Rolling with the world champ
Twitter finally found a use for itself. Earlier this week, Cadel Evans tweeted that he was going to run a 'social' ride around Kinglake. At first I didn't quite believe it was open to all-comers, but it did turn out that the invitation was open to all. The opportunity to ride with the World Champion was too good to turn down and was a great reason to finally get out to ride the Kinglake climb! The route we took was from Hurstbridge via Arthurs Creek, then up to Kinglake and return. I was certainly very happy to have put my new lower gearing on the Concorde as it was just about perfect up the climb. Perhaps another lower gear would've been nice...
Posted by singletracking at 4:58 PM
A new challenge
I’ve been building up some rough form of training to aim towards doing some solo 6 hour enduro races. Strictly very non-serious stuff. My training has included commuting to work every day (I’d be doing that anyway) and then doing whatever riding grabs me on the weekend. I have been aiming to do at least 2.5 to 3 hours of riding when I jump on the mountain bike on a Sunday and have also been extending my occasional Saturday afternoon road ride down to Frankston.So all of that ‘training’ was put to the test at the Forrest 6 Hour which was my first solo enduro and probably my longest time spent continuously in the saddle of a mountain bike. The race was going to be an interesting test case on a number of fronts. It’d be interesting (worrying) to see how my knee held up, how my fitness held up and how my hands/back and bum held up.I hooked up with Brad to head on down to the Otways for the weekend. He’d also be riding solo, so we were both going to be taking the same approach to the race and we worked well as a “team” getting organised and preparing.My race plan was to go out slow, find a pace that I didn’t find taxing and hold it for the 6 hours. I had no idea how fast or slow I’d actually be able to ride or how I might compare against other riders, but my primary aim was to protect my knee and keep it happy and by doing that, I’d hopefully be able to finish.The race went well for me. I was typically late for the start, which cost me a good deal of time as unbeknownst to me – I was actually faster than most of the people who I was lined up behind! I spent the first lap in traffic and even portions of the second lap being baulked – and that was even at my “slow and steady” pace!And so I rolled on, and on, and on. The rain held off by and large, with only a few spatters of drizzle. It however cold and damp and the trails were very muddy in places. There were sections that felt like you were being glued to the track it was so tacky and goopy. Sadly Mariners Run was also not immune to the mud either and although it was fun, it wasn’t the blast it might have been.I managed to roll through to finish my 8th lap at 3:54… and being mad, I decided that I could go out and finish a 9th lap! I did manage to finish that lap and I’m glad that I did. It meant that I managed to crack the century and rode 102km or trails in 6 hours 40 minutes! I ended up placing 15th in the Solo (open men) class, which was awesome and a big surprise, especially as it was out of 75 entrants!My knees largely held together, my lower back was sore but it stretched out OK. I kept up with my body’s food demands, and was able to find a steady, managable pace to ride at. Bring on the next event!
Posted by singletracking at 8:26 PM
Ready for the daily grind
Time to interupt my posting hiatus. I had intended to post on this blog at the rate of one post a month, but that hasn't happened of late. Not that I wasn't riding - I just wasn't taking photos to be able to post anything pretty. But this weekend I'll be back into it at the Kona 24 Hour. I've chosen a hard road for myself by riding in a pairs team - a serious commitment indeed. Teams of four have been my previous method of participation, but I'd reached a point where I'd done that and it was time for something new. My teamie and I figured that as a pair we could potentially make the race ride a more relaxed and more co-operative event for us. We’re strictly there for the event, not to race. We figured that we'd have the option to ride if we wanted to and rest if we wanted to. We'd also be able to spend time as a 'team' rather than just meeting briefly in transition. In fact, we intend to transition at our campsite, take things at a relaxed pace and have a decent amount of rest between laps. It should be good fun and a real challenge. Let's hope I have enough food, drink and that I can actually eat and drink enough of it to stay energised. I’m also riding a new-improved bike fit that will hopefully benefit my knee. It's still being tweaked, but hopefully I'm on the right track to a good fit. Here's to a weekend of endura, chamois cream, gels, dust and perhaps a little rain. Oh - and to bacon and eggs for breakfast!
Posted by singletracking at 1:05 PM
Winter riding :: You Yangs
I'd heard on the grapevine that the new trails built out at the You Yangs were well worth a ride and that the link track between the Stockyards trail and the new trails was also a fun ride. "Rough and rocky", "technical" and "challenging" were words that had been used to describe the link trail, which didin't really enthuse me that much, but the idea of the "flowing" trails at Kurrajong did. I did finally get out west to ride them all for myself and had a great time. Despite arriving solo, I met up with a friend and his riding buddies and my solo ride ended up being a group ride. The Kurrajong trails are great and I'm heading back out there this weekend (weather permitting) to ride the whole lot. The soil out there is quite sandy which meant that the rain of last week had little effect on the trails - they were bone dry and nice and fast. Just my kind of ride. This image pretty much encapsulates the experience - flowing, granular-surfaced trails snaking through the white-trunks of an open woodland. The fact that the soil type keeps the trails dry makes the You Yangs the best option for winter riding. I came back with little more than dust on my bike, no mud.
Posted by singletracking at 7:37 PM
Dirt Crits Series Result
My first series tilt at the Dirt Crits ended successfully. I ended up finishing second overall in C Grade and third overall in the combined series. Not bad for a first effort. A few things I learnt over the series were: 1. Go hard at the start and avoid the pile up into the first section of singletrack; 2. Despite thinking I was OK at the techy stuff, it turns out that my dodgy knee and high cadence means that my strength was actually in a straight line. 3. As a result, if I could make it into techy sections in front, I could hold people behind me. 4. Keeping a burst in reserve for the last lap is good, but you can't let people get two far ahead before that time. 5. Sometimes following others will make you go faster than you otherwsie would have ridden. 6. I managed OK for one race on my semi-slick Orriflammes, but my Crossmark tyres are better. 7. Even on a sprint race, a dually allows you to pedal through sections you'd otherwise have to roll on a hardtail.
The pic in this post is of me leading Nigel, one of my key competitors for the series. he beat me in this final race, but I managed to get the better of him overall in the series.
Posted by singletracking at 11:46 PM
Beechworth Six Hour
It's taken a decent rainy day to get me to write-up an event from about 2 months ago now. My usual riding buddy and I decided to make the trip up to Beechworth for the SHITS enduro.
I don't really bother to get out to town to most of the enduros, but for some odd reason, this is the second time I've got up to Beechworth for this event. It's a strange choice as Beechworth is very up-and-down and rough and rocky, so it certainly takes its toll on the body.Ness also made the trip up, to be our pit attendant and to share the 'fun'. We all decided not to rough it too much so booked a campsite cabin with a real bed to sleep on. We drove up on Friday night, so save a silly rush on Saturday morning.The race rolled along and we ended up running it in a straight relay. I had some idea to do double laps, but both of us decided that we were too knackered after one lap to bother doing a second one straight after. I ended up doing the first lap and because I was last to get to the start line on the firetrail, I had nowhere else to go but to line up near the front! I felt like a bit of an impostor, but didn't mind. I ended up keeping it upright and although I was passed by a good few riders, I saved stacks of time with the good start position and made my life easier than it would otherwise have been. I always believe in riding smarter, not harder!We decided to pull the pin on the race despite being able to squeeze in another lap - we were tired and hungry and that additional lap, which I was going to have to ride wasn't going to prove or change anything for us. It was time for our gourmet tour of the region to begin - with dinner at the King River Cafe near/in Milawa.We slept soundly ans with plump bellies after three courses!Sunday was a day of rest and involved coffee, lunch and wineries before heading home. It was a great way to spend a weekend, with plenty of good riding and good food.
Posted by singletracking at 8:46 PM
The Concorde has landed
It's here.
Posted by singletracking at 11:08 PM
A cute couple
Here's an arty picture of my lady and I looking cute but decidedly un-coupley while waiting for the Melburn Roobaix ride to start in Fed [] last Saturday. I ripped this image from the event organiser's website and it was taken by someone else who has done a neat job at greying out all but our colourful vintage jerseys. We had a rather uneventful day pounding the pave. One thing that the ride did prove to me was that I should leave the fixed wheel sitting on the shelf for a while, at least until I further sort out my knee and ITB issues.
Posted by singletracking at 2:51 PM
Dirt Crits II
So the dirt crits have been rolling on since my last post. Another thing that is back up and rolling is my Blur. The suspension forks had to travel all the way to Sydney to be fixed and they've well and truly cost me more than they should, but they're back up and running as good as new. Two races ago was a 'team' race, which randomly combined riders in pairs for the event. It was probably a good thing as the day had been intensely hot and the evening was no cooler. We managed 8th overall. I was not the faster rider of the pair but was pretty happy with my performance, especially my first lap time, though my second lap is an indication that I was feeling the heat and that it was a quiet lap and I didn't really have anyone around me to 'race' with, and keep me pushing along hard.This week past was a good one. I had a ding-dong battle for the whole race with a rider who is fast becoming a pretty regular adversary. He has the power advantage through the technical sections while I have the speed and cadence advantage on the open sections. I'd prefer that I wasn't the 'roadie', but my left knee is still an issue for me. Our dual for second and third lasted the whole race - I had the upper hand for the first lap and a half but was passed towards the end of the second lap. I knew that I'd have to fight hard to hold his wheel for the third lap. I even pondered overtaking before the technical trails to hold him behind, but eventually decided that I'd see if I could hold his wheel and copy his lines, which would help me to be a faster rider in future races! I grimly managed to hold on to the end of the last windy section and made the snap decision to put the pedal down and see if I could drop him. Luckily for me, the move worked and he didn't hold my wheel so I was able to breathlessly make it to the finish. Second place was a good result - the next goal is to hold onto the guy who came first! I've beaten him before, but I think on that occasion he was caught in a first lap bingle that delayed a lot of the field. We'll see.
Posted by singletracking at 8:37 PM
Dirt Crits
I've been meaning to get down and race a Dirt Crit race at Westgate Park for... ooh, about four years now. I finally did drag myself down there a month ago and race! It was great! I decided not to pitch myself at too high a level first up and started out in C grade to get a feel for how I ride and how the competition would ride, before aiming up to B grade. My first race was a good learning experience, and was a good gauge of my fitness level and riding strengths but also made me aware of what racing tactics I should employ. I made a conservative start and ended up caught in the logjam into the first section of singletrack. After that, I spent the whole of the race passing people and eventually finished 8th. I realised that I had easily had enough speed to race further up the field and that I should really go from the start and get good track position and avoid being held up.
I made sure I did that in my second race last week, but the race quickly became an absolute debacle! My forks had just been (allegedly) serviced that day. I collected the bike from the bike store and drove it down to the race. All seemed well. I did a practice lap and then on my first lap, while I was mixing it in the lead group, they started 'clunking' over bumps. My initial thought was that
I hadn't put enough air in them, but when I looked down at them when I started the second lap they had packed-down to nothing and I knew there was something more serious wrong with them. I had the pull out, while in the lead... I was pretty unhappy, to say the least. The forks still aren't fixed and the whole episode has only reminded me why I think that bike stores are a joke and why I view their ability and treat their promises with severe skepticism!
So this week I was back racing again, but on my hardtail, my 'old' bike. I had the misfortune to crash on my practise lap and have a stonking great bruise on my hip to show for it. That left me sore and a but uncertain about my race. I was tempted to pull the pin and go home, but did decide to wait and see how I felt once racing. I managed to put myself near the front of the race and was lucky to be only one rider behind an awkard (but not serious) delaying crash early on. I was able to skip around the two riders and keep going to chase down the leading three riders. From then on we rode together and maintained our gap on the next riders. It was clear that 
I had the straightline speed to put me in good stead, but that I was slightly slower through the technical sections of trail. I held onto a close second place onto the final undulating firetrail and nailed it to the finish, taking the win! This was the first mountain bike race I've ever won! I'll be back for more, for sure! I only hope that I'll have my duallie back soon, which will help me through some of the rutted, twisty areas of the course - areas that I can definitely pick up some time on. I think I'll stay with C Grade for a few weeks yet and gain a bit more experience, then think about stepping up to B Grade.
Thanks to Stephen Rowe for taking the pics of me in action - that last one is a cracker (and yes, I am buying the images)!
Posted by singletracking at 9:12 PM
