The Shredder destroys the North Face

The Posse welcomed a new member today. The Shredder had a tadge of apprehension in joining the Posse on the Saturday morning outing.

He was joined by the usual bandits, The Ironman, The Fit One, Santiago and The Bigman as they headed out on a frosty morning with ice clad cars at 08.30 in the morning as the sun climbed in the sky.

These are the kind of days where the views can be crystal clear yet the bends may hide catastrophe with small areas of black ice, enough to take out a cyclist on skinny road tyres that grip very little road at the best of times.

With a depleted Dark Knights Posse on Wednesday, there was much news to catch up on. Concerns about jobs, challenges around the volume of work to be done and limited time to do it, challenges around fitting in family responsibilities. A challenge shared is less of a burden.

John Lennon once wrote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Saturday morning Posse outings give you the chance to live in that moment whilst sharing it with others.

The Shredder was tearing up the road as the Posse headed up and over Mont VeKnockhill towards Yetts of Muchart. The scene was like viewing the landscape through a camera filter. The bowns were very orange against a skyline that was bluer than blue. One of these dramatic landscape often captured in calendars.

The plan was then to head to Milnathort in pursuit formation maximising efficiency as the team cut through the icy cold air. As the posse cruised along the road, a buzzard glided along in front of the posse as if seeking to be part of the team. It flexed its massive wingspan puffing out its chest, proud to be leading the Posse. An amazing sight that may have lasted for only minutes however had the posse transfixed on the ease with which it moved through the air.

The Shredder had the added 'benefit' of being extra cool with his cycling shorts and fingerless mitts. A quick call to Santa Claus and Winter Longs have now been added to the Christmas List.

It may have seemed harsh on his first outing with the Posse, however it has to happen some time and so today was as a good a day as any to tackle the North Face of the iconic Col du Cleish.

And so, after refreshments in the cafe in Kinross, The North Face was the target. The steepest part is at the start of the climb. Bigman encouraged The Shredder by helping him understand that burning lungs that feel like bursting was a good sign as it acted like a barometer for his fitness. The Shredder confirmed his lungs were bursting, and on fire, his legs felt like lead, but he could still feel his fingers. The Fit One confirmed this was a good sign as it demonstrated he was still alive! The Posse belief in positive mental attitude and always seek to encourage.

With loads of encouragement and no physical aid, The Shredder arrived at the crest of the Col du Cleish. He is now truly a member of the Posse.

It has been some time since the Posse has had a road bike race at the Bus Museum sprint. The Fit One was chatting away about technical bike maintenance training and was tucked in behind Santiago. To chase down a break he would have to first move clear. The Ironman was pondering when to make his move when the peace was shattered by Bigman pummelling the pedals to build a lead on the downhill stage before the road reared up in front of him. Santiago moved down on the tri bars and kicked down eventually passing Bigman and looked good to win the sprint when, with the virtual finish line in sight, the power drained from his legs faster than the Wingman downs a pint of cider at the Seven Kings on a Friday evening!

Bigman powered passed however The Ironman continued to pursue with steel in his eye. Bigman managed to hang in there but, without question, Ironman was a new man from the Thursday evening outing. Clearly the iron lung is back!

Meanwhile, The Fit One was conducting an assessment as to why his pedals were turning so fast without pace to match? Cruising in the middle ring was the answer.

It was another fantastic day out with the Posse and 64 km nearer the Cape Epic. It will take many more Col du Cleish climbs to get prepared for stage 3 of the Cape Epic.