Monday, January 21, 2008

It's just not cricket/On the road again

The weekend weather was fantastic, with warm, sunny days conducive to riding bikes, drinking beer and watching cricket.

Sunday I headed out around the bays (which I hadn't done for a few weeks) with Mike, Grant and Kevin, for a nice 50km of singlespeedin (I thought that condsidering they were all on geared bikes, I was entitled to wuss out and run the freewheel rather that fixed).

Karen had scored Mike some free tickets to the cricket, so a couple of warm up Grolsch's preceeded an arvo in the sun on the hill. It's been beer of the week before and remains a preferred drop.

The game was a Twenty20 match, and abbreviated version of the short form of the sport, between Wellington Firebirds and Central Districts at the Basin Reserve, a grand old cricket ground. The CD's batted first, and with Black Caps players Ross Taylor and Jamie How belting them all over and out of the park, they amassed a big total of 225-odd. Me and Kevin, meanwhile, where amassing a huge total of beers consumed, and our eyeballs were getting sunburnt looking at all the fine talent on display off the pitch. Oh yeah, Wellington batted like crap and fell well short of the total, and I got a good dose of sunburn that I didn't notice for some reason.

Monday was a public holiday for Wellington Day or something like that, so I hit the road again, this time with Josh, and I had a real-proper geared bike, courtesy of the Big Kahuna Nigel... what a great boss, loaning me his bike like that (cheque's in the mail). A sweet ride it is too, an 08 Roubaix. We headed over Makara hill, around the backroads to J'Ville and back through town to finish up with a short ride around the Eastern bays. I think it's time to get my Tarmac sent over.

5 comments:

Flametop59 said...

I have yet to see a cricket game. Australia was playing India when I was in Hyderabad but I left the day before the match. It was a big deal. A couple of the players had there wives/girlfriends in the hotel I was staying at.

I did watch some of the coverage on ESPN. They call the matches almost the same way as baseball. Watching the Indian version of Sportscenter is hilarious.

The New York area is all excited that the Giants are in the Super Bowl playing the New England Patriots. I have watched more football the last couple of weekends than I have all year.

I went to the bike shop today to get an 07 Langster Comp but I left without making a purchase. I am thinking that I might like some gears.

brettok said...

Gears are good. Get some, keep the Langster you have.

American football, I just can't get my head around it... too many stop/starts, and they are a bit soft with all that padding aren't they?

Flametop59 said...

I am afraid I won't want to ride the Langster once I get a Tarmac.

Last night's game was played in sub zero Weather. -27 with the wind chill so I will give them the toughness factor. The padding is a pain though. I switched to soccer because it was much easier to get dressed.

josh said...

For shame Brett, for shame. Freewheels on singlespeed road bikes are totally Kevin Costner and you know it. Switch it back over. Now. Douche.

Flametop59 said...

Fixed gear. Yeah Na!