The Stromlo Grin

These days, it's kind of rare to get a bunch of guys and gals together and just go riding.  There always seems to be some race or training ride that must be done, so it was with a sense of wonder that our little crew first raised the question of taking a day off from work, JUST TO RIDE

No racing, no rushing, no stress, no strava (well OK we didnt quite go that far) just ride.

The date was set and equipped with a new elbow and a shiny new set of Curve Cycling Carbon hoops we set off down the Hume highway for what would prove to be a very valuable Mental Health Day.

After loading up the bikes just before dawn we all met up at the Trappers Bakery Goulburn for coffee.  Imagine sitting in an enclosed sun drenched verandah sipping a great coffee and pulling apart a hot date scone lashed with butter and just enjoying the idea of a day's riding ahead and no race briefing deadline to obey.  Pure bliss!

Onwards to Stromlo, and at the very civilised time of 10am we rolled out of the carpark on a perfect late Winter's morning, sun blazing and just the wisp of a cool breeze, perfect riding conditions.  After an hour or so of riding, Finchy had a grin from ear to ear, having come off a 26" Fuel 9.9, to a 29" BH Lynx, he just couldn't believe MTBing could be so enjoyable, so we quickly diverted up Bloodrock just to prove how rocky and technical MTB can get!  Rob claimed the closest rider to the "no dab" award, well done mate, and Jason, being a Stromlo virgin, could scarcely believe how good this trail network could be and rapidly began searching domain for properties located within riding distance!

The crew summitting Mt Stromlo for the first time that day

We pretty much covered every cm of trail at Stromlo, putting together our accumulated knowledge from many a race day, from the challenge of Heartbreaker and Bloodrock to the sheer "yeooowwww" factor of Skyline/Luge or Pork Barrel and Double Disillusion.  The Briony had a very off day, by not even drawing blood from one of her knees, but the smiles never stopped and Watty couldnt resist towards the end of the day and gave the pedals a bit of a burst down Breakout and into Muckraker just to remind everyone what it feels like to ride on the limit.

Watty enjoying the very popular Chicken Avocado Focacia for lunch

We'd thought about packing up and heading over to Sparrow, but everyone was just enjoying the ambience of Stromlo so much we decided there were further trails to be explored so it was back onto the bikes and out again.  On the final descent down Skyline, Matty was clearly having "too much fun" and bit the dust pressing into a berm just a fraction too hard, but he was OK, if not a little dazed and dusty.  By 4pm we all reckoned we call it a day and even finished it off with a hot shower before the trip home.  #sheerluxury

We had a few laughs when the call came from the Mazda 3 that the trip computer was saying 3km to go on fuel still 30km south of Goulburn and could we slow down and give them a tow!!  thankfully Jason put his drafting skills to good use and the Mazda 3 pulled into the servo with nothing but fumes left in the tank.

Jason enjoying some post ride nutrition on the way home

Who was that masked man?  Yep, a real true blue living legend, humble as apple pie, owner of the bakery Keith aka "The Trapper"

On the way home, it just had to be done, another relaxing stop at the bakery and we were thrilled to meet the owner Keith, who had noticed us in the morning and wanted to know all about our cycling adventures.

As for me, the elbow never complained and whilst my descending was a little more conservative than usual, it was clear "he's back" ;) and as for those Carbon rims, what can I say, simply the best hoops I've ever ridden and that includes that other very expensive and fancy brand.  Why? the profile gives you an awesome tyre profile for cornering and precise steering especially over the rocky stuff, and there was a clear advantage in the way the rims picked up speed after a slow switchback.  Take for example some of the 'A' line switchbacks on the trunk climb;  Corners I would normally struggle to make without unclipping were suddenly a breeze, as the slightest pressure on the pedals propelled the wheels forward again.  Finally Strava doesnt lie, and I set a number of PR's up a climb that I've ridden probably a hundred times and in peak fitness.  After 6 weeks off the mountain bike to set a PR without really trying says something with the wheels being the only difference.  Well you might say I am an ambassador, and I received a discount, so of course I'm obliged to say something positive.  But those who know me, now I'm pretty transparent when it comes to speaking my mind so there you go.  Give the guys at Curve a call and see what they can do for you.

Keep riding
Mighty Mike

Scody 3 Peaks Challenge

They don't call this one of the Top 10 hardest rides in the world for nothing.  Having completed it for the first time last weekend, I reckon the organisers have a fair claim to that title.  I had no idea Australia had such impressive mountains!

3 Peaks is a timed event for 1800 riders taking in Towonga Gap, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek. The 235km loop boasts just over 4500 metres vertical.  A new record number took up the challenge this year with the event selling out and also 11% riders were female which is great to see.  The challenge is to finish within the 13 hours deadline and avoid getting a tap on the shoulder from the Lanterne Rouge.

Heading into this ride, I have never felt so clueless before.  I'd never climbed this much on the road bike, my training had been a little sporadic over the last 6 weeks and the weather could turn very nasty indeed as I had heard so many horror stories from years gone by.  But I kept thinking "just 3 climbs, how hard can it be?" A sure sign of denial or just plain stupidity.  I was hearing stories of people setting up with 32t cogs or 28t with a compact.  Really?  In the end I discovered it's not the amount of climbing that get's you, it's the gradient.

The night before I carb loaded to an inch of my life with the Easy Riders crew I was staying with and settled in for the usual light sleep I normally experience before a big ride.  I was first to rise at 4:30am for a light breakfast just to top off the energy stores and I was on the start in the dark with many other keen beans by 6 to get a good place on the start grid.  The temperature and forecast was perfect and before long we were rolling out and cruising down from Falls Creek to Mt Beauty.  All the riders were pretty good and rode sensibly, except for one guy who I saw overcook a corner on my outside and head straight off into a ditch.  Not a great start for him poor guy, but it served as a great warning to take it easy and survive the first hour.

Ready, Set.....

The legs were feeling good and I got into a nice little bunch on the flat before setting the cruise control up Towonga, the first peak.  Over the top, it's a beautiful sweeping descent and I picked up one rider, we bridged across to another 3 and then the 5 of us caught a big bunch of 10 or so.  Cool, time to sit in and save some energy.  Harrietville is the next stop and we mostly all rolled straight through and onto the biggest climb of the day, Mt Hotham.  This is another truly epic climb, starting steep, then keeping a respectable gradient for the next 10km or so.  It flattens out for a while and just as you are getting comfortable, BANG! In come 3 big bergs in excess of 10% and it's at this point you start to realise a compact crankset would be handy!

Over the top of the highest sealed road in Australia and the views are beyond words.  I was stunned by the magnificent views looking back down the mountain and following the faint line that we had followed up the range for the previous 2 hours and momentarily forgot the pain starting to develop in my legs.  

Nearing the summit of Mt Hotham

Again I found a couple of willing wheels as we swapped off down the mountain and before long we pulled into the lunch stop at Dinner Plain to refuel.  I was surprised to find how hungry I was and spent the next 15 mins gobbling down lunch and repacking my belongings to complete the ride and send back what I no longer needed in my pockets.  Great organisation here, this whole process was very smooth and professionally run, so a huge thankyou at this point to the hundreds of volunteers who help to make this event so successful and so enjoyable

You cant stand around all day waiting for the right bunch, so I pulled out of the carpark and before long teamed up with a fit looking young guy and we were hammering the rest of the descent until he started to cramp so it was onto the front and steady as she goes.  Before long a group of 10 or so appeared including a couple of strong guys from Perth and Peter "Stealthy" Ogilvy.  Kudos to Stealthy here who stuck with me for the next 80 km's unlike Drastic who snuck through the lunch stop and set a cracking pace to break the 9 hour barrier!  Stealthy and I chatted away and stayed in touch with the bunch.  I was starting to lose my punch up the undulations and this was one of the hardest sections of the ride through to Omeo.  The section through to Angler's Rest was really cool.  It was kind of a winding false flat through a valley and we had about 5 or 6 guys taking turns and setting a good pace.  By Anglers Rest the temperature had soared to 30 deg and I needed water fast.

Drastic in full flight

Fresh water tasted great as I could no longer swallow energy drink and whilst the odometer looked promising with just 40km to go, this ride has a sting in the tail.  Undoubtably the hard part of the ride appears at "WTF" corner.  Right on 200km, the road kicks left and up and the next 9km @ 9% is no joke. It's now 32 deg, my eyes sting from the sweat and glare from the white road surface, I have to leave my sunglasses off so I can keep sponging the sweat out of my eyes and I am grinding up what seems to be a never-ending ramp.  I feels like an eternity passes before the odometer clicks over one more km and it takes every skerrick of my determination not to get off and walk (in fact a little later I do walk 200m or so up another steep ramp).  My cadence is so low, I cant get my heart rate over 75%, I just dont have the strength to push any harder and after pinning it for 200km on 9 hour pace, I give up a 70 places in the long haul to the finish.  I finally crest the climb alone and am left with a 10km flattish sector around the lake (with a head wind I might add) to finish in 9:19. Again the scenery is sublime and it's a great way to finish the ride. The sense of euphoria on finishing this ride proved what a great challenge it really is. I felt so much emotion at the finish and I was completely choked up as the crowd cheered on every finisher.

Thanks to Collette for this pic at the finish.  The smile says it all, "I did it!"

I'm calling it the toughest road ride I've ever done.  Last May I rode the second stage of the Tour of California from Murietta to Palm Springs:193km, 3000m vert and 47 degrees for the last 40km.  This was harder, and yet by 9pm that night, I was planning my return.  That's a good sign.  The sooner you forget the mutterings of "never again", the less it really hurt.

I hung around the finish for a while cheering on all the finishers and caught up with a few mates, but a shower, food and a nap were calling loudly.  Sunday night was one of the most glorious post ride celebrations I can recall with plenty of beer, steak and war stories to go around. Thanks to the Easy Riders bunch for an unforgettable weekend and for making me feel so welcome. Everyone was keen to hear about each others day, and an almighty cheer rose up when the last of our group made a grand entrance and beat the Lanterne Rouge with 10 minutes to spare.

Lake at the top of Falls Creek

Congrats to all Turramurra riders: Mary-Lou, Josh, Graeme, Soren, Dave, Tony, Simon and Andrew to name a few, I know there were lots more!  All I can say is if you ever get the chance to do this ride, go for it.  The scenery is just amazing, beautiful roads, great people, but don't forget your 28-34 gear!

Keep Riding

Mike

Some artisitc snaps here from Graeme Weatherill