Blogs

Last round I had some sort of chest infection and couldn't breathe properly, resulting in me coughing through the entire length of the race. Today I was feeling healthier and I needed a decent result to shake doubts, caused from the last round, out of my head (I race for fun and I don't have to win, but I do have to feel like I improved, otherwise I feel disappointed).

This was my 6th Careflight Woodford to Glenbrook Classic. The last 2 years I was within a minute for braking the hour mark. This year I not only beat it but smashed it.

Usually I would start at the back of my age category. from the back the group is bottle necked and the pace is slower than I would like so this year I figured I try and start closer to the front. Somehow I managed to jag the poll position for my group next to Philip Pidgeon and Martin Wisata.

Climbing is certainly my weakness and where I would get overtaken, but I was quick to get back onto the pedal at each crest.

First podium for me, thanks to Adam and my bro for a great effort and consistantish times.
5 laps of (according to Strava) sufferfest round some of Wingello's finest singletrack.
Great organization, great trails and great people, anyone who's not done a S.M.S. race is missing out, get yourself entered for a cracking days riding.

So, I entered this race again this year to test how I have progressed over the 14 months since I first got on a MTB.

Last year I finished in just over 1 hour 15 minutes and going into this one I really wanted to come in under the hour.

Though I missed out by 67 seconds on that goal, there are other ways to measure progress. Most importantly for me was that, unlike last year, I rode every climb and didn't stop once.

May not sound much to many here, but it is a quiet victory for me.

Thanks to the organizers for a lovely little event.

It was a cool and foggy morning (the view from the lookout as I drove past was amazing. . . you were above the clouds and thats all you could see). My warm up consisted mostly of sitting on my bike chatting and I can live with that. The social aspect is a key draw card for me participating in these events.

Not my best day, but it's all about getting out there. And on the funny side of things; I washed out the front, crashing right in front of the timing tent (apparently I was the third person to do this).

What an awesome place. A group of us went down for the long weekend. I got down there on Saturday so I had enough time to test some of the trails before the race on Sunday.

The trails in Tathra are magic. I wouldn't say they are technical but some of the dippers really test you. Especially towards the end of the race when you're totally shattered. They flow really well and there's rarely a section that is straight.

Leaking rear tyre that had to be pumped up a few times and a dropped chain lost me around 5 minutes so no where near where I wanted to finish.

Check this vid out is awesome.
Track builders are the bomb.
Expires in 12 hours though I think so get in there.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/builder-online-prem...

I remember finishing my 4th lap and being stoked that I'd improved by one lap since my last race at Wylde. Then I realised the four hours wasn't up yet. . . So off I went out for my 5th lap

This race will probably be a sentimental favourite for me for a while.

So I've owned my bike for nearly a month and I'm enjoying it so much I decide I should give racing ago. So what do I do? I enter an endurance race, 4 hour Solo. My friends tell me I'm crazy, but my thinking was I don't have to ride it like a "race". I can stop between laps and rest if I want. Hell, I can just do one lap and I'm done, if need be.