JetBlack 24

It was November and we are again considering the final big event for the year, the JetBlack 24. A running history of some tough conditions this event has seen us ride both successfully and less-successfully across a variety of categories. For this year we chose to compete as a team reeling back to a 6+6 in hope of some rest and recovery overnight, dialing the fun up to 11 during the day.

The hectic start for the teams in the 24hr and 6+6.

There were warm conditions again this year and hydration was going to play a key aspect of anyones ride.  A trail extension was added, only just completed the week of the event and this would see riders enjoy a couple more built features and then turn around to hurt badly on the winding climbs.

Open fire-trail start gets the first few teams into the single-track without serious conga.

Rocky Trail Entertainment had scored the National Solo 24hr Championships to be held in conjunction with the JetBlack 24hr. This saw some of the best endurance riders gravitate to Mt Annan from as far away as New Zealand and South Australia. But it wasn't just the specialists in attendance for the Nats but plenty of guys and girls giving solo 24 a go for the first time. It was great to be able to watch as top contenders Andrew Lloyd, Ed McDonald, Jason English, Liz Smith and Tory Thomas played their hands throughout the event.

24hr solo first-timer Kevlar.

For us in the 6+6 it seemed like we had picked the most competitive category with many teams including some serious XC and Marathon talent. We still laid down some decent lap times while hovering close to the top 5 teams in the category, many thanks to our team mates for the no stress transitions and chilled vibe while off the bike.

Team-mate Mick hands off to Shane in the 6+6.

The on-course atmosphere was very laid back, it was pretty sweet to be able to ride with so many top-level and representative riders. There is always plenty of passing opportunities and everyone was courteous, solos, teams, who-ever. 

Another great event by Rocky Trail, thanks to JetBlack MTB Racing team and our sponsors for all their support this year. 

We were able to relax overnight while the 24hr rides rolled through.

Full results here.

Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn with Video

When someone said it had been five years since the last Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn I was surprised. I soon realised that particular event could have been my last Dusk till Dawn too. It seems like this format of racing is under utilised.
Having previewed the Tamworth course last year I was keen to visit again. The mixture of flowing corners, rocks and pinch climbs had me intrigued. To top it off the Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn was offing 100% single-track and all-night riding.

Like many parts of NSW for that weekend it was forecast rain but still that heat we had been putting up  with was going to stick around. If it did rain it would make this track even more interesting, I fitted all-round tyres and crossed my fingers. For this event I was teaming up with Sean Bekkers in the hope that pairs would offer us more chance to socialise, enjoying the event from a different perspective.
We kicked off the race against a quality field of both teams and solo riders, going for a single lap strategy to begin with. Just a couple of laps in and it was dark and any mistakes could be costly. Sean punctured on the first lap of our double laps sending me out to do a first double and giving him a time to sort out tyres.

The team keeping tabs on us and our close competitors was a team of three, all three very good cyclists in their own right. It looked like the competition between us would continue all night. It was great to be able to watch the other battles from the sideline during the night, as Sean punched out his laps, especially between the leading solo riders.
After six hours of racing the tight sections and pinch climbs began taking their toll and the team of three  were getting faster and faster, finding their groove as the night went on. With eleven kilometres of trail there was plenty of space between riders and during that post midnight period it seemed quite often like you were the only one out there. A special time to be out on the trail.

In the final hours we had a comfortable lead in our pairs category, the team of three challenging us all night finally caught us and made a good time gap. The leading team remained the same for the whole 12hrs, these guys were on fire and untouchable from the word go. A massive effort by all the solo riders on what was a fantastic but tough course.
A great event on a trail I hope to visit more often, hot food, drinks, cool showers, endless trackside camping, all just outside of Tamworth town centre. Thanks to Ay-Up and Sean Bekkers for the support and fantastic lights. Got to love getting back into night racing!

JetBlack 24 2013 The Video

Another great event by Rocky Trail Entertainment, their 100th too!

No need to be Envious

Our initial look at the wheels, here.

With just about all major players now producing carbon rims and these wheelsets now becoming more accessible you no longer have to re-mortgage your house and spend what you could buy a great bike with, to benefit from the carbon revolution. Looking more locally there are Australian based companies hand building carbon rimmed wheels and where the prices are even more affordable.

The old-school new age look, steel frame and carbon rims.

The Good Edition wheelset from Curve Cycling is their most affordable build but by no means are they a slouch, spinning up as fast and suffered as much punishment as we could throw at them. All signs pointed to a good build, as the wheels remained true during the test period, no flex or creaking associated with bedding-in.

The Curve branded hubs roll on smooth Japanese enduro bearings. It was noted during our testing period that the front hub is a little wider than other hubs ridden on this particular bike. During hard cornering the spokes would lightly touch the brake caliper. This could be easily fixed by shimming out the brake disc. No such trouble with the rear hub, the alloy freehub had a distinctive light ratchet sound, with positive engagement and didn’t show any excessive gouging from the cassette.

Underneath the carbon rim is a full size 2.2" tyre, fat rims

Lacing the hubs to the rim were the reliable DT Swiss Competition double-butted spokes, another sign of the solid nature of this build. Additionally available through Curve Cycling and supplied on this occasion was one of the best rim tapes we have ever used. They certainly have done their homework in this area, the rim tape was easy to apply and during the test period there was no air leakage.

How close is the caliper to the spokes, very close.            We placed the cir-clip around the other way so it wouldn't touch.

A full carbon fiber rim features a 30mm external and 23mm internal width, which should provide tyre sidewalls with plenty of support. Fitting some 2.2” racing rubber was easy enough, while the internal profile isn’t UST, it is happily tubeless-ready, the tyres snapped into place on the rim and held there even while ridden at low pressures. We found the rims helped to provide a wider footprint and increased grip and control through various conditions we rode. And after rock strewn rides the gloss clear coat covering black and white graphics still remained intact, more importantly not a wobble out of the rims.

The rims are the same across the Editions with these rims taking Curve’s Jesse Carlsson along the Tour Divide and into second place this year. This wheelset with its carbon rim defiantly provides more stiffness out at the rim and has pushed us towards being converts to the wide rim ideal. We imagine you will be cheering when your rolling on a set of these sharp wheels.

Curve branded hubs, competition spokes, a solid build.

They said: Suitable for XC, AM and all round trail slaying. These hand built Carbon fiber MTB wheels are configured to compliment most riding styles over varied terrain. They feature a super wide profile that allows the use of tyres up to 2.5”. The layup of this rim allows for a nice balance of high-impact strength, lightweight and stiffness, whilst still maintaining enough deflection for comfort during those long rides and marathon races. In other words, they are stiff (much stiffer than many popular light weight alloy rims), but not so stiff to the point where they feel harsh on the trail.

WEMBO 2013

Have been mulling over WEMBO for a couple of days now, so here we go.

The Plan

With any event it is good to have a plan, especially as a plan can be reflected on to better the next event. For WEMBO 2013 we used a modified plan that we had used for our successful 2010 WSC.

Training

While I had good intentions on some quality block training it never came to fruition and was more sporadic, with a few good social rides and some racing thrown in. Six weeks out and issues effecting my body all year had settled down and we finally looked to my training from 2010. The idea was to make my body as efficient as possible, in the time available. Using Mark Fenner's FTP sessions and principals a six week plan was laid out. During these six weeks Sydney suffered from hot and windy weather and considering the conditions much of my FTP sessions were carried out indoors. This meant we could control the environment and left me to only worry about focusing on the session. Thankfully most sessions can be completed in an hour, where quality over quantity is the key, spin bike just aren't that fun (sorry Chops).

I still got out on my mountain bike for some fun to either razz around single-track or make some noise amongst a road bunch. It is important to keep it fun.

Throughout the year we have also been involved with many challenge-through-adversity situations giving myself insights, tools and much of the required mental preparation needed for racing a bike for 24hrs.

The Event

Pre-race is all about preparation and relaxation. For us it involved trying to get up as late as possible, very hard when your body clock is set to go off at 6am. Getting to Stromlo with sufficient time to arrange our pit/crew area. Hydrate, ablute, dress, chamois cream, sun cream and the nerves start to kick in. Roll around, high fives, good-lucks, all the time the commentators are trying to build the atmosphere and for a sobering minute before the start of the race we reflect on previous days accident.

The race

Initially I planned on two phases during the event, one being the cruise around for 18hrs and the second being the six hour race to the finish. This year there were clearly 3 phases.

Elite riders five minutes in.

Phase One

With the elite riders already ten minutes ahead we were released onto the Stromlo trail, there was a bit of a rush but I resisted and fell in beside Canberra local and in-race commentator Grantley. This phase initially consisted of me sussing out the trail, sorting the lines, soft pedalling and making the most of the flowing sections. Less braking equals less pedalling, and with a little wind on our backs I was managing to pump and roll an entire single-track section each lap, saving my legs for later use. It was close to the four hour mark when Ed, the leading Elite rider, passed us and seemed like an age till the other Elite contendors caught us.

Other highlights included a noisy dry chain, bike swap, a slow leaking rear tyre, stop and pump it up, bike swap followed by a further bike swap to the dually as the rocky, breaking rut filled course started taking its toll. My crew were now in a rhythm with my hourly needs and things were ticking along like clockwork. With lights on and I waited as long as possible before turning them on, we where off cruising into the night.

Phase Two

Around the 14-16th laps I was struggling physically, on the main climb my body was just wanting to sleep. I tried to counter this with caffeinated gels, which has worked before, but they didn't seem to have an effect. Thankfully hitting the top of the hill and the first downhill section adrenaline kicked in and the remainder of the lap didn't seem to be an issue. Still the falling asleep on the bike wasn't a great time and I was forced to step off multiple times during the climbs to refocus and eat. Through the haze of phase two I do remember plenty of offers by passing riders but I was fighting my own internal battle.

Phase Three

The final phase started when the sun peeked over the horizon and the dawn light reached across the sky and touched the mountain. It was like a switch in me, I felt instantly activated, focused and with raring to go. The turtle had become the hare. I came screaming into my pits, way ahead of time with demands of water and gels, my crew scrambled. I needed to know where I was sitting and my deficit to the next rider, transitioning through the pit area I heard there was a fair chunk of time to make up. Kicking a couple of gears the six hour sprint to the finish was on.
Over the few hours I felt I was on fire, there was nobody I couldn't catch. Every time I looked up the trail there was another possible target and I caught everyone I saw. The time gap to the next rider had dropped, quite significantly and my crew were hoping no one was going to notice. Making our way into the final few hours things were getting close, I got the "give-it-your-all" call and over these laps I surprised myself in passing many riders I thought I'd never see.

Reaching the final descent, only minutes till the finish and it was only empty trail that I could see. Popping the last few tabletops and rounding the 4X track I sprinted the last few hundred meters, after all it had been a race. Immediately after crossing the line I heard Sam Moffit's voice, Sam had been the rider I had been chasing for the last six hours. It had been a fine effort and Sam had managed to hold a two minute gap at the end of 24hrs of WEMBO.

Post-race at a 24hr is just as important as the racing and having experienced some bad post race effects I was keen to make right. My crew were on hand with a liquid protein meal replacement as I rolled the legs around for ten minutes. Heading to our pit area I was relieved to sit down for the first time in over 25hrs and finally tuck into a rice meal, mmm real food. There was still a queazy couple of moments while waiting for a shower, due to possible dehydration and over-exertion my body was having an attempt at shutting down. After removing a later or two of Stromlo dust it was back to rest and hydrate. Hopefully with a week of recovery rides and racing within a couple of weeks.

Thanks again to my support crew and Mark's crew for their help. Thanks to all those who have helped me this year to make it all happen. CORC and WEMBO for running a smooth event. Congratulations to Jason English and Jess Douglas our WEMBO Champions, not forgetting those who deserve an honourable mention by taking out the age group titles.

Fox Incline Gloves

In 2010 we reviewed Fox's Incline Glove, here were our thoughts.  "After riding on Troy Lee Designs XC gloves for a couple of years it was time to try out the latest in XC gloves from Fox. The Incline glove is full finger and lightweight, we were immediately skeptical about the durability as the glove didn’t feature a two ply palm. The use of high quality synthetic leather on the palm continues not to shown any wear, it has remained supple and flexible with its suede like texture. Like many other gloves the Inclines feature neat silicon pads on the fingers but the finger panels join right at the fingertip reducing dexterity severely for those fiddly trailside tasks. The best feature of the gloves has to be the soft Terry-Toweling section along the thumb, it is great for soaking sweat from the brow or in my case a runny nose. 3/4 the weight of the tried and true TLD XC, these comfy gloves are mostly suited to XC race and light trail riding."

Move forward to 2013 and we are again wrapping our hands in an Incline Glove. Much like the previous versions the Incline retains its full-finger lightweight nature. A comfortable and flexible back of hand section with the palm moving to two ply. It does seem though that the material in use in this version of the gloves palm is of a lower quality as they are showing some wear over our previous versions.

The Incline glove did feature a silicon print on the fingertips but they quickly wore off through our rigorous use. But the soft absorbent section along the thumb continues to be a hit and we have found that these comfy gloves can handle just about any sort of riding. 

While we have been a little skeptical over the durability of the palm, the gloves have held together through all our riding and are still going well today. The Fox Incline continues to be a nice glove, now lets get out and ride!

WEMBO Thanks

Thanks to CORC and the WEMBO team for putting on the event.

These sorts of events are much easier to compete in with a great support crew, thanks to my attentive crew Donna and Alex. Our pit row neighbours supporting WEMBO rider Mark Astley, Hally and Haysie, were also great to have around.

Other shout-outs I need to make, Shane Taylor, Sean Bekkers, Jason Pilgrim, Rocky Trail Entertainment, Matthew Spriggs, just to list a few that had a hand in making my weekend.

Bike 1.
Frame: One-On Inbred
Fork: X-Fusion Slide 29er by DIYMTB
Running Gear: SRAM XO/Truvativ 3x9
Wheels: Good Edition by Curve Cycling
Tyre: Conti Protection Series X-King (F), Race King (R), the Jason English combo
Saddle: WTB Silverado
Grips: ODI Ruffian Lock-ons
Pedals: Shimano XT
Brakes: Shimano XT
Finishing: Truvativ/Easton

Bike 2.
Frame: Pivot 429 Alloy by JetBlack Cycling
Fork: X-Fusion Trace by DIYMTB
Running Gear: SRAM XO/ Shimano XT 2x10
Wheels: Shimano XT/Stans Crest Custom Built by Mick Smith
Tyre: Schwalbe Snakeskin Racing Ralf (F), Conti Protection X-King (R)
Saddle: WTB Silverado
Grips: Silicon Foam
Pedals: Shimano XT
Brakes: Shimano XT
Finishing: Truvativ/Easton

Here is the 19.5hrs of data my Bryton captured.

The WEMBO Course

Being a World Championship the choice of trails is important and while WEMBO are yet to publicise the chosen trails for 2013 the 2010 World Solo Championship course gives us an idea of what might be install.

Starting on the Crit Track the trail will head down to Holden’s Creek, riders will be able to refuel through this section, as the trail is not overly technical. It then heads to Fence-line, which popes you out at Cockatoo Switchbacks, this is the first ascent towards the top and is the main ascent trail. The ascending tracks are not highly technical, groups will form and we could see the main WEMBO contenders go straight to the front to test the legs, but this only the start of a laps ascents. Once you arrive at Echidna Gap Junction the trail really starts to get interesting in our eyes. 

The 2010 Course, 

The first descent will be down Western Wedge-tail, while this trail is not overly technical; it is very rocky and will take a toll on the body. From here you will head down into Pork Barrel, a highly technical track, if your not concentrating you will crash.  At the moment Pork Barrel is not in the best condition and could dramatically change during the race.

Next up is Party Line; this is a very well known track to those who visit Stromlo regularly. The trail has featured in many events and with its sweeping berms on which you can hold your speed throughout. Party Line will be one of the most enjoyed track on the day but it is likely the conditions will change during the night, get worse as the race goes on. You will then climb back up to get the XCM Climb via Skips, during this section you will be able to hydrate and get a gel down. The XCM Climb is where there maybe some fireworks as WEMBO contenders put legs to the test again. The climb is a steep rutty fire-trail and can be very technical, get out of the saddle and spinout. Eventually you will pop out at Echidna Gap Junction for the second time, from here you will head down Roller Coaster, the current state of this track is bad and it is unlikely it will not change between now and October. Roller Coaster could be considered a technical part of the course and is a place you could quite easily crash if not careful.

Joining on from the Roller Coaster the course could possibly use the famous Skyline and Luge tracks, these descending trails wind down towards transition, are currently in good condition and hold up very well throughout 24-hour events.

A big factor will be how the trails hold up from the Scott 24-hour which is just the week prior to WEMBO. The trails listed above are just some of the available routes around Stromlo, check out the Scott 24hr website for the 2013 Scott course for other possible variations.

James Ross, OnTheGo Racing

James is current Under 23 National Solo 24hr Champion. He has, over the last few months, spent countless hours training specifically for WEMBO and as you can see has intimate knowledge of Stromlo's trails. Watch this guy come October.

Some CrummyMTB videos that feature Stromlo trails:
2011 Scott 24hr
2012 Rollercoaster
2012 Rollercoaster Champs
2012 ADCC Champs 
2013 Flow Rollercoaster

Tour Divide - Rider Report

Hugh Harvey still struggles to get his head around what he has accomplished, even now, 40 days after the event. "I'm struggling it let it go... I slowed down way more than I should have in the second half", Hugh explains. Now that he is back at work after completing the adventure of a life time he is constantly wondering "what if?".

There are really only two words that need to be said when it comes to Hughes adventure, Tour Divide. The grand tour of mountain biking with over 4,400km of non-stop unsupported solo racing, it follows the rough trails traversing the Great Divide from Canada to Mexico. This would have be one of the best self-finding events, you ride every day to its own, you live in the present and are heavily connected to moving forward. "What has happened is in the past, and there is just no predicting what may come in the future," Hugh reflects, "there is much zen in just pedalling when you are on the bike, and eating and sleeping when you are not".

It has taken Hugh some time to recover and he finds it difficult separate the Tours days, let alone one climb from another. How ever he does remember the toughest days, "they were early on when it wasn't clear how hard to push". With 143 at the starting line in Banff, Canada, there were over 50 riders scratched by the time they hit the boarder. It was this last section of the race that Hugh found difficult too, as the towns were a long way apart. At this stage when eating junk food from the gas stations just wasn't enough, especially after eating big and often on most days leading up. There is a fine line between exhaustion and broken. 

The Tour Divide is virtually all off road and the weather conditions you may have to ride in extend from snow and golf ball sized hail coming off Fleecer Ridge through, gail force head winds off the Great Divide basin in Wyoming through to the 40 degree heat for the whole of New Mexico section. As a cycling enthusiast this was Hugh's first serious bicycle race that he had ever been in and he agrees that this format of event seems to have suited. 

"You just get out there and ride for as far as you can and then try and grab a couple of hours sleep before jumping back on the bike", Hugh explains, we are sure it may have been a fraction more than just that, with the complexities of navigation, resupply and avoiding wildlife.

Following the race by afar is easy with the Spot GPS Trackers carried by all entrants, these devices give an almost instant position of all the riders at any one time. We could follow the blue dots as they slowly progress south across our computer screens in their two dimensional landscape. On the flip side the riders were negotiating more than just the landscape, the wildlife had many worried, especially the grizzlies. "Most people carried bear spray and were blowing whistles that kind of thing. We pass through a couple of grizzly hotspots, Whitefish Valley which is where the US National Parks Service relocate the grizzlies from the other parts of the country if they have become a problem" Hugh goes on, "I spotted a couple of cougars, all the locals say they are much more dangerous than the bears".

Unfortunately Hugh's mate Walter was hit by at ute 20 miles from Rawlins and it took some effort for him to push on, especially with the thought of a whole lot more cycling on his own. But a new found personal discipline created by days and days in the saddle where the distractions were enjoyable settled to far more constant forward momentum. Basically, Hugh describes, if you can keep the body, bike and brain in the right spot then that is what the Tour Divide is about. 

Finished a midfield 23rd in a little over 21 days, Hugh is now finding himself obsessing about the race, far more than he did before the event. While exceeding his own expectations during the initial days, there is just a seed of disappointment having not pushed and ridden as hard as he could. "I'm still struggling to get my head around what happened out there, the event, the course and the knowledge of self that I now have, it means that I am constantly wondering "what if?".