Port to Port - Stages 1 & 2

Having some connection with the Hunter Valley, I have been keen to give the Port to Port a crack since its inception.

This year is it's third and I finally got around to entering it, but could only make it for the first two stages. Having completed them now, I think I would have only lasted the first two anyways!

I went into this completely underdone but was riding with an old mate who had come over from South Australia for it and so it was a very social affair. I wont post times or position and the like - suffice it to say I was very much towards the rear on both days.

Day 1 had us starting in cold and wet weather in beautiful Nelson Bay. The start was delayed as a ranger had not taken a chain down across one of the trails and so we shivered at the start line for what seemed an eternity.

Eventually we were off and after a controlled start through the roads of the Bay we were let loose at the entrance into the National Park and directly onto a few pinchy and sandy climbs with some sharp descents on the back of them.

There was immediate congestion and the back of the pack were forced to walk these hills. This led to some growing frustration and then we saw that some poor bloke had a very bad stack coming down a fire trail at real pace within the first km of dirt.

I was told later he had a huge gash above his eye, and certainly his face was a mask of blood when I went by, and he was seemingly very concussed as he had no idea where he was and was making some guttural noises. Half a dozen or so blokes stopped to help him, but seeing such an injury so early on in the race was unsettling. So when I came off far less dramatically a few hundred metres later, it took a while to re-compose myself.

After the race it was announced that he had been choppered out and was in a serious but stable condition. Who ever the guy is I do hope he is on the mend.

The course was a mix of road and very sandy fire trails, with some impossibly steep pinch climbs (Three Bears, I'm looking at you) thrown in for good measure. The slightly soft sand was a real killer and by the end of it had taken the wick out of my legs. Much harder day than 34kms might otherwise suggest.

Day 2 had us starting at Lindemans Cellar Door in Pokolbin, which was a 2km ride from where I was staying. The weather was almost perfect, but it was windy.

Another controlled start down McDonald's road until the bottom of the first climb. Very quickly I realised I as in for a long day as my legs were lead and my little tumble on the first day had resulted in a sprained left thumb (I had to shift with my right hand and braking was agony), right shoulder stiff and sore, but the real issue was a muscle strain in my lower back that progressively hurt more and more and started to spasm about a half hour in.

There was 1300 metres of climbing in the day and I rode every bit of it, but had to get off regularly to stretch the back out. Disappointing and it took the shine off the day for me if I'm being honest.

At the top of the Pokolbin Mountains Road climb, it levels out to rolling fire trail/dirt road for a few km's until you turn left and start following moto track. This upped and downed for a while and was a little frustrating, as at times it was awesome, but at others its moto side showed its face very clearly with deep wheel ruts into corners and ridiculously steep pinch climbs.
Few more kilometres and you are back on fire trail which leads you to the famed Rabbit Hole descent.

This was fun but painful as I tried to maintain an even pressure on my back brake and couldn't quite close my hand properly around the grip with my bung thumb.

At the bottom there was 9 km or so of flat dirt and tarred road before the final climb up Mount View Road leading to a short, hurtling decent down the other side. I had a real brown pants moment when travelling at 60kms and I hit a corrugated section at the same time as a huge gust of wind copped me at 90 degrees and I got what can only be described as the death wobbles and was quite lucky to keep upright.

Into Briar Ridge, with a finish that sends you up something like a 27 degree climb for a hundred metres or so that seems quite unnecessary and I was done.

With family commitments, Days 3 and 4 were never on the cards and I wouldn't have lasted anyways. But therein is the challenge for next year - to actually train properly for this and complete all 4 days.

I do wonder whether the organisers need to re-consider the Day 1 course, as they announced before the start of the race that something like 80% of all injuries for the entire 4 days of P2P happen within the first 5 kms on day 1....