One of the most amazing storms I've ever been caught in. Full blown thunder, lightening - indeed frightening - for about 25 minutes. Man, i'm pretty over this Sydney summer weather. Contemplating the use of axle-greese for chain lube. Might just have to throw the current chain away first - its already rusted up a few times courtesy of the wafer-thin rubbish they market as chain lube these days.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Arapiles 08
Late Feb 2008
Given the extreme heat suffered towards the end of Araps 07, there was initially little enthusiasm for Araps 08, but eventually three of us committed to habiting the dust/beer/blood of the pines once again. The pigs in the pines were back – although not as back as in recent years, thanks to Anita’s determination to clean up all traces of the peanut shells which would normally adorn such a camp.
Having just attended the Lorne Conference on Protein Structure and Function, I did the shopping then picked Neil and Anita up from Avalon at about 9 pm. We bombed it all the way to the pines, setting up camp in the wee hours in the bottom-middle section – reasonable shade and reasonably flat. With temperatures of 35 C expected every day, the plan was to be smart and stick to gullies in the mornings before hitting the sun-effected faces in the afternoons.
Day 1 got off to a rocky start when we bashed up to the start of Saracen (16) on Dunes buttress only for Anita to discover, when it was her turn to climb, that she’d forgotten her shoes – back to camp for her. Having led the first pitch I belayed Neil before he tackled the grade 20 variant second pitch (Scarecrow) with ease, although I found it pretty goey. Another typically lumpy pitch got us to the top after which we did the 2 abseils required to get back to Central Gully terra firma. After lunch we headed up to the Atridae, for a much awaited (for Neil and I, at least) re-acquaintance with It’ll Never Fly, which had gained a grade since we last did it many years ago (now 24). It soon became obvious why. A low flake has disappeared making the initial moves thin and bloody hard, but we managed to pull through on the gear and once again enjoy the grade 23 traverse. Anita wasn’t so keen on having a go – a bit spooked by the exposed approach – so opted for a climb round the corner, Hell For Leather (16), which turned out to be lovely and full-on for the grade (as they usually are for Araps).
On Day 2 we headed for Major Mitchell Gully and started on the lovely Kinkaid (18). Anita then led the committing Philanthropist (15), after which Neil had a play on Feral Chicken (22), although couldn’t quite get through the crux due to weeping holds. We then moved to the top of the gulley and I managed to get through Firedance (20), which turned out to be quite nice, as the guide suggested it would be, despite its uninspiring appearance. With the sun now dancing across to the other side of Dunes buttress, we strapped ourselves in for one of my favorites, Eskimo Nell (10). Five pitches (and some caving) later we were on the top and made our way back to camp (abseils) for requisite showers, beer (kept cold in a dedicated esky) and the evening meal and banter – although en route Neil and Anita hadn’t quite had their fill so ticked XI (18) on Fang Buttress whilst I hit the beer and the hammock.
Day 3 saw us start in the shade of D-minor buttress to tackle firstly Aardvark (18) followed by the excellent Cadenza (20). No incidents with belays this time (the advantage of doing it in one pitch and twin ropes). As our food and beer supplies were running a little low we then skipped into wHorsham for a swim and a shop. Murmurings of a rest afternoon were quashed by me (of all people), so we headed up to the King Rat cliffs in the afternoon to sample “I’m A Little Asteroid” and I’m A Little Dinosaur” (both 18). I was tickled to discover little dinosaurs en route!
Day 4 saw us start up Central Gully Right where Neil jumped on Rosy Shy (which has since been upgraded to 20 – it was always a tough assignment at 19), Anita led Stalacmite (12) and I led Preludes (17), which had some lovely roofy moves up near the top. It was nice to be milling around the Pillars of Hercules again. Noticed that Dreadnought gulley has been re-chained – my yearly contributions to the Nati bolting fairies perhaps paying off. After lunch we made the long and arduous trek to Upper Yesterday Gulley where Neil had eyes for Blue Hawaii (21). This turned into quite a battle, with Neil yo-yoing up and down just below the crux, trying to figure it out and get the protection sorted (not great pro) without blowing the onsight or killing himself. Eventually (that boy has stamina) he cracked the crux, then made the rest look easy, despite my finding it quite sustained in places. Certainly the lead of the trip. Anita was next and climbed Future Past (15) which was another lovely meandering route benefitting from twin ropes. With the sun well on the way down, we rapped from the Blue Hawaii anchors, packed up, and trudged back to camp. En route, we came across the squeeze boulder that we played with during the last trip, and managed to sandbag Anita into giving it a go. Unsurprisingly, it only took her about 5 minutes before she emerged out the birth canal at the other end – couldn’t stop laughing. We think next on the list for her is the infamous squeeze high up through the back of the watchtower! (aka Mr Chicken).
Day 5 – our last day of climbing. We decided to have a day on the Bluffs. Anita kicked things off leading a nice grade 15 on John’s Pinnacle (Shoadee). Next lead was mine, and I opted for one of two 18’s at the end of the Pinnacle (Shanghai). This looked to be a little dodgy to protect at the start – and sure it was, but once the bottom crux was negotiated (and broken ankles avoided) it turned into a lovely line on an arête with consistently good gear. We then trudged further up the hill to the lovely chalked line just down from Thunder Crack. Unrequited (22) is one of those lines that Neil and I had walked past many times and thought, “well, maybe next time”. Couldn’t think of any excuses not to give it a go, and, we were there! Fortunately it was Neil’s lead. It quickly became apparent that this route was going to require maximum effort for the grade and turned into a bit of a siege – with Neil backing up piece after piece in a seam that wasn’t nearly as bomber, or easy to climb, as it looked. In all the climb soaked up about 8 runners in ~10 meters, 2 of which were spat out at one stage, another 4 of which were spat out higher up as Neil wrestled with the little traverse. One of the nuts which came sliding down the line squared me straight in the nuts – served me right for not belaying from closer in to the line. Neil subsequently managed to scale it clean on top-rope, whilst I required a few rests at the crux.
We descended back down Ali’s (which has also been re-chained, BTW). Then headed to the base of Bard Buttress for our last hurrah of the trip. Although already feeling drained from the day’s activities (Ali’s can take it out of you – even if you only abseil back down it), I somehow found myself at the base of The Desired (19), geared to the gills, tied in, and pondering the steep and powerful line – all 40 meters of the first pitch. From the ground, the cruxs looked to be located at three overlaps. The first I got through OK – felt about right for 19. Perhaps the crux was over with? Not so fast! The second overlap turned into a desperate thrash as I first wrong-handed myself, then had to correct the move and advance to a reasonable stance to de-pump, all whilst not falling off (“if you don’t let go, you can’t fall” – Jerry Moffat). Felt like 19 going on 22! Neil of course cruised through both cruxes without fuss claiming that yet again I had neglected obvious jams which made the thing relatively easy. After the horrors of the first pitch (I won’t be rushing back to lead it again any time soon), I was relieved to have Neil lead the grade 17 second pitch – which I still found pretty desperate (batteries running low at this stage). Anyway, all three of us got up it OK, then sidled around the side of Bard Buttress to Ali’s and the rap descent.
Next morning we packed the car as it started to rain (naturally the cooler weather arrived as we departed) and gunned it back to Sydney (about 11 hrs for the 1100 km). Overall a good trip – just too short, with everyone starting to gain fitness and form by the time we were leaving. Same old story.
Neil high on Scarecrow (20)
Neil spanning on It'll Never Fly (24)
Neils memory trick for tying the alpine butterfly.
Anita on Shoadee (15)
Given the extreme heat suffered towards the end of Araps 07, there was initially little enthusiasm for Araps 08, but eventually three of us committed to habiting the dust/beer/blood of the pines once again. The pigs in the pines were back – although not as back as in recent years, thanks to Anita’s determination to clean up all traces of the peanut shells which would normally adorn such a camp.
Having just attended the Lorne Conference on Protein Structure and Function, I did the shopping then picked Neil and Anita up from Avalon at about 9 pm. We bombed it all the way to the pines, setting up camp in the wee hours in the bottom-middle section – reasonable shade and reasonably flat. With temperatures of 35 C expected every day, the plan was to be smart and stick to gullies in the mornings before hitting the sun-effected faces in the afternoons.
Day 1 got off to a rocky start when we bashed up to the start of Saracen (16) on Dunes buttress only for Anita to discover, when it was her turn to climb, that she’d forgotten her shoes – back to camp for her. Having led the first pitch I belayed Neil before he tackled the grade 20 variant second pitch (Scarecrow) with ease, although I found it pretty goey. Another typically lumpy pitch got us to the top after which we did the 2 abseils required to get back to Central Gully terra firma. After lunch we headed up to the Atridae, for a much awaited (for Neil and I, at least) re-acquaintance with It’ll Never Fly, which had gained a grade since we last did it many years ago (now 24). It soon became obvious why. A low flake has disappeared making the initial moves thin and bloody hard, but we managed to pull through on the gear and once again enjoy the grade 23 traverse. Anita wasn’t so keen on having a go – a bit spooked by the exposed approach – so opted for a climb round the corner, Hell For Leather (16), which turned out to be lovely and full-on for the grade (as they usually are for Araps).
On Day 2 we headed for Major Mitchell Gully and started on the lovely Kinkaid (18). Anita then led the committing Philanthropist (15), after which Neil had a play on Feral Chicken (22), although couldn’t quite get through the crux due to weeping holds. We then moved to the top of the gulley and I managed to get through Firedance (20), which turned out to be quite nice, as the guide suggested it would be, despite its uninspiring appearance. With the sun now dancing across to the other side of Dunes buttress, we strapped ourselves in for one of my favorites, Eskimo Nell (10). Five pitches (and some caving) later we were on the top and made our way back to camp (abseils) for requisite showers, beer (kept cold in a dedicated esky) and the evening meal and banter – although en route Neil and Anita hadn’t quite had their fill so ticked XI (18) on Fang Buttress whilst I hit the beer and the hammock.
Day 3 saw us start in the shade of D-minor buttress to tackle firstly Aardvark (18) followed by the excellent Cadenza (20). No incidents with belays this time (the advantage of doing it in one pitch and twin ropes). As our food and beer supplies were running a little low we then skipped into wHorsham for a swim and a shop. Murmurings of a rest afternoon were quashed by me (of all people), so we headed up to the King Rat cliffs in the afternoon to sample “I’m A Little Asteroid” and I’m A Little Dinosaur” (both 18). I was tickled to discover little dinosaurs en route!
Day 4 saw us start up Central Gully Right where Neil jumped on Rosy Shy (which has since been upgraded to 20 – it was always a tough assignment at 19), Anita led Stalacmite (12) and I led Preludes (17), which had some lovely roofy moves up near the top. It was nice to be milling around the Pillars of Hercules again. Noticed that Dreadnought gulley has been re-chained – my yearly contributions to the Nati bolting fairies perhaps paying off. After lunch we made the long and arduous trek to Upper Yesterday Gulley where Neil had eyes for Blue Hawaii (21). This turned into quite a battle, with Neil yo-yoing up and down just below the crux, trying to figure it out and get the protection sorted (not great pro) without blowing the onsight or killing himself. Eventually (that boy has stamina) he cracked the crux, then made the rest look easy, despite my finding it quite sustained in places. Certainly the lead of the trip. Anita was next and climbed Future Past (15) which was another lovely meandering route benefitting from twin ropes. With the sun well on the way down, we rapped from the Blue Hawaii anchors, packed up, and trudged back to camp. En route, we came across the squeeze boulder that we played with during the last trip, and managed to sandbag Anita into giving it a go. Unsurprisingly, it only took her about 5 minutes before she emerged out the birth canal at the other end – couldn’t stop laughing. We think next on the list for her is the infamous squeeze high up through the back of the watchtower! (aka Mr Chicken).
Day 5 – our last day of climbing. We decided to have a day on the Bluffs. Anita kicked things off leading a nice grade 15 on John’s Pinnacle (Shoadee). Next lead was mine, and I opted for one of two 18’s at the end of the Pinnacle (Shanghai). This looked to be a little dodgy to protect at the start – and sure it was, but once the bottom crux was negotiated (and broken ankles avoided) it turned into a lovely line on an arête with consistently good gear. We then trudged further up the hill to the lovely chalked line just down from Thunder Crack. Unrequited (22) is one of those lines that Neil and I had walked past many times and thought, “well, maybe next time”. Couldn’t think of any excuses not to give it a go, and, we were there! Fortunately it was Neil’s lead. It quickly became apparent that this route was going to require maximum effort for the grade and turned into a bit of a siege – with Neil backing up piece after piece in a seam that wasn’t nearly as bomber, or easy to climb, as it looked. In all the climb soaked up about 8 runners in ~10 meters, 2 of which were spat out at one stage, another 4 of which were spat out higher up as Neil wrestled with the little traverse. One of the nuts which came sliding down the line squared me straight in the nuts – served me right for not belaying from closer in to the line. Neil subsequently managed to scale it clean on top-rope, whilst I required a few rests at the crux.
We descended back down Ali’s (which has also been re-chained, BTW). Then headed to the base of Bard Buttress for our last hurrah of the trip. Although already feeling drained from the day’s activities (Ali’s can take it out of you – even if you only abseil back down it), I somehow found myself at the base of The Desired (19), geared to the gills, tied in, and pondering the steep and powerful line – all 40 meters of the first pitch. From the ground, the cruxs looked to be located at three overlaps. The first I got through OK – felt about right for 19. Perhaps the crux was over with? Not so fast! The second overlap turned into a desperate thrash as I first wrong-handed myself, then had to correct the move and advance to a reasonable stance to de-pump, all whilst not falling off (“if you don’t let go, you can’t fall” – Jerry Moffat). Felt like 19 going on 22! Neil of course cruised through both cruxes without fuss claiming that yet again I had neglected obvious jams which made the thing relatively easy. After the horrors of the first pitch (I won’t be rushing back to lead it again any time soon), I was relieved to have Neil lead the grade 17 second pitch – which I still found pretty desperate (batteries running low at this stage). Anyway, all three of us got up it OK, then sidled around the side of Bard Buttress to Ali’s and the rap descent.
Next morning we packed the car as it started to rain (naturally the cooler weather arrived as we departed) and gunned it back to Sydney (about 11 hrs for the 1100 km). Overall a good trip – just too short, with everyone starting to gain fitness and form by the time we were leaving. Same old story.
Neil high on Scarecrow (20)
Neil spanning on It'll Never Fly (24)
Anita on Hell For Leather (16)
Caving on Eskimo Nell
Neils memory trick for tying the alpine butterfly.
"Budda sits on the mountaintop, crosses one leg
then the other...."
then the other...."
...then sticks his head through his arse"
Atop Eskimo Nell
Anita on "I'm a little Asteroid" (18)
Dinosaurs en route
Dave on the lower crux of Aardvark (18)
Anita on "I'm a little Asteroid" (18)
Dinosaurs en route
Dave on the lower crux of Aardvark (18)
Neil at one of the Herculean Pillars
Pigs in the pines
Neil sizing up Blue Hawaii (21)
...and placing wires
Anita emerging through the birth canal of the squeeze boulder
Anita on Shoadee (15)
Dave sillouetted on Shanghai (18)
Dave contemplates the first crux on The Desired (19)
At the tiny belay on The Desired
Monday, 14 January 2008
From Czech with Boskov
The week before Xmas was punctuated by the arrival of Karel from the Czech Republic, along with one of his good friends, Cody. They would be staying in Oz for a month to escape the northern winter and, as it turned out, cram in as much activity as is humanly possible before their departure. The small welcome BBQ thrown in their honor backfired on account of not only persistent rain, but a phone call mid-way through from an apologetic Karel (in Korea) confirming a mix-up with the arrival dates.
Whilst I spent the following week drifting from work party to work party, the Czech boys had their own agenda - catching up with many of Karel’s friends, almost exclusively via riding the bikes they brought with them. On most days they were clocking up 100 km. Karel brought with him the trusty aluminium mtb shod with slicks he used in Europe, whilst Cody was equipped with the “Rock Machine”, a hybrid tourer out of the dark ages – TIG-welded steel tubing, no suspension, road wheels with inch tyres, which weighed in at about 17 kg including pannier rack and kick stand. Bloody hell! Undeterred, Cody put in a solid effort on a group ride of the 3 valleys.
Not content to spend Xmas day on the beach (part of my plan, foiled by the coldest Sydney Xmas day in memory), Karel and Cody headed off on their own grand adventure. Their aim was to catch the train to Blackheath (no trains boxing day), descent into the Jamieson Valley, ride the 6-foot track to Jenolan Caves, climb to the Kanangra plateau, pick up the Uni Rover trail, and gradually work their way south via bush and (eventually) back country roads to first Goulburn and then Canberra, over 5 days, where I would meet them after attending Jeremy and Claire’s wedding. I must admit, as they stood outside my house in the drizzle with bikes that could barely be lifted, I had my doubts as to whether they would go the distance – especially the Rock Machine which I was certain was headed for some sort of major mechanical incident, hopefully not involving a fast descent on a rocky track.
I needn’t have worried. On the morning of my departure to Canberra (29th) Karel phoned to say they were both doing well, had enjoyed endearing themselves with the locals, were already in Canberra, and were going to push on to Thredbo, our ultimate destination. As it turned out, they only made it as far as Cooma, but not for lack of trying. Karel’s bike suffered a rim failure, the result of grit encrusted brake pads eventually wearing the rim wall thin – an occupational hazard for non-disc brake mtbs. Onward to Thredbo!
Whilst I spent the following week drifting from work party to work party, the Czech boys had their own agenda - catching up with many of Karel’s friends, almost exclusively via riding the bikes they brought with them. On most days they were clocking up 100 km. Karel brought with him the trusty aluminium mtb shod with slicks he used in Europe, whilst Cody was equipped with the “Rock Machine”, a hybrid tourer out of the dark ages – TIG-welded steel tubing, no suspension, road wheels with inch tyres, which weighed in at about 17 kg including pannier rack and kick stand. Bloody hell! Undeterred, Cody put in a solid effort on a group ride of the 3 valleys.
Not content to spend Xmas day on the beach (part of my plan, foiled by the coldest Sydney Xmas day in memory), Karel and Cody headed off on their own grand adventure. Their aim was to catch the train to Blackheath (no trains boxing day), descent into the Jamieson Valley, ride the 6-foot track to Jenolan Caves, climb to the Kanangra plateau, pick up the Uni Rover trail, and gradually work their way south via bush and (eventually) back country roads to first Goulburn and then Canberra, over 5 days, where I would meet them after attending Jeremy and Claire’s wedding. I must admit, as they stood outside my house in the drizzle with bikes that could barely be lifted, I had my doubts as to whether they would go the distance – especially the Rock Machine which I was certain was headed for some sort of major mechanical incident, hopefully not involving a fast descent on a rocky track.
I needn’t have worried. On the morning of my departure to Canberra (29th) Karel phoned to say they were both doing well, had enjoyed endearing themselves with the locals, were already in Canberra, and were going to push on to Thredbo, our ultimate destination. As it turned out, they only made it as far as Cooma, but not for lack of trying. Karel’s bike suffered a rim failure, the result of grit encrusted brake pads eventually wearing the rim wall thin – an occupational hazard for non-disc brake mtbs. Onward to Thredbo!
Annual crystallography picnic - Neilson Park
Another good spread at the MMB Xmas party
MMB bowls day
Part of the team - we either consumed too little or too much to make an impact on the leader board
Karel and Cody tucking into traditional fare
At St Peters with Ben
Karel, Cody (and Rock Machine) on the 3 valleys
Christmas Eve - West face of the Mirror ball - Pierces Pass
Karel cruising the first pitch crux
Cody in the cheesecake - top of the second pitch
Karel in orbit on the 3rd pitch
The boys at Walls Lookdown, with the mirrorball pinnacle and face behind them
Xmas day - loaded and ready, the boys set off
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
Climbing in the Blueys
With the year winding down I managed to intersperse mtb activities with a bit of climbing. It was nice to get back to the blueies again. Had a good day at Piddo with Neil, Ben, Tony and Damo. I’d been attending the rock gym (St Peters) most Thursday evenings throughout the year so was not completely hopeless and riddled with Elvis-leg when we first hit the rock. Neil, as usual, was in good form, tackling the freshly ring-bolted On Edge (22), whilst the rest of us bumbled around in the low teens. None-the-less, it was most enjoyable placing gear again. On subsequent trips I performed the role of part-time belay-bitch for Anita, who impressed with several solid clean leads on 21s, 22s and 23s at Shipley Upper, Porters Pass, Bardens Lookout and The Freezer. With my fitness slowly returning I even managed to lead the odd 22 with the gear in (traditionally my bogey grade). However, my returning enthusiasm was dampened by pulling an elbow at the gym. The resultant tendonitis only got worse such that climbing took a ~ 6 week break during which I ticked the highland fling and steeled myself for Xmas – or, I should say, guzzled my way towards Xmas. I can’t recall if it’s always been this way (perhaps not a good sign), but there seemed to be a disproportionate number of parties, boozers, social engagements etc leading up to Xmas this year. I don’t think there was a day from mid Nov to Xmas that didn’t involve imbibing of the amber liquid. The arrival of two Czechs on my doorstep mid Dec didn’t help either – but that’s another story.
Tony, geared to the gills leading Angular Crack (12)
Ben belaying
Damo staying warm and offering advice from the lounge
Neil high On Edge (22)
Thawing out at the Imperial
Anita cranking Lardy Ladies Lats (22)
and in the dust at The Freezer.
Tony, geared to the gills leading Angular Crack (12)
Ben belaying
Damo staying warm and offering advice from the lounge
Neil high On Edge (22)
Thawing out at the Imperial
Anita cranking Lardy Ladies Lats (22)
and in the dust at The Freezer.
Monday, 19 November 2007
Highland Fling
This was the last of the three endurance MTB events I had signed up to do this year. My partner in crime for the event was Lawrence (Mr Spin Spin) Lee. The event attracted a field of 1300, 1200 who actually started. Presumably the 100 no-shows were scared off by the solid week of rain which preceded race day. Lawrence and I somehow managed to squeeze 2 MTBs plus camping gear into the back of his VW Polo, and drove down the evening before, pitched a tent on soft turf at the pony club, before riding to the town center of Bundanoon for beer and registration.
After a good nights kip we awoke to a lovely clear morning – a huge relief – and the infectious groove of reggae filtering across the campground. The place was abuzz as a thousand people downed breakfast, queued for the morning constitutional, queued for the other morning constitutional (coffee), and readied for the 7:30 start. About 650 were signed up for the 110 km event, which was split into three different segments of approx 28, 55 and 28 km.
Seeing as I’m new to this game, I decided not to get involved in any argy-bargy at the head of affairs, and started towards the back of the pack. Even so, I got separated from Lawrence almost immediately, and didn’t see him again till the finish line. The first ½ of the first leg, which involved a few waist deep stream crossings, went at quite a comfortable pace, mostly following wheels through technical eucalypt forest, across paddocks and along fire trails, where I did most of my passing. After about 20 km the field around me had thinned sufficiently to give it a bit more stick. At the end of the first sector I drank a bottle, downed a cake, and waited to see if Lawrence would show, before heading into sector 2.
Sector 2 was long and technical, alternating predominantly between short stretches of fire trail and long convoluted sections of singletrack. I’m glad I started well back in the field, because on the long singletrack segments I struggled not to hold up generally less fit but more skilled riders. There were a few technical descents but, on the whole, the course was a walk in the park compared to the horrors of Dirtworks. One descent in particular was akin to a mud slide. Once committed, there was no way I could even stop if I’d needed to – it was just a matter of steering (or skiing) through a smattering of saplings in order to gain the good track again. These bikes are truly amazing machines – somehow they slide where you point them! I succumbed to walking more technical hills than I would have ordinarily surrendered to, but saved a bit of energy in doing so. The 50-70 km segment was a real struggle, in spite of a 55 km banana stop, and I was very relieved to hit the good dirt road leading back to the changeover for the 3rd sector at approx km 87.
Fortunately, the last sector was relatively kind, mostly on reasonable quality dirt roads. Unfortunately I punctured early on. Despite using a gas cylinder for inflation, the whole rigmarole still took me about 5 min. The trail even took us past “the yacht club” – one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen anywhere (the shell of a ~40 foot yacht, lying tranquil on its side in the middle of dense trees). The last 10 km was an issue of managing cramp which had been increasingly creeping up on me, but I managed to nurse a pretty shattered body to the finish line in a grand time of 6 hrs 20 min, placing me about 110th. Fortunately, Lawrence wasn’t too far behind (I kind of talked him into doing it on little specific preparation, so was feeling a little guilty), although, like others before him on hardtails (not mentioning any names Ham), he suffered the indignity of – you guessed it – a busted arse. BTW, the winner clocked about 4 hrs 20 min (incredible).
Overall, A really good event on a super course! Another one I’ll be back for, although I’m going to have to work on my single-track technique.
Chaos at the start
Lawrence is ready
Even Elmo was here - in kilt!
Lawrence at the finish
Some of the crossings were too deep/long to ride. This one was waist deep. Thanks to Rob Parbery for this photo.
After a good nights kip we awoke to a lovely clear morning – a huge relief – and the infectious groove of reggae filtering across the campground. The place was abuzz as a thousand people downed breakfast, queued for the morning constitutional, queued for the other morning constitutional (coffee), and readied for the 7:30 start. About 650 were signed up for the 110 km event, which was split into three different segments of approx 28, 55 and 28 km.
Seeing as I’m new to this game, I decided not to get involved in any argy-bargy at the head of affairs, and started towards the back of the pack. Even so, I got separated from Lawrence almost immediately, and didn’t see him again till the finish line. The first ½ of the first leg, which involved a few waist deep stream crossings, went at quite a comfortable pace, mostly following wheels through technical eucalypt forest, across paddocks and along fire trails, where I did most of my passing. After about 20 km the field around me had thinned sufficiently to give it a bit more stick. At the end of the first sector I drank a bottle, downed a cake, and waited to see if Lawrence would show, before heading into sector 2.
Sector 2 was long and technical, alternating predominantly between short stretches of fire trail and long convoluted sections of singletrack. I’m glad I started well back in the field, because on the long singletrack segments I struggled not to hold up generally less fit but more skilled riders. There were a few technical descents but, on the whole, the course was a walk in the park compared to the horrors of Dirtworks. One descent in particular was akin to a mud slide. Once committed, there was no way I could even stop if I’d needed to – it was just a matter of steering (or skiing) through a smattering of saplings in order to gain the good track again. These bikes are truly amazing machines – somehow they slide where you point them! I succumbed to walking more technical hills than I would have ordinarily surrendered to, but saved a bit of energy in doing so. The 50-70 km segment was a real struggle, in spite of a 55 km banana stop, and I was very relieved to hit the good dirt road leading back to the changeover for the 3rd sector at approx km 87.
Fortunately, the last sector was relatively kind, mostly on reasonable quality dirt roads. Unfortunately I punctured early on. Despite using a gas cylinder for inflation, the whole rigmarole still took me about 5 min. The trail even took us past “the yacht club” – one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen anywhere (the shell of a ~40 foot yacht, lying tranquil on its side in the middle of dense trees). The last 10 km was an issue of managing cramp which had been increasingly creeping up on me, but I managed to nurse a pretty shattered body to the finish line in a grand time of 6 hrs 20 min, placing me about 110th. Fortunately, Lawrence wasn’t too far behind (I kind of talked him into doing it on little specific preparation, so was feeling a little guilty), although, like others before him on hardtails (not mentioning any names Ham), he suffered the indignity of – you guessed it – a busted arse. BTW, the winner clocked about 4 hrs 20 min (incredible).
Overall, A really good event on a super course! Another one I’ll be back for, although I’m going to have to work on my single-track technique.
Chaos at the start
Lawrence is ready
Even Elmo was here - in kilt!
Lawrence at the finish
Lawrence is gamer than I am!
(my excuse - i'd only just punctured during which I'd also oiled my chain - am i'm i bit of puss when it comes to river crossings)
Some of the crossings were too deep/long to ride. This one was waist deep. Thanks to Rob Parbery for this photo.
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