Highland Fling 2014

Driving down the Hume Highway at 4 in the morning, tends to brings things to a certain perspective.  Alone with all your thoughts, questions and doubts driving through the fog in the dark, dodging kangaroos with just a mountain bike in the boot.  And then you notice that thin line of sunlight starting to appear on the horizon and all that matters is getting onto that start line and riding your bike with and against your mates.

It had been another busy week, carefully planned to extract value from every minute and meet my current commitments to family and work, not to mention training and recovery and now it was time to see if I had anything to offer for the final round of the Maverick Marathon series.

Rego at 6am was simple and then a quick drive over to the event centre and before long I was kitted up and ready to race.  The temperature was perfect and in just a summer jersey I headed out for a nice easy warm up and back in time to stake an appropriate possie in the self seeded grid.  My preparation had been minimalist all week in all the wrong areas.  Training, sleep and relaxation had eluded me in place of a hectic routine, but the legs had that welcome fresh and hardened feeling.  I had a sneaking suspicion of a great ride.

The start was hassle free and I quickly jumped into a nice fast bunch.  The first false flat tests the field and I was happy to find I was holding my place, whilst a few others fell away.  Into the farmland and we formed a mixed bunch of the quicker vets and masters.  Rob "CD" Weiser and Steve "Bam Bam" Henry joined me, having fought through the traffic from further back on the grid.  Kudos to them!  My heart rate was on 88% and after the first hour reaching Wingello the avg was 86% That's pretty normal for the first stg of the Fling, it is mostly fireroad and this year seemed to contain a little more vertical than usual.  Mike Blewitt sat up for us a few times and also pulled some turns.  We were spoilt to have an Elite rider to keep us all honest; Mike was having an easy day post Croc.

Getting to T1 was a relief in some ways and I quickly refilled my single bottle. The strategy for today was to go light and make the most of the available drink stops, a risky proposal but one I felt could deliver a slight advantage.  I went back for watermelon and lollies twice, emptied the sand out of my shoes from the river crossing and formed up the bunch to hit the Shimano stage.  I gave up a minute here, but figured it was worth it.  Two of my fiercest competitors in Mark "Iceman" Hardy and Gary "the Hammer" Harwood had headed out before me so in my mind I had two rabbits to chase.  Before long we caught their bunch and surprised myself when my legs went into attack mode and sped past them on one of the thousand pinch climbs we would crest throughout the day.  I gave the wall a good crack in the 34 front 36 rear but half way up realised my folly and took to walking.

running a little wide on an off camber corner, hang onto it Isy!

My theory is riding this wall might give you a few seconds at the top but you pay big time later in the race for this super effort.  I took a quick gel at the top and cut back onto the short single track just in front of Lewy and Coops.  "Sorry boys!" I got out of their way as quick as possible and got a 30 second coaching lesson from Coops before they disappeared.  Tupac, Brendan and two young TORQ guys had already sped through and the next to arrive in a screaming, shredding mess was Masters pin up boy James Downing shouting "TRACK PLEEEEEEASE" from 30 metres away, again the shout came so I pulled off and waited for him to pass none too happy to give up precious seconds near the end of the Great Wall of China, but that's racing.  Next time I might not be so accommodating JD :).
It's actually one of the things I like about the Fling even if it is a little weird starting the Elite guys last.  I had a nice little chat with English after his signature "How's YOUR day goin'?" and Glenn Columbine also ambled past a little worse for wear after an OTB earlier on.  I'll never forget the last time I did the Fling a bunch of about 10 Elites came through like a freight train somewhere in Tangles including Craig Gordon, what a thrill to see these guys ride so fast.

By the intermediate drinks stop, it was just Rob and I with a couple of others not far ahead.  At this point I should mention the Single Speed rider just behind, Stephen Tomczyk.  He'd been with us all day pushing a huge gear so the three of us hit Halfway Hill and the Kick and we got through that relatively comfort.  The next section I had a few demons to face, Outer Limits and Wild West are often where the cramps hit, but again the legs behaved and it was a great feeling to hit the fireroad and pick David O'Connell (fellow masters) and Sam Moffit (finished 3rd in the mile!).  Together with Rob the 4 of us pulled unspoken turns all the way back to Wingello, well three of us anyway we gave Sam a free tow #luckyman

This time I hit the lap button and we refuelled and used up 4:30 before heading out into the last stage.  At this point Steve on the SS had rejoined us, so the 4 of us rolled out and again pulled turns all the way to the private property.

At some point Dave got a little gap and thinking he was younger, I let him go (he finished one place ahead of me in Masters).  There still seemed to be no sign of anyone behind us, so I began entertaining ideas of a top 5 finish, and was looking forward to finishing the ride with Rob.  Brokeback mountain came and went with little fuss and by Baker's Delight the three us weaved our way through trees, rocks and obliging half flingers.  Still feeling I had some juice left and keen to preserve my position in the field, I wound up the pace before Your Call, sensing a chasing group.

Thankyou half fingers for giving us the track

As I hit the bitumen, Ben May came by, we checked each others category, him Vets me Masters OK we can work together.  "there's a group of about 4 behind and they are about to jump, let's go!" Ben said who looked pretty fresh so I breathed in deep and gave it one last effort, the two of us swapping turns on the slight downhill.  "If we can get over this last crest alone we should be clear" I said as I noticed my HR was nudging 88% again, hmm not bad, so I still have something left?  Ben hammered the last km to the finish and I was only 50m behind, elated to finish in such good shape whilst at the same time wondering if I could have gone a little harder?  Rob pulled in just a minute later, it's something special to complete such a tough race and to have shared the majority with a good mate.

Is that a smile or a grimace? Come on Rob!

My hopes of a top 5 category finish turned out to be as vague as the clouds of dust we'd endured for the last 5 and a half hours, but I was still stoked with my performance when I looked at the pedigree in front of me added to which were a couple of new names recently turned 40, including Luke Beuchat and Todd Sinclair.  Interestingly, the split on the top 34 riders was 14 Elite, 1 Open, 9 Vets and 9 Masters so age really is no barrier.

And so the MTB family swells again, with new riders, new rivals and most importantly new friends though I really think any top level triathletes crossing over to MTB need a big fluoro "T" painted on their quads or something.  Thanks especially to Rob, Dave, Sam, Steve (SS) and Bam for the company over a great ride.

Keep Riding
Mike

Nutrition
4 and a half bidons
9 gels, half a bar
watermelon, banana, lollies, oranges

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

Highland Fling 2009

There are so many highlights from this year's fling it is going to be hard to keep this report to a reasonable length, so I will give you an executive summary
Perfect weather
Great company and some excellent results for TORC
The track was in fabulous condition, you roadies are in a for a real treat come "Roadies Day Off"

In my race, it was a team of four TORC riders with Mike F, Peter C and Stu B (in his maiden 100km race) and I pushing each other on which just has to be one of the best things about racing like this. Mike F and I passed each other 6 times until he finally put me in my box.

All that being said, I certainly came in for my fair share of misfortune, with a gear cable tail getting caught in the rear wheel spokes in the opening km, the mouthpiece of my camelback splitting forcing me to drink without a mouthpiece and ending up with more optimiser down my jersey than down my throat, and then the mother of all washouts "at speed" on a downhill section in the outer limits. A bit of skin off, but thanks to elite riders Tim and Stu for picking me up and getting me rolling again.

The race was tough and the new starting section designed to thin the field had the opposite effect and soon became like a shopping queue at Woollies. But the absolute highlight of the day was in the early stages while I was riding at the back of the bunch with up to 100 hundred riders in front up a very steep hill. I glanced up and noticed some hesitation with a couple of guys stopping, I looked to my right and saw the not so obvious arrow leading to the right so off I went...eureka!...I am at the head of this huge bunch on a cattle trail the width of a tyre and it feels like I am leading the race, what a buzz. Of course the buzz quickly faded when we caught the lead bunch all queuing at the head of some very gnarly single trail and it wasn?t long before I was back in my rightful place.

The presentations were definitely worth the wait as I won a spot prize, a full set of Ayup lights for going the right way! Thanks Huw and Ayup!

For the four TORC guys, it was Mike F and Peter C followed soon after by Stu and myself close behind. Peter claimed 13th in the masters category and I rolled in 19th. I don?t have results for Stu or Mike yet, but no doubt they were at the pointy end of the field. Sandy Logie again showed he is the man of steel taking out 2nd in the Grand Masters.

In the Women we had three podiums, Alison M got 3rd in the Open Women's half fling. In the Masters it was TORC 2nd and 3rd for Martine and Larri. Kelly M claimed 2nd in the Open Women's Full Fling. There were lot's of other great performances, Matt H and Marco were there and Fester and Tracy played out their regular grudge match, apologies if I have missed others who were there. We will update this list when the official results are published.

Thanks everyone for a great weekend.

Keep Riding
Mike

Ride Time 5:52
Cals 4917
Avg HR: 79% (max 92% of 185bpm)
Dist: 112km

What I ate
2ltr (+ or -) of Optimiser
2 bananas
800ml Gu
600ml water
9 gels (1 gel every half hour)