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

Fathers Day Special - The Back Yamma BigFoot

As with all epic mountain bike rides, the preparation and what happens before and after race, often takes up more words than the actual ride itself.  The Back Yamma Bigfoot is a race I have always wanted to attend, so with a fixed elbow and a thirst for racing I entered on the spur of the moment (never a good move when you have family) only to realise it was Father's Day.  Hmmm, now some might say, hey, it's Father's Day, you should be able to do what you want! and that's true to a degree, but I hated leaving my family, so that's the price you sometimes pay to race at a high level.

The Road Trip

It was so good heading west out of the big smoke and many drivers were treated to a view of two gorgeous Lamborghinis cruisy down Pennant Hills Road in the wet traffic.  The guys were just cruisy slowly so you could follow them and pass them and take a really good look.  Wow!
Heading over the mountains, the mist and rain was beautiful and then once I got past Lithgow, the rain halted and gradually the clouds broke to reveal a picturesque landscape of blue skies, puffy clouds and lush green and golden fields as far as the eye could see.

Lamborghini on Pennant Hills Road

Michael's Mistake

The legs were a little stiff and definitely in need of some blood flow so a quick rego and tent pop up and I was off to enjoy a dusty ride as the sun set.  I'd bumped in Grantley who had just finished the first 30 km in a little over an hour, which would suit me fine.  I'd be back for dinner and an early bed.  I took a big gulp of water, fixed my lights to my helmet and I was away, and didnt it feel good.  The track was bone dry and dusty as .... in the race, you couldn't see the ground for the dust being kicked up by the wheel in front!

Sunset over Canola fields Back Yamma State Forest

I was having such a great time as I flicked on my lights, I didnt really notice I'd missed the turn off back to the event centre until I looked at my Garmin and it said 35km.  Uh oh, well nothing for it but to continue on, for some reason I had in mind that the 30 km loop went back through transition and it wasnt till I clocked up 40km that I realised my error.  Now I was really in a deep hole and I just kept digging.  No idea where I was, my lights were dimming, I was tired and thirsty, and just top it off, on a bit of fireroad I caught a tyre track with the front wheel and went down pretty hard, oh great now the gears arent working.  All the worst thoughts were racing through my mind from, "how will I fix my bike" to "I'm going to get cleaned up by a Kangaroo or a Cow" to "I'm going to miss dinner" to "I'm going to be stuck out here all night!"
Finally I flicked over to the map page on my Garmin and saw the "Begin" point wasnt too far away.  Oh thankyou! The navigational logic of the Garmin has always been pretty dodgy but on this occasion, it totally saved me.
I still had 10km or so to ride and even when I got to within sight of the event centre there was this dirty great ravine keeping me at bay, so I scrambled down and found a way out and headed straight for my tent.  By this time I was pretty cold.  It was now 9pm and all was quiet in the camp site.  Peter from Rotary, saved my life with a couple of sausage sandwiches some Milo and we even shared a beer as I recounted my ill-planned reccy, and he explained to me a little about the history of the land and the relationship with the kangaroos!
It all ended well and when I got back to my tent I was bone tired.  I washed all the dust off and set about getting some sleep while I pondered how I would repair my bike before tomorrow's 7:45 race start.

Rise and Shine?

At 5:30am, the alarm was not welcome.  I had sleep quite restlessly and you always feel you have only just dozed off into a deep sleep when the alarm goes off.  First things first, get some fuel into the tank, I was starving.  Second things second, figure out the bike.  I had kinked the cable and damage the ferrule so I wandered around looking for some friendly mechanic who might have a spare cable and ferrule.  Rod Farrell (race organiser) was kind enough to find his last gear cable and end cap for me to use, but I'd have to make do with the split ferrule.  Back to the bike, and I swapped the two ferrules at either end of the outer, inserted the new cable and reset the gears, "Yes! we now have a working bike, I wasnt really looking forward to going single speed today."

Chatting with Alex on the start, noone seemed all that keen to start on the front row

I lined up on the start next to Brett "Jeebus" Bellchambers.  I have no idea what he was talking about (the brain still foggy from last night's misadventure) and yet he still made me laugh and I was thankful just to be there.  The race start wasn't too bad and I was hanging onto the lead group for a while but soon the gaps started to appear and I was pretty tentative on the track not being able to see where I was riding for the dust and had no desire to wash out again, so I backed it off and saw my adversaries sail past.  First Jason Morgan and then Quantum team mate Alex Kooijman in hot pursuit and my heart and legs just come up empty.

Great shot courtesy of Michael Crummy drifting out of another perfect corner

For me it would be a case of enjoy the ride and use it as a training exercise in skills and nutrition and to that effect I had a great day. I rode with a group of 5 guys from the 20-40km mark and hit the front to do some work. After a few k's I had a gap with only the singlespeeder on my wheel.  At the half way point there were some pretty tired 100k riders; two guys quipped that they were trashed, but I felt pretty comfortable and had been careful to keep up the fluids and gels.  A quick bottle swap and I was off for the 2nd 50km.  For this lap I was pretty much on my own and I picked up a few riders who were succumbing to cramps, it had suddenly got hot!  The trails are so much fun out here, I liken it to Kowen Forest without the Pine trees.  Lots of flowing corners and a few tight ones that can catch you unaware.  Lots of sketchy gravelling descents that tempt you to drift into ruts and stay off the brakes.  Again the Ellsworth 29er was the weapon of choice and the 1x10 setup was perfect and kept the legs spinning all day.  The Curve/Rubena pairing continues to outperform and there was many a loose corner when the Rubena Kratos bit and held the line as my heart was in my mouth for fear of washing out.

Ellsworth Enlightenment, shod with Rubena tyres and Curve Carbon hoops

Alex had a great ride and was unlucky not to podium.  Unfortunately for him there was no Elite category so James Downing automatically took 1st place in Masters and overall, what a machine!  The next 3 places in Masters were spread by only 6 minutes and I cheekily took 5th in a dash for the finish line a further 12 minutes back, not too bad considering.

Hit the Road Jack

But my day wasn't over yet.  Normally one to stay for pressos, I was on a mission to get back for my son Thomas' confirmation.  Now 16, he made his own decision to make a public declaration of his faith in Jesus Christ.  I don't want to make a big song and dance about it, but I am incredibly proud of my son who is growing into a thoughtful, mature, happy, respectful and well balanced young man and he now has an eternal perspective on life.  What more could a Dad ask for Father's Day?

Keep Riding
Mike

Hebrew 10:23
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful"

Tom and 7 others ready for confirmation with Rev Chris Edwards at St Philips Turramurra

Chocolate Foot Round 4 Coondoo

It was a strange feeling packing up all the gear prepping for the STM round in Nowra.  With interruptions from weather earlier in the year and then an injury, my racing season has been....well.....sparse to say the least.  Suffice to say the injury forced me to re-appraise my priorities and how I "do life" and with a few tweeks I was in a much better place mentally to head into a race.  Now 9 weeks since my accident and having completed 3 good weeks on the trainer with some help from cycle coach Dave Hunt, it was time to return to the race scene and see where the legs were at.  

The evening before was a perfect race prep, travelling down with fellow Masters racer Ian Bridgland, we took in a practice lap and found the track had drained well and would be in great nick for the race.  SCUM had put in a huge effort to prep the track and some of the new berms on the descent were just awesome, thanks guys!  I spent the evening reading a cycling blog, catching glimpse's of the classic James Bond "Dr No" and soon fell asleep to the soothing calm of a light shower signalling the end of the rain (surely!?).

Sure enough the weatherman got it right and we awoke to near ideal conditions Sunday morning.  The race started with the usual lead out on the fireroad and I comfortably found a spot near the rear of the lead bunch.  It is in these first few minutes when you discover whether you brought your race legs and I was happy with my first effort.  A errant strip of bunting diverted the lead bunch into an "hors d'oeuvre" of single track and confusion reigned for a moment, but there was nothing to be done except to hold the wheel in front and we all seemed to emerge back onto the fireroad none the worse off.  It's the little surprises like this that make a race more memorable.

And so the first lap completed, I was glad to to see we were in second with a healthy buffer to 3rd.  It turned out Mark Hardy wasn't so fortunate with the way the diversion worked out and he and Ben spent the entire day clawing back the 4 minutes he'd lost on the first lap.  Without that bit of race luck, the end result may have been a little different.

Having the Bioathletic team there was fantastic and added a whole other dimension to those riding in a team.  The option to take an ice bath in between laps and then stretch out on a roller was a great way to recover and I am sure it helped me to maintain consistent lap times all day.  Thanks to Jen and the team, you rocked.  

Dave Eccles entertaining some of the lovely Choc Foot ladies in the "IceT" bath

A good graph showing the epic battle for all you strategists out there

The rest of day panned out pretty much to plan and personally I just had a ball reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.  As you can see from above, Mark and Ben were never far away, chasing hard all day and Michael "Browny" Brown was the hero of the day setting blistering lap times and making a very good substitute for regular partner Phil Welch.  Phil is away riding the Mongolia Bike Challenge and at this very moment is probably reclining in a warm Gur somewhere on the Mongolian tundra partaking of his first swig of "airag". Meanwhile Jason and Paul set a pace that was inspiring and took the win with ease.

The Ellsworth Enlightenment setup with 1x10 performed beautifully on the track, still nimble in the tight corners and light as a feather up hill, but my lower back is complaining today!  The Curve Cycling wheels continue to impress and have taken the bike to a new level of performance.  Paired with the Rubena Kratos, steering and cornering has never been so precise and so reliable thanks to the wide profile rim.

The 7hr Masters Pairs podium.  You can actually see Mark thinking, if only I'd gone just that little bit harder!

The bridge added an extra fun feature at the end of the lap

Fi showing how it's done off a jump that launches one into orbit

I'd also like to extend a huge vote of thanks to all the support I've received from Turramurra Cyclery over the years.  My identity was practically synonymous with the Blue and White kit, (indeed many of you didn't recognise me in the new green kit from Quantum), but after nearly 8 years I reckoned it was time for a change and I'm looking forward to focussing my attention to more MTB riding together with a bunch of riders who have some similar goals to me.  All I need to do now is perfect my Euro accent.  I'm getting lessons by listening to Martin Wisata's staple Armin Van Buuren - State on Trance while I spin away on the wind trainers.  Who knows, even I could find myself on the start line of the TransAlp one day.

Keep riding

Mighty 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

Mr Hyde may not be so Evil after all

You could say that Peloton Sports has a bit of a Jeckyll and Hyde personality, but before you jump to conclusions let me explain.  For the majority of riders, the culture is very civilised, riders are cared for and accommodated into a bunch that most appeals to their desired pace, thereby demonstrating the very kind Dr Jeckyll.  But step up to the plate and take on the A bunch and things take a decidedly different turn; the evil Hyde rears his head and the ride takes the complexion of a life and death struggle.  It is a full on battle where many a rider is put to the sword and only a select few survive and today was no exception.

In the end there were only 3 survivors today (huge props to Camo, Nathan and Rowdy), and this type of competition may not be for everyone, but it is in the heat of the battle when every fibre of your being is pushed to it’s limits that you find out what you are made of.  Of course not everyone can finish with the leaders and there is nothing quite so gratifying as falling into a small group of comrades and continuing to ride as hard as you can to limit the losses and stay away from the next chasing group. 

The ride started out friendly enough with 30 or more riders fostering hopes of glory.  At times the pace dropped to almost pedestrian and Rowdy was certainly on a mission today, so when Nathan dropped the hammer at Cowan he had plenty of followers keen to test the legs and a bunch of 12 or so tacked on the rear after a scintillating descent of Brooklyn.  There’d be no regroups today, so it was a steady gruppetto up Mt White and roll on.  Mill Billy put in a solid turn up the rise past Road Warriors and before we knew it we were again hurtling down a negative incline to the Mooney Mooney creek.  Again the group coalesced; only Camo and Rowdy tried their luck up the climb, meanwhile Julian pulled the turn of the day and towed a few others up the climb to realise a few PR’s.  Camo got a well earned rest at the top, only so he could plot his next attack.  We didn’t have to wait long.  With still about 12 in tow, we turned left onto Wiseman’s Ferry Rd.  Camo turned up the blow torch and it was pain and suffering all the way to Somersby Heights.  Every pinch, the attack came and it wasn’t long before the legs said enough and I settled in for an ITT as I watched Camo, Mark, Nathan, Garry, Julian and Tim ride away.  There was a slight reprieve when Julian fell victim Mill Billy’s CX riding style, but the result remained unchanged and soon there was a trail of gooey riders strung out all doing their best impression of Jens Voight in a solo break.  

Getting gooey on the road to Somersby

This is where the camaraderie began and Josh, Tim, Graeme, Jeremy, Mike and “Specialised Track man” pooled resources to set a cracking pace across the Peats Ridge TT.  Four riders were sharing the load with 2 just content to be there and that’s the way it went all the way to Brooklyn until the last two cracked and the Fab Four were left to finish the job.  Arriving back at the after party, we’d averaged 34kph over 140km with 2000m of climbing (TSS 350).

 

The fab four today Graeme, Mike, Tim and Josh

So it seems the evil Mr Hyde isn’t really that evil after all.  The feeling of accomplishment and pride and mateship that comes from completing a ride, having given it your all is unbeatable.  We are indeed lucky to have a number of talented riders that are happy to measure the pace for the most part and then to turn up the volume and provide a platform to train harder and faster than you ever dared to imagine.  I’m not saying that just to to piss in their pockets, but to ride with these guys is a real privilege and it means pretty much any level of non-professional rider can turn up on any given Sunday and have a red hot go.

Strava tells me the last time I rode up Mooney Mooney was almost 3 years ago and today I beat that time by almost 4 minutes. That’s what PS has done for me, I’m fitter and healthier (and happier!) than I ever before in my life.  Peloton Sports continues to set the pace when it comes to recreational riding that is designed to reflect as close as possible the feeling of elite road cycling, and that holds true for everyone from the genetically gifted young gentlemen who would give the NRS a real shake, to the complete newbie who starts riding because he or she is looking for some new friends, to get fit or a variety of other equally valid reasons.  I hope everyone enjoyed the ride today as much as I did and judging from the conversation back at Bar Stelvio in between mouthfuls of lamington and a well deserved Australia Day holiday beer I'd say that’s a given.

Keep riding

Mike

Race within a Race

It just had to be done.  After our epic battle at WEMBO, it seemed like a logical move to team up with Ian Bridgland as a pair for the 6+6 at the Rocky Trail JetBlack 24 hour.

In the lead up Ian quipped it would be a race within a race and I guessed he meant we'd conduct our own little personal challenge to try and beat each other's lap times.  Of course he might have been thinking something completely different, but it is amazing how close our lap times were and we were just enjoying the thrill of being able to put out a fast lap and then recover instead of the usual slugfest where survival is the name of the game.

It was also great to see my son Tommy riding so well and getting closer to my lap times and playing a big part in his team taking second in the Junior team of 6 for the 6+6

Tommy makes the Juniors 4 podium

As for us, shall we say. "more mature gentlemen", Ian and I were stoked to take out Masters Category and post a solid result overall.  The track, the weather and the general vibe on the track from other riders could not have been better.  It was a thrill to ride with living legends like Cory Wallace the Canadian who seems to have been made an honorary Aussie, Andrew Lloyd who was happy enough to sit on my wheel for the last 500m of a lap.  He was clearly taking a breather and sucking in a gel whilst I rode beyond my limits trying not to hold him up too much. And "The Jeebus"; what can I say, I think he did about 480 laps on a SS.  Good mates Phil and Pete were there as well, smiles all round, not to mention the newly formed JetBlack team who looked great in their new bright yellow kit and featured frequently in the top finishers.  Kudos to team manager Grahame Sonter

The event was chilled with great beats and lots of families all out for a fun weekend of camping and comradeship and for me it was the perfect end to a stellar season with 7 podiums from 7 starts including 4 1st places.  Certainly my leanest year for some time in terms of actual races entered, but 2013 is a year I will never forget with highlights including riding the Tour of California, taking the family to the Northern Territory and winning WEMBO.

Mike and Ian take 1st place

The rest of the year has been pretty relaxed over Christmas with a bit of road cycling and some service combined with a little recreation in beautiful Brunswick Heads cooking for the SUFM Mission team.  I was even persuaded to participate in the Brunz World Title Aquathon; a hotly contested local event where health nuts have been competing for bragging rights for more than 15 years!  No bike leg unfortunately but the 2.5km run was just enough for me to actually enjoy running :)  It's been around 20 years since Sarah and I were last involved in a mission of this type, but to see the respect this team had in town, the participation of so many kids there on holidays and trust from parents, and the passion this team had for sharing the Gospel has put a new perspective on everyday life.

The Master Chef team from Brunswick Heads SUFM

2014 is looking huge and I couldn't help but get excited at the state of Australian cycling after an amazing Road Nationals on the weekend just past.  In my mind this positive energy must flow across all levels of cycling and the number of cyclists enjoying the outdoors Last Sunday morning around West Head/Akuna Bay just goes to confirm this is a hugely popular sport.
My season plan will see a mix of new events including the Alpine 3 Peaks Challenge as well as a return to the Choc Foot STM series as my main staple of races and a few 100km marathons sprinkled in between.  I can hardly wait to get amongst it again

Keep Riding
Mike

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

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

The Mountain Bike is Evolving

This all started last Saturday when I noticed a bit of play on the drive side crank on the Trek. It appeared as though the BB had come slightly loose. As soon as I got home, I whipped off the cranks and was bemused to say the least, when the BB cup was not just a bit loose it actually just fell out. Completely stripped was the thread on the cup and inside the frame. Not quite what I was hoping for just 2 weeks out from the worlds.

Importantly I want to share with you some intel on why I think this happened so you can avoid it happening to you (Thanks to Mark at TMC for explaining). The Trek has a 68mm wide BB, Standard Shimano BB is made for 73mm, so you will usually find a couple of spacers on the drive side if your BB is 68mm. Problem here is that leaves precious little thread to actually screw into the frame. It only has to get a tiny bit loose and then the resulting play will see the metal slowly grind away. So the answer is to only have one spacer on the drive side, this gives you a better chain line to use the granny anyway which isnt all bad.

OK slight diversion back to the main story

So I head into the shop, yeah they can fix but "When am I going to get my first Carbon frame?" they ask. It is clear the Trek's racing days are numbered even if they can fix, so perhaps it is time to think about my next serious bike purchase.

The Giant was pretty cheap and was really just a long term tester to see if the 29er was right for me. Big tick in that box.

So we have a bit of a chat about what is available, I would like to strip down the Giant and reuse my upgraded parts. A hardtail carbon frameset is what I need. And then they introduce me to the Ellsworth Enlightenment 29er.

I'll admit it was love at first sight.

Mark and Simey did an awesome job of fitting me up and looking at the best setup for me and long story short, just one week later I have my Trek back, I have a nice clean Giant 29er frame looking for a new home and I now have an absolute rocket carbon race bike.

This bike is amazing to ride, it's plush and compliant but with plenty of lateral strength, it climbs like nothing I have ridden before and simply floats over water bars, take as much air as you want, this puppy just flies and lands level everytime.

It's a gorgeous bike, let's face it, alot of this sport has to do with how things look and rolling up to the bunch Saturday morning their was certainly a few raised eyebrows as the group appraised the latest incarnation of off road cycling.

Congratulations Ellsworth, now I see why you have such a loyal following, add another convert to your list of riders and thanks again to Turramurra Cyclery for the amazing job you did in getting me on this bike in time for the Worlds.

One sad little footnote to this story is the roadie is gone. The faithful Wilier Evasion that has bore me over many a kilometre in the last three years had to go. The theory behind n+1 bikes is all well and good but it doesnt do much for the bank balance. I am sad to see this bike go, I have simply loved riding it, but it goes to a good mate who I know will get alot of enjoyment from her.

Keep riding

Mike