Mighty Mike rebooted

Hello again and yes it's probably been too long since I last blogged, but here we are again and I guess this is the blog I had to write but have been avoiding for some time.  Not because of anything bad, but alot has been going on, some on the bike but mostly off, so for brevity, because you probably have more important things you should be doing, here is a quick re-cap of what has been happening.

A good day out

Some 6 weeks ago I had a very good day out on the bike at the RTE GP4 at Ourimbah.  Basically I had a blast and fulfilled my goal or riding this course for 4 hours hard.  The end reward was a podium finish in a respectable field, but that result aside, the course, the riders and the fellowship amongst said riders was pretty much close to Nirvana.  One tiny little highlight that comes to mind was late in the race grinding up the last little bit of hurt on "long Meadows".  I was taking it very gingerly in the granny gear just to keep balance and ensure the hints of a cramp didnt progress.  A young elite rider rolled up behind me and gave me a great little pep talk to get over the last pinch.  What a moment!

Ourimbah - still one of the best XC courses going

From a high to a ridiculous low

Yes you saw it on Facebook, a bit of stress and some poor preparation led to an unneccessary OTB on bitumin and it was into the ambulance for poor old Mike.  The number of times I've gone over this in my head in the last 5 weeks probably qualifies me for some kind of mental therapy, but I do prefer to see the glass half full, so.....

There was a  gorier one but you get the idea

During my recovery I saw.....

I most amazing bike race ever, Stg 5 of this years TDF, but even greater than that I saw an Aussie legend show an almost unheard amount of grace and forgiveness when he was brought down in the sprint in Stg 1 effectively sabotaging his tour.  Yes it was racing and yes sprinters ride on the ragged edge, but seriously Simon Gerrans, that was one class act.  No false humility, no gilded lillies, no veiled accusations, just a simple "Well that was tough luck, and I wish I hadnt crashed but there you go, play on"
I also saw the biggest self destruct in sporting history, Brazil v Germany.  I actually watched more of the World Cup than the TDF, sacrilege I know, but I'm also a Football tragic and that was some seriously sexy football we saw in that tournament...but Brazil? Oh my, we will be talking about that one for years to come.

Gerro, you legend!

Am I better yet?

So the last five weeks have been painful from the point of view of not riding and not racing my best mates and rivals, and I even tried to will my elbow to heal, by getting back on the bike just a tincy bit too soon, but I realised all is not lost....in fact

What have I gained?

Well it's actually been a time of reflection, a time to consider my priorities and the reasons I ride.  Yes I love riding, I am competitive and I push it hard.  but I love my health and I love my family more and the minute cycling starts to take away from those two things, it's time to take a breather, and so in closing, all things work out in the end and I do believe in a higher being who actually loves me more than I can ever hope to understand and He has a plan is is far greater than winning a bunch a of bike races.

I got to take my darling daughter to her dance Eistedford, that's gold!

Luckily for me I still think racing has a place in that plan so I look forward to coming back.

You'll notice I have a couple of new supporters in Curve Cycling and Rubena (well actually Rubena aren't so new but together with Curve they make a pretty good combo) so there will be more news on that to come once I'm allowed back on a real bike.  And there might be more exciting changes coming soon...

That's it for now, thanks for reading and also thanks to the many many friends who have sent their good wishes for a speedy recovery and given me kudos for riding a wind trainer :)

Keep Riding
Mighty Mike

The Final Showdown

The Final Showdown
The Central Coast put on a crystal clear day for the final round of the Club Championships and 6 of the best TORC riders showed up for 6 hours of power. A late change to the rules left a glimmer of hope for any would be TORC Club Champion as triple points were on offer. Mike I who has been Mr Consistency all year seemed to have the title all wrapped up but now he had a real fight on hands. Mike F and Stu B were the two closest rivals and as usual from the start, Farkas was last seen disappearing in a cloud of dust.

The start was pretty fast and the pre-race plan to keep the HR to around 80% suddenly seemed like a joke. I was hitting 90% on some of the climbs but I was feeling good so I kept a steady pace. Farkas got a good start and was in the lead bunch until halfway through the first lap when an angry stick snapped his rear mech. As I passed Mike, all I could see was a tangled chain and a little tear streaking his dust coated cheek.

Greg put in some solid laps to seal the C grade title, and Cheeso conquered the Drop Off and finished early, keeping his powder dry for the Fling next weekend. Matt also made his debut at Ourimbah and while having cardiac arrest up one of the many pinches had an epiphany. The voice of the bike god was heard to mutter ?Matt?.one ride a week isn?t enough??no kidding!

After two laps I was still in a happy place and stopped to jettison the bike video cam (soon to be published in YouTube) and pick up a fresh bottle. It also gave me a chance to hide from Binnsy who only a minute behind had called out ?I have you now?Israel!? on a switch back. Hopefully he won?t see me stopping and think I have powered on ahead. On the third lap I was pushing hard through Browns, but then a slight lapse in concentration and I was eating the dust when I leaned into a corner too early and the front tyre caught the inside lip. A twisted thumb seemed to be the worst of it, but not bad enough to hinder my shifting.

Laps 4, 5 and 6 were all about just maintaining a steady pace and trying to keep riding all the hills. A bottle change after 4 and at some point I got in front of Stu again. This is where a cool head is needed in these kinds of races, it would be easy to think you are feeling alright and go out and smash another lap, but it is going to catch up with you and you will end up slower overall. It is one of those things you just have to learn what your body is telling you and make sure you look after it so you can continue to ride steadily to the end.

Lap number 7 was very tough and the constant buffeting from the rocky trail was now taking a real toll on my hands. Binnsy was catching me, and was holding my wheel then there was this sound of grinding gears, slipping tyres and a groan of defeat. I have to admit I didn?t look back, mainly as my neck was so stiff by this point, but that was the last I saw of Stu. At some point I thought, ?that?s it, I?ve done enough? and pulled into transition for the last time. I wasn?t sure where Stu was, but if he went onto to do another lap then he could have this round. (STOP PRESS. he got back after Lap 7 and relaxed with Chris, Tim and Luke then went out for his eighth lap, well done mate, great effort)

Thanks to Binnsy for an honest race all day and bad luck to Mike, next year mate. Thanks also to CCOMTB who have run a sensational series all year. Today was a great challenge and a really good test for the Fling next weekend. So that is it, our first Club Championship is over and it has been great fun. Thanks to all the riders who came out to test their fitness and keep an eye out for next year as I am sure it will be bigger and better.

Keep riding
Mike I