My 1st SPR Tuesday Ride

Well this morning I made the early rise to attempt my first SPR Tuesday morning ride. Somehow Toby had talked me into giving up a few hours of good sleep, for a few hard hours on the bike. What was I thinking….??

Anyway I woke to the 1st alarm and jumped out of bed to get ready, and headed out the to meet Toby on the way. It was a nice morning, not yet too hot with the sun still rising and a gentle breeze off the river. We got there on time and waited for others to arrive and Toby introduced me to Mino & Mike before we headed off. The pace started fairly ok along Mounts Bay Rd (where I remembered I should start the 705, I always seem to forget to hit start) averaging about 35km/hr.

Soon we were heading thru the back of Crawley & Dalkeith (you know, where the other half lives along Jutland Parade). This i where we hit the first hill, and we all know I hate hills (improving). I kept good contact with the group but dropped a lil way off, but soon caught up, but as we continued the upwards slant i slowly dropped back a few 100m. I kept everyone in site along the Pepermint Grove waterfront but as Mosman Hill approached, most disappeared up there like rockets. Needless to say they were waiting for me at the regroup point up the top, thankfully I didn’t hold them up too long.

The group contunied on to Freo at a good speed and we enjoyed a bit of the ocean view. As we went over the river my rear slipped into one of the expansion gaps and may have been the beginning of damage to the rear wheel. At the time thinking nothing of a lil bump it was ignored. We headed thru East Freo and around the back of the Defence Barracks and up to Point Walter, this is where I got spat out the back again (and didn’t get back on), but did have a few other SPR riders out and about pass by.

From here I continued at my own pace and took in some of the view of the wonderful Swan River, trying to push my average speed back up to 30km/hr after it dropped on the hills (we use that term losely around the city). Heading along the Applecross foreshore is where I got the 1st indication something was wrong. Something in the back wheel started clicking and twanging away, I stopped pedalling briefly thinking it was a twig or similar and when I started pedaling again it was gone so left it at that. Soon after though it came back and with more avengance. This time I stopped to have a look and found a spoke hanging out the side of the rear wheel & hitting eveything on its way around. I pulled it out and assessed the situation, it didn’t look to bad and there was no other damage, so continued on my way taking it a little easier especially over bumps. These road wheels just arn’t like my MTB ones. Riding on, the only thing I could think of was I broke the spoke nipple back on the bridge when I dropped in the gap, who really knows…??

Heading thru Applecross I also came across Gus & Lennie on the side of the road. Gus had flatted & they were repairing it. They had things under control so I kept going. The rest of the trip was pretty routine up the Freeway PSP, its busy at that time of morning with commuters & other cyclists out for the mornign ride. I saw a few regulars from the SPR sat ride and also past Durx on his way to work, can’t miss him with his Pink Giro jersey.

I dropped by Atomic as I came thru South Perth to let the others know I was done and wish all a Merry Christmas, it was good to hear Lorraine had remained upright for this trip and there were no other spills either. From here I headed home to prepare for the work day ahead, which included a nice plate of scrambled eggs on toast to refuel.

As the first attempt for me of the SPR Tuesday ride I was happy with the effort. I had set a slighty ambishious average of 30km/hr and came in at 27.3, so not too far off, few more rides and i’ll be there. Its a nice scenic route around the river, taking in many of the richer suburbs with spectacular views of the river & cityscape. All in all a great way to start the day.

Route Stats

The Comeback – SPR Sat ride

Yes I know there hasn’t been any updates for a while but due to work commitments I’ve been off the bike for the last 4 weeks. In preparation for this weekend’s Sat ride I did step out for a quick spin on Thursday to make sure the bike was ok & I wouldn’t carc it. Needless to say I felt pretty rusty.

Anyway Sat morning came round and it was already pretty warm on leaving the house, this was going to be a hot day. I arrived at the start point feeling pretty good after such a long time out of the saddle. I then realised I’d forgotten to load the morning’s route into my Garmin, thankfully it has the nifty ability to transfer courses between units using Ant+ (Cheers Melvyn).

Soon after we were on the way, heading out Great Eastern Hwy at a nice steady pace. On the way out I got speaking to a couple who were over from Canberra for a few weeks and had decided to join the SPR crew this morning (and after the ride said they would be back again) after hearing about us and checking out the website. Looks like we are really getting a name for the club.

The ride up Garrett road and Grand Prom went pretty smooth, although the pace was slowly creeping up with the fast guys eager to put down the pedal. By now I was starting to feel the lack of kms in the legs over the last few weeks. Hills were hurting more than usual and taking their toll on me. After the group split there was still a lil more climbing before a few rolling hills with a generally downwards flow to the city. From here it was pretty smooth sailing (me still struggling on the hills though, but making up for it on the downs & flats). The heat was not helping as the temp had crept up to almost 30C by now. We hit the fast downhill section behind Kings Park and everyone made the turn behind the hospital, but we did miss the turn thru the back of Claremont, but no biggy as we could take the slightly longer route at the next turn.

Thru the last half of the route Toby was a great help with drafting me back to the group after some of the hills and big Dan was a machine helping to push me up a few of the hills and not drop too far off the back of the pack. Thanks to them I managed to keep with the main group all the way until the home stretch thru Dalkeith, where the day took its toll on me and I couldn’t hang on any longer. At this point the fast group started to trickle thru as they caught up, offering words of encouragement and then disappearing into the distance (maybe 1 day I’ll be at their level). From here I continued at my own pace with what I had left in me, back to the coffee shop where i replenished the water stocks and had a breather before heading home.

Having a few weeks off really does drop the fitness level and make the first ride back a bit of a struggle, I spent half the ride in the hurtlocker, but its good to know your putting in. Also with the holidays coming up I hope to get a few extra rides in to get back to where I was and also improve my endurance and speed.

Route Stats

Tour de Perth – Stage 2 & 3(ITT)

Following on from Saturday’s 1st stage of the Tour de Perth (not counting Friday night’s Northbridge crit) was Stage 2 & 3 held at Perry Lakes. This incorporated the PIHC Festival of cycling. SPR had the team tent out for the day and showcased their wares as well as having a Power to Weight ratio challenge to see how riders stood against each other.

Racing was pretty much a repeat of Saturday with the womens race and overall winner decided long before the finish line. Ruth Corsett of QLD put in a smashing day yet again to dominate the field from the outset. Other placings were where the action was with a hard fought sprint finish and big efforts in the Individual Time Trial to be the deciders.

The mens racing was a different story after a big sprint finish the Tour leader again changed, this time to stage 1 winner Robert Lang, but he was not to keep it and with a huge effort in the ITT, local rider Travis Meyer took the stage win and also the overall Tour victory. Friday’s critereum winner Graeme Brwon placed 2nd followed in 3rd by Robert Lang.

Our SPR riders did well in the event with most finishing and putting in big efforts, unfortunately mechanicals and injury hampered the ‘dreams’ of a few. Next year we may have our own support vehicle (Nico). Matt Upton also did well in the fashion stakes giving everyone the 1st ever viewing of the SPR skin suit in action and a TV cameo during the start of stage 2. While Nicole Sloan managed the only photo (along with Sally Robbins) in a local paper (Sunday Times) for the weekend. So well done SPR.

Meanwhile back at festival central Pete, Lorraine, Darryl and myself had the SPR tent rolling thru nicely. Lorraine was roping punters in with her ‘World Famous’ brownies, Darryl would then talk their ear off before Pete lured a few to the Power to Weight challenge, so I could pocket there gold coins into the SPR team ‘trust’.  All in all a good showing for SPR at the event and some good publicity to raise the club profile.

Mens Stage 2 finish

Ruth Corsett, dominated the women

Sprint points on the line

Nicole finishing stage 2

Power/Weight Ratio Challenge, mid arvo

Matt Models the new SPR skinsuit

SPR Saturday ride & Tour de Perth – Stage 1

Pre-ride

Today they forecast an early shower but that failed to deliver, they forecast a top of 23C but it was warmer but there was a decent breeze (headwind at some points). I did the usual struggle out of bed and get myself sorted, didn’t want to be late today as was meeting CasualCyclist to take him for his first SPR ride and he was meeting me at my place. Durx was to join us but wussed out after an apparent late night, so he would meet us at the usual start point.

CasualCyclist arrived and after topping up the air in his tyres we headed off. The ride was fairly routine, but did notice a lot more people out than usual at that time of day. Maybe the warmer weather is bringing them out of hybernation. Also there was a fair amount of activity about with the Burswood open air Cinema in construction and the Camping & 4wd show on the foreshore.

We arrived before time and found Durx already there chatting to Lorraine. Madrapper was late as usual but with a 20km warmup u can’t blame him. He got in just in time for the pre-ride briefing. The route was explained and Global_Bean got a ribbing for his Movember efforts The turnout was pretty good with 50-60 riders along for the trip.

The pace was steady on the head out and I kept 2nd wheel for most of the way to the split. After the split the pace picked up a bit on I was hanging off the back a bit on the long gentle uphill to Midland Rd. Along this stretch CasualCyclist got dropped, more used to the slower pace of an AUDAX ride he struggled with the pace the front runners were setting. A few more rides with the SPR crew and he’ll be up to speed.

After the turn onto Midland road Kim(thanks for the leadout) dropped back to help get me back in touch with the group, along the way we picked up a few other stragglers including Madrapper who was yo-yoing off the back also. We caught up just as the group hit some road works, so there was a chance to recover from the extra effort. From here I kept the wheel and avoided being caught snoozing til Guildford Rd. I continued to hold on for the 1st half of Guildford Rd but was bouncing of the back a bit, just staying in touch thanks to a few red lights. Once the rolling hills hit though I was off the back for good and just couldn’t seem to bridge the gap. I kept the group in site til just before East Parade where I caught a red and lost them.

Post ride coffee

With not far left to go I continued on at a steady pace picking up another rider who also got dropped. We continued on to post ride coffee and arrived only a few minutes after the rest of the group. I thanked Kim for the assistance and a few of the lads commented on my improvment since starting with SPR. I may soon keep with the group for the whole trip.

Route & Stats

Post coffee a few of us headed up to Kings Park to watch Stage 1 of the Tour de Perth, where a few of the SPR crew where taking part. It was good to have a club presence and get the club colours out for show. We stationed ourselves on the climb just before the finish line, where we hoped most of the action would take place. The Womens race was pretty much in the bag about half way thru with Queensland’s Ruth Corsett dominating the race, and the group finish was a sprint for the remaining places. The mens on the otherhand came down to the line. Graeme Brown was in front coming up the climb but it hink went too early on the sprint as he couldn’t hang on and ended up 4th, getting pipped by Richard Lang. Perth’s own Travis Meyer held on for 2nd place which was enough to secure him the Green leaders jersey at the end of the day.

Video of one of the mens hill sprints

 

SPR Lads in the mix

Womens main peleton

Lisa putting in

Brendan post race

Travis Meyer post race, nice elbow graize

Post ride coffee

Pre-ride

SPR Sat Morning Ride 7th Nov

Well it was a struggle to get out of bed this morning and almost didn’t happen, but I dragged my lazy arse out for a ride with the crew. The weather was looking good, not too hot but did become humid. The wind which has been a factor over the last few weekends was pretty light today, just the way I like it. Enough to keep you cool but not too much that you feel your riding nowhere.

I headed off to the start and got there just in time due to the procrastination about getting out of bed. Thankfully the front tyre (thanks Lorraine) was holding up after having to find a temporary til my new one gets here from the UK (bloody postal strike). The real test would be to complete the ride without issue. Lorraine and Dave were already in the waiting SPR group.

Today our course would take us thru the city, out Scarborough Beach road and return via West Coast Hwy and Dalkeith. After taking off I forgot to start my Garmin 705 til halfway thru the city, so I missed the first few kms from the start. Going thru the city was a constant barrage of red lights but we eventually came to the good ol Mount St hill. Just before hitting this someone pointed out that my rear was flat. Think it was more a case of the tyre struggling under my hugeness but i put a bit of air into it for good measure.

The group continued on to Thomas Rd/Loftus St and I caught up with the help of yet more red lights. Scarborough Beach road was a fairly routine affair and I continue to maintain contact with the main group thanks to the constant red lights. A few individuals will need words about the dangers of running red lights as some incidents occurred. Halfway out the split took place and soon after I dropped off the back. I did manage to keep a few riders in sight for the rest of Scarborough Beach Road and half of West Coast Hwy.

West Coast Hwy was a nice ride today, the wind was light, more of a breeze and prooved to be refreshing. Most of the trip I kept a rider or 2 in sight til near Swanbourne. As I turned off West Coast Hwy a few of the fast group came flying past and a few more met me at the Stirling Hwy lights in Claremont. Heading thru Dalkeith is a fairly easy stretch and you can lift the head and see how the other half lives, with their mansions and glorious river views along Jutland Parade and surrounds. Here a few of the fast group stragglers came thru, I held for a brief moment but they were soon gone.

The final stretch thru Nedlands and along Mounts Bay road was uneventful but i had noticed the front was getting a bit light on air. I was glad it had survived this far and was looking forward to my hot choc. On arrival I found Madrapper and Lorraine had just arrived 5-10mins earlier (so I wasn’t too far off the group) and had already ordered our post ride beverage. We had the usual post ride discussion and discussed the plans for our Perth International Track GP outing tonight, before heading home to relax.

 

Route stats (1st few kms missing)

Full route (previous ride)

El Presidente

The Hot Choc

3 Musketeers

Man (and Bike) vs Rock

After another early rise I was packed and off to the WA XC State Champs at the Goat Farm. The weather was looking a lot better than Saturday morning, except for a strong wind, but in mountain biking the wind is less of an issue and actually was of benefit to staying cool while out on the trail.

Madrapper and myself arrived early but with no intention of wasting energy by doing a practice lap. We registered and setup bikes for the race. While preparing we heard the reports of what to expect on the course from those who had ridden it already. We were in for some climbing (which is pretty normal at the GF) but this time it was steeper and with a more technical surface (read heaps of rocks & gravel) than usual.

Just after 0930 we started, fairly uneventful with a nice wide road for riders to self seed on. Right from the outset it was climbing, the 1st km was the longest stretch of straight climbing with about 100m of vertical gain. A few riders got a bit of a push around the 1st corner by a keen spectator, while not overly needed it did aid the traction and relax the legs momentarily.

The first lap was just a matter of getting to know the course ready for the next 2 (normally thats what the practice lap is for). Most of the field had taken off and left me tail end which is normally the way on a track like the GF which has a large amount of climbing, I catch them on the downhill though (if they are not too far in front). The course zig zagged across the hill face with a few more ups and downs to mix it up. The GF has some fast sections, but is generally technical in nature due to the abundance of rocks.

After the initial climb I kicked back to enjoy the ride and lapped up every downhill run or change to get a bit or air. I passed thru the start/finish line and swapped my water for a chilled Powerade, ready to tackle the climb again. Needless to say I probably walk half of it. Saturday’s SPR ride had drained a lot of the energy I was relying on for today.

I was relieved to finally reach the top and get into some descending. A few nice switchbacks and little jumps had me feeling good again, but that was all about to change. On a fast sweeping left I went in carrying just a little (a lot really) too much speed, normally this is ok as u can usually use a bit of run off, but this section was different. The corner was off camber and the edge lined with rocks. The largest one I knew about so avoided that, but unfortunately there were many more hidden in the grass. Handfulls of brake did nothing to slow my speed, I went from 30km to nothing very fast as I collected a number of rocks and sailed over the bars, sliding to a stop in the grass. (This would have been quite spectacular to watch as a spectator)

A little deflated

After a moment or two laying on my back checking for feeling I sat up to see where I had landed. In some miracle my body had avoided any rocks on the way down(the bike was another story), and the only damage to me was a number of grazes, bruised shoulder & kit full of pointy irritating grass seeds. The bike didn’t fare quite as good but came out a lot better than expected. I blew out both tyres and twisted the bars and all attached cabling backwards. The rims look alright but will need a good inspection this week. The rest of the bike seems to have pulled up ok, save for a few scratches, but thats normal for MTB, (no flimsy roadie frames here ). Also thanks to the fellow racer who stopped to check I was ok, I must have been in a bit of a daze as he triple checked I was ok before continuing on.

Enjoying the Climb

Once I had gathered my brain and put the bike back into shape it was a nice walk down the hill to the carpark. I loaded the broken beast and headed to the finish line to wait for Madrapper. He ended up meeting me half way there and I snapped him loving the climb back up the hill on his final lap. I hang  round the finish and caught up with Nic and a few of the other lads whom had DNFed as well or finished earlier races. We checked out the new season’s stock of Merida bikes and watched some rounds of the State 4X Champs that were also on at the time. Eventually Madrapper came in and we refueled on sausage sizzle and Coke.

A rather disappointing finish to the season, but I will be back next year to improve and hopefully have a  better season. This was the last XC race for the year excepting the Round Tu-it 6hr & Alcoa Dusk til Dawn 12hr in late November. I hope to make the 12hr work permitting and field a team with Madrapper and a few others.

Course & Stats (at least the lap I managed) *Note the sudden drop in speed at the end when crashing but also the sudden spike in HR when I must have been midair. You can also see how off course I ended up.

Bloody Weather Forecasters….

Well what a start to the day! What was supposed to be a fairly easy sat morning ride with SPR as a warm up for tomorrow’s XC State Championships, ended up being a battle of endurance and the fight to stay upright.

The weather forecast had been for a nice day, high 20’s and a few clouds blowing in during the afternoon. From the outset it was never going to be that. As I left the house I copped a quick sprinkle so doubled back for a 2nd layer in case it got really wet and windy. Heading down to the start point showed no signs of improvement, the wind was howling & picking up, plus a few more drops of rain were blowing in.

I reached the start point at South Perth just on 0700, so just enough time for a quick chat with Lorraine about the previous night’s saga of replacing a tyre at the last minute (I hate road tyres). I spotted Durx and Madrapper, we got the brief and were off. As usual I attempted to stay near the front so as not to get dropped to soon. Heading off i had a quick chat to the lads but a few kms in we lost Durx to a flat, not a good start to the day and he headed for home.

On the way out we would have the headwind, and coming a long Great Eastern it wasn’t too bad, manageable. The split near Ascot was fun as a few mad snap decisions of the group to join. I stayed with the main group and kept with them til we hit the Great Eastern by-pass, here I started to fall of the back, nothing new really, still not up to the pace of everyone else. From here the fight with the wind was a lone one. The start of Kalamunda Rd was ok, but the wind was picking up, but i just kept a consistent pace and trudged on. This was all fine until just near Abernathy Rd where it opened up and the wind was really at play, heading over the railway overpass was a mission in itself, gale force winds whipping up sand and ripping into the skin. This combined with the gusting of the wind made it an interesting task to stay upright and see where you were going. Needless to say I battled on and HTFU. I continued the battle with the wind along the rest of Kalamunda road and onto Hale road where finally there was a reprieve every now and again. Did have a small encounter on Kalamunda with someones Rotti that was lose on the road, causing havoc to traffic.

As Hale road got close to Welshpool a few of the fast, fast group caught me. They hung around for a bit trying to decide whether to wait for the rest or just go, eventually shooting off into the distance. By now I was heading home along Welshpool Rd, and now had a bit of a tailwind which made life a hell of a lot easier. I spent the rest of the trip wondering when the rest of the fast group would catch me but some how I held them off til the finish, which in turn earned me a Hot choc from Lorraine who said any of us Twitter lads who beat her, it was her shout. Thanks Lorraine, I got lucky today

The final part of the trip was pretty routine except for all the Tri (hards:) out training for tomorrow’s ITU Long Distance Triathalon World Champs. Some of those guys & gals are machines, better them than me. I enjoyed my Hot choc and chat with the crew before heading home to get started on the weekend and rest up before the State Xc Champs at the Goatfarm tomorrow.

Route & Stats

Last Minute Arvo Ride

Well not sure if this was the smartest idea but decided to head out for a Friday arvo spin. Part fueled on by the fact I hadn’t ridden all week and also needed to test my new feet strapping for orthotics. I organised with a few of the Twitter lads to meet up with them on their commute home. This would give me some company (motivation) and also a chance to meet a few of the guys I hadn’t as yet.

The day was a bit of a stinker in Perth, after many nice days in the mid 20’s it all of a sudden decided we should have a 32C+ day in the middle of spring. I hoped the ‘ol Freo Doctor would blow in and drop that a bit. Needless to say this didn’t totally go to plan, the wind was changing direction more than a woman changing her mind.

I headed out along the South Perth foreshore, the temp had dropped from earlier int he day but still a bit warm for my liking. The wind was light but noticable. It was fairly routine to the Narrows where I met Aushiker and Velopilot. After topping up water we headed south as this was the usual route for Velopilot. The wind was coming and going but we made pretty good pace to Canning Bridge, with only a small runin with another cyclist who didn’t look behind him and tried to overtake  a slow rider as the 3 of us were overtaking both of them. He had a bit of a sook but we sorted it out and he joined us for a few kms.

We took turns on the front and kept an even pace, but as we neared the Shelley Bridge my feet started to give me grief. The new trial strapping was not the most comfortable and the left foot was going numb. Just after the bridge we stopped so I could adjust my shoes and get some reprieve, also was a good chance for a breather, the heat was still not in my comfort zone.

After the short break we continued on, this was all new territory for me as I had not been this far south on the Freeway cycle path, so I sort of took a back seat and took in the new route I could use in the future.  At Farrington St I called it quits due to time restraints. We had a quick yarn and discussed the morons riding motorised bikes around the area and others without helmets etc, then i headed back home. Aushiker decided to stay with Velopilot a bit longer so i was heading home on my own. This was good as I could maintain my own pace according to how my feet felt. Most of the trip I just took it easy and enjoyed ‘the scenery’, which was pretty decent due to the warm weather, but the fashion police would still have been kept busy.

Return was fairly routine, saw a few fellow SPR riders along the way and also stopped for a quick feet rest at the Narrows. By the time I got back to South Perth foreshore the wind had changed again and I had a decent headwind the remainder of the trip home.

All in all a nice friday arvo ride, felt a bit average due to the heat and my feet, but was a good chance to meet some fellow cyclists and do a few kms. I’m sure we’ll be out again next week with some slightly cooler weather.

Ride Details

Dwellingup 100 (104)

Now I’ve had a chance to recover I can tell you all about my adventures at the Dwellingup 100 (104). It was a long hard day but after finishing I can say it was a rewarding challenge.

After doing the Otway Odyssey back in Feb I also signed up for the BMC & Dirtworks 100s. Then I moved back to WA and with those 2 races on the east coast, I had to pull out. I was left with a void, at that time WA had no 100km enduro races. Thankfully soon after the Dwellingup 100 was announced. For some reason I have that sadistic gene in me that likes to punish myself with these enduro races, (I can’t really call them a race, as at my end of the field its just an achievement to finish) so I signed up. Comparing the courses I expected this one to be slightly easier than the Otways. I also talked my younger brother into doing the 40km event.

Our accommodation at Froggy Creek

The weekend started with us heading south to Dwellingup on the friday to find our accommodation and settle in and prepare for the big day. Finding a place to stay was pretty tight with so many people going down for the event but we found a quaint little place just out of town called Froggy Creek. Plenty of room for all of us and a nice break from society.

Having registered, packed and organised ourselves on the Friday night meant we could sleep in a bit longer on the Saturday, pre-race briefing wasn’t til 0815 so plenty of time to get there. The event was based around the town’s football oval so parking wasn’t too much of an issue. As we arrived everyone was putting bikes together and getting themselves warmed up. Was going to be a big day and a lot of riders on the course early on. The briefing was the usual, stay safe, look after each other and the trails, fairly standard, but some people need the reminder (and others still didn’t listen to the take out what you take in). At this time we also found out that there would be an extra 4kms added to the first loop, meaning the 40 became 44 and the 100 became 104km. This was due to all the extra rain making 1 of the river crossings non negotiable, so we had to go around, no real biggy.

Start line stack

From here the 100km riders lined up for the start. We began with a self seeding lap of the oval, I just sat back and waited, I was never going to be at the pointy end of this race. This ended up being a good idea as someone went down with a bit of a domino effect at the front of the pack. Nothing major but enough to dent the ego. After the lap we headed out of town to hit the trails, a short trip on the main road then the Munda Biddi as we headed into the bush, things were a bit slow moving here as the field was still spreading out. The first 10km were pretty uneventful, then we hit 1 of the steepest climbs of the day which had most people resorting to the hike-a-bike method, no point cooking yourself on the first big hill. Most were still jovial at this point but a few 100km entrants realised this would not be as easy as expected and knew they would be stopping at the 40km mark.

Due to the recent rain parts of the course had some challenging muddy patches to negotiate as well as the deceptively deep puddles and creek crossings that brought a few people unstuck including a spectacular OTB right in front of me (if only I had a helmet cam). I continued on at a steady pace not wanting to go to hard to early, stopping occasionally for the odd stretch and nutrition break and a bit of a chat to fellow riders. gradually the front runners of the 40km race caught us. About the 25km mark I passed some poor guy who had come off and done his shoulder/collar bone (unsure how bad-hope it was ok, said he was fine), not good cos it was a long walk back. Soon after I came to a sweet downhill run with a few nasty roots that I think caught a few people out going by the off course divets. The next challenge was the timed climb and again many resorted to the hike-a-bike method, I rode the 1st half then went that option myself. Some parts required you to be a damn mountain goat to negotiate, kudos to anyone who actually rode the whole climb. If it wasn’t the gradient it was the mud that brought you unstuck (or got you stuck). The remainder of the 1st loop was nothing exciting as riding goes, but did provide a few spectacular views across the valleys around Nanga Brook.

Support crew tending to needs

On the trip back thru town to the transition point it was good to see spectators out showing their support to the competitors, and encouraging them to the finish/transition line. Here I had a short break to refill water and get some more food into me, there was still another 60km to go. My support team were waiting with the food & refreshments as were the event staff. I stocked up on the essentials, did some stretches and got a nice back rub before heading back out to tackle the north side of town.

The beginning of the north loop involved a few kms of the black stuff to get us to some of the sweetest singletrack that WA has to offer in the XC track at Turner Hill. This was 11kms of pure bliss (well normally it is, this afternoon it was a bit more painful due to the 55kms already ridden). Turner hill has it all, and you can decide for yourself how technical it gets depending on whether you choose the A or B line. Both offer a challenge to the rider. I just wish I had more in me at the time to really enjoy it like it should be. It also was the location of my 1st stack of the day, fatigue had set in a bit and I washed out a gravel corner landing on a stump. Such is life in MTBing. I also had another close encounter with a tree in Turner Hill but thats normal for me. I finished here with 10-15mins before the cut-off and knew I would be pushing the daylight hours at the finishline, along with the other few riders with me, we were the tailend.

From Turner Hill it was 30km back to town via Oakley Dam and the Marinup singletrack. This section involved a lot of gravel or sand based double track, which made life interesting on the fast downhill sections. And then it started to rain, not a lot but enough to make the trail stick and the rocks slippery. Midway between the dam and Marinup was the knarliest descent of the day, bad enough to have a sign at the top advising riders to dismount and walk. Judging by the shoe prints many did, I prefer to ride the downhills, I did enough walking up them. By the bottom though the brakes were a bit warm. By now the body had had enough and all my efforts were put into just getting back to town. That last 10-15kms was a bit of a struggle but at about 5kms to go I ran into Tony Tucknott (race organiser extraordinaire) and had a quick chat and catch my breathe. Then headed off for the final burst to town. Coming into town was a great feeling, you knew it was almost over and you could unclip and stop pedalling.

Home Straight, almost there...

As I came down the finishers lane – which had now become a quagmire – to the line, the presentations where just kicking off and my support crew were there to welcome me and cheer me across the line. I had finally finished and boy was I glad to get out of the saddle.

I got my finishers medal and t-shirt (not that midget M will ever fit me) and almost crumbled on the ground, the legs (and back) had had enough and knew they didn’t have to go any further. From here I grabbed something to eat and went across for the rest of the presentations. The winners had smashed it in at under 5hrs, making my 8hrs+ look very average.  After the presentations it was back to Froggy Creek for a nice hot shower and a good hearty feed before some board games with the family (which wifey and I dominated) and then a good night’s sleep.

Before I finish though I must put a big shoutout to Tony Tucknott (from Perth Mountain Bike Club) and crew with the help of Tri-Events, whom put this marvelous event together. The ball was set rolling 11 months ago and they have done a great job to get this off the ground and do it so well. The course was demanding but fun including a bit of everything to keep it interesting. Course markings were some of the best I have seen and the organisation was almost flawless. Also many thanks to the volunteers that helped out through out the day with marshalling and timing etc, without them events like this don’t run so smoothly.  My only qualms for the day were the 0830 start time, most enduro events kickoff about 0700-0730 (I am assuming this was to cater for people driving from Perth for the day) and the finishers t-shirt sizing. They were very small sizes and if you were at the slower end of the field you got stuck with a medium leg warmer. Guess I’ll have to fix that next year by riding faster.

My Support team hard at work

But all in all it was a great event that in time could rival the big east coast 100km enduros for numbers and really show how much WA can put on a show. Hope to see you all there again next year and if you missed it this year, mark it on the calendar for 2010.

GPS trace for the day (yes i know it shows less than 100km but that seems to be a common thing for me on long rides with the 705, if you know how to tune the accuracy let me know).

Gallery

Bike Clean & Service

Recently I attended a PIHC workshop on cycling nutrition & hydration. Part of the night involves door prizes and other random giveaways. I managed to win a free bike clean on offer from Eddy Holland’s Bicycle Services. The prize of the night was Bont shoes which went to the guy next to me, damn it (I needed those as i had just broken mine – see Broken).

With the Dwellingup 100 this weekend and having just done a training ride on sunday the mountain bike was in need of a tune up and clean, what better time to take advantage of this great prize. I phoned Eddy on the Monday night and was able to book an appointment for Tuesday morning, Bonus!!

Eddy rocked up on time and ready to go, I’m not sure he realised the state of my ride before hand, and given most of his clients usually have road bikes, mine was nice and dirty. He got to the task and had the beast tamed within an hour. The most notable area of cleanliness was the rear cluster after a few wet, muddy rides this had built up a nice dose of crud, but now looks as new.

All in all a nice job done considering the original state. Next time I might be nicer and let him have a go of the roadie, minus mud. So if your time poor, lack the skills or just lazy, give Eddy a call to come tune your ride and keep it on the road. He does the job onsite so no need to worry about getting it to and from a shop.

Before

After

Clean rear cluster

Service Complete