2009 Yowie

Kim and myself got there with plenty of time to get our shit together for the annual GMBC MTB marathon, The Yowie. Race brief was late, long and subsequently chewed into the 5mins between it and the start time. By the end of race brief I had 60 seconds to remove my leg warmers and jacket then find somewhere to stash them. I was now at the back of the field. A long section of dirt road that gradually climbed up to the Stock Yards end of the course saw me leap frogging from bunch to bunch in TT mode burning lots of matches. Towards the top three of us had come together. We exchanged names and proceeded to trade turns in a bid to bridge to the lead group for the 1st of 3 laps.

Lap two, and the three of us are back at the top of the long drag up to Stock Yards again and we get a time check from a marshal. It's 30 secs. This lifts us. Not far into the conglomerate of trails linked together to make up the Stock Yards section of the course, we pass Russell Collette on the side of the single track. He's going at his Yeti ASR's mast with an Alan key. Some time passes and he's back with us going full steam. I'm leading the group of three at the time and try to hold his wheel up 'Stockyards loop' to the start of the descent of 'Boulder track' but I can't and he slowly pulls away. He's still in sight along link track. Then along the top section of 'Stockyards loop' he looks to be slowing. Before passing and hitting the fast flowing single track down to the plantation area I ask to see if he's interested in working to see if we can bridge. He's not, even though there's still a shy less than half the race to go. The three of us press on without him. This second time through the plantation area was the highlight for me. Its flattish trails are fast and flowing. Perfect for blasting railed turns with the odd front or rear wheel slide as you milk each corner for all it's worth.

It's back to the start\finish for the second time, though this time there's two of us. We work turns up to the Stock Yards for the last time and I'm starting to feel the pinch of the last two laps. On the last section of climbing before heading down into the Stock Yards I lose contact and it's good bye to my friend. I find the Stock Yards section a real fight with my fatiguing legs and squirt all but one remaining gel down the hatch to see if I can get my legs going. Through the plantation section of the course it's like a ghost town. There's no one to be seen ahead or behind. I settle in and concentrate on keeping fast and efficient. With 10kms to go it becomes progressively difficult to get comfortable on the bike as legs, shoulders and arms are fatigued.

Finally I'm over the line after an enjoyable day of MTBing.

2009 Australian MTB National Marathon Championships

Annoyingly the report I spent half a day writing has been lost in the computer ether and I can't be arsed writing it again, so you will just have to look at the top ten and make up your own story.

Now, back to my holiday :)

2008\09 National Cross Country Series - Round 5

Friday, and the alarm goes off at fucking 03:30. Some faffing at home then into the car airport long term parking bound. I've got a 7am flight outa Melbourne to Hobart. I'm supposed to be at the airport 2hrs before my flight because I'm carrying my bike. I'm at the long term parking around 4am. I looked on the web last night to see what the go is with the bus from the parking to the terminal. Every 20mins it says but there's no absolute times, which is why I'm early, to be on the safe side. As I roll up to the bus stop, so does the bus. This is running too smooth.
I'm ticketed up and the Stumpy is now in the hands of the baggage handlers and it's now time to try and get a power nap in for the remaining 2hrs. It just doesn't happen. Those terminal chairs are made so you can't sleep in them. So are airplane chairs for that matter.
The flight's on time and my baggage is safe. I'm in a cab and stop via the centre of Hobart for some food for the day and breakie on race day, then off to the Motel in Berriedale. I chose this location so that I could easily ride to the course. It takes around 30mins to get to the course and I bang out 2 practice laps. I'm liking it. It should suit me. Back to the Motel for food and relaxing, then into Hobart on the bus late afternoon for some chain lube and food. There's also some socks purchased too for the hell of it. An early night as it's already been a long day.
I check out at 8 and leave my bike bag in storage. It's a cool 13 degrees so there's knee & arm warmers on for the easy ride to the course. I meet up with Dave & Emma and Emma is kindly feeding both Dave and myself for the 1st feed before her race. There will be a mystery feeder on the last lap that Emma will organise so she can prep for her race straight after ours.
We are gridded up on the start line that points up from the get go. The gun goes and I'm wary not to push too hard and pop before the climb is over. I'm racing 'data commando' too, which means I have forgotten to pack my Polar watch. One guy seems to do just this and by the time the climb's over there's three of us tightly packed descending single track. I'm third wheel. It's Brian John and Evan James in front and they are going at it hammer and tong. Their pace is high enough for me so I wait to see how they go on the large climb in the middle of the lap. It's mostly side track and Brian is ever so slowly edging away from Evan and I feel like I can give it more stick. Towards the top there is a small section of double single track and I'm gunning it to get past Evan and do. With all this climbing comes a mighty down section back to the start\finish and I've gathered Brian up on it. A perfect bottle change with Emma and I decide to give it full stick on the climb. I pass Brian who's downing a gel and push as hard as I can to the top. I can hear my gasps for air reverberate around the bush as I time my lactate pop with perfection as the course starts its downward weave through the trees. I keep whipping my own ass back around to the start of the major climb and my legs whinge as they often do when I hit a climb already in the red. I settle in as best I can and just keep as much pressure on as I can to the top. There's a section of switch backs half way up and I spot Evan below. This gives me a reason to keep the pressure on. I top out and then get a rest on the super down section. Such a fun down! The down is over after a succession of burms and it points upwards again and I get the bell for the final lap.Mystery feeder is on the mark and I thank them as we exchange. Before I disappear into the pine trees towards the top of the start\finish climb I take a look behind but can't see Evan or Brian. There's not many times on this course that you get to see what's happening behind but there is one just before the major climb starts while you cross a dirt road in an open field. No sign of anyone so it's head down and hurt on to the top for the last time I keep reminding myself. The descent is trouble free again and I'm enjoying it. Through the burms and around the bottom corner I can now see the blow up arch that is the finish and I'm under it 1st! Dave Ollie is the 1st to congratulate me as he's still loitering at the start\finish after his race, which he also had a win in. Evan, then Brian come across the line and it's hand shaking all round. Not only for this race but for the whole National Series.
There's talk amongst us to see who can get leave passes to ride up trails to the top of Mt. Wellington. I have to pass as my time is short due to my flight back to Melbourne later in the arvo. Shame, sounds like it would have been a ripper of an adventure.
I'd stashed my backpack in Dave & Emma's car, so it was now time to retrieve it, capture the Elite races with my camera and flash, before heading back to the hotel and bagging up the Stumpy, then bumming a lift to the airport with Dave and Emma. I spot Lachlan Norris at the baggage claim at the Melbourne end. Geez, and he raced the Elite race and made this flight!

The pictures I took over the weekend can be found in this Flickr set.

Sadly, this was the last of the Australian National Mountain Bike Series races. Like last year, when I followed the Victorian State Series and it came to an end, it was a bit of a downer due the maximum fun that I'd got from racing XC. Though I think my body and mind needs a bit of a refresh after all that I've put into it.

I'd like to send a big thanks to all the people that have helped me out during the races and sent me their support pre and post races. It's helped a huge amount!

And especially D.C at Fitzroy Revolution for his awesome support (just a 'small' example here) to this old bugger.

2008\09 National Cross Country Series - Round 4

More hot weather. Thankfully I was getting a lift up to Mt. Buller in Director Sportif's car that's equipped with air-con that works. I've also scored well on the accommodation side of things with D.C organizing a ski lodge for a whole bunch of us!

Our race starts at 9:30am and my Polar mounted on my handle bar says it 30°C already at 9:00am. I found it difficult to get a good warm up as the roads around the ski village are either pointing up or down.

We are gridded up and I was carrying #602 giving me front row again. The count down starts and I focus on the upward pointing sealed road that then turns left 50 metres ahead. We are off and I'm around the corner 1st as the sealed road flattens, another left descending into a right hand hairpin then rises. As I smash it up the rise two others are smashing it harder. Down, then up again before a steep descent on the last of the sealed road. It's hard on the brakes as it dog legs into the first of the single track and I'm 4th wheel now. Not where I was hoping to be. As we snake our way down the black dusty burmed single track a gap starts to form between 2nd and 3rd wheel. There's only three riders ahead and the dust is pretty bad and I can feel my eyes started to water up in an unconscious effort to clear them. We come up on a large cloud of dust and it's one of the riders that was ahead. He's become a victim on the black, loose, tire thick dust. The descent slowly turns into an ascent and just before it pops out onto the 1st section of fire road there is a succession of tight difficult switch backs. I end up stopping through two of them but by the fire road I'm back in contact. Along the undulating fire road we are all together as we start to come up on the tail of the under 15's race. It's got me buggered why they don't send them off after us. The fire road is running out and there is two under 15's between me and the next section of single track. I pin it, and make it to the single track before them with room to spare unaware if any of the three other Masters riders had also made it. This next section of single track climbs and as it climbs there are more switch backs. These switch backs are like Nun's nasties. Really tight, dry and dusty. As this section climbs they get closer together and steeper. I think I succumbed to two of them. It climaxes with an ascending rock garden that you have to grind through to keep traction before finally coming out onto fire road but it keeps climbing. There is a reward at the top, a manned neutral water section. It's welcome relief as I grab a half filled plastic cup, take a sip before dumping the rest over my head then slam dunk the cup into the bin a few metres up the track. There's no sign of anyone behind then it's into the next section of single track. More descending burmed, rocky, black dusty single track that will let your front wheel go without warning. I find this section hard going even though it's a descent due to rocks. A small section of fire road, a small section of single track then onto the fire road climb back to the Ski village. James is dispensing the fresh bottles today, and I get one and head out for lap 2.

On this lap I work the ascensions for all I'm worth though the two switch back sections of single track are scrappy and I'm swearing with frustration towards the end of the second section. I'm still not seeing 2nd place though there isn't many sections that you get to see a lot so I just keep hammering away.

Another clean bottle change with James and I get the Bell. D.C is there and I confirm with him that I just heard the bell so I don't have a brain fade like I did in the Nationals. The course is taking its toll now and I'm finding it hard to keep the pace on. The switch backs are cleaner this time though I still don't ride them all clean. The ascending rock garden hurts a lot this time too, thankfully it's the last time. Still no sign of anyone from behind and as I come out of the last of the single track Director Sportif is at the side line giving me encouragement. "What's he doing there, he's supposed to be racing!?" Is the thought. I find out later that he had an 'off' which wrecked his bike and elbow. One last time up the steep section to the Village then it flattens out a bit before turning right into the section that is the feed zone. Then the finish line looms and this time I know it's time to stop once I pass it. My name and 1st place come over the P.A as I wind down after crossing the line. I'm greeted by Rosemary with a large bottle of cold water and it doesn't last long and catch up with Director Sportif to get the details of his 'off'.

Thanks to Rosemary for the use of her pics. The full Flickr set is here.

Some pics again of the Elite races are here.