New Bikes and New Faces

Like a hungry caterpillar the appearance and make up of Team Aldi is in a state of change, growth and flux. This week’s excitement was caused by our very own improving paper boy Kenny O’Donnell who in the twinkling of an eye emerged from the toilets of the local shopping centre looking not unlike a caterpillar himself in the treasured and coveted colours of the bright bottle green Hillbrick Lycra, a move designed to raise the bar up several notches over his Aldi-clad companions and frankly it raised the bar to an almost impossible height to overcome that all the team could do was bask in the shade of the new Hillbrick bike and uniform. Kenny was also was very reluctant to admit that he frequents the same bicycling emporium as favoured by our nations politicians at which news the bar went up a few more notches.

He is pictured here with a bagful of shoes deciding which colour to chose which might best compliment his loud volume racing greens.

A NEW FACE
The team was also pleased to welcome a new face to the team but not to the world of cycling- Craig Trautsch aka “Trouchy” or the “human trampoline” on account of the fact that this man is invincible and will bounce back from anything. Feeling sorry for the rest of the team he did the ride on some old no frills mountain bike that he dug up from the depths of his garage so as not to embarrass anyone in the team with the breathtaking speed and pace that he set up for the rest of the team to follow.

He is seen pictured here patiently advising Kenny about fashion tips for his riding livery even though he is not a slave to fashion himself.






There were many impressive things about the new Hillbrick bike for the team to take stock of and members were given a thorough introduction into the wide ranging capabilities of this new tarmac treader by Kenny before the ride was able to get under way. Here he is pictured programming the new bike before using it via the marvel of modern technology with the hand held “spectron transponder” which automatically removes it from the back of the car and prepares it for use by the rider.






Today’s ride got under way to a very respectable pace through Camden and Cawdor County but on the approaches to the Camden by pass a loud clunking noise was heard by all those in close proximity to the Hillbrick, the mystery was soon solved by the team “speedster” Tachis Bell pictured here cradling the offending bit of surplus suspension of the new Hillbrick and overseen by the worried looking owner. However, moments later he was relieved to learn that the suspension was an optional extra and strictly speaking not really required so in our usual time honoured fashion we carried on regardless.






Readers must not be misled into thinking that this weeks episode is all about and dominated by the arrival of the new Hillbrick but until I can think about something else to write about, it will have to do for now. See you in the next exciting instalment of the adventures of the Hillbrick Heroes.

Best wishes for now
From The Scribe

Team Aldi sustain Injury but carry on regardless...

During this morning’s practice ride one of the key members of this prestigious team inadvertently held an impromptu meeting with some tarmac but despite sustaining injuries to both elbow and knee the team on his behalf vowed to continue, voicing their determination as one man as it were and refusing to be shaken by this unplanned for happening.

Injured Knee

The accident happened whilst Tachis (see team description below) was setting a red hot pace on one of the practice laps that the team uses before going for coffee and donuts in a local coffee hostelry. Details of the incident are still a bit hazy but it seems that he was proceeding uphill on a 1:3 slope in a Northerly direction whilst trying to avoid a kangaroo at the same time as trying to take a phone call from Fearless Fred the armchair cyclist who was phoning in at the time to check up on team progress. Coping with all 3 tasks at the same time were simply too much for the intrepid member who just came to a complete stop on the tarmac altering the make up on his skin to both elbow and knee in the process.

Location:Mount Annan Botanic Gardens to start with then progressing to Cawdor the centre of Cadence County.

The men present:

• Rohan Bell (aka Tachis from the Greek word meaning “speed”)
• Mario Pengue (team manager but aka” the anatomy analyst” )
• Tony Dodds (now not pursuing a better offer on the M7 )
• Neil Gabbin (aka Gabbo, promoted after successful negotiation of improved rates and overtime penalty payments)
• Ian Henderson (hereinafter known as the Scribe)
• Kenny O’Donnell ( paper delivery improver)

Team Aldi

Those absent or otherwise detained:

• Fearless Fred Peacock (aka “the armchair cyclist”)
• William Shakespeare (Resting)

Team Aldi only really came into existence due to an aggressive marketing strategy by the supermarket trader Aldi in the south west of Sydney in March 2010 when they decided to flood the local market with cheap cycling clothing and accessories. Being boys with an eye for a bargain this was seen as a challenge not to be missed and so the team was born, filled by the men proud to fly the flag of the alternative lycra lifestyle and here they are pictured above obviously thrilled to be part of this new fashion/lifestyle adventure.

Having completed the furious pace of the time trials and successfully negotiating the dangers of the Botanic laps , the last three members of the team to complete the circuit are pictured below obviously happy just to have finished the blistering pace of the race…

The Warm-downs

After all the excitement of the time trials and the accident it was time for some post lap warm-downs, this time ably lead by Gabbo who can be seen here demonstrating the latest breakthrough in scientific sporting recovery technology called “Moonwalking”. His team mates are obviously looking on confused at this demonstration of the finer points of the new ground breaking scientific discovery. You will the note the way in which Tachis is trying his absolute level best not to draw attention to his elbow injury sustained earlier in the morning.

After the Moonwalking was completed the team then moved on to a demonstration by the Kenny (the oldest paper delivery boy in the Macarthur region) of what he called “the stretches” but which other members of the team thought were an impression of some primeval mating ritual and/or had them reaching for the spare toilet paper, thankfully this routine was not needed for a great length of time.

Once the warm-downs were complete it was time to adjourn to the coffee shop for some well earned refreshments and for more winding down and planning and strategy for the future.

The second phase of training was then lead by Tachis suitably recovered from his injuries of the early morning and now leading the reduced members of the team consisting of himself, the scribe and Gabbo, on a 35Km haul on the road to Cawdor and beyond, not only had he recovered from the spill but even more worrying he now had air in his tyres which improved his performance and now he really was living up to his name, demonstrated by the photo below in which I am by now so far behind them. A pack of 4 proper riders passed me in the opposite direction and noticed this gap and gave me such a look of withering disdain when they saw the hillbilly hybrid that I was riding that I thought my own tyres were going to deflate.

The journey back to civilisation was only marred by being overtaken by another pack of proper riders who cruised by us without any effort but doing twice the speed and also by an attack of cramp sustained by one of the team which left the other 2 team members administering emergency massage to the limbs of the injured party whilst lying on the island of a set of traffic lights which must have caused a bit of a sideshow for passers by but didn’t carry any concern for the men, and undeterred by any unwarranted attention this was causing the remainder of Team Aldi carried on regardless.

Well that’s about all the news from this week’s round up.

Best wishes for now
Until the next up date
From the Scribe