18/01/2026
To Absent Friends 🌅🚴♂️
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 definitely 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 ex*****on.
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 ⏰
