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

Quantum of Solace

Yes it's a bit corny, but being a James Bond fan I just couldn't resist the pun on this title and the reference to our awesome team Quantum Racing.  The last two Saturday's have played out unexpectantly with two huge epic rides and not only have they been immensely enjoyable, but the fitness and strength is coming back too.  The first one last week was a 188km tour of South West Sydney, taking in the M7 Cycleway, then taking a loop through Wallacia, Warragamba, Picton, Menagle and back to the start at Bella Vista.  Michael, Jindra and I had a great ride that day, the conditions were perfect and we even had some energy at the end for a few fun games of attack and chase.

Parked at Warragamba Dam - no riding the security guard said in case we somehow inexplicably crash in the hand rail on a 5m wide path, go figure

The view from above Picton - quiet roads, green hills, lot's of sunshine

Today there was certainly no Solace as Ondrej and Alex joined the party, and Ondrej turned up the pace very early.  The ride was the famous Oaks-Ingar-Andersons-Oaks return loop right on 100 km and well over 2000m elevation.  We had a slight false start with a dodgy tyre, so whilst Jindra and Ondrej sorted that, Alex, Michael and I took a little reccie of the single track with fresh legs.  Once we all came together again the pace was on.  Ondrej, ever talking up his form, backed it up with a pace that left the rest gasping.  Michal, the poker face, kept his cards close to his chest and even better, kept Ondrej honest.  Jindra is the quiet one in the pack, you get the feeling he is just waiting for the perfect moment to jump out of the saddle and slay the bunch.  Alex, who is more my vintage rode like a trooper today and should be very happy with his form.

For me I was stoked to finally conquer the Ingar climb, but by the time we reached the highest point of the ride (also the halfway point) I knew I had burnt too many matches and the return leg, which still has heaps of climbing, would boil down to a lesson in suffering.  Either I was tired, or we had set a scorching pace up to Boddington, or both as it turned out.

I dont think I'll ever forget the climb coming back out of Bedford creek, at that point I could barely walk let alone ride, but the guys were there patiently waiting and happy to see me finish the segment.

In my mind the option of the train back to Glenbrook was being contemplated, but once we reached the Oaks trail again, I knew I could make it, I'd just have to suffer a little more.
A bit of luck for me, unlucky for Alex who punctured, but thanks to Jindra who helped with the repair, whilst I made for the exit as fast as my broken legs would propel me.

Finally the new bit of single track that replaces the old rocky goat track is an absolute ripper, and tired as I was, I enjoyed every metre.  Nice one WSMTB and National Parks.

It was another perfect day and we had a very strong crew, with Ondrej and Michal compelting the riding in around 4:30.  great training for them and the rest of the team for the Croc Trophy, go for it boys and thanks for a really unforgetable ride.  Maybe my legs will thank me in a few days time

Keep Riding
Mike

The Stromlo Grin

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

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

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

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

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

The crew summitting Mt Stromlo for the first time that day

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

Watty enjoying the very popular Chicken Avocado Focacia for lunch

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

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

Jason enjoying some post ride nutrition on the way home

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

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

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

Keep riding
Mighty Mike

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

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

Rubena Rubber Review Part 2

It's been a little while since I first fitted these tyres, but I've had heaps of riding time over the Summer and thought it well overdue for an update on how these tyres are performing. I guess I dont have to rabbit on too much, so if I had to sum up these tyres, I would say a very good reliable race tyre.

The only criticism I would have is in the grip department and I think that really comes down to personal preference.

The Scylla on the back is a great performer in that it is fast. With that speed some else has to give so in this case it is the grip. Cornering is fine no problem there, but every now and again I would find the tyre skipping over rocks or losing traction on a fast little winding crest under braking. Now that may not necessarily be a bad thing, it's just something to be aware of. Going around corners with the back wheel getting a little sketchy can be useful for pointing the bike in the right direction but you need to be aware of the tyre's character and have 100% confidence that you can control that sketchiness and bring the traction back when you need it. What really struck me is that on hard packed loamy trails such as Stromlo, this tyre would really be an awesome choice. On rockier trails like Kowen with lot's of tree roots, this tyre might struggle a little especially in the wet with the low profile tread. Having said that I absolutely hammered these tyres on a very rocky 80km ride over some of the rockiest trails Terrey Hills has to offer and I had an awesome day and never a hint of tyre damage.

The Kratos on the front feels more sure footed with it's pronounced side knobs. You still get the great speed as with the Scylla, but braking and cornering performance is much better. In the next month or so I'll try the Kratos on the back and see how it goes

Rating so far

Scylla (1-5 where 5 is Awesome and 1 is crap)
Ease of fit - 5
Grip - 3
Rolling resistance - 5
Puncture resistance - 4
Value for money - 5

Kratos
Ease of fit - 5
Grip - 4
Rolling resistance - 5
Puncture resistance - 4
Value for money - 5

Keep riding
Mike

PS I didnt run the Rubenas at the CPS as I had them fitted to the duallie and I ended up riding the hardtail. Thanks to Rubena sponsoring the event I now have another set of prize Rubenas for the hard tail :)

Rubena Rubber Review Part 1

The good folks at Rubena Australia asked me to try out their tyre range and provide feedback good or bad on what I thought. I’ll split this review into 3 sections. First the fit, second initial reactions to the tyre performance, and finally, a long term review to discuss longevity and reliability.

First Episode – The fit
When Ben first approached me to test and review these tyres, the first task was to review what tyres best suited my riding; the brief was pretty simple.
A tubeless cross country racing tyre for a 29er with a solid side wall, a tread pattern that is pretty grippy but still with a low rolling resistance, and hopefully something on the front with some extra side grip for cornering. On the back I prefer something with a more pronounced centre ridge for better rolling, more predictable braking and longer life. As such the tyre of choice (there’s a choice?) till now has been the ever present Racing Ralph (SnakeSkin). I did run a Crossmark on the back for a while but it soon ran out of traction. I’ve never had any issue with punctures when running tubeless so hopefully the new rubber would prove just as reliable.

When you first visit the Rubena web site, you are confronted with a myriad of choices in names, numbers, sizes, tread patterns, oh where to start? These tyres are made in the Czech republic, so if they make tyres anywhere as good as they make beer then these puppies will rock!
Thankfully I think Ben got it pretty right from the look of these tyres, I have a V96 Scylla for the back and a V98 Kratos on the front. Both are 29 x 2.25. The Scylla looks the goods with a nice low profile in the tread pattern and lots of rubber in the middle.

The Kratos is the more aggressive of the two and clearly suited to the front with the slanted side knobs.

The tyres feel solid and while the sidewalls feel a little thinner than the RR, they look like they have a pretty robust fabric like construction, obviously designed to repel cuts from rocks. We’ll see how it lasts after a few longer rocky rides.
Fitting them to my rims is a breeze. The rubber seems to have a little more give than I’m used to and it only needs one or two tweeks with a tyre lever to get the bead over the rim. With a bit of liquid, you could just about roll them over bare handed. Similarly, inflation with a track pump is no problem. I had the bucket of soapy water all ready to go, but didn’t need it in the end, and the tyres inflated onto the rim easily and beaded at bang on 30psi (I love that popping sound a tyre makes when it beads onto the rim!). This was fitting them to the stock rims on my Giant Anthem 29er.
They look good and the bag appears a fraction thinner than the RR. Measuring confirms they are 1-2mm thinner than the RR which I think is good, especially when you are picking lines between rocks and every millimetre counts when you are riding at your limits.
Weight is quoted a little heavier than the RR. The RR is quoted at 605g, the Scylla 640g and the Kratos 695g. At my level, what's a hundred odd grams between friends?!
On the positive the price looks very attractive, with the Rubena atleast 2/3 the cost of the RR, if not less.

Planning my first ride on them tonight so looking forward to seeing how they roll
Keep riding
Mike