Big Pimpin' Mondays - Cyclocross

Cross season is over in Aus now but here's some sweet pics to keep the cross fire burning in our hearts until next winter.

Big Pimpin' Monday - Jan Ullrich

As much as I wanted to dedicate today to the All Blacks today after fulfilling their destiny last night I knew I had to keep it cycling related.

So ive gone with someone who like All Black teams of the past may have been the best rider at the time but for various reasons failed to reach ultimate glory.

Jan "The Kaiser" Ullrich spent his youth attending an East German Sports School no doubt crushing the hopes and dreams of East Germnays young cyclists. When he was 19 he won the world amateur cycling champs. He was also rad enough at age 17 to get 5th at the cyclo-cross world champs.

In 1996 on debut at the Tour de France the Kaiser got 2nd whilst riding in support for his team leader Bjarne Riss, many commented that the Kaiser. The Kaiser won the Tour in 1998 and the future looked great for the young German unfortunately he would never wear the yellow in to Paris again due to an Italian coke head and brash Texan who along with his team took juicing to a while new level.


Without going into to much detail, The kaiser would go on to finish the Tour 2nd 5 times as well as get a third and a 4th. During this time he was also Olympic road race champion and world time trial champion. The kaiser was always so close yet to far, he was the man Lance turned up to beat and the only won ever able to challenge him for a long time.

In our eye's though the Kaiser is the man for many reasons, the guy was a cold and calculated soul destroying machine. Yes he served a doping suspension but it was for Ecstasy, the Kaiser liked the disco techs in the off season. Sure you can say that he was involved in a doping scandal at the end of his career but in that period of cycling everyone was on the juice, event the team car drivers were on the juice.

He also had a cool earring and used to push a big gear up climbs like a steam train of destruction carrying a load of hurt to deliver to the peleton.

The Kaiser also loved to eat, he was known for turning up to big races a little overweight but fuck, he's the Kaiser he can do what he wants. Once when questioned about he he replied  "I have seen many lean riders in the peloton, but very few Tour winners".

Off season training

This is also the Kaisers sex face.

Making Alpe D'huez his bitch.

Big Pimpin'

Came across this one whislt looked for pics. it isnt the Kaiser but a woman who has gone for the Jan Ullrich look

The Kaiser was about to flip Lance the bird after winning the stage but Lance grabbed the Kaiser hand early thinking it was a gesture from the Kaiser.

LIMBC Stage 5 - XCC - It's A Wrap!

What a great way to finish the week!

I'm so glad I had a successful day to end on a high note after a week of ups and downs.

My support crew of my Dad, Mark and my Sister, Laura have been just tremendous and I'm so thankful that they've come here for me this week. Dad hasn't been feeling well for the last day and a half so for him to bear the 40deg heat to watch me race today was beyond the call of duty I think.

With about 8hrs all up of riding over 5 varying stages through all weather and all trail conditions to not have one mechanical is almost a miracle...but it's not. It's because I have a great bike, built up exceptionally welland with the proper set-up and for that near miracle I have to thank Ross from iRide and Simon from Adventure Brands for supplying my Vertex 70 RSL.

So Stage 5: A 2km short course cross country criterium. Now I'm glad I did those CX races! It also took me back to Westgate Dirt Crits in Melbourne, something I miss very much about the big smoke!

Of course it was ON from the gun and all I saw from the leaders was the slight puff of dust left from their smoking fast rear wheels. After a surprisingly calm first lap (I was convinced there would be a crash with a couple of tight, skinny corners on the course) the pace was held high. I'd drift from the back of one pack to the front of another, get a spurt of energy, sprint in front of the gap I'd just fallen off but struggled to get any useful work done for anything more than a lap with any one group. A bit of an energy wasting style but from reports that's how it played out for a lot of us. Finally Andrew Mock caught me and we did some work together (him more than I initially!) and once we caught fellows and the pressure came off us a little, the pace dropped slightly and I could pull my weight with some turns on the front to get us around the last three laps of the crit without being caught (by anyone but the race leaders who had already lapped us once!).

Just before the finish on the last lap the leaders came around to lap us twice. I looked back and recognising our race was over if they lapped us again before the finish, tried to outsprint them to the line..hahahha..what was I thinking! They passed me like I was standing still and I was giving it my absolute all! Seriously fast!

Slight downer about today is that Dan McConnel and Paul VDP weren't allowed to race due to issues with them missing the first stage with food poisoning. I would have paid money to watch Paul tear up that course today!

Thanks for everyone for reading these posts thus far! Sometimes it's been a chore to write them but I always enjoy it once I've finished and hope you've had some entertainment from them.

We have the 'Jamboree Ride' tomorrow which is a social/casual loop around the island similar to the first day that I think I'll do for some extra k's so I might do a nice wrap up sometime after that and before I head home on the 26th.

Till then, more HR data from the last stage HERE and see/speak to you all soon!

Zigga

Game face: ON

The freight train of pain!

Stage 4 Garmin Data

I finally got my Edge 500 to talk to my computer so I could download and look at my HR data from the King of The Hill stage yesterday. It's a pretty cool looking elevation profile and it's very obvious where I settled into my nice threshold rhythm. Then you can also easily see when I got my flat and got a bit messed up. Also, a max speed of 73km/h on a MTB! Did I mention it was a fast start?!

Check it out HERE.

Had a good day today on the fast XCC stage 5. Report coming soon!

LIMBC Stages 3 + 4

I'm feeling a bit flat right now and even super syrupy Malaysian Red Bull doesn't seem to be kicking it..

It's because I've just had a couple of short, disappointing stages in the last two days.

First off was the second XCO, yesterday. This race was supposed to be a 7hr enduro which they reduced to 6hrs (fine) then to a short cross country race (not fine!). The UCI track inspector was not sufficiently satisfied that the course was safe to ride multiple times as it would have meant riding through suspect water courses and bogs so they had no choice but to cut this section of track out. Which meant the track was now 4km long instead of 7km, a bit short for a 6hr enduro.

Anyway, it's all good XCO training I guess!

My start was average despite having a much better grid position due to a decent effort in the first XCO. My mind was telling my legs to sprint and my legs were chillin' out at the beach... However, they did eventually fire up, enough even to put in a couple of sprints when I needed to. Then after a few laps I looked back and saw the race leader, Lachy Norris hot on my tail. As we were near the finish I gave it all I had and made sure to stay in front of him so I wouldn't get lapped until after the finish line so I could complete another lap before being pulled. The *expletive* commisaires thought differently and soon after passing the finish line I was pulled. I didn't agree, caused a fuss and stated my case strongly and probably loudly and won myself a reprieve, I could do one more lap. However once I'd almost finished that lap, they once again tried to pull me off the track before the finish line (I know it all sounds confusing, I was pretty confused by this stage) and this time I wasn't getting a second shot...

Anyway, I finished 34th and was also a bit disappointed with my lack of technical skill on some of the slippery, rooty, muddy climbs. Not a great day at the office.

Then came today's stage. The King of The Hilll. An all-tarmac, 26km point-to-point to the top of the largest hill on the island, Gunung Raya at 900m ASL.

The mass start (all categories?!?) was fast and furious. Fortunately I managed to stay with the lead bunch and for the first 13km we cruised to the bottom of the climb. Once the incline started I was totally prepared to find a happy zone at threshold and climb like I've done a hundred times before. And that's exactly what happened. And I was faster and stronger than a lot of people, even a few riders questionably pushing the 'no slicks' rule. This was until my front tyre started leaking. My Furious Freds were letting me down. A slow leaking front tyre isn't a huge hindrance on a climb but I certainly noticed my efficiency dropping and on the one or two short descents on the way up I had to descend with stifling caution. I topped her up twice with a C02 cylinder but that meant stopping, undoing valves, redoing valves and losing my valuable rhythm. I lost a bunch of places that I just couldn't make up and came in 50th. A really disappointing result today. I KNOW I could have done a lot better.

The kick in the nuts? Once at the top I topped the front tyre up again and it held all it's air on the commute back to base. WTF!?!

Photo's can't illustrate the frustration and disappointment I'm feeling right now so here's some gratuitous travel pics and some slightly related riding pics!

Myself, Andrew Mock and Paul VDP not looking as wary as we should have been before today's mountain climb stage. Mocky went onto have a good day (finally!) as did Paul considering all his domestique work of late!

Not sure why I'm smiling here.. the top of Gunung Raya, I feel like I have to conquer it again now!

This guy deserves to smile, Dan McConnell takes victory in King of The Hill stage. He and Paul VDP broke away early and Dan held onto the lead to win by 30secs!

We went swimming in this waterfall after stage 3 and it pissed down rain. The waterfall went from a tame trickle to this gargantuan, heaving cascade in minutes. And there were chicks in bikinis everywhere. The only good part of today.

Just a shot of the awesome tropicalness of Langkawi from the Westin Resort balcony.

Once again, Garmin data HERE of stage 3 (note, the last lap I did is not shown because I'd already stopped it timing and forgot to start it again) for those interested and none yet for the mountain stage, my Edge is playing up...grrr, another source of frustration (not to mention this fucking useless hotel internet!).

LIMBC Stage 2 - 4.7km/lap XCO

After my recce ride earlier in the week of this XCO course I knew today was going to be tough.

The 4.7km course which Elite Men had to ride 6 times was actually similar in some ways to riding at Mount Beauty in that it was a long climb followed by a long techy descent then repeat. In most other ways it couldn't have been more different.

The 160 or so blokes in the Elite Men category (notice how I didn't actually call us Elite Men!) started on a tarmac descent down which we hurtled at 45km/h only to get straight on the anchors and get our shifter fingers busy for a slimy, muddy, steep, rooty and rocky climb. I reckon this was walked by all but probably the first 10 riders to hit it. It was a shambolic mountain biker stampede. At one point I actually did lose my footing and go ass over!

Once we got a chance to get back on our bikes the climb had backed off from what felt like 45% to a more sedate 25% (possibly exaggerating) and I could keep some traction. We kept climbing for another couple of k's or so with one or two short descents for some minor relief. Once summited we dropped into the terraced rubber plantation downhill. More greasy terrain with a thick rubber tree canopy and sneaky slippery roots to catch you the second you dropped your guard.

If you made it down this descent alive you got shot onto a high pace fire road descent which, if you were brave enough, was a brakes-off roller coaster of speed. Then through a little more undulating rubber plantation and back onto the tarmac for the rise to the finish line to start all over again.

All in all, great fun. I loved the technical nature of the course and it certainly sorted some riders out. I was really disappointed with myself for not being able to ride the climb, I walked part of it every time. I could have easily made a couple of minutes by riding instead of walking here.

And those couple of minutes might have been all I needed to avoid being pulled on my last lap. I even pleaded with the UCI comissaire to let me go out for my last but of course he was having none of it. I really wanted to get all 6 laps in. Sure, I can say that the field was excellent and the course tough but the fact of the matter is that I just wasn't good enough.

The next stage which was originally a 6hr Enduro has been dramatically changed to another XCO which means I either have a chance at retribution.

Wish me luck.

Once again, Garmin data HERE

Results for yesterday are HERE

No GC results yet.

In our start pens, me and another Rocky Mountain rider (nice Vertex 90!)

The business end of the field on the start line. You'll notice Paul VDP and Lachy N up there.

Sweaty much? Mixed emotions immediately after being pulled from the race.

LIMBC Stage 1 - 62km XCM

I finished the 62km marathon stage a few hours ago and now I'm writing this from my blissfully air conditioned hotel room and still have mixed feelings about my result.

I came 29th today.

It's not a particularly low number but the field was large and pretty bloody strong. I think I should describe my performance today with another placing.

I was the 5th male elite Aussie today.

That's not so bad!

It wasn't the longest of marathons and over the 62km only had 900m of climbing but I still found it as tough as any that I've done. I think it was the heat and the humidity that made it so tough. An average temp. of 30deg is not cool.

I actually had a really good race. Mine certainly started better than the blokes that KO'd themselves (or possibly worse!) by running into a terribly placed steel road barrier no more than 3km from the start. I think it will be a very short tour for them. These guys were probably 30 wheels back from me and the thud of body on steel and scraping of pedals on tarmac certainly turned my stomach.

We rode through jungle complete with monitor lizzards, monkeys and water buffalo. Through rubber plantations careful to avoid hitting the small black pots nailed to the trees full of the sticky white sap of the rubber plant. And through villages, back yards, weirs, creeks and extremely suspect quagmires...

My infallible support crew scootered to all three feed zones which was a lifesaver as some people missed out on even a bottle of water at some feed zones. My sister said she felt sick for the unfortunate people who had no one helping them (for the record, my Sis and Dad were also helping a couple of other riders too).

I'll spare you a blow-by-blow of the race if you're interested in the finer details you can check out my Garmin heart rate and GPS data here.

Not a single mechanical or crash which makes me love my Vertex even more (probably should go and show it some of this said love) and I'm sooooo glad I had this bike to bring over. A hardtail was DEFINITELY the right choice of bike and am, as always, very thankful of the iRide/Rocky Mountain guys.

I'll post a link to the results as soon as they're online.

Link to my Garmin data HERE.

And some pics from today:

Dad, 50% of the best support team at the race

My Sis, the other 50% of the best support team at the race

Contemplation on the start line with Morgan Pilley (already drenched with sweat)

My Rig ready to roll in the bike basement

The Bike Basement - someone could do seriously well to roll this joint!

Big Pimpin' Monday - Greg Lemond

So we may have missed a few weeks and its pretty late on a Monday but Big Pimpin Monday is so awesome that it is not bound by such constraints as time plus we've also been busy as Lew Thomas at a Star Trek convention.

This week it's all about Greg Lemond. Long before that other American, Greg Lemond was blazing a trail through Europe leaving a bunch of pissed of Euro's in his wake all whilst looking cool.

Greg was the first Non-European to win the Tour De France, being a professional in Europe from a non European country was hard enough in 1986, to win the Tour in simple amazing. Greg was also a contender for the 1985 tour but was dedicated to helping the leader of his team Benard Hinault at the time. Who a year later in 1986 would show classic French sportsmanship by agreeing to ride as a support team-mate for Greg due to his work in 1985 then attacking him on every stage.

In 1987 in a hunting accident Greg was hit with 40 pellet from a shotgun at close range, 37 of which are still in his body. These days we hear alot of rappers getting shoot but those nancy boys all seem to die, Greg came back 2 years later to win to more Tours. To make the dude even cooler he has spent the last few years harassing Lance Armstrong about doping and pushing for cleaner cycling.

Livin' Large in Langkawi

I like Langkawi.

I like it when my flights are all on time.

I like it when the in-flight movies are good.

I like it when there's a race official greeting me at arrivals.

I like complimentary airport-hotel transfers.

I like it when the race organisers call me at my hotel room to make sure everything went well.

I really like it when my bike arrives in one piece.

Fortunately all this happened for me! The Vertex is built up and went for it's first very brief spin around the area this morning but I want to change the tyres so avoid wearing out my 'race' tyres early, they've already got some serious signs of wear from the Beaconsfield 6hr whose rocks tore them up a bit. I've identified a nice little bike shop which has a compressor if I need one to seat the spare tyres I have.

There is advertising everywhere about the race and lots of people in town know about it. It's certainly all over the hotel we're staying at. They know how to make the racers feel important!

Yesterday I familiarised myself with Kuah, the town where the hotel is in and stocked up on water and chocolate and not much else! I did smash heaps of local food, some of it totally unrecognisable and almost all of t delicious. No upset stomach. Yet. And I may have given into the temptation of a 60cent imported Stella...or two..hey, it was cheaper then Carlton Draught here! (they had CD and Coopers Pale Ale!).

Today I will change my tyres and go for a decent ride and also hire a scooter to check out the further reaches of the island.

Some pics below:

My airport transfer. Ooh la la!

The Rocky Mountain made it! Now to build her up in the bike storage area.

The official race hotel, Bayview Hotel Langkawi

Had a yummy chicken and rice dish here...then went around the back where they did the dishes....

It's Business Time! Langkawi here I come!

Like my Kiwi comedic-musical mates say, it’s business time everybody!

Ok, so they’re not my mates and I’m talking a different type of business but the fact remains that I have one week until I fly out to Langkawi, Malaysia to race in the Langkawi International Mountainbike Challenge and I have to start getting my shit together!

This will be my inaugural overseas race and I reckon I’ve picked a corker! I, undoubtedly like many others, was initially attracted to this race because of the game-changing prize purse of US$130,000! However as the entry list grew with riders of door-blowing awesomeness I took relief in the knowledge that they still pay to 15th place.

Why this and not Tour de Timor? Well, had I been thriftier over the last few months I may have indulged in both but this 5-day stage race includes a real variety of disciplines from XCO to a 7hr Enduro and a couple of half-marathon point-to-points, hopefully with much of it on singletrack. This interested me more than what I’d heard about Timor. I’m hoping that if I’ve got a chance to have a crack at any point during this race it will be in the 7hr (competitors reading this, please disregard last sentence). The 7hr Enduro being of a time, distance and format I’m certainly familiar with, hopefully more so than most. Only time will tell how it all pans out, the level of competition is high and there are a lot of unknowns, it’s a recipe for an exciting few days.
I’m certainly not doing this alone. I have to be one of the most fortunate racers around to have both my Sister and Father coming as my support crew. Both have supported me in races before and this will be a true test for all of us. I’m just so grateful of their interest in what I do, confidence in me and willingness to help.

I’m taking my Rocky Mountain Vertex 70 RSL which has lately proven to be an extremely capable machine by putting up with 6hrs of the infamously rough and tough tracks of Upper Beaconsfield to get me to 2nd place in the last round of the Vic Enduro Series. I wouldn’t have this bike if it weren’t for a similar confidence and generosity of both Ross Wilkinson from iRide and Simon Ross from Rocky Mountain/Adventure brands.

There are 4 important factors in this race I can control, me, my support crew (x2) and my bike. These all make me happy. There will be innumerable factors in this race I have zero control over. These make me anxious, nervous but also excited and pumped!
I hope you’ll check back here occasionally before the 17th of October and regularly for daily race updates thereafter, I look forward to sharing this race with y’all!

Zigga

Race information and live results from the 17/10 HERE

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