Blogs

Wollombi Wild Ride - I had no idea what to expect. Looking back on it, I don't really know what to think.
I havent bothered to check the results, I don't know where I came. I have listed myself as 30th - but it could have been a bit better, or a bit worse. Its irrelevant frankly.

Having been away home for the Olympics, I always knew I would be missing a bit of something. What it was, I couldn't tell you.

First long pairs race since we got back from travelling. Fairly happy with how we went, considering little training and time on the mountain bike. Results as below:
lap time speed who
10 44:44 16.10 Rachael Povah
9 37:22 19.27 Andrew Povah
8 44:20 16.24 Rachel Povah
7 36:22 19.80 Andrew Povah
6 47:24 15.19 Rachel Povah
5 35:10 20.47 Andrew Povah
4 41:00 17.56 Rachel Povah
3 34:16 21.01 Andrew Povah
2 41:38 17.29 Rachel Povah
1 36:55 19.50 Andrew Povah

Was a late entry on this one as I haven't done much riding since the Husky and hadn't been on the dirt since then.

Plan was to find a suitably paced group and stick with them in the aim of finishing around the 3hr 30min mark.

Turns out even fat and unfit bastards like me can podium!

Great day out in the picturesque Wollombi / Yengo Ck valleys. Glorious sunshine. Cool but not too cold. No mud! In fact it was a little dusty riding in traffic. I’d almost forgotten what that was like….

Well despite the lack of single track or technical riding, I really enjoyed this race - beautiful location, great atmosphere and a fast pace. The first climb saw us gain about 280m in elevation, and really strung out the riders. It was steeper than I expected, but that suited me as I train on hills a lot. I passed a few people on this section and felt pretty good at the top. Some very fast downhill then on to the second climb which wasn't as steep as the first, but was quite long.

Despite all the talk of how easy this race is, that was tough.

Lined up at the start to hear the riders briefing. No closed roads, stay left and be careful, remember there are sections that have on coming riders etc. The elites didn't go off first in a separate group and everyone just started together. The pace seemed comfortable to start with and then we hit the first hill. I walked a little bit as traction was an issue for me. I also started the race with a sore back and I was just waiting for the panadeine to kick in.

This year is a huge learning curve for me. I still have to slow down a little at the start and pace myself.

Started off in 3rd at the end of the first lap & then slowly dropped to 7th. I felt terrible during the 2nd lap. Slow down Chris!

Going for a fun Sunday ride is one thing, the psychology of racing is entirely new to me. Always amazing to see the A graders race. Also amazing to finish a ride with a clean bike!

An enjoyable day racing at Mount Annan.

The short loop was used, cutting out the fire trail climb at the end. I'm not sure what the actual length of lap was but it seemed to be about 8.5 - 9 km. This produced quick laps which suited our team. The trail has bedded in a lot compared to the last time I raced here, it feels a lot more natural than it did. I really enjoyed racing here, just need to learn how to do the switchback berms!

Big thanks to the organisers for doing a great job and also to the guy at the Shimano tent for lending me his bottle cage as I forgot my camelback.