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Back to Back Yamma again


Lach's picture

By Lach - Posted on 08 September 2014

Re: This ride meeting: 
Back Yamma Bigfoot 2014
Status: 
Finished
Time: 
02:39:10
Position (Overall): 
58
Position (Category): 
12

Had another blast racing around the dry and dusty tracks of Back Yamma Forest this year.

From the start we were off in a cloud of dust, with a bit of jockeying for positions prior to the first bit of single track. I’d been a bit casual about the start, so was in a large bunch and settled down to about 10th place in a train once the single track started. Must have been a few dozen on ahead as well.

One by one we got past the slightly slower rider who had been heading our train, but by then the field ahead was pretty strung out. Soon after, I tried to ride a narrow ridge down through a muddy dip on some double track and lost the back wheel, squirting me out sideways and over a stump and a log before I could get back on the track. Lost a couple of places and got a few shouts of encouragement for my troubles.

There seemed to be a few new sections in the run up to the feed station, so I think I was on a slightly slower pace than last year. Mind you it was hard to read anything on the Garmin without wiping a layer of dust off first. This usually meant then having to scroll back a couple of screens as well, so it didn’t happen too often! The main number I could see was my HR zone showing 5.something for most of the race….

Got onto the back of a few guys on the nice flowy section just after the feed zone and managed to knock a bit of the dust off with a good whipping from the native cypress saplings as we rattled through the single track. Lost them as we started to get into the slightly hillier sections of the back half and couldn’t quite close the gap to the rider in front as I started to fade a bit on the climbs and needed to recover on the little descents. A bit of stomach cramping at this stage didn’t help with motivation (note to self – maybe shouldn’t have tried Expresso Love Gu for the first time right on the start line).

Started to come good again once I knew we were in the final run down along the creek. What a great section of track! Flew through here and picked up a few riders and this year made it through the final creek crossing without incident. It helped that there was no water or mud in it this time….

A couple of minutes slower this year, but same placing in Super Masters and a few places better overall, so I wasn’t unhappy, especially given the interrupted riding / training schedule this year.

Really enjoyed the hot shower put on by Parkes Rotary (even if it was a massive $4 and not the miserly $2 advertised on the event web site). It was great to be able to wash the dust off and put a clean pair of skins on the legs for the drive home.

My apologies to anyone I mislead about the track not being loose – it certainly was much looser than I remembered from last year! However, some of the older bits of track are gradually building up berms as well, so there is fun to be had.

Have to try to organise a few more days for the road trip out there next year to get a bit more value out of the long drive. Maybe a few days in Orange and Mudgee to sample the wines and trails in those areas…….

Brian's picture

Nice ride. I thought the trails were in great shape. I over cooked a few corners and had a couple of moments but overall they were awesome. I think some of those puddles of standing water would be super deep if you hit those. Especially that long green close to the finish.

jp's picture

Well done Lach, and thanks for sharing. Sounds like a great event.

hawkeye's picture

Great result. You're going to be quick when you get some training behind you.

It is a great event. Just because its flat doesn't mean it isn't hard. In fact it becomes a 50km or 100km time trial, but with a mad, blind sprint at the start.

The rolling climbs towards the end aren't that bad, certainly nothing like the Fling, but because you've been on the limit the whole way up to then they seem like mountains. Well, maybe not but they seem a lot bigger than they should! Smiling

Looking forward to the planets aligning so I can get back there again. Lots of fun and a great vibe.

Lach's picture

... hoping to ramp up the training for a while from here. In fact I'm heading off to a secret training camp at Rotorua this weekend before tackling the Kowalski.... Smiling

(trash talk alert) looking forward to taking you down at the Fling again this year, although I'm a bit worried about your moves towards coaching and training really seriously. My pre-Fling training regime will consist of a 4 week trip to SA and Vic, with a lap of the Flinders Ranges By Bike route, a visit to Melrose, a bit of rail trail work and some exploring in the Grampians, but I'll be at Fling10 with bells on. I'm pulling out of the Rolloff this year to concentrate on the main event for my last year in Super Masters...... Eye-wink

Brian's picture

@Lach, you know you can lock the garmin screens so the don't scroll when you touch the screen. Select the screen you want, press the power button and then there is a lock option.

Lach's picture

..... I seem to just read enough of the manual to get things started and then gradually learn how to use all the bells and whistles. The lock would definitely be handy in races.

Brian's picture

For a race also having less fields on the screen makes them bigger. The two most important ones for me in a race is time and distance. I just use the time for making sure I'm eating on a regular basis. Distance is good when you don't know the course and have planned water stops. Everything else is just a result of the race.

Lach's picture

I have been using 4 fields for a race screen - elapsed time, HR Zone, distance and average speed. I've set it to beep every 10 minutes to remind me to look at the clock for timing of gel intakes, as I find I don't always hear it riding over rough terrain or in the wind.

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