Highland Fling 2014

Words by Belinda Althaus.



Twelve weeks of intense training, lots of hill climbing (like crazy amounts), and a few 4hr races had led to this day, the Highland Fling.  Time had come around again, however the day was a contrast difference to 2013 whereby average temperatures were about nine degrees, drizzling light rain, no dust and a few less k's.

 

It was what you would consider ideal climate, sunny with a light breeze.  However this brought with it some downsides.  It was dusty, hot in the exposed areas and the wind only picked up as the morning rolled on.  An extra 6kms were added to this year's Full Fling which in hindsight doesn't sound like much…. What they didn't tell us was that there would be a lot more climbing as well. More singletrack was added in the second loop as well which would test the skills, particularly in my case as this hasn't always been a strong point of mine.  



My goal this year was to ride a sub-six hour race with the 2013 race being 6hr 6mins.  I was feeling confident, I had trained hard, and prepared well.  I was mentally and physically fitter and it had all come down to this race.  I decided I would race with the elite women, noting that these women are strong and brilliant at what they do.  Some of these girls included the likes of Jenny Fay, Peta Mullens, Christy Henderson, Rebecca Locke, Lucy Betchel and Naomi Hansen who was the current leader in the Marathon Maverick series.  I was clearly not within the calibre of these riders, but I wasn't going to let this deter me in racing my best.  The Full Flingers (excluding elite) and 100milers set of 15mins earlier then us, and before long time had rolled around for us to hit the pedals. 



The elite bunch including males and females weren't large (20-30riders) which made for a surprisingly pleasant start.  I was aware of my experience and ensured I stayed out of the main field and instead tacked onto the back.  This may have proved a bad move but I didn't want to be seen as "that rider" so for me it was the safest move.  The start wasn't too hectic and the bunch stayed together for the first 5kms.  I was holding on the wheels of the bunch with relative ease, however clicking it back a notch on approach to a loose sandy corner followed by a moderate pinch the gap began to open and the bunch was spreading out.

 

Naomi Hansen had also fallen from the back and I was holding her wheel.  We both began to lose contact and it was at this point that I made the decision to ride behind her wheel rather then lose contact altogether.  Naomi was a strong rider, consistent pace; however she was lagging on hills which suited me.  I used this to my advantage and therefore was able to ride consistently with her in my sights knowing that I only had to put a few good pedals in on the hills and then just maintain on the flats. This worked well, and it enabled me to ride into Transition 1 directly behind her with having over-done it.



Transition went well, a bottle change and some solid food and I was off ready for the second stage.  At this point I was in front of Naomi and help this position until the first section of single track appeared. I was riding well, except I came to a rock garden which I baulked at which was then followed immediately by several riders coming through with I waiting with no where to go until they passed.  Naomi was in this group and so again I was behind her. No time to give up I got back into rhythm riding with intensity, pushing up the hills where I could.  It was getting hotter, the exposed fire roads weren't helping either and my two water bottles were rapidly emptying.  I was conserving my water with anticipation that the mid way water refill would come soon.  A welcomed relief when I saw it, stopping quickly to refill.  Within 10kms of the finish of Stage 2 I descended a hill to see Naomi on the side repairing a puncture.  This was my opportunity to put some time in and with that I was spurred on to keep pushing all the way home.  

Transition 2 appeared and I was clearly behind my goal time of 4hrs.  It had now been 4hrs 40mins but I wasn't going to let this disappoint me.  I had a race to finish and I just wanted to finish strong. Another brief stop in transition, some more solid food and I were again on my way for the final leg. This could arguably be described as the hardest part of the ride as there is a section of single track within the last 15kms that tests every ounce of your concentration and mental capacity.  After a disastrous finish in 2013 whereby I nearly gave up at the 90km mark due to hitting the wall, I was determined this would not happen again.  Instead I continued to eat, and broke it down into 3 lots of 10kms. You do what you can to get you through and this was my best option on the day.  

It worked and I rode a strong final 30km, riding well against the times of the elite women ahead of me.  The single track seemed to fly by and the "final 5km" was getting closer every minute.  Once I saw this, the pedals were turning with exhilaration and determination knowing that once again the Fling had been flung and I had managed to finish with a sense of strength not to mention contentment in my effort regardless of the finish time.

 Unfortunately the goal of sub-6hrs wasn't met, and instead I rode a 6hr 29min.  This was the case for many riders including the elite riders however with many saying it was a lot harder and many riding a 1/2hr longer race.  This was a relief knowing that it too was a tough day for them.  

Overall I had a good day.  Will I do it again in 2015, well I would hope so!  It's a challenging race, but it's a race that can suit a lot of different riders.  For now though, it's just about the end of a season in what has been quite a lot of racing and travelling.  I'm very much looking forward to putting my feet up for a few weeks and just enjoying some sleep-ins and some social rides (or no rides). 2015 looks to be an exciting year of improving my skills and tackling that singletrack!!

 

Many thanks go to the team at BerryMountain Cycles for their continued support and service, they always keeping my Fate in tiptop shape. In addition I would like to thank Lawrence Drummond from Origin Fitness for his guidance and coaching and pushing me consistently to be stronger and fitter. This race proved that Effort = Results.

Rocky Trail Shimano Mountain Bike Grand Prix - Stromlo

Words by: Belinda Althaus

Mt Stromlo trails, need I say more?  A satisfying 4hrs or racing with a combination of trails which would put a smile on any eager endurance rider.

The RT crew picked a course which had a superb balance of leg pumping climbing, followed by equally fun berms and flowing singletrack and let's not forget "skyline"!

270 odd riders, ascended on the day and the competition was fierce being the last round of the Shimano GP series.  Rival competitor Wendy Stevenson was quick to gain front position and managed to hold this lead ahead of Erin Zimmer and the rest of the 4hr elite women competitors.  I managed to hold 4th position behind these two and local Kim Smith for most of the race. 

My lap times were consistent, and my legs were feeling good. Coming round for my final lap and I had Kim in my sights and I was spurred on to draw her back. 

A steady climb ahead proved a valuable opportunity and with that I made the pass and opened up a 3 min gap. 

Podium time.

I came in behind Wendy and Erin to gain 3rd on the podium and another successful day on the mountain bike.  A great event, and its nice to meetso many encouraging people of all abilities. 

What more could you want when your grinding it out for 4 hrs....  

General Graph of the GP4 Elite Woman lap times.

Specialized Women’s Cascades – XC MTB Shoes

Words by Belinda Althaus.

Slippers, super-light, rigid, and down-right cool looking.  This is my take on the Specialized Cascades. 

I’ve used them in a few endurance races now and they’re incredibly light weight for a mountain bike shoe and with a carbon sole are incredibly stiff - increased power transfer, done!  These bad boys are only 40gms heavier per shoe compared to the S Works XC shoe and have a carbon sole stiffness index of 11.0 compared to 13.0 of the S Works model.  The other bonus is they are primarily black, which when it comes to mountain biking always goes down well when weather can unpredictable. The shoes come with the main boa dial plus two Velcro straps.  Extra grip lugs are also provided and as with all Specialized products replacements for most working components are available in the case of misfortune. 

Whether you’re a weekend trailblazer, recreational racer, out to set PB’s or podium these Cascades will win you over in comfort, stiffness and looks and most of all make you feel faster.

#Berrymountaincycles #SpecializedAustralia #WomensCascadeXC

Chocolate Foot Singletrack Mind Series – Rnd 4 Coondoo Nowra

Words by Belinda Althaus.


Flowing, fast, super fun, and amazing weather. This was round 4 of the Chocolate Foot STM Series at Coondoo in a nutshell.  The weather put on a show after what had been a pretty miserable week and even had the organisers on their toes right till the last minute. However the correct decision was made to keep the race going ahead and I’m glad they did!

BMC Setup.

I was keen for this race, it was my local track and that meant one thing….I knew it!!  This eased the anxiety and allowed for a relatively cruisy morning for the travelling and setup.   After helping the BerryMountain Cycles crew a little to set up their shop tent, it was time to prep the bike, sort my food and get in a warm up – Done!  Before long we were all riding up Coondoo road in anticipation for the start.  With minutes to spare, we were off and racing. 

The race as usual had a mass start followed by single-track which created the well-known bottleneck and slowed to snail’s pace, but I had managed to stay near the front bunch and this provided a good position going into the laps.  I knew I had at least three other competitors, but in reality I only really new who one of these were.  The girls I was up against had been challenging each other over the whole series and therefore I was the dark horse.

Race Reporter, Bel Athaus.

The first lap went well…until the mud. We had been warned about this, and true to their word we just had to suck it up and grind it out.  I still to this day vouch that this was the hardest part physically of the entire lap...No not really it, it just slowed me down  Coming round to the end of the first lap and I found Eva Boland approaching my tail.  She had been scanning for competitors coming up the snake track.  I made the mistake of identifying myself as her fellow competitor in the 4hr open female category, and this was my first mistake. She followed me to the climb and at this point opened up a gap which was going to make me work hard. I held back fearing we were only on the first lap and had quite a few to go and came up towards the “Bridge” at transition. Pedal hard, power up and don’t think too hard about it. Down the other side and I was relieved to have successfully gotten over it.  Lap 2 saw me approach Eva again in the mud section.  I stayed with her, but again she hit it on the climbs, and slowly creeped away.  I knew at this time that the only thing holding me back was some fitness, and therefore settled into a comfortable but consistent pace.  My goal now was to ensure no other competitors in my category passed me.  The laps went well, I was racing pretty well and about mid-way learned I was in second place. I was determined to stay at this position and pushed on to the end.  The final hour saw me squeeze in the last two laps and bring my total to 7.  I was relieved to finish, and congratulated Eva on her ride well done.  Melissa Nuttal came home in third place. 

Photo: Dave Bateman

Another great and successful day out on the bike.  The girls were fair, raced hard and proved to be worthy competitors.  The team at Chocolate Foot did an amazing job with organising and I’m glad they held the race even against the weather gods.  The amazing trail blazers from South Coast United Mountain bikers had the track mickey-mouse and have worked tirelessly over recent months to build new tracks and refresh the older ones, and this day was a showcase of some awesome trails.  I’m glad to have the privilege to ride them whenever! Thanks also to the continued support from BerryMountain Cycles for keeping me geared up, my bike tuned and just for the encouragement.  You guys rock! 

The final round of the CF series sees it heading to Orange in October. I’ve locked this one in because they too have some amazing trails, and I can’t wait to get back there…Till next time.

She Rides Revisited

In May we had a quick look at the first couple of weeks of Western Sydney/Blue Mountains She Rides - MTB program. The program was offering woman a supportive environment to build on-bike confidence, learn skills and ride with other like-minded ladies.

The She Rides program was formally started with words from the local MP and WSMTB committee representative. From there the weekly sessions covered bike maintenance, basic on-bike skills and opportunities to put it all into practice.


Weeks on we revisited the She Rides - MTB group to see how it all was going.

The following video is  from Week 10 with social trail riding, exploring Yellomundee and the challenges it holds.

More smiles and social trail riding from Week 11. Confidence? Fun? Evident.








The Week 12 sign-on sheet, flourished with enthusiastic signatures, grand tour style.

The days social ride and final session would be to complete the Oaks Single-track, riding up the fire-trail then enjoying the smooth gravity fed roll back down.

There was laughter, encouraging words and praise as everyone spun their way along the graded climb. This was followed by screams and cries of delight as the trail narrowed and pointed back down towards the causeway.

At the completion of the trail there were twelve excited woman, all on adrenalin highs, keen to give the trail another go.

From the participants response She Rides has delivered on the social ride environment, all learnt new skills and now enjoy every ride. So many great achievements.

You can find a few She Rides - MTB Western Sydney/Blue Mountains testimonials here.

Well done to all those involved, participants, coaches and assistants. Also WSMTB and the businesses who supported this great mountain biking initiative.

Locations are being finalised for the Spring/Summer series of She Rides. Registrations are sure to open soon, more information on Cycling Australia's SheRidesAu page.

Shimano Grand Prix 4hr – Mt Annan

Words by: Belinda Althaus.

A little nervous and apprehensive was an understatement for this event for me.  Lack of training over winter, a bout of the lingering cold and I wasn’t exactly feeling tiptop shape for a 4hr race.  However I was determined to change my mind set from the past few months and instead of worrying about what I hadn’t done, I decided I was going to think about what I would do.  That would be, “get out and go for a ride”.  So I did. 

The morning was an early one, packing the last few things before it was a two hour drive to the event.  On the upside the drive was really straight forward, so I didn’t have to think which turn to take, or trying to read maps on the trip; this was a bonus and lowered the anxiety.  I arrived at the botanical gardens, got a park close to the start and cruised up to the event centre.  After popping into a few fellow riding friends, I managed to secure a position close by the track to setup my feed station.  I was cruising around having a great ole’ time, until I overheard the microphone advising us that rider briefing was in five minutes with the race starting immediately after….It had come to my attention all of a sudden that the race was starting an hour earlier then I had anticipated!! No time to waste or go for a final nervous toilet stop. I sorted out the remainder of my bottles, stuffed gels in the back and removed any unnecessary clothing.  It was race time.

Having no great expectations except to just get out and go for a ride, I held back in positioning in the pack.  I had never ridden at Mt Annan, and hadn’t managed a practice so I was aware to try not getting in the way of the fast riders.  The race started rather calmly.  It was a nice cruise around the car park which unfortunately didn’t split the pack up and then a bottle neck into the single track.  This could be a slow first lap, but I was happy because this gave me a nice opportunity to check out all the twists and turns, pinch climbs and descends, hairpins upon hairpins and an approximate timing of each lap.

I knew who some of my competitors were but I hadn’t seen them before the race and therefore I didn’t know how I was going in position.  I kept my pace consistent and my second lap was remarkably quicker then the first.  This can be a positive thing but then again a negative as it means you have more laps to do….Either way 4 hours is 4 hours, it beats doing 7hrs (compliment to all those 7hr riders, you’re an inspiration!).  Around the 3rd lap I came across another female rider.  She was consistent.  Many times I passed on the climbs, and then she would catch me on the downhill rock gardens.  I figured by the end of the 4th lap this was a fellow competitor and put the foot down to make a clear gap.  Three hours rolled around and the hands were a little sore, the legs were yelling a little at me, and I was questioning myself “why hadn’t I ridden a little more recently…”  This wasn’t the time to question however, it was time to dig deep, grimace a little more and just get the job done.  So I did.  The fire inside had ignited and I was happy being out riding, pushing out of the comfort zone and just having a GREAT DAY OF RIDING.

I came through the finishing chute after 7 laps, more then spent but proud of my efforts.  I passed on the beer, this was not the time…After a quick clean up and a feed I checked out the results, and was surprised to see that I had made it to the bottom step of the podium.  I was a clear lap behind 1st place rider Brooke Rowlands and 2nd place rider Wendy Stevenson, but considering my lack of preparation this was to be expected, not to mention these girls are masters of the game!

Mt Annan is a great track.  The trails pack their punch in challenges and I was more then impressed with its flow.

Well done to all the ladies in the 4hr Elite category, and to the many other fellow riders.  Many thanks also to the great team at Rocky Trail Entertainment for another stella event and to Berry Mountain Cycles for their continued support and assistance in keeping my bike running top notch.

SCUM XC Round 3 Race Report by Bel Althaus.

Race reporter, Bel Althaus (BMC). 

On Sunday the 22 June, SCUM held its 3rd round of XC racing at the flowing Coondoo track. I was keen to race on this track as I had missed on the first round, and therefore had only managed to race the Butterfly trails. I woke up a little indecisive and in two minds about whether I wanted to race due to a disappointing pull out from the GP series Round 3 which was held at Ourimbah the day before.
I had travelled a few hours to the event late Friday afternoon, set up camp and then hit the sack for the night hoping to get a decent rest for what was to be my first 7hr solo experience (and first ever ride at Ourimbah…lesson 1 learnt). I woke the Saturday and decided to head out for a steady practice lap which quickly turned into a long “am I actually going to finish this lap before race starts” adventure. Within the first 1-2km’s the track was testing me mentally, and I was off the bike walking. Not a good start to say the least. I kept going and found myself baulking at much of the trail, stuff that in hindsight I may have usually ridden, and all the while in the back of my mind I was thinking, 7hours of this!! (Let alone 4hrs if I had decided to change category). I made my mind up pretty early on that today wasn’t my day, and decided to pull the pin…after a lot more walking and finally making it to the end of the track. I returned to the event centre, packed up my gear and instead became a photographer for a few hours, taking shots of all the other riders and of fellow friend Michael Crummy who was having a comeback from a few months of little riding competing in the 4hr category. As disappointing as it was to pull out, I was glad to have had the opportunity to check out what is the most technical track I’ve seen, but one that could be extremely fun and rewarding if the heart and mind is in the right place! Maybe I’ll get back there and next time I’ll smash it
A long drive back Saturday afternoon allowed me to think a little and I was keen to get back on the bike, probably in pure revenge for giving up…I had the option to either race a local road race or the local MTB race. Sunday came, a little more thinking and decided it was time to give the MTB a crack again. So a steady ride out to the track, a quick practice and it wasn’t long before the race was starting. The trail crew had done some amazing work cleaning and rebuilding the track after damage from local motorcyclists. This round was also a youth orientated event, which meant the ankle biters had come out in force all to have a go, and it was great to see the many smiling faces waiting in anticipation. The track was shortened for them to a 1.1km circuit.  
We headed to the start area which was about 200metres down the fire road, making it for a uphill start - that always works well. I wasn’t sure if I had any fellow competitors as some of the ladies were hanging back. We kicked off the race along with the elite men (5laps) and expert men (4laps). The race started and I looked back to find I had one competitor that I could see, Liz Smith. She had lagged behind a little, which meant I was able to enter the single track in a good position. She was closing in on me very quickly though, so decisions were made quickly about how to ride the race. She stayed in my sights for ¾ of the first lap and on the long climb out of “rock and roll” I managed to open up a small gap. Heading into the 2nd, I put the pedal down to increase this lead using the small climbs to my advantage and riding my fastest lap for the day. I knew I was in a good position towards the end of this lap and found my rhythm over the final two laps. Little did I know until the end that I actually had a third competitor, Danielle Pollock who had an unfortunate start which meant her first lap was nearly double time. She quickly picked up the pace however for the final 3 laps and her lap times would have had me fighting if she had started with us. I knew what sort of rider she was from a previous race, the Ginja Ninja 250 where she pipped me at the podium by 2 minutes. Today however I managed to hold onto the lead and rode a good race. A nice comeback from a disappointing day earlier. 
Some great trails meant some fast racing for many of the riders. Local rider Jake Whitton took out the Elite men category ahead of Douglas Pollock, with other local rider Mark Astley coming in third. Their times were extremely close, so a race well run. Nicole Fellows again took out first place for the Expert female which means a few wins now for Nicole. In the expert men, David Bell had a clear win from fellow competitors managing to come in ahead of Matt Smith and Dion Carter with a 5.5min lead. Unfortunately there were a few DNF from local riders Liam Dooley and Kane Barrett due to mechanicals. As usual the expert category was a tight field with minimal time between riders. For full results of all the categories, head to www.scum.asn.au where you will also find details about upcoming races and events.
78 riders including the young guns came and shredded the trails, and it was great to see such a diverse mix out on the local trails. Round 4 will be held again at Butterfly on the 20th July, but this is also the Chocolate Foot at Mogo 4 and 7hr race. I will be heading to Mogo for this one, hoping to regain my passion of endurance racing Stay tuned!

She Rides

We all didn’t start on a bike and not all of us have had that moment when everything clicks together and you go, "yeah riding my bike rocks". Queue She Rides, a twelve-session program custom built to suit their participants, those in need of on-bike confidence and who want to have fun and connect with other women.

Lindy Turnbull, along with Michael Crummy were selected to develop this Cycling Australia pilot riding initiative for mountain biking in their local area with the support of WSMTB.

Week One of She Rides – MTB Western Sydney/Lower Blue Mountains was launched with inspirational words by Member for Blue Mountains Roza Sage and WSMTB Committee Member Ray Rice. Kath Bicknell from Flow Mountain Bike Magazine dropped by emanating encouragement and enthusiasm for all women on bikes and with everyone rolling away from week one with huge smiles it is a positive sign of things to come.

Blackman Bicycles joined the team for Week Two with everyone getting their hands dirty removing wheels, putting on dropped chains and learning how to fix a flat tyre amongst their She Rides – MTB friends.

From what we have seen so far the participants are enjoying the positive and supportive environment in which the She Rides – MTB Western Sydney/Lower Blue Mountains team are delivering their program. With ten more weeks to deliver there looks to be plenty more fun to be had and hopefully soon that connection will be make where nothing makes her feel like riding does.