Pandemonium

Every now and then, the Pyrmont Bridge swings open to let a boat through. It's not bad when it happens in say the middle of the afternoon, but it was bloody pandemonium when it opened during rush hour this evening. I can normally cruise across the bridge at a happy and steady 20km/h - I was reduced to doing 5km/h once this lot started moving. I was starting to feel like a motorist stuck on the Gladesville Bridge....

One side effect is that it created a large cluster of cyclists; and the cluster created mayhem when the light went green. The very intelligent Council, in an effort to encourage cycling, has only installed two "pram ramps" at this corner, so bike are funneled into two rather narrow slots as they leave the pavement. There's always a rush to get up front, and it's amazing that I've never seen a multi-bike prang at this corner.

The large number of cyclists meant that there was plenty of competition on the ride home. I thought I was doing well, getting to the front of the pack when two blokes blasted past me like I was standing still. I usually find that with the fitter riders, I am only 1-3km/h slower. That means if I extend myself, I can hang onto them. Not this particular pair - they went past me (uphill) a good 10km/h more rapidly. All I could do was watch them enviously as they sped off into the sunset.

The great thing about this sort of competitive riding is that it stretches you - I am utterly buggered right now, and ready for bed; but I know that I would not have given it my all if I wasn't aiming to beat the crowd. You have to stretch yourself in order to advance. A bit of healthy competition is a good thing.

That's it. Zzzzzzzzzz.