Bellies Racing Blog...

New Team Kit.

2011-05-31T15:19:00.000+10:00

Thanks to Carl from Nemisis Sporting Appel for helping with our new team kit. It is top quality and fits really well. I'm very happy with it.

Custom Ayup's

2011-05-26T18:16:00.000+10:00

You can now get custom Ayup's. Also High Powered lightest are available to everyone, not just a select few;)

A Wednesday night to remember...

2011-03-14T12:49:00.004+11:00

OK, I'll paint a little picture. I was out on my usually Wednesday night MTB ride with Rohin, AJ, Scotty and a few other of the boys. It starts to rain, AJ after having a bit of a bug decides to pull the pin, Rohin is also keen to get it over with. Myself and Scotty on the other hand were have fun in the crap conditions. Anyway, we ended up riding the section along the yarra trails on the nth ride of the river under Chandler Hwy. Rohin in front pulls up as he sees the raging water (pic 1) running into the river from the storm water. I decide it was no match for me and my bike and without hesitation go for it. Than BAM, I was thrown to the ground in a heart beat from the absolute force of the water. I feel my knee and ankle both twist in the wrong direction, but I was concentrating on the problem at hand, getting myself and bike out of the water safely. I grabbed the bike a few times but it kept getting ripped from my hands by the water. In the end, I decided to grab the pole and say see you later to my bike. It went over a 2 meter waterfall and quickly went out of view.

We all looked on in amazement for a few minutes before a bottle popped up out of the white water, 30 seconds later an other bottle. Maybe a minute after that, my bike rose from the depth and floated out into the middle of the Yarra River. We were all pretty busy at this stage pissing ourselves with lafter. Luckily there was a couple kyakers paddling and I yelled for help to get the bike. They go the bike closer to shore but then it got snagged. Rohin didn't hesitate and jumped in to grab is as he could see I was in no state to go swimming.

The ride back to Rohin's place (and my car) was a one legged affair. As you can see in the last pic, the final result was a broken tibia. I have six weeks in plaster. Unfortunately this means I will miss The James Williamsom Enduro, Mont, Kona Dirt Weekend and the Duael. I should be back on the bike with a month to get fit enough to complete the Alice Springs Stage race in May.

WSC - Thanks

2010-10-11T18:10:00.001+11:00

A huge thanks to my support crew over the weekend at the World Solo 24hour Championships. It was fantastic to have my parents and Aunty Babs there to look after the kids. It was so good to ride out on a lap with all the kids in their Ayup jerseys yelling at me. Not the result I was after, riding well in 5th until about the 18hr mark. Then the shoulder fatigue made such a tough course too dangerous to continue. Not overly disappointed, happy I gave it a go.

Soon to be sold...

2010-09-22T16:31:00.004+10:00

Just getting in early, but I will be selling off my fleet very shortly.

* 2 x Kona Hei Hei 100, 2010 22"
* Look 986 carbon hardtail, Large (20")
* Look 555 Road bike, SRAM Force XL (59cm)
* Kona Unit 2008? 20" (the purple one) with or without gears.

Spread the word.

Tour de Timor all wrapped up...

2010-09-21T09:56:00.008+10:00

After entering this event I didn't really know what to expect. I knew a few people who raved about it last year, so I had big expectation. Did it deliver? Sure did. The race itself was great fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. Stage races are not what I am good at, but with a bit of extra fitness gained over the last couple of months I fared pretty well. Each day basically panned out exactly the same for me on the bike. Started with the fast guys until the pace got too hot, then dropped off into a smaller chase group. I knew if I kept my heart rate in check to the level I have been training at for the solo worlds, I would finish strong. This happened every day. Our team finished second in the male teams and I finished 16th overall.

The stages were pretty amazing. We had a great mix of fast rolling flats, Paris-Roubaix style flats, relentless climbs up to the clouds, rolling loose and rocky descents, and steep in your face climbs. Did I mention there were climbs? We had to cope with sweltering heat and humidity and some riders who were on the course for a bit longer were lucky enough to get cooled off in a massive downpour.

Whilst off the bike we walked through the villages and met the locals. It was fantastic to see how happy the children were. Whilst riding through villages, locals lined the streets to show their appreciation of our participation in such a great event, riding through their regions. School kids really know how to yell!!

Below is a selection of photos I took on and off the bike. Sorry they are a bit out of order because blogger now make it too hard to rearrange.

A great sunset fron the UN Beach in Dili.

This rain caused the streets to flood in 20mins. Very heavy.

Simon pushed it a bit too hard on day two. Two bags later and he was fine.

Walking the streets of Dili. The locals were very happy to see us walking through their side streets, seeing close up where the sleep.

These were the wash rooms made by the locals in Balibo. Very cool.

The team minus Simon at the lookout over Balibo.

Riding the train. All strung out heading towards a two hour climb off in the distance.

Before the start of stage 4. Neil VDP in front of all the bikes whilst we all shelter from the heat.

Ben accompanying Rowena Fry (female winner) and myself up the climb on stage 4.

Team photo.

All dressed in our sporting attire for the after party.

I am looking forward to next year already.

Stage 1: Dili to Balibo (From Robyn)

2010-09-13T22:53:00.005+10:00

AJ came across the line first. Simon (Knowles) came in 8th, and Andy was 15th. Andy had a nice crash but managed to do a good tuck as he hit the ground and spared injuring his shoulder again! Ben and Rohin finished behind the other 2 ... all still adjusting to the climate, the environment and getting ready for Day 2. Sleep well in the 29C heat, guys. Hope those mozzies aren't biting!

Tour de Timor..bring it on...

2010-09-08T22:00:00.002+10:00

Bike prep is complete. Legs have recovered. Shoulder can hold onto MTB. Think I am ready for a great week. I ended up putting some suspension and gears on the trusty Kona Unit 2-9. It rides sweet and might give me a bit more of a chance to hold pace on the fast looking course.

Looks pretty sweet. Needed to drop the forks down to about 60mm of travel to keep the angles good. Pretty sure they will be locked out most of the time anyway.

Glad I did a test ride. The old Easton carbon post was past it's used by date.

Doubt there will be any coverage over in Timor, I will update if I get a chance.

What's been going on...

2010-08-17T10:39:00.003+10:00

It has been nice to get back out one the bike. I am still restricted to road bike only. I gave the MTB a little test last weekend, but all I could manage was slow rolling over obstacles, so I have decided to leave it for a while yet. Hopefully I will be OK for Tour de Timor.

Fortunately Kona has gained some support from Torq. This not only gives me access to their great nutrition products, but they have a testing lap with a bike fit machine. I was able to get my road bike pedalling position setup to be the same as my MTB so at least I am pedalling the same circles whilst only training on the roadie. Torq has a access to a physio for bike setups. This is far more beneficial than simple getting it done at a bike shop. The physio is able to see how you body reacts to positions. So you not only get a more powerful position, but a position you are actually able to maintain. So if you want to get yourself in a more powerful riding position, give Dean a call on 03 9775 1155.

If you haven't used Torq Nutrition products before. Trust me, you will notice the difference. For me personally, I find them the easiest to digest, particularly under the stress of racing. Their recovery products are truly unique and offer the best possible chance of backing up tough session day after day. So, with any luck, I will be in good form come October for the World 24's.

Epic? You tell me.

2010-07-25T08:44:00.001+10:00

This is my first "real" ride back.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41563436

I have the power...

2010-07-23T13:40:00.001+10:00

I got myself a set of Mavic Carbone SL's with a PowerTap hub just in time to start training again. These wheels will make any bike look hot. If you are considering training with power, check out these wheels. Considering they are a complete wheels set, already built up, they are good value.

My Look 555, pictured about will be for sale as soon as my 2011 frame comes in. Probably towards the end of September. Let me know if you are keen.

Finally found the break...

2010-07-12T18:54:00.004+10:00

Finally the CT Scan has revealed a break in my left coracoid process. You can clearly see it on the scan below. Lucky break really - another 10% and it would have totally been broken off. The good news is it will heal without complications and I should be back on the bike within 3 weeks.

Injury update...

2010-07-01T19:36:00.003+10:00

I thought I should give an update on my condition etc. Basically racing is out for a while. I am under the care of Olympic Park Sports Medical Centre. This is going to give me the best chance of being OK to ride the worlds. I am going in for an MRI Friday afternoon, and will get results Monday night. With this I will have a very clear picture of the damage and a better idea of my recovery process. I am seeing the physio twice a week at the moment and the pain is under control, but movement is still restricted.

My limited movement obviously keeps me of the road and trails. But I am doing some riding on the dreaded wind trainer, spending much of my time sitting upright. My coach has set a great program, we are going week to week at the moment so we can monitor my recovery process and train to suit.

Joining the gym for some leg strength work was always on the card. I joined yesterday. It has never be part of my riding in the past, but am willing to give it a go.

On a racing note, I have entered Tour de Timor. I did this the day I was hit. I though, I'll be right. So fingers crossed hey. I am riding with Randall and Andy Fellows in my team.

Lost against car...

2010-06-21T08:24:00.004+10:00

I went out for an easy spin on Friday morning, it was cold but clear. I was only 10 minutes from home, when a car waiting at a give way pulled out right into me. Luckily, my courier instincts kicked in. I was directly in front of her when I heard the rev of the engine, I tried everything to get out of the way, I sprinted and moved into the middle of the road. Basically, these actions reduced the severity of my injuries. I got my legs out of the way, leaving the rear of the bike to take the impact. This flicked me over the bars, landing on my back, left shoulder first. So my shoulder (still undiagnosed) is very sore and my right thumb very bruised. I see myself as very luck, but guess what the driver said, "sorry I didn't see you". Very poor excuse. There was nothing impeding her view, I was wearing a standout, white Look kit and hey, I'm not exactly small.

My poor bike didn't fair so well. Barely a month old and written off. Boo.

It's back to the doctors today to see if we can figure out what is happening to my shoulder. There was little to no improvement over the weekend with complete rest (thanks to Robyn for looking after everything). I have cancelled my plans to race the Merida 24 hour next month, but hopefully I am back riding within a few weeks.

Mawson Marathon...

2010-06-13T23:06:00.001+10:00

What a race. I had no idea what to expect from myself at this one. I
knew the distance would be ok, but was a little worried about the pace
I would need to maintain to hold onto the quick boys. We (Jason and I)
made the tactical decision to let Chis and Brett go off the front
early on. The pace they were sitting on seemed a little quick for suck
a long race. We sat up and waited for the Torq boys (Fenner and Mark
T) so we could use them to our advantage on the long road streaches.
This seemed to work well, 4 man team time trial style. Little did we
know Brett and Chris had swapped to bikes setup for time trialing. All
out efforts were no match. Their lead went out to about 20 minutes by
about the half way mark. Buy this stage we had left the Torq boys,
they were both have very slight bad patches, which they rode through
and avoided loosing anymore time.

We tried as hard as we could, but any time we made up on Brett and
Chris didn't seem to last. Jason pulled me along nicely towards the
end as we thought an attact was coming from behind. In the end we were
2nd, in a bit over 14hrs for the 367kms, about 15mins behind Brett and
Chris and about 7 mins up on team Torq in third.

Logistically it was one of the toughest races I have competed it. But
every time I got to the end of my bidon, there was Randall with a
fresh one. He never missed a beat and we could not have done it
without him. Thanks Ben. Also, thanks to Jason. We normally race
against each other and it was a pleasant change to have him on my
side. We seemed to work well together on this very challenging course
for differant reasons than both of use are used to.

I will add photos soon, we are still travelling home.

Traveling done, let's race

2010-06-10T12:41:00.000+10:00

We smashed out 1000km yesterday, only a few 100 today and we will be
in Blinman ready for race start tomorrow at 7:30am.

This pic is of Wilpena Pound. A very beautiful part of Australia.

What mud?

2010-05-31T19:02:00.001+10:00

You would never have guessed these shoes raced 5hrs in the mud yesterday . A trick from Randall's vault, " give'em a spin in the washing machine". Good as new.

CTS Round 1 - 5hrs

2010-05-30T21:02:00.004+10:00

With a sell out field and no rain in the sky, today's race was always going to be fun. Snoz and FGP have got organising these events down to a fine art. The course was carefully pick to make sure the park wasn't destroyed with all the rain we had during the week. Yet it wasn't boring. There was only a few bog patches and the majority of the single track was tacky and very fast.

My legs were a tad smashed from a fairly intese training week and my lungs are recovering from a bout of the flu. But I didn't let this deter me from having a good ride. I couldn't match the front runners for the first few laps but then I got into a grove and moved through the field. I rode a lap with Mark Fenner, but decided we were moving a little quick for where I wanted to be, so I dropped back. Happy with this decission, I rolled around quite happy in forth. Then, coming
into the finish of my second last lap, I saw Fenner as he pulled the pin at the end of that lap. This got me on the podium for third, 18 minutes behind AJ in first. Overall and good day in the saddle. Only another week of training before I head over to SA for the Mawson Marathon with Jason English.

Day two....

2010-05-09T22:28:00.001+10:00

Today's stage went very well. Robin pulled the pin at about 10, so I
was able to get a bit of sleep. When I started riding the legs felt
great. I punched out another 10 laps, only about 5 mins slower than
yesterday. I held them pretty consistant and the body held up very
well. The course here was great. Plenty of fun flowing sections.
Overall the event was very well run, the atmosphere was good and there
was lots of fun had by all.

Half way....

2010-05-08T22:53:00.000+10:00

The 12hr ends up being a 6+6 ( I get to have the middle 12hrs off), I
got a good start but it wasn't until about the 2hr mark that I got
into a rythem, then bang, I blow out my rear tyre. I did a quick
repair and got going again. I was able to keep my laps very
consistant, only really loosing time when I need to put lights on etc.
I finished up a lap and a bit up on other solos and leading the 12hr
overall. There was 3000 vertical meters climbed in my 10 laps, so I
think the plan is to get some sleep (although I want to give some
support to Robin Tullett, an old triathlon freind also flying the Kona
flag in the solo 24) and I will take the mornings ride a little easier.

Ty has been busy talking with people about the new magic link bikes.
They seem to be getting a lot of attention. Unfortunatly, Ty lost his
own personal one off the back of the trailer on the trip over, he
wasn't very happy about it. I don't think he wanted it back after it
would have hit the road doing 110kmh.

Update...

2010-04-27T10:50:00.004+10:00

I know, I know, I have been pretty slack with updates lately. But believe me, I have been keeping myself busy as. I am now officially fully recovered from the two National Chap events (24hr and Marathon) and have sat down with Simon (the coach), to work out what needs to be done between now and the Worlds in October. The good news is there is plenty of time to get my strength up to a level where I should be competing at the front end of the race. The National 24hr was a little set back, but it did show me I have the speed, I just need to get it all together and I should be alright.

I was planning on racing the Kona Dirty Weekend in the 24hr solo category, but have really struggled to get either the kids baby sat or figure out a way to have them all travel with us (I won't do a 24hr solo without Robyn there to help). It would have been nice to simply ride the whole 24 hours comfortably and try a few new things I want to implement into my racing. Instead I will be racing the 12hr as part of the same event(2pm - 2am). I haven't raced a 12hr in a long time, so it should be a lot of fun.

A month after this event, it is back to SA for the Kona Mawson Marathon. This will really be a very unique event in so many ways. I have yet to work out the full details on how we will manage to have a support 4wd with us thought the entire race, but I can now let you know I will be riding the 380km with Jason English. Together we should be able to smash out a fasted paced ride and with any luck there will be some other strong teams entered to keep things interesting.

In other news, I finished building a new roadie over the weekend. So the old one is being cleaned up, fitted with new bar tape and a few other bits and pieces and sold off. So if you know anyone after a sweet road bike going cheep, let me know. Pictures can be seen over HERE. The new bike will go for it's first ride tonight. Hopefully I can do it justice over the winter months.

On a work related note, I finally have my website live (thanks to Rohin). You can check it out over HERE. We still have a few bugs to iron out, but at least I now have something to direct potential clients to.

The aftermath

2010-04-04T14:15:00.002+10:00

Well that's racing. I was looking good up until 2am, sitting in fourth hunting third. Then bang, no drive left. I rolled around till 4am. Then decided to cut my losses and call it quits. This would give me a much faster recovery.

We will sit down this week and see where things went wrong. Some things went great, so once again I have learned something.

5 Hours In

2010-04-03T17:01:00.000+11:00

Top 5 all within 2 minutes, Andy in 3rd and everything going well.

Nats, ready to go...

2010-04-01T19:46:00.002+11:00

I made it here in good time. Got things all set up and rode 2 laps of the course. Transition is set up a little different this year, with double the riders of previous years, no pit tents will be anywhere near the feed zone. This doesn't affect riders, but supporters need to make the journey back and forth every half hour or so.

The course was lots of fun... it runs in an opposite direction to any of the races I have done here, but it flows nicely. I rode my 120, SRAM gave me some 2011 120mm SIDS, first impressions, bloody fantastic. They soak up the bumps like nothing else. I will be happy lapping on that and the Hei Hei 100.

Bring on the road trip

2010-03-31T12:58:00.000+11:00

it's begun, the road trip to Canberra for the National 24hr titles. If you are heading up, see you there, if you aren't, stay tuned and I will try get some updates going.

R.I.P Willo...

2010-03-23T21:18:00.003+11:00

It hurts even to type the words, but fellow enduro nutter, great friend and ambassador to our sport has died in South Africa this morning. You will be hugely missed buddy.

Hot off the press...

2010-03-16T22:38:00.002+11:00

I hope I haven't jumped the gun, but I was sent this article today. AMB should be on the shelf in the next couple of days. Grab yourself a copy.

Product update...

2010-03-04T09:04:00.005+11:00

I have just dusted off my lights now that the days are getting shorter. I thought this would be a great time to give you a product update from Ayup. Last year they released the new V4 kit. The updates from the old kit include a brilliant custom hard case, two red saxon caps (turns your lights into ultra bright rear light), Gecko mounts, the headband kit (head tourch) and the new batteries are now have low/high/flashing modes. I won't go into the full details on my thoughts on the lights as a whole, you can read my original review HERE. But I will say, these additions have put Ayup at the top of it's game when it comes to lighting systems. Visit their website for more details and to make a purchase.

The custom hard case. Watertight, I want to see Qantas smash this puppy.

The contents. All neatly place in foam packing. Easy to store you entire kit.

Red Saxon caps. Strap it to you post and you have a very bright rear light.

Keeping you in the loop...

2010-03-01T17:54:00.002+11:00

Sorry I haven't been keeping you in the loop lately, things have been really busy. Work has picked up and I am now working more than I have for the past 4 years. This is a good thing. Training has been going well, plenty is being done and my form is starting to improve. The biggest issue is getting enough recovery to make the training worth while. With the kids back at school, ever night is taken up with their extra activities. Fun times.

Hopefully things are on track for a good race at Easter, but we will have to see. I have Simon Knowles looking after my training now. It is so good not to have to think about what riding I should be doing. He really knows his stuff and gives me flexibility to keep in tune with what the rest of the family is up to.

Please check over to my garage, I have some good deals going. Including my beloved Look 555 road bike and a kick arse T6c Suunto training wrist computer.

Wildside Photo dump...

2010-02-04T18:29:00.005+11:00

The view from the top of Strahan. A great place to finish an event. Everyone was chilled, and ready for a big night post race.

Lucky moment...

Another lucky moment...I didn't see any of this.

Just like Melbourne's Beach Rd..only better.

Finishing another tough stage on the Wildside.

Thanks to Babs for all her support during the event. It really made things a lot easier. Thanks also for the pics.

Although I didn't get the result I was looking for, I still really enjoyed myself. The riding is varied and very demanding on both body and bike.

Will I be back? Maybe.

Wildside day 2

2010-01-31T19:22:00.002+11:00

Stage 3 (first for the day). Worst stage ever. Started with group A, but 4mins in I pinch flatter the rear tire. All fixed and moving before B group caught me. We had a tough moist forest climb. Towards the top my hanger snapped (bummer big time). I took my time fixing it, making sure I didn't stuff it up because I only have one spare. This put me way off the pace.

Stage 4, the longest of the event. Started with a 6km road climb. I rolled over the top not far off the pace in group A, but the pace heated up and I couldn't stick at it... I needed a couple minutes to re-energies, so I dropped back had a relax and then got back to it. It was a really fun stage and the Look hardtail is becoming a joy to ride now that I am remembering how the ride a one. For me now, the race has become less of a race and more about enjoying the experience. Just too far back to get back into the top 10.

Wildside Day 1

2010-01-30T18:37:00.001+11:00

The first day is done. Stage 1 was not so fun... I flatted and struggled with some very bumpy trails. Stage 2 was more my cup of tea. More climbing and fast riding. I am now 25th over all and =9 vet.

Hopefully I build momentum as the race progresses. Speed isn't my strong point.

Wildside this weekend...

2010-01-28T10:04:00.001+11:00

Well, it's come around a bit too fast, but today I head over to Tassie for Wildside starting on Saturday. I decided yesterday that it was time for me to get back on a hardtail. I dropped into Kona's head office only to find out all 2010 hardtails in my size were sold. Just too popular I guess. Anyway I ended up with a Look 986. I had my first ride last night out at Lysterfield and I am very impressed. Hopefully the legs can justify such a rig.

I will try and keep you updated on the race over the 4 days of competitive and non competitive stages.

SA pics are still forthcoming, they should be worth it...

SA Day one....

2010-01-19T11:47:00.000+11:00

Yesterday we (Willo, Mike Ross(AMB). Anton (a you Kiwis rider) and myself) were escorted through the Melrose bike park by Richard Bruce, the owner of the local bike shop, Over the Edge). This park has some mad riding. It's not for the faint hearted. There are plenty of places where you could slide a wheel over the edge and end up in a bad way. But this made the even more funner to ride.

We enjoyed it so much, we ended going out again this morning before we needed to depart.

I will update with more pics when I get home.

Quick trip to SA

2010-01-18T09:39:00.000+11:00

Late last week I was invited to join AMB (Aust. MTB Magazine) and Freewheel/Enduro magazine for a promotional look at the Mawson area in preparation for a few choice SA events. Arriving early this morning, I think the plan is to ride the trails for today and tomorrow and then have a charter fly over on wednesday. Having never raced in SA, I was keen to see the area myself after hearing plenty of good reports on the riding over hear.

Sorry for the absence

2010-01-11T15:20:00.001+11:00

Happy new year to everyone and sorry for the rather large gap since my last post. As you can imagine, it has been pretty hectic around our place with school holidays and all.

As far as riding goes, I have been getting plenty in.... I decided to try something different this year and actually train. I have employed myself a coach, Simon Knowles. He is an old triathlon mate of mine, a full time coach and extremely well qualified for the gig. I will go into more detail on this one soon, but to sum it up, things are going really well.

I have the Wildside 4 day stage race on at the end of the month for my intro back into racing for 2010. I am really looking forward to this event but have no expectations on myself. It will be my first ever stage race and I doubt it will be my last Oh yeah, speaking on stage races, I have just confirmed my participation in an exciting variation of a stage race in SA in June. A 350km, over 4 days, but if you race along side a team mate, you can ride the entire 350km in one hit. Sounds like fun hey... I will fill you in my more details including my riding partner shortly.

Anyway, things are looking great for 2010. Stay tuned and detail will come through soon.

Kona Photos....

2009-12-08T19:09:00.002+11:00

Thanks to Tim and Stephen Rowe for some great images. Make sure you visit their site and purchase you photos. www.mtb-images.com.au

Before the fun begins.
What rain, did someone say it rained last night.

Nice new clean kit..

The shoes make me look fast..haha.

My knee gave up on me, what a long slow walk that was.

Kona 24

2009-11-30T15:01:00.004+11:00

This race has for a long time now haunted me. DNF's, hospital visits, etc. This year I had one main goal, finish. The sleep deprivation started Friday night with plenty of wake-ups from a nasty storm that ripped through - destroying plenty of tents around us. Race day rose with tired racers assessing the damage. However, even with several inches of rain falling, the track seemed to be holding up ok.

By race start, the weather was fine, the atmosphere was pumping, the kids were having fun and I was ready to roll. Getting a good start kept me out of trouble as I settled into a nice easy pace. For the first few hours I rolled around with Carson Tully and Jason English, with a couple of riders smashing it out in front. With rain forecast overnight, I was happy to save the legs for when the going got tougher. Jason decided to chase down Troy and get himself in the lead. By the time I caught up with Troy the rain had begun and the track was getting slippery and very taxing on the legs. We were discussing the option of stopping, but I though back on my main goal and decided to persevere with the testing conditions and simply keep rolling around. Jason was slowly but consistently pulling away from me and Brad Davies shadowing me from a bit too close a distance. I was committed to giving all I could to keep the number two spot.

All was on track until a severe pain hit me in my right knee. Pain is something iI am pretty used to during these events, but this pain was bad. After loosing some precious minutes in the closing laps, I needed to make a decision . Do I go out on anther lap and risk a long term injury but possibly hold onto second or do I stop and more than likely fall off the podium. I decided to go out on another lap, but pretty soon after leaving I realised the pain was too much and I was reduced to walking. Brad came past me while I was on the side of the track and I knew that was it, finish this lap and third is the best I can do.

Overall, I am very happy with my race. For the first time ever I was able to eat without throwing up. And all it took was something my masseur said a couple of weeks ago. Amazing really after many doctors, nutritionists and other health professionals being unable to figure out or fix this major issue which has plagued my racing since the start. It has even given me motivation to do some proper training in preparation for next years major events.

I need to give a big thank you to Robyn (super pit chick), my parents (for doing a fantastic job with the kids, helping Robyn & driving us all home safely!), Ben from Kona (for keeping my bikes in tip top shape) and Ann Schilg (for helping Robyn out for many hours). Also, a big thanks to my sponsors, especially Kona, SRAM, Mavic, Pedros, Adidas Eyewear and AyUp.

Photos will be posted shortly, still haven't unpacked.

2009-11-18T22:08:00.003+11:00

Whilst we are being hit with stinking hot weather, Parks Vic prepare our park lands for a long dry summer....NOT.

Fury..

2009-11-10T21:50:00.002+11:00

And out of the night comes the FURY....available in store very soon.

Randall's backyard bash...

2009-11-03T17:53:00.006+11:00

Today Randall & Mel hosted a BBQ at their place. Amongst the reasons for the BBQ was to ride the newly finish "backyard trails".

Paulie getting some air.

Randall chasing down Troy, who is riding Randall's DH rig.

My choice of bike for the day was a poor one, although it got lots of points for uniqueness. It could have been worse, the stem snapped whilst riding back up the hill, not on the bumpy down hill ... LUCKY.

Become a fan of the Australian Kona Team...

2009-11-02T15:54:00.003+11:00

Kona Australia has set up a Facebook page to promote all things Kona. Click here and see what it's all about. Become a fan.

Big George Invitational...

2009-11-01T16:54:00.005+11:00

Yesterday got me back out on the MTB for a long awaited ride, The Big George Invitational (Stephen Van Dyke of Total Rush). It was a star studded field on a pristine Melbourne day. The plan was to ride four race courses in one ride. We linked Lysterfield, Harkaway, Upper Beaconsfield and Officer together, and had a ball doing so.

The Peleton, we only spent a few km's on the black top. Not bad for a ride just shy of 100km.

However, with plenty of rain the night before, there was a bit of this.

See what I mean...

The man with the longest arms in the world.

Hydration was the key. It was a great ride to get the body use to riding in the heat after struggling with heat stress in Queensland last weekend.

Joel Read, what more can you say, the man is an animal..

Queensland 24hr wrap up...

2009-10-27T08:23:00.006+11:00

It's back to the real world today. Yesterday was totally lost in travel, amazing how a 2hr flight can consume a whole day.

I am pretty happy with how the race panned out. My intention was always to ride as little as possible and just get back into the solo rhythm again. With the race starting at 2pm and continuing for about 9 hours after the sun came up on Sunday, it was always going to be tough in 30plus temperatures. I felt the early signs of heat stress only 2.5 hour in, throwing up and feeling very cooked. But luckily it was evident even the Queensland riders were also suffering in the heat. I decided to ride very conservatively through the heat and try to create a gap during the night and with any luck, wouldn't need to ride for the full 24hrs.

My plan worked well. I was happy with how I was riding and very glad I could take a rest for the last 4.5 hours of the race.

A good ride also by fellow AyUp rider Sean Bekkers to finish a very tough event only two laps down.

A huge thanks goes out to my parents for their efforts looking after our little tribe while we were away, Robyn for fuelling me and AyUp for getting we up north for the fantastic event.

Its over .... We hope!

2009-10-25T13:49:00.000+11:00

There's a good chance the race is done. Just keeping an eye on 2nd & 3rd, but very unlikely they can make up the distance. Andy stopped riding at the 20hr mark, so he'd be pretty unhappy if he had to get up and ride! I wouldn't want to try waking him!

Starting to suffer

2009-10-25T09:29:00.001+11:00

18hrs in and andy has a vomit right in the middle of the tent - thanks honey! Gone out on another lap now. Day is getting very hot already. Will need to get him off the course as soon as possible. Hopefully just 1 more lap needed to take the win...

Tired & dirty

2009-10-25T07:25:00.000+11:00

Just came in on lap 30. Ready to stop when its a done deal. Just a few more hours... The sun's up & its going to be another great Qld day

Into the brutal hrs of the am

2009-10-25T05:03:00.001+11:00

Lead extended to 3 laps so he's about 1.5hrs in front now. Andy struggling with stomach probs - but nothing new there. He's still riding well so he'll hopefully be right until I can get to a chemist in a few hrs.

Now 2 laps up. Still riding strong.

2009-10-25T01:33:00.001+11:00

8hrs in ....

2009-10-24T23:21:00.001+11:00

Still strong. Now a lap up so taking the time to stop & eat. Nice mild night - all good.

6 hours in....

2009-10-24T21:26:00.001+11:00

About 20mins up on Sean Bekkers. Doing consistent laps. All good.

Scott 24 Race Report...

2009-10-22T15:33:00.004+11:00

Sorry for the delay getting this up. There has been a fair bit on of late.

This event has always been one of my favorite events on the 24 hour race calendar. CORC always put on a super slick event and even though I was never planning on racing this one solo (I just wanted a break from solo after 5 years straight) I wanted to race. You have probably heard people say that pairs over 24hr is tougher than solo, well I wanted to find out for myself, so I asked Randall to join me.

Our race plan was always going to be ride lap for lap until we needed to have a decent rest, then play it by ear as to how we continued. This plan ended up working very well. We didn't get any idea on how we were placed until about the 9 hour mark due to a stuff up in the timing and by this stage we were about 0ne lap up on our competitors. we didn't let this new information slow us down. We persisted on our lap for lap plan all the way to the end. This allowed us to finish at 11am, have a hot shower and put our feet up.

I started at a pretty conservative pace knowing I have two more solo 24's to race in the six week following, but Randall went hell for leather. He only dropped out of the dog on a few occasions during the night. And to his credit, he didn't once complain about being tired. For me, I found the riding part great. The course was so much fun, you just wanted to get out there and ride. The time off the bike wasn't that much fun when is got really cold. But overall, I would say it is much easier than a solo 24.

A big thanks goes out to Ben from Kona. He looked after our bikes and mad sure we didn't fall asleep in the beanbag during our short stints off the bike. Also a big thanks to Randall for a great partner. It makes things a whole lot easier when you don't have to worry about your partner putting in their fair share.

Scott 24 race report still to come...

2009-10-19T13:20:00.001+11:00

Sorry, I am waiting on the fantastic photos from Sportograf before I do the full report. Hopefully it won't be long now..

My new look....

2009-10-17T13:27:00.002+11:00

It arrived a day too late to take up to the Scott, but here she is, my 2010 Kona Hei Hei 100. I am back on the 4 inch program after 12 months off. More on the new rig latter.

The new kit below has been my baby. I have worked on it for the past 9 months. It all began when I decided I wanted to ride a higher quality pair of knicks. Firstly I tested several brands over many rides to find something I was happy with. Then I worked closely with Ventou (won the comfort competition hands down) on the design and material choices to come up with this.

I have found these Knicks to be the most comfortable I have ever used. I went for a compression tech fabric, an integrated shammy and silicone leg compression bands. Ventou have been very good to work with, and I would highly recommend them. Being an Australian company is also a huge plus in my book.

Worst ride ever...

2009-10-15T19:27:00.001+11:00

I type this post as I walk to meet Robyn after a few mishaps. First my chain dropped off during a lazy change, sucking the chain up snapping the inner cage on my rear mech. Then I got a flat and while fixing it I hung m bike from it's seat on o fence, it feel, braking the body of the rear mech. Flat was fixed, gears still shifted (gotta love SRAM) and off I went. 30 mins latter the bead had popped off the rim and no longer passed through the frame. I have no pump and have run out of gas. Big boo....

Oh well, I can honestly say, in the 14 years I have been with Robyn, this is the first time I have called to be rescued.

winners....

2009-10-11T12:44:00.001+11:00

Just a quick note.

We kept the pace going. Got about a 3 lap lead and then decided we would stop riding at 11am. Pretty happy with how things went full race report to follow.

Another update 2

2009-10-11T02:55:00.001+11:00

We are about 2 laps up.... Yeah.
Track is holding up we. Randall is still firing. As for me, the time off the bike is tough, but I an getting into it.

update...

2009-10-10T23:08:00.001+11:00

Sorry I have posted yet, the new timing crew are having some troubles.

As of 10pm we were about 45mins up and both feeling pretty good. Our mixed 4 team is racing a close battle, only minutes down in third. And Campbell has just moved into 11th.

We are planning to keep going lap for lap and hope we hold up....

Morning at Stromlo...

2009-10-10T07:48:00.001+11:00

This is home for the weekend. It should be a good weekend. We rode a lap yesterday and they have incorperated many of the good aspects of last years two courses and made one ripper one. Lap time will be a bit slower, which will suit us in a two man team.

I will try and update as we go...

Just Announced....

2009-10-06T11:24:00.005+11:00

Looks like my prediction was right. Next years Scott 24hr will be hosting the World Solo 24HR MTB Championships. It hasn't been announced yet, buy will it also be our Nationals? This would make it one of the biggest races ever.

Avoca 2010 Nation Marathon course pre ride....

2009-10-04T20:00:00.007+11:00

During the week I escaped the mad house for a test ride on the 2010 national marathon championship course in Avoca. Rohin required some company for the ride, so I didn't hesitate putting my hand up along with Randall and Willo.

It was always going to be an epic ride due to much of the single track not yet built.

We were also required to hike-a-bike for about 2 hours through some tough Aussie bushland. We ended up with 90km riding/walking, 3000 vertical metres and zero mechanicals (amazingly).

Two seconds before I took this shot, Rohin was looking a tad pissed, thinking of how much work is require to get this bush walking track up to scratch, but then he though how much fun it will be once the hard work is done.

This is the start/finish location for the event. The local are really getting behind the event. The aim is to get more Mountain bikers to the area to enjoy what they have to offer. Check out the event website, Big Hill Events.

New AyUp V4 kit Review...

2009-09-28T09:38:00.005+10:00

I got hold of AyUp's latest offering to MTB riders, the V4 kit, (there are other new kits available, check their website for details). The new look kit has moved these lights up a step on the WOW factor with the introduction of a custom water proof hard case. Gone is the seldom used neoprene pouch.

Open the box and you can really see how well they have done finishing the product off. Nicely cut out foam piece with hard plastic backing holds all the goodies in place.

Remove the top tray to revel another layer.

The other upgrades from the old kit include, stage batteries featuring high, low and flashing. You get 2 x 1/2 Epic and 1 x Epic, no longer called 3 and 6 hour due to the different power usage on different stages. There are two red caps to place over the lights to give you an ultra bright rear flasher. The very useful head torch band is included as is the gecko mounting system. All these upgrades make for a great value for money kit that will allow you to ride very fast at night. Also worth a mention is the fact that due to ever improving technology, the lights themselves are brighter without using any more battery power.

Be sure to stop past their new website and check out the video. I think you will be impressed with this package. I have not included a full review of how the light perform because my original review included all this.

EPIX...

2009-09-26T19:31:00.003+10:00

What a great day to be riding in Melbourne. We had hail, rain, and trails that at times resembled creeks, but most of all we had a whole heap of fun.

With about 14 riders starting, we only had one mechanical. Our humble leader for the day, Jason Jackson managed to snap his derailleur clean off the hanger (go figure, the hanger was still intack).

An attempt was made to keep him on the trails, but the swing arm needed more movement, so with a chain tentioner it wasn't going to happen.

Cam grabbing a well earned lift from Ash (a non started due to being soft, oops, I mean sick). Cam rode his single speed 29er for pretty much the whole 75km ride, only oppting for a short cut right towards the end. Bloody top effort.

Both EPIX boys in the truck. Better luck next time. Thanks for organising a great ride guys.

Fun trails. I have never ridden in the St Andrews area. I will return.

Thanks again for the lift home Brian.

The scene has been set...

2009-09-24T12:29:00.001+10:00

OK, the training has been done, the bike has been lubed and the course has been plotted (well, I hope so). This weekend is time for another episode with the Felt EPIX boys. These events are always a blast. Whether we get lost, muddy or extremely tired, it will be fun for all. Tune back next week and I will give you a run down on the whole ride. It will no doubt be a good hit out with only a couple of weeks to go before we head north again for the Scott 24 Hour.

Be safe out there..

2009-09-16T22:03:00.003+10:00

Many of you will know off fellow 24hr rider Jeff Toohey. I just received news that he was struck by a car yesterday morning and had spent some time in a coma. As a rider this is one of our worst fears, but you can't let this fear ruin you desire to ride. My thoughts and wishes go out to Jeff and his family, hoping a full and speedy recovery.

Funny stuff...

2009-08-29T19:59:00.002+10:00

I don't normally do this, but with a week with no wife (Robyn was at Deakin doing a residential unit) riding was kept to a bare minimum (about 1.5hrs). No riding news, so watch and laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4

2009-08-26T17:47:00.002+10:00

I just found these great pics from the weekends race. I was wearing AyUps new kit. Looks good hey?? Be sure to check out their new website, the newly released kit is proving to be very popular. I will give you my impressions shortly.

Great race...

2009-08-22T18:18:00.001+10:00

Well it's all over bar the drinking session in the bar tonight. It was a great race, the rain improved to course by a long was. The atmosphere was fantastic and fun was had by all (except the two competitors that were air lifted out...ouch).

Ben finished a credible 3rd in vets and 5th out right, (Hamish Elliot won in great style) I was about 9 mins behind Ben just out of top ten. I was pretty happy with that given the little riding I do. I have been motivated to get stuck into a little more riding and will see how things go give my current time constants... It is probably a good idea with races like the Scott 24 and Kona 24 coming up.

Big thanks to Andrew from AyUp for getting us up hear to sample racing in this regon. It has been great. Be sure to stay tuned I will post a review on the newly released AyUp V4 kit very soon, it has already proven to be the must have kit for '09.

Ready, set, go...

2009-08-21T17:43:00.001+10:00

The drive up was good, well as good as it can be anyway. The Hume dual carage way project is going to make a huge difference when finished.

We rode the full 50kn course today, there are some really good sections of single track out there. It's was a bit dry and dusty today, but it is now raining and the track should be in great condition for the 600 competitors to race on tomorrow.

As you can see from the pic, my knee is still a bit of a bother. The main issue is trying to keep it clean. It hurts a fair amount when riding also, but I won't let that slow me down.

Only 758km to go...

2009-08-20T11:12:00.000+10:00

Love the old road trip. This one has just begun. Plenty of riding to happen this weekend (I hope) all centred around wild horizons 3 ring circus bike festival in the southern highlands NSW. Should be fun...

The poor Hei Hei need some loving last night after it's mud bath last weekend. Smooth bike again, excellent.

Final CTS...

2009-08-17T10:39:00.003+10:00

Done. The series is over. Four races, four different courses at Lysterfield MTB Park and hundreds of happy riders. The final races ended up being a challenge just to finish. With tree destroying winds hitting Melbourne in the previous 24hrs the race start was delayed (and therefore shortened to 6 hrs) to allow race organises time to remove some of the debris off the course.

Things were looking good for a few hours, and the BAM, down came the rain. A few more changes were made to the course to make it a little more ridable. For me however, this helped little. My rear brake had become a victim to the wet sandy course (I also neglected to check pad wear in my bike prep....oops). Pulling the rear leaver to the bar did nothing. Navigating through a muddy course with only a front brake proved to be a difficult challenge, but I was determined to finish, no matter how hard it became. I needed to ditch the bike on two occasions when I had no chance if washing off enough speed to make a corner. On one of those occasions I took a nasty bash on my right knee, resulting a a messy muddy, bloody mix. Still I rolled around not totally sure where I was sitting in the field, but I wanted a good series result so I pushed on.

Ends up it was worth the pain. I finished the the day on the top of the box about one minute ahead of Scott Chancellor. And after some fortunate (or is that misfortunate) results from my competitors in the series points, I ended up taking out the series also.

Nice block of wood Ash...

Mid week muddiness

2009-08-05T21:12:00.001+10:00

I got out on the local trails tonight with Rohin Adams. Trails were in good condition given the rain we had last night. It has been a while since I have had a mud bash on the unit.

I had a little test ride on the world record attempt bike on sunday. I will try get the pics and a story up in the next couple days.

CTS Round 3

2009-07-26T20:18:00.003+10:00

I was a bit worried about doing this race. I often race under trained, but doing a six hour MTB race with less than three weeks of training in the legs is pushing it a bit. I through my camera in my pocket to give me an excuse to stop during the laps, but below is the only pic I too, it was on the start line. I was amazed with how I performed. The legs felt fresh and eager to go. I needed to hold back and stay comfortable to make sure I did no damage to my aging unfit body. I think I ended up in 4th or 5th only 25mins off the leader.

It was another well organised event, (even without Snozza keeping an eye on things) well done to the Full Gas team. The course they set for us was absolutely mud free and a whole lot of fun. The Hei Hei was a pleasure to ride as usually and didn't miss a beat.

BTW don't forget to check out the World 24 Hour website to see how the Aussies fared in Canada. They are due to finish while we sleep Sunday night.

Getting back into it...

2009-07-15T20:46:00.002+10:00

The plan was to do a couple weeks on the road to get some fitness back before I jump on the MTB. I ended up missing out on riding the Tour de Burbs Tuesday night so I decided to jump on the single speed Unit and hit the trails at Lysterfield. I needed to pick up my freshly serviced Hei Hei from Trailmix anyway, so this was to be a good plan. The trails were a little soggy, but the bike hooked up nicely and it was great to cruise around on the big wheels in the bush, in the middle of the day.

Finishing up at Trailmix is great. A perfect place to warm the body with a coffee after blasting the trails. BTW, make sure you get your entry in soon for the next round of CTS. Apparently they are filling up fast.

Yes, I'm still alive...

2009-07-10T09:53:00.004+10:00

Well, with almost a month off the bike completely, it's time to get back into it. I have my fingers crossed that my immune system is back to full strength. I plan on taking my return slow to make sure I stay in good health. While on my first ride back, I was thinking about all my years on the bike (I am currently in my 19th year of competitive cycling) and how lucky I have been with injury and sickness. From this perspective I can't complain at all. But it is good to be back.

Also newsworthy, it looks like my late entry attempt for the Wildside Tasmania Jan 2010 has been accepted. This and the world record attempt will definately keep me busy early in the new year. But in the meantime, I have booked a catch up with the AyUp boys next month at a NSW Event (Randall will make the trip up with me). At this stage August sees me at a MTB event four out of the five weekends plus CTS later this month. Should be fun...anyone know a good babysitter.

Feet are still up.....

2009-06-25T19:35:00.002+10:00

It has been a good move to stay off the bike. I am still feeling pretty average, and making the decision to not ride at all for a couple of weeks has eased the mind. I will probably get on the bike in time for the next CTS round, yeah.

I have been asked to fill the gap on my last post in regards to the 24 hour world record. Well, I don't have any pics or bike for that matter (it is still being built). But what I can provide is a little insight to what is required to try on such a feet. If you follow this link you can read about the current world record holder. He is a bit of a machine, not only on the bike, but many other modes of transport. So, with any luck, I will have a bike to test soon and things will become a bit more real. But for now it is back to yelling at the kids to go back to bed and catching up on some good old TV.

Down Time...

2009-06-18T19:59:00.005+10:00

I thought I had better leave a quick note. It has been a tough few weeks (maybe even 5) with sickness getting me down. I was starting to feel good yesterday, so I went out with the Fatties for a few hours on the MTB and today I have taken a backwards step and am all blocked up again. I need to make a decision, do I take a week off and recover or train through? Decisions, decisions....

On a more positive note, I have just about locked in a date for a crack at the world 24hr record on a bike (only 1050kms). It will probably happen at Lang Lang, Holdens testing ground. I might even get out on the record attempting bike this weekend to see how it is progressing.

CTS 5hr...

2009-06-01T08:28:00.001+10:00

Another great event run by Full Gas Promotions. This event saw the move of event head quarters to the Lysterfield Lake area using Trailmix as the centre. With a capacity field (400 I think) and about 130 hunters missing out on entering, this series is become the must do events on the enduro calendar. With this race being the shortest in the four race series, the numbers in the solo categories were huge. A great stepping stone to the big event, the Kona 24hr. I know of quite a few riders using the Kona as their introduction to solo 24hr racing. One of which took out the girls solo category, well done Annie.

As for my race yesterday, I was super happy with how things went. Lap times were very consistent, leg felt great and I showed no signs of blowing up.... I think I even jumped two places in the final lap or two, which put me in a very respectful 4th. Now if I can only find 6-10 more hours in the week to train I might be right up on the heals of the front runners. Keeping in mind this distance of event isn't what I am known for.

I will add some pics when they surface.

Bendigo Pics...

2009-05-27T08:43:00.004+10:00

Here's a few pics from the weekends race in Bendigo. Thanks Tim (MTB-Images). Racing went well, even though I needed two 20 minute power naps just to get to the start. Guess I am still not over the flu I have been struggling with lately. Anyway, I rode a nice consistent, comfortable race and will hopefully be backing it up this Sunday in the CTS 5hr at Lysterfeild. See you there.

Putting the hurt down..haha.

A big thanks goes out to John and his team at Bendigo MTB club for putting on another great event. I wish I had a back yard like that, it rocked.

To race or not to race?

2009-05-23T19:50:00.001+10:00

With a week of the whole family feeling very unwell, including myself, I was contemplating no racing in the Bendigo 6 hour tomorrow. My throat has been extremely sore and the sinuses have been blocked solid since wednesday.

After having a chat to Robyn, it was decided I would go and race. Even if I roll around and enjoy a great course, i'll be there.

Play time...

2009-05-17T19:37:00.002+10:00

Today I heading into Randall's play ground. It is easy to see why he loves coming out here. Lots of fun, REAL MTB trails.

This is a great bridge, bush inginuity at it's best.

Not everyone enjoyed their time in this bush land.

My view for most of the ride. It is always fun trying to hold his wheel on the tricky rocky decents. Perfect terain for the Kona 120 with it's 120mm through axil Reba's.

SRAM update...

2009-05-16T12:54:00.002+10:00

As many will know I have been using SRAM XO on my two race bike for a little while now. I am loving the slick, fast shifting and ultra reliable performance in muddy conditions. It is a welcome change.

A couple week ago I was flung this 2010 X9 rear Derailleur. It has totally been revamped. The design looks sweet. The finish is top notch.

The biggest advantage of the new design is how the profile of the derailleur is reduced by about 10-15mm. Fitting between rocks and the like without damaging your equipment will now be a bit easier.
To achieve this the cable now routes behind the main body. It gives the derailleur a total new look and allows for the reduction of the profile. As far as shifting goes, pure SRAM. I could not tell the difference when I replace my XO.

It has been on the agenda for a little while now, but I finally replace my old road group set with SRAM Force. Yet to be ridden but first thoughts are WOW. For the fun of it I weighed every item as it came off the bike and compared it with it's replacement. Every Force item was lighter than the Ultergra item excepting a 20 gram gain in the bottom bracket and equal weight of the cassette. Total saving was about 300 grams. Doesn't sound like much, but at the end off the day these two group sets are competing for sales and I know 300 grams would make a big difference when is comes to laying down your hard earned cash.

Anyone up for a ride in the rain?

2009-05-09T10:53:00.000+10:00

This morning I rolled out the door for a bit of an unknown ride. I had a couple of choices, Hell ride, or the Spoken ride. It didn't stop raining all the way to beach road, with this rain I knew the Hell ride was not an option (even if anyone decided to turn up) because it would be no fun sucking on someone else's wheel spray flat out for two hours. So I decided to find the Spoken boys, do you think I could? Not a chance

Did another lap chasing triathletes, then rolled home. I saw this sign, thought it was appropriate for a wet saturday morning on the roads, straight to the point, I like it...

Family fun...

2009-05-03T22:55:00.004+10:00

I am on the mend. The stitches in my finger have been removed (it wasn't very exciting, all I did was slashed it with a new stanley knife), and I am over my chest infection. So it is now time to start riding again. Today I hooked up with new sponsor boss Rob Eva (Mr SRAM), team mate Evan Franzke and James Maebus (Torq) and headed up into the Nongs on the mtb's. It was a great ride, over many trails I have never done. The legs felt ok, and I am hoping this is the begining of some good fitness.

On top of the world...well maybe not.

Getting up there isn't always easy.

I was downloading some pics from my camera today and found this little video. Before you say we should be wearing helmet, I know, but in my defence we were on private property.

oops....

2009-04-23T14:25:00.001+10:00

Single speed or in the dog for 8hrs?

Update your blog you fool...

2009-04-22T22:44:00.002+10:00

Sorry, I haven't been very good lately at updating my blog. I have been a bit busy and also unwell and off the bike, so nothing bike related to write about. I finally got out on the bike tonight, first time since feeling very short of breath nearly two weeks ago out at Randall's play ground. The lungs are feeling better now, but the legs have lost a bit of strength. At this stage I am planning to roll down to the Chase The Sun 8hr this Sunday to get some k's in the legs. I plan on keeping it easy and will stop if the body tells me it has had enough. By all reports in should be a great bash in the mud and cold.

I have neglected to give my race report from the Mont 24 a few weeks back. Most of you will know we won the six man team. Evan has given a good report over on his blog. All I would like to add is that I was very happy with how I rode. I think I had two minutes between my fastest and slowest laps, 3 day laps and 3 night laps and I also was able to keep my quickest lap till last. It was great fun relaxing and enjoying the event with my Kona team mates. On a side note, Jayden also enjoyed the weekend (except for the driving). He was able to get back on the bike for the first time in a while. He has been in a full plaster cast on his arm and his bike had been side lined for a bit.

NZ 24h wrap up..

2009-04-09T21:06:00.004+10:00

It's about time I gave the full story on my race in NZ a few weeks back. Looking back, it seems a bit funny that I was actually going over to race a solo 24hr MTB event. Usually these events suck up a lot your thoughts, and rightfully so, they demand a lot of respect. However, I believe I was too relaxed going into this event. The day before, Robyn and myself traveled the best part of 12 hours to arrive in the car park of the race site in Rotorua NZ. We pulled up in our 6 birth camper, set up our bed and went to sleep. I had a very solid 10hours sleep without any of the usually pre race tossing and turning. We woke up to a glorious day and plenty of time to get set up and wait for the other AyUp boys to arrive. All seemed fine, nothing to worry about.

The bikes got built, the body got primed and the race start rolled around with hardly a thought about what I was getting myself in for. I didn't even roll a slow lap. A short Le Mans start got the event started, Andy Fellow (racing in the 12hr event), Thomas Lindup and the winner Tony Hog blasted off the front with myself moving nicely just behind them. Not too much changed for the next 6 hour or so. Thomas had a bike hiccup, putting him in the back seat needing to do some work to get back into the race. Fellows lapped nicely off my wheel and Tony continued to smash the field apart.
Everything seemed fine. I became comfortable in second place, still well within striking distance of the leader. I was lapping very consistently, feeling I had a good grip on the race. Then, all of a sudden, I hit the wall. I dropped 15mins in the final 1/4 of the 16th lap. I decided to pop a no doze (I usually don't use any form of caffeine) and continue on. This ended up being a huge mistake. Half way around I could hardly even balance on two wheels. I nearly came off too many times so I needed to ride the fire road back to camp and call in a night. By the time I got back, my body temperature had dropped to a dangerous level. I was fine lapping around with arm warmers in the 4 or 5 degree temperatures, but once my heart rate had dropped, I started to feel the cold of the NZ night.

At this stage, I needed to make a decision, call it quits or get back out on the bike and ride myself into second place. With the Mont 24 on the following weekend and my body not feeling like sitting on a bike seat any more, I sat the rest of the race out.

It was a similar story for the other AyUp boys also. With the exception of Andy Fellows coming away with an easy win in the 12hr. Mark crashed out breaking a rib and struggling to breath while Matt crashed breaking a collar bone. The pain became too much for him after trying to continue racing. Better luck next time hey.

Pop's bike on show...

2009-04-07T16:10:00.003+10:00

For those who live/visit Melburne and are interested in seeing my Pop's bike in the flesh, drop into Spoken in St Kilda and check it out.

winners...

2009-04-05T14:31:00.000+10:00

Mont 24...hear we come.

2009-04-03T17:30:00.000+11:00

Sorry, I have been meaning to post so many things, but it has been a busy week. Had to unpack from NZ, work, then pack for the Mont. I will get back on track soon. But for now, i'm going racing.

NZ in brief...

2009-03-29T16:12:00.002+11:00

It ended up being a tough day/night on the bike. 16 hours in and my body was desperate for sleep, so much so it was waaaay to dangerous on that course for me to continue. So I decided to pull the pin. I was awarded 3rd Solo Male in the end, and I think I might need to plan a longer training block than three weeks before I attempt another 24 solo.

Not much to report....

2009-03-20T13:01:00.004+11:00

With just over a week to go until racing in NZ I don't have very much to report. I have begun my taper and have only been on the bike once this week. The family is a little sick so I am not getting much sleep either, which isn't ideal. On the plus side I took the SRAM equipped 120 out on Wednesday night, and it was fantastic. The 20mm front axle will live up to expectations. BTW, if you look over in my Garage you will see I have some 08 SLR's for sale (I might even have some 09 ones also, if you ask nicely). I have also listed my almost brand new Ultegra group set. Grab them before I off load on ebay to someone outside of my Blog.
Worth a look is Jim Hsu's Travel Blog. I have been riding with Jim for years now and this trip had him on a big high, a truly once in a lifetime ride. Good on ya Jim.

SRAM...

2009-03-17T16:11:00.003+11:00

Well, it's all official, I am now riding SRAM components on my bikes. I have been thinking about it for a while now and since the Kona team has been linked in with Shimano since forever I was not sure if it would actually happen.

I have been riding on the new Rock Shox SID's since the Scott last year and have been loving them. I decided with the longer travel Kona 120, to go the ever reliable Reba's with 20mm through axle. Mavic make a SLR to suit so I have not gained any weight, but the advantages are huge. The beauty of the RockShox system is it is a true quick release. I reckon I can remove the front wheel quicker than with standard quick release.

I opted to go with XO trigger. Teamed up with a Matchmaker, I still only have one band around the bars, even on the side holding the remote lock out leaver, how good is that...Also looking forward to abusing the new Avid Elixir CR brakes, they really look the business.

Product Review - Mavic Cycling Shoes (Chasm & Zxellum)

2009-03-14T21:09:00.005+11:00

I have now been wearing these shoes enough to pass on my comment. Firstly a bit of a back ground on me, enduro racing and mtb shoes. In my first 24 hour solo race, I killed the nail on my big toe on my right foot. This was caused by a combination of things but mainly due to shoes that became to tight under the conditions (very hot and riding for a stupidly long period). I had numbness in my toe for 4 month, and ever since I have had a second pair of shoes in the pits just in case my first pair get uncomfortable. Since starting to ride in the Mavic Chasm mtb shoes I have noticed what a difference a great fitting shoe makes. Don't get me wrong, I have always used good quality shoes, but these just seem to give a superior fit both on the solo of your foot and across the top of the foot. I'll start with the sole. It is made of a full piece of carbon fibre, this gives them a great amount of stiffness. The grip on the sole is supplied by rubber (not plastic like most shoes). This makes the very forgiving when walking in them. It also provides better grip on rocky terrain. The upper portion of the shoe is made of a very soft synthetic material. They have a cool looking leather finish with plenty of breathable mesh sections.

I have found the top to be so comfortable that I am wearing a half size smaller shoe to give me a good snug fit and better power transfer. The harness system (very similar to my old Adidas Adistar shoes) is excellent. The top strap has ratchet adjustment for ease of use on the fly and the bottom two steps are fool proof velco. Another handy addition is the supplied brass plates that sit between the cleat and the solo. There is two different thicknesses to suit all pedals and give a perfect connection. They also act as protection against wear on you sole from rubbing on the outside of the pedal (especially good for egg better uses). Bottom line is these shoe a great. They have everything you would want in a race shoe or even an all day trail shoe. I even think I will stop taking a second set of shoes to races they are that good. I forgot to mention they are light, very light.

I would also like to touch on the Zxellium Road shoes also. These are not for the person who doesn't want to be noticed (I believe the yellow version is only a limited edition, there are also some more subtle models available in the Mavic like up). I have never used a product that has drawn as much attention as these shoes. I have found them to be as comfortable as the mtb shoes. The are stiff, light and seem to have a great power transfer. All day rides on the road bike now give me no foot discomfort whatsoever.

o as far as I am concerned they are a fantastic shoe. Also worth a mention for both models is the handy inclusion of lines on the sole to make setting cleat up a cinch. I don't think they are in many shops yet, but if you go to your favorite bike shop they should be able to order a set in for you.

News exclusive...

2009-03-13T16:19:00.001+11:00

More details soon.

Shut up and ride...

2009-03-09T19:17:00.002+11:00

This long weekend I needed to just get out and ride. I have never been a fan of riding on tired legs, so a long weekend gives the opportunity to have a day off between rides.
Saturday morning I decided to get out nice and early with Clackers. We got two climbs in in the Dandenongs before rolling down for the hell ride. It was a good test for the body, I was able to keep the intensity high and even got to roll turns up the front for a while.

Today was a perfect day for a long mtb hit out. Lucky the pink boys had plans that included myself. Starting from richmond we (there was 12 of us in total) rode the entire mullum loop (about 80k's). Chuck in the 20 odd k's from home and back, gave me a very long in the saddle. The best bit was the fact that my body was good to take on the challenge. Two more weeks of training and I think I will be ready to take on the NZ boys on their turf.

Short and sweet...

2009-02-28T10:51:00.000+11:00

Today a short mtb ride was on the menu. Thanks to Jayden braking his arm, I needed to keep it real short to get back in time for his doctors appointment. Jase recommended bring out he long travel and for good reason, there were plenty of fast step runs, rocks and roots to bounce off. I'm sure the Felt Epix boys will do a good ride breakdown with more photos over on their blog, so pop on over and check it out.

I won't bother mentioning to painful assents required to get the full effect of the down hill, cause we all know that's what mtb'ing is all about. It is always worth it.

Training tools...

2009-02-24T11:10:00.001+11:00

Yesterday I got me a new training tool. Jackson has been waking up really early (5:30) lately, so I decided it would be a good idea to get him out in the fresh air. The only problem is if the trail is't sealed I need to go very slow. We go out for an hour this morning and will try and get out most mornings.

Lysterfield under attack...

2009-02-23T18:44:00.001+11:00

Rides have been few and far between lately. I've just finish my third course of antibiotics after developing a massive saddle sore following the dusk til dawn. In total that gives me three rides in three weeks. I think it is fair to say I am a little worried about racing the NZ 24hr National Championships in five week. I made it out on the hell ride on Saturday morning and the butt was still a tad sore and the legs felt unfit but I will soldier on and hope for the best.

Today I went out to Lysterfield (avoiding the weekend crowds) for a very short roll around on the Unit. I am planning on getting on the bike a little more often over the next few weeks, even if it is only for an hour or so.

Now as I watch the news I see that Lysterfield is under attack from a fire. Good luck to all those currently under attack from the fires around the state. Both my parents and my brothers properties are under threat. Its all just a bit too close to home really.

The finished product...

2009-02-16T21:55:00.005+11:00

Well, finally myself and my Uncle Richie finished Pop's bike restoration (you can see some other posts of the restoration by using the short cuts on the right). We were all in Tassie for the weekend to celebrate Charz's (my grandmothers) 80th birthday. This is the reason for the lack of posts on this subject, it was a huge surprise to Charz that the bike was finished. It was a great feeling to see here reaction to the job we had done on it.

I thought I would post a reminder of what it looked like when I first received it about two years ago.

We had the bike at the RSL where the party was held. It was a great talking piece and a good opportunity to show to everyone in the family. This is Charz, she is still full of beans and loves to reminisce the old times.

Myself and Richie at the New Norfolk cycle track where Pop used to race.That is the old club rooms in the back ground. We know also know the build date of the bike. It was custom built for Pop in 1946. It was his most cherished possession and was very well looked after.