Saturday, November 29, 2014

Another Forrest MTB Festival

Off to Forrest for another festival.   5 races over 2 days.

Stage 1 XC 15 Km So Fo Sprint
41st place in Masters.  Oh! That makes me first place in Masters B

Stage 2 TT Balidjaru Hill 5 km Climb
I'm not a climber. Lost a couple of spots.

Stage 3 TT Red Carpet 5 km Super D
500 m in I've clean busted of my seat post. 4.5 km without a seat post really hurts. Lost a few more spots. Down to 7th place.

Stage 4 Pair TT Caspers Revenge 5 km
Two riders head out at a time. I time my burst just right at 4 km and get the win by 20 seconds.
Back up to 4 th place overall. There is only 1 minutes separating the top 10 riders in Masters B.

Stage 5 XC 50Km Forrest Fiddy
Includes every other trail at Forrest. Once again I time my burst for the right spot. 22 km in when we come off the Jo Jo trail. It's turned into a very warm day and several areas have been burnt back so the trail is dry,dusty and hot.
First place. 7 minutes ahead of second.

Overall 1st place in Masters B 40-50 with a 18 minute gave to second.  My first ever win.


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Saturday, September 27, 2014

A long cold winter

So. It's been a while since the last post. Cold, very wet and yes, injury.



In late February while doing final prep for this years Oppy 24 hr challenge the inevitable happened. Over the handle bar at 43.2 km/h while riding at Lysterfield Lake MTB Park. I still finished my lap with a Strava PR but not very comfortably.

So with broken Collar Bone I'm off the bike again.




If I'm to believe Strava then I was moving at 43.2 kmh when I fell. Lucky I landed in soft grass & Kangaroo turds.
 Oh! And my heart stopped.







After two months of recovery it has not healed so it's under the knife again.  Same shoulder as last time, just a different injury. And now my new bling kit. 7 bits of titanium.






Now 6 months later it's still giving me a bit of grief but I'm back on the bike.
Made my weekly Strava goal last week for the first time since the accident.

Next........ The Bay Ride in 3 weeks.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Something different. Our first ever holiday with out Cody.

It's school holidays and C is in America on a school trip. So we are off to Wilson's Promontory for a few days. The last time we were there was January 1999. Jac was about 2 months pregnant.











Shit! Where is the meat.
We spent Friday night at the Fish Creek Hotel.  We booked in then realised we had left the meat at home in the freezer.  As there is only minimal stuff at the Tidal River shop we drive 1/2 hr back down the road to get some more.




Farrrrrrk..... Why are we here?
Up early on Saturday morning and we leave Fish Creek on route to the Prom when the rain starts and keeps falling and falling. Finally at 10:00 we get out of the car in a light drizzle, put on our packs and start walking only to be stopped by a woman in a bus "Do you want a lift to the MT Oberon car park?  It's a shorter walk from there." 10:30 We are finally on our way. We walk the first hr in rain then it clears up, coats away, jumpers off feeling a bit better now.






Camp Food.
Home made chili beef.
Dehydrated.
Re-hydrated
Pasta one day rice the next.
Untested.
Success!






Why so many hills.
We did this 15 years ago, I can't remember all these hills. We stopped at Roaring Meg for lunch then the serious up down starts and keeps going until about 3:00 when we round a point and see the Lighthouse in the distance. It's then a gentle decent over the next 1/2 hr to the lighthouse walk. Then, it's up again that last 500 meters is a bitch.
19.5 km done on about 5hrs. On the bike that would have been just on an hour.







Rest day, or is it?
Just a short walk today to recover. We pick the Waterloo Bay walk, a mostly gently climb. 2 hours in we get to a great lookout over Waterloo and the Lighthouse then the track starts to drop away. That's it, time to turn back.  Another 15 kms. The legs are feeling it now. Oh! And a blister.






"The Lighthouse"
Wow, it's great. By our standard, 5 Star. We just had to carry cloths food and wine, they supply the rest. Nice beds, doonas, cooking stuff, sun set, sun rise, and more Wombats then an Australian giftshop.




Wildlife day.
It's a little further today. 24 kms the maps says. The Lighthouse was nearly full over night but we are the first to hit the trail. I know because it's me having the brush away all the spider webs. Once again it's a tough walk throughout the hills but with some great views as we come back through Oberon bay. 6:30 on the trail. 
So far at the Prom. 
A wombat, 7 deer, a couple of wallabies and a kangaroo, rabbit, a snake (only an small one), some more wombats, fox, wedge tailed eagle and a couple of mating lizards. Oh! And did I mention the wombats.

The Camper.
The holiday is not over yet. Find our site, set up the camper. Drive back to Fish Creek to get our pillows we left at the Hotel. The beer. Oh shit is not cold, the fridge has turned off over the last 2 days..........


3 more days. 
A few more walks, a couple of bike rides, a Strava KOM on MT Oberon descent. Over 5 days I have ride 40 km and walked 75. The legs are cooked.

Food poisoning?
On the way home we stop at a bakery in Leongatha. Can't go away on a holiday and not stop somewhere for a curry pie. The sausage roll is a bit average, the curry pie dry and over cooked and the hot cross buns. To die for.................Well we wont go there again.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Bright Week 2014 with 4 Peaks

Another fantastic time in Bright.
The usual suspects are all there, the Robbo's the Horne's & the White's.
The 6am click.... click.... Brigade is on the go as well.

Lots of rides this time.
Sunday - Just got Buffed 72 km
Solo ride up Buffalo for a warm up.

Tuesday - Hotham here Hotham there 171 km
So, I rode all the way to Omeo for a sausage roll on to find the town has a rolling power cuts and the Bakery is closed. Bugger.



































Thursday - Buffed Again 69 km
Up Buffalo again for a Hot Chocolate.  the shop was shut but you expect that at 8.30 in the morning.

Sunday - Australia Day Ride 120 km
Alpine Classic Falls Creek return with Mark.

Just a bit of fun while we were there.





Friday, January 17, 2014

I love it when someone else gets a new bike to.


Airley's Felt AR5 - Haych's Felt AR3







Airley picked up her brand new Felt AR5 last night from the shop and immediately posted a pic on FB.

Desperate to go for a ride.  I told her to be waiting out the front at 6.30 and I will pick her up on the way past. 4 laps of Albert Park Lake.  Love the new bike.  Just a bit like mine realy.  She loves it to.  Good luck with the training.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Rapha #festive500 - All Done



Strava Rapha Festive 500 is all over.

I have order the special cloth patch and the limited edition Rapha Festive 500 Tee. I hope I will the prize.

A few days off the bike now to let the body recover.