Euro weekend - cars, bikes and weddings

(My truck is going up onto Trading post this week, so if you are interested, let me know!Comes with a RWC, ready to go wherever you want to take 'er!)

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Well the big silver monster is going along just great, yesterday I sourced a gas strut for the spare wheel carrier from a really nice bloke. Gas Strut Engineering (03) 9357 2821 is awesome, if you ever need anything at all to do with gas struts, its a one man operation run by a bored engineer who just loves to dream up bizarre solutions to problems and he is super nice to boot!

So I got a custom gassed strut for bugger all which seems to work, but if it isn't right, I'll just post it back and we'll try again, no charge. Like I said, really top guy, check it out! The only drawback was that it's in Fawkner, out near the Hume highway, so when I went to visit yesterday it was a bit of hike..

As it turned out though, it was perfect. Up at dawns crack to get down to Hell ride in the chilly morning (read: freakin freezing) and the pace was on from the get go due to a Kiwi TotalRush rider we thinks. Big Joel Read was in attendance, and he was on the front quick as a flash and it was on for young 'n old. I reckon we were all just trying to stay warm tho... I had to pull the pin at Mordy in order to make my appointments, and turned for the city and headed along on my lonesome. Through the city past all the ravers and footy players, and down Sydney road I headed. Sydney road on a sat morning- dicey...

Anyway, through the gas strut place, and on to Montmorency was my journey (past all the good spots- Thomastown, Bundoora, Fawkner, Campbellfield et. al.), and after 90+km I arrived. Cold, hungry, but there! And the reason I was there? For some cycling friends wedding, which took place in the city, although we returned to Mont. to watch the tour Prologue! At any rate, the newlyweds had a lovely day, sadly it rained on them for their photos, but they still thoroughly enjoyed their day, so congratulations to them and best wishes.

After the wedding, the church, the reception in Gardenvale, the post reception after party in the city, we headed to the after after party back in Montmorency where we saw Rohin and Em on the train (Rohin was heading out at 5.40am to the hills with the usual suspects- not this lil black duck..). The tour was on, our bets were placed on the top ten, and we settled in to watch the race unfold. As to how that actually happened, I have no idea, as I passed out not long after that, waking briefly to stuff my face with party pies and watch Stuey do his best luge inpression, then passing out once again... Buggered, your honor.

So that was basically the weekend, but for one other cool thing that happened.

I got to drive one of these, and it was pretty much this exact one! Turbo, all paw, like a bullet from a gun! They are amazing, brakes like hitting a brick wall, tight suspension but not spine shattering, lovely weighted steering, 4 wheel power drifts, a reclined driving position like an F1 car (so I hear ;)) and did I tell you it hammers?! I would love to get it at speed for an extended period, not just 0 to 60 repeatedly, but geez, how impressive. You'd even put up with it being called a hairdressers car, as each time you drive home from work, you've have a huge shiteating grin on your mug when you got home! So thanks Brian- loved it!

Finally, I tore apart the spare wheel carrier tonight to give it some TLC, new bearings and fix the rusty bolts on it to give it a new lease of life. Everything is pretty chewed out on it, but with a bit of a sledgehammer, some penetrating spray and some persistence, there was a pile of parts on the ground in no time, so I'll get some new bits for that and it'll be spot on in no time ;)

Thats all for now, hopefully Jack has updated the Felt blog with Sunday's death march in the hills, and for now you should all get as much 'tour' in you as humanly possible!

Your prescibed reading for the day - Dilbert, Wife of the north and Oyaji tales..