Seat bolt blues on Bah Humbug

Bah Humbug attracted almost 20 riders on the last Saturday ride before Christmas. It wasn't hot but there was a stiff wind assisting the riders to Seymour. The normally quiet roads had more traffic than normal brought about by an accident on the Hume Freeway. Ride organiser Tim Laugher had to do a detour and only just made it to set up the Seymour checkpoint before we arrived. One rider Michelle had her seat bolt fail early in the ride and was an early DNF. Most people had not heard of this happening before.  Now contrary to the law of averages but consistant with the sentiment of Bah Humbug Ron McInnes arrived back at the finish in a ute as a 2nd DNF'er. The cause  - a broken seat bolt! 

BAH   HUMBUG!!!!

Nearly shot at Jump the Gun

Jump the Gun at Maryborough this year attracted a good number of entries for distances from 100 to 600 kilometres. The ride startred from the Maryborough Caravan Park. We had booked a cabin there and I literally just had to walk out the door, take about 5 paces and I was on the start line!

Riders assemble before the start

After my experience a fortnight ago with illness during a warm 300k I chose the conservative approach of only doing 200k in conditions that were to be humid and warm to hot.
The early weather was very pleasant being quite mild with an overcast sky. The sizable peleton held together for the 40k to the first checkpoint at Dunolly.  We seemed to cover the first 100k fairly quickly and on arriving back at Maryborough I split off from Hans and Garry with whom I had been riding to have a quick coffee with Carol at a local take away.

I linked up again with Garry and Hans as we left Maryborough on our second lap.

we left Maryborough on our second lap

The clouds having burned off had the temperature rising to the low 30's and the humidity was quite oppresive. The long gradual climb to the historic town of Maldon was a bit of a hot grind so we decided to stop there for a well earned cold coke. Peter Curtis had joined us on the climb and Bridgette pulled in for a break also. We watched a number of riders go past heading for the checkpoint at Newstead a further 12k or so down the road.

The long gradual climb was a bit of a hot grind

At Newstead we took another break for more refreshments before setting off on the last leg (for 200k riders) to Maryborough.  On a descent shortly after Newstead I seemed to roll away from the bunch and found myself a few hundred metres behind Bridgette and Peter and the rest of the group seemed to have fallen some distance behind. I decided to push on and caught Bridgette and Peter and chatted for a while but on reaching Campbelltown I decided to let them move on ahead. Just after Tullaroop Resevoir I caught Frank Preyer and rode with him for a bit but then I began cramping and I let him move off ahead as Maryborough approached.  

I was very  happy the ride for me finished at 200k as the conditions were certainly not to my liking and any further and I would have repeated the ride a fortnight earlier. As I sat with Carol recovering Hans and Garry rolled in only a few minutes behind.

Thanks to Gareth Evans for putting on this ever popular ride.

Cafe au Lait - Oh dear!

So I decided to do a 300k out of Wangaratta.
A loop to Yarrawonga, a loop to Beechworth and a loop to Rutherglen.
The first 200k I rode with a small group and thoroughly enjoyed the company as well as the scenery.

I rode with a small group

It was warm and I'm still not acclimatised to higher temperatures.
The last 100k, which I rode alone, progressively deteriorated into a death march for me.
I completed the ride but in a less than ideal state. I was thoroughly depleted and now 5 days later I am still feeling some after effects. Anyhow enough of these woes.
Thanks to Chris Rogers for putting on this ride which I understand attracted about 39 riders to undertake various distances up to 600k.

Pyrenees Magic was a wet one!

I left home in slight drizzle at around 6am for the 2 hour drive to Avoca for the Pyrenees Magic. There was still the occasional bit of drizzle leading up to the start of the ride at 9am so I had donned a rain top and shoe covers. About 20 minutes into the ride I was cursing the rain top as I had started to overheat. About 40 minutes into the ride I was thankful I had the wet gear on as the rain came and stayed. Not real strong but very steady and very wetting. The wind was helpful in parts but seemed to be against us for a greater percentage of the ride. A few familar faces from the Geelong, Bendigo and of course Maryborough but on the whole a lot of the 80 odd that I didn't recognize. For me, I haven't trained too hard since the big Perth adventure so I was really underdone, short of a gallop or whatever you want to call it. A half hour slower than all previous Avoca rides and not much enthusiasm to push hard but it was still fun and good to do a longer ride again.

Riders await the start

This was the first wet Pyrenees Magic in fifteen or more years.

Thanks to Andrew Thomas and his team for a great event and great rider support . They had to brave some pretty ordinary conditions in looking after the riders. Well done!

Perth Albany Perth 2010

Before the Ride

The pre ride BBQ lunch was held the day before the event on the shores of the Swan River in South Perth. It provided an opportunity to renew past acquaintances and to make new ones. Drop bags were checked in, clothing orders picked up, lighting checks made and final registration matters were attended to.

Drop bags checked in

Day 1

A cool to mild morming as Organiser Nick Dale  gave a final briefing to riders before the starters flag dropped to send us on our way at 5:05 am. The first 10k was to be neutralised to contain the riders to an orderly progression out of the city along the impressive bike path that extends tens of kilometres to the south. The pace for this first period was very brisk by my standards and I chose to settle in at about 15 or 16 from the front. The peleton formation of 2 riders wide must have been of some concern to the occasional oncoming rider as they headed toward our snaking sea of bright headlights. Concentration, courtesy and predictability were key to avoiding any mishap but unfortunately accidents do happen and Kerri-Ann Smith crashed heavily on this leg and due to injuries had to withdraw from the event. The crash broke up the peloton considerably and I took the opportunity to take a short break, eat a little and then chose to settle into my own pace until the first checkpoint, the foreshore rotunda at Mandurah (73k) was reached at 7:45am.

From Mandurah it was through residential streets and a coastal bike path for about 20k before open roadway was reached. It was along this stretch I managed to drop my chain twice and so was annoyed with having an oily right hand.There was a welcome refreshment stop at the 128k mark on the side of the Forrest Highway and at this point I decided to shed some clothing layers as the morning had started to warm a little. As time went on however a strong head wind developed and a few rain squalls hit as I made slow progress through Australind and on towards Bunbury.The Bunbury checkpoint (181k) was in a foreshore restaurant and I reached it at 12:47pm and I was still feeling good.

I was still feeling good

For most of the leg to Busselton I rode alone fighting the wind much of the time. I hooked up with some other riders for a while but the pace was a little too hot for me but I did  ride the last 5k into the Busselton checkpoint (240k) with Gary Baker from British Columbia.

At the Busselton checkpoint just past the famous jetty

The ride to Margaret River was easier as the wind started to diminish as the evening fast approached. The sun had set and it was dark by the time I made it into the town and I missed the turn towards the community centre like many others as it turned out. This checkpoint was not well marked and the lighting was poor but it was fortunate my wife was there to guide me in.  That was 297k completed and it was now 7:00pm. I fuelled up on vegemite on dry biscuits and some noodles.

...and some noodles

Some distance out of Margaret River I started to lose some of the earlier zest and at a few points stopped on the side of the road for a power nap. This was to be the start of a longer night than I expected as I began to struggle with tiredness. The Alexandra Bridge Hall (334k) was a welcome break again but with the knowledge I still had another hilly 90k to go to reach Pemberton, and I was struggling, I was thinking its going to be a long night. That is how it worked out. I rode with Hamish Moffatt and Ian George for a while but I let them go as they were too quick for me. I was in survival mode now. I stopped for more power naps, so many I can't remember. Michael Bentley rode with me for a while approaching Pemberton. Once he had moved on I stopped and rested under one of the forest giants and contemplated the situation while I tried to get a museli bar down to raise my energy level. Two more lights approached and pulled up. Mick Creati and Frank Preyer stopped briefly and on assessment decided I wasn't going to move so they moved on. I did move and soon caught them and rode the last 15k to the the checkpoint deep in the forest near Pemberton (426k). It was 3:30am and it was very cold. The Pemberton Forest Stay was a series of weatherboard dwellings that were described  by one volunteer as "rustic" . They were adequate for the purpose and I managed nearly two hours sleep before getting up and making some breakfast and preparing for the coming day.

Day 2

Readying to leave I realised there was some action down in a shelter area where egg and bacon was on offer in front of a smoky fire. I suspect it  was about 7am when I finally rolled out of the checkpoint.

Checkpoint within a Pemberton forest

As the night had been so cold I had donned plenty of gear for the first part of the day but it wasn't long before I was shedding layers. After passing through Pemberton on the way to Shannon National Park (490k) I found myself riding with Vincent Muoneke and Mark Thomas both from Seattle, Washington and fellow Victorian Rus Hamilton on undulating roads through scenic forest.

on undulating roads through scenic forest

In warm sunny conditions I arrived at the Walpole checkpoint (555k) at 1:48pm  riding comfortably and confidently and looking forward to lunch. Oh that meat pie went down well! 

 Oh that meat pie went down well!

I made Demark (621k) at 5:51pm  and thoroughly enjoyed  a real coffee on the banks of the picturesque Denmark River. Before setting off I donned warmer clothes and relective gear, checked lights and directions for the final leg of the day to Albany. I rode the last part of the leg into Albany (679k) with Gary Baker. The last few hundred metres to the checkpoint involved a punishing climb to Albany Residential College our accommodation for the night. That wasn't the end of the climbing for the day though, my room was on the third floor! As it was only about 9:30pm I was going to get a good sleep and I needed it.

Arrival at Albany Residential College our accommodation for the night

Day 3

I awoke at 3:15am and having organised everything before settling down for the night all I had to do was have some breakfast and set off. I left with Vincent Muoneke  and we headed off on the route to Mount Clarence, the peak that overlooks Albany. It was a solid climb to the car park and it had the blood pumping strongly through my system but the road from the car park up to the monument erected to commerate the Desert Mounted Corps that stands near the summit of Mount Clarence had my legs wanting to explode!  Navigation out through Albany was technical and involved some bike path. Eventually Vincent pulled away and  I toiled into a strengthening wind along Chester Pass Road. I found it bitterly cold as dawn approached but it wasn't too long before I was shedding gear once the sun had risen. I was thinking it could be a very long day if the wind was to continue blowing as it was.

Heading to the Stirling Ramges National Park checkpoint

  A few riders passed me before I arrived at the Stirling Ranges National Park (768k) at 9:20am. The wind was easing and the sun was warming the day up as we tucked in. The next leg entered into the wheatbelt and to the town of Gnowangerup and it was in rising heat. Road trains became more frequent but most of them gave me  a wide berth. The biggest nuisance were tiny insects that either stuck to applied sunscreen on ones body or found there way into nose, ear or mouth.

On the leg to Gnowangerup

I devoured a pie, pastie and chocolate milk at the Gnowangerup Roadhouse checkpoint (830k) and topped up my food and water supplies.  The next stint to Katanning was uneventful. I stopped briefly in the shade halfway to eat and drink properly to ensure I kept functioning well. The checkpoint at Katanning (891k) had a sizable group of riders enjoying a break when I arrived.

A sizable group of riders enjoying a break when I arrived

From Katanning I rode alone to Wagin (947k) and arrived just on dark at 6:49pm. The checkpoint was under the Giant Ram which was pretty hard to miss. The temperature dropped rapidly and I donned extra clothes a short distance down the road from the checkpoint.

The checkpoint was under the Giant Ram

A group of about of 6 of us headed towards the night stop of Williams but everyone seemed to have their own pace that they felt comfortable with and so yet again I rode most of this leg alone but did have Peter Turnbull from the UK for company for part of the leg. I was actually feeling pretty good when we pulled into the sporting clubrooms at Williams (1008k) at 10:20pm.  It was here I made the judgement that I would not try and sleep at this point. My thinking was that the next day was forecast to be on the hot side with a northerly wind so I thought I would limit my exposure to those conditions as I generally function quite poorly in them. I freshened up by showering, eating and then putting on all the clean gear I had as it was again very cold and I was warned that Hotham Valley would be colder.

Day 4

I rolled out about midnight riding slowly and cautiously just wanting to make some early progress so I wouldn't have to endure a long hot 4th day. It was around 2am when I took a power nap on the side of the road, then another around 3:30am on the Lower Hotham Valley Road and once I was back on the Pinjarra Road around 4:15am I took a longer kip under a large tree on a soft bed of leaves. By 5am I was making my way down the road and having to occasionally get right off the road as log trucks honked their approach then rumbled past at speed. They didn't seem to show the same respect as the road trains the day before. On reaching a high point on a very hilly road I phoned my wife to let her know my progress and she said she had expected that I would adopt the ride through the night strategy. 

I arrived at Pinjarra (1137k) at 8:10am  and took an extended break and left a bit after 9am. I had a few navigational issues getting back onto the freeway bike path but I eventually got back on the right track and it was then head down with the smell of the finish in my nostrils. I now had the idea that I could actually finish inside 80 hours if I could average around 24/25 kph for the last leg into a stiff head wind. I kept it up for 3+ hours, I was constantly eating and drinking, thinking I was mad to be putting in what at this stage for me was a maximal effort. As South Perth  approached my confidence grew that I was going to achieve my goal. I arrived at the finish (1220k) at 12:55pm in an elapsed time of 79 hours 50 minutes totally exhausted but absolutely elated to have finshed my first 1200k randonee.

Accepting congratulations

Thanks to Nick Dale for organising the event and all the volunteers involved with the ride and congratulations to all the participants from near and far.

Mallee Routes

I chose the 400k option for Mallee Routes at Hopetoun this year. My history in this ride has been mixed. In 2008 a 35 degree scorcher with a vicious northerly headwind had me abandoning a 600k attempt just after Sea Lake with only 200k done. Last year 2009 I had a succesful 200k ride in gale force winds with a hail dump thrown in. This year the law of averages delivered a low wind day. The large group of riders set off from the bush retreat at 6am and everyone soon quickly settled in to groups matching individual efforts and aspirations. I settled into a group of about 7 riders as we made our way to the first checkpoint at Warracknabeal. Riding in the group gave me a chance to chat and it was good to catch up with John Hagan again on his carbon fibre recumbant. After a salad sandwich and a coffee supplied by ride organser Peter Annear about 5 riders grouped together on our ride across to the second checkpoint at Birchip. I set off alone on the leg to Sea Lake but again the group of 5 came together as we pushed into a light but nagging headwind. The stop at Sea Lake was welcome after a punishing pace for the last 100k but my energy levels were waning and my stomach was rebelling on the leg through Speed to Patchewollock. I was battling to keep pace with Stephen Rowlands who was having  a strong ride, Steve Xerri slowed to ride with me and we pulled into Patchewollock where Gordon had plenty of goodies to revtalise us.

Bowl of soup for Steve

Jam sandwich for yours truely

Ted and Bruno at Patchewollock

Nice haircut - guess who?

This gave me a boost and I held on with the group for about 20ks but with my inability to eat enough and I was flagging again and once more Steve Xerri slowed to ride with me. Thanks Steve. I took an extended stop at Hopetoun with 300k completed. I headed westwards into darkness and alone along the road to Wyperfeld National Park. On the long 30k straight road in the distance probably 10 minutes ahead I could see an occasional tailight flash and about 5 minutes behind the glow of a set of strong LED headlights. Just before entering the park Simon Maddison passed in the opposite direction and when I arrived at Wonga Hut Les Solly had a great fire going and was chatting with Simon Watt who was having a very fast ride on his recumbant and Stephen Rowlands. Ted rolled up about 5 minutes later. Pumpkin soup and a hot coffee and a couple of biscuits and a good chat before we we set off back towards Hopetoun. A stream of riders passed heading towards the hut from about 5 to 20 kilometres out of the park. Stephen moved away and Ted hung back a bit all the way back. I began to fatigue again with about 20k to go but kept nibbling lollies to keep up some energy. I was very tired when I arrived back at the Bush Retreat at about 12:05am  with 410k completed. I simply had not eaten enough during the day with my dodgy stomach and it had taken its toll on me. I was glad that I didn't have to face up to another 200k like many of the other riders the next day.  Thanks to Peter Annear for again staging this unique event in the flatlands of the Mallee.

Thistle and Rose

I got out of bed at the ungodly hour of 3:45am to get to the Thistle & Rose 200k ride from a fantastic base at the Drouin West Primary School. Ron McInnes and Frank Williams put on a great event that took in some wonderful country. The ride started at 8 am. The first 50k was a loop with some steep gradients on the way up to Neerim South, Jindivik and Labertouche. The second 50k went down to Drouin East, Lardner and back through Drouin. The 2nd half of the ride was out beyond Moe pretty much along the Old Sale Road with the 150k checkpoint at The Gippsland Heritage Park. The final 50k started back along the flat, but into the wind to Yarragon before heading for the hills again up the Darnum - Shady Creek Road.
Finishing at 5pm I was very pleased with my ride as I felt I had ridden quite strongly throughout the day.

Riders and organisers dig in

West fom Werribee into the Wild

Saturday 21 August 2010 saw the running of the Wild Wild West from Werribee. There were 200 and 300k options on offer. Organiser Merryn Rowlands was ably assisted by husband Stephen and Tim Taylor and once again put on a top ride.

Getting ready

I chose the 300k  option to get extra miles into the legs before PAP in early October. Something like 22 of the 35 starters on the day also chose the 300. WNW winds dominated the early part of the ride where I was accompanied by Leigh Johansen and Peter Curtis across to Anakie  and the first checkpoint. Just prior to turning into Slate Quarry Road on the second leg the fist rain squall blew across dropping the temperature and making the descent down to the Moorabool River a little treachorous. Through Meredith and heading towards Shelford and I found myself alone and travelling well. Leigh Paterson motored past after a longer stop at Anakie. Merryn served up baked potatoes and chilli beans at the checkpoint and they were the perfect nourishment in the cool conditions. Setting off I rode alone again to Moriac. The section along Barwon Park road was exceptionally tough with its continuous rise and a howling wind. Just before Moriac Leigh Paterson motored past after a longer stop at Shelford. Cards signed and refreshments consumed at the Moriac store and it was off toward St Leonards. From Ocean Grove to Point Lonsdale I chatted with another cyclist out for a training ride who said I was crazy to be riding such a distance. Just after turning onto the Queenscliff -Portarlington Road Leigh Paterson motored past after a longer stop at Moriac. Tim Taylor and Stephen had hot soup, warm rolls,  pasta and fruit salad on menu to satisfy hungry riders who they reported were strung out over a huge distance. Geelong was the next target and darkness set in at Drysdale. It was East Geelong before Leigh Paterson motored past after a longer stop at St Leonards. Catching Leigh at the traffic lights I was chasing him through Geelong when he suddenly turned south. I wondered where in the hell he was going. I caught him at traffic lights again and queried him. The 24 hour cafe he said. Yes Leigh I said but you've got the wrong 24 hour cafe! He was heading towards the cafe we had used as the start/finish of the Western Districts Wanderer 1000. Back on track we stopped at a pizza joint and bought coke had a little food then off together through North Geelong and North Shore. Leigh gradually pulled away then he stopped for a quick break. I rode on through Lara and on the road to Little River Leigh motored passed me for the last time. I rode on steadily through the cold of the evening to complete the ride around 9:30 pm

King Parrot Creek and to Yea again

Peter Martin again organised the King Parrot Creek Rides again this year. I took on the 200k ride with a little trepidation as I had managed to have a serious fall at work about 10 days earlier. Fortunately I didn't break anything but it has left me with significant soreness and a deep contusion of the right quadricep. The day was very cool and for much of the ride it was raining lightly.

I had travelled several of the roads on this ride on the Northern Hills ride a fortnight before. There are some challenging hills on this ride including Junction Hill and climbs up to Kinglake West. There was a lot of water on the roads to dodge along with tiny brachletts from bushfire affected trees. Much of the ride is in sheltered areas but in the more open areas partictularly between Flowerdale and Strath Creek the wind was a battle.

I certainly didn't set any PB's and still don't seem to have my normal zip. Maybe I worked a bit too hard early but I think the wet and cold conditions dampened enthusiasm as well. About a dozen riders did each of the 100 and 200k rides and they were really well supported by Peter and his team.

No photos, I took the camera but it was too wet and cold to take out.

Challenge of the Northern Hills

The last day of July saw the running of the Northern Hills 200 and 300k rides. Henry de Man has taken over the organising of this ride from Bob Bednarz who had successfully run the ride for many years. The routes that these rides follow put them amongst the more challenging on the calendar.

Briefing the riders

 I rode the 200 and my GPS recorded in excess of 2400m of climbing. The ride took in some well known climbs including up to Kinglake from St Andrews and Junction Hill on the Whittlesea-Yea Road. After the checkpoint at Yea the 200’s head towards Strath Creek along the King Parrot Creek Road from Kerrisdale and negotiate the climb of Murchison Gap on the way to Broadford. For the 300’s you can throw in some serious climbing in the Switzerland Ranges and in the Great Dividing Range that put that ride up to about 3700m of gain. The good thing is that all that climbing is rewarded with the equivalent amount of descending to even the score. The weather varied with some rain here and there but the majority of the day was cool and fine.

Along with a band of willing helpers Henry provided great support to the riders that almost numbered 40. This was Henry’s first go at organising a ride and he excelled. Adding a 200k option to the ride was a great move that certainly added to the numbers attending.

I had a day of feeling rather sluggish. I managed to do an extra 7k as I left the Yea checkpoint without my helmet so had to do a U-turn to retrieve it. I thereby wasted a good twenty minutes. My elapsed time for the ride was 9hr 17 mins so I finished before dark and the new Ay-ups didn't get a work out.

Training around the Moorabool

Today I decided to ride much of the course that will form my Moorabool Mayhem ride next year. The concept of the ride is that it largely follows and crosses the Moorabool Valley in a number of places. This provides the opportunity to do a number of short sharp climbs with plenty of recovery in between. Several of the climbs are in excess of 10%.

 Across a valley

I generally rode at a cruisey pace (22 kph average over the whole ride) not wanting to breakdown the body too much as I slowly increase my base of endurance. Average HR was only 135 but I did peak at 180 bpm on the final climb before I resorted to walking for about 100 metres.

My Garmi GPS told me that I had gained over 1800m in elevation over the ride so all in all a solid day of training.

My course today. The ride next year will finish in Bannockburn

The elevation profile. Note the valleys.

A few of these signs on the ride

Gales East of the Prom

This entry comes over a week after completing the majestic ride from the South Gipplsnd town of Foster, down Wilson's Promontory to Tidal River then looping around to Walkerville then on to Tarwin Lower and Fish Creek before a climb up Falls Road and a descending ride down O'Grady's Road back into Foster. Checkpoints on this ride were at Tidal River, Waratah North and Tarwin Lower.

 Road to Tidal River, Wilsons Promontory

The ride started at 7am and I managed to finish just before 3:40pm.  My moving time for the ride was 8h 3m. The GPS showed 2000m of climbing had been achieved. There was a little bit of rain around for the ride but in general I missed most of it. Riding through Fish Creek there was evidence that there had been some very heavy rainfall prior to my arrival. The day was generally cool and it got fairly cold on the longer descents of the ride. It was good to see in excess of 20 riders undertaking this winter ride which can have a reputation of being very windy. Fortune would have it that the wind was not a major factor on the day unlike last year when it took me a bit over 10 hrs to complete this ride. Well done to Stephen & Kirsty Chambers for putting on this ride. The warm soup at Waratah North was delightful!

 At the rotunda start/finish point with Stephen Chambers