The end of a very long race phase

The last three months have been possibly the busiest and most ambitious 3 months of my entire life.  When you roll together the XCO series plus a couple of marathons, training, one full time job and one part time job, a family consisting of three challenging yet gorgeous teenagers, one of whom is doing his HSC, you might say I bit off more than I could chew.

So it was with some relief and a sense of accomplishment when I slumped in my seat on the flight home Saturday night and looked back over the last 3 months.  It climaxed with a 4 day conference in Melbourne and then a quick detour via Forrest for the Otway Odyssey.  Actually I was just thinking, I made it, thank goodness I didnt miss that flight! I just need to get home.

Looking back at the last three months.

9 races in 5 different states

6 flights and 5 road trips (You Yangs, Toowoomba, Pemberton, Stromlo x 2, Forrest, Yellowmundee)

Car hires galore with a little bit of Uber thrown

AirBnb and hotels also feature heavily on the Credit Card statement

1 new bike + bike bag
countless bottles of Gatorade, gels, coffees

Capital Punishment was a race I love doing and am really sorry to see it end, but I guess the logistics of organising such a journey through the city of Canberra have taken their toll.  All the same I had a ball at this race, even if my form was a little down and managed to finish in just the same spot as last year overall and just enjoyed the banter and comeraderie and the simple pleasure of riding (semi-)fast through the Australian bush.  For most of the day we'd formed a nice little bunch, crucial for when you get to the fireroads and Trent Moore was showing the way on the climbs.  Ben May was also having a great ride, and a few of the Quantum boys featured in our mini peloton as well as some mates from YEOW-MTB.  It was a great day out.

I never tire of the Stromlo trails, especially Skyline/Luge.  Photo Talentspotter

Andy Lloyd and Michal Kafta of Quantum fame on the start line

Canberra MTB brothers, Grantley, Trent and Clayton

The Odyssey is a race of huge reputation and one I've always wanted to do, so when the chance came I jumped at it and it did not disappoint.  Arriving around 5pm Friday evening, I picked up my race plate and was struck by the chilled vibe to the whole event centre.  This vibe would continue all weekend, I dont know if it was the culture of Forrest or just the general chill-ness of all those Melbournites, but I appreciated it and soon began to wind down.  I had to decide, would I drive the 30 minutes over to Colac for a first ever green curry with JD, or would I be better served to relax, spend 30 minutes doing a little reccy of the course and then finding dinner at one of the two local pubs.  Common sense prevailed and the reccy of the single was just perfect as the sun slowly set.  

Keeping in mind my escapades a few months back when I got lost out at Back Yamma, I made sure to err on the side of caution and headed back in plenty of light to find dinner.  Surprisingly the legs felt pretty good, I'd had a cruisy week at the conference, only allowing myself the short rides on the town bike too and from the hotel.

OK I did let loose one afternoon and took my town bike on a loop of the Yarra, but that was just good fun and I enjoyed freaking out several roadies by sitting on their wheel and spinning away with the three speed hub.  I got more than a few smirks as I turned back and took a final lap up Swanston St amongst the trams, cafes and commuters.

The beautiful Yarra, at this point I was ready to sell up my Sydney abode and move us all down to more a civilised city where cyclists abound

Dinner at the brewery was awesome.  sometimes you manage to get it just right and the lasagne with a pot of stout turned out to be the perfect race prep, not to mention the slice of Lemon and Pistacio cake with ice cream.  All I needed now was a good sleep and Rishi and Ben had organised this trendy little cabin just 1km from the start line.  Also good meeting Andrew Ferg and Steven Fortuyn, a couple of more cycling blood brothers I've only ever known via the twitterverse.

On the start line with Pete and Trent

The race itself lived up to and exceeded all my expectations.  I was well rested and well energised/hydrated all day.  Strangely I only drank 3x600ml bottles of Gatorade, but that seemed to be all I needed plus the 9 Clif gels (5 caffiene) and one endura carb bar.

The start was surreal, as we headed up the first hill almost like a neutral roll out, we circled the town and headed north toward Barwon Downs.  It was the easiest start to a race in living memory, I was sitting in the bunch about 30th place, the guys were just happy to roll out gently and warm things up.  The sound of the rubber on the road and guys chatting and laughing was really cool.  There were a couple of little bergs that got the breathing heavier but the first 30 minutes was really just a river cruise.  Even the first bit if dirt road was pretty sedate, but a sudden right turn followed by a long descent and things soon got pretty serious.  

We were into it now for keeps and the first section was mostly fireroad with some pretty burley climbing.  I dropped a few places but kept my competition in sight happy in the knowledge that it would be a long day with plenty of tight single track for me to excel.  The motorbike trail was bizarre, like this freshly cut single track through dense bushland scrub, but it was heaps fun to ride and I was happy to catch Trent here.  He'd come away with the victory at Capital so one of my goals was to stick with Trent for as long as I could today.  In the end the tables were turned and the 1% favoured me today so we are tied at 1-1 in this race within a race after his win at Capital.

The next bit of euphoria I remember was a track called Slingshot.  Wow these trails were so beautifully honed.  I found you could go into a blind corner with a berm pretty hot and come out the other side with the same speed, safe in the knowledge that the corners wouldn't bite, such was the flow.  I was a total newbie to these trails and loved every metre.  By the end of the race I was having to slow down, as not only my legs tired, but my brain started to fatigue from the constant processing of line choices and bike handling in the single track.

By the 68km transition I had overhauled all those who had passed my in the first 30km and still felt pretty fresh.  PVDP had pulled the plug early and gave me a big fist pump and a "Go get some!" as I headed out for the last 30 odd k's.  This is where the rubber hits the road well and truly as you go straight into a 10 km climb with 400 vm.  Even the last 20km are pretty lumpy and you want to make sure there is something left in the tank.  I had a few twinges of cramp, but mostly felt good and continued on.  Ben May from Brisbane has been another constant buddy on the race scene, no matter where we ride, we always seem to end up chatting and helping each other out as we strive for the finish.  There were no words spoken now in our little in a rotating group of 3 or 4, it was just a given that we'd continue sparring to the finish.  Once you summit the climb you are rewarded with a dead straight bullet like descent on narrow single track called Short Fuse, I came out of the scrub to find a hard left hand turn and the bomb nearly exploded as it was all I could do to turn the bike with a massive handful of back brake to avoid careening off into the fast approaching ravine. In the end I was stoked with my result of 38th overall from 308 finishers and 10th in Masters.  It's been interesting to see how much the XCO series has honed my skills and enabled me to attack harder when needed, but I still need to work on my climbing speed.

At the finish with good mate Peter Lister, does it look like he is holding me up?

So what's next? A bit of time off the bike with a tour to School Football Tour to France and Spain, then ramp up again for the Convict and the 12 hour at James Estate.  

Keep Riding

Mike

Blood, Blackberries and Bouncing off Rocks

You could well ask what am I doing up at 4am writing this post, call it a bit of blog therapy, but my injuries after today's race are making it hard to sleep, so the best option was to pour a bowl of cereal and dump some of my thoughts down on today's race.

I guess I'm a bit disappointed due to my poor result, I've been racking my brain trying to work out where exactly I went wrong.  Perhaps a better question is "How in the world did you finish that one??".  I've never been one to give up on myself and I guess that's a little of the appeal of mountain biking.  From time to time you are going to fall off, but can you get back on and master your fear?  Perhaps that was my victory today.

The start was pretty cool, there were some freakishly talented riders present all with postcodes starting with 26, not the least of which was Brad Morton, who went straight to the front, took a sneaky line right to the fireroad climb and set a respectable tempo.  At this point I felt great sitting two abreast in 2nd wheel.  I thought a top 5 finish today would be a good result.  But as the gradient turned upwards I started quickly going backwards through the field and once we hit the single track, I was a long way down.

The riders were good up Cardiac, it was the same for everyone, a mad scramble to the top of a climb that most would struggle to walk up but it's the rock gardens and tight technical switchbacks that really test you.  In a train of riders I took the A line down Hammerhead and regained a few places to the cheers of many spectators.  On the next lap I really gave them something to cheer for as I went in a little unbalanced and hit a rock ledge half way down, sending me straight over the bars.  It was a pretty big off, but somehow I managed to roll with it and was lucky not to break my body or my bike.
The guys watching were already calling for the ambulance as I got up and remounted.  With the adrenalin still coursing through my veins I made another mistake at the tricky the little waterfall, the last obstacle before the easy descent, and went OTB again into a thicket of blackberries.
This one took a little longer to recover from and I'm still finding shards of thorns in places I'd rather not mention. I'm not sure if this is what Paul was referring to in in his letter to the Corinthians "a thorn was given me in the flesh, ....to keep me from becoming conceited" but at this point of the race just finishing seemed like an insurmountable challenge (credit: Peter Lister).  I rolled sedately down Luge, got my composure back, worked out what was still working, and where it hurt most and then set about completing to two further laps.

Top of Cardiac Arrest, don't be fooled by the smile, I am in complete agony and this is just before my crash. Thanks Grantley, Liam and Riley for this photo and your cheers of support!

The real question bouncing around my head as I prepared for my 3rd assault on Hammerhead was would I have the guts to take the A line again.  I was pretty sure that if I crashed again my race would be over, I was feeling like one of those characters from Call of Duty whose life force is down to 25% and it's close to game over.  The answer was yes, I rolled it pretty clean, passed one rider, happy that I only had 1 more lap to go.

It was a great relief to finish what was certainly the most technically challenging MTB race I have ever ridden.  I rolled straight to first aid and Paul did a great job of patching me up.  Thanks to Grantley, Kate and Kel and Martin Wisata who all helped me immensely in the lead up and throughout the race.  I couldn't have finished without your help.  Also the many volunteers who give their time to make these events happen.  I mention Russ Baker who works tirelessly for the sport but there is an army of people who work beside him to deliver such a professionally run event and I thank every one of you for the time you invest in this sport.

Keep Riding
Mike

About Pizza, Coming Second and a 3 Legged Dog

As I sat on the plane flying out of Sydney Airport, I could scarcely believe my luck.  I was heading to Pemberton WA to race rounds 2 and 3 of the MTBA National XCO series.  I had a full carbon racing steed packed in a rather fetching red bike bag, I felt I was in my best form for a long time and I had the blessing of my wonderful family.  It seemed that Cycling had pre-prepared an adventure made just for me and I was excited.

THE PIZZA

As planned, I rendezvoused with Peter Lister at a rather budget hotel near Perth Airport sometime around Thursday midnight and in the morning we picked up the hire car and took a leisurely 4 hour drive south through the gorgeous south west of WA.  Bridgetown, Donnybrook and Manjimup are just a few of the pretty towns we drove through on our way to the Karri capital, Pemberton.  Practice was perfect, and we fine-tuned our skills sessions some of the trickier sections including those huge wooden berms.

For dinner we hit the Pemberton pub and in hindsight my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  The pizza was delicious and I ate the whole thing bar one piece, that I donated to Pete who was ready to eat the leg of a chair waiting for his spaghetti.

It was here that we met our amazing support crew Geoff Rowe and Kim Ranson and young gun Zac with Grandad Merv.  We absolutely loved these guys, but more on that later.

The night was spent in fitful sleep as my stomach attempted to digest the world’s largest pizza and needless to say I wasn’t feeling top of my game in the morning. 

The race took off at a solid pace and Peter Lister jumped on the front to take us into the single track.  On return to timing, I jumped past to take a turn and lead a train of five riders through traffic to “That Hill”, a 1km steady fireroad climb.  

Photo credit; Mark of Pemberton MTB Park

At this point I was starting to get that feeling that it wouldn’t be my day.  The legs weren’t feeling good, and over the course of the next 4 laps I was relegated to 5^th place.  That being said, I stayed with Peter for a lot longer than in Round 1 and finished just 90 seconds behind the winner, Nick Algie.  Not too bad for a 1 hour 20 minute race, I took the positive view and focused on the race the next day.  Briony won the prize for the most inspirational Facebook comment “I'm envisioning great success in the next one”

In the afternoon, we were enjoyed watching the Elite men’s race and it was an enthralling to witness the many twists and turns in the race.  My recovery consisted of hopping around the mountain taking photos and watching their skill, style and power.

Luke Brame styling it up on on of the many double jumps

COMING SECOND

Saturday night dinner was a who’s who affair in Mountain Biking and Pete and I sat starry eyed as we listened to luminaires like Paul Van Der Ploeg and Sarah Riley talk cycling.  Seeing Paul pleading with the waitress for some real ice cream with his apple crumble was surreal.  Dinner was great and having learnt my lesson from last night, I took it easy on the buffet.  Finally sleep came and I got a solid 8 hours to awake feeling refreshed and quietly confident that today would be a better day.  I followed the same morning prep with remarkably less visits to the toilet, and was back on the start line ready to give it another thrash.  

The start was different today, having seen each other race, and now knowing each other a little better, the first fireroad sprint was a series of jockeying moves for position and swapping turns.  Strategy it seemed had kicked in well and truly.  As we raced back through timing, yesterday’s winner Nick Algie sprinted away, with Pete Lister 2^nd and giving chase.  Pete put the hammer down to hunt down Nick, whilst a race for 3^rd developed between Dave, Damon and I.  At the fireroad climb I passed Dave and had a good gap at the start of the descent.  OK, this is good, I was feeling much more comfortable than yesterday and thought 3^rd was definitely within my reach.

 

Having set about making sure that 3^rd place was safe, on the 3rd lap, I saw Nick up ahead walking his bike with a deformed drivetrain.  “Back luck Nick” was all I could say, as I saw the heartbreak written on his face.  His race was over. 

In the final two laps my legs were strong and I was really enjoying the trail.  The climb suited me perfectly, but even more exciting were the descents, I almost felt like a BMX racer as my confidence grew and I started to hit the berms and jumps just that little bit faster.  One of the ladies staying with us commented that I looked too clean as I fought for control through one of the most challenging tracks I have ever ridden, called “Bloody Mary”.  Sure enough I binned it in the dust just 5 seconds later, surely a Freudian slip to prove I was serious, but no harm done as I quickly remounted and half rolled, half slid the remainder of the segment.

Crossing the line in 2nd was one of the best results ever, after all the hard work to achieve this goal was incredibly satisfying.  It's funny how a little piece of shiny metal in the form of a medallion can mean so much, but this form of racing is so raw and intense, I may just never do 24 solo again!  It takes every bit as much focus and energy and crams it into 90 minutes.

Sunday's podium with Pete 1st, Mike 2nd and Dave 3rd

THE THREE LEGGED DOG

One the main reasons for entering this series was to meet new people and to ride new tracks and that mission was well and truly accomplished.  Added to that I have gotten to rub shoulders with some truly legendary riders and learn from them.  I have found it enlightening to hear them speak of racing and the lifestyle such talent and hard work affords.  Two of our favourite new friends this weekend were Geoff and Kim.  These two knock about sandgropers had us in stitches all weekend; and Geoff owned one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever seen, with three legs.  These guys, stayed the whole weekend mainly to support young gun Zac Larrson from Pete’s hometown, but they gladly handed us bottles too and we couldn’t have achieved our great results without them.  Thanks so much guys for all your good humour and expert support, you made the weekend ever more memorable.  Incidentally, Zac came away with two silver medals in the U/15’s so there is another up and coming talent.  He also learnt an important lesson regarding chamois hygiene #chaffedbutchuffed

I have used the royal “we” in this post as Pete and I travelled together and shared accommodation.  Not only that, we were in direct competition as the only two east coast masters to make the trip west.  Pete is a step above me and had a stellar weekend of results, taking 3^rd and 1^st in the two races and cementing the series leader’s jersey.  We had a terrific weekend together spurring and encouraging each other on despite our competitive relationship.  Not only do we share a love of cycling but a common view on the claims Jesus Christ makes in the Bible so to share the podium with him on Sunday was one of the proudest moments in my cycling journey.

There were so many characters we met over the weekend.  The Tucknotts, the pregnant lady at the top Marshall Point, Mark and Paul (head of Pemberton MTB Park and Trail builder extraordinaire respectively), not to mention the many elite riders who cheerfully gave up some of their precious time for a natter.  There are so many stories of others who give their lives to this sport, like the commissaires and volunteers who give up a whole weekend to run the event.  Darryl from CORC is just one who comes to mind.  Peta Mullens was another inspiration on Sunday, beating the seemingly unbreakable Bec Henderson and adding MTB XCO series leader to her recent National Road champion title.  What a talent!

Peta Mullens taking the win on Sunday in the Elite Women on Sunday

Finally thankyou to my friends at Cyclery Northside for your support, and most important to Sarah and kids, thankyou for giving me the time and resources to pursue this passion and to see just how good I can get at this crazy sport.  It keeps me sane, just!  It’s now 3:27am and I’m on the red eye, looking forward to reuniting with my family for Australia Day

Keep riding

Mike

Pemberton MTB Park

Bicentennial Tree Pemberton - Pete and I climbed it before heading back to Perth for our flights home

Warm up at Yellowmundee

Christmas is over for another year and while most cyclists would be putting their feet up and enjoying a few extra guilt free calories whilst planning their trip to Adelaide for the TDU, I was sweating hard on a wind trainer somewhere on NSW far north coast whilst helping out on SUFM Beach mission.  Round 1 of the XCO last month was fun, but my 6^th placing provided enough motivation to see if I could extract any more power from the old diesel.

Web site http://whats.todaysplan.com.au provided the challenge.  Some monster intervals to improve power and strength and there were times on that trainer in 30 deg heat with no fan where I came close to quitting.  The one thing that kept me going was the promise of a better performance in Pemberton.

In my final week of the plan, Quantum rider Michal Kafta was looking for a teammate to pair up in the WSMTB Stans 4 hour Summer Series Round 2 (Twilight Edition) http://www.wsmtb.com/v2/4hr_2014.html  Michal is a very talented rider having won the Veterans in the Fling and placing very high in the Croc trophy last year and although I wouldn’t put myself in his league, I was privileged to join with him for some fun and give the legs a test before tapering for WA.

Upon arriving at Yellowmundee around 4pm, the sun was still blazing and temps were still 30+ degrees.  Classic Yellowmundee, it was hot and the track was dry, dusty and very ,very looooose.  Every track has it’s own character and this is just what I’d expect from this favourite track at the base of the Blue Mountains. An added bonus was that Michal had put up the marquee and we had 3 other quantum teams racing with Mark & Ollie, Jacob & Alex, and Aaron & Steve combining to provide some inter-team rivalry.

 

The banter begins at the marquee, just racing for fun right?

I volunteered Michal for the first lap and was both cheering and cursing as he cruised through transition after the start in 2^nd wheel behind young sensation Matt Dinham.  Before he went out he said to me to take it easy in the heat, conserve energy and then light it up after the sunset and temps dropped.  It was great to see Michal taking his own advice, NOT!  Michal came back through timing in about 5^th place just 20 secs behind Matt and tagged me in.  The sun was still raging but I felt great on the track. I’d brought my racing Anthem shod with newly renovated www.TWEBikeWheels.com.au Arch 29er wheels.  They might be over 4 years old but these wheels still feel light and stiff and the Anthem was eating up the rocky trail. 

Meanwhile the legs felt strong.  I’d had a dodgy stomach for most of the week, even succumbing to a nap before heading out to the race, but once I was riding, all the cares and niggles just fell away and I opened up the taps.  I got finished the lap in just a minute more than Michal’s lap so I was stoked with that and we steadied into 4^th place overall.

The race continued pretty smoothly and 3^rd place was coming up on the radar.  Michal put in a scorching lap breaking the 19min barrier and then sent me out right behind 3^rd place Velocipede with Jacob leading a train of three.  On the techy rock steps, the Velo rider made a mistake and I jumped past onto Jacob’s wheel.  We stomped to the base of the fireroad climb and half way up we’d established a good gap on Velocipede so I put my head down and recorded my fastest lap just missing a sub 20 min lap by 2 seconds.

The rest of the evening passed by without incident, the vibe on the track was very casual and as the 4 hour mark closed in, the traffic thinned, the temperature dropped and the light slowly disappeared to leave me riding in ideal conditions.  It was another good test for the www.NiteLights.com.au and the bright broad beam provided excellent illumination in the foreground, whilst the ever faithful www.ayup-lights.com narrow beam on the helmet lit up further down the track.

I ran Maxxis Icon EXC front and rear which gave a good sense of grip, fast rolling and protection from the rocky terrain.

 

Thanks to Riding Focus for this great shot

In the end we finished 3^rd overall with the Kaliba team of Glen and Fabian just 2 minutes back chasing hard.  1^st and 2^nd placed pairs were a whole lap ahead, made up of Matt Dinham (18), Luke Brame (17), Ben Metcalfe (14!!) and long time XC champion Matt Fleming now turned 40! Look out Masters category. And look out for these young guns, coming through the ranks.  They ride like greased lightning.

It was a well run event with some nice prizes donated by www.BikeMinded.com.au , www.BlackmanBicycles.com.au and www.PantherCycles.com.au so thank you for their support.

Thanks to the www.Quantum-Racing.com.au team for a great fun event and to Michal for the opportunity to race with you.  It was just great to feel part of a team and chew the fat around the transition as we waited for our partners to reappear all too soon!  Thanks also to all the riders who turned up to make it a fun event and the local RFS crew for the great BBQ.  It was great to catch up with part of the MTB family friendly and chatty as always.  Now it’s time to rest and taper and see what comes about in Pemberton next weekend.

Keep Riding

Mike