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

On the Convict Trail

There is something special about the first race of a new year and with the Duo Classic getting red flagged, I was excited to be heading out to YellowMundee; a track I hadn't sampled for quite some time.  A fairly technical rocky course, it keeps you on your toes in order to avoid a fall or a puncture.  It rewards smooth efficient pedalling and forces you to find fast lines.  It typifies the blue mountains with plenty of sandstone, I love the new couple of little sections of paved sandstone, makes you think the track could have been laid by the convicts back in the early days of our young country.

After just about succumbing to spontaneous combustion in several previous Summer races, I wasnt going to make that mistake again and went fully prepared with 12 bottles, some ice and towels that could be soaked and wrapped around the shoulders.  I was determined to drink atleast a litre an hour, and although I could have positioned my little pit area better, it didnt seem to hold me up too much having to stop every couple of laps for more fluids.  Temperatures peaked at just over 30 deg today, so it didnt get too bad, but I did end up drinking 5 litres over 4 hours....

Phil Welch setting up for the race.  Hydration would be critical today.  Photo Crummy MTB

The start was well marshalled, a fairly simple request to get the faster riders to the back as we rode down to the start and then an about face, there I was on the 2nd row where I like to be.  Fellow Masters competitor Phil Welch was there so it was great to have a friendly face, we've been doing a bit of training together and it would be great to see how we are progressing.  At around the two hour mark I was still lapping consistently.  My heart rate was under control and my lap times were on the dot every time and I started to think maybe there was a chance of a podium.  Lot's of the quicker riders going round were in a pair, so I just kept plugging away, not knowing where I stood but keeping up a consistent pace.  The Giant Anthem again was rolling faultlessly with it's silky smooth full XT grupo, I was comfy all day and just love riding it (despite the strange grimace on my face here below)

Photo thanks to Michael Crummy

Pretty soon I spied another solo rider up ahead and he looked like he was hurting.  With three laps to go I figured I would just mark him and if the pace started to fall away I could put some pressure on him.  The very next lap we both stopped for a fresh bottle, but I left the pits quicker and never saw him again.  

Thanks to BikeMinded for their generous sponsorship today.  In a nice touch, all place getters from all categories got the same prize which was a neat little package of bottle, bottle cage and multitool.  I was just happy to come away with a great ride under my belt and a few bragging rights

Photo Crummy MTB

All up it was a spectacular day on an awesome challenging trail.  Thanks to WSMTB and everyone involved for a great day of Mountain Biking.  As a footnote I ran into John Patterson, an old school and football mate.  His 12 year old son and team mate took out the juniors with 9 laps.  MTB has a big future ahead with young kids coming up the ranks like this.
Keep riding
Mike