Post brunch on Saturday Martin and I headed over to T3 for a spot of wetsuit shopping. They have a new staff member Jason who is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and extremely pleasant. Dan and he make a great team and continue to deserve our support. Having tried on a few different styles, with Jasons assistance (not mine!) Martin settled on the 2XU as both comfortable and well made. Orca suits were on special and significantly cheaper but the seams weren't as well constructed. Jason had a great couple of tips. 1) They use, and sell, white cotton gloves with rubber stipples on palms and fingers making pulling up your wetsuit significantly easier as well as eliminating fingernail damage, $7.50 - we bought a pair. 2) Use spray olive or cooking oil around neck, ankles etc before putting on wetsuit. Avoids getting oil/vaseline/lanoline on your hands and does the job of rash elimination.
Martin and I rode with the PickledPedallers this morning. As usual they were a) all over the road like Browns cows and b) I got dropped in the first 5kms. We regrouped cnr East Coast Bays Road and Lonely Track before heading on down East Coast Bays to Silverdale. Call came for 'car back' and the Browns cows attempted to merge at speed. A wheel was clipped and one of the bunch came thudding down. He's called Big Pete for a reason! Carted off to hospital in an ambulance has a broken thumb and possible hand bones as well, 5 broken ribs, huge egg lump on his head, massive bruising on one thigh, two bandaged knees and a well scraped shoulder. Worst of all, it hurts him to laugh. Moral of the story: DON'T overlap wheels in a bunch ride. The person who does the overlapping and touches another wheel will ALWAYS be the one to fall.
Looking over a millpond Gulf on our way home I thought a dip in the ocean looked enticing. Suggested Martin might like to try his new wetsuit and I could road test Cathy's new neoprene bonnet from 2001 Wetsuits. (See technical specs at bottom of this post). We came home, ditched the bikes, donned the cotton gloves ("oh how I love ya, how I love ya mammy" Al Jolson impersonations in front of mirror), sprayed ourselves with cooking oil and headed down to Mairangi Bay. Bracing is a word that springs to mind.
Once over the sharp intakes of breath and a new hole in my crutch seam that quickly filled with cold water (more sharp intakes of breath) we dawdled across the bay. Martin enjoyed his new wetsuit and boyancy that made swimming easier. I was very impressed with Cathy's bonnet. Not only comfortable it came down low over my forehead eliminating 'icecream head', it also covered my ears so I didn't need ear plugs. In fact my hair was mostly dry after our swim and it hadn't felt particularly tight, less so than a normal silicon cap. We body surfed the small swell until our bike legs were too sore to continue. Martin is now an Ocean Swimmer, not just a mere Sea Swimmer.
A arrived home, showered, washed our wetsuits, replenished the lost calories, and headed to the bedroom for a nap. Our neighbours chose exactly 15 minutes later to start DIY home maintenance with a hammer. Aaaaagggghhhhh.
We have chosen to have this Sunday off from Congolesing in order to break the cycle of expectation that we will visit every Sunday (we went yesterday). They have already phoned to ask what time we are coming!
I am about to bake a fig and aniseed scone loaf. Anyone want to visit for afternoon tea?
Report on sleeveless wetsuits: T3 will be stocking a 'mid range' Orca model. I checked out their sample, nice soft neoprene, not as thick as the old Blue Seventy/Ironman models, no 'technical' fabric or inserts. I did feel the double neoprene around neck edge was quite thick compared to the latest full sleeve wetsuits and may create a small amount of discomfort. Or not. They'll retail for $200. These wetsuits aren't yet shown on the Orca website so no sneak previews unless you go to T3 in person. I'm planning a trip to 2001 Wetsuits to see if they'll make a thin sleeveless wetsuit to knee length before making any decisions.
2001 Wetsuits
74 Barrys Point Rd
Ph : 64 09 489 4101
Keep your head warm with a Beanie Cap! Thickness: 2 mm Neoprene: Seams: The seams are Flatlocked together for strength. In the Flatlocking process six sea-water resistant threads are used, making it really strong! Stripe colours available: Black, Grey, Tan, Maroon, Dark Red, Fire-Engine Red, Navy Blue, Royal Blue, Light Blue, Bright Pink, Pale Pink or Purple (Please note that this is for the colour of the stripe in the middle, the rest of the Beanie Cap is Black) Stitching Colour: Black Sizes: XS - S - M - L - XL - XXL Note: Cathy's is XS and fitted me perfectly. Price $35, can be purchased online.
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