Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Fat and Lazy

Getting fatter.

Getting lazier.

Managed a good two hour hoot of a commute last night but then the rain stopped me this morning.

Need to get out with the Fatties tomorrow for a nice positive smashfest to get my head back in the right space.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Cruisy

My tiredness on Monday and my crashes and mechanicals on Wednesday have caused me to consider a super-easy week. I've only ridden Sunday, Monday and Wednesday this week and have enjoyed the back-off for a bit. It's fit in with the rain anyway which is good!

Will try to get out on the trails at some stage this weekend and out with the 6am-ers on the road tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Good time for a significant rest anyway considering the Alpine Classic goals for late January.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Rubber side up... woops!

This photo pretty much sums up the finish of a pretty crappy day...

A bloody leg and sitting on the side of the Eastern Freeway waiting for Karen and the kids to come and pick me up. Crap.

I was excited to be at Fatties again and ready to smash it up having had a rest day from the bike yesterday. I was feeling pretty good when quite early in the ride I washed my front wheel out in a soft dusty corner and went down like a bag o' spuds.

It doesn't look so bad but I could actually feel the skin ripping off my leg. Ouch.

A quick check of bike and bones and I was back on again with not too much of a problem.

Twenty minutes later I was sitting on Alex's wheel along the most rocky bit of track on the trail. Because I was so close to him I couldn't see to pick my lines well and was hitting rocks and bumps that I normally wouldn't.

100kg on a hard-tail + rocky trail + picking bad line = torn up tyres

I tore a big hole in my rear, fixed it, flatted it, walked up to the freeway, rang Karen.

I've had trouble-free riding for months now. I wouldn't say that it's time something went wrong, but it doesn't happen too often so hey... suck it up I reckon.

2hrs SS MTB
100kg

Monday, November 22, 2010

Yawn

This was how I felt after yesterday's 6am-er ride and a full and busy day at work today...


I shouldn't have bothered getting on the single speed mountain bike for what I had intended to be my normal hoot of a commute home. I was fatigued by the time I'd got one kilometre up Spencer Street. My head was out of the trail zone and I couldn't get my heart rate above 150.... definite fatigue.

A bonus was running into The Extractor on the trails and stopping for a chat. Another bonus was getting home.

Okay, I'm 43. I need a rest now and again. Might take the day completely off tomorrow so I'm ready to smash it with the Fatties on Wednesday night.

1.5hr MTB SS - sooky la, la pace.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

6am-ers Double King Lake TT

Out to King Lake this morning with the 6am-ers. Just a small group of about 8 headed out through Eltham and climbed King Lake once as a group and then once as hard as we wanted on our own.

I felt pretty happy finishing just behind the best of our climbers.

The route was like Burke Street today. Bikes everywhere. Our secret coffee and muffin spot at Smiths, which has previously been inundated only by us and few others, was choc-a-block. How things change when the sun comes out.

120k moderate with one hard climb.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Suit up and ride

I "compteted" in the Suit-up-and-ride fund raiser yesterday for Oryen Youth Health. It involved about 4 kilometres of riding one of these...

... in a team with five other big bosses from work and my CEO. Quite funny really.

And that was it! Phew.

I need a rest day which I had today. Ready for a big one with the 6am-ers in the morning with two laps of King Lake climb involved. Should get home with at least 120 in the legs. Can't wait.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Fatties

It's funny. When I talk about Fatties amongst my family they think I'm referring to the older ladies weight loss group which my mother-in-law attends to weigh-in and discuss the next fad diet they'll try.

When I talk about Fatties amonst my cycling mates they think about the three hour smash-fest through the Yarra trails on mountain bikes at a pace most would suffer to achieve on a road bike.


Geez it was bloody great to be back! Fatties is the nic for the Fat Tyre Flyers mountain bike group ride from Eaglemont. From 6:30pm we hit the trails hard, try not to crash and attempt to appear to our mates like we're doing it easy.

The going was a bit slow through to Banksia Street with some major trail damage after the recent flooding. It's amazing how the trail landscape has changed as a result... lots of new corners.

By the time we'd been all the way out for a lap of Hans's loop I was smashed as we cruised home on the gravel bike track in the dark with me running a cadence of about 130 - phew!

On the track at about 35kph -
Neil - "How's it going Rich"
Rich - "Yeah mate......(spin spin)....... good......(spin spin spin)........ goin' fine....(spin)..... mate.....(spin spin)......... fine."

Remember - attempt to appear to our mates like we're doing it easy.

Far out, I was glad to hit Burke Road to slow. Four other really fit blokes on geared bikes and me on the single speed heading out of town on the more open faster trails. Good one Rich!

What a grouse night! It was beautiful.

80ks solid on the road bike today pretty much finished me off.

Love it.

4hrs solid - SS MTB yesterday.
80 solid - geared road bike today.

99kg

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

A bit of dirt and a bit of road

4 hours on the single speed mountain bike yesterday to and from work.

Hurt Box with the 6am-ers this morning so 70 k single speed road.

Looking forward to a return to Fatties tomorrow night.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

One way to the top

... and it involved a lot of stairs. 1850 to be exact. Angela, Andy and I practiced high cadence (one step at a time) and I reckon it was the way to go.

The Eureka climb was this morning and we entered two teams from work plus me competing as an individual. The girls team, consisting of Sarah, Darce, Chloe and Kendra stuck together and supported each other all the way to the top.

Ange, Andy and I started within a minute of each other and all went our hardest. Andy and I both finished in about 13 minutes and Ange about twenty.

I haven't caught up on Mark's team results yet but I'm hoping they did well.

I was surprised at how much fun this was to be honest and I'll probably have another crack next year. Now I have a time to beat I'll have a clear goal... and three kids who want to join me!

Angela, Rich, Andrew


Darce, Sarah, Rich, Chloe, Kendra


Angela, Andrew, Darce, Kendra, Karen, Rich


Lucy, Kate, Rich, Jack

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Hoot of a commute

Took the trails home from work Friday night. As soon as they get dry they get wet again.

Nice dry hard-pack in the sunshine for half the trip home then poured with rain and got absolutely soaked for the other half.

A good 2.5hrs on the trails though - SS MTB.

Ready (sort of) for the Eureka Climb in the morning... not something the legs are used to.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Sandown

Raced Sandown crits tonight. Had a ball.

Felt very comfortable in the bunch and sat most of the time between 4th and 10th wheel. I went with a couple of attacks and break attempts and chased down many others. Felt pretty strong all the way around.

At one stage about half way through the race I initiated an attack myself. A couple came with me and we lasted a k or so hovering off the front. After we got caught I felt pretty smashed and said to myself,
"Right, nothing else stupid now."

Within a few hundred metres I'd forgotten what I'd thougt and went again. Got caught, felt even more smashed!

The race was very unfamiliar to me and I didn't have a computer so I had no idea of time or finishing tactics. I attacked on my own on the second last lap (because noone else was silly enough to come with me) not knowing it was the second last lap!

I spent about half a lap off the front, got caught, felt smashed and had nothing left for what ended up a bunch sprint.

Bugger. Lessons learned. Knowledge stored.

Will know the time and how they finish next time.

Brave raced in B grade and came second. Nice one! In the money. I didn't wait for the presentations (sorry Dave) and just made it home before dark.

Good fun. Will definitely head out there again.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Same Same

I read Neil's blog this evening and thought, "That's me!". His words reproduced...

"I'm still feeling tired from the weekend, my legs are sore and I'm not able to concentrate (as much as normal). Hopefully the next couple of days I can get some decent sleep in and feel like a "normal" human again."

Neil had done the Gravity 12 hr on his single speed in a two man team on the weekend. For good reason from separate races, we're both feeling the same way. I was going to ride the North Road bunch in the morning but think I am better off taking the advantage of sleep if I can get it.

I may race tomorrow night - or maybe not. I must be getting old.

Good news to me though. I was actually 3rd on Sunday and have been promoted in the results. Not sure why yet. Pitty I didn't actually get to stand on the podium... bugger.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Happy as...

The Dirt Works 100k is a marathon mountain bike race run through the trails of the Wombat State Forest near Woodend. The single track is sweet and the country side is beautiful Australian bush. A fantastic place to ride.


My result on Sunday was one of my best ever. Maybe
the best?

I had prepared well and managed a good night's sleep. I was hoping for top ten.

As I stood on the start line with Stormy (Rod Stormonth), Angles (Craig Van der Valk) and Gus Gollings I was hoping it would all go well for us. The weather was perfect for racing and the atmosphere was restless and exciting all at the same time.

100k mountain bike races require more than just good prep and lots of training. You need a little bit of luck as well and I must say it went great for me. The bike prep by Cycleworks was outstanding. It was my first race on the virtually new Giant Anthem which had just been fitted with a SRAM X9 2x10 groupset and the fully optioned Rock Shox rear shock. I won't bother with the detail but the bike ran like an absolute dream. It was a pleasure to ride right to the
115k mark.

Yes... it was a 115k 100k race. Go figure! Due to the rain efffected trails, a lot of the single track had to be protected which extended the route. It would have been great to know of the change before the race but nobody cared to tell us. People were very confused when they saw the 51k drink stop was at 62k and the finish line at 115. I was glad not to have a computer because I had absolutely no idea until it was all over.

When speaking of luck, it's worth mentioning my mates.

After smashing down single track for much of the first 62 ks, screaming around berms, squeezing between trees at 40 kph, tackling puddles and ruts at full speed downhill -
Gus stepped off his bike at the second feed station and rolled his ankle in a tiny little hole whilst walking across to get a drink. Good one! He tried to keep going but 10k later was overcome with sensibilities (and pain) so limped home.

Stormy crashed heavily part way through the race. He fell and hurt his neck quite severly but managed to get back on and finish the race. Sensible? Hmm... not sure. He's having MRIs today to see if there's any significant damage.

Angles' XX problems continued when his gears stopped working after 10k preventing him from accessing the small ring at the front. He finished the rest of the race in the big ring and Gus and I were lucky to hold him up after he crossed the finish line (he still managed to collect his beer though!).

My
Bright mates had a ball, although Kel Boers says he has never heard as much grovelling as he did over the last 30 ks... NEVER EVER. Dave, Chris, Andy and Mark (and Kel) stuck together after some earlier mechanical issues. They finished in the middle of a massive hail storm which resulted in bruised arms for Chris and two written-off vehicles which were parked amongst many others out in the open (we waited in the sunshine guys but sorry... when the rain came I left a message with Paul, "See you in Bright! Nice work getting through it.").

With just a little luck, my race went perfectly to plan. MTB race starts usually stress me. Unlike road racing, the starts are nearly always frantic with riders burying themselves to get as clear a track as possible. This one was a little less hectic. The 33 elite riders started in a wave 5 minutes before the main group and the open trail continued for a few ks before we hit the single. Plenty of time to sort it all out.

I stayed with a group of 20 or so at the front for about 10k before consciously deciding to back off and let them go. I picked off most of these guys and many of the elites one-by-one over the next 105k (11 of 26 elite men beat me). I've learnt through many such races that this is how I roll. I have to be satisfied that I will catch many of those who head off ahead of me in the early stages. I'm the tortoise, they're the hares.

I rode a lot of the last 40 ks with two other riders, we helped each other through much of the open stuff then I managed to drop one within the last 10 k and the other within the last 2.

I rolled across the line in 3rd place in masters (of 99) and 20th place overall (of 330). Very happy considering 33 elites were competing and rapt to be so competitive in masters.

Check out the results here.

Happy as...

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Anticipation

Bikes good.

I'm good.

... but nervous.

Bring on the Dirt Works 100.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Eeezy Peezy

A few nice easy days toward the end of this week in preparation for a big one this Sunday. It's been nice to take it easy and enjoyed a cruisy ride home with Gus tonight doing a final test on our race bikes for Sunday.

Gus bought a brand-new 2011 Anthem dually today... it's beautiful. I rode my virtually brand-new Anthem and we both spent time and effort dialing our suspension in so we're nice and comfy but still fast.

I just had one of these fitted (right) and it took me a bit to get used to the two pro-pedal options on it. I think I've got it sorted now and I'm looking forward to the advantages it will give me on Sunday when climbing and smashing the flat fire roads.

Thanks to Cycleworks for the shocker and the fitting. It's feeling good.

So bring on the Dirt Works 100k. I'm feeling pretty good for it and hoping for a good result this year.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

6am-er Cup Day Special

Twelve of us headed out this morning for a cruise to the Nongs. We got as far as Terrara Road.

The veiw ahead was very dark and it had started raining steadily on us by Springvale Road.

So we turned left and headed north where it was looking a little bit better. This is Shawie taking the left-hander...


It turned out to be a good move as we headed out through Park Orchards and Warrandyte. We dodged the rain nicely. A quick loop up around Clintons Road, coffee and muffin at Smiths Gully and a blast home.

A beautiful 80k-ish Cup Day cruise and all home to the families by 1000hrs. Magnificent!

80 ks - solid effort
100kg still - bugger it

Monday, November 1, 2010

Hoot of a commute with El Mantes

Today I met El Mantes (Brad James) on the MTB at the bottom of Walmer Street and we headed out on the trails for three hours of fun. Brad hadn't been on a MTB for years but quickly found his old skills.

Just like riding a bike really!

The stuff away from Walmer Street and out along the river contains some of the more technical tracks around. It's not the sort of thing I would take the 6am-ers on when introducing them to Yarra Trails but I figured Brad would possess the right skills. 6am-ers know he handles a bike well and that proved to be correct... a bit like Mad Mike last night. It sort of comes naturally to them.

The trails were in great condition, however the Yarra River was as high as I've ever seen it. Many of the trails down close to the river were under water and some of the sealed bike track out further east near Burke Road was completely flooded.

Great ride and great to have El Mantes company. Hopefully that 6am-er MTB won't be too far off. Ready for a Cup morning ride up the nongs tomorrow. Nice.

3 hours MTB - solid
Hovering on 100kg