Summer is back with a vengeance and it’s time once again for that pastel, sun faded everything heat that happens here in Brisbane. I love it most of all because it leaves the streets and other places emptier and quieter than usual. Kind of like a ghost town (or just Brisbane in the 80s).
The public pools are also relatively quiet giving me a perfect opportunity to cobble together a morning ride-plus-swim outing which I decided to do on my road bike seeing as though I haven’t really been using that much lately.
Thinking about it, one of the reasons I hadn’t been using the road bike is because I actually find my SPD SL pedals and shoes (that’s the wide, three bolt ones) a giant pain in the arse to use especially if I need to get off the bike and walk around like a human being instead of like a penguin. Sure they’re probably more efficient if you’re trying to win a race but racing is farthest thing from my mind these days – I just like the road bike for it’s speed and nimbleness.
And so without too much more care or thought, I committed blasphemy against the Church of Velowhatever and stuck a set of two bolt SPD mountain bike pedals that I had amongst my spares onto the beast and strapped on my XC mountain bike shoes. Much better.
But if I was going to swim, I would need extra stuff. One of those tiny portable towels, goggles and some extra sunscreen for a start. Into the bum bag they went and over my board shorts and t-shirt went the bum bag. What a sight. Meh, what are ya gonna do?
Off I went down the Gateway Bikeway and on down the North Brisbane Bikeway toward the Centenary Pool. The headwind could have blown a dog off a chain but the road bike slipped through it like hot knife through butter. With city towers in sight, I lobbed up to the Centenary Pool still pretty fresh considering the mercury was up around thirty by now.
Two dollar swims are a good thing – a very good thing. Still very cheap per metre swum when you’re like me and only end up doing about four laps before floating around in the “Gentle Exercise and Walking” lane like the tea bag that expanded because the hot water was added too quickly.
And speaking of hot beverages, the cafe at the Centenary Pool sells them. And food. Both were tasty as I sat in the grandstand and gazed at the long view west. Kelvin Grove, I think and Mt Nebo/Mt Glorious behind it.
But sitting in a grandstand eating, gazing and trying to think up feeble attempts at humor to write in a blog later had to end some time. So I pointed the road bike back down the North Brisbane Bikeway and started making my way home into the headwind. Yes, headwind in the opposite direction as well. Sigh.
So there. Ride safe and remember to stop and swim.