In my last post I made mention that a challenge was laid down to me and how it pushed me to new highs. This challenge was (ironically enough given it was held today)- The Baw Baw Classic road race.
It all came about because I was moaning about having to loose weight on Facebook and how I was struggling with it. I "naturally" received a whole bunch of "advice" which, well meaning as it was, was all unhelpful ultimately and a bit frustrating. In the end, Jono Lovelock contacted me and said that I should ignore what was being suggested to me and to just follow what I did to originally loose weight as I knew it worked for me. He also laid down a challenge to me to do the Baw Baw Classic road race as a goal to work towards.
At first I said no way, given the horror stories I had read about it including the tales of many many riders walking up the final climb or taking an hour to ride the last 6km. But being the cheeky bugger that Jono is, he kept teasing me till I took his bait and said yes. However I put one proviso on my taking the bait- when (yes, "when".. positive thinking and all that) I made it to the top, I was going to hunt him down and PUNCH him in the arm for making me do the race.
For those of you who don't know about this race, its an open race over about 100km and it finishes at the top of Mt Baw Baw. Mt Baw Baw is a 6km climb at an average of about 12% gradient. This is STEEP and given that it climbs some tough climbs even before you get to the base, its one tough mofo of a race and something that does NOT suit heavier riders.
And so I had a goal to work towards and one that I knew was going to take a ton of hard work. But I had a plan in place and I set forth to achieve my goal.
At first I told very few people about my goal as I didn't want or need everyone telling me to do this or that. I felt confidant in my plan and I was going to follow my instinct.
I started with plenty of hilly rides- Kinglake, Mt Dandenong and such of the weekends with plenty of MRR rides during the week, with the occasional ATOS rides Thursday nights. Interspersed with this was some Tuesday night rides to Mordi and back with a FAST bunch where I got stronger and stronger, even leading out to the final sprint (couldn't contest- some serious A grade legs in that bunch and I know my limits).
I was getting stronger and faster and I knew it. My weight was also dropping, getting down to 92kg's and feeling better for it). My road races late in the season were good even if my finish in the bunch at the end wasn't podiums or anything, I was a strong worker all race, making break away attempts and chasing down multiple breakaways. My finish didn't matter to me- my work effort was more important to me and for that I felt awesome.
Then one Saturday I set forth to do the Crucifix- a ride that takes in multiple climbs of Mt Dandenong to which I added a few extra climbs for added effect. I did 90% of the ride solo, having said my goodbye to my starting group at the top of the 1:20. I paced myself and finished strong with a total ride of 150km and almost 3km of vertical assent.
But my highlight was an ATOS ride one Thursday night in early October when I was at the front 1/3rd all ride, climbing each climb very strong and powering all the way to the finish, receiving few compliments from other riders after the finish line. Hell yeah! That felt good.
But then it ALL went to shit in one mistake one Wednesday evening.
I was racing the Hawthorn crits on the Kew Boulevard in C-Grade. I was feeling very strong with one rider off the front about 100mts away. He wasn't getting away and I was well within my comfort zone, even though I was doing a fair bit of work on the front.
So as we came into the hairpin in second wheel I decided to put some pressure on up the climb out of the corner to drop off any slackers who were just wheel sucking and to pull the break away in. As I exited he corner I took a tight line and with hands in the drops and standing out of the saddle to power up the climb, I saw a dropped A grader about 40 mts ahead up the hill. "No probs" I thought, "I wont catch him till at least the top of the climb" and I put my head down and poured on the power. So away I go, pedal, pedal, pedal and just as I lift my head to take in the coming bend I see mr A-grader riding at 5kph and just 2mts in front of me!
BANG!
I went straight into the back of him and my world was turned on its head like never before. After the blur that was the crash I was left laying on the ground, feet still clipped in, not quite knowing what was up and down. My arms were searing in pain and my head and neck were feeling very much the worse for wear.
My first thought was one of embarrassment to be honest given I had caused this crash by running into another rider. I remember thinking I hope the guy I hit is ok but then my own pain took over and I was getting a bit freaked out. A bunch of people came running to my aid and they seemed very concerned about me.
I distinctly remember doing a limb check as I lay on the ground- wiggle left foot; tick. Wiggle right foot; tick. Wiggle right fingers; not great but movement was felt- tick. Wiggle left fingers.... wiggle left fingers...... err... "left fingers.. I'm asking you to wiggle... please"...... finally a tiny movement from my index finger and I figured that would do for now.
As I lay there I saw Lisa looking over me as I started to breath fast as I struggled with my pain. A mate was comforting her which eased me a little but oh shit, my arms were in such pain I can't describe it. Think really bad pins and needles and magnify that by 1000!
In my mind I had bones shattered in my arms, sticking out of the skin, given my lack of feeling in my hands. I though- oh this is BAD.
Finally, after what seemed a long wait an ambulance turned up and there was a lot of questions asked of me about my forehead. I didn't feel anything and wondered why they were asking me about it when my arms were my cause for worry. It wasn't till I saw my face in a mirror several days later that I saw the cause for their concern (and this was after the swelling had gone down). Eventually they put me in a neck collar and took me to hospital.
There was drugged up (thankfully), put through test after test and scans and more. I think the worst test was when the specialist stuck a finger up my bum hole to test my muscles down there. "It's ok" I protested, "its working fine- trust me" I said over and over, but no- they were having none of that. I had to be tested. *shudder*
All the while I was immobilised in the neck collar which was pretty painful and caused me to suffer from anxious moments of claustrophobia. To say I was scared was an understatement.
In the end my arms were just ripped to shreds by the bouli road surface and the terrible pain was actually caused by the nerves in my neck when I hit my head on the front on the very forward tip of my helmet, causing my neck to hyper extend backwards with sever bruising and swelling of the spinal cord. This caused such pressure on the nerves down my arms (and in particular my left side) that I couldn't have ANYTHING touch my arms/hand at all. Even the lightest of touch from a sheet was too much to bare.
And so after 3 days flat on my back, unable to move or do anything for myself, I finally got the all clear that nothing was broken and was allowed to move to a soft collar and finally allowed to sit up,move about and- go home!!
I know that I got off lightly but for me, it was a huge shock and I was shit scared all through it.
The end result of this was 10 weeks off the bike, right when I was starting to really power from strength to strength.
FUCK!
(to be continued...)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Long overdue update - pt2
A long overdue update - Pt 1
Well, it's been a while since I last posted on my blog but none the less, here I am, still alive (just- more on that later) and still cycling.
Hmm.. what's been happening since my last post? Well a lot and not a lot really. My riding and weight loss has hit a wall after a series of setbacks including a loss of self confidence, loss of motivation (loss of confidence = loss of motivation) and a pretty scary crash in October 2009.
But I'll go back to my last post and try and recap what I've been up to since then shall I?
Well 2009 road season was a bit average for me. I did a few road races, got dropped on some and finished strong at others.
A the 3DT I rode ok in the first stage but got shuffled to the rear of the pack on the final climb which was ok enough as I had plenty of time to move back forward before the finish sprint however the pack was so tightly bunched there was no room for me to make my way through (unless I wanted to cross the center line of the road which I made sure I didn't- unlike some other riders *cough cough*).
It wasn't until the pace really picked up in the last 1 km was I able to find room, moving from the tail to the top 1/3rd. I was bit annoyed as I felt like I had TONS of kick in my legs but I just couldn't find space to put it to use. I found out after that a few guys went WAY over the center line in the road (a big no-no) during the sprint (right in front of the officials) and they didn't get pinged for it! WTF?! Yet I was trying to ride fair, picking my gaps, waiting for space and I even called to 2 riders ahead that had a 1.5mt gap between them that I was "coming through the middle", yet I got a talking too. Hmm... Selective officialdom me thinks.
Anyway, I was very happy to finish so strongly and was feeling optimistic for the remaining stages.
Stage 2 was the TT and I had never done a TT before. I rode ok I guess but not what I was hoping for. I finished about middle of the times for C-Grade.
Stage 3 and I just never felt strong. It was cold and wet and miserable. Normally I would relish the conditions but this day I just felt shite and it showed. As we came to the first climb of the second lap, the pack put some pressure on and my legs did not respond. I gritted my teeth, curled my toes and tried to ignore the pain in my legs but all I saw was the bunch pull away from me. I tried in vain to keep the power on over the top of the climb and decent to try and reel them back in but the bunch just got smaller and smaller up the road and then our follow vehicle went around me which totally crushed my spirit.
As I rode along it was a battle in my mind to keep going. I was cold, alone, demoralised and I then dropped my glasses on a fast down hill. Given I was done for I went back to get the glasses. As I picked them up off the empty country road, a rider came screaming down the hill and abused the fuck out of me. Mind you, this guy had a empty country road with a 1km line of sight of me, a ton of room to go around me and was also minutes off the back of the bunch. The thing was I was trying to get the glasses quickly so I could join with him to work together... but yeah.. fuck you too mate!
As I approached Lancefield to begin my 3rd lap I was beaten! I was shivering from the cold, my legs had given up and mentally I was a mess (see photo at the top of this post). I pulled out and cried as I rode very slowly back to the staging area where our car/gear was set up. I felt so bad for pulling out- bad for feeling unable to go on and bad for giving up. I just wanted to hide from the world so badly and I felt embarrassed to ride so feebly.
And so my 3 Day Tour was over for me with the 4th stage still to come. So home I went, tail between my legs, wondering what to do next. I knew hills were my weakness and I had to loose more weight (I was stuck on 98kg for the past 12 months).
And then a challenge was laid down to me, one that would drive me on to new heights and ultimately, an all time low... (see part 2 coming up next).
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I'm back baby!
Wow! I really suprised myself this weekend with my riding. After a fucking shitful week at work of working from 8am till well after midnight, I hardly got any cycling in at all (1.5 commutes). So I headed into the weekends riding worrying I had bugger all in me. I needen't have worried after all.
It all started with the monthly Franger Fang BBC ride. The BBC (Belgian Beer Cafe in St Kilda) has a "cycling club" which is basically a chance to pay $30 per year which gives you some vouchers and a free monthly breakfast.
The BV forum does a ride that ends at the BBC at 9am with 3 groups riding different distances/speeds- Black Rock (30km @ mid 20's kph average speed), Mordi (50km @ high 20's kph average) and Frankston (80km @ 30+ kph average).
Anyway, PDL and i meet up with 2 others (Blybo and Weeeee) at the start point- back of Luna Park @ 6am and set off south.
We started off sitting mid 30's and as we gobbled up riders ahead of us, we developped a mini peleton beind us of assorted wheel suckers! After Black Rock we upped the pace a bit with everyone doing some work on the front, dropping our followers, hill by hill. Turning into the long straight drag towards Mordi. I put on my Jen Voight (check out the link and watch from 1:28 on if you don't get the in joke) persona and started pounding out the k's on the front in the mid 40's. Ohh... that hurt a little.
No stopping at Mordi so straight on towards Franger with a run straight down the Nepean and once again we had another mini peleton of riders sitting in behind us as we kept up in the mid 30's, with us 4 all taking turns on the front.
At Frankston turn around point (the servo), PDL, Blybo and I waited for Weee to go do his nerdy geo-cashing thing. While waiting, two guys turned up at the servo, one all decked out in Liquigas kit and on a VERY nice looking Time bicycle. Uber bling! He asked us if we could give him a tow back and we all laughed. I took one look at him and figured he could prob blow us away. LOL
The 2 bling guys left before us so us 4 took off for the Mordi return leg and started doing track turns, sitting mid to high 30's. Ahead we could see the 2 bling guys and as I went past them I yelled out for them to "jump on". We kept doing track turns just the 4 of us till the 2 new guys started joining in the turns but I'll be dammed- they couldn't match our pace once then got to the front. So in the end Mr Liquigas dropped off after one turn on the front, while his mate kept trying to do turns with us as I "encouraged" the group to try pick it up and stick to 40kph. Hey- it ain't called a "fang" fer nufin!
As Mordi started to come into sight I let PDL know I was gonna take off and as my moment came, I clicking it up 2 gears, jumped out of the saddle and pull the trigger to hit 57kph in the final 1km run into Mordi. Woohoo! That was fuuuuuun!
After the Mordi stop we started off a bit slow as our legs had cooled off. It wasn't until we hit the Mentone Hotel that we started to get back into the groove and with Weeee not having the legs to go on with it, it was just Blybo and I doing turns on the front till we past the 2 Richmond Cyclery guys.
Then it was myself and the 2 RC guys swapping turns all the way back to St Kilda with PDL putting a few turns in as well. I have no idea what was going on behind me as the pace was well into the 40's now and with only the 3 of us doing 90% of the work, it was a solid workout indeed.
Turned the bend into the final straight towards St Kilda and I went off the front to hammer the last bit out of my legs towards the BP servo, hitting mid 50's till my legs said no more. I was surprised that PDL was not far behind me as the pace had really been on. Top effort!
PDL and I kept up a solid pace the rest of the way to BBC and arrived at 8:45am (and then proceeded to ride up and down the BBC paths, practising some skills) with an average for the ride of over 35kph for about 80-ish km's. Pretty happy with that.
---
The following day was SKCC crit racing at Port Melb. I was a bit tired from the previous day and didnt really feel that great pre race but figured it was my last crit for the season so I may as well give it a go.
I started out sitting in the bunch in the high 30's and into the low 40's and was surprised to be feeling ok. Then 4 gys made a minor break so I jumped onto the back of them, and looking back I saw we had a bit of a break on the peleton, so I yelled to the group "we have a break, there is 5 of us, lets work together and go for it".
So we went to work, but unfortunatly only 3 of us were doing (or able to) do the work and we were gobbled up surprisingly quick bythe peleton. :( So I sat back in the bunch for a while to recover a bit after putting in a bit of hard work.
After a bit of sitting in with the bunch doing high 30's/low 40's I looked up to see that 2 guys had jumped off the front by a good 100mts. I looked around the bunch and no one was showing any signs of wanting to chase so I leaped out of the saddle and set sail to chase down the breakaway.
Thankfully no one seemed to be going with me and after about 3 laps with me gritting my teeth and making a pure pain face, I caught up to the 2 man break away. Unfotunatly, just about at the same time, the bunch caught up to me also so my lone chase was for nothing. Argh!
So I settled in for a bit of rest and recovery after the previous efforts. About this time I looked down to my computer to see how long we had to go and saw that my #+!@#$#ing computer wasnt reading a thing! A quick look over at the rider next to me and I saw he had a nice looking Polar computer so I asked him what our time was and I was suprised to hear we only had about 10-15 mins to go.
A quick fiddle with my computer got it working again and either the rider told me the wrong info, or the race organisers got it wrong becase we races for a good while longer.
Along the way there was a few hairy moments with a young guy on a Specialized almost running me and Derek into the wall around the back and him changing lines out of the first corner too. He was in front of me so I yelled out "hey young feller on the Specialized, hold your line mate" and to which her drifted over on me which saw me hitting one of the traffic cones with my foot. Grrr..
Anyway, we finally got the bell lap and I was positioned about 10th as we started the last lap. Around the tight bumpy corners, Derek was just ahead of me so I said to him jokingly, "give me a leadout Derek" to which he replied- "nah I've got nothing" LOL. So I clicked up 2 gears and set off around the outside, passing the whole pack and catching up to the two on the front. Up past the roadworks, I went straight past 2nd place and was pulling in 1st at a great rate of knots to my total amazement!!
Around the last corner I was carrying more corner speed than the guy in first so I went around him but he drifted wide, wider and even wider till I was almost in the gutter. We were so wide I had to ride throught a cut up gravely bit of road normally way off the racing line and around the 1st place rider. However I had gone so wide, a rider cut inside of us and up the inside. I gave it my all to try and; 1. catch the rider a bike length ahead of me and; 2. keep the dogs behind me at bay! I put my head down and just pounded the pedals as hard as I could, totally stuffed since I had already been sprinting for 500mts! The line was ahead of me and I was praying for it to arrive before I ran out of legs. 10 mts to go and I could see riders either side of me in my peripheral vision so I threw the bike forward at the line and was thrilled and amazed to have taken 2nd in C-grade for my first C-grade podium and with 1st only a bike length ahead of me. WOOHOO!
Had a bit of a chat to the guy who finished 4th and the guy who won after the race and it was good to meet more of my competitors. I love racing hard but fair and being able laugh about it afterwards with my fellow competitors.
Next week for the club champs I will be marshalling and then it's into the road season. I'm looking forward to the suffering after my recent long fast paced road rides. To start with, if I can finish with the C-grade bunch in a road race I will be thrilled. My aim is to finish at the pointy end by the end of the RR season, with the aim to make it into B-grade during next crit season. I think (hope) its achiveable. Lets wait and see. :D
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Vidman V's Glenvale Rd
Just something I should have posted ages ago, this is a short video of an insane hill climb in Ringwood, Melbourne.
Head out along Marongah Hwy towards Ringwood, turing off at Deek Creek Road. Turn down a few side streets and you will find yourself on Glenvale Rd. Approching from the south and riding noth, you find yourself atthe top of the BIG hill and its mighty intimidating. Lets just say, I would NOT go down it in the wet.
Anyway, this is a video of my second attempt to climb this hill eariler in 2008. To put this hill into persepctiove, one of my mates with a Garmin 305 said his data pointed to the hill running at about 25% graidient. Its not long, but its scary steep. REAL SCARY!
A group of us did this hill as part of a crazy hill loop late in 2008, however it was a wet, rainy day that day and climbing this hill was slightly on the insane side. the whole way up I was fighting wheel spin, having to be careful with my pedal strokes. It was so bad that only 2 of us rode up with the rest of the group sensible enough to walk up.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Lisa's new bike - BLING!
With the aussie dollar dropping so badly and all bikes sky rocketing in price, we decided we should bite the bullet and upgrade Lisa's bike ASAP.
After MUCH shopping about and several test rides (its hard to find a shop that has high end bikes to test ride in Lisa's small size), we eventually settled on a 2009 Scott Addict R3 at a ripper price from Melbourne Bicycle Center in Prahran.
Lisa did test ride several "woman's specific" bikes but in truth, their geometry is hardly different to the men's bikes and the female graphics and colours did little to thrill Lisa (who wants a serious race bike with swirls and flowers on it?).
We had to make a judgment call on the fit based purely on the geometry as compared to other bikes Lisa test rode and her current bike, but it turned out a perfect fit, just as we thought.
We had the shop swap the bars to FSA Wing Pro compact bars in 38cm (same as her current bike). Unfortunately the 38cm don't come in white so we had to have them painted (see below). We also had the shop swap the stock 100mm black Ritchey stem for a white Ritchey stem in 90mm to fit Lisa's reach better.
We went with the white stem because we had plans to bling up the bike with the bars painted white and the headset spacers also painted white to match in. A friend from the BV forum is a professional spray painter so we had him to the bars and stem spacers and he did an awesome job. Thanks Johan! Unfortunately, I managed to put a small scratch in the white bars when fitting them so some touching up is required. Bummer! :(
Then we fitted some nice white bottle cages we found on Ebay (nice find, clean design, work well, glossy plastic and best of all- cheap!).
The stock Scott saddle was swapped for a new Selle Italia SLK Lade Gelflow saddle which is the same model as on Lisa's old bike and its a perfect fit for her tush to rest on!
While shopping for bits online, I came across some metallic gold bar tape from Cinelli that looked like it would match the gold on the frame, so we purchased that. Lisa was a bit apprehensive at first but I (and most of our friends) think it looks awesome (and Lisa is starting to like it now).
I also came across some bling bits and pieces from Purely Custom including champagne colored bottle cage bolts...
and champagne cable ends...
a champagne stem bolt, and best of all, a champagne spacer with diamantes in it (Lisa LOVES this which was a surprise present from me).
A bike this nice deserves everything to be sleek and quality so we brought a Knog Bullfrog rear light which fits really well and is brighter than we thought, plus a Fenix torch for the front light with a Twofish lockblock bike mount to hold it safe and snug to the bars. To power the lights, we brought some decent rechargeable batteries to power it all economically. Sorted!
A Topeak carbon mini pump was purchased and a Pro storage bottle to hold tubes/tools/pump was chosen rather than a saddle bag to keep things clean and neat.
Koolstop dual compound brake pads were fitted to the front brake right from the start for better stopping power and the cables were shortened to tidy things up. 
Shimano's 8 degree adjustment blocks went in the brifters to give Lisa better reach as per her old bike...
To protect the lovely frame, some clear System Ex cable rub protectors and a chain stay protector went on the bike for that detailed look...
and a Garmin cadence sensor and second mount kit were brought and mounted with white cable ties to match in with the frame (yes I'm anal enough to go out and buy thin white cable ties to keep it looking tidy, even though I had plenty of black ones laying about).
Matching Ultegra SL pedals are waiting to go on the bike as Lisa's current Nike shoes have a strange problem where the ball of the foot has too much curve in them, leading to the cleat also bending so much that it won't clip into any pedals, except that is her current old 540 SPD-SL pedals (yes I know.. very weird). So the new pedals will have to sit in the cupboard till Lisa's new Sidi shoes can be purchased.
And how does Lisa like her new bike? She LOVES IT and is much faster on it...
Its cool how its all black and all business from the rear...
yet white and bling from the front...
Please forgive me...
Please forgive me for it has been quite a while since i updated my blog.
But I have been very busy... honestly!
Since my last update, I have been riding as much as ever, racing a bit and doing pretty well if I do say so myself.
Some highlights include-
-Several road races including my last RR for the season a handicap where I was started with several C-graders in my start group where I managed to beat most of them to the line.
- The following day my first crit race for the season where me and a young kid made a breakaway from D-grade and we spent the entire race passing and being re-passed by B-grade, far ahead of the rest of D-grade. Ultimately I didn't have the legs to match the young kid in the final half lap sprint and finished second.
- Lisa winning her first B-grade woman's crit race for the season easily (same day as my break away).
- Lisa racing the Amy Gillet Cup and doing awesome (2x 5th's and a 6th in her first open races).
- Moving up to C-grade and having an event filled first C-grade race including being the middle link in a chain of events that saw two riders go down after touching my wheel, having the marshal's call me in and having to explain that I had to change my line due to the rider in front cutting across my line, rejoining the race after explaining and then having 2 riders go down in a corner RIGHT in front of me, skidding to a stop in the gutter and helping a downed rider off the track, rejoining the race and finishing in the top 10 and just glad to get out of the race alive!
- Having my first race crash (this is a low light) in my second C-grade race when a young rider who was moving up on my left with plenty of room to move, strangely veered into me by accident, tangled bars with me and we both went down in a heap, me with a fair bit of bike damage.
- Getting my 1:20 time down to 18:30 and my Kinglake time down to 22'ish mins.
- Racing at the Hawthorn crits on Kew Bouli in C-grade several times and NOT finishing last on a tough, hilly course (stuck with the pack the whole way and even lead for a while).
- Finding myself comfy in further C-grade races, able to move up and down the bunch at will and able to finish top 10 (in a field of 40 riders) with a decent sprint at the finish.
- Doing the MRR with an average speed of 34kph with only a small group of 4 to share the work with (trust me, 34 average might not sound fast but there is plenty of traffic lights and lots of hills to sap the speed out of you).
As for my weight, It seems to have stabilized at 98-96kg's. However, my clothes are getting looser and looser so i am putting on muscles and dropping fat. While I would "like" to be lighter, it's not stressing me.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
12 Months on the bike - a review
Rather than a race or ride report for this post, I’m going to talk more about my life in relation to cycling and how it has changed so dramatically in the last 12 months.
Back in late July 2007, while watching Le Tour De France, PDL and I were inspired to get cycling ourselves with the thought of doing some cycle touring as part of a holiday, and maybe improve my health and fitness.
But I very quickly discovered just how unfit I really was and was determined to loose weight to become a better cyclist. Before we brought our bikes, I had in my mind the memory of my younger days as a kid on a BMX, and to discover that I was now so crap on the bike was a blow to my ego. So I just couldn’t let myself be beaten by my lack of fitness and obesity (there- I’ve said it, I was obese!), my ego wouldn’t allow it to happen. So this was an important moment for me because until then, every time I tried to drop weight, I was doing what ever activity or diet to loose weight, rather than loose weight to be better at the activity. It’s a small but important change in how I approached my task but it made all the difference to my mental state and determination.
And so I started thinking about foods differently. Suddenly everything I eat was about “what will this do to me” rather than “what will this taste like”. I was thinking of foods as fuel rather than indulgences and taste satisfiers.
I started playing a game with PDL in the supermarket where I would see a product (eg- chocolate) and I would talk as if that section was just empty shelves. “Gee, I wonder why this whole isle is empty” I would say. Silly I know but it helped me deal with the temptation that used to break me down, time and time again in the past.
Then I happened upon the BV forum and this was a huge, MASSIVE change to my cycling that I can not thank the people of enough. It started with me just reading, lurking and asking the occasional question. Then there was talk of a group ride that sounded like fun – the BBC ride. I asked if a overweight, flat bar riding newbie like me would be ok on the ride and was encouraged to give it a go.
This lead to my discovering the joys of group rides and the added and unexpected benefits of cycling of the social aspect that comes with the rides. I was totally hooked and this was a pivotal moment for both PDL and myself. I can not thank the forum’s members enough for this. It truly changed my life in more ways than I can count.
Which brings me to where I am today; I now ride 250 – 450kms a week without stress, I ride 2-4 mid week morning training rides and usually lead the groups now rather than straggle along at the distant rear of the bunch. I am decent climber now, can sprint pretty well, corner like a demon and decent without fear. I have learnt to track stand with ease and can leap my bike up gutters with aplomb.
I feel like the bike is an extension of myself and heavy traffic is stress free and simple to navigate. I consider myself a cycle racer now which even 9 months ago would have seemed totally ludicrous to even consider.
I have lost 1/3 of my body weight (about 50kgs), dropped my body fat % from the mid 30’s to about 18% and packed on TONS of muscle. My clothes have gone from only being able to shop at the big man’s store to being able to not only being able shop from normal shops but not even the biggest sizes.
I have met and made great friends with so very many people from the BV forum and I always look forward to catching up with them several times a week on our regular training rides. They make me laugh with their posts and I value their friendship more than they would understand, for it is their encouragement and positive words that have made me what I am today. A better person.
My confidence has improved and I am happier in life in general and I look forward to every day’s ride. I love my cycling and life is great.
I can’t wait to see where I am in another 12 months.
My second Road Race - May 17th
As promised, here is a long over due update to my blog. This was my second road race back in May the 17th and it was a heck of a tough day to be riding, let along racing!
Sorry for the lack of updates but with my new job, still trying to get my own clients work done, cycling as much as I can and finding myself falling asleep on the couch every night, it's been hard to find the time to put into my blog that I used to.
Anyway, here my latest update from May 17th.
Firstly I have raced a few more road races with some varied results. My second RR was at Newham which is just over the back of Hanging Rock. Polkadotlisa wasn't racing that week for reason's I can't remember so we headed off early one Sat morning to get to the start. On the way the weather was looking grim with more and more showers. The temp gauge in the car was slowly dropping till it read 2 degrees and we made jokes about snow. Ha Dee Ha Ha!
Arrived at Newham and there was no one to be found. We waited for a while and as we were sitting in the car in this tiny little town, PDL exclaimed "What’s that (pointing to the sky)!" It was snowing. Yep, real soft fluffy stuff was hitting the ground. Yikes!
Finally some other riders turned up after I realised I had gotten my start times mixed up and was an hour early. A small group of cyclists rolled in and we all huddled under a shelter in the park, wondering if the race was still going to happen. Finally the officials turned up and they pulled out a card table- a sure sign that things are rolling!
The officials asked around to see how many were going to race and with such small numbers (1 E-grader, 1 D-grader - me, about 6 C and 6 B-graders) they decided to run it as a handicap style race and send me and the E-grader off first.
We all hurriedly got dressed, and then I and the E-grade guy assembled on the road where the marshals told us to “look after each other and good luck”, before setting the two of us to ride out into the soaked roads, with light rain falling and as near as much zero temperatures. YIKES.
Myself and the E-grade guy chatting a little as to set off, both rugged up with as much clothing as we could. I had on-
Thick merino socks
Full booties
I had the vent holes in the soles of my cycling shoes taped up
Leg warmers
Bib knicks
3 Jerseys
Arm warmers
Roubaix under gloves
Mitts
Thick polar fleece over gloves
Skull cap head warmer
… and yet I was still freezing!
We rode on getting soaked through rather quickly and freezing as a result. We agreed to work together taking turns on the front but on a long downhill I opened it up a touch and kept up the pace along the following flat. As I turned onto the side road I looked back expecting to see Mr E-grade right behind me, but he was long gone and no where to be seen. DOH! With no other choice I went into TT mode and figured I would ride solo for as long as I could.
The rest of the race was mentally very tough with the marshal’s car driving slowly a few hundred meters ahead at all times, and no one else to be seen. So I just slogged away on the soggy roads, trying to keep a good pace, with no one to draft or pace myself with, I had to use my speedo as a guide to avoid slacking off.
On the second lap about 1/3rd way around, I was turning into another road when my rear wheel slid sideways, giving me the classic flat tyre feeling, and sure enough upon looking back, it was very low.
So with 20kms to ride I figured the flat was a slow leak and I might be lucky enough to be able to ride to the finish. So I tried to move my weight forward on the saddle as much as I could to lighten the load on the rear wheel and I kept plugging away. However, after about 10-15kms, The rear wheel was bouncing under me with each pedal stroke and I was starting to feel the rim grounding out so I had to do SOMETHNG.
A decision was made, stop, dump my CO2 into it and hope it will get me home. So I pulled over, unclipped and went to pull off my CO2 pump from the frame mount, however with so many glove layers on, I couldn’t feel the Velcro strap and after 30 seconds of trying to grab the strap I had to pull off the outer glove from one hand with my teeth.
So I have the glove off and CO2 on the valve dumping its air into the tyre. The only problem is that now with the extreme cold conditions and the natural coldness of CO2, the pump stuck to the valve. After a bit of cursing and struggling I managed to get it off but now it was frozen to my glove! BLOODY HELL! Several frantic attempts were made before it came off, so I throw everything in my jersey pocket (inc my over glove), jump back on the bike and away I go. Whew!
Bike feels much better but I can hear the hissing of the air escaping straight away. Oh no! I struggle to get back into the rhythm I had before but the bike is at least rolling as it should now. The Marshals car had turned back to see what happened to me so I point down at my rear wheel to signify the problem.
As I approach the last corner and into the final 3 km uphill, I can feel the rear tyre is very low already and I know the uphill is gonna be shit like this. I yell to the corner marshal if he can see the pack behind me and he says “Yep! Don’t look, just keep going!”
As I turn the corner the rear wheel slides under me but I can control it fine and I am out of the saddle trying to keep the weight over the front. I look back and there they are. Damn it! Knowing I’m done for, I keep to the left, not wanting to get in the way and sure enough, with about 2 km to go C and B grade come past me as I am now just about rolling along on the rim. A few of the pack thank me for staying out of the way and a few say “well done” on my effort to stay in front of them for so long.
And then, I am last. In a matter of 50mts I went from first to last and it was beyond my control. I was pissed off but to tired to be angry. The sweep van pulled up next to me as I limped along and asked if I wanted to put the bike in the back but I declined saying I made it this far, I was going to finish.
And so I did, with PDL, Dave and Kathy cheering me as I crossed the line. I yelled out about my puncture as I passed them only to have Dave piss himself laughing about it (which at the time I wasn’t able to see the funny side). I rolled up to the car and all I wanted to do was lay down but I was so cold I was shivering from head to toe.
After the race in the public toilets, there was a whole bunch of us cyclists getting changed out of our wet clothes and we were all shaking with cold. My hands were shaking so much it took me a while to be able to control them enough to unbuckle my shoes. Damn it was grim!
And so that was it- my second road race and I was unlucky not to win. Oh well, lets see how I go next time. What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger hey?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Im baaaaack!
Firstly I want to say sorry (sorta) for being so slack with updates to my blog. I didn't know people returned so often as to know it was so far out of date. But I have a good reason for not updating, honest. And it doesn't involve my dog eating my homework either (not that I have a dog, but you know what I mean....).
So what have I been up to you ask? Well TONS including getting faster (MUCH FASTER), more races, setting great times on hill climbs, and several pretty big milestones I am pretty proud of. But as there is a fair bit to write out, I will just leave it at this for now with the promises that more is coming very soon (I have already written out 2/3rds of my first real post).
Saturday, May 3, 2008
56km's of pain!
Today I raced my first road race at Gisbourne South and it was hard, damn hard!
With the phlegm still clogging my chest from the cold/flu I have been fighting for the past few weeks, I was in less than ideal health to take on such an undertaking. However, I was determined to give it a go all the same.
The day started poor when I managed to punch myself in the chin while putting on my arm warmers at home. DOH!
We got to the start and I went for a warm up lap around the course. Up the back there was a nasty long hill which I found to be very hard work and realized that I was VERY down on power today. I wasn't "feeling it" as they say.
Sign in with slightly surly guy went something like this-
Me: "Hi I'd like to race D-grade"
Him: "Urgh... What racing have you done?"
Me: "I started racing just this year and have done a few D-grade St Kilda crits, but this is my first road race."
Him, looking at my license and his list: "Urgh.. you haven't pre entered"
Me: "I did send an email on time as was said on the calendar"
Him: "Urgh... well he's not here.. so I suppose you can slot in where blahblah has dropped out then"
Me: "Errr...ok"
Cheery chap indeed! :)
The race starts and I'm rolling with the pack fine. I fell back a bit on the climb but got back into the thick of it no stress until we hit the hill the second lap and I was dropped like a hot potato! Pulled back one guy but the pack kept getting further and further away each lap.
I ended up riding solo for 5 1/2 laps in the wind and would have paid good money for a wheel to suck.
The 3rd lap up the hill and my lungs were protesting big time. I contemplated pulling out but kept going for just one more lap... then just one more.. and another... and another...
Towards the end I saw another D-grader in a Melton Club kit ahead so I tried to aim for him. C-Grade passed me and the D-grader in front sat on the back of them on their wheels (which we were told was not to be done, using another grade to your advantage). As C-Grade seemed to be sitting up a bit and I was just getting a roll on I was unsure what to do- do I sit on their wheels or do I pass them?
I elected to do the second option, passing with plenty of room to not get in their way. As soon as I hit the front they all picked up the pace and passed me back up the following rise (with several thanking me!?), and then on the following long downhill, I passed them back again as I got into my aero tuck for the decent. I wasn't even pedaling (the only good part of being heavy on a bike), I was just rolling downhill!
Talking to Ian after the race I found out it's considered bad form to pass a higher grade like I did, so I will remember that next time. Oops!
Once again the C-grade pack passed me with the D-grader still firmly sucking their wheels so I latched on to them until the hill up the back again smashed me and i was dropped AGAIN! I was really hating that hill.. I really mean it. I wanted to kill it!
Last lap and I had Melton guy in my sights to give me "something, ANYTHING" to aim for. As I crested the final hill I saw Alison ahead to my surprise (I expected her to take the win) so I flew past her and Ross, hot in pursuit of Melton guy, but I wasn't quite able to reel him in by the finish line.
So I finished about 3-4th last and I think quite a few D-graders pulled out. Bloody tough work that course, not helped my my cold/flu.
Ended up back at the car, wobbly legs and all, coughing my lungs out while people tried to talk to me. Damn I felt crap.
On the course, I had several people pass me calling out "vidman!" and a corner marshal I know was urging me on to catch the back of D-grade ahead of me (no chance). Thanks guys for the encouragement. Next time- PUSH ME UP THE HILL DAMN IT! :)
I was disappointed to get dropped so early but happy that I fought the urge to pull out on lap 3 when my lungs were protesting so badly. In the end what made me keep going was (and this is pretty silly I know) thinking of the scene in the movie "Run Fat Boy, Run!" where he wont give up in the marathon and keep struggling to the finish. Meh.. what ever works hey?
I'll be back, hopefully lees phlegm ridden.
Above- Ross and Ian hard at work in C-Grade.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Playing with the big kids!
After reading about the North Road Ride for quite a long time on the BV forum and even in RIDE magazine, it all sounded pretty intimidating. Stories of leadouts, breakaways, sprints and riding in bunches of 120 riders at 50+kph all sounded pretty hard core to me and it scared the pants off me.
But as I’ve progressed and gotten faster and faster, slowly the stories began to sound less and less insane. After reading that the Monday ride (the recovery ride) was run at a pace I knew I could ride, I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring and go play with the big kids!
After asking some people I know who do the NRR what to expect I psyched myself up to take it on for a Monday. Lisa was too chicken to do it so it was just me riding down there.
Riding down Chapel St and watching people come out of night clubs was an odd experience. Don't these people work? Down Nepean Hwy the power was out so a lot of it was spent riding in pitch black. Gah.. I REALLY must get a better headlight. Bit spooky at times.
Got to the BP at 5.35am after allowing way too much time to get down there. Had a guy on a Bianchi turn up not long after so we shot the breeze for a while and I listen to him drop the F word about 10 zillion times in each sentence.
Finally everyone rolled up inc Freckle. Caught up with her and met a few other BVers I know. Everyone asked where PDL was. I said she was soft and that I was sent ahead as a crash test dummy.
I decided to just sit in the back half of the pack to get a feel for it but we got split at a set of lights. Being the first one to catch the lights I called out “Stopping” only to be buzzed either side buy a few who didn't want to stop. They scared the crap outta me to be honest as they flew past out of the saddle either side at the same time sprinting!
Anyway, the split bunch hammered along at 46-50kph to get back on the back of the front group and just as we caught them- another set of lights! DOH! Green light and another race to bridge the gap and I took a stint on the front, however I wasn’t strong enough to hold the pace (48kph) up the slight incline and was soon passed by most pack as I ran out of steam.
We caught back to the front group again and cruised through to mordi with no stress. At one stage, a lot of riders cut through to Beach Rd via a shortcut. What’s with that? I don't get it... am I missing something here?
Back up Beach Rd the pace was between 32 and 42 the whole way (mostly low-mid 30's). It was easy to keep up, but I just wish I knew someone around me as I rode the entire trip back without saying a word (except for the usual "STOPPING").
Through Brighton there was another traffic light split and I set the pace for the split group back onto the front group again. THAT felt good.
Looking over across the bay, I saw the fog (or was it rain) moving in towards us and decided to not stop at Cafe Racer and keep going home to beat the weather. I waved good bye to Dillatante and Freckle and continued into the city via St Kilda road where a guy on a rattly MTB was sitting on my wheel busting his guts to follow me. I didn't realise I had a wheel sucker at first and thought my bike had developed a bad rattle. It was driving me nuts trying to figure out where the sound was coming from! LOL
Met up with Keely at the top of Collins and rode with her till when 50mts from my apartment, where I picked up a flat rear. Good timing!
Here is a map for the NRR route-
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/North-Road-Ride13425
King for a day!
Since late last year, I have been riding the Maling Room Ride (MRR) with steady improvement in that time. I started being waaaay off the pace and finishing it solo without a rider in sight. But since then I have picked up my pace to the point where I can not only keep them in sight but even set the pace along the less hilly sections and finish the hills mid pack.
In that time the ride itself has evolved into several different groups (speeds) as the main groups pace has gotten faster and faster (up from an average of 26kph to 31kph).
But try as I might, I have never taken out any of the “points” along the route (we have several fun “points” sections to add in some spice to the ride, just like the Tour de France).
Until this day...
PDL and I started the MRR in our usual way, feeling the hills on our ride to the start and as always, wondering if we were up to it that day. There is something about those hills on the way that always makes us hurt as we are still waking up and warming up our legs.
After arriving at the start and taking off with the group, I was very pleased to stick on PDL and Silkishuge’s wheels up Canterbury Rd hill for the first time ever. Boy that felt great NOT to be dropped.
Along Middleborough Rd I was feeling good so I poured on the power up in an attempt to make it first up. However I dug TOO deep and by the time I got to the top I was 1mm away from blowing chunks. My guts were churning and I really didn’t feel great at all.
A quick recovery and I was back on the front with Silk, pushing a decent pace along Maroondah Hwy when that feeling in my tummy returned and I had to drop back off the front. I was worried that I was done for the day and even said as much to a few people around me as I slipped back a bit in the pack, but after about 2 mins of backing off my pace, I recovered and pushed on again, leading the way onto Mitcham Rd. Weird- one second I felt crap, next I’m pouring on the power.
Along Doncaster Rd and I was second, siting on Outlook’s wheel through the single file section. Outlook was going at a decent pace for a while till he started slowing a bit so I took the front to give him a break/draft for a while. It was then that Springvale Rd hit us.
I wasn't "trying" to sprint off, I was just ploughing along trying to keep a good steady pace up for the pack when the lights changed as I entered the intersection. Thinking that a good few must have made it through on my wheel, I looked back to see that I was alone! Doh! So I soft pedalled to the top of the hill waiting for the pack but with the lights STILL red behind me, I just decided to ride along at 80% thinking I would be gobbled up anyway. Plus my tummy was right on the edge of chucking the whole way so I didn't want to have the pack pass me as I painted the sidewalk, so it was a careful balance of speed v puke.
Somehow, probably a combination of my break away and their copping more red lights than me, they never caught me. Up Shoppingtown Hill I was expecting to be passed as its a heartbreak hill for me but nope! I took King o' Shoppingtown. Woot!
Over the top of Shoppingtown Hill I caught multiple red lights, but still no one caught me. I even descended down Elgar at an easy pace once again waiting for the pack but nope- no one!
Up Belmore I was spinning along at about 19-18kph when I could have sworn I heard a bike down shift behind me. Thinking that I was about to be swamped like usual I just kept up my pace and when I crossed the line, I looked back to see who was there but found no one as far as the eye could see. Cool. My first King o' Belmore (second king for the day).
It was about here that I was again very, VERY close to throwing up (no idea why I felt so crap today), so I backed it right off again, down to 12kph for a hundred meters or so until I recovered (again!).
Around the roundabout and over the last of the Belmore uphill, I started descending when, caught up with re-catching my breath and busy clicking up gears on the downhill, I looked up to see the lights just turning red and with me about to sail through them. I’m embarrassed to say that the light was far too red for my liking and I was cursing myself for getting myself into that situation in the first place. Bad vidman, bad!
Down into the King of the Valley section, I saw that there was no one behind me so I cruised down the hill for my 3rd "king" moment of the ride.
Turning into Belmore Rd and I could see some mice/rabbits (the slower groups that start earlier) ahead of me so again I picked up the pace, but kept getting caught by the lights every time I started to reel them in.
Up past Fintona School (a nasty steep bump in the road) I pushed again and took King o' the Bump (4th king!!) and set out to hunt down the small prey ahead of me.
I finally caught them at the corner of Canterbury Rd and sprinted down Canterbury to arrive first at Mailing Rd and on the edge of puking once again. Blarrrgh!
I was pretty chuffed to do so well, even if i DID have an unfair traffic light advantage. Still, I felt I rode the MRR stronger than I ever had, even with my crook guts.
Unfortunately, when I posted my ride report on the forum (very close to the above) as many of us do for fun, some people took it to be me getting a big head when nothing could be further from the truth. I know damn well that in a fair fight, I would have nothing for the usual suspects up the hills. All I would see of them is their blinkies in the distance. But for me, I felt I rode really well as compared to my OWN past rides. And for that I AM proud of my own personal improvement.
St Kilda to Portsea (and back) - 212km in a day!
After doing many rides to Mt Eliza and back (116kms) and a Frankston to Sorrento and back ride (100kms), several of us on the BV forum were keen to link it all together for a St Kilda to Portsea ride in a day (200kms).
So one early Saturday morning, a group of us meet in St Kilda and set off south for our day’s adventure on the road.
Here are a few of my highlights in no particular order...
1. Riding back home on the approach to Princess Bridge, Lisa and I saw 2 guys in a punch-up on the footpath ahead, spilling onto the road in front of a car. Then a few guys broke them up and they both went on their ways (different directions).
2. Watching a woman on a MTB ride straight through a set of ped lights (red, dodging peds in the process). I yelled out- RED MEANS STOP... then as it was up hill, I easily caught her where I very politely started to chat to her about what she did, only to have her start saying sorry for doing it. All's good.
3. Riding along the rolling hills before Safety Beach and seeing the approaching rain clouds, then thinking about my complete lack of clothing for rain, I hammered it to get to Safety Beach before the rain hit. It was fun hammering the bike up and down the hills and noticing just how much stronger I was since the last time through here (Nov 07).
4. After leaving Safety Beach, I lead the way all the way to Sorrento into the headwind. I kept the speed at 28-31kph the whole way but as soon as we hit the first hill towards Sorrento I decided to "see what I could do" and put the hammer down. I had Percrime and PDL join me at the front and after breaking away from them at one stage, I dropped back to Percrime and taunted him to race me, but he wasn't taking the bait. Then, thinking I had PDL (and her hill climbing strength) on my tail on the last climb up to Sorrento I gave it all I had to beat her, only to turn around and see she wasn't racing me after all. DOH! It was good fun and plenty of laughs!
5. On the way back we ended up riding with a guy who started riding in 1949!! He lived in Rye and was just out for a pootle along the coast and then up Arthurs Seat!! I was so engrossed in chatting to him I didn't realized that Louisa had her road side incident until I was 1.5kms down the road and had to back track.
6. Yikes that big hill up to Mornington is a tough one. I can see why a lot of ATB riders end up walking it. I ended up plodding up at 12kph and was mighty glad to see the top.
7. On the way back around Sandringham, Commi saw the Spirit of Tas and wondered if we could beat it back to Port Melb. As we arrived at the finish point of the ride in St Kilda, we saw the Spirit just about to enter the dock. Lets call it a draw!
8. Leaving Frankston on the way back, Percrime took off at 40kph so Simon, PDL and I stuck to his wheel. Fun to fly along fast for a while but I then realized that Commi was going to be solo after Carrum so I pulled out of the speedy group to wait for him.
9. While riding down and seeing the turn off for Authurs Seat, I was itching to give it a go. What has happened to me that climbing Authurs Seat seems like a good idea?? Must be PDL's hill climbing prowess rubbing off on me...
10. It was very odd towards the end of the ride. My legs felt great, the lungs felt fine, I had a bit of soreness in the shoulders/neck but overall I could have kept going for another 50-100kms (with some food perhaps). Very odd sensation. Got home feeling fine tho it was the first time I had started and finished a ride in the dark!
Lots of miles and lots of hills- no problem-o!
As usual, its been a while since my last post. But as cycling has become a steady part of my life, I have found it less "gee whizz" exciting to talk about each and every ride like I used to. Not that I enjoy cycling less than I did- not at all (I probably enjoy it more), but to ride to Frankston and back doesn't have the novelty that it once did if you see what I mean.
Anyway, Ive taken on some new goals since my last blog post so here is a run down of them in no particular order...
Alpine Tour of the Suburbs
Well, we did it! Matt and I rode the Alpine Tour of the Suburbs group ride!
But let’s go back to the start....
Earlier that day (that morning), the regular MRR ride was run and Mattyb from the BV forum missed it for several reasons. Being annoyed at himself for missing the ride, he mentioned in the forum that he was thinking of doing the Alpine Tour of the Suburbs as penance. As I had been giving it some non-too serious thought myself, i decided to jump in boots and all and take it on with Matt. *GULP*
So after some messages back and forth between Matt and myself and much “what the hell are we thinking” comments from the both of us, we decided to throw caution into the wind and take it on.
I was riding down to the start, wondering how many riders would be doing this ride, but as I approached the Guide Dogs entrance on Chandler Hwy, I was amazed to see about 20 + riders already assembled.
I pulled in and felt very intimidated. Lots of A-graders I have seen at the St Kilda crits, and plenty of bling bike and bling bodies.
I spotted Mattyb and rolled over to chat with him. We were both wondering what the heck we were doing with this group but figured that we made it this far, might as well see this through.
More and more riders rolled up and I counted over 40 riders just before we left. Wow... the biggest group I have ever ridden in by far!
Straight away on Chandler Hwy the group was split by lights and when the lights changed, we really took off to catch the lead group. "Oh boy, here we go" I said to Matt and the pack poured on a fair bit of pace, but we kept up fine and sat in the middle of the pack.
All the way to the base of Doncaster Shoppingtown hill, we sat comfortably in the pack at I have no idea what pace (I would guess high 30's?). Once at the base of Shoppingtown hill i knew this was going to hurt and it did. It's such a long climb and everyone soon passed me and evaporated up ahead of me. Slowly I slogged away and was starting to reel another rider in. I passed him and was starting to get some more momentum for the final climb when the Elgar Rd lights went red and stayed red for aaaagggggeeees. I asked the guy behind me if he knew the way and as he had only done the ride once and i had a map, he suggested we stick together. Good idea!
Finally the lights changed and we turned the corner into Williamson Rd and I was VERY happy to see the entire pack waiting in the slip lane. As I rolled to a stop, the pack took their time to let us slowpokes have a break which was really appreciated.
Rolling again and we set off down Williamson Rd which turned out to be a fairly steep downhill, followed by and even steeper uphill (of course). Out of the saddle and grinding hard but alas, I was last to the top damn it!
When we turned into Foote rd, i caught back up to the tail-enders and made up a bit more time down a big dip. As i flew down the dip, I realized that there were minimal street lights and at the speed I was doing, what ever bumps were in the road was just going to be a surprise! Note to self- must get better lights for these situations.
Turning into Hight St and as i began the long, long climb, a car passing us going the other way had it's drivers side window down and as he passed me i heard the driver yell out at us (in the dark mind you)- "Poofters!" All I could do was chuckle to myself at this comment.
High St was just one long, never ending drag. Up, up, up it went with no end in sight. Ahead of me was a guy on a very nice looking Orbea and I slowly closed the gap on him and passed. Seeing me pass him must have spurred him on as he sat just a meter back from me the rest of the way, both breathing hard, no chatter- just pedalling and spinning! At one stage when it was really hurting I had the following thought process happening in my head-
"Urgh! this is killing me... my legs are burning... the lungs are bursting... oh gawd how much further does this hill go for... maybe I could pull out... nah... I have no excuse other than softness... what about a puncture... that would force me to stop and even pull out of this madness... but I don't think there is anyone behind me to witness it so who would I be fooling... and besides, I still need to ride home... oh screw it... just stop thinking and ride..."
Back to Manningham Rd, A few of us were caught at the traffic lights including Matt who I hadn't seen for a while. Matt said he thought he was about to bonk so I dug out a handful of jelly babies from my pocket and handed them to him, and also took a mouthful myself. Mmm... fruity jelly goodness!
Just around the corner there was another regroup at the servo- once again, great stuff!
Off and rolling and down Maningham Rd as a pretty fast pace. A set of lights changed ahead and i saw several riders go straight through the red, with a few cries of "sheesh" from us tail enders. We stopped at the lights and seeing there was just 5 of us I commented to the group- "And then there were five" which got a few grins from the lantern rouge pack.
Lights change we all take chase of the rest of the pack, but the next intersection we caught them all and we all cruised into Heidelberg Shopping Center as one pack of 40+ riders. With the pack all together as one, I looked up Burgandy Rd and saw the monster that it is, looming in front of me. I motioned to Matt what we had in store for us but he suggested that maybe it was best NOT to look up. Wise idea! While waiting at these lights, I heard a guy mention to his mate that he thought a few in the pack would struggle to make it to the top which had to include me (and fair enough too), but this only served to spur me on. There is nothing like trying to prove someone wrong to make me push harder.
As we rode up the pace was manageable, but as the hill kept getting steeper, my speed kept dropping from 18kph to a low of 9kph at the final kick up at the top. The last pitch was really hard work but still I wasn’t last up the hill. As I climbed that last steep bit, about 3 riders slowly passed me, each commenting to me that I was doing really well and to keep going. Thanks guys, I really appreciated the kind words; I just couldn't spare the breath to respond! LOL
Re group again at the top of Burgandy Rd but I rolled past most of the pack looking for Matt, only to see some riders taking off again which suited me fine. So I was up the front heading down the hill.
At a set of lights I got chatting to another rider asking if this was the usual pace (I was expecting it to be faster) and I was told this was about average and that the regroups meant that it was a ride for everyone. I told him it was my first time and he said he that I was doing fine.
Along Lower Heidelberg Rd through the cutting, all of a sudden everyone took off, racing away into the distance. I tried to accelerate and get out of the saddle but the legs were lacking (to say the least!) so I just spun away up the hill, with the blinkies off in the distance (I was last) and car headlights lighting my way from behind.
Into Ivanhoe East shops, I made up ground on the tail enders on the descents and kept that speed up for the following uphill, passing yet more riders. I was surprised at my pace at the end really as I kept rounding up riders looking pretty stuffed while I was feeling pretty good.
I found Matt waiting for me at the Chandler Hwy intersection and he was stuffed and spent! I offered to drive him home and he agreed to that idea so we rode to my apartment to get the car. Whew! We made it! We were both pretty stoked to have done it! Awesome!
Stats
Average (inc a gentle ride to the start) = 27kph
Top Speed = 76.9kph
Total distance (door to door) = 39km
Will I be back? Sure will. Only next time I will bring Lisa along for a feminine touch to the ride (it was all guys as far as I could see). She will climb the hills at least mid pack and easily hold her own for the rest of the ride.
And me? Well I will just be happy to slowly improve my position in the peleton each time and not be the last up some of the hills in the future. It will come with time no doubt (and less weight might help too!)
Bring on the next challenge! :)
PS- Here is a link to the map of the route for those keen to try their hand-
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Alpine-Tour-d-Suburbs
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A grand week!
Ah what a good week of riding last week was.
It all started with my strong rides on the MRR, followed up with a great ride to Mt Eliza again and finished off with a GREAT days racing for both Polkadotlisa and myself on the Sunday.
MRR - Tuesday 4th March
Started with the pack and stuck with them the whole way to the finish. No breakaway with the traffic lights after last weeks hammering I did solo, but this time but I stuck to WAK’s wheel all along Doncaster Rd as the diesel pounded out the pedal strokes. I contemplated trying to go on the front but I don’t think I would have been any good so I just tucked up in close behind and hung on for the ride. Hehe
MRR - Thursday 6th March
At the start I wasn't "feelin' it" and got dropped by about 20mts up Canterbury hill but was soon back on the pack down the other side. PDL was flyin' down the other side and after I passed her, the little bugger came back on me DOWN the hill. Wow... she has really come far in the last few weeks, she can climb, go fast on the flat for long periods, can now go downhill fast and her cornering is pretty good too!
On Maroondah I started to come good with the legs finally getting stronger. Squeaza is with us now and I note how strong she is riding. You GO GIRL! I was back in the pack about 10th wheel but as we crossed Springvale I was starting to work forward (not out of any plan, it just worked out that way). Then with about 200mts to go till Mitcham Rd, I saw Mattyb about 20mts off the front so I pulled out and made a run on him. As I went past I did a classic, look back at him as I went by. Ah, all those long hours of watching the TdF have taught me a few psych out moves! LOL
Along Doncaster I upped the pace into the mid 40's to start with and Matt came up along side me and he looked a bit stuffed. So I kept my cards close to my chest and pushed on forcing the pace upwards. Just as we came to Springvale Rd I was about 3 lengths ahead of him and I "just" made it through while Matt had to stop. As I went through the intersection I waved "goodbye" to the rest and then put my head down in anticipation for the solo ride of pain ahead.
All along Doncaster I was pushing at about 90%, in the 40's most of the way and hitting the low 50's at one point. At the bus depot, a bus pulled out RIGHT in front of me, forcing me to swerve out into the next lane (quick head check) to avoid him. Grrrrrr!
Up Col d'Shoppingtown I was hurting and was expecting to be passed at any stage. In the distance up the hill I could see the taillights of Kathy, Simon (Squeaza's Bro) and Mrs Blybo (sorry- don't know your name). At the very top of the hill I was caught by the lights which seemed to stay red for aaaaagggggeeeesssss and while I was thankful for the rest, I was impatient to keep going as I was aiming for KOM.
Lights change and down the hill I charged, top gear, in the drops, flat out! All green lights so around I turn into Elgar Rd and I’m cranking hard for max speed. Unfortunately I got the red light down Elgar Rd and I lost a ton of time there but I caught the early start group as I turned onto Belmore.
Huff, huff, puff, puff I went, all the while hoping like hell I had enough to get to the top first, but alas half way up, Jim fly’s past with Mattyb hanging on for grim death to Jim, about 20mts back. Matt laughed as he passed me, saying that I was "a bastard for making me hurt so much trying to catch you". As the KOM line was coming up I was expecting a lunge from somebody from behind to beat me but no one was in sight so I did the two hands in the air celebration as my first KOM podium (3rd). HAHA Ah well, small victories!
I caught back up to Matt around the roundabout and put the power down over the last rise. KOV was out of the question with Jim loooooong gone so I settled with 2nd.
Finally caught Jim at Whitehorse Rd intersection and with a bit of a run up on him, I lead the way up KoBump for a while feeling stronger up this hill than I ever have (even changing UP a gear on this hill which normally has e in granny gear!). Jim passed me asking if this was a "comp hill" and Matt passed me again out of the saddle, giving it his all.
Along the flat of Balwyn I gave it one last push and took the lead to get to MRR first! Woohoo!
Over drinks I was so tired I could hardly talk for a while. Just wanted to rest my head on the table. After a rest and a drink or two, PDL and I rode home feeling refreshed and very happy with our rides.
St Kilda to Mt Eliza (plus some extra pootling about) - Saturday 8th March
Nice weather with a few clouds to keep the sun from burning us while the wind was nonexistent and the overall air temp was “just right”. We started with a group of around 16 of us riding down to Black Rock. I stayed out of any sprint but turned up the pace after Black Rock as I ended up on the tail of a merging of what looked like 3 or 4 groups all mixed up. Not wanting to get caught up with any touched wheels, I upped the pace and rode around the lot of them which in hindsight was prob not the smartest thing to do. Ended up on the front and riding at a good fast pace. Then I looked up and “thought” I was about 500mts from Mordi so I really upped the pace hard into the high 40’s, low 50’s. One problem, I still had another 1.5kms to go and I ran out of steam, only to see the rest of the fast riders in the group pass me. DOH!
I had been riding with the front derailer rubbing a bit on the chain and it generally not feeling “right” so a quick fiddle at Mordi to hopefully fix it and onwards we rode. I was sitting towards the back, chatting when our group was broken by a set of lights. The front group slow pedaled to wait for us but Jon and Dez didn’t realise what had happened and didn’t want to ride slow so they went off ahead.
Into Frankston we rolled and I had Commi and his “MUST... BEAT... VIDMAN” comment as he passed me up Hopes Rise still ringing in my ears. So I picked up the pace more than normal or Hopes and just a the hill starts to kick up I jumped out of the saddle to really start cranking the pedals, only to have the chain start jumping about on the rear cassette. “Crunch-grind-clunk-thunk” it went. “Bugger” I thought as it made me loose a ton of momentum, but I kept pushing as hard as I could, even passing a few. But alas, I suddenly heard those familiar words passing me on the right- “MUST... BEAT... VIDMAN”.
We all stopped at Mt Eliza for a bite to eat and drink with plenty of happy chatter going on. These Sat morning group rides are always happy affairs with everyone in good spirits and new riders always welcomed. We had some new riders to the group turn up and I think they really enjoyed the company too (well I hope they did!).
After the break we all set up back and PDL said she was going to try and keep up with me down Olivers Hill. I sped off down the road back to Nepean Hwy and lead the whole way as per usual or a downhill. Down Olivers Hill, a 4wd changed lanes in front of me which forced me to touch the brakes a touch, but I still managed to better my top speed down that hill (and no, I’m not going to incriminate myself in public..LOL).
At the bottom I backed off and looked back, hoping to see PDL close by but I couldn’t see anyone at all. So I freewheeled almost all the way to the visitors center waiting for the rest to catch up.
Back to Mordi we all rode as a tight knit group in the low 30’s. But after the Mordi stop, it was the usual race to Black Rock for some of us with me leading most of the way. The second last uphill did it’s usual trick on me and saw me drop poff the pace and fall back several positions (mind you, we were riding in the high 30’s the whole way) but I surprised myself with my recover and I was soon back up to full speed and I closed down the 75mt gap to re pass Simon, Lisa and Nick. Nick responded when I caught up to him and we raced all the way up the incline to Black Rock with me slowly pulling away from him and taking the sprint by about a bike length. I raised my hands in the air in mock triumph and had a good laugh about it with the rest of the speedy group. Good fun!
We backed off the pace a lot after Black Rock, waiting for the rest to catch up and as I was on the front, I glanced back after a while and seeing several of our group behind me and plenty of other riders back as well, I wrongly assumed we were all on so I picked up the pace to about 32kph and kept rolling forward. As it turned out, the “rest” of the pack behind me were wheel suckers but in my quick head check i thought they were with us.
It wasn’t until we were back to St Kilda that I realized that it was just a group of about 6 of us on the front with the rest waaaay back. Sorry guys and gals. It was not my intention to drop you all. My bad.
W regrouped at the Old Beaconsfield hotel before riding as a group to Mart 130 which is a fantastic cafe located in Albert Park. There I had fantastic corn fritters with bacon, relish and sour cream. Superb!
After lunch, PDL and I wen around to a few bike shopped looking for new sunglasses to replace her broken BBB ones. Eventually found some really nice Shimano ones at Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Prahran and we headed home to make it 125kms for the day.
St Kilda Crits - 9th March
This was my 6th race and PDL’s 3rd but the big difference was we had both been put up grades with me now in D-Grade and PDL now in B-Grade womens (there is only Womens a and B grades).
PDL was up first and she had 6 riders in her grade. This race had sprint points through the race which are like mini races at specific points where they race for cash (first across the line on specified laps wins $$$). PDL was a bit thrown by this at the start but she soon got the idea, taking 3rd in the first sprint and 4th in the second sprint. PDL was looking very calm and relaxed in the race and there was a group of about 8 of us BVers all cheering her on. 
Come the final lap and a few of us walked down the finish straight to cheer her on to the finish. Around the final corner and we could see her up powering down the far right hand side. She was pulling AWAY from 3rd and closing in on 1st and finished a VERY strong 2nd. We were all thrilled for her, high five-ing each other and cheering for her. As PDL came around back to the finish after her warm down lap we all cheered and clapped for her and she had a HUGE beaming smile. I grabbed her and gave her a huge hug. Great Stuff! And just remember, she has only been riding since August last year! She will be a champ- no doubt!
Then it was my turn to race. *GULP*!
For me it was a bit intimidating starting in a field of 33 D-grade riders and with about 40 B-graders also on the circuit at the same time it made for a crowded road at times.
I started out with the intention of just finishing in the pack and would have been satisfied with anything more than last. However early on I found myself surrounded by the DeVeer kids and finding them very umm.. errr... how do i put this- "skittish", I decided to just move up and away from them.
The pace was more than I was expecting, steadily above 40kph pretty much from the start and up into the mid 40's for some laps. I was sitting around 5th - 10th for most of the race and was doing OK but definitely working hard and taking any chance to recover where I could.
It’s only recently that I have noticed my improved ability to recover quickly and I was taking every chance to do this with the fast pace taking its toll on me.
Around the middle of the race, up the top of the course where there is a nasty bump across the circuit, I found myself much further to the right than I had been hitting it all race and just before the bump (which was bigger on the RHS), my front wheel skipped off the side of a sizable stone just at the same time I hit the bump, causing me to veer over to the right by 3-ish feet. As soon as that happened I knew I must have pissed someone off and the marshal told me down the next straight to "hold my line as I caused someone to have to brake". I explained what happened and he said "cool no stress." I would have looked back and apologized to the rider behind me but I was somewhat preoccupied at the time (you know, cornering, riding at 43kph in a pack, etc).
Somehow I ended up in second wheel on one lap and i was left thinking "how the heck did I end up here", so I slowed down and sure enough, was back in 7th in no time (they were all pushing pretty hard).
Last lap and I was about 6th up the final straight, into the corner I came around the outside but misjudged my line slightly in relation to the guy's line on my inside and I came a bit close to him (yep, I heard the cursing). However I truly don't believe it was any worse that what I copped through the race myself with riders closing off my line and having to hit the brakes numerous times. A few times I even had to yell to the guy cutting me off "hold your line", but I bare no grudges. It’s just a racing incident. However, having said that, I will make sure to take even more care next time just to be safe. 
Anyway, final straight and I was giving it my all in 5th. I was truly expecting to be swallowed up by the riders behind me but surprise-surprise, no one passed me and I finished 5th! I was spurned on in the sprint by hearing the riders in 3rd and 4th both grunting and gasping as they gave it their all about 2 bike lengths ahead of me (off to the right). I even heard one say to himself "FASTER!" hehehe
Afterwards I was impressed to see that I hit 52.3kph in the final sprint! I think in my first race my top speed was the neck snapping speed of 38kph so that’s a HUGE improvement overall!
So I was totally thrilled with my finish. Waaaaaaaay more than I was expecting I was capable of and waaaay more than I was planning. I just kinda got swept along with the top 10 riders and figured I would see how long I could hold on.
Oh yes, almost forgot- RDK came out and had his first race today in E-grade. He sat towards the rear most of the race, moving up to the middle on occasions but when the pace picked up for the last few laps, he was spat out the back and finished off the tail of the bunch. However we were all proud of him giving it a go and gave him a rousing cheer when he crossed the finish line (hands held in the air no less!). Careful mate, they'll disqualify you for that!
After the finish of the racing, a few of us went for a ride down to Brighton to Startline Cycle Fashions with Sara, where she showed some improvement from last week and several bursts of speed up into the high 20’s on occasion. She really seemed to be relishing the improvement and I was glad to see her determination. On the way back (with a slight tailwind), Sara was sailing along at 26-28kph nicely. If she keeps working like this on a regular basis, before she knows it she will be able to ride all the way to Black Rock and back in the mid to high 20’s which is more than respectable.
So all up for the week it was about 350kms. Good stuff!
