Today sucked. There's no other way to describe it.
Rode to work, when I got there found the lifts weren't working so couldn't go down and get my gear and have a shower before 8.00am I don't know about you but I hate being hot, sweaty and in riding gear. I can't think of anything worse, it just feels disgusting and is one of the reasons I don't do coffee shop rides I hate sitting around in riding kit. So I had to ring the wife to bring some spare gear to get changed into eventually.
Last night they cleaned the carpets at work. When I opened up this morning the carpets were still damp (can't open the windows, Boss thought it was funny when I mentioned suicide proofing the office) and the air conditioning had shut down. It smelt like wet dog, there is no better way t describe it then that.
I eventually got changed and had a shower by about 9.30 but the lifts still aren't working and air con is still down.
The temps in the office hovered around 32° all day, we ended up pulling the pin at 2.00pm and coming home. The intention was to ride but because of the heat it was just stupid. The temperature gauge on the car was reading 45° when we cracked it open.
I think this is the hottest is been since we moved over, I can remember the temps being a steady 40° then during the summer. Anyway enough ranting for today.
Received the front brake caliper in the post plus the bleed kits. Also got an email that the rest of kit I ordered should be here next Wednesday.
Tried doing my first UST conversion using a non-UST tire... not working at the moment. I think I will have to get the proper DT-Swiss kit to make it work. Just reading the instructions on the no-tubes site the beads are too loose and not sealing, so it's going to need more rim tape.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Look what the Postman delivered
Well one of the packages I ordered turned up today. Guess what was in it....tires!
Yes I have a bit of an addiction, wheels and tires. Today I received a batch of tires from http://www.starbike.com/ I buy my schwalbe mtb tires from them because they have them in stock and a wide range. Really special in this order though was the first Rocket Ron I have seen. This tire was developed before the Olympics and ridden to first place in the women's cross country.
Anyway I took some pic's of the tires on the scales. All tires bar one were under weight.
Rocket Ron
Racing Ralph
Nobby Nic
The plan is to run the Rocket Ron and Racing Ralph on the spare wheels for the Otway Odyssey National Marathon MTB Champs and as the primary tires in NZ.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Ribs, Pain, Suffering and Misery
Well this past week has been all about pain management...namely my ribs. I got in a couple of decent road rides (2+hrs) and a mtb ride today. Other then that its been all about trying to workout what I can and can't do at the moment so as not to aggrevate my ribs.
I think they are closer to cracked then bruised, they really haven't gotten any better in fact there were a couple of days there where they felt worse. So the training plan has been changed from alternating days with intervals to SST (Sweet Spot Training). I can manage steady state at the moment but any thing that strains the breathing too much is just painful.
I have two full weeks until the first 8hr race. Depending on how things go will dictate whether I,
a)Enter,
b)Enter for training
c)Or enter to place
It also gives me a bit more time to get the dually back up and running. This has been a side project since about November. I have slowly been getting the parts together
I think they are closer to cracked then bruised, they really haven't gotten any better in fact there were a couple of days there where they felt worse. So the training plan has been changed from alternating days with intervals to SST (Sweet Spot Training). I can manage steady state at the moment but any thing that strains the breathing too much is just painful.
I have two full weeks until the first 8hr race. Depending on how things go will dictate whether I,
a)Enter,
b)Enter for training
c)Or enter to place
It also gives me a bit more time to get the dually back up and running. This has been a side project since about November. I have slowly been getting the parts together
- Fork (Magura Durin SL)
- Brakes/ Shifters (XTR 960)
- Cranks (XTR 970)
I'm still waiting on a front post-mount caliper (from Parker) and some small bits and pieces (from CRC) to finish the build. Will hopefully post pic's when its finished.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Week in Review
Well haven't posted anything for the last couple of days so time for an update.
Wednesday- Thursday
Went up to Wyong on a course for work and took the MTB with me to do a couple of laps of Ourimbah Forest. First day went well, but the temperature was hitting the 40° mark with no wind coming through the trees. After a lap of the 10k course my jersey was soaked with sweat and that was the way it stayed for the next 40 or so minutes for the second lap.
Course was fun completly different to anything down Canberra way, the closest course for comparision would be Majura but he soil is alot damper in Ourimbah so alot more grip. Because of the fun I had was keen to come back the next day....
Arrived back Thursday at about 5.00 pm just as the weather started to break as I got the bike out of the car. I think this was really a sign I should pack it in there and then but no I kept going. Half way round the loop on a steep pinch the rear wheel spun out and I started to take a slow speed fall. No dramas at this point, we all have these and come out alright with minimal damage not this time.... As I am falling to the right hand side I can see a sawn off tree trunk, so as I'm falling I try to grab it so I don't end up completly on my arse on the ground. However what I don't see is the cut off branch hiding behind the level of my shoulder, this little sucker manages to come up and under my arm and jab me square on in the side on the ribs.
Now I never played contact sports when I was at school and have never gotten into a serious fight in my life so have never had my ribs worked over. There I am lying on the side of the track, trying to catch my breath and swearing in my head at the world in general. The next thing (like most cyclists!) is trying to work out whether something is broken, lot of pain.. not going away oh shit. After a few minutes to get the breath back I jump back on the bike and start making my way back to the trailhead. Along the way monitoring the ribs and trying to workout whether I can go for another lap or call it a day. Well with the amount of jarring I call it a day.
Sunday
Have the next couple of days off to try and rest the ribs. The problem with ribs are that whether they are bruised, cracked, or broken there is nothing a doctor or hospital can do for you except perscribe painkillers. So stock up on Voltarin and just rest up.
Roll out the door Sunday AM at 6.30 to get to the race for an 8.00 start. Ride to the start is pretty mellow just feeling the legs and concentrating on the ribs, to work out what I can and can't do. Deep breathing... check, Out of the saddle...oh crap! looks as though the whole race is going to be done seated.
Race is set down for 2 laps of the Homestead course for a total of 76k. A grade sets off at good pace with everyone rolling through, the hard part of the circuit is the last 4k up to the u-turn and return to the finish so everyones just happy to roll through for the time being.
We hit the first of the hills and I go to the front to keep the tempo up the power meter is showing OK watts so I might just be OK with the race after all!
We hit the long drag up to the u-turn and right away I know I'm in trouble, the pace is up there but I can't get out of the seat and swing on the bars for a bit of relief. Trying not to look at the power meter........ great we're sitting on a steady 430w. About half way up someone puts in a surge and I can't respond, game over the bunch just starts riding away, getting further into the distance till they're gone from view.
I pull out when I get back to the start finish line and begin the ride home. It was good to get out and try the ribs out and they felt better afterwards so hopefully there is not too much damage but time will tell
Wednesday- Thursday
Went up to Wyong on a course for work and took the MTB with me to do a couple of laps of Ourimbah Forest. First day went well, but the temperature was hitting the 40° mark with no wind coming through the trees. After a lap of the 10k course my jersey was soaked with sweat and that was the way it stayed for the next 40 or so minutes for the second lap.
Course was fun completly different to anything down Canberra way, the closest course for comparision would be Majura but he soil is alot damper in Ourimbah so alot more grip. Because of the fun I had was keen to come back the next day....
Arrived back Thursday at about 5.00 pm just as the weather started to break as I got the bike out of the car. I think this was really a sign I should pack it in there and then but no I kept going. Half way round the loop on a steep pinch the rear wheel spun out and I started to take a slow speed fall. No dramas at this point, we all have these and come out alright with minimal damage not this time.... As I am falling to the right hand side I can see a sawn off tree trunk, so as I'm falling I try to grab it so I don't end up completly on my arse on the ground. However what I don't see is the cut off branch hiding behind the level of my shoulder, this little sucker manages to come up and under my arm and jab me square on in the side on the ribs.
Now I never played contact sports when I was at school and have never gotten into a serious fight in my life so have never had my ribs worked over. There I am lying on the side of the track, trying to catch my breath and swearing in my head at the world in general. The next thing (like most cyclists!) is trying to work out whether something is broken, lot of pain.. not going away oh shit. After a few minutes to get the breath back I jump back on the bike and start making my way back to the trailhead. Along the way monitoring the ribs and trying to workout whether I can go for another lap or call it a day. Well with the amount of jarring I call it a day.
Sunday
Have the next couple of days off to try and rest the ribs. The problem with ribs are that whether they are bruised, cracked, or broken there is nothing a doctor or hospital can do for you except perscribe painkillers. So stock up on Voltarin and just rest up.
Roll out the door Sunday AM at 6.30 to get to the race for an 8.00 start. Ride to the start is pretty mellow just feeling the legs and concentrating on the ribs, to work out what I can and can't do. Deep breathing... check, Out of the saddle...oh crap! looks as though the whole race is going to be done seated.
Race is set down for 2 laps of the Homestead course for a total of 76k. A grade sets off at good pace with everyone rolling through, the hard part of the circuit is the last 4k up to the u-turn and return to the finish so everyones just happy to roll through for the time being.
We hit the first of the hills and I go to the front to keep the tempo up the power meter is showing OK watts so I might just be OK with the race after all!
We hit the long drag up to the u-turn and right away I know I'm in trouble, the pace is up there but I can't get out of the seat and swing on the bars for a bit of relief. Trying not to look at the power meter........ great we're sitting on a steady 430w. About half way up someone puts in a surge and I can't respond, game over the bunch just starts riding away, getting further into the distance till they're gone from view.
I pull out when I get back to the start finish line and begin the ride home. It was good to get out and try the ribs out and they felt better afterwards so hopefully there is not too much damage but time will tell
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Token 12hr Enduro (aka The 12hrs of Drafting)
I have been a bit lazy the last couple of days and not updated the blog as I was still mulling over Saturday and how the race went.
Well looking at the result sheet I finished 16th out of 30 something so about mid pack....which given I pulled the pin after 7.5hrs probably isn't so bad a result. I pulled out because at that stage my knees were killing me, that is the longest I have ever ridden a bike in a single sitting, and also the quickest.
Because of the format and type of circuit there were continually teams riders on the front driving the main bunch along, we started mellow at about 30kph for the first lap behind the tandem, the next lap the pack went up to 35kph, and from then on out the pace was 40kph for the rest of the race....all 12hrs. Because of this it made it almost impossible to feed as if you stopped you went down a lap effectively. I found this out at about the 6hr mark when I had to stop for bottles, there was just no way of getting back, you would have had to chase at 50kph for at least 1-2 laps.
Overall I pleased I went and rode, it was great training (where else are you going to do that expect a 24hr race).
Below is the power data for the race. Stats are:
Time:7.40.30
Distance:300
Avg power: 259w
Max power:1050
Calories burnt:7700
Friday, January 9, 2009
Tyres
I just ordered a pair of these,
Stan's The Raven
I tested a pair of Crow's last summer and they are some of the fastest off road tyres I have ever ridden. I knocked off almost 5 minutes from my 1.5hr test loop at Sparrow Hill. The Raven is the improved version with larger side knobs for increased bite. I am going to rock these as the primary setup for the Otway Odessey.Thursday, January 8, 2009
Packing....
Well today after I get home from work have to do the packing to the Token 12hr race on Saturday. I have to say I hate packing, almost as much as I have having to drag the crap back out of the car usually late on a Sunday and try and clean it all. Normally I'm tired, grumpy and all I want to do is go to bed, but you just know that if you leave it you'll have to deal with it the next day.
Have training on the erg planned for this afternoon as well. It will likely be something like 2x20min @ threshold. Hopefully the weather says on the cool side as trying to ride at the moment with this heatwave going through has been really draining. I dragged a fan down to the garage yesterday afternoon to help with the cooling and it seemed to work so I guess I will leave it down there.
Have training on the erg planned for this afternoon as well. It will likely be something like 2x20min @ threshold. Hopefully the weather says on the cool side as trying to ride at the moment with this heatwave going through has been really draining. I dragged a fan down to the garage yesterday afternoon to help with the cooling and it seemed to work so I guess I will leave it down there.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
First Post
After much debate I have decided to create a blog to document my attempt at trying to become an enduro mtb racer. Having spent much of my sporting life as a roadie, the shine has finally worn off and I have started to look for more challenges. I can't really claim to have been a prolific winner during my 16 odd years racing but I have won the odd race or two.
So over the previous year I have started toying with enduro racing and this year have decided to finally make the leap and enter some of large races to test myself. First up this year will be the Otway Odyssey down in Victoria, followed by the Australian Marathon Champs, and a week later Mt Peel Marathon in New Zealand. Scattered in there will also hopefully be some of the Victorian 6hrs and Working week races as well.
So over the previous year I have started toying with enduro racing and this year have decided to finally make the leap and enter some of large races to test myself. First up this year will be the Otway Odyssey down in Victoria, followed by the Australian Marathon Champs, and a week later Mt Peel Marathon in New Zealand. Scattered in there will also hopefully be some of the Victorian 6hrs and Working week races as well.
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