In the Spring of 2009, I had most definitely caught the mountain biking bug. I had really started to become an exuberant mtb racer and had even written a letter to my now favourite MTB mag, Enduro. My letter, which ended up being published, focused on the positive growth of the sport and as an example, highlighted the difficulties of trying to enter the 2009 Highland Fling due to overwhelming demand. I received an email back from the editor of Enduro which was just as spirited and passionate as my newly found enthusiasm for this sport. The email was from one, James Williamson or Willo to his mates. At the time, I didn’t know much about Willo although I would later find out he was triumphant in the 2008 World Solo 24 hour championships at the age of 24 and he was a young fella making big waves in the MTB community. He was also a Southern Highlands local. Unfortunately, Willo, while competing in one of the hardest MTB races in the world, the Cape Epic in South Africa, died in his sleep from an undiagnosed heart condition. His passion for mountain biking lives on through the creation of the James Williamson Fund which fosters young MTB talent. The fund also aims to showcase what riding a mountain bike is all about. The James Williamson Enduro race at Wingello was formulated to achieve this goal.
The inaugural running of the race was 2011 and I had missed riding in the race to help out the Southern Highlands Cycle club with the running of the junior dash and other duties on the day. This year, however, was a time to sample the race itself. Coming off a 24 solo and a large base of training, my mentality for the coming months is to focus on short, sharp races, so the 50km race fitted in brilliantly with my plans. Besides, just 10 days before, I had taken 20 minutes to get off the floor due to back spasms so I wasn’t keen on completing anything more than that distance. What didn’t fit in brilliantly, was the absolute freezing weather on race day that greeted approximately 500 riders on the start line.
A picture of me at the startline- well, not that cold but it sure felt like it!
In contrast to the inclement weather, the singletrack had been well groomed by all the hard working volunteers so the weather was pushed to the back of the mind once the racing began. From the get go, it was hard and fast. I started within my category and found myself in a group of about 7 which had stayed intact from the early flurry of punches thrown in the first couple of kilometres. The roadie tactics once again came in handy as staying out of the howling wind on the firetrails, proved a necessity. Local knowledge also paid dividends as I knew an approaching turn would have me flying with the wind so I attacked hard for a few hundred metres before that point and swung around with an instant acceleration from the gale now at my back. This reduced our group to four which was reduced to two on the King of the Mountain climb. This climb is a shocker. Not overly steep, but constant. The worst of it is the nature of the ground beneath you. The soft soil seems to just drag you down. It was a real energy sapper with my legs not being strong enough to stay with the leader who I will name “Red jersey”. By this time, we had caught the younger brigade in front of us who had started earlier as well as some of the 75km racers. For the rest of the race, zipping in and out of traffic became part of the game, with all whom I passed, pulling over tolerantly. Just before hitting the final piece of singletrack to finish lap one, a fella came up and around me at good speed. He looked like he was in my category so I hooked on to his wheel. I stayed there for a while until I hit the bottom of a sandy gully where I duly lost my chain. The short stop was enough time for him to disappear up the trail. Bugger, down to third.
Passing through transition meant one more lap of 25km. For a large majority of that lap, I rode with another rider from a younger category. He would catch me on the descents and I would make up time on him on the slopes. We actually worked together at various times which was great to keep the pace pushing along. Some of those back climbs like the Wildfire gully climb and Fern gully climb are taxing on the body a second time around although I obviously hit them alright placing 12th/260 for the Wild Fire gully climb on Strava. Although I was only racing half the distance, Jason English(Solo 24hour World Champion) was only 5 seconds quicker on that climb in the 2011 Highland Fling giving me an indication that the legs are in good climbing shape. On reaching the summit of one of these climbs, I found “Red jersey” off on the side of the road with a marshall. He had yelled out that he had smashed into a tree and that was his race. On wishing him well, I set off to see if I could reel in the guy who had motored passed me previously as he would now be in first place. Half way through the last section of singletrack, I heard an approaching rider coming up behind me. Time to put the foot down and make sure I secured second. Luckily, I had escaped nicely through some traffic and had come out onto the firetrail clear of any immediate danger behind me. I had failed to catch the leader who was just too quick although I had claimed second in my category with a margin of 23 seconds back to third. Here are the results.
Sweet Wingello singletrack
With the smiles of all who came across the line, you knew the organisers had achieved their goal of creating a race for all to enjoy and being true to Willo’s legacy. Congratulations to Meg Patey, the main workhorse of the race organisation and Willo’s aunty. There is, however, a rather large team that helped her put it all together. Super effort! Check out those grins on the fantastic video clip below.
On the podium at the Willo!
In the classic movie, Dead Poet’s Society, Robin Williams urged his students to abide by the philosophy of Carpe Diem. That is, “seize the day”. For someone competing in a 24 solo, this saying is just plain soft, for a rider competing must be able to seize the day, then night and then seize the day again. After the Australian 24hr Solo MTB championships, I can say I didn’t quite seize the day, had a good stranglehold of the night and then the day came back to kick my arse. This is how my second 24 solo unfolded.
The Course-Majura Pines, Canberra
Majura Pines has been the traditional home of solo 24 MTB racing. The course this year was a mixture of fast, flowing single track to technical traverses over rocks, roots and logs. There were some speedy descents and just to finish off the 11.6km loop, some brutal climbing up the Majura switchbacks. The preview of the course shows a very wet Majura, three weeks before the actual event. On the day, the course was perfect due to some brilliant weather and some hard work by the dedicated event organisers. All in all, a tough course although a course very befitting of a national standard.
The Event
There is also another saying that I can relate to in solo 24 racing which sums up my first segment of the race. You can’t win a solo 24 in the first 6 hours(category, overall etc) although you can definitely lose one in this time. This was probably the case for me as I went out too hard and didn’t ride my own race. This led to two factors that affected my race. One, my nutrition plan went out the window. I found myself eating and wanting more than I should of and paid the price with stomach issues around about the 6 hour mark. I couldn’t handle any gels or powerbars very early on and was just craving real food.(see appendix 2 for the full roll call of my 24 hours of feeding frenzy) And lastly, because I was pushing myself to stay with competitors in my own category, I had a rather large OTB(over the bars) crash which could of been much worse. This was probably a blessing in disguise as I vowed to ride my own race after this and let those I was following go on their way.
Around 7pm I was very close to pulling the pin due to the way I was feeling. One of the great things about MTB racing is that many of the elites of the sport will always offer you encouragement as they fly past you. Ed McDonald, one of the challengers to World Champion, Jason English’s crown, reminded me that if I ride through it I will be okay. This is what I did, as day turned to night, everything felt better. The singletrack became fast and I felt I was back in the race.
Majura singletrack illuminated by fairy lights-photo courtesy of Russ Baker
During the night, I moved up to 4th in my category and was feeling on the improve both physically and mentally. I was hanging onto the back wheels of riders moving fast in the forest and setting the pace at other times. The forest was starting to become quieter and transition not the bustling avenue it was during the daylight hours. The confirmation of a tough course was confirmed through numerous DNFs and some just taking a break through the witching hours. This muted silence was pierced by a lone supporter at the top of the switchback climbs. He had brought his own version of hydration and was giving all that passed a rousing reception to keep going. Even when there were no other riders around, you could still hear him having a great time in the middle of the forest by himself. I am glad he woke me up as I was starting to become a little tired. I had just sworn I had seen a gorilla on the side of the road. (and no, I hadn’t stopped to share that lone supporters choice of fluids either!)
Daylight broke with the course all of a sudden becoming busier. My motivation had dropped a little as a realised that it was going to be tough getting a hold of 3rd in my category and the first 6 hours of the race were probably catching up to me. It was a good time to start to chat to other riders as my focus shifted to defending my 4th position. In the final few hours to finish, I crawled around the course. This is probably one reason why I have recovered so well after the event. Apart from numb fingers on my left hand, I feel I could easily hop on the bike for another stint.
Photo courtesy of Russ Baker
My only other 24 solo was the Worlds in 2010. In this attempt I finished with my own fatigued version of a wheelie across the line. Here is the photo. I thought I would keep up the tradition and do the same here. The overall results show Jason English being crowned again a well deserved men’s champion and Liz Smith being crowned Aussie solo Queen. Lap times are here. I got that 4th position and placed 18th overall punching out 290km over 24 hours. Happy with that!
Photo courtesy of Russ Baker
Thank you’s
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Steve (brother in law)- the best solo support going around. He is the master at solo support! With Steve around, the logistics are always perfect! Thanks mate!
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Kym (sister in law)- Organising and entertaining kids, making top notch pasta bakes the night before, running out for a pizza and helping pack up. Thanks for all Kym.
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Tim from Bong Bong Cycles for prepping the bike and making her purr around the singletrack.
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My little fan club of Issy, Lucy, Camo, Kai and Gabby. Stu on the mic said I had the best fan club of all.
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And lastly, to my understanding and incredibly supportive ally, my wife, Amanda. Love the way you get behind me for these events. Thanks for letting me go off on the bike for 130 hours since January 1st this year to prepare for this one. I couldn’t imagine doing one of these events without you and my two girls in my corner. You are my inspiration.
Super solo support Steve!
Appendix 1 – a graph by Russ Baker showing laps to time taken. It demonstrates that Jason English starts strong and finishes strong.
Appendix 2 - The hydration and nutrition that was consumed by myself in 24 hours.
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7 litres of Shotz Hydration
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2 litres of Endura Optimiser
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4 bottles of Gatorade
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700mls of Coke
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1 awesome Pizza
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3 bananas
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1/2 bacon and egg roll
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2 hot cross buns
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Packet of salt and vinegar chips
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6 cups of fruit salad
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1 orange
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1 apple
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4 slices of banana bread
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5 slices of salt and vinegar rice cakes
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2 bowls of pasta
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6 pikelets
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2 ham and tomato sandwiches
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1 endura bar
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1 powercookie
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1 packet of 2 minute noodles
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4 gu gels
Could I be related to this creature?
Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Bye Bye! Until the next solo!
My inspiration
After a solid training base, it was time to have a crack at my first MTB marathon for 2012. The Rocky Trail Cruise at Mt Stomlo, Canberra, offers four race distances. These are the 33km, 66km, 100km and the 100 miler. To test the legs early in the year and have a full day on the bike, I gave the 100 miler a crack. All up, the event attracted some 300 riders although there were only 20 riders on the 100 miler starting grid. Each lap was supposed to be around the 33km mark, although my Garmin was reading 28km per lap. The large lap length enabled competitors to ride much of the famous Stromlo singletrack such as Skyline, the Luge, Party line and Double Dissolution. Names of trails such as Deep Creek and those around western Stromlo I had never ridden or really heard of, so the race was a great opportunity to become familiar with some of the not so famous Stromlo singletrack. There was plenty of gut busting climbing per lap as well. The trunk trail was included full of 1001 switchbacks, Heartbreaker was in and just to make things a little more difficult before transition, the Blackberry climb was thrown into the mix as well. So the course was a good one with something for everyone. The bonus for me was doing the 100 miler meant that I would ride this fab singletrack over 5 laps.
Lap 1- To make sure the 100 milers finished with the rest of the pack, we were called to the line at 5am. We would get a full four hour head start on the other race divisions meaning that the singletrack ahead was clear and fast. Off the start line, the guns of the endurance mtb world took off never to be seen again. I tried to settle into a nice rhythm and parked myself behind fellow masters competitor, Phil Welch. Holden’s Creek was in the midst of a burn off so racing through the gloomy and smouldering vegetation created an eerie and surreal environment. My form on this lap wasn’t great as for one reason or another I had rarely been out on the mountain bike since the Highland Fling. It was lucky I had Phil to follow for the best lines and guide me through the dark. On climbing back up to the top of Stromlo, sunrise burst across the Canberra skyline which was just magnificent to view. However, the rocky, tight and demanding Stromlo singletrack meant that I couldn’t rubberneck at the brilliant colours the break of the day was throwing. Small lapses in concentration from the trail could mean a possible catapulting from the bike onto the unforgiving surface. On coming into transition for the first time I was met by my two young daughters. Under the guidance of their Mum, they knew exactly what to do. A change of helmet, lights taken off my bike, water bottles given, as well as a variety of sustenance. A , “good luck Dad, you’re riding well,” and I was off.
Lap 2- Phil had sped off so I was on my lonesome and this is how it stayed for the entire loop. Lap times for me were around 1 hour and three quarters. I don’t think I have ever travelled this far in a race and not seen another soul apart from the local jumping marsupials. In any case, it gave me the chance just to focus on my riding and slowly, my MTB mojo was coming back. The lowered temperatures meant that hydration was never a worry although that was soon to change.
Lap 3- The transition centre was a hive of activity now with the 100km riders soon to start. It would be another hour of riding by myself before they would catch me up. Finally I had some company although this party wasn’t hanging around and they zipped through one by one. It was at this point that I was actually thinking how well I was riding. I was feeling very composed and uninhibited. Perhaps a little too uninhibited because I proceeded to lose the front wheel down a rut and found myself being blasted over the bars with the right side of my body taking the full force, especially my hip. After giving myself a good cursing, I picked up my tangled body which was now feeling a little worse for wear and dragged myself into transition covered in a mixture of dust, sweat and blood.
Lap 4- This is when the day really started to heat up. I was carrying two bottles on course and even though this was adequate in the first 5-6 hours, the temperature was rising and it just didn’t sustain me anymore. Temperatures into the 30s meant that the water in the bottles was turning warm very quickly and subsequently, my pace was slowing. I was also still very sore around the hip and found some of the uphill rock gardens becoming most difficult. After passing Phil at the end of lap 3 who was having troubles with his bike, he subsequently zoomed passed me half way into lap 4.
Lap 5- After a very quick feed of pasta and some time getting rehydrated, temperatures on that final lap were becoming very uncomfortable. For those that don’t know, Stromlo was stripped of its vegetation in the 2003 bushfires creating a lunar landscape of rocks and sand. The greenery is starting to return, although it is very bare in places and most open to a scorching Summer sun. Riding in these naked sections was intolerable. During this lap, I was no longer being passed from behind, but rather passing the struggling riders in the other races. Some were out of water, some were performing stretches to stave off cramps, although all were bloody hot. This last lap wasn’t the enjoyable early jaunt under a sublime Canberra morning glow. It was an incinerating environment which crushed the hopes of riders and meant that there were large numbers of DNFs throughout all race categories. In any case, I wasn’t riding this far without finishing, and managed to reach the terminus in a time of 9 hours and 44 minutes with a total ascent of nearly 3000 metres and third in my category. Results are here. Like last years experience, this race is no cruise!
On the masters 100 miler podium with Hugh Stodart(1st) and Phil Welch(2nd).
My last blog stated that it was time to put away my bike for a while and have a rest. I have stayed true to my word as I haven’t ridden my mtb or my roadie for exactly one month. This is a record for me although I have surprisingly found it very easy, with a family holiday to the beautiful south island of NZ keeping riding from my mind. This was a family holiday although I was graciously given a leave pass to sample the beautiful trails of Wanaka for an afternoon using a hire bike from Outside Sports. It was an awesome day in Wanaka to sample some singletrack so I was directed to warm up the legs around the shores of Lake Wanaka. This track is family friendly as it gently winds its way around the lake and then follows the Clutha River. The track is a shared facility with walkers although you won’t want to blast around here anyway as the spectacular scenery has you off the bike and taking in some awesome sites. The water of the Clutha River is an amazing turquoise colour and looked very inviting on a warm Wanaka day. With the backdrop of the Southern Alps, the ride around the Lake and up the river is amazing in itself.
The view across the lake
Check out the colour of that water!
Crossing the river at the bridge brings you to Albert Town Camp ground located on highway 6. This is the location of the best singletrack I rode in the short time I had at Wanaka. It was the Dean’s Bank loop track consisting of 11.5km of flowing trails. This area is ridden only one way and is clearly marked.
At the start of the trail, you gain altitude by climbing up an awesome set of tight switch backs to take you along the ridgeline which now follows the other side of the Clutha River. It’s an easy to intermediate trail although it does have some techie features to it at times. The soil was loose and a little rocky at times and it reminded me of Stromlo, Canberra which was the last thing I was expecting when riding NZ singletrack. After about five kilometres of following the river, the trail descends and then swings back through the edges of pine forest. The ride back to the camp ground was the most exciting part of the trail as you could really build some momentum and hit the perfectly spaced berms at speed.
All up, the Deans Bank loop track takes about 45minutes to one hour to ride. I would recommend hitting the loop again as your knowledge of the trail would allow you to ride the course at a higher speed. This was a fantastic trail which is well thought out and maintained. Well worth a blast or three!
Singletrack with a view.
A fast and furious downhill into the camping ground
The short time I had meant that I wanted to find Sticky Forest which is always featured in Aussie MTB magazines. The entry into the forest for someone who doesn’t know the area is a little tricky. I got lost and I think I crossed private property to get there. In any case, on arriving in the forest, it is clear that there are a plethora of trails to chose from. I only sampled maybe 8 or 9. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with what I rode. It just seemed that trails were built, not in a holistic, organised fashion. One trail might be criss crossed by another 3 or 4 times with little sign posting. There was also massive amount of debris with some harvesting of pines taking place. I guess local knowledge means everything here. All in all though, it was a great afternoon to get out and enjoy New Zealand from a cycling perspective.
There are a maze of trails to explore close to the town.
PS- There was many a time when driving the hire car around NZ that I wish I had the roadie packed in the back. Some stunning scenery and climbs would make some excellent riding. This photo is the road switchbacks up the Crown Range with Arrowtown in the background.
Switchbacks-road style!
Lethargy, languidness, languor, lassitude and listlessness but most of all, just bloody exhausted. These words all describe my mental and physical condition after a tough weekend on the bike. The best way to describe my state is to compare it to a big night out with the hangover lasting seven days. I gave it all in the last race of the year and it comes after a period of solid and sustained racing as well as clocking up some big mileage on the road and mountain bike. It’s now time for a prolonged rest although before I do, I better complete my final race blog of the year. The 2011 Highland Fling.
The event organiser, Wild Horizons, kicks off the weekend on the Saturday with a celebration of mountain biking. The first event on the schedule is the junior mountain bike clinic to foster the talents and skills of up and coming whippets. On arriving as an instructor for the session, a few things struck me. One, was the amount of children who had registered, well over 50 with some having to be turned away. This is a great sign for the sport with so many youngsters keen and so into their bikes. The second was that these kiddies were fast and had obviously been inspired by their Mums and Dads.
Young mtbers testing their skills on the Bundanoon YHA course
The Bundanoon Dash is then on in the afternoon and consists of two races. The first is the Wacky race-The Battle of the Businesses. The Ant Hill mob, Penelope Pitstop and Professor Pat Pending in the ‘convert a car’ wouldn’t be out of place in this line up. It consists of local riders riding for local businesses and racing(or mostly riding) for charity. Bikes and riders are dressed up in all sorts of spectacular get ups.
The wacky races. Photo courtesy of Cycle Nation.
The second race is the serious race. It’s a contest full of guns who are ready to fire. Blair, McConnell, Carlson, Fay, Cooper and Henderson are just some of the speedsters who lined up intent on grabbing the cash. It’s a cracking race the Dash. This year, I got myself into a good position early and was top six and out of the wind for most of the first four kilometres. However, as we approached the turn around point, I kept getting shuffled back with no way through. When an incline approached, the group accelerated and that was enough to see me off the back with 3 others just short of the tar. On hitting the road, I had the wheel of another, although the rider behind me literally took my wheel and went cart wheeling into the air. It was a nasty incident although he looked okay. The abrupt gradient then takes you up Constitutional Hill and throws you into the crowd of spectators encouraging you up the rise. Daniel McConnell took victory in a time of 10minutes and 11 seconds. I stopped the clock at 11minutes and 56 seconds.
The Dash starting grid. Photo courtesy of Cycle Nation
Reaching the top of Constitutional Hill with my heart through my chest
The next morning presented perfect riding conditions for a 110kilometre Fling. It was cool and fresh although the forecast was for hotter conditions later in the day. The race was a good one for me, although my legs felt dead in the first 30km of the event, probably due to the energies I spent on Constitutional hill. Riding along the Great Wall singletrack in the Wingelo Forerst, the first tinges of a cramp hit me. This wasn’t a good sign and with 70km to go I thought that I might be in a little trouble. Throughout the race, however, I seemed to get stronger. Coming out of the steep valleys and hitting the open firetrails of the Wingello farming lands, the rider in front started rallying riders to work together. It was the familiar face of Paul Bruce who had signed up not only to do the one lap of the Wingello loop but two. He had entered the crazy 100mile event (160km) and was sensibly, not keen on hanging himself out in the wind. At this point I was starting to sense the elite riders would be steaming through as they had started a half an hour after us. You can always gauge your progress on this mark. In 2009, the train came past me at about the 25km mark. Last year, they got me just before tangles, which was at the 55km mark. This year, however, the guns wouldn’t get me until the 84km mark. A group of 4 came through leaving my bunch in the dust. A little later, Dylan Cooper arrived by himself. I remarked to one of the guys I was working with that he would be lucky to win from that position. He subsequently made a goose of me by winning the event by the smallest of margins! It must have been an awesome effort because he was some distance behind the lead train. He won in a time of 4 hours and 11minutes. I arrived home in a time of 5 hours and 16minutes bettering last year’s time by 40 minutes. Results are found here.
The 2011 Fling is on! Photo courtesy of Cycle Nation
Dylan Cooper just edges out Andy Blair at the finish. Photo courtesy of Cycle Nation.
So, as I have said, it’s time for a rest. I plan to spend 3 to 4 weeks totally off my bikes and hopefully come back stronger next year ready to tackle a major stage race like the Mountains to the Beach or Tour de Timor. It’s been a big year with my highlights being the Otway Odyssey race in Victoria, my first category win in the Tathra Enduro and a ninth overall at the Back Yamma Bigfoot in Parkes. Happy trails to all for 2012!
The Dash is done-now for the Fling!
One of the biggest races on the Australian MTB calender is nearing start time. The 2011 Highland Fling. The Highland Fling is an MTB enduro with three options. The shorter 55km race, the most popular 110km journey and the 100miler for the riders who want to grind themselves into the dirt. All three options come across a section of the course with approximately five kilometres to go named Your Call. Your Call gives you a choice of two options and is always well discussed regarding which option is the quicker. Go left, for a shorter and steeper passage or right, for longer and leveller journey as the route description provides. There has never been any doubt that exit stage left is the quicker option, although today I thought I would find out by what time and whether it was worth going left up the more difficult option at the end of a 110km race.
In any case, I gave the right option a go first at an effort close to my maximum.
Going right
As can be seen, going right gives you a more gradual gradient(maximum gradient-5.2%) and a smoother surface, although it is 870 metres in distance. This is 380 metres longer than going left. The gradient does give a little kick nearing the top of the hill as well. The time taken to ride this was 2 minutes and 40seconds at an average speed 19.5 km/h. Starting altitude was 669 metres and finishing altitude was 712metres.
Next up was going left and the more trickier option. The route has challenges all the way up. It’s steeper with a maximum gradient of 10%, double the incline of the first option. However, what makes it tougher is the loose, stony sections. One mistake and you are off pushing the bike. In addition, there are tree roots to avoid as well as rock step ups to navigate.
Going left
On today’s effort, I stopped the clock at 2minutes and 20 seconds with an average speed of 12.6km/ph. The real positive of this ride is it is only 490 metres in length and as can be seen is faster by a good 20 seconds.
View Larger Map
I had heard that going left was still faster even when you walked it so I put in another run although this time I got off the bike at approximately the half way point. This would be the point when many riders would have to get off and trudge to the point of the hill. This run was timed at 2minutes and 51 seconds.
Conclusion
What does this mean? In the end, probably not much as far as time and places are concerned. These efforts that I have given were all completed when I was relatively fresh, not after 105km. My last 110km Fling, I suffered a little on the way home with cramps. I chose to go right as I preferred to spin the nasties out of my legs. How much time would I have lost? According to this result, probably not much. I guess if you can finish like you start, then going left is the way home. However, I reckon, the majority of riders are better going right, although in the end it comes down to personal preference. For me in 2011, I’ll let my legs decide for me. See you out Flinging this weekend.
Race note-This was tested under race conditions in the 2011 Highland Fling. Even if you get off your bike half way, going left is faster by a good 15 seconds.
I once met a girl who was a Husky Doctor. We had a bit of a Fling out in the Dirt which turned into an Odyssey. I found out she had a Big Foot and became very Angry at her BMC (Big Monstrous Calf).
Since 2009, I have participated in all of these 100km races. They include-
- 2009 BMC 100 (now called the Wombat 100-held at Woodend Victoria) 2009
- Angry Doctor (held at Mogo, NSW south coast) 2009
- Highland Fling(held at Bundanoon,NSW) 2009 and 2010
- Husky 100 (held at Callala Bay NSW) 2010
- Otway Odyssey ( held at Apollo Bay to Forest) 2011
- Dirtworks NSW(now called the Convict 100-held at St Albans) 2011
- Back Yamma Bigfoot (held at Parkes) 2011
These races are termed marathon or XCM races for short. They are one of the toughest forms of mountain bike races due to the challenging terrain and time taken to complete the distance. Races beyond this distance are termed ultra marathons and are obviously ultra tough. Probably the most famous of these is the Leadville 100 which is in fact a 160km race at high altitude(nearly 4000 metres at its peak). The race was made famous by the doco, Race across the Sky.
So, with 8 marathon races ticked off, I thought now might be a good time to review these races by answering the following according to my experiences.
The Hardest
There is no such thing as an easy 100km race. The flatter the course, the faster you push yourself. The Back Yamma had a very horizontal profile with quick, free flowing singletrack. Being of that nature, you tended to go harder from the start and keep little in reserve at the finish. Looking at my graph of times taken to complete each race, it would seem the BMC 100 was the hardest. This, however, was my first 100km race. It was certainly hard at the time due to inexperience, although it doesn’t compare in difficulty to the Otway Odyssey. The constant climbing of this race in the first 40km pushes you to the extreme. If that doesn’t make you weary, the sledge hammer in the last 10km will almost certainly finish you off. All up, there is some 3000 metres of vertical climbing in the race. The 2011 edition of the Otway was certainly made harder by the amount of mud. It has been the only time the wheels on my bike have stopped moving when rolling downhill. This required me to take the back wheel off and remove the build up of clay around the wheel clearance. The toughness of this event was reinforced by Australian Tour de France champion, Phil Anderson. I passed Phil a couple of times on the course. Overtaking him? I wish! Rather, the course doubled back around on itself a few times and I got the chance to get a glimpse of the legend on the MTB. Apparently, he described this year’s edition of the race as “being one for the hard men”. Hard for Phil, hard for everyone else.
The Angry Doctor certainly rates a mention in this category as well. It has nearly the same amount of climbing as the Otway although the gradients are less and more forgiving. What makes the Doctor so tough is the constant undulation of the terrain. There is little time to gain some easy kilometres on flat fireroad. Its all up or down requiring total concentration. The 2009 edition was certainly oppresive with howling westerly winds and temperatures in the 30s. Because of these harrowing conditions, combined with an extreme course, the 2009 Doctor had a very high DNF percentage. Over 25% of the field failed to finish the race.
The Best Singletrack
With names like the Red carpet, Yaugher Super Loop, Marriners Run, Grass Trees and Follow the Dog, the singletrack of the Otway Odyssey wins hands down. My experience of these singletrack’s was with a half functioning bike after 50km of mud and I still managed to have a grin from ear to ear. There was such variety in the environment from trails through sub-tropical rainforest to Eucalyptus stands. The trails also had so many challenging features to them, making it like a giant fun park for mountain biking. It was Wet and Wild not on the Gold Coast but near the small community of Forrest in Victoria! I would love to get back to this town just to ride these trails again.
Even though I struggled to complete my first 100km race, the singletrack at Woodend for the BMC 100 was fantastic in parts too. In fact, the BMC 100 would have had the highest percentage of singletrack with an amazing 50% of the course being of this nature. Fast flowing sections were intermixed with technical features. In fact, being my first experience of a 100km race, it was the amount of singletrack I found hard to contend with in this race (I can’t believe that I am actually saying that there) There were just too few places to rest for a newbie. Once again, I would like to go back and test myself here after gaining experience in other races.
Riding the brilliant trails of the Otway Odyssey
The Best Organised
This has to go to my home event, the Highland Fling. The race weekend starts off with a kids MTB clinic, the fast and furious Bundanoon dash on the Saturday followed by the main event on the Sunday. The riders get a fantastic goodies bag(not a bag with a sticker in it). In previous editions, a Highland Fling bottle of red has given meaning to sweet celebration after the event. The price of the event also includes a feed of pasta for all the riders which is devoured by the tonne. Due to these reasons, as well as a challenging course, it is the most popular marathon race in Australia with the 2012 version attracting nearly 2000 riders.
The Angry Doctor would have to have the best feed zones. I can vividly remember coming into the 75km feed zone at the Doctor. Tired, busted up, I came across a mirage of all sorts of food and hydration. It was a temptation to stay and settle in for much longer. I still haven’t seen any feed zone that betters that!
Best novelty at a race
Undoubtedly, the best novelty of the marathons is the Dirt Works canoe bridge. This bridge is infamous as it consists of a couple of planks strung together between canoes. These canoes stretch the width of the river. What makes it tough is the canoe’s moving with the tide and the vibration of riders coming across. If you stop your legs from turning on the bridge, you are going to get wet. Spectators come to the bridge to watch this scenario unfolding. Hilarious for them, not so much for the one who takes a dip. If you make the distance, you get a band proving your victory. It’s a lot of fun!
Crossing the bridge
Lessons Learnt
Every single marathon you enter, you learn so much. My first race, the BMC, I was hopelessly under-prepared. I carried with me 2 bars and 2 gels. Due to being at the back end of this race, I had got to the feed zones after most had come through. Therefore, because there was little to nothing available food wise, my body was crying out for some nutrition. I waited for at least 15 minutes at one feed zone for some more bananas to be restocked as I couldn’t progress on an empty stomach. I had no idea what it took to ride one of these challenges! All through 2009(BMC,Doctor and Fling) I relied on just water for my hydration needs resulting in cramping attacks. These days I use Shotz tablets for hydration and well as Endura Optimizer for nutrition.
I have also learnt that there is rarely a race which goes to plan. The Otway was marred by rain, the Doctor and 2010 fling were both very hot, I had a massive fall and later got stung in the face by a bee at the Husky, and in the Dirtworks I was plagued by mechanical problems(chain suck). There is no time to worry about these occurrences. You have to take it in and then deal with it. The problems with my bike that I had on the Dirtworks were my own fault – I backed up on the bike again after the Otway without changing a large amount of the gear which was trashed.
Preparation is also a vital ingredient to success. This means training! For my first 100km race, my preparation was usually just a hit out on the weekend. These days I do much of my training on the road bike through riding and racing. Due to a lack of time in my life, training for marathons consists of around 7 to 10 hours on the bike a week and I try and make it quality time rather than just plodding large kilometres. If you don’t suffer before the race, you will most likely suffer during the race. This road work hopefully gives me a bit of speed and endurance when I hop back on the MTB.
I have had one perfect race. This was the recent Back Yamma and it was a result of all of the above experiences. These experiences allowed me to smash my 100km best time by a considerable margin.
Conclusion
For me, the last marathon race of the year is approaching. It will be my third Highland Fling and my 9th 100km race. What is my goal? Simply to beat last years time. I know now that this is easier said than done. One competitor remarked about the Leadville 100- “get used to riding with a high heartrate: this will get you used to the heart-pounding-thru-your-chest feeling that will be sure to happen while riding in the race.” If you simply want to ride a marathon and make the finish, you shouldn’t experience this sensation. If you want to race a marathon, this is want you should expect.
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I started my teaching career out west so its always a pleasure to head back out to big sky country and this time it was to race the Back Yamma Bigfoot at Parkes. What makes these trips even better is when the family jumps in the car with you and heads out for a weekend of camping and riding bikes in a spectacular location. At this time of year, the weather is perfect and the landscape is especially picturesque as the canola is on full display in the area displaying a patchwork of Aussie colours along the road to Parkes.
For me, the contributing factors which make an event worthy of revisiting are the following.
1. It has to be a family friendly atmosphere. There was plenty of evidence of this at Back Yamma with kids zooming around on pink and blue mini MTBs all over the place. In fact, the trails in the forest were a great place to take the kids for a ride as they were very beginner friendly. My kids especially loved the astronomy session put on by the local club on the Saturday night. Many others would have gone for toasting marshmallows on the campfires which dotted the site. After failing to sight a Doolagharl( aboriginal, meaning yowie) at the Tathra Enduro, I had told my kids that BigFoot might make an appearance in the forest. In fact, he was spotted driftin a tricycle with one wheel up in the air to the amusement of all. 
2. The singletrack needs to be worthy. Definitely a big tick here. There was nothing technical about these trails although they were well groomed, fast and flat. They were a little dusty and loose from a lack of moisture in places making racing at speed in a line exhilarating. If its singletrack you want, its singletrack you get here. The highlight for me had to be the trails through the eroded gullies. Dropping in and out was like being on a wave at your favourite break. In any case, the trails were a winner with the vast majority being singletrack with only firetrail to join the dots.
A plentiful supply of well groomed singletrack awaits you at Back Yamma Forest
3. Value for money. Most of the big events these days are around the $130 for a 100km race. This cool event was $70 which meant that I was able to take the family out for a great meal in Parkes the night before.
4. A memorable race. My plan for this race was to take it out hard and stay with the fast guys for as long as possible. Being a flat course, I thought this would be the way to go as I could take advantage of their power and tuck in behind them. Off the start, I got into the first section of singletrack in the top 10 in a cloud of dust. Behind me, it must of been chaotic as 200 riders created a duststorm making visibility very poor.
Singlespeed legend, Brett Bellchambers leads the race off the start line.
The pace didn’t slacken, as these trails were fast and furious. A group of about 6 or 7 broke off the front and were still visible by my group(approx 5 riders) for about 10km. We worked together well, with the road racing skills coming in handy. A strong wind had developed and if you got caught by yourself in the open, you were quickly pushed backwards so knowing when to motor and ease off, became a tactic in itself.
Leading the chasing group
Our group of five was joined by World Solo 24 hour category champion, Jason Mcavoy. He had come from nowhere and was looking plenty fresh. Once he started to up the ante and race ahead, he did some serious damage to our group. I managed to hang on as he climbed his way up the race rankings. Upon catching a couple of riders in front, we hit a hill and I hit a wall. I dropped off the back to ride the final five kilometres to transition by myself. During this time, I was nearly poleaxed by a kangaroo who zipped in front of me and lost his footing. Thankfully, I emerged unscathed from this encounter although skippy certainly looked like he needed some better tread to handle the trails.
Dropping into the gullies
Upon collecting my bottles at transition from Team Bong Bong Cycles, I headed off by myself and decided to take it easy until someone joined me from behind. This was a good decision for me as I thought I may have pushed it too hard in that first 50 and with the wind picking up, I was fearful of going backwards in that last 10 kilometres. At approx 10kilometres from transition I was joined by another rider who was tearing up the singletrack. I tried to work with him, although for the next 20 kilometres or so, he was the dominant force out in front while I hung on behind. He gaped me by quite a distance at one stage although I somehow reeled him back. The back loop was very exposed to the wind so it was important we stick together and work off each other. That we did, until he started to tire and waved me off with about 10 kilometres to go. At this stage, I knew I was in about 9th position and had a good lead back to the next riders. I needed to fight the relentless wind and bring it back solidly if I was to attain a top 10 finish. The bike at this stage was in some dire need of attention. I had caught up to the 50km riders and they quickly got out of my way due to my bike screeching and crying out for some lube and attention. Then I had hit that same bloody hill where I got dropped on the first loop. The cramps started although were soon soothed by a self massage while on the bike. I knew if I got over this hill, the majority of the rest of the course was singletrack and downhill. I did hear the screeching brakes of others catching up to me although the finish, thankfully, was too close and I passed under the finish banner for an overall position of 9th in a time of 4hours and 21 minutes smashing my goal of going sub 5hours in a 100km event. Results are here.
So, the Back Yamma Bigfoot for 2011 was certainly a winner according to my criteria. Loved it!
The 2011 NSW XCO Championships would be my first race start in the old farts division (40 to 49). I know some who cringe at the thought at turning 40. Those that do, seem awfully worried about that well known period of transition for a male known as a mid life crisis. Stereotypically, this is the time when you do stupid things post 40, like impulsively buy a sports car or try your luck with the younger ladies. For me, I had always laughed at the thought of a mid life crisis. I had been itching to turn 40 for a while now. Doing so excluded me from racing the youngsters at events such as this. Now I was up against the old guys with their heart pacemakers instead. This will be the year of Matt, I thought, my time has come! However, after lining up on the start line on Sunday, I found out that my change of category had brought me a bigger jump in competition. After watching 9 guys start in my previous category (30-39), I pushed off the blocks with 23 other masters, the largest grouping of all. These guys didn’t look like they had recently been to St Vincent’s for heart by- pass surgery either, they looked bloody fit and intent on winning.
The elite race was taken out by Ben Henderson for the males and Breony Webb for the ladies. Photos by http://neilthompsonphotography.com.au/
After getting a good jump on the start, I thought I would test these dinosaurs out by gunning the first 2km of firetrail. On arriving in second position, my plan was still in order although a silly mistake on a technical switchback dropped me another position. Bloody hell! The year of Matt might have to wait. Down to third! My frustrations were quelled by the sensational singletrack that those involved with running the event had produced. It was perfect and quenched my singletrack thirst after a long duration off the MTB. After dropping into the SuperBowl, swooping in and out of gullies and over bridges, I found myself with another three or four riders cued up to pass. When we hit the firetrail again, pass they did. Their fast legs seemed a lot younger than mine. Back into the singletrack, I found myself in a nice rhythm with no one behind me although two of the over-takers had escaped off down the trail never to be seen again.
The Superbowl put a smile on everyone's dial. Photos by http://neilthompsonphotography.com.au/
The back section of the course had a nice mix of excellent singletrack with some wicked climbs for an XCO race. XCO races are a different breed of race to a marathon race. If you aren’t prepared to suffer a little, you will find yourself quickly sliding down through the field and I wasn’t prepared to slide anymore. With renewed hope that some endurance muscle would kick in, I regained a position on one of those climbs but then stupidly lost two. By putting my head down and switching my brain off, I had followed the rider in front of me. He had completed a wrong turn and I had followed him even though there was a large arrow in front of me pointing me home. Luckily, the guys behind me yelled out that I was heading in the wrong direction. I tried to capture the attention of the rider in front of me although I don’t think he heard me. He was off riding to Nowra. So for the next lap I worked hard to try and regain those places and was slowly making in-roads, although these were fast buggers for old farts. After passing a rider on my third and final lap I was no longer in a position to make up places. It was me that needed the heart pacemaker so I kicked into defending that position and was ultimately successful in this goal coming in 5th. The year of kicking butt might have to wait till I get to the next category. The Supermasters, 10 years from now.
This log caused a few problems for bikes(derailleur) and riders alike. Photos by http://neilthompsonphotography.com.au/
Looking back, perhaps I and my fellow masters are the ones having a mid life crisis. After all, we were by far, the biggest category. Like me, I wonder how many of these masters have taken up the sport in the last few years. Perhaps we have replaced the sports car for the mountain bike. Maybe we have replaced the thrill of chasing a younger girl for the risk taking and buzz that mountain biking brings. Mountain biking is possibly, a form of a mid life crisis. If it is, I love it! Thanks to all those involved for running a fantastic event! Results are here.
My first race in the masters category.
La Nina has refused to let go of its grip on eastern Australia causing yet more havoc with the programming of enduro mountain bike events. This time it was the Husky 100 which was the casualty. With a deluge of rain in the week before the event, it was a wise move on behalf of the organisers to postpone the race until August 7th. After numerous wet races, my bike was very much grateful. So, this means more time on the roadie racing with the Southern Highlands Club and building up to Husky Take II. In any case, there is a plethora of magnificent rides in the area to help me keep some form. This ride is a regular of mine especially when I need to get the heart pumping and grab a hold of some race fitness.
In the winter months on the Southern Highlands, it usually starts out as a frosty, foggy morning although as you can see from the photos below, this can create a panorama of picture postcard landscapes.
Approaching Werai Hills
The descent from Fitzroy Falls is fast and tight. You constantly need to be aware of the hazards in front of you. These may range from slippery corners, to motorists who drive like they not only own their car but the road as well to agile little lyre birds playing their own little game of frogger. It usually takes around six minutes to get to the valley floor which just happens to be a cycling mecca. Kangaroo Valley is definitely one of the most beautiful valleys in Australia and is one of only seven enclosed valleys in the world. Due to this geographical characteristic, it has a micro climate all of its own. In winter, the mornings often produce a magical fog which are due to temperature inversions as cold air is trapped in the valley by a layer of warmer air above. From the valley floor you have a plethora of riding choices on the tar. For instance, being an enclosed valley there must be other climbs to test your endurance on. These are Cambewarra Mountain and Berry Mountain. For this ride, however, I am turning around and heading up Barrengarry.
The 6.5km slog starts off at 85metres above sea level although it is here that you will encounter its steepest gradient. Pushing consistently past 10km/h in the first one kilometre is hard work. The road then bends through the lower slopes of the valley with the ambiance darkening in colour due to the sky being obstructed by the rainforest canopy. This is where you will start to see the lush green foliage of the rainforest with a mixture of cabbage tree palms, birds nests, strangular figs and tree ferns. From this point, the road bursts out into farming land and large rural estates. The gradient then eases off, giving the rider a chance to catch their breath. This is also where you will start to see magnificent views of the valley floor below and gauge just how high you have climbed, unless of course your outlook is impeded by one of those magical temperature inversions.
The road then plunges back into the rainforest as it pinches hard yet again through a series of switchbacks and long inclines. As you approach the 600m altitude mark your speed and confidence will start to grow again as it flattens out although you will get one last glance at the valley below.
After another little pinch, the climb finishes at the first 100km/hr speed sign. For me, it was a little under 30minutes, with an average speed of 12.9km/ph at an average gradient of 7.5%. Total climbing for the route was 509 metres with a max pos.gradient of 20.3%. If that climb is not enough, you could always repeat the climb or head off over to the the smaller climb up to Avoca on the Southern Highlands and then onto other fantastic climbs around Kangaloon. That, however, is another blog.
PS- like Bong Bong Cycles (a local Bowral cycling store) on facebook and be in the running to receive a $100 gift voucher. http://www.Facebook.com/bongbongcycles You must join before the end of July to have a chance at some free bike bling.
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