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What are the Climbs like on the Fling
Hi all,
Doing my first fling this week, just want an idea of what to expect re climbs are we talking the Oaks, Bee Nest or Andos??
More for pacing my efforts
Thanks
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The only comparison I can make is that the fling 100k felt like a breeze after the dirtworks 100k. But not having done either for a few years i don't know how valid that is.
Fling certainly had a lot more sweet single trail that made the Km's fly by...
There's nothing huge on the Fling. The largest is 'halfway hill' which is only 150m vertical or something like that. OK, that's quite a bit, but it's half that of the big climbs at Dirtworks for example.
What'll get you is the lots of little pinches that seem a lot worse than they are by the time you get there and the undulating firetrails that aren't so steep but just seem to go on forever.
Parts of Penrose were pretty barron last year and the sun (no shade to hid in) made things pretty bad for some.
Enjoy
Whilst we're talking the Fling... how technical is it?
I'm one of those half clipless, half less of clips riders. I'm on the fence and love riding clipped in for long rides and firetrails etc. until I get to unfamiliar technical/tight stuff.
To give you a gauge... I'm mostly 'okay' at Manly Dam(n!) clipped in...
I think there are only 2 sections you could call sort of technical in the Fling. IIRC the parts around the Great Wall and Tangles are the most technical. There was one part in Tangles I think with a steep, sharp corner that I had to hop off and walk last time but the rest was ridable clipped.
Ah, there was also a steep climb up a gully like single track that you wouldn't call technical, but you wouldn't want to have trouble unclipping when you get part way up that and stall and have to jump off!
Anyhow - go clipped in, the better pedaling will be more than worth it.
Not really. The Dam is waaay more techy. Clip in and have fun. The hills are pretty ordinary too except The Wall which is steep and short and takes no time to clear. Think the climb out of Bedford Creek up to the start of Ingar FT.
Cheers Rob and Phil (sorry Phil, moderators get thanked first
).
Incidentally, I had a reasonable off this weekend which I partly put down to being clipped in. Well, in fact it's because I was an idiot and had delusions of being a Crusty Demon (when in reality I was just plain crusty).
Hit a dirt hill far too fast and sort of froze because I knew I was clipped in... Still, if it weren't for being clipped in, the bike would have gone flying and got damaged, instead of staying firmly attached and thankfully, allowing my head, back and guts take the brunt of the impact. Thanks clipless pedals I owe you one :-S
Bikes don't heal, you do, so to me as long as the bike is ok that's all that matters!
True, there was a very real "cost of replacement bike vs. cost of medical bills" going on in my head whilst mid air.
I just need to pick up a new helmet post crash...
<<...and yes I did consider some sort of "Given the choice of helmets I could have broken, I'm glad it was the one on my head" pun, but I thought better of it.>>
I've done 4 Flings, (my first on a downhill rig, don't ask) the worst parts for me is the open fields, its like riding through thick boggy marshmallow. very hard work.
I always find I turn shitty and cranky around the 80km mark, tell us at what point you turn the same.
lastly its 115 km long. I always get pissed at the 100km sign as I say to myself I only trained for 100km not 100km with a slow lap of Manly dam thrown in just for good measure
The best thing is bragging to your friends and work mates what you did that weekend........Have fun!
Pikey
Thanks Pikey.
I'm already cranky, so don't know how I'll fair at the 80km mark.
After witnessing your epic swim through the stream on Sunday, I believe it's not the hills you need to worry about.
Maybe you can get a retro-fitted rectal snorkel.......
hahaha I remember that bike Pikey. I still recall being amazed that you did the ride on that. Hardcore!
and it was not the stream that was the issue it was the steepness of the bank on the other side that was the issue, anyway it was a nice cool and refreshing swim.