DIRTY DEEDS PROLOGUE FRIDAY NIGHT MADNESS!

CX is back! This is old news for all those that live in Newcastle of course but here in the hub, the grease is fresh, the balls polished and we are underway for another season of CX in Melbourne. The Dirty Deeds conglomerate once again hosted a stellar Friday evening of self propelled prologue shenanigans. Riders showed their talents over 2 laps of a short but demanding course that provided the crowd with everything from the regulation flat tyre to the highly anticipated broken collarbone.

Set with the challenge of giving away more sausages and taking home less beer than last year the iRide tent was pitched, the BBQ fired up and the night was underway. Word quickly spread that free snags, burgers and beers were being given away and from then on it was standing room only until the completion of the final race.

As the night went on the tunes were turned up, the standing room became the heckling zone and eventually the feed zone as riders were ‘offered’ bread, burgers, beer and regretfully even sauce for a lucky few.

While over 100 snags, a bunch of burgers and two cases of beer were distributed there was also some frantic racing going on and it was a great showing from those wearing the Team iRide Jamis skin suits (and potentially one team rider sporting a GF Subaru skin suit owned and signed by Mary Grigson circa 2000.

photo courtesty of Adam Macleod

 



Mel and April both walked away with a bag of goodies for their efforts, Mikkeli also earned himself a bag of well done for podiuming his heat, however the iRide tifosi thought he deserved more and more he got – nothing says congratulations like a frisbeed burger hitting your spokes at 40 km/h...  

The final race of the night was run and won before we knew it and as sorry as we were for the night to be over it was only going to be two sleeps until we were remounting the cross bikes were pulled out again and we headed out to MillPark for the first round of the Syca Cross Series.

Stay tuned....

Victorian Enduro Series Round 2 - Mt Beauty

Only Cam, Ross, Mel and Will made the trip to Mt Beauty for round 2 of the Victorian 6 hour series. Quigley was instead clocking up 100 miles at the Golden Triangle Epic in Bendigo (he came 2nd), Ben was racing Downhill in Myrtleford (2nd in vets) Aleisha was at a wedding and Jade was spending her time recovering from shin splints by going shopping for runner’s and wetsuits.

Going to Mt Beauty would also give us a chance to catch up with teammate and former XC hardman turned All Mountain destroyer Matt Zagorski (Zigga). For those not in the know Zigga is the home town hero of Mt Beauty, sure you have the Van de Ploegs but they are only there for Summer whereas Zigga is there day in day out ripping up trails and setting hearts alight. Rumour had it that Zigga would be DJ’ing the after party.

The drive to Mt Beauty was long and only broken up with Cam mooning Ross & Mel then Cam & Ross once again proving they don’t care what shit they put in their bodies by eating McDonalds.

Friday afternoon was the eliminator race, everyone was racing except Will who is still haunted by memories of breaking his arm at Lysterfield the day before a race. Will spent most of the afternoon telling anyone who would listen that he was here for the big show the next day in order to make himself feel better.

Mel, Cam and Ross smashed their way through the qualifying rounds to make the finals. Mel easily took home the win in the women’s whilst smiling the whole time. The men’s final was a little different, Cam got the holeshot but then had Jack Lambshed overtake him with a dodgy passing move in the first corner. Cam decided to live up to the reputation of his hippy beard and simply let Jack past him. He would later keep Will up all night talking about what could have been. Coming into the last corner Ross was in 3^rd with 4^th right on his tail. Figuring that team iRide Rocky Mountain was owed some karma Ross intentionally stalled in the last corner causing 4^th place to stop allowing him to take him 3^rd while Cam got 2^nd.

The 6 hour the next day was a little different, the course had a lot of climbing, it was pretty much straight up then straight down. The ground was rough and hard, legs and arms were going to be copping a beating today. The course was genuinely hard.

On lap 1 Will was questioning what Zigga was smoking when he told him to bring his hardtail by lap 3 he was trying to find a mirror so he could take a good hard look at himself by lap 4 he was ready to pull the pin but a few words from Ross got him back on track. At the 3 hour 30 mark Will’s legs turned up and he picked up the pace. In the end he finished in 4^th, 3 minutes off 3^rd.  Cam was a little further back in 7^th.

Ross & Mel battled all day in mixed pairs with the Fitzroy revolution teams. A puncture in the last hour of the race meant Ross had to look deep inside for his inner hardman and do a double lap to which Mel then brought the team home to first place.

Thanks to Rocky Mountain bikes which performed flawlessly all weekend. Both Ross & Mel rode their Element 999’s and were able to destroy the descents all weekend yet weren’t paying a weight penalty on the climbs. Will & Cam rode their Vertex hardtails and due to the complaint nature of the frame had few complaints at the finish. The lightweight vertex frames certainly made the climbs easier.  As always Schwable Racing Ralphs were the tyre of choice for their ample grip yet little rolling resistance.  Will has been running a set of Racing Ralph Snakeskins recently and is pretty stoked with the tires strong sidewall’s yet light weight.

A Fitzroy Revolution Sandwhich with the best kind of filling.

Marathon Challenge Avoca

I had the option of going to the Formula 1 this weekend but when I realized the Big Hill Events Marathon challenge was on at Avoca I knew I wouldn’t be able to join Ross is sneaking into the pits to get Bernie Ecclestone’s autograph.

The 45km race at the Big Hill events Marathon challenge was my first XC race 3 years ago, it holds a special place in my heart. I really enjoyed the course 3 years ago but wasn’t able to get back to it for the next 2 years. The course contains some amazing single-track; rocky, loose and steep. Just the way I like it. I vowed to myself that if I did a slower time than I did 3 years ago as a chubby mo fo on a 6 inch trail bike I would quit Mountain biking.

I choose to drive up this morning whilst others including Jade and Aleisha choose to camp at the winery where the event is based out of to make a weekend of it.  I’m not sure if my sensitive body could have dealt with camping because when I stepped out of the car at 7am I was immediately freezing, it was cold enough the freeze the balls off a brass monkey.

As with all events run by Big Hill Events everything was running like a well-oiled machine. I picked up my race plate and free gels in 2 seconds. I then was overjoyed to discover there was no porta-loos but ACTUAL toilets in the winery, the only downside was that due to the tough nature of the course everyone was shitting themselves resulting in a long line. With both the 45km and 90km having a lot of climbing you didn’t want to be giving a free scenic bus ride to My Hanky Poo.

I choose to ride my Rocky Mountain Vertex 990 for the race. The large amount of climbing meant I wanted something light but I knew the 990 could not only handle the rocky single track but would allow me to enjoy myself and the complaint frame would provide all the comfort I needed for the 45k’s. I also had a set of Enve carbon wheels to use for the weekend, I don’t want to sound like someone who has just got rich and become a scientologist but as soon as I rode these wheels I was a believer. Sure you can get some light aluminium wheels but they are no where near as stiff as these bad boys. I found myself riding along thinking how direct and stuff my bike felt. All I can say is try a pair, you will be a believer.

The first 50 minutes of the course involved a blast around the winery then an 8km climb. I figured on the climb that as I was only doing the 45km distance I should be able to stay with the 90km guys until the top when I turned off. Unfortunately my legs had other ideas, I tried to go with the first attack but all my legs did was blaze their middle finger up at me. I also realized at the point I hadn’t quite set my new saddle up level and it was pointing up slightly. My gooch was going to cop it today.

So with everything from my waist down in pain I settled into a rhythm and spun my way to the top. Once at the top of the climb I turned off and hit the Pyrenees endurance trail single track.  From here until the finish I was loving life. I would rate this as some of the best single track I have ridden in an XC race in Australia. It’s steep, rocky, fast and loose. Plenty of the corners have ruts or are banked so you can really dig into them. I ran Schwalbe Racing Ralphs 2.2 and they were perfect. The low rolling resistance was great for the climb and yet they provided ample grip for the steep and loose single-track.

A lot of people in the past have complained about the difficulty of the single-track in this race but variety is the spice of life and not every race should be run on groomed trails. It’s great to ride single track that is real challenge were you are constantly thinking about line choice and body position. Unfortunately I didn’t listen to my own advice and wasn’t paying attention to line choice, scrapping my tyres sidewall against a sharp rock. After realizing the cut was too big for my sealant to seal I changed the tube, as I was putting the tube in the tyre I saw 2^nd place ride past me.

I set off on the remainder of the uphill switchbacks after 1^st place but as soon as I hit the singletrack called “Sams Cherry” I forgot about racing and was just having fun. From there it was a little more climbing then then 3 steep pitches known as “the 3 sisters”.  Once over them it was a straight down a steep fireroad filled with water bars. This section has claimed a few riders in previous years so my plan was to keep my powder dry and my pecker hard, going fast when I could but being sensible.

After that it was a quick blast across the flat, some more rad single-track then a rip through the winery and across the line. I pushed hard across the flat sections hoping to catch first but realized it was not meant to be. I rolled across the line in 2^nd place less than a minute behind first and looking forward to ginger beer.

Jade managed to keep herself out of the winery cellar on Saturday night and finished in 4^th place in the women’s 45km while Aleisha was not far behind in 6^th.

I really hope that some form of event can take place here in the future as I really rate this course. Its races like these that make Monday’s hard. A big thanks most go out to Rohin and Alan at Big Hill Events, I cannot recommend their events enough,they are always well run, great value and good courses. They run some of the best events in Victoria including Buxton Bootcamp, Dirty Gran Fondo and Double Cross.

2013 Otway Odyssey

The Otway Odyssey doesn’t really need an introduction. If you’re a mountain biker who hasn’t heard of it you must be the world’s biggest shunter. It attracts mountain bikers from all over the world better than Costco attracts obese people.

Myself and my teammates weren’t the most organized coming into the race. We had pre-ridden the course but that’s as far as it went.  Accommodation was left to the last minute and most of us had a shitty week leading up to the race which was topped off with the usual last minute rush to pack kit, clothes, food and gear. Its lucky for us that our bike and tyre choice generally takes care of itself. Myself, Ross, Cam and Quigley all chose to use our Rocky Mountain Vertex’s. Their stiff yet compliant frame was perfect for the fast hilly course and long hours in the saddle. As always, Schwable Racing Ralphs were perfect for the course due to low rolling resistance yet decent, predictable grip in the singletrack.

 



A very dusty iRide Rocky Mountain team.



Despite having raced a heap of Enduro’s this was only my second marathon and first Odyssey. Mid-week I started to shit myself, and my pre race nervous poo's kicked in around wednesday. Would I have the legs to carry me over the hills come race day?

My preparation for the Otway had been good, I had a solid 7 weeks of training under my belt since breaking my arm in December. I was intimated after hearing about Cam Winn’s Otway training diet consisting of doing a 5 hour ride, coming home, drinking a litre of mineral water, taking 3 sleeping pills then sleeping through to the next day.

The 7:15am start meant I had to get up early a 5:15am in order to ensure I had at least half digested my breakfast by the start of the race. There is nothing worse than feeling sluggish on the start line while 1kg of porridge is playing jumping castles inside your stomach. With a race as big as the Otway the nerves took care of my pre-race bowel movement not long after eating breakfast meaning I would not have to use a porta-loo at the race start or carry 2kg of weight up those hills. I heard Ross had no such luck and had to prarie dog it for at least 5 hours.

Due to my half-awake state and slight darkness on the start line, I thought I saw Mark Cavendish only to realize it was someone in a full replica kit. My dreams of coming off Cav’s wheel coming into the finish line at the Forrest Football oval were crushed. As we rolled out of town the pace was quite high with many over keen rider exerting themselves to try and be at the front, riders started to drift backwards as soon as we hit the first climb which was minuscule compared to everything else in the race. Once we turned onto Mahers road and started riding off-road the racing really began. The pace kicked up a notch once we hit the bottom of the first climb. Those pretenders who had been fooling themselves being at the front started to disappear.

When we hit the portion of the climb that was covered in sand the front of the race essentially exploded with riders going anywhere they could to get traction. Phil Orr was just in front of me and stalled in the sand for a second. As I rode past him I accidently roosted him with sand, this would be the high point of the race for me. From here to the top of the KOM small groups formed, I settled into a good tempo wanting to maintain a good position but not wanting to exert myself to much. I came over the top of the KOM in 25th happy with my position and how I felt. 

I rolled into the first rocky road decent thinking things could not get much better, little did I know I was about to get fisted. I ripped the sidewall of my tyre on a large rock then due to a rookie mistake and not being properly prepared, I incorrectly tried to re-seal my tubeless tyre. By the time I put a tube in I had watched 100 of my closet friends ride past and to make matters worse, due to my poor mechanical skills I only manage to get about 15psi in the tyre. I decided to nurse it back to the football ground/2nd checkpoint. My Leyzne levers and C02 chuck made the whole change super easy but my mechanical skills along with a dodgy C02 canister were my downfall. I spent the next 15k’s to the checkpoint riding slowly due to my semi-flat rear tyre and being stuck in conga line of traffic. At the point I was pissed off and getting keen on the idea of pulling the pin. Once at the checkpoint I grabbed my drinks/bottles and pumped up my tyre.

I then set out on the Super loop which was almost entirely made of some of the best single track getting around. I knew I would have to pass a lot of riders so I set about doing it as efficiently as possible.  The quality of trails they used for this loop make it hard not to have fun and go fast so I started to get over the fisting. I kept the foot on the gas passing when I could. I received quite a few positive cheers/comments from riders I passed in this section, unfortunately none of them were about my riding they were either “Nice socks, where can I get some?” (for those who didn’t hear me yell back, they are 4shaw Merino socks and iRide Bikes stock them) or “rad kit”. I caught up with Quigley in this section, he was looking drained after a week of illness leading up to the race, possibly due to also following Cam’s diet?

Once I was done with the super loop it was back to the Football oval/checkpoint 3. I grabbed more fresh bottles and some gels.  I am one of those weird individuals who likes eating gels so I was looking forward to pounding a few. It was then time to tackle the climb up to the quarry. I pushed hard up the climb as I was still feeling good. I freshened up enough on the short descent down to the Lake Elizabeth carpark to keep some punch in my legs for the climb out then hit the Red Carpet descent. Mentally from here I was on the home stretch. I grabbed a bottle of coke at the 80km checkpoint on the way over to the Southern loop. Once there I gave what I had left but by this stage it was hard pushing it on the descent due to my upper body being rooted. I could feel the twinges of cramps coming during the last few short climbs.

I caught 2 riders coming out of the southern trail and even through my chance of a good result went out the door with my ripped tyre the racer inside meant I couldn’t allow them to hit the line in front of me. I kept upping the pace on the undulating road heading back to the finish trying to sense what they had left in the tank. One of them dropped off the back, the other one seemed to still have a bit left in the tank and due to the road descent into the Football ground I figured I was best off coming around him just before the finish instead of attacking on the last climb.

He charged over the top of the first climb and I eased myself onto his wheel, as we entered the football ground he body language seemed to suggest he thought he had me, not today buddy. As soon as we hit the finishing straight I swung out and hit the gas, If only Cav had of been there to see me.

A big thanks must go to Rocky Mountain Bikes, Schwalbe Tyres, Leyzne, 4Shaw and Louis Garneau. Our Louis Garneau kit had us all looking pro while keeping cool in what was very hot conditions. I’m not a mind reader but as I was riding the climb up to the quarry Euro style with my jersey unzipped I passed a group of young female spectators on the side of the road, I knew exactly what they were thinking.
 


The full thrust that is Will Geor

A special mention must to my physio at Lake Health. 2 sessions in the week leading up to the race and strapping meant I could get through the race with having to worry about my elbow or be in too much pain. Even rigs like mine need some extra help getting over injuries.

In the end I finished 62^nd with a time of 5:25.

Cam 49^th 5:14

Quigley 84^th 5:39

Ross 104^th  5:47

Mel 7^th 5:45
Aleisha 15th 3.39 (50km)

Will