ones to finish get the best table at the coffee shop.

My wife often rides to and from work. She enjoys the ride and avoids the difficulty of finding a parking spot at the hospital. The Queensland Government Health dept are about the most hopeless bunch of beaurocrats in the world. They have difficulty holding nursing staff, yet they provide parking for 25% of them (and charge them heavily for the privelage) and the rest of the staff have to park in the surrounding streets, which have a two hour parking limit.????

Anyway Sandy enjoys her twenty minute commute. Except for the wanker commuters who cannot be passed by a woman. They’ll smash themselves to get back past her if she dares ride pass them. Once they get to “the roller coaster” at the back of the Qld Uni it’s all over. She doesn’t even have to raise her heart rate to blow the legs off them.

The point I’m making here is the most experienced, very likely the most talented cyclists on this circuit ride slower in training than the greater bulk of riders. The “first season triathletes” seem to be the worst offenders of racing to train, instead or training to race.   

Maybe they know something?