Tweaking

The MTB team blog is moving to the main site blog. See you there.

The bird is the word.

The Mont is largest 24 hour race in Australia, and I'm led to believe the world. It has a sense of a holy pilgrimage for southern Australian mountain bikers (like the Baum team). Load up a car to the brim with bikes, and riders, then drive the 700km to Canberra along the mind numbing highway. Once there you'll find a tent city filled with old friends and familiar faces. Though the venue changes from year to year you can be sure there will be forest that's filled with kilometres of well thought out single track.

This years race attracted 2,600 competitors, while teams were restricted to 4 or 6 riders the choice of geared, single speed, single gender, mixed genders and over 40 categories left plenty of room for everyone.



The 18km Sparrow Hill trail flowed through pine forest, it was fast, and flowing with a few roots and rocks thrown in to accentuate how sweet and buttery smooth the rest of the trail rode. The highlight was the last 2km, a slightly gravity assisted, well made, giggle fest. Every lap you come out of it with both your big ring and smile wound out to the limit before you ducked into the timing chute.



Darren took a much needed break from the welding torch and flew up to support (read: heckle), while Jim, David, Steve and I got the task of clocking up laps in the 4 man category (Baum to be Wild).

The first day is a blur of excitement, by the time night rolls in the field has spread out and you lose track of who your direct competitor is. It becomes you verses the track, the competition has to be maintained in your head. Ride, then eat, then sleep. It's a rhythm that comes naturally after a few races, but regardless of how often you've done it being roused from sleep, the body craving "just a few minutes more", it is tough to grab a helmet cold with sweat and jump back on the bike. Knowing that the 3 other riders had done the same, and were counting on you to do your part forced tired bodies to transition, a few brief words then it was up the fire road to the first single track. The dark ribbon of hard packed earth flowed endlessly beyond the range of your light. Dampened slightly by the night there seemed to be no limit to grip, only of the brains willingness to push hard into the unseen. Soon sleep was forgotten, cold banished from the limbs and the moment entered... just you, your bike and the trail.



In the last few hours, knowing you only have 1 lap to go a sense of purpose overcomes you. Bodies that are tired and aching can be pushed, knowing that this is the last time up this climb, the last time through this rock garden and the last time through this section. Nothing needs to be held back, you dig deep hoping to beat your rivals, your team mates, your last lap.



Heading out at 11:14 it was going to take my fastest lap of the race to get Steve out again for his 7th, mentally he'd finished, which only made the prospect of getting him on the bike sweeter. Legs fuelled by caffeine were smashed again and again, tyres and trails were pushed to the limit of traction. Just one more gear, just one more effort, faster, get him out there, he doesn't want to, it'll be awesome! Flying around the final corner, tyres scrabbling over the dirt I could just make out the announcer..... "2, 1, 0 and that's it!". Steve had been saved from another lap.... next time Gadget, next time!

We'd achieved a good 9th in the 140 strong field, now it's time to sleep and recover.

Sneak preview

It's always good to see a course before you race it, it's even better when the trails flow like the ones at Woodend.

Sunday morning with too few hours sleep and a belly full of dodgy servo food I met a group of riders at the Wombat trail car park. As the seconds ticked by the group grew and grew, eventually we had ~20 blokes astride their bikes rolling down the fire road.

In the three and a half hours we rode my tyres never once touched single track I'd seen before. Some of it was ridiculously fresh cut, some of it was like old hidden treasure, but it was all a blast.



It was great to see everyone put some elbow grease (sweat) into fixing up a bridge broken by moto riders on their heavy bikes. The result was an awesome, hard-wearing surface.



Here now at the end of this post I must now take a moment to say that I completely chickened out of the gap jump. I Neil Robinson, chickened out of the easy gap jump that only required a moderate speed.... because I was a little scaredy cat. There, I've said it, I hope you're all happy!

It never rains it pours

Steve and I managed to sneak a few hours on the Yarra trails on Sunday morning. Much needed rain had added puddles to the normally dry trails and meant concentration was needed over the slippery roots.



The smell of fresh wet earth being brought up by side knobs filled the nose. Conversations came and went, dictated by the trail and the seemingly tiny store of oxygen in my lungs.



By the end of the trails the sun had peeked out of the clouds and warmed our bodies. Concerned that solar power wouldn't be enough we ended the ride with a hot coffee.... just to make sure we'd make it through the day.

The Mont 2009

We have put together a team for the Mont this year (April 4,5 at Sparrow Hill, ACT). We plan to arrive Friday afternoon and race Saturday midday to Sunday midday. We will have plenty of Baum MTBs around, so come and visit us if you are in the area.

The Mont web site is:

http://www.mont24.com.au/

Hope to see you there!

To forest good fellow, and don't spare the horses!

I don't think you fine folk need to hear about the course, no doubt you know it's bloody hilly and takes quite some time to complete. I'll do my best to keep this about my race and the experiences I went through.

Heading into the first single track at around 45km I felt great, the hills had been brutal but I felt like I could keep up the efforts all day. I was pushing my bike through the corners and flicking it around the rocks and trees. At the start of the red carpet descent the down hill'er behind wanted to pass, I giggled and proceeded to open up a gap through the fast flowing turns. Then I felt a twinge of a cramp. Minutes later both my quads were in full lock, I got off the bike and had no idea if I could go on.

I shoved food and drink down for the next 18 km. I had a choice of push hard and fail, or swallow my pride and try to survive. I decided to eat my pride, soft peddling the trails that longed to be attacked. I had to let rider after rider through, and though it was nice to see that I was in front of so many strong riders, my willingness to complete the 100km was being eroded.

At around the 65km mark I knew I was close to transition for the first time. I decided to push on to the next loop and see how I faired. It seemed unfair to have dragged my girl friend all the way down to support me, then quit. I grabbed some fresh supplies, stole a kiss and headed out to the trails.



After time I began to feel better, I was enjoying the flow of good single track, when from behind me I heard a freight train. Legs going like pistons were closing in on my wheel fast, out onto some fire road and I could feel them drawing up next to me. It was then I heard it.... "G'day Neil how are you going?". David Rusden hot off a month of secret training was flying! I latched onto his rear tyre, making myself into his caboose, and held on for grim life.

The next 20 minutes I let David do all the thinking, he was pushing well through the single track and it gave me time to get my brain in order. Out of the trails back onto the oval, I grabbed some new gels, a fresh cold bottle and headed out. 12km to go.... my brain clicked, the race was basically done, I had 1 long hill and 1 steep hill to go and them a fast trip home. Time to smash it!

Up the long fire road I set about chasing down some rabbits. The legs were feeling strong again, caffeine was fuelling my body and I was primed to punch through to the finish. Going up the last steep climb, the sledgehammer, I had a small cramp, I jumped off and one watched as Erin Francis rode past me. I decided then that I had to chase him down, I'd already passed him and he was meant to stay passed! I floored it into the single track descent, I flew past a couple of riders, it felt like nothing could stop me.... well nothing but a steep drop off over a log and the ground/my face on the other side. I picked myself up, jumped back on the bike and sprinted for home. I never did catch Erin, but I'd broken the 6 hour mark.



While I didn't achieve all the goals I had set out, I'm proud of what I achieved. I pushed through when it got difficult and had a ball.



editors note: no monos were harmed in the making of this race.

It's time to go.

Last weekend was the Fire Relief Fund 6hr, Baum had two 2-man teams in action and the fund raising efforts were awesome ($35,000 donated by the riders and organisations involved).

The course was a bit of a mix, there was 1 really tough climb and 1 mind blowing descent. The "Cressy Climb" (normally ridden uphill) was turned into a thrill ride of a descent mainly due to the new berms added at the bottom. Hooking through them at full speed, overwhelmed by adrenalin was my highlight of the day.



With Ryan absent I decided to take it easy, especially given the Otway 100km is this coming weekend. I rode laps on my SS, and though it had a sub 2:1 gear I never quite managed to clean the first climb.

Jim Hsu is now in Africa, last I heard was he and his bike were on the ground, by now he should be pounding out the Kilometres (or is it Miles over there?).

Steve Caddy is talking about his return to racing sometime soon, he seemed disappointed that there was no last minute entries available to the Otway.

Darren, David and I are "all ready" for the Otway.... Ok so it's hard to feel 100% ready for a race like this, but there is no longer scope to effect the result through training. Legs have been massaged, drive trains cleaned/changed and bodies are hydrated, all that's left is to attach race numbers and enter the world of hurt.



My hopes are to beat my previous result (67th of ~700 elite men in 2007), there are plenty of strong legs entered so it's not going to be easy.