Alice Day 5

Wow it had been a long week and we were finally on our last day.

Today we had a mere 40km estimated to take between 2 and 2.5 hrs, we started by riding the time trial course backwards over all the technical rocky sections and then looped round to the north western side of town to finally finish at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station.

Today I just didn’t really want to get on my bike, my cough had now developed into a snotty and chesty cold and I knew that by continuing to race I would be digging myself an even deeper hole, but it was the last day and I wanted to hold onto my podium position, so off we went!

I felt pretty good for the first hour then by the first feed zone the wheels came off and I just willed myself forward, very slowly getting myself closer to the finish line and also the end of what was an epic week.

I enjoyed the second half of the course, there was lots of new single track and the views were amazing, I contemplated stopping to take some photos but reminded myself that it was still a race!

I had a quite exciting finish, we had to cross the sandy river bed of the Todd river to get to the finish line, and as I was stepping off to run the remainder of the boggy sand Anna Antrecht had managed to sneak up right beside me and we ended up having a little race the last 20m to the finish line! Anna bet me to it and placed third for the final stage with me close behind with fourth!

So I managed to hang onto my third position and was happy for my performance to be what it was for the week, I always knew it was going to be touch and go after the 24hr, but you have to put yourself in these positions to learn and confirm how long it takes for you to recover and be on top of things again.

It was a fun week as always with the team and also an added bonus of having my partner Dan race also. He ended up having a great week and surprised everyone including himself with his result, 4^th in the open men’s category! All in all a great week of racing and i'm definitely motivated to come back next year and have a crack!!

24 Hour Solo Nationals

We were all sitting round the dinner table on the second last night of the Terra Australis Stage Race, Fenz put it out there; “You should do Solo 24 Hour Nationals!”

The seed was planted, I weighed up the do ability of it... the main positive was that it was during the school holidays, plenty of time to prepare and then also recover, but was I prepared to put myself through all that sustained pain and mental battering??

For some reason the answer was yes?!?! I embraced the opportunity to gain yet again another ‘experience’ and have a crack at different discipline of MTB racing!

We travelled up the Hume to Canberra and upon arrival made ourselves comfortable in the TORQ pit area. We had an amazing set up, Dean had towed the Caravan up which provides some real luxuries; microwave, couches, beds, stereo system, fridge and of course a toilet! Not that I would be spending much time in the caravan over the next 24 hrs!

Chilling out and conserving energy before the race start!

Throughout the last 4 years Stromlo has been a constant in my mtb racing experience. In the past I had raced numerous Cross Country National Titles, a World Cup race, and memorably a World Championship.

It felt nice to be returning to familiar turf to attempt something altogether different!

I had two team mates who were competing also; Mark Fenner (the evil instigator) and newly signed Scotty Chancellor, who is well known for his talent and results within 24 hr racing.

The three crazy ones; Fenz, Me, Scotty

I felt blessed to have an exceptionally dedicated and passionate support crew, they would be relied upon hugely during the course of the race.

Dean: the owner of Torq Nutrition and the and manager of the team

Dan: my wonderful partner

Dave: Dan's enthusiastic and excitable Dad who kept my bikes ticking along perfectly with his attention to detail and skills with the tools

Kerry: Dan's proud Mum who provided continious encouragement great photographic talent and precise timing skills and

Angus: one of Mark Fenner's good mates who helped get all my nutrition requirements just right!

The Pit Crew!

My race strategy?? I basically had no idea, being my first 24hr race, the plan was to ride conservatively so that I could complete the monster! The longest time I had spent on the bike was a 7 hr training ride, so it was going to be interesting!!!

My main competition would be Jess Douglas, she is the current World Champion and had ridden a heaps of 24hr races, she has fierce determination and knows how to win in this discipline, so yes I was nervous and felt like a small fry!

Jess Douglas Current World Champion

The gun went off at 12:03, just after the men's category were sent off. Jess immediately assumed her position at the front of the race and dictated the pace. Being fresh, rested and feeling tip top, it was really hard to hold myself back and take it easy. Jess continued to pull away from me, keen to get a gap, I chose not to respond, it was going to be a very very long race and I needed to conserve everywhere I could.

The other girls behind me had dropped off and I was left riding my own race with no one else around. I would get the time gaps given to me each time I came through the pits.... Jess continued to increase her lead steadily by about 30seconds per lap, so this was how a World Champion races a 24hr race.... I just couldn't match it!

We got through to dusk and the lights went on to my bike, I felt a bit of a lift, simply with the change from light to dark and felt I was riding smooth and consistent. I was conscious of maximising any positive sensations as from here on in it would become more about my mental state than my physical capabilities.

My race was tracking well, my lap times were super consistent, I was eating and hydrating well and I felt pretty good considering I was now in unknown territory. I was working in 6 hour blocks and the second block coming up to midnight I had planned a treat; a quick wash and a change of clothes... I got to midnight and the gap between Jess and I gradually started to break down, I was now gaining 30 seconds a lap.... so no time for my planned treat, things were really starting to happen!

Kerry's teacher skills on the whiteboard recording my lap splits!

I had now reduced what was once a 9 min gap down to 4 minutes, I was pumped but Jess remained illusive and was nowhere to be seen. Finally at 1.30am after 13 and a half hours of racing I came up behind her on the single track, I was blown away, I had actually caught the World Champ!

I made my pass on the fire road and instantly all my pain was forgotten, I felt like I was pedalling on air, it was the most amazing feeling. I made an effort to remain consistent and gave myself the goal of gradually opening up the gap in the next 3 laps, to give myself a buffer.

I got to 3.30 am and had my planned first hit of caffine, ( It was about at this point that Dan told me Jess had gone to the showers to clean up and assess her situation) this carried me through for another 2 hrs feeling great both mentally and physically. I was so surprised and impressed that I was feeling so great at a point in the race where I should be feeling the worst. From 1am til dawn are known as the 'witching hours' the long slog through the dark and the coldest part of the night, I just kept telling myself that when I got to dawn I could expect another positive sensation with the growing light, being able to see the track again and the fact that there would only be 6 more hours of racing to knock off!

The coming of the new day yeeeehaaaaa!!

I did my 'Dawn lap' with a feeling of contentment but started to crash and burn, my body ached everywhere from the repeated battering of the rocks and undulations.

Jess had since pulled out opting to not complete the race which left me way out in front now with nearly 3 laps up on Anne who was in second place. These were all massive positives and it was looking really good to take out the title, but I now found myself experiencing my lowest point in the race.

It was decided that I would jump off the bike, have my planned wash and change of clothes and a hot meal of gnocci with pasta sauce. Being off the bike was great, but I could hardly walk and was really hurting all over.

A fresh change, hot food..... not so motivated to get back on the bike!

After a lap I said to Dean " You need to figure out how much longer I need to stay on the bike in order to secure the win, because I am done!' I was thinking as I was 3 laps up perhaps I could stop at 10.30am. I had so much time up that 2nd place could not overtake me in the time remaining. I was devastated to learn that in order to finish you had to cross the line after 12 midday. I couldn't pull up early even though I had a substantial lead.

So the plan was to do another lap, then have a sit out for 40 minutes then get back on and complete 2 final laps in order to cross the line after the all important 12 O'clock!

Fenz Trying to get my body working again during my lap out.

The final two laps were the hardest both mentally and physically. I no longer had any strength to push the pedals and I was not even moving fast enough to keep warm. Although I knew it was only 2 laps and I was done, it was so hard mentally knowing that I was so close. I so badly wanted to curl into a little ball and let the earth swallow me up!

Crossing the finish line.....done and dusted!!

Congratulating Jason English The mens winner, who is also the current World Champion!

Being awarded the 'Green and Gold' Jersey was an amazing feeling!

Winning the National Title gains you automatic selection to the World Championships and the question was asked of me; " So do you think you'll continue racing 24's and compete at the Worlds?" I concluded with " Not a good question to be asking me at this point in time!"

24 hour racing has provided me with a rich and unique experience where I feel I have been stripped to my very being and learnt so much about my constitution as person. I loved that it was an experience for our group of people and not just myself as a competitor, my pit crew lived through it with me, the highs, the lows, the lack of sleep and of course the elation of winning. Much thanks to my crew!

That is all!

All photos credit of Kerry MacMunn.

Solo 24 Wrap Up

Winning the National Title gains you automatic selection to the World Championships and the question was asked of me; " So do you think you'll continue racing 24's and compete at the Worlds?" I concluded with " Not a good question to be asking me at this point in time!"

24 hour racing has provided me with a rich and unique experience where I feel I have been stripped to my very being and learnt so much about my constitution as person. I loved that it was an experience for our group of people and not just myself as a competitor, my pit crew lived through it with me, the highs, the lows, the lack of sleep and of course the elation of winning. Much thanks to my crew!

That is all!

All photos credit of Kerry MacMunn.

Otway...Third time Lucky

Over the last 3 years The Otway is the one race that has consistently denied me any satisfaction and sense of achievement!

When I first attempted the Otway in 2009 I got 4 punctures on the first 50km and lost touch with the race, completely disheartened I pulled out at the 70km point.

Determined to tick it off my list I made my second attempt in 2010. I had made a great start, climbing well and taking out the KOM at the top of the hill. All was well until I managed to come off on the steep descent in the private property section, knocking myself out and also one of my teeth! Miraculously in a concussed state I managed to make it out to the first check point where I got off my bike and went straight to the Geelong hospital!

So 2011 was all about knocking it off and finishing with all my teeth!

Listening to the rain pounding the roof on Friday night was not a particularly soothing sound, it was sure to be an interesting day! The morning actually dawned pretty dry, quite warm but very windy.The pace was steady up the climb, and I chose to drop back and climb at my own pace, letting the roadies up the front battle it out for the KOM glory.

Nicky Fisher and I ended up rolling turns to maintain momentum until we hit the dirty fire road section, she gaped me on the descents, she was riding like an absolute mad woman!! It was unbelievable slippery and steep and I was just a little cautious with last years memory playing out in my head!

Once we got into the sustained climbing on the freshly graded fire road which had turned into one slick clay pan, I seemed to be rapidly pulling some position back. I entered the muddy fire road section in 8th place and well before the red carpet decent, I had managed to work my way into 2nd place, was quite surprised!!

I managed to hold my position until we were almost at the footy ground, Peta caught me in the single track and we rode together into the first feed zone. Peta took off in front of me and smashed it on the fire road climb, the legs were starting to feel pretty slow on any incline now! It seemed a gap of about 2 min was established and Peta seemed to hold this for quite some time.

Going into the final loop, I gave the fire road climb everything I had, as I figured there had to be a decent amount of descending I was hopeful that I might be able to work at closing the gap to Peta. Sure enough, I caught sight of her at the bottom of the very slippery descent. The sledge hammer was hilarious!!! I could see Peta just 20m up ahead, so close but the harder I tried at moving faster the worse it was. We were both attempting to run but struggling to stay on our feet and keep moving forwards and upwards!!! I worked hard to keep Peta in my sight, she was fighting so hard and managing to gap me on any open sections.

Coming up the final fire road section she slipped out of view and left me to cross the line 20 seconds in her wake! It was great to have such a close race over such a long distance and extended time. We both finished around the 5 hrs and 52 minute mark.

The final placings for the race saw a drastic re-adjustment, and I only learned of this once we had finished. Gracie, who was 4 minutes up on Peta and I had been given a 30min time penalty for taking outside assistance. The race rules were that you could not feed or accept any technical assistance outside the designated feed zones. Apparently Gracie had been given a camel back at the top of the main climb by a team van. She accepted the feed unaware of the penalties that would apply. It was a really tricky situation, I believe that the act did not give her the winning edge, it did not enable her to ride faster and take the win, but on the other hand they are the race rules and the officials needed to be seen to stick to their guns. So unfortunately Gracie was relegated to 6th position which bumped Peta and I into 1st and 2nd.

Regardless of the days result I was just ecstatic to actually get to the finish...... but also with the bonus of retaining a full set of pearly white chompers!!!

So the Otway has been well and truly ticked off.......... until next year!!!

Tour of Timor 2010

Flying over East Timor in the plane was a harsh wake up call for what the following week was going to involve. I peered out the window and down to the spectacular and severe mountains below, it was beautiful and harsh, my legs began to ache in anticipation!!

On arrival we were greeted by the official welcoming party they were all very excited to see us and had huge happy toothy grins! We were all processed in the VIP lounge and amongst other things we were issued a waiver to sign so we could travel in UN vehicles, these would be used throughout the tour to transport us and our gear, bit different!

Once we had checked in to our accommodation Jen and I decided to head for a spin to stretch the legs and make an attempt at acclimatising to the oppressive heat and humidity. Coming from one of the coldest and wettest winters in Victoria certainly was a shock to the system; Dili was a hot and sticky 36 degrees!!

The road code in Dili is quite interesting, anything seems to go, overtake on the left, right, gutter, any side of the road will generally do and it seems that you don’t need any reason at all to use your horn!!

The animals are actually the main hazard on the road, all villages on the tour route were asked to keep all livestock locked up (most cases this meant in their houses!) so as not to cause accidents to bunches of riders during the race.

The early morning ride down Dili's main street to the race start at the presidential palace.

It was an early start each morning, we had to have bags packed and loaded on the gear trucks by 6am each morning. It was essential that the front gear trucks start at least 2 hrs before we did as they needed to get to the next nights camp before us. Due to the conditions of the roads and the terrain they traveled at a much slower average speed than what we did on the bikes!

The talk of the road conditions had everyone quite intimidated, mainly because the racing would be done In bunches and when in the bunch you have a great view of the wheel in front of you and that is all. The frequency of massive potholes, animals, washouts and land slips put everyone on edge. Some of the potholes we came across were deep enough to stand up in, luckily these were marked with a couple of random rocks placed round the outside of the hole! Never seen anything like it!

Before the race start outside the Presidential Palace.

The tour had 350 riders, so jostling for a good start position was always a good idea.

Day one went from Dili to Balibo, it was the longest day at 123km but considered the easiest due to the profile, it was mainly flat, following the coast line and then climbed up to the Village of Balibo in the last 20km. I found day one really tough, mainly due to the heat and humidity, it was always going to be a day of adjustment, getting the legs going and sorting out adequate hydration. I found the flatter stages along the coast some of the hardest days , the humidity was oppressive, any gain in altitude away from the coast seemed to be much better!

The school kids were ecstatic and no doubt were happy to have the opportunity to get out of the classroom cheer us on (it would have taken all day for the entire field to pass through!)

The energy gained form the locals was AMAZING! Every village we passed through pretty much had the entire population lining the road, cheering , smiling and enjoying what must be a very strange and new spectacle for them. Each village that we stayed in for the night had declared a public holiday for the region as the road had to be completely closed to all traffic and we were pretty much eating and sleeping in the schools classrooms!

It was a real treat to find some tables and chairs to consume our dinner, very civilised!!

Crossing the finish line in Balibo was a huge relief, some serious rest, recovery and chillaxing was required! Just trying to replensidh the energy stores ready to do it all again the next day!

Travelling through Timor we were constantly reminded of the horrific and reccent history that has taken place in this small country. Riding up to Balibo thoughts were of the 5 Australian journalists who were held captive and murdered in the 70's. Throughout many other villages there were carcasses of buildings left in ruin from bombings and just never been repaired or rebuilt. For what these people must been through they are an amazingly peaceful, gentle, shy and most of all a very happy people

This was the sag wagon! They were kept very busy picking up the stragglers and their bikes and giving them a much needed lift to the finishline! The medics dealt with 32 cases of severe dehydration on day one and a couple had to be airlifted back to Dili, pays to look after yourself!

Everywhere we went there was always an audience, the villagers thought of us as great entertainment, they simply stood and stared, it was never intimidating but quite humbling! This bloke was very happy to show off his prize rooster! The people in the background thought the massage tent was very interesting!

While we were waiting for the gear trucks to arrive there was a massive downpour, very unseasonal apparently in the dry season! We all huddled with the locals under the huge banyan tree.

The unseasonal rain caught many people out. Most riders had pre-purchased the camping package which consisted of a roll mat and a mosquito net, three out of the five nights we had rain so it was manic with the organizers sourcing free verandah space, and empty classrooms for people to sleep in, some people were even taken in by some of the locals, lovely people!

I collected 50ml in my drink bottle in only half an hour

The showers were interesting! They were pretty much made out of palm fronds on the ground and walls, then there was a big barrel of water with a scoop to pour water over yourself, sounds quite rudimentary, but to be able to wash away the sweat and pain of the long day was great!

The president made an appearance at most of the villages we stayed at. It is ‘The Presidents Race’ he is passionate about rebuilding Timor and the Tour is just one of many incentives aimed at harboring trust, promoting peace and making vital connections and building positive relationships with other nations. He considers sport to be a great way to promote these values and to showcase Timor as a peaceful, safe and absolutely stunning country. As Timor has been ravaged by war for so long they have not really experienced any forms of tourism. It was an amazing opportunity to see Timor before the people and the places become influenced by many foreign visitors.

Day two was said to be the toughest day of the tour due to the hills, from memory it was 93km but with some massive and very steep climbs. We descended from Balibo which was quite hairy in the big bunch lots of potholes and sweeping half gravel half bitumen corners.

The main climb went for 30km with two ‘King of the Mountain’ sprints in the space of 10km… it was steep, open, exposed and so so hot. But the scenery was amazing When we got to Maliana we travelled along the most spectacular ridge line through many remote little villages, unfortunately I had substituted the space in my pockets for food in place of the camera, so I didn’t capture any of it but I was very happy to have the food that day.

We had a beautiful decent down in to the town of Suia which was just off the south coast, we had crossed East Timor in a day!
Unfortunately one of our team mates Gracie came down really hard on the descent and managed to dislocate her shoulder, so out team was down to 3. On the up side she got be chaperoned by the president himself in his private chopper back to Dili

These boys were very happy that our camp was set up in their school, they got to have two days off school!

This Timorese rider was part of the PNTL (National Police) he explained that this bullet proof looking vest was great for carrying all the food he needed for the day “I get so so so hungry…!!” He just couldn’t fit enough food in his jersey pockets. When I asked if he got hot wearing it he said “It great, it is no problem!”
The Timorese riders had absolutely no idea about race nutrition, I would come across riders who had no water and no food, I gave one guy a caffine gel and 5 minutes later I was left in his dust!!

The start line for Day 3. In the background a new church was in the process of being constructed.

Day 3 was written up as a ‘rest ‘day, being only 67km and 50km of it being flat. I found day 3 the hardest. We were back on the coast so the humidity was unbearable and the road conditions were the worst yet. At one stage it had been sealed as there were the token patches of asphalt but the rest of the road was a myriad of potholes.

As it was flat the pace was being driven and everyone was trying to ride as a big bunch and get a good sit, but the potholes made the bunch really erratic, as the front guys were accelerating out of potholes we were just hitting them so it was like a huge elastic band trying to hold the wheel in front of you and not loose the bunch to be left by yourself.

After 40km of this we then hit the ‘best’ section of sealed road in the whole of East Timor, pretty much smooth hotmix asphalt, beautiful! From here we climbed up to the beautiful village of Ainaro.

Quite a reception on the finish line at Ainaro, having a Timorese commentator had the crowds in!

The local Gals!

Ainaro had many ruins of 16th century ornate Portugese buildings left over from the Portugese occupation. Many of them had been bombed during the more recent indonesian invasions.

The queue for dinner, it was well and truly worth it!

Presentations before the start of day 4. Steele was thinking ahead when he packed all his jerseys in the gear truck and waited bare chested to be awarded the under 23 leaders jersey for the days ride (hope he had sunscreen on)!

The start grid with the top 20 riders ditching their bikes and seeking shade while the role call for the other 320 riders is completed!

Day four was another spectacular hill climbing day. We started climbing immediately out of Ainaro for about 30km then had a series of smooth fast descents down to the village of Aileu.

You can see the road below that I have just ridden up, it winds up, up and more up!

Finally the KOM (King of the Mountain) signifying the top of the climb and the oncoming descent! I actually had to zip my jersey up for the descent, we had gained quite a bit of altitude today, reaching the highest point on the tour at 1900m.

The down begins!

Finally day five! We all had a smile on our dials today, as we were descending back down to the coast and finishing the tour in Dili!

Ahhh the north coast again!

This was the start of the much talked and warned about loose singletrack descent!

Looking back at the last climb on the coast road into Dili, happy to see the back of it!

From this point I could make out Dili in the distance… a very welcome sight to my very sweaty eyes!

The streets of Dili were lined with people like this for many kilometers, as close to the Tour De France as I’ll ever get!

The women’s Teams podium at the final presentations with poor Gracie all stitched up!

The last supper, it was huge, could have fed 3 people easily with my stirfry!

Finish the night off with a very entertaining taxi ride, the most laughs I’ve had for 2 dollars!!