Sneaky Steve in the shadows

I've been slack with my blogging: I have escaped the mainland, and I'm having a holiday and it's somewhat cold down here!

Sneaky Steve managed to give me one last big laugh before I left though. The mob I've been riding with: the Lancefield Lycra Louts, also known as the Lancefield Lairs, turned out for a ride on the last Sunday I was in Melbourne to see me off. Amid the usual trash talking, sudden hill sprints and mug lair riding, Steve decided tried something very special.

We were about 40km in when Steve took off like a rocket. He went past Ken and I at a rate of knots. I was just able to catch up and hold his wheel for a few seconds before deciding to let him go, or running out of puff, I forget which.

We knew he was up to something. The question was what? As we neared Lancefield, the anticipation was mounting. My bet was that he'd commandeered a fire hose and was going to give us all a spray. The tension was unbearable. But nothing happened.

A few minutes later Steve called Andy on his mobile phone. It turns out that Steve had been hiding up a driveway en-route and was planning to give us all a big surprise. His hiding place was so good that not only did we not see him, but he didn't see us. Steve slunk into town ten minutes later amid much laughter.

I've really enjoyed riding with the Lancefield mob, I've had more fun with them in the last few months than I can remember having on a bike before. Every time I go for a ride, I think of them. I'm hoping for a lot more rides and a lot more laughs together in the future. Until we ride together again guys, I'll miss you all.

2,971km so far this year.