Our friend the Australian Magpie was back today. I hadn't seen him for a few weeks and thought the swooping season had ended or he had met an untimely demise in the front grille of one of the many trucks making its way into or out of the port area. The pic below is courtesy of www.lonebiker.dk and that's the angle that we as cyclists don't get to see.
Usually it is just a flash of a shadow and the snap of the beak at the back of your neck- sometimes once, sometimes in multiple swoops. This morning I thought we were in the clear. I didn't see him in his usual haunt as we approached but then he flew in from across the road to perch on top of a streelight pole and observed as we rode past. No shadow- he's not going to bother us. No sooner had the thought made its way through my wee mind and "Flash-Snap!!"Maybe he just wanted to make sure we hadn't forgotten whose turf we were on- and it was only one swoop so his attitude must be cooling.
Many of our local riders will be waiting to hear the results of Cycling Australia's 2009 Awards being given out in Melbourne tomorrow night. Local pocket-rocket and cycling phenom, Ruth Corsett, has been nominated as the Female Elite Road Cyclist of the Year. Ruth has had a great year- leading the Australian team and finishing twelfth in the UCI Road Championships in Switzerland and just capped it off last week winning every stage of the Tour de Perth. Good luck Ruth!!
Crit tomorrow (Sunday) but it's debatable if I'll ride. A good friend and cycling mate is turning 65 tomorrow and there's a champagne brunch starting at 10:30. Given the number of corks and empty bottles our group has the capacity to leave behind, I think a nice early morning ride might be the better option.
Cheers- ride safe
BoaB
3 comments:
I'll opt for the early morning ride BoaB and honour your friend.
-B
I remember the year when Ruth Corsett won the Criterium in the Tour de Tablelands. Boy, was I impressed! I was struggling to hang on to D-Grade and here was a girl kicking ass against all the guys. She would be a deserving winner of the award.
Well I had two glasses of bubbles and decided that was it- I was going to ride the crit. I may as well have stayed and drank the champers. My legs felt like a couple of sacks of wet mice.
And good news from the Cycling Australia Awards night- Ruth Corset was named the Elite Female Road Cyclist of the Year. Her counterpart on the male side was some guy name Cadel. Good onya Ruth!!!
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