Last Week Warm Weather

On Friday I went for a ride to the coast. The weather was nice to start off with, warm but ok. It was a 70km one-way trip on mostly motorways, some sections I had to ride off the road due to the traffic which was hard work. As you come off the hill at Allambie the temperature dropped nicely, it was all downhill from here. The return trip was more eventful, turns out some of the motorways I had traveled on east could be negotiated by bike heading west. This forced me off the original route, on roads I didn’t know. I ended up near Parramatta, way off course, fatigued and slightly sun burnt from the forty degree day. Having ridden just as long in the westerly direction as the easterly but with well over an hour out from home I made up my mind to call it a day. A further three kilometers I passed Rosehill Race Course and found the closest westerly heading train station. It ended up being 50km on the bike before I reached the train. Probably one of the best $5 I had spent on a very hot day, the train ride.
Saturday I rode with the Tri bunch again. This week they did hills again which I like. After Fridays big day on the bike I took it easy, keeping up with the middle of the group. It was a fairly nice 50km morning and good to get a ride while not in the heat of the day.
This week Sunday was a busy day, SCUM had the last of their XC Series. Having not raced in a couple of weeks I chose to wake up early and head down the coast of some fun. The track would be Coondoo, a staple diet for many Nowra based MTBers. Coondoo has also been the host track for the Merida X-Fusion 6hr this year and previous 8hr Series. Recently some of the track had been burnt out, the diligent crew at SCUM refurbished many parts of the track and creating lines around new features. The conditions of the track were dry, dusty and often sandy. Even with warm weather predicted the turnout of racers for the last round was massive, one hundred riders registered.
A combined start of categories created the a hectic sprint of the line. I went into the single track about tenth behind my elite competitors, mixed in with the Expert riders. The first lap is a warm-up for me and an ideal time to test the conditions. Sliding out on the fine loose dust through corners I found the edge between laying in the dust and taking it easy.
Yes I had dirt in my gloves, I also broke the inside attachment of the upper strap on my left shoe from the first lap. Northwave's top of the line MTB shoe has a highly adjustable upper strap. Another rider I know that uses NW's Carbon Raptor has had the top strap inside attachment stitched permanently to the shoe. It has been a while since I have broken the inside adjuster and usually it is on the right foot. The shoes continue to be stiff and comfortable cycling shoes, I have quite a few spare inside attachment clips through Bikes at the Basin.
On the main fire-trail section, first lap I made an effort to make up time, passing many riders from the lower grades. It was lap two to four where I made up all my time to the other riders in Elite field. Catching Shane Wood from Bikes at the Basin on lap four ment I was close to the front, with possibly Paul Traynor the only rider ahead of me.
Even on the final lap, lap five, I still felt strong. I would have been happy to go out for at least another two laps as I still had energy to burn. A good breakfast, FRS before the ride and some carbs/ electrolyte during the ride makes for simple XC racing. I have been keeping a close eye on my food intake, ensuring I get enough. Over the last month or so I have been able to ride lots and make a small gain in weight.
Placing two minutes down per lap to Paul wasn’t so bad and I did manage to come second over the line in the Elite category in SCUM‘s final XC round for the year. It was a fun ride at Coondoo, visit the track this holiday period, there is some great riding.