Where's Wally?

Or more to the point, where's Mike been?  It's been a little while since my last post, life got a little busy, but rest assured there has been plenty going on in the Israel household and if you know me at all, you'd have realised that I don't do "chill" all that often.

VIETNAM

I went to Vietnam and built a house for a poor family with 12 of the best people I could ever wish to meet including my youngest brother who is the ROCK of our family.  Vietnam is a place you must visit, in fact if I had the slightest ability with learning a language I reckon I would move there.  The people we met and interacted with a quite simply amazing.  After the build, my brother had 4 days cycling in the mountains up near SaPa.  Unforgettable.  Some good friends of mine donated money to the building cause too.  Here is what you donation went to.

And here are a couple of favourite shots from cycling

PICTON ROCKY TRAIL 7 HOUR

So next up was ....a 7 hour ultramarathon MTB at Picton.  It had been about 2 years since I had ridden more than 4 hours and wanted to see where my endurance fitness was at.  The aim was to just finish.  I found out my race craft had dwindled somewhat when I forgot to check the Stans in my tyres, yes it had been that long since I had raced, the front tyre Stans had completely disappeared and it deflated in the first 2 minutes.  Thankfully Team Quantum came to the rescue and threw me a spare wheel.  I spent the next 4 hours finding a balance between chasing the field and not going too hard and spent the last 3 hours grovelling in the heat after not drinking enough.  Oh yeah, nutrition, I forgot how to do that too!  Well some grace was given and I still held onto 3rd place so that was a bonus :)

SPRING CYCLE

A good fun cycling event, and I cant resist the invitation from good mate and JML Racing team owner the Flying Scotsman to join him in a ride over the Harbour Bridge, we had a great bunch and the highlight was riding along side Robbie McEwen.  The course was made to measure for an old MTBer like me and I had to laugh when I asked Robbie what he thought of the course at around 60km in and he replies with a wry grin "It's pretty ... technical!" Well it was another long day in the saddle.

FITZ'S EPIC

I was certainly getting a taste back for long rides and another one on the bucket list had been Fitz's so I saddled up with Velo2073 mate Martin, Graeme and a few others to give this a crack.  Again I didnt quite get the nutrition right and crawled up to Corin Forest, and re-discovered water really is quite useful when you swallow it.  Dave O'Connell also crashed our little bunch and smashed the whole ride with only a 39x25, while I was rocking a 34x28.  #strongman

And in the midst of all that we have renovated a bathroom, rescued a greyhound and Tommy finished his HSC.  (oh yeah I I did a little woodwork and repaired my deck coz I just wasnt already busy enough coping with a new demanding job)  My neighbours just look at me with an odd mixture of incredulation and concern.

THE MILE

Finally it was time to join the Mile High Club, no not that mile high club, I mean the club you join when you take on and finish the 100 Mile Highland Fling.  This has been a ride that has captured my imagination since I first met Mark Fenner probably 5-6 years ago.  I'd done the 100km Fling and suffered terribly, when next thing you know, Mark crosses the finish line after winning the 100 Mile and looking fresh as a daisy.  From that moment I swore one day I would give it a crack, and in the words of another 100 Mile winner Ed McDonald "It is a cracker of a ride!"  But let me warn you, that right hand turn out of timing to head out for a 2nd Shimano lap takes massive willpower.  Every synapse of your brain and body is screaming "TURN LEFT", but the mind makes a decision and you turn right, you think to yourself "holy cow what did I just do?" and then you pedal like crazy to get as far away as you can before you see sense and turn around.....and it feels like you are the last cyclist on earth.
I'm not sure how I did it and I went in with the main aim of breaking 9 hours and just a tiny hope that a top 5 finish might be possible.  Well, the day just went by like clockwork, the heart, legs and bike never missed a beat and I smiled all the way to the finish in 8:42 and 5th place, it was just one of those days you dream of as a cyclist.

A friend commented on Facebook that "I'm back". Well life continues to throw a few curve balls and cycling may still have to take a back seat from time to time but I'm never far away getting on board 2 wheels and just going for a pedal....maybe a very long pedal.  Thanks everyone for your love and support.

Keep Riding
Mike

#habitatforhumanity
#iamspecialized
#epicwc
#vietnam
#springcycle
#wildhorizons
#guenergy
#shimano
#rubena
#quantumracing
#jmlracing
#cyclerynorthside

Scott 2013

So I read a rather entertaining soap box piece on Flow this week that questioned the motivation to race and why we are so dead keen serious here in Oz.  And of course it got me thinking.  Not everything in the article was entirely balanced but the writer had some good points.  So being just one week away from perhaps the biggest race of my life, and heading for the 3rd race in as many weeks, I needed to really turn down the intensity factor and just enjoy this one.  Here are some things I found helpful for not racing at a race.  Most of them are obvious and I hate writing obvious things but perhaps some of these will resonate with you and yeah, some of this is a little tongue in cheek, I know, you think I am probably the straightest guy you know.

1.) Take 3 teenage boys to the race
Nothing quite takes as much energy and focus and herding three boys to a race three hours from home and making sure they are fed and watered, then get them home in one piece with as much of their gear undamaged and accounted for as possible!  Not to mention listening to their music!  Fact is it was an absolute pleasure, these guys were awesome, and in Charley and Lewis' case they did OK for a couple of roadies!  Tommy you rock!

2.) Go for a ride before the race.
It's a bit of a saga, this one, so I'll give you the abridged version.  How hard do you think it would be to find a pair of bibs that will go the distance in a 24 solo.  So it was that I rolled down to Woden to take my pick from bike shops and I think I found some bibs up to the task.  Bellweather Axiom.  Time will tell but early signs feel good.  And man, you Martians have some evil Magpies.  I will never again smirk at the determined rider with cable ties tied onto their helmet!

3.) Wear baggy shorts
Look, I havent bought into the whole shorts/lycra debate, because for me there is no debate.  Wear what you like.  I love wearing lycra and I reckon any half decent cyclist looks good in lycra.  I cant stand the thought of the excess fabric flapping around in the breeze.  Lycra is comfy, practical and isnt going to get caught on anything.  I get the feeling that the baggy shorts brigade have something against the human form as it is clearly on display in lycra, and I admit there are some human specimens who probably should NOT wear lycra (oh dear did I just make a judgement, I know that is very non-PC) BUT riding in baggy shorts just gives it a whole different feel and you get treated on the trail differently too.

4.) Leave the Garmin in the bag.
Just ride and stop staring at your stem.  Yes I can see you all nodding and saying see I told you so.  I like the Garmin and everything that comes with it as a training tool including the evil Strava, but going "by feel" every now and again can be extremely liberating.  My last lap, in baggy shorts, I went for a cruise, absolutely no racing, no efforts, no chasing rabbits, nada, just ride and enjoy the wind in your face.  Still clocked a 38 on Blue, so it goes to show, slow is fast-ish.

5.) Enter a category where you know you wont be competitive.  When Fi had to hot foot it overseas, we enrolled good old trusty Greg to make up the foursome, but that put us into Male Masters 4, arguably the category best known for racing for sheep stations.  We didnt have to ride every minute of the 25 hours and we actually pulled the pin and got an early mark home before race end (heaven forbid!).  We had an awesome weekend riding and socialising, we got some sleep and I didnt have to do any soul searching at 3am.  Save that for a week from now.

So there you go, that was the Scott 2013.  Fine weather, good food, fun company, dusty trails, what more could you ask for?

Keep riding
Mike

 The three teens

Riders starting their Blue lap on dusk

I STILL love 24 hour racing

It's a love hate relationship really.  At 10pm I was thinking, "What am I doing?" All I wanted to do was fall off the bike and curl up in a ball.  It was actually about that time that I ran into a small unsuspecting tree and then 5 minutes later binned it on a loose off camber corner.  Having only competed in two 24hoursolo's before (one of which was rained out during the night), I was coming into this race a relative beginner.  On the start line, it was a who's who in endurance racing, the only notable absentee being Jason McAvoy who took on the role of course designer and marshall, happy to keep his powder dry for October.

Off and racing, finally I can relax, we are on our way!

If you know Jase, then you know they dont come much harder than this bloke, so that should give you some idea of the course.  BRUTAL, was the word of the day! But that is Stomlo.  Host to many a World Cup level events, this place was made to test all riders, and test us it did.  For the most part I really enjoyed the course, it was the right length with plenty of climbing and fun descents, and a few rock gardens thrown in.  I took the approach early in the race to conserve my energy (and my back!) on the big climb.  Advice from two of my wisest MTB friends were
1) take it easy for the first 12 hours
2) keep it smooth stay out of the red.
Little Seymour I've ridden a few times and I love the mix of sketchy downhill switchbacks and rollovers.  Also the new entry into Luge is awesome.  The exit from the first big downhill berm (after the bridge) is flat and smooth so you can now actually carry some speed knowing there is another berm at the end the size of a safety ramp to pull you up.

Off the start the pace was manageable except somebody forgot to tell John Henderson (Trek Target) it was a 24 hour race and after a sleazy shortcut sent a burst of nitrous through the bunch and the pace lifted.  I was happy to see them go and meanwhile settled in for a sustainable pace with good mates Peter Selkrig, Dave Rae and Phil Welch.  The 4 of us (across for different age categories) stuck together for a good few hours and I was happy to be setting the pace on the front for most of it.  Phil quipped after the race that he was sorry (not!) to suck my wheel for so long, but that's where I like to be, setting the pace and riding my own race and it was great to have some company.  Eventually Dave dropped off and then Pete spun out in a big way, so Phil and I were left to duke it out for the rest of the race.  It was so good having four similar riders in a bunch keeping each other company and making sure the pace never let up.

Air time

With only 70 or so riders on course, it could get lonely and the time seemed to go in slow motion.  I remembering looking at the time at about 3pm and thinking 21 hours to go, oh no!
Hitting midnight, I really wondered if my race was over, barely able to stomach another gel, and thinking I am only half way, the Garmin showing some ridiculous tally of kilometres, Steve pulled out the life saver, a can of Red Bull and a cup of noodles.  "ZING ZING" The brain came to life, I stopped falling off and cut something like 6 minutes off my previous lap time.  Now I had the witching hour (3am) firmly in my sights.  It was a long and dark night, but eventually a wisp of light began to appear in the sky and strangely it started to get colder.  I rode the whole night with just a winter jersey over the top, but as a cloudy dawn took hold, I needed my leggings to keep the cold breeze from freezing my legs

Meanwhile my nearest rival Tony Rowley, was keeping it consistent and whilst I had a nice buffer of 50 minutes, I couldnt seem to crack him.  Every lap the gap was the same and I knew I would have to fight to the end to keep my grasp on the gold medal.  Finally at around sunrise, the news came the gap had lengthened to 1 lap 15 mins.  OK I can relax a little, just keep it smooth and bring it home.

Crossing the finish line

In my 3rd last lap I was enjoying an easy lap when I checked my frame and saw the existing crack had opened up big time.  During the week we noticed a little crack on the seat tube of my Anthem.  Unfortunately Giant didnt have a replacement frame available so they did the next best thing and gave me an identical demo bike.  How good is that! So rather than going in with a duallie and a hard tail, I'd have two comfy duallies at my disposal.  Interestingly the two bikes, mine with Rock Shox and the demo with Fox suspension behaved quick differently.  My Anthem is built for speed, the suspension is hard, the bike feels light and responsive and just a little sketchy, the handlebars are cut down, it is an XC racer.  The demo on the other hand was my roller.  Slightly bigger bag tyres, a soft ride and wider handle bars, this bike was built for 24 hours in the saddle.  I loved having both these bikes to ride and they both handled the punishing course with ease.

The Giant Anthem 29er demo with Fox Shox.  Nothing short of brilliant!

A big shout out my two new mates from JesusMTB; Ian Bridgland and Ben Eidel.  To Ian for a solid ride to pick up 3rd in Category and Ben for supporting and cheering us on all weekend.  These guys are regulars at St Matt's Manly if you are ever in the area.  You might have seen JesusMTB out and about, you might not, but we are just a bunch of MTB'ers who reckon Jesus is a bloke to be taken seriously, and yes he might just have ridden a rigid single speed had bicycles been around in His day.

I'd always been curious to experience the family vibe at Easter nationals and I can say it is alive and well.  Everyone there get's into cheering on all the riders.  We had Harry and Libby from Melbourne with there three kids on one side and Phil and Judy on the other side.  Another highlight for me were the 4 gentlemen who in the act of lapping me had the time for a chat and a word of encouragement, Brett Bellchambers, Jason English, Ed McDonald and Andy Hall (6+6) thanks guys, you make getting lapped something to look forward to!

4 of the best

Thanks to CORC.  These guys put on an amazing event with loads of enthusiastic volunteers, this is the biggest and oldest MTB club in Australia and the breeding ground of some awesome riders.

Thanks to the many friends who followed with interest, wished me good luck and gave a hearty congrats when it is was all over.  It is humbling to have so many genuine friends spurring me on, so thankyou for reading, I'm sorry this has been a rather long post!

To my pit crew, Steve, Tom, Liam and Sarah.  Steve, you were awesome, in the early hours of the morning when I almost refused to eat or drink anything, you concocted something I could swallow to keep the motor running smooth.  Not only that, but going into the night I realised that after losing a bit of weight over the last few months, my knicks were a size too big and if I kept going like this, pretty soon I'd end up with a......well you know.  Steve to the rescue loans me his road knicks, now that is taking suport to a new level!.  And son Tom the mechanic; I guess I changed bikes atleast 5 times and every time it was like getting on a new bike with gears and a chain that ran smooth as silk.  Not to mention keeping my lights charged and ready to go.  I love you buddy you are awesome!

To the crew at Turramurra Cyclery, Mark, Dan, Brad and Simey, as well as Pete Melville (coach) and the Giant rep.  It's a huge ask to get a rider ready for a 24 solo, let alone when you throw a cracked frame into the mix.  And I turned up with two awesome bikes from Giant, the 29er Anthem, I could not fault them, perfect, thanks guys.  Just look at the smile on my face at the finish, you need good bikes to finish 24 hours looking so comfortable.

Finally to my wife Sarah. It is a big ask for our partners to give up a weekend so we can run this race.  Thankyou doesnt quite do it justice.

National MTB 24 hour solo 45-49 male podium

As a believer, doing something like this at Easter might seem a little irreverent to some.  And even I had to think twice if this was the right thing to do.  I guess if you want to consider how Jesus suffered for humanity, then you could do worse than go ride a mountain bike for 24 hours.  Not that I am comparing a mountain bike race to the son of God being crucified, taking on the sin of the world and being cut off from his heavenly Father!  But for me, Easter is about how Jesus set us free from rules and ritualistic religion so that we might have life to the full.

Keep Riding
Mike