To Absent Friends

Sunrise miles with the crew 🌅🚴♂️

We rolled out into a golden sunrise and straight into a headwind 🌬️. Flat roads, nowhere to hide, and plenty of type 2 fun on the menu.

Simon and Steve led the bunch courageously into the breeze 💪 — proper turns, no shortcuts. Every time Shane hit the front, casual chat instantly turned into panicked panting 😮💨. Absolute diesel.

Somewhere in the suffering haze, Mick appeared at the front. At first it felt like a hallucination… but no — Mick did a turn 🤯. Let the record show 😄.

Marco unleashed an uncharacteristic sprint ⚡️ which flicked the competitive switch in Steve. Once Steve got rolling, there was no stopping him… except for the stopped car at the roundabout 🚗🛑. That stopped him.

Special mention to Neil, who delivered a flawless performance from bed 🛌😴 after sleeping through the start. Perfect recovery, zero watts, exceptional consistency. Textbook execution. Chapeau, my friend.

Also worth noting Callan, fresh off a Friday night crit win 🏆 — taken the hard way from a solo break in the windiest of conditions 🌬️💥. Sadly a no-show this morning, and it showed… because someone like that would’ve been very handy in today’s headwinds 😅.

Back to the café ☕️ for the real work: Tour Down Under chat, cycling kit debates 👕, and a deep dive into the mysterious lack of tan on Steve’s almost translucent legs 🦵✨.

This is why we do it. Same roads. Same crew. Always worth the early alarm ⏰.

And if you’re still buzzing from the ride, legs cooked, coffee in hand and stories getting better by the minute — don’t forget to kit up for the recovery phase. Our post-ride funny cycling t-shirts are designed for exactly this moment: zero watts, maximum laughs. Because the ride might be over, but the banter definitely isn’t 🚴☕️😄

Photo credit: Shane 📸