Melburn Roobaix 2010 wrap up

“fuck, its the Koppenberg!”
OK, I know a 48/16 isn’t the best combo for this little sucker.
Wait for a gap, give it full gas and suck it up!
The cobblestones have huge gaps and the back wheel fights for traction as gravity does it’s best to help it stay in contact as it bounces from stone to stone. The gaps are big and the rim slams and scraps into a gap.
Patches of mud and slime only makes things worse.
Lungs and legs scream, Jens Voight’s words ring in my ears “shut up legs”.
The crowd that waits half way up is yelling, screaming and jumping into push those struggling.
Doing OK as bounce around a few slower riders.
MTBer in granny is right in front of me, CRAP!
He’s all over the shop and going slooooooooooooow.
Can’t quite get around him, cadence dropping to 2
Squeeze past with a little hip and shoulder, sorry dude but a fixie just can’t stop on a climb.
Crest and look back at the carnage. Wanted to take a photo but the flood of broken humanity sweeping, wheezing, gasping and amazingly, pedalling towards me suggested it wasn’t a great idea to stop here.

Our friend Laurence, could be seen amongst the throng with her bright fairy costume and wings bouncing in tune to the cobbles. Her partner Peter, also in his fairy costume complete with matching nail polish, was not far behind.

Laurence, one of our two guardian angels

Believe it or not, Peter was the other one!

Melburn Roobaix 2010 has been run, won and celebrated. Andy “TC” White, Mel and the rest of the team that pulls this annual event together (this is the 4th) are legends for adding a unique event to the Melbourne cycling scene. Andy will no doubt post heaps of pix at fyxomotosis. A few have already appeared at Wade’s Cycling Tips and Leon’s blog too.

I want to know how Andy managed to ride in those puppies?

The ride this year was capped at 400 but heaps more would have been there given half a chance. Thank god they weren’t because the finish venue is the Lomond Hotel and it was packed. The bike park was full to overflowing.

Packed to the rafters with the smell of Guinness and sweat and a sound track of jocularity!

Where the hell did I leave my bike?

The crowd was buzzing, the beer flowing and the room was a blur. Getting ready for the all important prize giving ceremony.

Moo-ving pictures. One half of the ‘best dressed couple’. I think she was the rear end?

All glamm and colour

A great collection of local Melbourne businesses get behind the event and provide a great assortment of prizes drawn randomly for those who participated. This is half of the fun as the Lomond is packed, anyone who wins is rarely seen but the crowd manages to pass the goodies back to them like a crowd surfer at a motley crew concert. One of my faves is the tattoo prize. Andy wisely stated this year that he would keep drawing it until the winner promised to get the tat, a flanders lion. Photographic evidence is required.

It’s nice to know that if you get lost in Melburn, there is always a helpful Gendarme on a fixie to help you out!

Best dressed couple went to a couple decked out head to toe in cow motif kit riding a tandem. The looked ‘udderly’ fantastic as the they ‘Moo-ved’ at great speed around the velodrome(Enough bovine cracks. Ed).

She must have been ‘frisian’ in that outfit

There were heaps of people who went to great effort to add some colour and interest to the mob. My friend with his surly long hauler was back but instead of the slab of biere, he went one better and had a small bar and a beer tap with REAL COLD beer! Freeekin awesome. He rode the whole event with this rig too.

Ah, there’s nothing like a nice, cold biere at the end of a ride that has been shaken, but not stirred!

Our small group couldn’t coordinate shit and our tribute to Roger De Vlaemnick didn’t quite happen this year. Keep an eye out next year for the Rogers!

Roger De Vlamnick flying over the french cobblestones on the way to win one of his many Paris Rubaix victories.

Melburn Roobaix celebrates bikes and bike culture in a brilliantly Melburn way and is iconic on the international underground cycling scene. Cheers to the Hell of Northcote!

We survived the ‘Hell of Northcote’ ……………. just. Until next year.

‘In tongues’ EP debut

The Workers club in Fitzroy hosted the EP launch for exciting, new band ‘In Tongues’. A diverse crowd filled the lounge including yours truly and the parents of lead guitarist Andrew Sims and his brother Mitch. I guess you could call the the real ‘Sons of Leon’.

Some one in the crowed had brought along a few masks of Deborah Harry and Bill Murry. Naturally, this prompted a great rendition of ‘Rapture’ causing the crowd to experience their own. So pumped were they that towards the end of the set, they mobbed the stage sending lead singer Luke, face down into the pit. As he still had his mike, the show did go on! I grabbed a bit of vid which you can see here.

Their sound has been described as ‘post punk’ whatever that really means these days. They were fun, a little eclectic and tight. Judging by the fans, they’re all about a good time and taking any of it too seriously. For more info, have a look at their site. Do your third eye a favour and check them out.