Team McColl

Avoca MTB Marathon Championships – 90km He Says….

2010-04-19T20:33:00.001+10:00

I went into yesterday’s race with no desire to “race”. Just have a good ride. I’d heard the last half of the 90km was going to hurt. But I didn’t expect it would be as hard as it was.

For the first 6km on flat dirt road I kept near the front and out of trouble. Mass starts always make things interesting with a few hundred of varying abilities chopping lines. Once the road headed up I jumped off the bus and waved bye bye setting my own pace.

After the first feed zone there was some really nice single track as we came back down a ridge and then a few km’s on the flat before the second feed zone. Then more easy single track before hell arrived. Up until the 70km point I was feeling pretty good. After another long dirt road climb we dropped down a great single track descent to the bottom of the valley. But then it went straight up the other side. I’m sure someone would say the track was following the contour line but it sure wasn’t a level contour. This is where the brain turned off. I’m sure normally it would be hard but doable riding but now the brain wasn’t willing and the legs weren’t able. It took an hour to do 7km.

By feed zone four I was really empty. Downing a bottle of Endura with a mini muffin and banana chaser I was good to go. Down a nasty, rocky and powdery descent that the 45km riders had to do and more hiking track until the last feed zone. Mostly fire road from here with a few decent pinch climbs and lots of water bars on the descents. Then to finish off a bit of the old Avoca national course from 98/99. See retro video here http://www.bighillevents.com.au/Avoca/Video.html. I’m somewhere at the back of the elite men’s start.

Crossing the line I was totally spent and I hadn’t even been riding hard but it was nice to get 10^th in Masters.

Avoca MTB Marathon Championships - 45km She Says....

2010-04-19T20:25:00.001+10:00

For me it was 45km of a relentlessly hard mtb course. Without any offs, thank goodness, and blessedly no cramps, or mechanicals but also no glory as I was simply trying to ride around the darned course and couldn't comprehend trying to "race" it. (I finished 6th)

As for stats: I discovered my heart rate monitor battery was flat the day before and as I trundled around the course I worked out I must have set my speedo for a 16" kids wheel cause I was going nowhere slowly. You know it's a long climb when you can figure out the maths, average speed, projected arrival time etc etc. Brain fade hadn't yet set in and even I don't ride fireroad uphill for 45 mins and only do 6km. The later hike-a-bike singletrack did slow me down that much and by then I was starting to wonder if my speedo wasn't right after all and would I get home before dark!

The fire road climb suits me but I'd like to have had the fitness to have made more of a go at it. The 8km or so of insanely dusty, treacherous singletrack down and up the valley was as hard to push out of as it was to control the slide down into, and was less to my liking. Then just when everything's tired, the brain's fading and the legs are threatening to seize up we get some madly steep fireroad with loose surface and massive water bars. Hang on for dear life and try not to over correct anything. Coming off would have hurt way too much to contemplate. I'm sure there were some fun bits but they were brief and I'm struggling to recall them. Lets call it a course worthy of a national championship race.

Still, when the the weather is spot on, you're alive, the view from the top is beautiful and you're on your bike there's no cause for complaint.

Thanks to Grandpa Jim and GrandPam for hanging out with Piers for the day.

Photos courtesy of Stephen Rowe at www.mtb-images.com.au

2010 State XC Championships – You Yangs

2010-04-12T20:28:00.001+10:00

Not the best weather for the State XC Champs at Stockyards, You Yangs yesterday. Kind of reminiscent of the Nation Series race last summer.

Geelong MTB Club set a great course. Very tough. Going up Bolder track was something new and having Lactic as the other major climb made for a very technical course.

After a minutes silence and parade lap for Willo we set off for four laps for Masters. BJ lead up Bolder the first time while held his wheel. About halfway up after a few stuff ups on the tricky bits BJ got away never to be seen again.

By the top of Lactic and with Anthony on my wheel is was feeling very ordinary. For the rest of the race it was going to be a battle for the minor places.

For the next three laps the two of use stuck together and kept each other honest but on the last lap I got a small gap before the descent down Trav’s Diamond. The only problem was I had a small leak in the front tyre. Not an easy descent with the front wheel squirming all over the place.

It was nice make it across the finish line in second place with a small buffer. Anthony came in 34 sec later. BJ just blitzed it taking the win by over four minutes. So no Masters state title for me this year.

Thanks to Shelley and Piers for being the best pit crew and holding the pop-tent down in the wind.

Photos courtesy of Stephen Rowe at www.mtb-images.com.au.

State Enduro Series 2 – Mt Beauty

2010-03-01T21:51:00.001+11:00

Even though we desperately need a weekend at home the lure of racing at Mt Beauty was too great. The second enduro race in the state series was on Saturday so we headed up late Friday night.

Saturday’s weather was, at times, perfect for mtb racing. When it wasn’t perfect it was raining. Thankfully the thunderstorms and torrential downpours didn’t arrive until the middle of the night so we only experienced enough rain during the day to make the grassy, newer sections of the course a bit hairy.

As always, racing at Big Hill Mountain Bike Park meant a lot of climbing. Team Mt Beauty had promised us a very rideable course and they delivered well. I’d argue that it still presented plenty of challenges for novice riders but for me it was an achievable lap with the chance to go “dab free” if I could keep up the energy and momentum for the few tricky uphill sections.

As the race progressed the course just got better with the previously tricky wet, off camber, grassy downhill turning into a great bit of fast, bedded in singletrack thanks to all those wheels. With most of the descending occurring in the last kilometre every lap finished with a “wee that was fun, let me go again” feeling. It only lasted about 10 metres as the start of every lap was a real uphill grind.

We swapped doubles for singles, then a double for me, and eventually 9 laps for Tim and 6 for me with almost equal riding time, achieving a second place in the mixed pairs race.

Photos courtesy of Stephen Rowe at www.mtb-images.com.au.

State XC #3 - Bendigo

2010-02-07T21:30:00.001+11:00

It was a hot one on the side of a hill in some dusty paddock near Sedgwick this morning. State XC round 3 was at Scotty’s track which I’ve only ridden as part of the Bendigo Marathon. Quick summary of the track, lots of rocks even for Bendigo races and steep loose climbs.

The usual game plan, get to the front and stay there. But the tricky bit is not stuff anything up. Lots of rocks mean lots of opportunities to pinch flat. As they say ride lights.

I got a good jump on the first lap and moved through the traffic of the other categories that start ahead of us. At least for this lap the climbs felt comfortable and I had the reserve to put in surges to pass.

The second lap and it was getting hotter. Still felt ok on the climbs and after two laps of the course, sighting and lap one, I was starting to remember where I was going.

Lap three and it’s even hotter and the climbs are hurting. The last thing I want now is a flat but fatigue brings sloppiness and those rocks are looking sharp. But I’m lucky and get away with bouncing along. Every climb gets me closer to the finish which couldn’t come soon enough.

But I make it and it’s another win in masters for the series. One race to got next month and the series result is looking good.

States:
Av. HR: 179
Max HR: 191
Av Speed: 17.7

Didn’t know I could get up to 190 HR anymore.

Photos courtesy of Stephen Rowe at www.mtb-images.com.au.

Alpine Classic 2010

2010-01-28T15:08:00.000+11:00

It felt like all the fast boys were doing the ACE 250 at the Alpine Classic last Sunday. At least that’s what I was thinking rolling out of Bright at 6:20am on the front at a very leisurely pace. Normally Crowie or JB are driving hard to the base of Tawonga and everyone else is just hanging on.

This year the climb up Tawonga A was a good solid pace. Not an all out max effort. I was in a small group that got away and we picked up a few early starts along the way before the top. Making the climb in a respectable 24 min from the 8km mark. I stopped for a nature break at the top and then bombed the descent to catch the lead four.

Top Shots Photograph

Coming into Mount Beauty there was time for a gel as we regrouped a bit. Somehow I found myself doing the work from Beauty up to Cranky Charlie’s. We then picked up a guy with aero bars on the fun undulations to Bogong. This is probably the most enjoyable part of the whole day, other than finishing. The temp was just right and the scenery is fantastic.

Past the concrete bridge and the real work begins. The past two Alpines I’ve struggled with the pace from this point. This year I was a lot more comfortable. We kept together as a group of seven until Howmans Gap and the ticket box. The last four k’s is probably the steepest so I just kept plodding along. One guy jumped off the front but only got a few hundred metres gap and stayed there. I reached the top third wheel after a 42:30 climb from the bridge.

With a quick refill for water and some muffins I was off. Craig from the O2 team was first leave and had a good gap by the time I got rolling. Another fast descent trying to catch Craig. Lots of riders coming up the hill now. It’s very hard to pick familiar faces but I spotted Lee near the top and Shelley going strong. The difficult part of the descent is watching for cars. They have a knack of being on the wrong side of the road just as you come around a corner.

Just after the bridge I caught back up to Craig and we descended back to Mount Beauty together.

At the base of Tawonga B I let him go. He was far stronger on the climbs. For the first half back up I soloed it. Then a guy on a nice Serotta came past and we climbed together for a 28:26 time. On the descent I dropped him. Down Tawonga A is one of the most fun descents, but there’s a few corners to watch out for. The trouble is some riders don’t and as I came around for the hardest corner there were people waving and an ambulance on the side of the road. Hopefully nothing too serious.

The solo back to Bright was a killer and the last 5km to the check point felt like an eternity. Finally getting to the footy oval it was nice to get off the bike. More water and food and I was off again. Then more soloing to the base of Buffalo.

Ten minutes up Buffalo and Craig comes storming past and disappears up the road. I just keep at my comfortable pace and enjoy the scenery. There’s a cool little breeze and I’m feeling pretty good. Usually by this time I’m spent and this last climb is a killer. At the half way water point I caught Craig. A bit further along I pass and gap him. Reaching the saddle in 71min it’s nice to roll down the other side but the last 4km to Dingo Dell is not nice.

With an elapsed time of 6hr 8min as I left Dingo Dell I had a bit of work to do if I was going to finish in under 7 hours. From the saddle to the Buffalo ticket box it took 20min averaging 53km/h. The road surface is just so rough and it was getting soft in some spots under the sun. At the bottom of the hill I had 23min to get home. Into time trial mode and with a slight headwind the last 12km just hurt. An average HR of 149 does not do the pain justice.

Thankfully I crossed the finish line after 6 hours 59 minutes. First finisher for the 200km and no one noticed for the second year. A few minutes later and Craig came in. Now time to eat.

Thanks to Audax for putting on a great event once again. Can’t wait for next year now.

Summer in Beauty

2010-01-27T14:47:00.000+11:00

Back from holidays in Mount Beauty. It seems like a world away now that I’m back at work.

Riding in the crisp morning air and going to the local pool in the afternoon. What a life.

The Alpine Classic was on the Sunday. Report to follow.

Overlooking Mount Beauty with Mt Bogong in the background.

Shelley climbing Tawonga B.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T19:50:00.001+11:00

Happy New Year from the McColls.

Lazy Summer

2009-12-29T22:06:00.001+11:00

Just out doing some lazy summer riding post Xmas in central Victoria.

State XC #2 – Beaconsfield Upper

2009-12-29T21:53:00.001+11:00

Sunday 20th Dec.

Another fantastic course at Beaconsfield for round 2 of the state XC series and no mud in sight unlike the last race. A track that suited my strengths with short power climbs and some fun technical stuff. End result another win in masters with a 50 sec gap over second.

Thanks to Shelley and Piers for doing the bottles.

Some photos courtesy of Stephen Rowe at www.mtb-images.com.au.

TE KL Xmas HCP

2009-12-21T20:32:00.002+11:00

That is: The Team Expres Kinglake annual Christmas Handicap.

In it's third year and surely about to gain protour status the TE KL Xmas handicap was run and won in perfect conditions on Saturday morning.

Since Kinglake is a fair ride from the CBD some of us self handicapped and gave ourselves an extra 20 mins to get to the hill in time for the official start. Thinking we were running super early we stopped for a pre race coffee at Smiths Gully only to see the main bunch cruise past just as we received our very hot drinks. A bit like the tortoise and the hare race only we were the tortoises and we were cocky enough to think we could stop and let the hares catch up, not quite how the fable is meant to go.

On the hill itself a few fairytales came true with almost half the field recording PBs. Either this is the race of the year and people are setting themselves for it or they're just not trying that hard every other weekend. I suspect both scenarios are true.

I was the first rider off (oh I'm sick of wearing that "crappest rider in the bunch cloak" - need to either get faster or find more gumbies to ride with). Thankfully one rider had gone ahead to take some photos so at least I could pretend I was chasing someone, although he was riding away from me so easily I couldn't keep fooling myself for long. I tried as hard as I could and for quite some time no-one was catching me but about 1km from the top they all came by, in singles, twos, fours and almost none of them at a pace I could try and follow. I was about 1:15 off my PB which given I've gained a small child and a few extra kilos since then is not too upsetting.

The TE clubroom (aka Smiths Gully General Store) looked after us post ride and the trophy will remain there for all to admire throughout the year.

Some great photos from Tim: http://cid-8a9ff46048b3ce49.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/TE%20Xmas%20KL%20TT%202009

State XC #1 – Bendigo

2009-11-26T22:07:00.001+11:00

Sunday 22nd Nov.

Doing a sighting lap yesterday morning it was a bit amusing to see puddles. The Bendigo course has always been dry and dusty. But then the dark clouds rolled in and it dumped down 15 min before start time and we all huddled under the pop tent. The best $160 spent at Bunning’s.

The race was just wet. But lots of fun anyway. The first lap was all rideable. Lots of traffic and river crossings everywhere. By the second lap the main climb was a mess and I only got up halfway before running. By this time the brake callipers were clogged and it felt like the ergo resistance was turned up to 11. The third lap and I started running at the bottom and the rear brake was fading fast. By the fourth lap most of the course was drying, except for the big climb.

Very happy with the first win in masters.

Thanks to Shell and Piers for venturing out from under the tent for feeding.

Lap One

Lap Two

Lap three

Lap Four

The wash-up

Thanks WeeRide

2009-11-19T20:54:00.001+11:00

Thanks to WeeRide we have an extra top tube bar for our WeeRide seat which has been mounted on Shelley’s shopper.

Now everyone can ride to the shops.

Officer 6hr

2009-11-19T20:31:00.001+11:00

Sunday was the last race for this years state enduro series and it was probably the hardest course to end with. Officer is only a short loop of 23 – 25 minutes but it’s either steep up or steep down with no rest in between. Shelley reports that as long as her legs were fresh the course was such good fun and interesting enough that the hard work wasn’t noticeable. I think that feeling lasted for two laps.

Shelley and I raced mixed pairs against some strong teams. I started off with two laps before handing over to Shell. We then alternated two for one. By the half way point at 1pm I was shattered. Thankfully Shell stepped up for a double giving me a bit of a rest. We finished on 13 laps, split 8 to me and 5 to Shelley. We took out second place behind Ben Randall who rode the fastest lap of the day and continued riding like an animal all day and Melissa Anset who was averaging 4-5 min/lap faster than Shelley. Those knees must be feeling better. Where’s Tonya Harding when you need her!

Our result on the day was good enough to secure us first place in the overall series. We came home with a nice little bag of goodies and two lovely trophies for the pool room as well one very dirty and tired Director Sportif.

MTBA may not know it but the Enduro season is officially over, it’s been great fun, but now, bring on the real XC racing!

Thanks to Stephen Rowe for photos and Team Bradley for camp support.

A day at the Races

2009-10-18T21:30:00.001+11:00

Piers and I watching the Sun Tour go by.

RIP

2009-09-30T21:09:00.001+10:00

Goodbye dear friend. You’ve served me well. Endured six punctures. But soldiered on till the end. The final straw was a pulled valve. RIP.

Hill Camp

2009-09-30T21:08:00.001+10:00

The weekend gone was meant to be our annual hill training camp at Bright. But the weather gods were against us.

Shelley got the best of the conditions with a solo climb up Buffalo Friday morning. Steve and I set off for Buffalo in the afternoon. The light rain putting all others off. The climb was beautiful with the rain easing and the views across the Ovens valley stunning.

Not the fastest climb time but well worth it. For the descent the smartest thing I’ve ever done was carry a dry set of winter gloves. So after a quick change of gloves the two of us did a cautious descent on wet roads and increasing rain.

But that was it for riding for the weekend. The weather got colder and windier and wetter. Some of the other ventured off to Falls Creek Saturday morning in the snow. A real adventure by the sounds of it.

Roll on summer.

Australian MTB Marathon Championships

2009-09-23T16:49:00.003+10:00

Sunday was the Australian MTB Marathon Championships at Bendigo. Shelley entered the half distance 50km event and I was set for the full 105km.

I had a pretty ordinary start with the chain popping up every pinch climb and just generally misbehaving. I blame the mechanic. Me. Because I’d performed the cardinal sin of changing something major on the bike the day before. I had to put a new rear derailleur on after the old one carked it. So of cause it wasn’t dialled in correctly and as soon as the lead group of six had formed and we entered the first section of single track the chain jumped and jammed between the cluster and wheel spokes.

Almost everyone in our start group got past as I tried to un-jam the chain. Just when I’d almost given up it just popped out but the leaders were long gone. I spent the next hour picking my way though the traffic.

Thankfully the course was fantastic. It had a bit of everything. Starting off with 5km of fire road that gradually climbed to sort things out. Then onto slippery single track though paddocks and creeks with a few boggy bits. Then out onto some open dirt road and a bit of bitumen. Turning onto a farm track following an aqueduct and some crazy steep ups and downs. The middle section had some great flowing single track in open forest where I came unstuck at one point.

The last 30km became harder and harder as I fatigued. The drive train was making all sorts of noises with a good coating of dry mud and anything to violent caused the chain to skip. The last 10km brought us onto the enduro course and over the last ridge before the last few k’s of windy single track. Normally a real blast but this time I just wanted a straight line to the finish. There was a rider just ahead. Only a few corners ahead but I couldn’t bridge the gap.

So after a disastrous start I managed to salvage a 5th place in masters. But definitely the best Bendigo marathon course ever.

Shelley came home 2nd in vets 50km.

Castlemaine 6hr Enduro

2009-08-26T20:45:00.004+10:00

Another third place for the McColl threesome (only two of us racing in the mixed pairs, and the third looking after the picnic rug).

As always the Rocky Riders ran a superb race. The Castlemaine Enduro is always a favourite for us due to the ace course and the superb organisation. By changing the order of the sections of the race course there was a newish feel to the course that kept it interesting. Lots of rocks (that never changes!) and plenty of spots that provide a challenge to either the brain or legs.

Tim Sheedy is always entertaining in his role as compere for the race and the timing crew kept us up to date regarding the competition. A few ring ins in the mixed pairs category meant we knew we had no chance of either of the top two spots so we're very happy to have come third behind such racers. Thanks to the Rocky riders for the gorgeous trophies and the sponsors for the lovely bottles of red.

No racing photos exist of me (Shelley) this time, but Stephen Rowe got some great shots of Tim and we snapped one of our team supervisor......

Piers cycling through the park....

2009-08-19T21:59:00.005+10:00

We advise that no dogs, children, adults or wheels were harmed in the making of this video.

What is it with wet roads?

2009-08-11T11:29:00.002+10:00

It was a case of the flat tyre gremlins this morning. I was out for a very early ride with deadlines to be home soon after 6am. When coming back across the bridge to the MCG the rear tyre made that depressing pop and hiss. With a quick tube change and pathetically low presser I set off again but this time with a bit more pace to make up time.

All good until the last 50m before home and the front tyre starts hissing as it goes around on the wet road.

So now I’ve got two tubes to patch tonight. And yes I do patch tubes and use them. I stand by my patching skills.

2010 Road Worlds Course?

2009-08-08T14:22:00.001+10:00

I did a new loop this morning and while it’s not going to be next year’s world championship’s road course. Maybe it should be.

Started at Ivanhoe Boulevard and Heidelberg Rd.
Cut thought to East Ivanhoe village and up Lower Heidelberg Rd.
Up and over the cutting. Climb No 1.
Right at Banksia St.
Left at Templestowe Rd and around Parker St/James St. Climb No 2.
Drop down to Fitzsimons Lane and across the bridge. Climb No 3.
Left at Main Rd to Lower Plenty Rd. Climbs No 4 and 5.
Straight past Rosanna Rd. Small climb No 6.
Before dropping down to Rosanna shops.
Up to Upper Heidelberg Rd. Climb No 7.
Turn left and over Bell St then right and down Banksia St.
Left at Oriel Rd, right at Livingstone St, left at Grange Rd.
And finally take some random left/right turns to get back to Dan Murphey’s.

30km and 160m of climbing. Probably not up to world champ standard but wouldn’t it be good.

Where the bloody hell were ya

2009-08-07T14:43:00.001+10:00

You wouldn’t believe it but it was kind of fun out this morning. Just a quick spin down to Hampton and back. Got a good hit of rain along the beach at St Kilda but otherwise it was all good. Very damp roads and lots of cross winds so no good being in a bunch.

Yes We're Still Riding

2009-08-06T14:56:00.002+10:00

It's been a long cold winter so far in Melbourne but we’re still heading out on the bikes.

This morning North Rd was a nice slog into the Northerly. Just hanging onto the fast men in the working group was enough of a workout. Doing the Wednesday/Thursday morning double makes for lots of hurt. Hopefully it will produce some results.

I’m looking forward to doing some riding in the big hills of the Vic alpes late September.

Ouch!

2009-07-02T20:18:00.001+10:00

Dead legs and a bit of a head cold made it a tough North Rd ride this morning. Just sitting in and letting the strong guys push through the northerly was enough for me. But it was nice cheating the rain again.

North Rd Winter Training

2009-07-01T21:03:00.001+10:00

If you think pushing though this mornings headwind was nasty. We’ve got another six months of northerlies to look forward to.

Photos from Rock Hop 6hr

2009-07-01T20:52:00.002+10:00

Photos by Stephen Rowe at Mountain Bike Racing Images.

Is this winter?

2009-06-30T07:30:00.001+10:00

I snuck out for a very early Beach Road cruse this morning. 4am and it’s already 16 degrees. The northerly blew me down to clock tower and from there it just me and the headwind all the way home. Back by 6am and only a few minutes in the light rain.

Melbourne. Arctic one morning. Tropical the next.

Rock Hop - Dirt Rider 6hr

2009-06-24T21:30:00.002+10:00

The Dirt Riders hosted the latest round in the state enduro season at Beaconsfield on Sunday. Tim's been sick and I'm still too unfit to go fast so we knew from the start that we wouldn't be climbing onto the podium at the end of the day, and that allowed us to relax and have some fun on the course.

And boy is it a fun course. As there has been every year, there were a few sections of brand new track that looked like it'd been raked over the day before and the club was using all us enduro racers to bed it in. By the end of the day we'd done just that, and there are now some great new sections of singletrack, but at the start of the day it was sketchy and heavy going on the new stuff.

All the old favourite bits are still there and while there's a big B line around the famous rock it wouldn't be a Rock Hop without hopping the rock. Track familiarity caught me out at one or to other spots when I took the longer, steeper and more treacherous route just cause that's what we always do, or tried to turn left when the new track went right. In the whole course I recall about 100 metres of straight fireroad where both the legs and brain could turn off. This would have to be the most technically challenging course in the enduro season and with a deceptively large amount of climbing. Chapeau to those solo riders who clocked up lap after lap without brain fading and crashing.

Knowing we weren't racing for a win, we took our transitions in a very relaxed manner and made the most of the now famous McColl/Franzke baby playgroup. Thanks as always to Kim and Alec for their company.

All up; 5 laps for Tim, 3 for me, and fourth place in the mixed pairs.

Blessed are the bicycle mechanics

2009-05-29T12:03:00.002+10:00

The old single speed commuter bike went in to the shop for a front and back hub service and wheel straighten... I'd been living with the wobble for a while, but the spokey-doke hub noises were starting to drive me nuts.

Jeez it's good. Thanks to Steve at Melbourne Bicycle Centre - Clifton Hill, commuting was a delight this morning.

Photos from Bendigo 6hr

2009-05-26T20:52:00.001+10:00

Photos by Stephen Rowe at Mountain Bike Racing Images.

In order to win, one must be in the lead at the end of the race

2009-05-26T13:48:00.004+10:00

Good, solid, rocky mountain bike racing at Bendigo on Sunday!

And team MBC/Scott (us!) were doing well.... Until I did a lap.

Tim pulled out two good quick laps, then I did my first, which was slow but not too disastrous given my complete lack of fitness. Tim did another two good ones and we were leading the race, then I had a magic moment in mountain biking: A dab free lap. After more than 10 years racing mountain bikes I can still count the number of times I've ridden a course without a single unclip, on one hand. I'm not fit enough to get excited by heart rates at present, and I've never been brave enough on the downhills to pull off good competitive lap times. But when I can ride everything on course then I'm very, very happy.

Out went Tim for another double but had to run the last few kilometres of his first lap with a derailleur mechanical. We had been about 4 minutes ahead but were now slipping back to third place. I ducked out of transition and did a lap to keep one of us on the course while Tim did his repairs. It was a second dab free lap (yippee) but still too slow to do anything for the results.

Into the last 90 minutes and Tim did another double, getting home in time for me to go out for a final lap, and having worked hard enough to get us back to first place. We were, again, leading the race. All I really cared about was getting home before dark, but I was mindful that there were two other racers on the course that were averaging 4-5 minutes a lap faster than me and I only had a one minute head start on them.

I played with the idea of being a track hog and not letting anyone past me but I didn't know who was in our category and when someone quick is on my wheel all I want to do is let them past to get rid of them, so that strategy was never going to work. I rode as best I could, but that course just gets tougher as you get more tired and there was no chance I'd suddenly find some speed that late in the day. Sure enough, two of the many riders who got by me on that last lap were our competitors and we finished in third place in the mixed pairs race.

Many thanks to Bendigo mountain bike club for a great event and super course.

Bunch Riding

2009-05-20T20:04:00.001+10:00

I’d just like to add one point to the Bunch Riding Etiquette post at http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/05/friday-etiquette-rant/.

You don’t need to stand up while in the bunch for every acceleration. There aren’t any rises steep enough along Beach Road to warrant it and it pushes your rear wheel back half a wheel width. Annoying anyone behind you. Plus it just adds to the jerkiness of the bunch.

If the wheel in front accelerates spin your legs faster and then change up a gear.

Pretty simple really.

An Easy Spin

2009-05-15T08:26:00.001+10:00

I was all rugged up for the cold this morning for my solo ride in the dark. But with the strong nor westerly it was almost a heat wave. A quick trip along the beach to Hampton and then some laps of Albert Park was enough of battling the wind.

Just a Bit Damp

2009-05-13T20:24:00.001+10:00

Out for the North Rd ride this morning and I’m just rolling down Hoddle St and it starts to drizzle. Do I turn back for home and end up lying in bed thinking I should have kept going? Or do I press on hoping it gets better?

5am when it’s 10 degrees and drizzling is not warm but I rode on. The drizzle had mostly stopped by St Kilda Rd and along the beach the road was dry.

North Rd was the usual down and back into the head wind. I probably worked harder than I should have but it was fun anyway.

So I guess I made the right decision.

Kinglake

2009-05-13T19:43:00.001+10:00

Sunday was the first ride back to Kinglake since the fires in February. I didn’t go further than the 60 km/h sign at the top of the climb so I didn’t see the town. But just seeing the valley up from Wild Dog Rd was humbling.

It’s like a different place now. All the corners on the way up are the same but it doesn’t feel like the ride I’ve been doing all these years. For some reason the road feels flatter. Even the straight section past the cutting is less intimidating. Or maybe it was the laid back pace I was riding at.

Coming back down is a blast as always. Especially with the benefit of seeing through the burnt matchstick trees.

It’s going to be nice seeing the greenness come back to the hill over the coming months.

Day Two

2009-05-07T13:10:00.001+10:00

Now I remember what fatigued legs feels like. Coming home into the wind and I went around for the first roll and then got stuck as more and more guys went up the right side. It felt like going from the front all the way down to the back. After eventually getting over to move back up there were only the usual half dozen rolling so I drifted back to the gate. Not feeling any need to hammer myself this morning. The rest of the trip was very present enjoying the work of others.

Dan was working hard. The long commute must be helping. He just needs to learn how to love big hills now. Spotted Rusty on his new Colnago with SRAM Red. John was keeping out of trouble with an easy one but didn’t see the Stu-rus.

So far the hardest thing about getting back on the bike after a break has been the early starts. Out the door at 5am is a shock to the system.

Back at the Coal Face

2009-05-06T14:51:00.001+10:00

After taking some time off the bike it’s always interesting to see how it feels the first ride back. This morning I rolled down to do the North Rd ride and already my HR was a few beats higher than normal. Or maybe it was the weather. It wasn’t this cold a few weeks ago.

The ride down to Mordialloc was uneventful. Coming back along the beach the plan was to sit in as much as possible and just have as nice tempo ride. Approaching Mentone things were feeling pretty easy so I had a look at the HR. The bottom of zone 3. The effort level felt like zone 1 but the body was working. I guess that’s what a complete rest achieves. No residual fatigue so you feel great going a million miles an hour. But only for a micro second.

The training plan for the next four weeks is to keep things tempo so I might have to bite my tongue and hide more. We’ll see how tomorrow goes for the early North Rd.

Smooth, tidy and freezing cold

2009-04-30T20:11:00.002+10:00

Great North Road Ride this morning. Clear, still morning and smooth, tidy riding. Gotta love it.

First time I've hung on the whole way home since I was 5 months pregnant and the "little fitnesses" got set free, never to be seen again.

Good to see new North Rd Ride devotee John mixing it up at the front and the very manly (never mind the tights) Stu-rus helping out a bit too, and providing company for the homeward trip.

The thermometer said 3.6deg when I left home, about 4deg at Mordialloc and a recorded low of 2 point something at 6:30. Verdict: Cold

BMC 100km Classic

2009-04-21T21:05:00.001+10:00

It was a dark. cold and drizzly start for the BMC 100 on Sunday. We’d enjoyed a nice dinner and night’s rest at a friend’s Bullengarook farm (thanks Horwood/Skeltons!) but it was still a very early start.

Lots of people suffered their way through the 100km marathon, and I guess plenty of others had golden days in the saddle. Tim had a less than pleasing ride with no real energy, but still did a very respectable time and managed to come home injury free and well in time for lunch.

Piers and I went for a ride along the fire roads to spectate at some of the points where the racers left the singletrack to cross or travel along a bit of gravel road. We both enjoyed the ride but by the time we got back his lips and fingers were blue from the cold!

And now, one for the sponsors, a photo of Team McColl!

State XC @ the You Yangs

2009-04-05T17:27:00.001+10:00

The last race for the State Series and the last XC for the summer. For the next six months it’s cold, wet and enduro racing.

The You Yangs is always a killer course and today was no exception. Up Cressy Climb and down Trav’s Diamond and onto the new rock garden. Past the village and up the boardwalk and Lactic Acid to Link Track and down Rockwell Run. Then around Inner Loop to the start/finish.

I held second wheel behind Duncan the first time up Cressy and down Trav’s. But stuffed the rock garden up letting Ash past. Then I had a brain fade at the boardwalk and overshot the start and Scott went past. Up Lactic was a bit of a cow. It’s much nicer the other way. Then coming through the trees near the end of the lap I lost the front wheel went for a good slide. Fall number one.

Start of second lap and Duncan is just ahead. No sight of the other two though. Up Cressy and I don’t get any closer. Down Trav’s I make a real mess of one of the rock steps and slam the front wheel into something and go over the bars. Luckily the bike doesn’t land on top of me. Fall number two. Lose some time on Duncan but see him again going up Lactic.

Lap three and I’m tiring. Fifth place has made ground on me up Cressy and then he gets past on Lactic when I stuff a step up. I come flying down Rockwell and he’s fallen at the big boulder half way down. After much locking of brakes and skidding I slip past.

Up Cressy for the last time and I can’t see any chasers. If I can just hold fourth place I’ll be happy. Duncan is nowhere in sight so I won’t be catching him. Half way up Lactic and fifth is now back but only just starting the climb. If I can get to the top with a gap it’s pretty much all down hill home. Flying down Rockwell and into the big rut at the bottom and I lose it. Fall number three. A quick scramble to get going again and no more incidents and I’m home.

Fourth in Expert. Results to come.

Tip of the Day

2009-04-04T17:55:00.000+11:00

Been out on a wet ride and now your nice shoes are all covered in road grime? Why not take them into the shower and kill two birds with one stone. Just use some soap and a nail brush.

But remember to keep an eye on the egg timer and save water.

Almost Winter

2009-04-04T17:51:00.000+11:00

What a difference a week makes. I started writing a blog entry last Saturday after riding in the Nongs but never finished it. Something along the lines of riding in Melbourne in Autumn is the best time of year. Then this morning I did the exact same ride but with only five others and we got drenched.

It was dry and I’m sure the sky was clear when I left home in the morning gloom which is daylight savings in April. But riding along Canterbury Rd the road got wetter and wetter. Coming through Bayswater there were low clouds spilling over Mt Dandenong. Then the drizzle started just as we started up the 1/20.

With the last State Series XC race tomorrow I was in easy pace mode so Steve and I did a very relaxed climb through the clouds. Up at Sassafras the rain stopped and the road was almost dry.

The scoot around the back to Monbulk was pretty cautious with some of the corners just a bit wet. Up The Wall was relaxed again with and added bonus of the sun breaking through the clouds.

Through Olinda and back down the 1/20 on wet roads. After a hot choc stop the rain really came in as we set off for home. But thankfully didn’t last all the way. Just enough to get really wet and dirty.

Thursday night Tour de Burbs

2009-03-26T20:59:00.003+11:00

There was a time when Tim and I could ride together. Now we take shifts.
I recall there was a time when I could do both the North Rd ride and the Tour de Burbs and keep up on both.....
Ah fitness. It's slips away unnoticed yet it hurts so much to regain it.

But,... nothing beats a large bunch of roadies, a tasty route of hard hitting hills and (bizarrely) the best road traffic ride I've ever experienced. I don't know what it is about the eastern suburbs on a Thursday night but the motor traffic is so friendly. Every time I've done this ride there's been nothing but encouragement yelled loudly from passing windows. I was especially pleased to hear two teenage girls on the footpath tonight comment as we went past "Oh my god, that's sooo cool, look how many of them there are"

And we were many, a group about 80 strong, but only 3 or 4 women, so I hope those girls trade their Razer scooters in for bikes and come and join us one day.

Thursday Morning North Rd

2009-03-26T07:48:00.001+11:00

I think it’s about time that daylight savings ended. Almost at home at 7:20 am this morning and it’s still dark.

Good ride with the North Rd early group. Easy pace past Southland for most of us after a split from lights. I think we were almost at Mordi before the tail got back.

Coming back there was a big group of us up front rolling turns. Too many people really so a few of use put the hurt on going up Rickets. Only trouble was after three days of no riding I was toast by Sandy and had to sit in.

Still nice to be out.

Rolling!

2009-02-28T21:28:00.006+11:00

Woohooo!!
Piers has been out for his first bike ride in his WeeRide seat, and he loved it.

We've had the seat for over a month now, but when it first arrived he was having some "issues" with his helmet and needed to practice.....

Then came the heatwave, and none of us wanted to go outside....

Now, finally, he's up and rolling.

We took a leisurely trundle around the Merri Creek trails and around Quarries Park. About 20 minutes all up and the only time he wasn't grinning and flapping his arms about, he was studiously watching the ground whizz past, or my knees going round and round on the bike next to him.

Apart from a slightly knees out style (a bit like how I was riding at 8 1/2 months pregnant!), Tim found the bike handled really well with the front mounted seat. We negotiated some hairpin bends on the bike path with no steering or balance problems. To have them in front of you and be able to see your little one enjoying themselves is such a joy.

Lots of thanks to the good folk at WeeRide.

Rest Day

2009-02-21T16:15:00.001+11:00

The pitter patter of rain when the alarm went off was enough to keep me in bed this morning. It was so nice to have a sleep in. I’m sure only cyclists would call 6:30 a sleep in.

Piers’ WeeRide has been set up on the old hardtail so he’ll be my training partner in no time at all.

Mark Cavendish's Scott Addict SL

2009-02-21T15:31:00.002+11:00

A nice look at Mark Cavendish's Scott Addict SL at the Tour of California on VeloNews. Two stage wins so far. How many will he bag at Le Tour.

http://www.velonews.com/article/88105/tech-editor-zack-vestal-takes-a-look-at-mark-cavendish-s

Bushfire Relief MTB Enduro 6hr

2009-02-15T21:53:00.004+11:00

There was a big turnout for the 6hr enduro at the You Yangs today. 319 racers and we raised over $30,000 for the Victorian Bushfire Relief effort.

Shelley and I swapped turns in the mixed pairs class. It was a real MTB’ers course. About 12km per lap with 250m of climbing. Who knows where we finished up. Today wasn’t about presentations. All entry fees went to the relief effort and prizes were raffled after the event.

Raffle tickets for a second raffle with the major prize of a Trek MTB to be drawn on the 6th March can be purchased from Entry Zone.

Bushfire Relief MTB Enduro

2009-02-10T14:55:00.003+11:00

This Sunday 15th Feb there will be a Bushfire Relief MTB Enduro at the You Yangs. All money raised will go towards the relief effort for the current Victorian bushfires. This is in place of the scheduled Eildon 8hr.

Whether you’re a roadie or MTB’er we all know and feel a part of these areas that have been devastated. This is a good way to give something back to these communities.

See http://www.mountainbikevictoria.com for more info.

State XC at Castlemaine

2009-02-08T22:20:00.002+11:00

Castlemaine is one of my favourite tracks. Known as Jubber Land it’s only possible to ride during events. There are more rocks than you can poke a stick at. A real skill and power climb course.

On the sighting/warm-up lap a spring in my rear derailleur decided to give up so I had to hot foot it back to the car for some quick maintenance. Luckily Shelley had her Scott Scale so I did a quick 10 min derailleur-ectamy. All ready to go just before race start.

From the start Duncan blasted off on his 1x9 speed with Peter in chase. I held Peter’s wheel and soon after the first rocky chute the three of us had got a small gap. Peter went to the lead on the next double track and we stayed together for the lap.

I moved past Duncan starting the second lap and chased back up to Peter. This lap felt a lot harder and a few times Peter put in some surges and I just worked to hold on as Duncan dropped back out of sight.

Once again Peter attacked up the rise to finish the lap and got a gap on me. I almost got back in the next single track but up the next climb he got away. For the third lap I slowed down quite a bit. Just hoping I could keep away from the chasers behind.

Halfway through the fourth lap Duncan caught me. He’d played it well and not gone out too fast to start with. I tried to hold his wheel but didn’t last too long. With about one click to go the freewheel on the rear hub locked up and I was left with a fixed wheel every time I stopped pedalling. The chain was jumping all over the place and made a racket as the jammed cassette kicked it around.

Chris zoomed past and I was forced to retire with one lap to go. My first DNF in a number of years. Mountain biking is a cruel sport.

I’m happy with how the first two laps went. I was able to keep up with some good riders. My fitness is still lacking and there’s still work to do but today showed progress. Having a mechanical is just racing.

Thanks to the team from Rocky Riders for putting on a great race. And Shelley and Piers for great feed zone support (and bike organ donations! – Ed (Shelley)).

I hope I don't have to buy a new one of these.

Summer in the City

2009-02-05T07:57:00.004+11:00

Isn't summer just the best time to be out riding? Big group working on North Rd ride this morning. Even bigger group hanging on. I had a nice sit in till Sandy and then moved up to do some turns. Although there isn't much to do when there's 20 plus guys going around.

Detoured around Albert Park on the way home.

Beat the Heat, Ride before the Sun Comes Up

2009-02-01T10:59:00.003+11:00

Just a few laps of the Research/Warrandyte/Kangeroo Ground loop pre dawn. When time is tight this a nice little pain fest. Almost no traffic and home before another hot summer day.

Helmet Practice!

2009-01-29T20:52:00.002+11:00

Very excited about his new WeeRide seat, we've been doing helmet practice in readiness for Piers' first bike ride.......

Alpine Classic II - The DNF/haiku version

2009-01-28T21:23:00.003+11:00

Lacking some fitness
Decided to stop in Bright
Bit too hot for me

Huge thanks to the marvelous Audax folk who marshalled, fed and looked after us in what could only have been awful conditions.

Thanks also to the Stu-rus for his organisation of the post ride festival of salty snacks and the BBQ. Thanks to Heather and the team at the High Country Motor Inn for looking after us with delicious meats and salads for the barbie. And, of course, the rest of TE for their wonderful company.

Last but not least, thanks to my parents who did a great job looking after Piers and allowing Tim and I to ride our bikes and play together again.

Alpine Classic

2009-01-28T21:04:00.005+11:00

Sunday was my fourth Alpine Classic and once again it was hot. The day started pretty nicely in the gloom with a 6:20am start in Bright.

Out to Tawonga Gap for the first time was orderly. Once the real climb started it was just easier to move to the front and set some sort of pace with JB and Sharon following.

At the top it was time for a nature stop and then chase all the way down the other side managing to catch the lead group just after the turn for Mt Beauty.

Photo: Top Shots Photography

The Falls Creek climb was one of the nicest I’ve done. It was cool and crisp and still. The first half of the climb was a good pace. Nothing too fast and the group of about dozen kept together. From the bridge above Bogong Village the road just goes up. With about 6km the pace was a bit much for me and I dropped off.

Grabbing an apple pastry and a banana I bombed the descent hoping to make it back to the leaders. But no luck.

The second time up Tawonga Gap was much slower. About halfway up Mick caught me so I jumped on his wheel. We then bombed the descent and worked back to Bright and then the base of Buffalo.

Where Mick promptly set a too good pace for me and I just crawled along. Buffalo is a long and lonely climb by yourself and there’s nowhere to hide from the sun. With probably my worst climb time I eventually made it to the saddle. But then the last bit to Dingo Dell. The last 3km was not what I felt like doing. Even if the alpine scenery is spectacular.

The last descent off Buffalo was a blast. I caught Simon and we worked it back to Bright. Finishing together in 7hr 12min. It was a bit of a surprise to see Shelley at the finish

The Sound of Two Legs Popping

2009-01-22T14:39:00.003+11:00

With Tim resting up before the Alpine Classic I stole the chance to get in some last minute training (about a year too late!) and headed down for the North Rd Ride....

Well,.... Hello Mentone, goodbye bunch!

Great ride on the way down sitting on the front, chatting and hardly pedalling at 45km/hr+ thanks to the howling northerly. But, once we rounded the roundabout it was never going to be for me, so I made it as clear as possible to anyone on my wheel that I was popped, and rode home alone.

Still, with no fitness, no real base and a horrendous weather forecast I'm still looking forward to the Audax Alpine Classic on Sunday.

Last year this was my first real ride on the Addict R2 and I've never had so much fun descending mountains in my life. So bring on the downhills I say.

Racing at Forrest

2009-01-20T21:10:00.003+11:00

Photo thanks to Norm Douglas. http://www.mtbskills.com.au/

State XC at Forrest

2009-01-19T21:28:00.006+11:00

I raced the Forrest round of the State XC Series yesterday. Only my second time riding the Forrest trails, but I'll have to get back and do some free riding there.

The weekend adventure started with a stay in Colac. Just in time to see the remains of the Custom Car & Bike Show amusing themselves along the main strip.

The guys and gals from GMBC put on a great race on a great course at Forrest using tracks 4, 5 and 6 of the Southern Trails. More twists and turns than you could count with two monster climbs.

The start had a few tight corns on the grass around the trees. I'm not liking the tyres I'm currently using. A few times now they have let go in corners without any feeling. So of course I had a little front wheel washout. But it's all fun when everyone is taking the inside line.

Onto the course proper we dropped down a bit before starting a long climb. I think I was about sixth up the climb and feeling ok. Some more single track and I got past two by taking a better line over a log. It always pays to have a good sighting lap and find those alternate lines. The next descent was a blast. My Scott Spark makes the descents so easy and fun. Then the second big climb with more switch back turns and some very steep sections. Sean blew up about halfway up. And finally the highest point of the course and some open fire road for a few hundred metres.

Duncan and BJ slipped past before the hard turn back into single track but I was happy to let them lead. Except BJ broke a chain and Duncan slipped away. For the last couple of k's to finish the lap I was starting to hurt. Doing the lap in 25 odd minutes was too much for my current fitness level.

Up the first climb on the second lap I had to let Simon and Ashley past. The race had gone but it was still good training for later goal. But anyway the track was too good not to have fun.

The second laps dropped to mid 27 min and then flat 28 min for laps three and four.

I think I'm riding better than the last race before Xmas but there's still a long way to go.

Well done to all the others who raced and volunteered.

Results as http://www.mountainbikevictoria.com/

Friday's Single Speed Day

2009-01-16T08:51:00.007+11:00

Just an easy spin along the beach on the single speed this morning. Not that the wind was making it too easy.

This Sunday is the next Vic State XC Series race down at Forrest. The crew from Geelong (http://gmbc.com.au/) always put on a great race. I haven't ridden much of the Forrest trails so I'm looking forward to racing there.

What a morning

2009-01-13T20:49:00.002+11:00

What a morning for a brisk ride along the bay. And how cool was the full moon over the city. I'm racing the Forrest State XC race this Sunday so the 5:45 North Road was more about spinning the legs and then hiding than doing real work up the front. Sorry guys, I'll do some proper work next week.

The Beginning

2009-01-10T20:54:00.000+11:00

Soon.