That's Racing

We were met with pristine conditions at Coondoo Rd for the third round of the Single Track Mind series and after a satisfactory pre-race carb load at Leong's chinese and a good sleep at the Camby Hilton, Brad and I were ready to tackle the dry dusty trails that weave through the Comberton State Forest.

I got an absolute zinger off the start line and again determined not to go too hard too early settled into a steady pace for the first lap and was happy to be in first place for the Solo Masters. Coming through transition into the 2nd lap, I had Garry James hot on my tail and we played tag for a little while as I would get a gap in the tight downhill sections and Garry would catch me up on the little climbs. Knowing how strong Garry is, I didnt want to go playing with fire and let him go on the third climb into transition and concentrated on consolidating 2nd place, always looking back expecting to see the bright orange of Jason McAvoy looming large.

Photo courtesy Dave Bateman



The track as always here is fun to ride and the corners can be treacherous on the sandy mix but I mostly stayed out of trouble aside from the odd handlebar clip passing between narrowly spaced trees. The new section of track was literally a pain in the backside but that's how it is with new sections and it held up alot better than the rutted dust bowl we had to endure at Orange and of course you have to remember that someone put their heart and soul into cutting the new trail, thanks for that trail fairies. I reckon the opportunity to get 300 riders to ride over a new section 5 or more times is a big carrot for trail builders and now we've got a great new segment of trail (well it might need a couple of little berms thrown in!)

On lap 5 a little panic set in when one of my 800ml bottles went flying out of the cage and I was in too much of a hurry to stop. What would happen without 25% of my fluids and a big chunk of energy go AWOL? Luckily there were lots of jettisonned bottles and I decided to stop and pick one up and take a slug. By the time I got back round to the same spot, there it was lying in the middle of the track, amazingly with the lid still on. Phew that was a close one!

On lap 9 the heart rate was still looking good and I tagged a ride up the main fireroad with a much bigger stronger rider...whoa 88% and I am in the draft??? See you later buddy and thanks for the tow. Next lap it was Phil Welch who came charging through the ZigZags and flashed past me on the way into the last sniggle. He looked and was riding like a man possessed so I took the safe option and let him go. I figured if he can keep that pace going I cant match him and if I can save some energy he might blow up towards the finish. Still 4 laps (maybe 5 to go). The 5 hour mark in a 7 hour race is the hump for me. Just 4 little laps to go you say to yourself, but the body talks back and says that's easy for you to say brain. This is starting to hurt! Pedal damn it and shut up legs!!! Lap 12 and Tupac, Andy and Ed all eased past with time for a brief chat and a word of encouragement. Andy said Jase was a few minutes back so that took some pressure off. Nice that team mates can still pass on a little intel to the competition.

One last pit stop to grab some carbs and I was off and soon on my 2nd last lap and feeling great when some weird things started happening on the track. First a really fast aggressive rider in t-shirt and baggies came barrelling down the track. I got out of his way as he shoved past me without so much as a track please, but we were both bearing down on a much slower rider. The legend overcooked it on the corner and went down in a squealing heap of dust, as I just managed to float over his back wheel with him and the bike lying prostrate across the track and leaving me nowhere to go and no time to stop. sure enough he reappeared in a minute or so and clearly hadn't learnt anything from him little off. Muppett!

But the big axe fell at the top of the double track leading into Hot as Hell. I came up behind two very slow guys weaving all over the track. I called rider back and saw a big gap on the right so called "on your right". As I started to pass he moved straight over toward me and chopped my front wheel, sending me careening of into the scrub. When I tried to start pedalling again it wasn't happening so I pulled over to find the chain completely mashed. The death toll goes down as one chain breaker, many chain links, a bent mech and more than 15 minutes of race time. Not a bad bit of bush mechanics to remove and reinsert the same pin to rejoin the chain. Huge thanks to Kylie and the guy who pulled over with his sturdy chainbreaker (my topeak one broke!) and stayed until the job was done. My only regret is I didn't ask his name and I couldn't track him down at the finish, but mate I couldn't have finished without your help, so thanks! Even Jase slowed down to see if there was anything he could do to help as he slipped into 3rd place. A true gentleman.

I rejoined the race who know's where and fought back to 4th place to salvage some series points, just pipping Matt at the post who came in 5th. Here is the gaps between the top 5 for each lap. It would have been a great battle with Phil at the end if not for my misadventure but that's racing.

Overall I was stoked with my race and now looking forward to the next round to try and pull back Phil and Jase. Whilst Jase and Garry probably have 1st and 2nd for the series sewn up, Phil and I will be battling for the last spot on the podium. thanks to everyone involved especially SCUM for a great track, sponsors SRAM and organisers Choc Foot, and Turramurra Cyclery for your continued awesome support and getting my rig tuned again and ready to race another day

Keep Riding
Mike

What I ate
10 gels
2 x 800mL HEED (3 scoops)
1 x 800mL HEED (2 scoops)
1 x 600mL Opti
1 TORC bar (Apple and Raspberry, dry but go down alright)
1 banana

As the temperatures start to rise the fluids will too! Probably add another 800mL to this all mixed on 2 scoops for the next rounds

Husky100 2012

A picture perfect morning greeted the field or the Husky100 today. My prep was pretty good and after 2 big races in the last three weeks, I was ready to give this one all I had in return for a few weeks of no structured training.

Arriving at the Callala Bay RSL, I had plenty of time for rego, get dressed and final adjustments to the bike, check tyre pressures etc. After a brief warm up I went back to the car just before heading for the start and realised my front tyre had gone completely flat. What The? There didn’t seem to be any holes so I quickly pumped it back up and chucked my hand pump in the CamelBak just in case it turned out to be a recurring problem. The start was good although being a few rows back on the grid, gives the front runners an immediate advantage once the field strings out to a long single file, but not to be deterred I pushed hard to maintain the same pace and kept the front runners in sight for most of the first stage.

The legs were feeling great and I was holding 85% max HR for extended periods, but figured I had nothing to lose so continued to push hard to see how long I could last. Apart from a stomach upset at the 60km mark, I pushed hard all day and ended up averaging 80% for the whole ride which I was pretty happy about. Gavin Williams and I had plans to team up and try and work together which worked pretty well to the KOM mark at which point Gav destroyed me. I saw him again briefly at the 60km mark but at that point I couldn’t hold any more gels down so had to back off a touch until my stomach sorted itself out.

For a relatively flat course this KOM kinda hurts

In the middle section a nice little group of about 10 riders formed and we all worked pretty well together to make good ground. Inevitably there were a few spills from guys who tried to get an advantage by riding through the mud holes, only to go over the bars in a shower of mud as the hole plummeted to depths not previously imagined. The bike handling skills were again sorely tested especially when you are climbing a track with 30cm deep ruts common and slippery clay ridges barely wider than your tyre the only ridable line. Line selection was critical as it was always a battle to keep the back wheel on track rather than sliding into the rut forcing you dab your foot.

My only near spill was on a descent when my front tyre caught a dried mud rut and I nearly came a cropper at speed but was able to throw my leg out and stay upright, even warding off the usual cramp such a kick can bring on.
Coondoo was lonely but I was still making good speed. By this stage the demons had crept back into my X0 SRAM drivetrain (fact is they never really leave!) and the small chain ring had well and truly packed it in as the chain sucked after only one or two pedal strokes. I thought about lubing the chain, but I hate stopping so it was the 39t for the second 50km which worked out alright and make me get out of the saddle and push hard on some of the climbs. That being said I think everyone had some form of mechanical at some stage so it was a great leveller and thankfully my front tyre was behaving itself.

MTB Racing can be a lonely track

Now at about 80k’s I was starting think I might pick up Gav again while I kept looking back to see if any other members of our group were catching me. Sure enough at the 95k mark I caught sight of Gav again so I bided my time to catch him to make sure I was fresh. I would need to beat him by a few seconds if I was going to swap positions with him. At one point Gav slowed for a big puddle and I saw my chance and floored it straight through the mud to create a gap but to Gav’s credit he got back on my wheel so now we’d have to battle it out to the finish. I mean let’s face it, that’s a hubbard move anyway so my determination to drop Gav wasn’t quite 100%. I attacked one more time but couldn’t shake him, it seemed he’d been resting up for the last few k’s so his legs were ready to tango. Onto the golf course and he took the lead and I jumped on his wheel. I am sure the 50k riders we were passing at TT speed must have thought we were crazy, but in our minds we were racing for a top 5 finish so it was definitely on. Rounding the last corner a wayward branch ripped into my arm, Gav attacked and in the end just had too much power for me to get close, beating me by 7 seconds.

The Gavatron

Now organisers please note, I know this place is muddy at the best of times. We expect that and to a degree we kinda like it every now and again but really you HAVE TO cut out that section thru Comberton Grange with 10k’s to go. It’s no way to finish a race and it is the worst mud right at the point when your bike least needs it. I know it is probably the quickest way back or there is some other reason, but please consider canning this section as it NEVER dries out. I was following a 50k rider into an ominous pit of filth and she was almost swallowed whole! Otherwise it is a well run event ably supported by the local community and the ice cream and exotic fruit cocktail at the finish was something to savour!

Notable absentee today was Ed “Gears” McDonald who is probably riding a cyclocross bike to the Flinders ranges or something equally silly (Turns out he was mixing it up with Victoria’s finest MTBer’s).

This was my first 100ker since CapPun2011 so it was great to return to this race format, it challenged me to new depths and I am stoked with my result, it was an awesome day and as always the MTB community were cool and chatty and friendly while still finding time to put me in the hurt box. Great to see Cam Peterson there too leave his roadie in the shed and come over to the dark side. He carved out an awesome time and raised more than an eyebrow from a few of the MTB aristocracy and of course looked fresh as a daisy afterwards. Nice one Cam. Machine!

In the end I finished in 5 hours 9 minutes, a long day in the muddy office for sure and 7th in the Masters (18th overall not counting the Elites) and just 4 minutes off 3rd place which goes to show how close these races can get.

Thanks to all those who supported me again in this crazy pursuit of speed, the Eastments for putting me up Friday night, my family for allowing me to and Turramurra Cyclery for your continued support in so many ways

Keep riding
Mike

On a Fling and a Prayer

Coach says, this is it, last race for the year better make it a good one. I couldnt help feeling like I turned up a little under done, but there is nothing wrong with being well rested and with my three roadie mates joining us at the Pony Club for the full MTB experience, plus my two boys in tow, there wasnt really anything to do but just enjoy the event. Tom and Liam each had their new bikes and were loving being away from home and camping. After an easy drive down, setup, rego and dinner, we settled into an easy chat before the expected rain shower began right on bed time. Tommy got his wish and got to hear the rain falling on the tent, while there I was getting soaked inside my "0.5" man tent that is too small, too old and just too bad, so in I dive with the boys. Even though it's a 3 man tent, there wasnt an abundance of room and my two boys love a good sleep walk and talk, so needless to say my sleep wasnt quite uninterupted but I am used to that before a race and still bounced out of bed at 5:30 for breakfast or rice cereal, sustagen and caffiene.
It is a gorgeous day, but we quickly realise it is going to be a hot and sweaty affair and I am going to need every bit of that 3 litres of Endura in my Camelbak. On the start, all the regulars are there. It really is an amazing sport where the social and competitive aspects gel so seamlessly and the friends I have made at these races I know are friends for life.
I get a good spot near the front thanks to Ray and then we are off and straight away I feel great, the legs are strong, the heart rate is contained and I am holding onto the front bunch, I have my racing legs today.
Thankfully the horror first 10km of last year are cut and pasted to another stage and there are no horrible queues into single track. There is plenty of fire road to sort out the field and to my surprise the trails are dusty dry and the Ellsworth is eating it up so much so the first stage is all over in an hour. The next stage is just as great and I feel good. Not wanting to lose touch with the leaders, I roll through transition and get into a fast bunch. I pass Andrew and JMac who are refuelling for the miler and am in touch with Gary which is a big shot in the arm for me going though Bayliss Beauty. I get a good run into the wall and up I go to head into the single track on the front. I know the pace is still pretty hot and the HR still hasnt gone below 85% but I want to ride hard today and give it everything I've got and the nutrition seems to be hanging in there. My race continues to run to plan and I am constantly swapping with two other riders Murray and George but I can steadily feel my stomach starting to reject the concoction of gels and Endura and the first little twinges of cramp are start to appear.
The Frequent Riders lounge is a welcome pit stop from which I take on some GU drink and head off towards Halfway Hill and The Kick. Again the legs feel good and I dont struggle too much up these climbs as much as in previous years. Next is Outer Limits, another hilly section and I make the critical mistake of getting off the bike on the last pinch before the pastures and bang, the massive cramp strikes my right quad and hammy. There is nothing to do but take a seat for a couple of minutes have a good long drink and wait for it to settle. The guys I have been racing with all offer me drinks as they roll past and JMac passes me too. Soon enough I am rolling again with Steve Knight coming up behind me which I am thankful for and I latch onto to his wheel as we hit the fast roads back into Wingello, but alas the left leg "throws a rod" and I have to stop pedalling to let the cramp subside as Steve disappears in a cloud of dust.
The energy levels are still good and soon the cramps are back in the their box and I make it back into town just a minute behind Steve. Another bottle of GU and we roll out together with Murray and George, the fast four. The final stage is one of beauty with some new trails and we all hoot and hollar as we pelt down a farm road through a gate and completely miss the sharp right hander and end up riding very wide through some long thick grass. There is single track and some more fireroad and I am happy to find the cramps seem to be holding off. The free bike wash looms up pretty quick and then we hit the Boundary Road knowing from previous years we are close to home...but what???? as 50km riders head back up the boundary we are directed in the opposite direction and you can almost hear the evil cackle of Huw as he takes us on a killer loop, the same loop we used to do at the start of the race, but in reverse and it is just one pinch after the next. George has dropped off a while back and Murray has put the hammer down so it is just Steve and I to push each other on. I know he'll be ahead of me on adjusted time as I crossed the start line first and didnt spend much time in transitions but I decide to stick with him even though he is fighting off the cramps big time. This last 10km is tough at this stage of the race during the hottest part of the day. On one very steep pinch I decide to keep riding but over the top I am blinded by the sudden pool of salty sweat pooling into my eyes. Brokeback Mountain is also a test of the spirit but still the energy levels up good and the cramps seem to be gone for good. Across the creek and Steve says he cant hang on any longer but I tell him just to hold my wheel and we can finish this together.


Finally we return to the boundary road, Murray takes the long choice and we go the shorter beating him to the post. The last bitumin is also a blast, after such a long hard race, it is a rush to lock off the suspension, shove it in the dog and ride a pace line back into town and Steve and I cross the line together in 5th and 7th positions respectively. My time of 5:26 is 30 mins off the previous two years so I am stoked with that and I find my boys have also had their success with Tom getting 5th in his age and Liam winning his age race.

Thanks to Turramurra Cyclery for this awesome Ellsworth 29er. It did not miss a beat all day! Thanks and congrats to all the TORC and Peloton Sports riders for your awesome results and especially to Steve Knight for teaming up at the end and pushing me to the finish.

Thanks to my family, first my gorgeous wife Sarah who bears with all my training and racing. Without airing too much dirty laundry, we had a bit of a barny the week prior to this race but it was great making up and it was a wake up call to me to keep things in perspective. My kids Danielle, Liam and Thomas, you guys rock!

Thanks also to my coach Dave Hunt of FTP, this year has been absolutely beyond expectations and next year is looking very exciting.

And finally to all the organisers, sponsors and volunteers who made this race possible. Special mention to the race commentator who kept the throng entertained all day and delivered his kiss to a grimy sweaty cheek at the end of the race as promised for correctly answering the quiz question. Nice one!

Keep riding

Mike

Sydney 24 hour - Feb 6-7, 2010

The weather was always going to be doubtful. On arriving at the resort, it was dry and hard packed, but Friday night down it came...ok that could be good, let's get all the rain over now before the race starts, I thought, how wrong I was!
The first 4 hours were pretty non-eventful, putting in some solid laps and the rain mostly drizzled. At that point you start to regret what you have started as you realise that you still have 20 hours to go! There was only one deep creek crossing for which I dismounted each time. No point trashing the bike at this point I reasoned and was cursed as a damn roadie for my trouble!
By 5pm, the rain had ceased for a time, and the track was as good as it gets, tacky with just a few puddles. A couple of laps on the reserve bike, while the chain is lubed, brakes checked and Fulcrums fitted to my beloved Trek. Back into pit lane, a quick bike swap and I am rocketing on my full race machine. No sooner had I completed one lap and down came the deluge, and it really didn’t stop for the next 18 hours. It gets dark pretty quick and I hope and pray this is just a passing shower, so back onto the reserve bike to see if I can get through this little setback without ruining the race bike. It is now dark and the lights are on. Down the "gully" the water it running downhill faster than I am riding is it so treacherous. Try to imagine riding a bike down a glacier (rocky hard and full of holes, now add 6 inches of slushy snow over the top and imagine it is the colour of bear shit. Oh yeah it is dark, your glasses are covered in mud and your v brake pads are worn out.
By 8pm, the track had become so atrocious; I had fallen off three times on one lap. By this time I was ready to kill someone...."Please please call an end to this insanity, bypass the really bad bits...do something before someone is seriously injured!" You might well ask who is more insane, the organisers or the participants, but when you have trained so hard and you get one shot to qualify for a world championship, you will do whatever it takes.
Finally at 9pm the organisers, bring the race to a pause. Go to bed get some rest and come back at 5:30am they say. We will make an announcement then. With 15 laps on the board, I am sitting in 4th place, 3 minutes behind 3rd. After consulting radar and weather charts overnight, the organisers happily announce that there is one more front coming in from Penrith, but after that it will be sunshine (somewhere in QLD perhaps). Of course, the sun never looks like showing, and the rain merely oscillates between moderate and torrential.
The worst sections of the gully and the meadows are cut out and replaced with a fireroad descent. Normally something I would jump at, this fireroad is nasty. Two laps on the Trek and it was clear that not only were the conditions getting worse, but the bike would run out of brakes with still 8-10 laps to ride. So into the battle jumps the trusty Raleigh steed, 21 speed, V brakes, hardtail, flat pedals and suntour sprung forks. Can it make the distance? With each lap, the chain suck is worse to the point where I only have once chance to use the small chain ring on each lap and only the upper sprockets are in play on the cassette, because the cable is so jammed with mud. Add to that, the rear brake cable is frozen and as I pull back on the lever, the cable lug, slips out, locking on the back brakes and I have to re-engage the cable to get the brakes to return while negotiating the fire trail from hell.
Swapping bikes took me a minute so with 6 laps to go the gap to 3rd is still 4 minutes, but I am not done yet. Greg from CCOMTB is giving me gap updates each lap and I put a minute into 3rd place next time round. 4 laps to go and the gap is down to 45 seconds! Go Mike go, you can do it! 3 laps to go, 30 seconds, the margin. Coming around for the next lap, the gap is still 30 seconds and I think I might be done. Grinding through transition at 11:30am, the MC asks if I can get back in time for another lap and I shake my head, but then the red bull kicks in and I give it one last push. On the climb, I think I pass 3rd place, he looks like he's hurting, so I go for broke and make it back to transition with 30 seconds to spare. The MC and the incredulous crowd go wild, and I head out for my last lap. I think I have done it and I have to choke back a few tears (from mud in my eye!), but it ain't over yet. I give every last calorie on the last lap only to find 3rd place waiting for me at the finish, not to worry, I am going to worlds and I have a new mate who lives in Canberra!
There is so much more I could say about this race, but I won’t put it down here. Suffice to say I owe a huge thank you to my pit crew Matt Brooker, who lubed, mixed bottles changed wheels, and provided massive encouragement. To my family who have beared with my incessant training and supported me in so many ways, and finally to YOU if you are still reading. Throughout the MOM, roadies and MTB'ers alike from Peloton Sports and TORC have followed my (and don’t forget Matt Hou's!) journey to this event with genuine interest. So without getting to sentimental, thank you one and all for your encouragement and interest.
Now please excuse me while I go and pull apart what is left of my mountain bike
Keep riding
Mike "Isy" Israel