The Journey II

On Saturday we went from Sparrow over to Stromlo, the weather was perfect and the overnight rain had dampened the dust. The Park was busy with bikes ranging from top XC and enduro gun like Mr McAvoy to kids on 20” wheels with their parents. It was my first opportunity to ride some of the trails at a casual pace, rather than in race mode and I had a heap of fun doing it. Connecting Skyline to the Luge for the run down the hill left me wanting to ride to the top and do it all again. Stromlo will be host to the World Solo 24hr Championships later in the year.
From Stromlo we headed over to Majura Pines for a quick lap and fill the remainder of the afternoon. Majura recently played host to the National 24 Solo Championships and remains in fine form. Going against the grain we rode the trail as I did last year at Nat 24 Solo, this year they ran the track in the opposite direction and linked together some sweet trail. The conditions on the day reminded me of last year as it was a little damp and in some spots slippery. After a short loop of Majura we called it a day, three tracks, all different and a ton of fun.
Monday we woke to a crisp morning, possibly the coldest this year. Overnight temperatures had dropped to the single digits and I expected to see just a hint of frost. With the guys fatigued from riding over the last few days and the exceptionally cool start to the morning we headed out to the Hume and Goulburn to start our ride back to Sydney. We could not have got a better day for the return ride, clear sky, cool air, a slight breeze on our tail and we were humming along the tar. It seemed like it was all downhill as we were often just cruising at 40km/h! With a few stops for flats, two of which were mine, a few stops for food and to swap off the road we covered the 130km or so between Goulburn and Campbelltown in quite a tidy time. The main thing of concern was the increase in traffic as we headed into the afternoon and got closer to Sydney. We arrived at the Campbelltown exit with no incidents and were glad to pack up and get off the road.
"You want to ride to where?" This will be the first question I will be asked when I plan the next trip. Sydney to Canberra is a fair ride and although we did not complete the entire distance a valiant effort was made by the whole team in achieving what we did. The next question is where next?
Thanks to the guys who joined me for the ride. My work colleagues for the efforts they made towards making it happen, also, Josh from Active8 for the loan of his Tri bars. Thanks to my personal sponsors Carman’s, Wealth Creation Accountants, Bikes at the Basin, DIY MTB, FRS and the mcrummy.blogspot.com Crew for their ongoing support.

The Journey

"You want to ride to where?" This was the first questions I was asked when scouting for accompanying riders. The basic idea was to ride from N/W Sydney to Canberra, a possible 600km return trip. With Canberra firmly in the sights and almost a full day to play with once we were there, the trails were calling.
We kicked off from Campbelltown due to factors outside my control and it wasn't long before the guys were steadily covering the k's. I opted to ride last so my fellow riders could take advantage of the fine weather before the predicted change in the afternoon. A slow leak in a rear tyre of one of the bikes saw me become the tech support as well. After an initial pressurisation we eventually had to change the tube, the only flat on our trip down. The riders alternated a couple of times before it was my turn to hit the tar.

It was called Hill Top and went forever.

Once out on the road the weather started to change, with a sprinkle of rain. It wasn't long before it really turn and we were wet through, climbing out around one of the hills we decided if it was still raining on the other side of the hill we would call it a day. There just wasn't any point in getting wet and endangering ourselves along the Hume. We crested the hill to find the rain had cease, but it wasn't over yet. A quick stop and a riding partner swap, I pulled on an extra layer as the temperature had dropped and took in some food.

We are still having fun, thumbs-up!

We headed back out onto the road, the wind in our face, water whipping up our wheels from puddles. The wind kept on getting stronger as we climbed towards Goulburn. Thankfully I had borrowed a set of Tri bars and I was using them often to keep out of the wind. After another rider swap we struggled on, the wind was now blowing so hard that at one point we had to change up gears to ride down a hill, our speed dropping that much. The wind was demoralising and wasn't letting up, somewhere just short of Goulburn the towel was thrown in, it just wasn't fun anymore.

Doing it tough, all uphill and into a headwind.

After some formal duties on Sunday there was time to hit the trails of Canberra. First we headed out to Sparrow Hill where we hooked up with mountain biker, renown trail builder and all-round good guy Paul Cole. There is no better person to show you around many of the trails in Canberra than Paul, he led us on a 20km loop which included many trails used at the recent Mont 24. I was also interested to see the extent of which a new road was going to affect the Sparrow Hill trails. Sparrow wont be cut in half but more of a 90:10 situation, hopefully the underpass goes in and they get the upgraded parking area. Paul has already spent some time walking many sections of the forest in preperation for additional trails, sweet.

Paul making his way through the Pines at Sparrow.

Porrige

Last week was a 350km training week and concluded with the Wagga 3+3. This week was a recovery week and I managed a total of around 80km during the week but then I went out with the Tri club on Saturday, then rode out and raced on Sunday with WSMTB. Kicking the total k's into the 200's. Racing with WSMTB was not as well supported this week probably due to all the other events within a couple of hour of Sydney (Lithgow, Southern Highlands). We raced the usual dry Yarramundi, fast with some loose over hard. The racing was fast in A grade as we chased Andrew Lumley around for 5 laps. I moved through to 3rd place mid race but slipped to fourth during a technical climb and couldn’t recover the time the rider gained on me. After all that I rode home fairly happy with the days riding.
This week is all preparation for this weekends road ride to Canberra. The Old Goose will keep its semi-slicks on, a set of Tri-bars will keep me out of the wind and a HRM will keep me in check, ensuring I have the legs for the trip. Saturday will include a trip around the trails of Canberra, most likely concluding with a loop of Stromlo. Just can't wait for the ride back, all down hill!

The tread is starting to wear a little thin on the Old Goose (roady eater).

Have made another couple of batches of dense muffins, you can really feel the weight in these. One batch is banana, pecan and arrowroot biscuit, all padded out with skim milk powder. The other is choc-chip and pecan, these ones are a bit on the lighter side, just padded out with coconut. With the weather turning a little cooler the oat based muffins will surely make a comeback, just like porridge.

Can't forget the spokey-dokes.

Wagga and MTB

Camping just outside Wagga, comfortably.

What fun is Mountain Biking? This week ended with the Wagga MTB 3+3 Enduro. MTB Wagga puts on a fair show for their annual 3+3 Enduro and this year was no exception. It all started with an evening Dash for Cash, a one-ish kilometer loop completed as the sun faded through the afternoons clouds. A recent local downpour had just dampened the track adding to the experience with a powder free surface and cool clean air to breath. The dedicated MTB Wagga crew had a large transition area and event hub with a massive communal shelter. The shelter became useful to keep dry during the occasional weather change, be it wet, windy and/or sunny.
The location for the 3+3 Enduro is "Pommie" Reserve situated beside the Wagga Golf Course on the western side of town. The reserve is now off limits to motorised vehicles, the MTB track has good signage and a well worn track. The local mayor and aboriginal elder were on hand to welcome the competitors to the Enduro, many had traveled just like me from Sydney and some from as far as Orange, Albury and Bateman’s Bay. This year the event was ridden by close to two hundred riders with most being the dedicated solo type riders.
The usual rush from the race start to the first single-track didn't happen as there was a couple of kilometers of fire trail which turned a few corners then went uphill. The bunch slowly stretched out with ADF Cycling Champion Dion Blair and now local to Canberra Shane Taylor leading the way. Along the Summit Road we headed into the first section of single-track which hugged the ridgeline before a succession of switchbacks. The overnight rain on the mixed clay base had the trail in near perfect condition. Riders were spread along the trail and congestion never seemed to be an issue which was great on a trail that was close to 90% single-track.

Myself, Shane Taylor and Dion Blair

On the western side of the hill there was a gated tree section which the SS riders and those with super wide bars found challenging. This flowed onto sections named "Blair Witch" and "Dead Mans Gully", from there it was a grind back up to the top of the hill via pinching rocky switchback corners. Reaching the top of the trail again it was virtually all downhill from there. Sweeping along the contours we descended bit by bit carry a ton of speed on the narrow trail. Pop down into a gully and we were rewarded with DH style bermed corners, I lent on my Thredbo experience here and railed the Goose through the section. Over the last big whoops, a bit of a climb and we entered into an open grassland section which flowed down to the transition. You could absolutely blast around these last few corners, leave the brakes off and follow the nice arc would leave a broad smile on your face.
The smile never left my face, there were so many highlights during my 5:40hrs of racing. Conrod Straight a fairly level section of single-track of which the big dog was usually engaged. The mob of Kangaroos on the nor-west side of the hill which took out the bunting as they bounded through the scrub, we came close to sharing some personal space as they crossed the trail. Seeing quite a few spectators on course enjoying racing, one guy even had a lengthy conversation with me as I climbed the switchback sections on the eastern side of the hill, he was shortcutting between the trail to keep up with me so we could chat.

Ripping the tread off the Kendas over the weekend.

MTB Wagga has continued to develop their enduro since I last raced it as a 3hr. I came away this time with 8th place and a random draw prize, of which there were plenty. A great weekend was had by all, Dion continued to show his cycling prowess pulling back a top five finish which included mechanical dramas that saw me pass him on a lap. Thanks to his highly skilled support crew for looking after me as well. Shane pulled the pin after a couple of solid hours out in front with the super fast boys, probably due to the fatigue from the two 24hr races he has completed in the last month. Even still we all commented on how much fun it had been.

Training and 24

A couple of weeks ago Shane from

Bikes at the Basin

and I had a lengthy chat about our cycling, training, racing and ways ahead. We are both passionate about cycling and a healthy lifestyle, balancing work, family and training. There have been times when training took much of my time and our chat was a great reminder to get the balance right and still perform when racing. Quality training has been the focus of the last few weeks with the aim to cut out the wasted or wasteful miles. Using Mark Fenners FTP ideas has given me better clarity, the shorter structured tough workouts have been a nice change. Last week it was a 220km, not a big week but there were quite a few quality hours. On Saturdays I ride with the local Tri club and over the last couple of weeks I have been giving them heaps during the rides. Heaps includes high-speed warm-ups and fast TT sections, I even broke away from the guys on TT bikes during a hill ride and pushed out in front gaining close to five minutes on the next rider.

In the near future I will be riding from Sydney to Canberra, having a days rest then returning. I expect this possible 300km, one way, to be a tough day in the saddle. A set of tri-bars have been fitted to my training/commuter MTB as I will be riding with roadies and my have to spend some time on the front. It may help with the possible headwinds too.

Congratulations must go out to those who participated in the recent 24hr events. Those who punched out laps for their teams at Sparrow and those that did it all by themselves over the Easter weekend. Mr English once again proved that at the moment he is unstoppable. But there are plenty of our other 24hr riders just behind Mr English, great solid efforts by Andy Fellows and Shane Taylor.

Keep an eye out over the next month or so for the new jersey. Proudly supported by

Carman's Fine Food and Wealth Creation Accountants

.