SCUM's Coolendel Weekend

Held along the Shoalhaven river on the property of the eco cabin and camping resort. Coolendel now boasts seven kilometers of MTB track, good camping facilities and plenty of brushes with nature. This is the third year Coolendel and SCUM have combined to produce this simple, fun for the whole family, three race weekend.
Race 1, the one hour sprint. This year there was a beginners race without "the new bit" first. A couple of experience young riders led the racers, keeping the front runners on course. Parents rode with their cycling siblings, some of littlest kids were on bmx style bikes, running up the climbs. Other more experienced riders rode as sweepers, keeping an eye on the back end of the race.
After the beginners race the course was lengthened to include "the new bit" for the more adventurous and second one hour sprint on the medium length version of the track. With some of the FTP crew here to race for the weekend the front end of the pack was going to be fast. My race was good, I didn't get a great start but gave 100% for the hour. Tricky parts of the course included a couple of pinch climbs that tested you every lap. "The new bit" was a sweet and fresh with tight climbs and technical twists. It also included a technical ride down a gully which had small rock gardens.
Race 2, the two hour night ride. To sum it all up, it was held on the short course. Cold, windy and a bit of dust in sections, dew build up in others. My legs weren't fresh after the one hour sprint, this one was night training for other upcoming rides. Testing the lights, ensuring the bike is comfortable for on and off racing.
Race 3, the 4 hour Enduro. Sunday dawned, sunny and windy! After a cold night the morning wasn't much better. To warm up in the bunkhouse the fire was reignited early. The race started at ten. There was a another great turn out of eager racers of all ages, who had survived the cool and windy night in their various types of accommodation and were determined to ride the extra long version of the track. The wind was howling through the trees, which meant the briefing was a bit hard to hear. Then, the race began. I got a great start, putting myself up the front with the more "elite" riders. I had set my drink bottles up, with some snakes for energy the final twenty minute sugar rush, at a convenient locale, just behind the bunk house, and I was able to grab them as needed. My loyal and hardworking support crew, was spending her time encouraging me and taking photos from various places on the track, which was always a surprise. Somewhere around the three hour mark, I had lost a bottle and used up the last of my full water bottles, and, seeing as though my support crew was having a well earned break, I was able to borrow a bottle from Canberra's Mark Tepalski. That kept me going until my support crew realised my predicament and refilled all of my bottles for me, enabling me to continue strongly until the end. The strong wind threw up a number of challenges throughout the race. Branches were coming down on the track everywhere, and it was lucky that nobody was seriously injured by a tree or branch hitting them. The sandy parts of the track becoming more heavily rutted as each rider passed over them every lap, and the wind was chaffing. I was only just out on a lap when the 4 hour marked ticked over, and I was just required to finish the lap I was on. The first hour of this race was my best, and I rode well for that time. The next three hours required me to just ride, and to keep the pace going. I was challenged by one of the ftp crew on the last lap and had to make up over thirty seconds half way through the lap. Flying off the top of the hill and riding smart through "the new bit" I was able to gain ground. Coming out of "the new bit" I had his wheel, the pace was fast and he was putting the pressure on, trying to get a gap on me for the final section. Managing to hold the wheel to the final pinch climb, I set myself up for a sprint to the finish. I spotted my lycra clad ftp friend had dropped to the granny for the climb, it was all over there as I held the middle ring to smash the pinch to the finish line. My aim was to have fun and finish the race. A lot of other riders were pulling out of and giving up on the race. I succeeded, and the fresh made food and hot shower were both a fantastic reward.

WSMTB/MWMTB XC

WSMTB/MWMTB XC Round 6? Well it has been a while since the last XC round and it was back at Yarramundi again. A Grade riders were again very fast, with the likes of state XC elite riders mashing the pedals at the front. The track only had one tower of power climb on the day and skipped the furthest north section too, around seven kilometers long I heard. It was very dry, dusty and a bit loose in sections. On the first lap I passed Big Dog, which felt a bit unusual, and held him off for a lap or so. Mr Armour had some issues on the first lap as well, failing to finish the race. I was out to have fun as usual, with a bit of two wheel drift here and there. The eight block tyre on the rear has lost much of its tread and is still predictably loose. After five fun filled laps I placed sixth in A Grade. Thanks to Mick (who rode well in the big B Grade) for helping me get to the race and bringing his port-a-shade, keeping us cool.

Head down to Coolendel this weekend for some great racing. Fenner, Carlson and Tupulski are just some of the big names already registered. There will be grades for all riders, more details at SCUM.

Zaskar and Rouse Hill

GT Zaskar, for some people brings back memories of a go anywhere, do anything bike. Elastermer forks, anodized purple extras and brakes of questionable ability. An all terrain bike.
The newest version of Zaskar is still has the well built frame, I whipped off all the parts to check it out. The frame is not an ultra light carbon either. There seems to be plenty of carbon thickness and alloy inserts in the right places.
With parts fitted I have put the bike through its paces, XC races, enduro, marathon and trail riding. First it was my body copping a flogging as I slowly adapted to riding a hard-tail. But I challenged myself and the bike to challenging conditions, riding up to six hours straight over varied terrain. On smooth trails and under heavy acceleration the frame feels stiff, responsive and light. When it turns rough, the flex is not felt through the frame but the components fitted.
Sure the components have changed, air sprung forks, light alloy parts and hydraulic disc brakes. The Carbon Pro came with reliable XT just about everything. For me the GT Zaskar fits squarely in the all terrain box, like old times.

Been dragged to go shopping at Rouse Hill? Well take your favorite set of fat rubber with you next time and tell the partner to take as long as they want. 'Couse there are trails just five minutes from the red/green light parking based shopping village. I check some of the trails out recently and was presently surprised with the amount of single-track available to ride on. Many of these trails can be linked by the cycleway that rings the suburb. Rouse Hill single-track, hours of fun without the retail stigma.

My Bike

The Commuter aka "Roadie Eater"

Frame: Mongoose Pro Zero G2

Fork: Rock Shox Judy SL

Shock: 3mm Alloy Angle

Wheel set: Mavic 117 with Shimano Hubs

Cranks: Deore Hollowtech II Square Taper

Rear Derailier: Deore XT

Brakes: Hayes Sole Cable Disc

Tyres: 2.0" Richey Inno Vader, 1.25" Serfas Drifter

Saddle: WTB Speed V

Extras: Bell, wheel reflector, reflective tape all over.

Western Sydney Cycling Network

This volunteer organisation holds community rides on the first Sunday of every month. Team Crummy went along to their community ride for September, to see what all the fuss was about.
Based out of Fairfield Showground these guys and girls like a bike or to. They repair old bikes and lend them out to the community, many of them are accredited cycling coaches which skills they use at schools around the district. Cycling as a school sport, it could be catching on.
This enthusiastic team, on the first Sunday of the month, runs organised rides around the shared cycle ways of Western Sydney. For our ride we left the showground and headed around to Prospect Dam following the large network of cycle ways. From Prospect Dam it was onto the old water supply pipeline that had been now converted to a shared cycle way heading east. We turned right onto the Cumberland Highway and after a few clicks were back onto the designated network. It was from here we joined up to the route we took from the showground but heading back instead.
It was smooth and mostly flat ride. I highly suggest these rides for families, new cyclists and those that like a very casual “bunch ride”. The team from Western Sydney Cycling Network lead, rove and follow the loose bunch and ensure everybody enjoys the ride. Everyone is welcome to join in the community ride, no matter what type of bicycle you ride. These rides are highly achievable and have an added bonus of a BBQ snag free at the end.

Fun in September

Rides coming up WSMTB/MWMTB XC and Coolendel MTB Weekend.

Latest Reviews

Troy Lee Design XC Gloves
Full finger gloves for most weather conditions. They breath well and unrestrictive. These gloves are comfortable around fingers and across palm. My first set of these gloves have been used daily for well over a year. There is evidence of heavy use, the gloves have worn through on the inside of the thumbs and expected signs of wear across the palm.
I purchased my second set of TLD XC gloves this year. It was around this time I found the injected rubber across the glove was irritating my index finger knuckle. After using a different set of gloves through the cold of winter, I took to the TLD gloves with a sharp implement to remove the rubber around the index knuckle. The irritation is no longer.
These gloves can just about do everything you need mtb wise.
DZNUTS
Since a wet solo 24hr race early in the year I have been troubled by light chamois rash. The rash becomes most evident during longer rides and enduros. Dznuts is a high viscosity chamois cream that I received a sample of and a warm marathon in QLD recently was a perfect place to put this product to the test.
The official instructions were simple, drop your shorts, apply cream directly or to dry chamois, be a champion and enjoy the ride. I applied a liberal amount as directed before the ride. Then spent the next five and three quarters of an hour attempting to enjoy my first marathon on a hardtail.
The blunt end at the end of the marathon was a positive result by the cream, with no evidence of chamois rash. All smiles here.
Wiley X Sunglasses
With the extra protection of a "Face Cavity Seal", removable foam insert, and a shatterproof lens. Wiley X look to be the perfect eyewear for cycling.
During though testing on the bike the thicker arms of the glasses were not compatible with my helmets and sat uncomfortably on my ears. The thick arms with and without the seal also hinder peripheral vision, a hazard when commuting or transiting via asphalt to you local dirt haunt.
Apart from these hindrances Wiley X offer a stylish and functional eyewear option. Lenses can from clear through to tinted, photocromatic and prescriptions. They also pride themselves on fitment, offering a wide variety of models. At the time of picking up the glasses, I tried on up to four different styles to check the best comfort and seal of the foam.
These glasses can meet the needs of us as mtb riders but can be used in many other sports, on the moto or in a workplace.

More Crummy Reviews here.