All Mountain Cup Round 2

Mt.Buller hosted Round 2 of the 'new for 2012' National Series All Mountain Cup from Friday 20/1 to Sunday 22/1.

Ahh, those races where it all just comes together...can someone let me know what they're like? I haven't had one for a while and this weekend was unfortunately no different!

I entered this series on a whim and full of enthusiasm. I'd just spent 9 days and 8 nights camping in the alpine region near Mt.Hotham without touching a bike so I was itching to not just ride but RACE BABY YEAH!!! The day before I left for the race I spent some quality time on the iTunes store spending up on some pump-up/feel-good tunes (such as THIS one) for the 3.5hr drive to Buller and that's pretty much where my organisation and preparation for this race started and finished!

Everyone has been raving about the trails at Mt.Buller recently so this race was a perfect opportunity for me to race on them and see for myself. The format of the All Mountain Cup is a 3 day stage race with a Super D, an XCO and finishing with a Point to Point. I was super keen for the Super D. A 12km fireroad descent with negligible climbing, massive water bars/ruts, mud, creek crossings and loose toaster sized rocks? Yep, I'll be in that thankyou very much!

Unfortunately and despite a really good practice run, I punctured near the top of the course. Intent on not letting this ruin my run I virtually started changing the tube before I'd come to a complete stop. Back on the bike and back past those that had passed me while I was stationary only to find I'd bent a link in a hurried chain adjustment which eventuated in the back plate of my derailleur getting carved off and leaving my chain dangling. It was pushing and scooting to the line for me. I was not the lone sufferer of bike carnage today. This essentially meant my racing was over as I couldn't afford a new rear mech but after a couple of pleading phone calls Ross had organised Shannon at All Terrain Cycles to sort me out with a complimentary replacement XT mech. A couple of bloody legends! And a reminder of one of the reasons why I enjoy riding on the iRide team so much.

The XCO on Saturday was a much more straight forward affair for me which means no mechanicals or flats! Once again, not quite pinning the technical sections as well as I perhaps could have but that does tend to happen when I'm trying to keep up with Olympians! A better day today!

But just as things were getting better they got worse. Just 15 minutes into the final stage of the All Mountain Cup, the 22km Point to Point, and I flatted on the rear tyre once again. Learn to ride rocks!! This is where it gets embarrassing: I can't remove my tyre without tyre levers. However, no one I know can get my tyres off (or on!) without levers which makes me feel a little better. Hence I always carry levers but today they'd found their way out of my pocket and onto the track anywhere in the last 15mins. It was the straw and this camels back was broken. Without outside assistance I wasn't going anywhere despite having TWO spare tubes on me. Race abandoned. No one likes a DNF next to their name. It won't happen again!

Time to clear the head with another 9 days of track work before 12hrs of power at the Bright Gravity 12hr!

A knackered rear mech

A knackered XCO racer

(photo by Russel Baker)

Ride Week in Mt.Beauty

Ride Week (that 'week' between Christmas and NYE) in Mt.Beauty is about as official as an unofficial event can get. After all it is organised through Facebook which is surely the yardstick by which the seriousness of events are measured without requiring a black tie.

There is some organisation of the mixed MTB/Road riding week but really it just happens. Meeting times for the next ride are decided at the cafe while refuelling after the last ride. Routes are often decided in advance but even these are flexible and often include shorter options for those less masochistically inclined.

Those who take part come from all around: Sydney, Melbourne, as far as Brisbane and of course a large contingent of locals.

Fortunately the heat that Victoria is now suffering through and the Bay Critters are sweating through came just late enough that we could get our big rides done without expiring from heat exhaustion.

This is what Ride Week 2011 looked like for me based in Mt.Beauty:

26/12 am - 1hr of singletrack madness, pushing myself to my limits (and beyond) with a couple of the van der Ploeg boys. 12km & 370m vert

26/12 pm - 2.5hrs on the roady up to Falls Creek return with some extra climbing. 65km & 1530m vert

27/12 - 2.5hrs, another Falls Creek ascent return. 58km & 1300m vert. The main group summited Mt.Buffalo today but I missed this ride as I was picking up my Ride Week house guest, Jodie Willet, from the airport and we just squeezed in a quick ride in the afternoon.

28/12 am - 1.75hrs of more MTB singletrack action. 21km & 750m vert. We had some great MTB park action with one of the largest groups I've ridden with on a mountain bike outside of a race!

28/12 pm - 1.75hrs of climbing on the MTB again. Not content with one ride a day, Jodie and myself summited Big Hill with another 25km & 1000m vert. A pretty hot, long climb which was worth it for the hectic descent through super sketchy rock gardens and ultra-high speed fire road. Max speed of 62.4km/h on the MTB, not so bad.

29/12 - While the bulk of the Ride Week crew smashed themselves on a 150km round trip to Yakandandah I gave myself a far lower volume day of another 1hr of mountain biking. Not so great for the numbers today, just another 12km & 410m vert.

30/12 - MORE MTB action today. Another summit of Big Hill but this time at gentleman's pace. Throw in some park action before and after and you've got 3.5hrs ride time with 46km & 1640m vert.

31/12 - The Queen stage of Ride Week. The New Years Eve ride has also been dubbed Gerry's Hell Ride (some of them have been truly Hell-ish) in the past and can be either road or MTB. This year it was a Mt.Hotham ascent. Nothing crazy but when my masochistic house guest mentioned her desire to be 'bleeding from the eyeballs' I knew we'd be doing the extra k's to Dinner Plain and not taking it too easily either. 6.5hrs, 170km and 3180m vert. A solid day.

Fortunately, as it was NYE, I felt less guilty about making the mix of cider, beer and red wine my recovery drinks of choice throughout the rest of the day/evening. Perhaps any advantageous adaptation may have been hindered by the evenings festivities but it was worth it! Saw the year out with a great party for Dan VDP at the Farm with many like minded boozy athletes, loads of laughs and a generally bloody great time.

In total - 20hrs, 410kms and over 10,000m vert. One of my bigger weeks lately but probably pretty standard for some!

Look forward to more mates and good times at Ride Week next year, get on it!

Got Mud? A report on my second solo 24hr MTB race.

Friday 16:00hrs - Day before the race, Quiggs and I do a 58min practice lap on a dry, dusty, freshly cut course. I feel ok, not great, not terrible. Enthusiasm builds and I'm focused on having fun to get me through the next 24 hours.

Saturday 09:00hrs - My supremo support team of Jane and Mark Zagorski and I arrive and set up what will be HQ for the next day.

10:00hrs - Social chit chat is had. My spare bike, a Rocky Mountain Altitude 70 is prepped for racing. Lollies are gorged upon.

11:30hrs - A race briefing is mostly missed. I presume it's pretty much the same as always. I'm right. 11:48hrs - I brave the busy, wobbly, un-level, semi-trailer toilets for a final nervous bodily evacuation.

12:00hrs - Someone fast and presumably riding in a team gets the holeshot at the start and claims the prologue clams. 100 of them.

12:30hrs - Half way around my first lap and I'm almost already as muddy as it's possible to get on a bike. Enthusiasm is high. I'm sure I've settled into 'round-about 5th in Solo.

It's raining.

13:00hrs - I fear I'm burning through the new brake pads I installed at the start of the race. It's raining.

14:00hrs - Two laps in and I'm transitioning well. Ash Hayat and I are duelling for what I'm sure is 5th and 6th. I sneak a glimpse over the handlebars at my front brake callipers. A build-up of fine, silver dust confirms I've used up my brake pads...and some of their backing.

It's raining.

15:00hrs - Bike swap. Me to Dad "That bike needs new pads front and rear". Dad to me "You're sitting comfortably in 2nd." Wow. Bottle. Gel. Banana sanga smashed. I melt into the 5inches of travel of the Altitude and am overjoyed at working brakes.

It's raining. The sun is not out.

18:00hrs - It's raining. The mud is crazy. I'm not so much steering as sliding from one bend/corner to the next. It's actually pretty good fun, I'm riding it well and I've made a gap on Ash. I think on one lap I even rode the whole track without having to hike-a-bike. Sitting in 2nd has motivated me somewhat.

20:00hrs - Laps have pretty quickly ceased to be fun and are plain hard work. Slow, even cadence doesn't work in the mud. Staying off the brakes doesn't work in the mud. My front derailleur doesn't work in the mud. I walk some of the climbs.

It's raining.

21:00hrs - I stop mid lap. I walk at least 3 or 4 sections that I just cannot muster the energy and skills to ride. I stop a couple more times.

It's raining.

22:30hrs- My transition lasts too long. 1 minute. Then 2. Then 5. Then Quiggs comes through transition. He does a full kit change and encourages me to do the same but I tell him I'm done and stand there in awe of this tough endurance machine. I'm angry, jealous, depressed, sore and tired. But shit I'm glad I've decided not to do another lap in this crap.

It's still raining.

Sunday 08:00hrs - The sun has come out. It's a different day and we could be on another continent such is the contrast in weather from a few hours ago. Due to reports of the track now being 'dry and superfast', 'tacky' and, unbelievably 'fun' again I'm encouraged to do another lap.

09:15hrs - I can confirm the track is dry, superfast and would be fun but my legs, bum and most other parts are sore and I still don't want to do another lap. That's it for my Garmin 24 2011.

It's not raining.

____________________________________________________________

Even to make it just 10.5hrs into a 24 I needed a lot of help and owe many thanks.

First to my folks for being such great supporters. Together we're getting this whole deal down to a fine art. Dad is more experienced at replacing brake pads than I am and Mum's washed my bike more times than me too.

Dad couldn't have replaced any brake pads if they hadn't have first been supplied by Ross from iRide. Having shop support that I can confidently call on is invaluable. Next time I'm doing a team lap with you guys. That looked like too much fun!

Some people race solo with just one bike but I wouldn't want to, and the spare bike supplied by Simon Ross from Adventure Brands/Rocky Mountain was oodles of fun. Thanks! Everyone should test ride a Rocky Mountain Altitude. Yes, especially you Llew.

Cheers,

Zigga

Garmin 24 Preview

The Garmin 24 or one of its many previous name holds a special place in the race calendar for many Victorians due to its history as well as been the only 24 we have down here. This year promises to be good as ever with it being round 3 of the Ross Wilkinson vs Ben Vlass showdown as well as a move back to Reidsdale and hopefully away from bad weather.

IRide is fielding a 6 person mixed team so we thought would we provide a preview/form guide.

Ross Wilkinson

Experience plays a big part in these events and the big dog is an experienced 24 hour campaigner. Knowing what gear and food to pack will pay dividends during the 24 hours. With Ross having started packing the van a week out from the event he looks set to not leave a thing at home.  Ross is even going as far as to bring a female companion to take care of rub downs, cooking, cleaning and generally keeping the well oiled athlete running.

Fitness wise Ross is coming in under a cloud of suspension, Legs may be the one thing he does leave at home. Having pulled the pin at the Mt Major enduro early and a few flat tyres in race’s since then combined with a lot of solo rides meant he hasn’t shown his cards to anyone. This looks to be all part of his plan to keep things on the low down from Ben Vlass but he isn’t the only person Ross is out to lap quicker than.

Luke Garside

Being fresh back from a 6 month high altitude training camp in Canada where they have relaxed views regarding performance enhancing drugs we can only expect Luke to be in tip top form. Combine that with an intimate knowledge of the track having spent the last month and a half building it and you’ve got yourself a bit of a weapon.  If its slippery out there expect Luke to be sliding around the course taking any man, woman or child with him.

Luke biggest issue for the weekend will be avoiding getting distracted by the many ladies spectating at the event.  The last thing we want is Luke to miss his start time because he is practicing the fine art of seduction. A word of warning ladies the last woman who looked deep into Luke’s eye got instantly pregnant

Lew Thomas

It has been the case for most of the season that most bike time Lew has had between races is when he is rebuilding his hub the morning of the race. Despite his approach of spitting in the face of 50 plus years of exercise physiology Lew has had a very solid season.

Recently Lew has taken time away from his main passion of video games amd is getting out on the bike quite a bit; mid week crits, and big weekends on the mountain and road bike.  Such a drastic change could be disastrous , chances are Lew is going to turn with a body this is bordering on chronic fatigue and only put himself in a deeper hole over the weekend.

Simon Ross

Simon is the dark horse of the team. No one is quite sure what to expect. After handing a few team members their ass on a plater during a road ride in the Dandenongs he has been in hiding.

Details are a little sketchy but the rumour is that he has spent the last 6 weeks having a few of Luke’s special milkshakes and destroying climbs in the big ring. Keep an eye out for a bloke on a rocky mountain pushing a huge gear with ease.

Aleisha Bald

Being the only female member on an otherwise all male team is no easy task, which is why we have someone who brings their A game.  As shocking as Will found it Aleisha is not there to cook and clean but to lay down fast laps. Having completed more races then the average male racers this season and found her way onto a few podiums Aleisha is looking good to lay down some fast laps the whole 24 hours.

Aleisha is a school teacher so no doubt she will be used to the immature humour and will be able to keep Will in line.

Will Geor

As always with Will his biggest issue will be organization or lack of it.  No doubt he will be the last team member to arrive having bought a shitload of gear and food yet somehow forgot to bring essential items.  Attempts have been made by Ross to have Will’s Mum attend all races with him to make sure he is organized and looked after but at 24 she feel’s it time he learnt to do a few things for himself.

Will is also not the most outdoorsy person so spending a weekend camping may cause serious issues for a guy who cant understand how anyone can get a good nights sleep while camping without drinking till they pass out.  He is also sharing a tent with Lew after he was advised he couldn’t put a mattress in the pack of his Ute, park it trackside and sleep there.

Will would ideally like to only have to race the last hour of the race where he can lay down every but of power onto the track. As there is no chance of that happening Will is going to have to be very careful not to fall into old habits of blowing himself up at the beginning of the event.

Due to Will ever patchy form we were not sure whether he will be on or off this weekend. Having just won D grade in the Ballarat’s weekly road criterium should see will come in mentally strong. One thing we can expect is him to sit around eating most of the weekend and talking a lot of shit.

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!