Tailwind SuperSeries Race One - 4 hour

Tailwind opened their enduro SuperSeries for the year with a 4 hour at Murrenbong Scott Camp.  With TR busted and in plaster, and Shan and the Dog opting not to take part in the mudfest it was a slim Koiled team!
It is nice to have racing so close to home, and I figure between In2Adventure and Tailwind I have to learn to love the track - there is not a lot of variation on the enduro scene for racing this year.

I trained hard all week, and was looking to this race as a measuring stick of where I am at for May.
I lined up for the HRPW B Grade crit race the day before and despite planning to roll around, found myself in the position to take out first lady, so I did with the unbeatable lead out train of Shannon Duggan.  Nice 52.6 km/hr av on the last lap definitely turned the engine over.  Finally, after really loading myself up and experiencing the necessary fatigue, I felt like I was slowly making the ascent back to performing - my legs are coming back.

And just in time.  With a bucket of rain the evening before the race everyone knew Murrenbong was going to be wet.  And wet means hell mud at Murrenbong.  This upped the difficulty rating, and a few gave race day a miss. I still insisted on taking my hardcore carbon dually Tallboy.  Some people think I am nuts, but the reality is I need to be pushing the wheels that will take me to Italy.  A look at the start list showed me some quality ladies, on and off road, were racing and I would need to push myself and ride well if I wanted to win.

There was time to catch up with a few mates before the start - including the lovely Seb, sporting her new Koiled kit.  Seb is a regular at the enduros and always has great groups of girls riding ... so when she asked if she could get her hands on the hottest kit around who would say no!

I managed to grab a quick snap of her with Nick and I before racing got underway and kits became unrecognisable!

On the start line I was feeling pretty calm as I jumped in directly behind the first couple of boys with my trusty teamie side-kick - Nick!  He'd opted for SS, smart move given the conditions.

The big 2.2 Ralphs on my Tallboy were definitely not the tyre of choice, and I had an almost instant reminder as they spat me into the ground within the first 2 mins..... okay - calibration done, line found - upright riding was experienced for the rest of the race!!  It did panic me knowing I would be catching loads of congestion lap one.  I wondered if this was where I pull out and experience the shortest race in history, but I kicked that idea to the kerb and used it as an opportunity to exercise the patience needed for 24 hour riders. I had 4 hours to drag it back.

At the end of the day I took out the Solo Females with a lap up.  Went close to fastest female too; always a challenge for a solo rider against the team girls but doesnt stop me trying!  My consistency is there, with nearly half the fastest top 20 laps being my laps for the day.  A highlight for me was watching Leslie ride the infamous greasy pinch climb out of the first mud bath.  I got up it a couple of times before the corner at the bottom got really ugly. I tried a RHS line and stalled and thought ok - this is now a walker.  Then up comes Leslie, LHS line and all the way up the climb if you dont MIND!!! GET IN !!! How awesome is that. Reminder that until you have tried all the lines, it aint impossible - and as a solo you get heaps of chances to try something different.  Rode it every lap after that!  I will refer to this as 'doing a leslie' from now on.

Doing a Leslie.... too good!

Despite having no organised support, a group of loyal buddies turned up sometime during the race and it seemed there was always someone to tell me a time or pass a bottle.  Thanks Pommy, Dog and K - you are excellent and part of our success!

In then end 8 laps (64kms) in 4.05... given the conditions (some sections unrideable at the start) I am very happy with that!  Nick smashed out 8 laps in 4.22. Enough to get his first win in the SS category!! 

Up next LunarC Midnight 8hr..... at Murrenbong!

rained on my parade

I am hanging out to get enduro racing.... it feels like a long time between drinks!

LunarC was scheduled for last friday - with a midnight 8 hour hit out just what I needed to see how much I have progressed since last year!!! Unfortunately the weather did not oblige dumping 200mm of rain on the race site and forcing the reschedule.

So I guess I will just have to wait until March 30 to unleash the inner animal.  Out of desperation I am considering heading out for some of the local XCO racing through sunshine series or the BSMC guys.

Till then it is more of this....

And a little bit of this.....

working working working.

At the moment not too much to report on.... not a lot of racing happening - and I am most in Ride, Hurt, Work, Eat, Sleep, Repeat mode.  Coming out of the christmas period most people are either sorting our goals for the year or having some time out.  A bunch of rides have been solo and surprisingly that is something I have learned to enjoy in the last 12 months.  I can get out the door solo!

ride and hurt today, so I can race and hurt less (or is that more) tomorrow....

As the training load catches up sessions become tough, not just physically and mentally.  Some days I definitely know why they call the dip in the Law of Overload the 'valley of despair'!  Luckily I have good friends around me who can remind me a bad day, is just that.






I am sure all weekend warrior types know that everything is balance.  Balance between work, family and bike. And if you are training hard then balance between what is enough, not enough and too much.  Some days it is hard to tell and at the end of it all I just have faith in my ability to make good decisions at the time.

I've been getting my ass back to the dirt, and it has been refereshing.
It must be said though to whoever the well meaning person was that is shoving the sticks in the holes in the drainage pipes on Sth Boundary - please STOP.  The reality is going up, you see the holes a mile away.  Going down you will be travelling at such a speed there is almost zero percent chance of it catching your wheel (given the speed you would be travelling at, the dip through gravity would be tiny over that distance...).....
The Rambo style - camo'd sharpened stick - man trap is going to kill someone who doesn't see it descending - and really it is nearly impossible to see!!!  We ripped them out on the way up, and someone had REBUILT on the way down!!! WTF....

perfectly camouflaged if you are travelling down Sth Boundary at high speed!

It is increasingly a challenge to keep focus with the ability to race lots of interesting and fun road stuff, whilst trying to train for uberlong 24 hr MTB fitness.  As long as I ask 'is this helping Italy' I assume I will be on the right track.  Single track that is...

My new Tallboy is built - just have to relearn this roadie legs how to push it!

And for those tough days..... a little bit of Koiled philosophy comes in handy...Endure Withstand.

got strength?

I don't know if this is common, but I have a confession to make.
I have done no strength work in the few of years. None.  It is not so much that I hate the gym, I hate what happens AFTER the gym.  My previous experience really put me off after struggling through months of insane soreness and inability to ride on dead legs. I have struggled to find balance where I could get in the gym and still ride my bike.

For every year that passes I know it is getting more important to get back in the gym.  Now falling into the masters realm of riding, strength conditioning is becoming mandatory.  I know this. Reading articles like this one (read it here) convinced me it is time to suck it up, and crack on.

The question became not if, but with who and where. If I am going to do this, I am going to do it properly.
I have a guy, Andrew, I have been using for massage for a couple of years.  He is also a guru in all things strength and conditioning.  He knows where I break, and after months of telling me what gym thing would fix or help that or this - I decided that I am going to trust him and let's see.  Highly specific strength training not just to my sport, but actually to me.  I think that is a good mix.  He's set up a space here, and I am looking forward to hurting myself for the next little while.

With walls like this one, how could it be bad!!!
Pass the protein.

time out for a summer holiday...

Not much bike stuff doing lately as I took some time out with my two favourite people for a holiday to Tasmania.

We spent our first few days in Hobart staying in the historic Salamanca area in a converted sandstone docks warehouse.  Hobart is a lovely city that is overlooked by an awesome peak - Mt Wellington.  We managed an afternoon of walking around the summit realising that this was truely a freezing part of the world - despite being high summer!  From there we dropped down, completed the walk to Sphnix Rock and then retired to the local Pinot's and Seafood.  It is a hard life.

The summit of Mount Wellington.  Freezing.  It was snowing where I am standing, 4 days later!

After Hobart, we made our way to a magnificent and pristine part of the world - Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park. 

View from Coles Bay town across to Freycinet National Park and range called The Hazards

We stayed in a little beach house right on the water, and spent our days in the mountains you can see above, hiking through the park.  Formed from pink Granite, a mix of mica, feldspar and quartz, the Hazards make for an awesome walking wonderland.



I was unsure how she'd go, but Annabel did a great job and walked The Hazards to Wineglass Bay, and also the other side to Hazards Beach.  Both graded as 'difficult' walks.  Nice one!

Happy to have reached a lolly break!

Wineglass bay, on the opposite side of the Hazards to Coles Bay.  Walkers or Boaties only!

We also managed short walks into Sleepy Bay and Cape Tourville.

Sleepy Bay complete with Rainbow.  Amazing kelp forests in cold, cold water!

 We saw a few of the locals while we were in town.....

Up close with the locals.

Too close!!  I hate Emus and this one is sticking it's head over my shoulder to rip the bag of food out of my hand.

Local Kookaburra looking for skinks!

Local skink hiding from Kookaburras.

For Westwood - nice leptospermum.

All in all a great trip. 
We've returned ready for the new year and I for one am ready to rip into it.  Stand by....
Now, where's my bike!

whats your flavour?

On the new years menu, Koiled was up to many and varied things.
They all had something in common.  See if you can spot it!

First up, I had to deliver a coot-tha TT so Coach Cupcake can check my progress.  These things always hurt, but this was something special, after I had put away 3+ hours of single track the day before. 



Time was satisfactory and the view, once I could see again was lovely!



On to today, our main bunch rolled from Eatons Hill to Dayboro.  What was sold to me as a shortish out and back turned into the inevitable racing for 60's and TT up Mt Mee which added up to slightly more than I was planning but with the impending bike free holiday coming up, I was happy enough to roll the kms.



Trickle joined us in the bunch, looking fine in his Koiled kit and rolling his Elmo.  He is riding strong!

After yesterdays effort of a Coot-tha TT I started the ride in the locker.  Naturally there was only one treatment I know of for being in the locker.  ATTACK.



It was shortlived and we settled down for approximately 6 minutes. Then, after offerring Scotty some advice about pedalling if you are on the front of the peleton travelling downhill, he showed us his current form and from there the locker drew a crowd.  Yes, it got crowded in there. Shannon kindly offered to take my place when he opted for MtMee in the big ring.

I can be seen here offerring moral support and checking on his well being. 

Nick was notably absent.  Something about wanting an easier session than the Mt Mee smashfest.....
He can be seen here relaxing as the UQ sports physicians seek to find out what it is about Koiled that makes us full animal.

It's how we roll.

pay dirt

Been making an effort to get my wheels back to the dirt, and strangely enough it is not much of an effort.  In fact, it is completely full of awesome.  Three hours flew by largely due to the excellent company.


The Koiled Dirt Krew were pretty much all present and accounted for, however it appears Miff didn't get the wheel size memo. As I looked through the pics from the morning it occurred to me there are some CRAZY BLINGING NICE bikes in our bunch.

Jim was so awed by the line up of bikes that he was to forced to stop and adjust is sock height.  In fact he got to spend the morning on a Santa Cruz Tallboy loaner from TR.  Who gets a TALLBOY LOANER!!!! (unless you are Prof in Sedona....another story.)....

 Nick opted for hardman status and left the Form Ti HT and gears at home, schlepping it on his SS Niner.

 Truck wheeled out his beautiful steel Blacksheep SS 29er.... man that is one nice looking bike.  Note the perfection in grip to paint job matching, 

Not to be outdone, TR rolled his blinged out custom BlackSheep 29er HT - pretty similiar to the highlight for those up on their Blacksheeps.

I got to roll my new 2012 racing wheels - my koiled carbon HT 29er, tricked out with Industry Nine custom pink wheels. Careful matching to my Santa Cruz from a geo point of view meant she was pretty much point and shoot out of the box.  Stupid light, manouevrable, and slick looking.  This bike is going to be fun.  I think I will name her the 'hell bitch'.

Never one to shy away from Pink, Shan rolled his Koiled 29er too.
These were to be our Mawson bikes ...and who knows maybe one day they still will be.  The race cancellation still cuts me deep!!!

 Miff rolled to the beat of her own drum with her Santa Cruz superlight baby. 

I guess we can let her sneak into this 29er heavy crowd because it is a blinging Santa Cruz, and because we love her crazy ways.

Till next time.....   Ride what ya brung!!!!!








* thanks to Miff for the insanely fine mobile phone photography.