How to race a MTB without really trying

This episode starts under the premise that whilst life is normally pretty busy, it just suddenly got that little bit busier. Recently after a particularly deflating day at my job as an IT Manager, I went home determined to do something about it. I needed a change, I needed something else to occupy my brain and the match that got struck was an ad for a mechanic at one of the local bike shops.  "YES!" my mind expanded into the possibilities of a life lived within the cycling industry, until the prospect of a fairly hefty pay cut, and the subsequent defaulting on the mortgage came into focus. Well long story short I am now a part-time bike shop mechanic, albeit with P plates but I'm loving the change of scenery and I must say the gang at Cyclery Northside rock!

So it was on a sultry Sydney Saturday where this tale begins, when Anthony Shippard (Specialised Rider) waltzed into the shop with a box of health food. You might otherwise know them by the name of Crispy Creme.
"Shall I put these with the other health food?" Anthony asked, referring to the huge pile of pizza awaiting to be eagerly devoured by hungry staff for lunch.
Mmmm I wonder if working in a bike shop is going to impact on my lean physique...time will tell.  I resisted the donuts until "Shippo"caved in so I thought I could probably get away with it as well.

The shop was going ballistic just before closing time and consequently the rendezvous with my racing partner Phil Welch was slightly delayed, but it was no problem for Phil and it was great to pack up the Santa Fe and head for the hills so to speak. The drive to Orange is pretty long and you have to be constantly watching your speed lest you get snapped by a network of highway patrol and speed cameras, but the scenery is breath taking and we were lucky to time our journey and witness a gorgeous setting sun illuminating the golden sandstone walls of the Grose Valley.

We made a quick stop for food in Bathurst, yep you guessed it pizza again (Lewy's on George St - can recommend!), and then onto Orange. Phil had sorted the accommodation at the Occidental and we went for a quick stroll to collect cereal for breakfast, much to the entertainment of some local gals cruising the main drag who clearly took our skinny shaven legs as a sign of youth, poor misguided Gen Y's!

So to the race, and Phil and I were feeling quietly confident. We knew Benny had been doing some not so secret training, Mark is always a tough competitor and we knew the #fortyplusfrothers of Troy and Matt could certainly ride fast but could they sustain it for the full 7 hours?

Shredding through the forest on my time machine, the Giant 29er Anthem - Thanks Dave Bateman for this top shot

Well without prolonging the suspense too much, the answer was yes! Phil again designated me to take the start lap and from the gun I felt pretty good. Mark beat me into the single track by a few wheels, but that was where he stayed and I kept him in sight for the whole lap. Normally I'd be expecting to hold a little buffer after the first lap, but not to today and I knew straight away this was going to be a even tougher race than usual. It looked like our competition would be taking no prisoners and by half way through the race, we'd given them around 5 minutes. Our one remaining hope was that they had gone out too hard and I was still lapping at a reasonable pace, so I asked Phil to stake me a double and if there were any signs of them cracking perhaps I could stem the bleeding, but it was to no avail and all we could do was settle for 3rd as the real battle continued up the track for 1st and 2nd.

7 hr Master Pairs series podium - L-R Troy Matt Ben Mark Mike Phil

Once the realisation set in that we couldn't win, it was good to ease off the pace a fraction and settle into some not so fast laps. We'd also learned that our no show at Awaba would be counted in the series tally so that lowered the expectation and I was quite happy to settle for 3rd on the day and 3rd in the series.

The biggest congrats certainly goes to Benny who has done some serious training and basically was the quickest masters rider on the day. Also congrats to my good mate from TORC Brad Tillack who has been chipping away at this series for a couple of years now and finally cracked his first win in Super Masters, what a great effort!

Brad and I at the rider briefing - Thanks Phil Welch for this pic

Cycling is an obsessive sport, anyone reading this who is related to a cyclist can attest to that.  The pursuit of better fitness and sharper skills is like a carrot dangling in front that you never quite reach.  The goal for Phil and I at the beginning of the year was a series win, and whilst that didn't quite pan out, we've had a great time riding, keeping fit and healthy and making some great friends.  It's always worth remembering that cycling should be fun first, and also that there is more to life than riding fast.

A few thanks I have to make.  Firstly Chocolate Foot's Joe and Fi for putting on an awesome series and setting up these races in all the best locations.  Also to the sponsors and clubs for their support without whom none of these events would happen.  I have a number of clans now that I count myself lucky to ride with like TORC, Easy Riders and Quantum.  And now Pete and the gang at Cyclery Northside thanks for giving me a go.  I am loving working with you guys and genuinely excited where this could lead "down the track"

Keep Riding
Mike

Kirrawak State Forest Race Report

Moving a little further afield than in previous years, Chocolate Foot held their first round for 2014 in Taree last Sunday.  Having heard how sweet these trails were from last year, I made sure this one was firmly locked in the calendar well in advance.  Marking the first round of the premier endurance MTB series known as the Finish Line Single Track Mind Series, riders converged from up and down the eastern seaboard for what boils down to the most fun you can have in the dirt on two wheels.

Saturday night turned into something of a cross between a treasure hunt and the great race, in an attempt to find pre-race nutrition.  On the plus side we got to see the sights of Taree at night, and there were plenty of laughs and raised eyebrows amongst our steely MTB foursome of Chops, Phil, Tim and I.  As in all good boys nights out, we ended up playing pool and proving we should stick to cycling, when Tim pulled out the most amazing "single track" trick shot, rolling the cue ball the full length on top of the cushion that would have challenged the great Eddie Charlton.

Located just outside the sleepy country town of Taree, the park presents as a gorgeous leafy green pocket of eucalypt forest and the local club (Manning Great Lakes Tip Riders) take great pride in their trail network.  Ripping around for my first lap, I was struck at how smooth the trails were and also how perfectly radiused the many windy corners were.  This was indeed a track built with Flow and Fun in mind that would reward those who ride smooth and subscribe to the theory, slow is fast.  It even had white markings for obstacles, something that reminded me of early Saturday morning soccer matches eons ago.

Brad Tillack has been gradually building capacity and experience in this series over the last couple of years and has now been rewarded with his very own category, "Super Masters" where he can draw his sword against the many other 50+ warriors.  I’m a confirmed addict to this style of racing (first entering in 2007) and ended up causing extra froth in the coffee cup when the news got around; I'd not be riding solo, yes I finally found a friend (long time rival and good mate Phil Welch) prepared to team up with me and Masters (40-50yo) pairs would be my battleground.

The start was pretty civilised, these races tend to start with a long stretch of slightly uphill fireroad to sort the wheat from the chaff, and while there is many a boyracer who like to throw derision in the direction of those who potentially self-seed a row or two higher than their legs can deliver, it all get's sorted out in the mad rush for single track.

I had the first lap and enjoyed the feeling of fresh legs knowing I had 30 minutes recovery time at the end of the lap, so I let the horses gallop, there would be no room for pacing today, with atleast two other pairs fancying themselves in the stakes for a podium finish. 

By the middle of the day, the temperature was starting to climb and Brad was having to contend with a couple of issues, like some strange noises from the bike (or was it just his knees?) and a crash just adding to the drama of the race.  As solo riders come in each lap, the dust, drink, gu's, mud (and other unmentionable substances) tend to build up to the point where the rider resembles some creature from the murky depths.  Thanks to the crash, Brad also earned extra style points for the sizeable graze down his elbow and not a little claret flowing.  I was found reclining between laps enjoying some chit chat and a cool drink when Brad came in on red alert.  "Alright buddy you are OK?" I soothed, Brad got centred again, with a drink, some lube for the chain (and knees), and we sent him on his way in 2nd position.  "What's the gap to 3rd?" Brad asked. "You've got heaps of time Brad forget about 3rd, just keep circulating and you've got 2nd in the bag" I replied.  The addition of the SuperMasters category belies the swelling ranks of long time riders who are now still competing beyond the 50 year birthday. Brad completed the same number of laps (14) as the 2nd place getter in the Masters category showing age is no barrier to performance.

For Phil and I, it was a solid hit out with some intensity and some sharpening up of the skills.  Unfortunately the top step wasnt to be, as Trek Racing finished 20 minutes ahead after 15 laps in 7 hours, but there is no shame in coming 2nd to Rich and Darren who have always been extremely talented riders.  Ben and Mark kept the pressure on all day and finished just 10 mins behind Mike and Phil to round out the podium.

Russell Napier also made a cameo appearance in the shorter 4 hour format and finished tired and happy just the way MTB is meant to end.  Thanks to the crew from Chocolate Foot who put on a flawless event and to the sponsors whose generous support make these events just that little more enjoyable, as almost everyone get’s to go home with a little bit of bling for the bike shed.

Giant Anthem, what a great bike for a great track, Rubena on the front and Bontrager on the back is my current setup

Masters Pairs podium complete with Arsenal mascot following their dramatic win of the FA Cup final

Thanks to all the crew at TMC for your support, and hopefully we'll see a few more riders at the next round in Mogo.  Why not make a long weekend of it and join us on the beautiful Eurobodalla coast, you can even bring your roadie if MTB is just too much to ask, but I know TBG has a shiny Trek demo MTB bike just waiting for you to try.

Keep riding

Mike

Capital Punishment 100km MTB

Earlier this year when I locked in my entry for Capital Punishment, I got a little excited.  My focus for the last two years has been more towards the ultra-endurance end of the spectrum, so to be able to design my training and racing around this 4-5 hour discipline made for a welcome change.  Also as CapPun was going to be the first round of the Maverick Marathon series, it was pretty much a guarantee the race would be very well attended. by a strong field.

My excitement turned to a little anxiety when the start waves were published and I was relegated to Wave 2.  To be honest I probably didn't rate myself as a Wave 1 rider, but looking down the list all my regular sparring partners were in Wave 1, so I had to accept a race plan of chasing very hard all day.  Local legend Grantley Butterfield, promptly gave me a dose of HTFU and encouraged me to start in Wave 1 and so it was on a glorious mild Autumn morning that I fronted up like the badgeless guy with the clipboard, albeit it in the "wrong" wave but who was going to stop me?  That being said I did sit at the back of the wave so as not to raise too many eyebrows and hoped that the timing mats would take care of my sneaky self promotion.

Warming up in the dark is always fun and before long we were charging up the the fireroad.  I didn't have a great position so all I could do at this stage was ride at a comfortable pace and wait for the gaps to open up.  The other big change for me was the resurrection of the Ellsworth Enlightenment 29er carbon hardtail, fresh with a 1x10 setup.  This bike has been on the shelf for a couple of years due to a non-reliable drivetrain but with some input from Jordan and Camo at Ride in Workshop and a few parts at mate's rates from Mike Blewitt Marathon MTB, this bike was now race ready again.  And didn't it go hard.  I loved riding it again, so agile and light and compliant.  Don't get me wrong, I've had some great races on my alloy Giant Anthems, but there is nothing quite like riding a carbon hardtail on the sweetest single track around.

And we're off, with Brett Bellchambers preferring to give the field a headstart.  We rode most of the race together, errr that is he dropped me on the climbs and then I'd catch up on the flats again.

At around the 30km mark I'd had a great run with Brook Nelson, I'd never met him before but we were riding well together and helping each other through the single track. We caught a big group including Garry James and Paul Morgan.  I know that is disgraceful attempt at blog name dropping, but it was a great sign to me that I was travelling pretty well even if they did drop me on the very next pinch.  I just sat on Garry's wheel for a time, feeling content as an anonymous wheel at the back of the bunch rather than announcing my presence only to wave bye bye in the very near future.

Focussing on smooth and flow-ful riding, looking for the millimetre perfect line on some hand made single track 

The rest of the first section was a perfect mix of fireroad and dusty dry schlerophyll eucalypt forest.  I loved the course, last time I rode the race was in 2011 and endured the endless grassy airport fairways.  It was so good to ride this alternative route and made for some really enjoyable riding and with one little pinch over Majura, we crossed the mats for a welcome breather.  The feed station was a great place to have a chat, refuel and pick a bunch to roll out with.  Tristan White and Wayne Dickinson were there so I followed them out and meandered our way up to Black Mountain for the restart.  It's a strange phenomenon once you reach the restart.  Everyone stops, noone wanting to be the first over the mat for fear of being a marked man and giving up precious seconds at the finish, but you cant stand there all day, so just as I rolled out, Steve Henry and Rob Weiser came through, you beauty! A couple of mates I know who will work hard as a group.  The track around Black Mountain was nice and sketchy just to keep everyone on their toes and there were a number of punctures through this section. After the legs warmed up again I felt OK, but a few of the hills around the Arboretum soon started to take their toll and in the headwind to Stromlo I dropped a wheel.  At this stage, I was really starting to tire but with just 15km and one climb to go I put everything I had left into the pedals and finished with a shredding descent off Stromlo.

Great shot with Telstra Tower in the background, I'm really hurting on the front and only smiling for the camera

Well done to Matt Rizzuto and Minter Barnard, tearing the Master's field to pieces to take 1st and 2nd with a 15 min gap to Wayne Dickinson in 3rd and a further 5 minutes covering the next 5 places. For me, I beat my time from 2011 by 35 mins so I was very happy with my 6th place in Masters and 44th overall.  Thanks again to the Butterfields for putting me up Friday night.  You always make me feel at home!  You martians (Canberra locals) have it made; fancy having a 5 minute roll home to shower and recover after a 100km MTB race?
The final pleasure after a great ride with mates on the best trails was the vibe at the finish enjoying a beer and some good food in the sun.  That's why we race

Keep Riding
Mike

MAMIL Musings

Blogging about cycling is kind of like cycling itself.  Sometimes you are excited to be blogging and have a great blog planned, other times the blog seems a little like a chore, but once you do it, you are glad you did for your own sanity.  Sometimes you question why you blog, of if you are blogging in the right place, but of course you just keep blogging because YOU ARE a blogger.  Blogging is in your DNA.  And of course there is always the lingering self doubt, am I becoming a better blogger,  Now replace the word BLOG with RIDE and you'll see what I mean.

Everyone's written the blog about turning up to a race feeling like crap, overcoming unimaginable adversity just to reach the start line then realising you mistakenly packed your unicycle, but somehow you still perform beyond your wildest dreams, drop your competition while texting your partner to explain why you'll be home 3 hours later than promised and to top it off you bring home the bacon and podium.

This post is not like that (OK there is one brief podium mention), it's just random collection of stuff bouncing around in my head, so keep reading or just look at the pics, I dont mind either way.  As one avid and entertaining blogger who is known to bring on a chuckle or two put it, keeping it fresh is a bit of challenge.

This year has started pretty well, with a change in focus and training for shorter races and more social time on the bike.  It's also meant some quality training at Cyclestudio Balgowlah with James "Chops" Lamb and Phil Welch.  With so many events available, I love sitting down at the beginning of the year and finding those races that are still on the bucket list.

The Duo Classic weekend was one I wont forget in a long time.  Swooshing through the groomed single track of Kowen forest, catching up with mates on and off the bike and just being outdoors away from the hustle and aggression of the big smoke makes for one very cathartic weekend.  Pete and I won our category which was icing on the cake and I brought home my years supply of beer.

Exhibit A: Czech beer and tyres, what a great combination!

Duo Classic Masters Podium, partner Pete Selkrig scarpered to get back for a H&C concert so I got to keep the beer

This was a friendly duckling down Bobbin Head one morning.  

We ride through there so often, it's good to just stop and sit for a while and admire the scenery

I never get sick of the view from the top of Mt Stromlo

Cycling isnt all about numbers, but it helps

So where to from here?  The Ellsworth has been brought out of retirement and looks like featuring in a race sometime soon, actually it would have been today if Awaba hadn't experienced a flash flood.
3 Peaks is now the focus for next weekend; it's definitely been on the list for a while and just about everyone I talk to is going, should be one for the books.  And then CapPun the following weekend so it all happens in March.  There is the Peloton Sports Snowy Tour and The Mont coming up on the radar soon too and then a "little" trip away in April, yes I finally get to spread my wings and get a taste of Europe with my best friend Sarah.  First time for everything, never too late, good things come to those who wait, yes I just happen to be GenX.  Oh and something else really cool, I am teaching Tom to drive.  Yes it is a bit nerve racking but it's fun too and rather nice being driven around by your GenZ offspring.

Keep riding and blogging
Mike

Rolling the Dice

Tonight, four plucky mountain bikers rolled the dice and hit the trails in the hope we could squeeze in the regular ride before the deluge arrived.

While our timing was a little out and the Creator of the Universe decided Hornsby needed a good soaking at around 8 o'clock, it wasn't all bad.

It was a gorgeous sultry February evening.

The fading light took on an ominous feel reflecting off the many deep purple rain clouds gathering.

The lightening show on the return leg was awe inspiring. Seeing the trails light up for a second was exhilarating if not a little scary

Finally it came down just as we began the final climb out of the gorge and it was so heavy it was tough to make out the trail at times, we even got that lovely sensation of sipping the rainwater as it streams down your face. Guess you had to be there :)

The ride ended up being a lot of fun and restored the spring in my step sapped away by a working week that is best left behind.

Looking forward to a fun weekend and catching up with mates at the Awaba Rocky Trail GP on a trail that may be in perfect condition with a shower or two to raise the tackiness factor

Keep Riding

Mike

Giant Test Day

I love bike testing days.  Getting to ride the latest new rig, at a great track with a full crew of specialists to support you?  It doesnt get much better and the Giant demo Day at OMV was a perfect example.  A hot dry dusty afternoon I chose to try out the new Giant Anthem 27.5.

Of course there has been alot of talk in the MTB scene about wheel sizes and us regular MTBers take it all in out stride as pedal stroke as the case may be.

It's funny talking to my roadie friends about mountain biking and before long you notice the eyes roll back in their heads as you start talking about 26 inch, 29ers, 650B, hardtails, dual suspension, XT, XX1, 2x10; I might as well be talking chinese!

Setting up the bike, the first thing I noticed is how far back I feel relative to the rear axle.  It's been years since I rode a 26" bike and even then it was a trail oriented build, so jumping on a mid wheel size XC racer is quite a new experience. I reckon Giant have gotten the geometry just right.  gone are the days of the twitchy Anthem with the steep head angle.  This bike feels fast and flowy, yet forgiving.

The next thing I notice is how quickly the wheels seem to spin up.  Not surprising considering the lower rotating mass, but I didnt expect it to be so pronounced.

The bike handles really well and with a full Shimano XT groupset and Fox Shocks, it is equipped with the components of choice in my books.  With the mid size wheel you also get the benefit of better rolling resistance and that tractor wheel effect of rolling over large rocks that make 29ers so popular.

All in all I definitely rate this bike.  I loved riding it and set some pretty cool PR's on my local track so there is no doubt, it's quick.  The bike is certainly more agile than it's big brother and this means you are not only quicker on tight corners, but you can take lines that would normally be not negotiable with a 29er.  The thing I found most interesting is on a 29er you have to be very intentional where you roll your front and back wheels.  What I mean is you have to steer the front wheel with the rear wheel in mind to avoid hitting the sides of rocks and the like and losing momentum.  On the 27.5, you just dont need to worry about that, the bike has enough agility to make cornering more effortless.

Would I upgrade?  Well if money was no object or if I was starting fresh yes I think this bike would definitely  be high on the list of possibles.  I can especially see it being a favourite on short tight technical courses, such as those employed for your typical 2 hour clubby.  For me, that is someone who doesnt really bother with too much under 6 hours I think the 29er would win out in the end, but it would be close.

It will be interesting to see how the wheel wars play out over the next few years.  Thanks to Nick Bonich and all the crew at Giant for setting this up.

Keep riding

Mike

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

Rubena Rubber Review Part 2

It's been a little while since I first fitted these tyres, but I've had heaps of riding time over the Summer and thought it well overdue for an update on how these tyres are performing. I guess I dont have to rabbit on too much, so if I had to sum up these tyres, I would say a very good reliable race tyre.

The only criticism I would have is in the grip department and I think that really comes down to personal preference.

The Scylla on the back is a great performer in that it is fast. With that speed some else has to give so in this case it is the grip. Cornering is fine no problem there, but every now and again I would find the tyre skipping over rocks or losing traction on a fast little winding crest under braking. Now that may not necessarily be a bad thing, it's just something to be aware of. Going around corners with the back wheel getting a little sketchy can be useful for pointing the bike in the right direction but you need to be aware of the tyre's character and have 100% confidence that you can control that sketchiness and bring the traction back when you need it. What really struck me is that on hard packed loamy trails such as Stromlo, this tyre would really be an awesome choice. On rockier trails like Kowen with lot's of tree roots, this tyre might struggle a little especially in the wet with the low profile tread. Having said that I absolutely hammered these tyres on a very rocky 80km ride over some of the rockiest trails Terrey Hills has to offer and I had an awesome day and never a hint of tyre damage.

The Kratos on the front feels more sure footed with it's pronounced side knobs. You still get the great speed as with the Scylla, but braking and cornering performance is much better. In the next month or so I'll try the Kratos on the back and see how it goes

Rating so far

Scylla (1-5 where 5 is Awesome and 1 is crap)
Ease of fit - 5
Grip - 3
Rolling resistance - 5
Puncture resistance - 4
Value for money - 5

Kratos
Ease of fit - 5
Grip - 4
Rolling resistance - 5
Puncture resistance - 4
Value for money - 5

Keep riding
Mike

PS I didnt run the Rubenas at the CPS as I had them fitted to the duallie and I ended up riding the hardtail. Thanks to Rubena sponsoring the event I now have another set of prize Rubenas for the hard tail :)

Happy New Year

Having heard about how much fun racing in a pair can be, I thought this would be a nice relaxed way to ease back into the racing scene for 2013. Mistake number 1.
I also thought we could combine it into a bit of a road trip come MTB tour for the family, taking in the delights of Canberra one day and the legendary Snake Trail in Batemans Bay the next day. Mistake number 2.

Mistake number 1: Racing is never relaxed, especially when you roll into one of the favourite playgrounds of riders with a postcode starting with 26. Added to that, I must have had illusions of grandeur when I invited Peter "The Flying Fluro" Selkrig as my partner. I knew he was strong after watching him set trails on fire last year at a couple of 8 hours so I was pretty excited when he enthusiastically accepted. What I will never forget is the utter feeling of desperation knowing Pete was on my wheel virtually cruising (and giving me a nice little shove when I needed it) while I spent 150 mins in the box AND knowing that at any moment, arch rivals Garry and Jase would be mowing us down! Off the start line, I got the hole shot and felt great powering on the wheel of the fast guys. I managed to hold a wheel all the way up to the first single track with Pete right next to me and seemingly noone else with earshot. A few k's down the track we heard that one of the On-The-Go boys had had a big fall and he was on a Cannondale. That could only mean Garry or Jase, so while the pressure might have momentarily lapsed, Pete and I both knew to win our category we'd need to go flat out to the finish. Pretty soon Pete was leaving me for dust on the little inclines so we swapped around the order and I set the pace. By the middle of the second lap, I was starting the hack and gasp like an old horse who's be flogged too hard, so I focussed on just keeping it smooth and enjoying the sweet single track of Kowen. With around 8 k's to go we heard the monster coming, it was Garry haunting us through the pine trees so we stepped on the gas a little and gapped a team we'd been trading places with all day. Garry was chasing hard and got us in the end; fortunately for us Jase was nowhere to be seen and we finished together to take 1st place in the Masters. As a postscript, Jase had come down hard after touching a wheel in the mad dash off the line and took ALOT of bark off. He ended up still finishing the race just a few minutes behind us and then smartly got himself to hospital for some stitches and xrays (thankfully nothing broken). All I can say is KUDOS! You are one tough cookie JMac!

Mistake number 2: Well to call it a mistake is a strong word, the family had a great weekend, with wife Sarah and the boys all getting into the riding. Tom is getting faster and joined me for an extra 25km along Dog Trap and Ridge roads from Mogo back to BB which was great. And even though I got us a little lost, he more than kept up with me and finished strong with a little time trial back to the beach. It just takes an extraordinary effort to prep, clean, pack, unpack four bikes with four sets of riding gear, calculating hydration for said riders, ensuring the ride is neither too long no too short and keeping everyone happy inevitably means you have to make some sacrifices here and there. It ended up pretty good, with a magic moment when Sarah arrived at the bottom of the Snake Trail, her first word was "WOW!".

Having just cleaned and serviced 4 bikes and thinking about the amazing weekend we just had really does bring home what an awesome sport cycling is, and after reading some wise commentary today I realised that what we do and why we do it has virtually nothing to do with what some self important overpaid used-to-be rider feels he needs to admit on a talk show after years of denial so he can make peace with the world. pfft get real.

Keep riding
Mike

Rubena Rubber Review Part 1

The good folks at Rubena Australia asked me to try out their tyre range and provide feedback good or bad on what I thought. I’ll split this review into 3 sections. First the fit, second initial reactions to the tyre performance, and finally, a long term review to discuss longevity and reliability.

First Episode – The fit
When Ben first approached me to test and review these tyres, the first task was to review what tyres best suited my riding; the brief was pretty simple.
A tubeless cross country racing tyre for a 29er with a solid side wall, a tread pattern that is pretty grippy but still with a low rolling resistance, and hopefully something on the front with some extra side grip for cornering. On the back I prefer something with a more pronounced centre ridge for better rolling, more predictable braking and longer life. As such the tyre of choice (there’s a choice?) till now has been the ever present Racing Ralph (SnakeSkin). I did run a Crossmark on the back for a while but it soon ran out of traction. I’ve never had any issue with punctures when running tubeless so hopefully the new rubber would prove just as reliable.

When you first visit the Rubena web site, you are confronted with a myriad of choices in names, numbers, sizes, tread patterns, oh where to start? These tyres are made in the Czech republic, so if they make tyres anywhere as good as they make beer then these puppies will rock!
Thankfully I think Ben got it pretty right from the look of these tyres, I have a V96 Scylla for the back and a V98 Kratos on the front. Both are 29 x 2.25. The Scylla looks the goods with a nice low profile in the tread pattern and lots of rubber in the middle.

The Kratos is the more aggressive of the two and clearly suited to the front with the slanted side knobs.

The tyres feel solid and while the sidewalls feel a little thinner than the RR, they look like they have a pretty robust fabric like construction, obviously designed to repel cuts from rocks. We’ll see how it lasts after a few longer rocky rides.
Fitting them to my rims is a breeze. The rubber seems to have a little more give than I’m used to and it only needs one or two tweeks with a tyre lever to get the bead over the rim. With a bit of liquid, you could just about roll them over bare handed. Similarly, inflation with a track pump is no problem. I had the bucket of soapy water all ready to go, but didn’t need it in the end, and the tyres inflated onto the rim easily and beaded at bang on 30psi (I love that popping sound a tyre makes when it beads onto the rim!). This was fitting them to the stock rims on my Giant Anthem 29er.
They look good and the bag appears a fraction thinner than the RR. Measuring confirms they are 1-2mm thinner than the RR which I think is good, especially when you are picking lines between rocks and every millimetre counts when you are riding at your limits.
Weight is quoted a little heavier than the RR. The RR is quoted at 605g, the Scylla 640g and the Kratos 695g. At my level, what's a hundred odd grams between friends?!
On the positive the price looks very attractive, with the Rubena atleast 2/3 the cost of the RR, if not less.

Planning my first ride on them tonight so looking forward to seeing how they roll
Keep riding
Mike

Every cloud has a Titanium lining

This will probably be my last post for the year, so first up I want to thank you for reading. It is cool seeing folks from all the over the world hitting my blog to see what's happening and I hope in the years to come I can visit a few of your favourite tracks outside downunder.

It's taken a week to gather up the energy to write this post and to be honest I am still not quite sure what I will type. The reason being that the last round of the STM 8 hours series at Awaba turned into a bit of a tragedy, but then again, there is always something good to take away from any time spent whizzing around a beautifully crafted purpose built xc mountain bike trail, and a better venue than Awaba to finish the year on, you couldnt wish for. If I knew my Shakespeare a little better and had the mental agility I might have crafted this post into 3 acts; the first being "The Promise", the second being "The Expedition" and the final I might have titled "The demise of MightyMike", but it's not really that bad, so settle back and let's get into it.

Act 1
The Sunday before had me setting off in the fastest group of 90+ riders for the 190km Wisemans Ferry Gran Fondo, and what a day it was. Perfect conditions, superb support courtesy of Turramurra Cyclery, and an awesome bunch to ride in. The pace was on from the start and the bunch worked like clockwork as we each took our turn on the front and keep the pace well over 35kph. The challenge was to catch the other bunches that had left between 40-60 mins earlier and to finish in 5hr 30 mins. As expected the bunch finally started to splinter on the climb to Mangrove Mountain and while I lost touch with the lead pack of 10 or so riders, I was feeling good considering I had done a good share of the work on the front and gradually picked up (and was picked up by) 4 or 5 similar riders and we worked together to keep our pace up to Peats Ridge. The second food drop was mayhem with many riders electing to ride through and I had to bring my MTB skills into play to hop a few obstacles out back onto the road and join a healthy bunch of 10 riders.
The rest of the way was a battle of attrition as riders came and went, but by Berowra we had a good bunch of 5 and we went as hard as we could all the way back to Turramurra to clock in at 5:20, just 5 mins before the main lead bunch. Huge kudos to Simon M who rode off the front and got back in 5 hours flat, simply awesome. All this boded well for the final 8 hour planned the following weekend.

Act 2
The expedition consisted of leading 12 Knox boys on the annual Year 10 Mt Kosciuszko expedition; comprising 4 nights and 5 days hiking across the highest peaks of the Great Dividing range. I have been fortunate enough to lead on this camp a couple of times and was looking forward to getting away from all the email, social media and mobile phones and just enjoying the great outdoors. The 5:30am start from school was a little tough after the big ride the day before, but the hope was that the week long walk would consolidate the legs without wearing them out too much and leave me fresh for Sunday. Starting out from Guthega, the legs were definitely feeling the exertion from the day before and climbing the track to White's River Hut with the fully laden pack with food for 5 days was quite a challenge. Overall the week was fantastic with perfect weather, a great guide from Land's Edge and a group of young guys who apart from the odd question like "how far have we got to go?" were awesome all week. Getting back to civilisation Friday night, I was a little concerned to feel how weary the legs felt but hoped 48 hours recovery would be enough.

Act 3
So here we are, ready to roll at Awaba and still the legs feel ouch, that feeling you get walking up stairs..you know what I mean? Well it was there and all I could do was hope that with a warm up lap the legs would start to fire. Warm up it did and before long the temp was ready 35 deg in the shade. This spells trouble.
I had a great spot on the grid and rode wheel to wheel with Gary up the firetrail and into the single track with Camo on the my wheel. I kept leaving space for Camo to pass, but for some reason he was happy to sit tight, perhaps that should have told me something. OK so far so good and the laps started to tally up. Before long the temp was pushing 40 and alarm bells started going off in my head, had I gone out too hard? By the 5th lap the engine was really starting to cough and splutter and Jason was steadily creeping up on me. There was the matter of a little crash with my good buddy Anne who in an attempt not to hold me up hit the descent a little too quick, clipped a tree with a handle bar and down we came. Jase saw it all from the back of a train of 6 riders and was good enough to wait and make sure we could all continue but now the wind in my sails had disappeared and pretty soon the wheels really started to fall off, I was dropping bottles and chains left, right and centre and most worrying of all the legs were telling me there was nothing left to give. Jase tapped it out up Camelbak hill and all I could do was wave bye bye. It seemed I had gone into an 8 hour race with only 4 hour legs. Worrying still was the fact that Phil had moved into second and a little voice in the back of my head said "series honours", I knew Phil wasnt far behind me in the series rankings at 4th, it was just possible with a 2nd place finish today he could pip me at the post. After a good rest and lot's of rehydration I decided to get back out and do a couple of more laps just to keep me in some sort of touch, but at lap 8 the legs said enough and I had to sit out to see Phil produce a terrific result and take 3rd in the series by a single point. Heartbreaker.

Sometimes the toughest lessons are the best ones so there is plenty to take away and ponder what might have been, but the real gold came when I stopped thrashing my body into a sweaty dizzy mess and took some time to catch up and really talk with a few of the good friends I have made from this sport. In the end I couldn't have asked for a better day and while the little trophy might have charmed my ego for an instant, this sport has so much more to offer than just what place you come in a race.

Finally I want to thank the guys that made this season one to remember, Garry J, Jason M, Phil W, Peter S and Chris T. The 6 of us have been riding hard against each other all year and every round has been a nailbiting finish (with the exception of Garry who smashed us all!) and all the while our mateship has gotten stronger through the blood sweat and tears that is solo 8 hour racing. One of my favourite sayings is "Iron sharpens Iron" and you guys have made me a better rider.

It has been a fantastic year of riding and racing with good mates new and old. I have no idea what's in store for next year, but right now I am happy to forget about training, get out and ride for pure enjoyment as we wind down for Christmas and celebrate the things that have mattered for all eternity.

Keep riding
Mike

Quick Update

It's been a busy time of year with the Scott, the Spring Cycle and another round of the STM series racing by so here is a quick update on what's been happening.
The Scott
For a throw together team, we had an absolute blast and of course the icing on the cake was winning the Masters Mixed 4 category. One morning at coffee Sandy mentioned he had a team entry and no team, so I was in. Next up was Brad T, who had never done a 24 hour and was keen to get amongst it. Finding a willing and available female was a little harder, but a post on Silent Revolution did the trick and before long we had a few choices and Fiona got the nod. The lead up was hilarious, first Sandy had done some damage to his back at the TORC skills session. Picture this, a 60 something year old bloke turns up at the doctors and says "I hurt my back when I fell off my bike trying to do a wheelie". But old Sandy is as tough as old boot leather and rode like the hard a**e he is. Fiona couldn't decide what would slow her down more; the mysterious virus or the 8 stitches in her shin from a recent OTB. I have to say Fiona won the prize from most valuable team member, first for braving the rain which seemed to arrive exactly on time for Fiona to start another lap, but also for providing the lovely marquee heater and then the post race beers, boy did that taste good! The pre-race strategy was simple, have fun and dont hurt yourself, but secretly I thought we had a pretty good shot.

I got the to do the run start lap and by the time I reached the bike it felt like I had lifted both big toe nails. The track was good and it was a hoot heading up the trunk trail in a huge train, until we caught some of the younger and less serious solo riders. Not their fault but perhaps a note to the organisers to rethink the start order. The rain and mud was a bummer but sometimes that's just the way it is. I was lucky to do a Blue lap as the sun rose and the view from the top of Willo Link was something I will never forget. My last two laps in the morning were a blast as the sun slowly dried out the quagmire and best of all, Tom, my 14yo son in his first 24 had a ball, he'll be back!

I have to say the commentary and giveaways could have been done alot better. The idea of randomly distributing $1000's of dollars of valuable and kindly donated kit from generous sponsors to whoever was proud or brash enough to make up a story that appealed to the compere's idea of entertainment was frankly pitiful and the throwing of kit off the pavillion at the presentation to a bunch of screaming kids while the majority got cooked in the hot sun was undignified and amateur. For all the effort we went to and for winning our category we got a jersey we'll probably never wear. Whereas some random walking away with a coupla hundred dollars worth of kit just doesnt seem fair. It would have been nice to see this stuff distributed in the race bags rather than thrown randomly to the masses, oh well there's my rant, sorry folks now back to regular programming.

Picture thanks to Sportograf "bestof"

On the Podium, competition vanquished, but where is the lovely Fiona?

The Spring Cycle
A great fun day, usually I am crawling in the masses of every shape and size of bike and rider imaginable, this time Tom and I were fortunate to be invited to ride in the lead bunch. By the time we hit the bridge, the bunch had departed and we were left riding together through the city like we were the only two people on the road. We soon linked up with a bunch that included one Opposition leader Mr Tony Abbott and no matter which side of politics you come from it is always a hoot to ride with someone like that and be able to offer a wheel on some of the steeper bergs. Riding home Tom was beat but did incredibly well to keep up with the bunch and clock 100 k's for the day; his biggest ride to date.

After a feed and a change of kit I returned to Homebush for the crit run by LACC. The less details given here the better, as I pretty much sucked at this form of racing, but atleast I gave it a go and it is something I would love to get better at. I then took a slow ride home to clock 150km for the day. Rolling back through Eastwood late in the afternoon, the air was thick and warm after the threatened southerly buster dissipated was pure bliss.

STM Round 5 Rydal
I'd already had a big week, with lot's going on at home and work. What a blessing it was to stay with Mum and Dad in the mountains the night before to be fed and get an early night. I looked dog tired and hoped 9 hours sleep would recharge the batteries sufficiently to get through the 8 hours of punishment awaiting.
Off the start I was flying and as usual marked Jase and Garry who were dog fighting. In the first four laps I saw 4 good riders go down from momentary loss of focus. It was clear this track would be challenging. Interestingly I was noticing it was 26" riders struggling for traction while those on the circus wheels cruised a little more smoothly, but as the day wore on, the course started to get pretty cut up and every corner was becoming an exercise in playing chicken.
The weather also stuffed us up a bit, I had mixed my bottles a tad diluted expecting some warmer temperatures from the start, but it stayed cool for atleast 4 hours, the fluids weren't going in and so neither were the carbs. I managed to make up for the debt with some food, but many struggled late in the day as the fuel tank started to splutter.
On lap 9, I had a massive off. Having just enjoyed an awesome tow up the fireroad courtesy of a Mitch from Stevens team, I let him go and settled in for the rock garden when my front wheel caught an edge and I was ejected over the bars before I knew what happened, I was heading chest first for a stump that looked like it might impale me. Somehow I managed to dive to the side, but landed very heavy on my side. The reason I tell this is Mitch actually stopped and ran back the 20m to check I was OK. What a gentleman! thanks Mitch
No permanent damage done but it slowed me down a bit for the rest of the race as I went in a little more tentative.
The day after, my arms, hands and shoulders hurt the most as well as the hip I used to break my fall, so demanding was this course.
Late in the afternoon my lap times started to dawdle but I just focussed on keeping it smooth through the corners and keeping an eye out for Phil Welch who I figured wouldnt be far away. As it turned out Trent Moore was chasing hard and got to within 7 minutes to take 4th. Garry won again :( but the gap to me was just over 10 mins, not bad after 16 laps. Jase pulled out an awesome effort to take 2nd and get close to Garry. He sure can chase hard. Mid race I had a 30 second buffer, but he came back hard and just kept motoring. (A mistake in the entry process saw him grouped in the open males instead of masters and it wasn't discovered until after the cutoff). The other pertinent point is last year I broke my hand here. This year going the other way I still wasn't having any heroics and any doubles that came up I just playing it safe and mono-ed over them. That is until the camera crew camped by the biggest scariest jump on course and willed riders to boost it. Nothing for it but give it some air and what fun it was. For the last few laps I looked forward to that jump every time.
For a course so flat I have never felt so fatigued. The constant braking, accelerating and manoeuvering the bike takes it's toll and even though your heart never really goes ballistic, the course is a real test.
Thanks to everyone out there on the day and those cheering at home. I felt truly blessed to be enjoying such a great sport amongst so many friends and got to take home a prize as a bonus.

It's been by far the best year of my short cycling "career" with not only lot's of good results, but many many great people who have spurred me on and become very good friends. One more race for the year at Awaba, it's going to be a celebration of a huge year, see you there

Keep riding
Mike

PS Huge thanks to my buddy Brad T who generously lent me his ENVE carbon wheels. a light, stiff wheel is just what the doctor ordered for this course and these puppies were awesome. Not quite sure I can justify the price tag, but it was a thrill ride probably the best wheels currently on the market. Thanks mate, I owe you.

The Slugfest

Two weeks ago my fitness was pretty much as good as it get's, everything was on track for a recovery week to freshen up before the race and then I got hit with a cold, one of those little bugs that just leaves you whimpering in a fog of lethargy. Since then it's just been a case of trying to find some energy and right up until Saturday afternoon I was still feeling less than 100% and hoping a good sleep would see me right to race.

The drive down early Sunday morning was great and I scored a nice little shady place for a pit stop at the 2km mark on the course near transition and only metres from the car. The rider briefing was the funniest I have ever seen, but it was clear and informative with a brilliant demo of passing technique. I'm kinda chuffed to know that my bad luck from last round might have contributed to the new revised rider briefing. Well done Jo. Sure enough on a course where passing opportunities were few and far between, riders were showing the best of manners and I didnt see a problem all day.

The start was pretty sedate and I was happy to grad hold of JMac's wheel up the first climb and just tap away to find our place in the mad dash for single track. As the weather warms up, these races now extend for one extra hour of punishment and it soon became clear that this would be a battle of tactics and pacing.

Photo thanks to Dave Bateman from the STM round at Coondoo

The track had a bit of everything, a bit of flow, some techy bits, some pinchy climbs. I guess it reminded me of Appin with the all the rocks, but the most challenging segment came at around the halfway mark with a new section of trail that was very rough and tight and almost every corner off camber. It took every bit of skill and focus to keep it smooth through here and I have to say I wont be disappointed if I never ride that trail again. That being said, if the track fairies consolidate some of the rutts on corners into berms, add a few solid ramps (rather than loose rocks at the bottom of drops offs), and maybe a boardwalk or a small bridge over the creek crossings, this could be a pretty cool race track. The first descent was a ripper and I found on the Giant Anthem 29er I could tear into the sketchy ravine with confidence, just steer and hang on!

I think it was on the first lap as a group of us tackled a steep little pinch, I was second wheel when suddenly JMac came to an abrupt halt and I figured he'd dropped a chain or something, I slowed a little at the top to see if he was able to get going again but there was no sign so on I went. After just one lap it was obvious that this would be a war of attrition on both (wo)man and machine so I took the decision to enjoy the day, forget the clock, and just treat it like a full day's riding. This worked really well for a few hours, the time seemed to pass by effortlessly. The temperature began to soar and those in transition were getting concerned how dirty I was, "What happened, you OK?" a few called. It was just the combination of dry dusty trails and sweat that we all ended up looking like coal miners by the end of the day. Even today my eyes still look like someone decorated me with the eye liner on the weekend. On the trip home I stopped for fuel and some high stress chick was arguing with the shop attendant over the $2 ATM charge. I chimed in and told her "She'd made her point but wasn't going to win so move on and stop holding us all up!". She took one look at my filthy dusty face as I gave her a steely gaze. I must have looked a fright as she moved straight on and out of the shop.

The hours ticked by and every now and again I'd check back and no sign of my competing masters, then on lap 6, a buzzing free wheel came racing up behind me, Jase calls "Back in the Black! It's taken me 2 hours to catch up" and onto his wheel I jumped, rudely awakened from my social ride! It felt great to be riding for each other taking turns on the front, not talking much, happy in our own thoughts and focussing on keeping it smooth. Jase mentioned there is atleast one rider between us and leader Garry J so the goal is to stalk him down and sure enough we catch sight of Peter on lap 8. He looks like he is struggling and we whizz by but he doesnt respond so it's now a battle for 2nd or so we think! Turns out mystery man Chris T has made a comeback after Kowen and this time he means business. This guy looks the good's, basically the replica of a very strong bean pole!

At some point I pull away from Jase and the noisy freewheel goes quiet as the gap widens and I figure the energy he used to catch me earlier in the day might have taken it's toll, let's see what happens!

I started to do some sums in my head and struggle to divide 37 mins into 3.5 hours, but at some staged figured at this pace I had 5 laps to go (probably 6 but what's another lap between friends!). As the laps continued to mount, it got harder to ignore the clock, but I was having fun with my mind, shouting in my head "3 MORE LAPS TO GO" then 2, then 1, then none.....maybe. Crossing the line to start my last lap, the race clock said 7:15, so I thought I could ease off the gas a bit and just keep an eye on any chasers. I was super-sensitive to any noisy freewheel after JMac caught me on Lap 6, but the track remained quiet and I kept rolling to get back to transition at 7:56. OK now what to do, how far back was Jase? I resolved to keep rolling and asked Kylie if she could keep an eye out for any chasers and let me now when I got back to the 2km mark that came near transition. I switched off and rolled nice an easy just to get a little recovery in, but my stomach was not playing nice, time for a nature stop and keep an eye on that track, still nothing! OK I must be safe! I rolled back to my transition to find two cars had parked completely blocking access to my pit stop (nice one guys!) the look on Kylie's face said it all. Jase didn't make it but Phil has snuck in. You've got to go again to hold 3rd. OK no probs, I actually I feel OK after taking a pee and I still have a gel and a little Hammer Heed in the bottle, let's finish this. I love how you can fool your mind into thinking it's the last lap when deep down you know you've got one more.

Now Phil also has a pretty noisy free wheel, so I set a steady pace all the while looking back for the tell tale jersey but it never appeared and I was stoked to finish third. Phil rolled in just a couple of minutes later.
The following chart shows just what an arm wrestle this race was with 4 riders fighting it out for 3rd place. Chris and Garry well clear of the bunch.

All in all a really challenging and enjoyable event, thanks to TMC for your continued support. With two rounds to go the competition for series points is getting tight.

Keep Riding
Mike

Food wise
12 Hammer gels (3 with caffiene)
1 TORC bar
4 x 800ml bidon Hammer Heed (2.5 scoops)
2 x 600ml bidon Endura Optimiser
2 bananas

http://app.strava.com/rides/22118326