Training Log Archive: O-ing

Banjaxed.

La Reve, wet and cold. Form has deserted me, a bit too tough, might have to drop back to the Bigfoot ride (!). GPS missed the last 4km. Akuna West 11:12, 12 seconds outside the PB.

Tired.

More Jump Board.

NSCC Brooklyn Dash, a first time for me. Held on pretty well on the way back (15.3km in 22:50 with +100 climb (and -140 descent), several traffic lights - average 40.2 kmh).

Russian run around Mosman. Nice area, nice pace, but too many steps for me. Stretched out when I could e.g. ovals, beach. 40 days since my last run; didn't feel too bad.

La Reve. Two Bobbins - first one 11:12 (two seconds over PB).

More jump board. Quads have DOMS still from Tuesday. Must be working.

Hot, at last.

Jump board this time.

Two Gorges with Cath.

C • That 6

Dry at Lindfield, but wet and cold from Pentecost to Akuna. Brightened up a little after that. Went OK on the climbs Akuna 10:14, McCarrrs 8:38 - with Hamish and Guenter.

West Pymble. Aoife opted to do a 30 minute run rather than 25m breaststroke/25m backstroke, so we did a short course instead.

More arms, less legs.

Lane Cove, felt good

Paddy's Swamp, Anglesea. Long Distance, M50, 9th. More like I was expecting.
The problem here is that I'm not a good MTB rider. So difficult tracks are a problem for me - I lost 3 minutes on the easy 2.7km first leg to Rob Davis on a roller coaster track with a few puddles. Then when you add really easy navigation - we went 7km (a third of my time for the course) to get one control on an obvious (only?) route, difficult tracks (walking in parts up and down) its just not my kind of race. I lost over 8 minutes over that 7km slog; and it didn't help when Rob Garden passed me going up hill.
So, I was never competitive in this race - fastest split position was 6th, highest placing 5th. And that was with only very small time losses (30 seconds near the start, 30 seconds reading the map at 5 and 1 minute missing a track on the way to 11).

Event: Australian MTBO Championships
 

Torquay Foreshore, Sprint Distance. M50, 1st.
I went into this fit, no injuries, with solid training for the last month and new mech, so I probably should have been expecting better. As it was I knew the field was very strong; I didn't place in 2014 and Long champ Duncan Sullivan was missing, but all the other place getters were here with Malcolm Roberts, Rob Garden and Rob Vincent in addition.
Had a kerfuffle before starting and had to hire an e-stick as I had left mine in the accomodation. That probably helped the warm up and adrenaline. Started fast and had the lead till 3, and still only 6 seconds down after 6. That was after a couple of wobbles (took a wrong turn at 3 -10s, and bad route choice to 4 -10s).
Held up at the road crossing as a guy I'd passed jumped out in front of a car to get ahead of me on the single track. Then overshot 9 (-15s). I was still in second place here, but Andrew Power had a good lead of 50 seconds. He then proceeded to blow 27 seconds of that on the next - 100m across an open field.
None of the contenders mucked up the next (43) that caught out several of the elites but three failed the easier next one (possibly getting them out of order?). Rob Garden was one of those who was coming back after a slow start.
I started to gain on Andrew at 15, my next fastest split after no. 3, but was still 17 seconds down.
The small park made the difference as I took back 12s on 17, 11s on 18 and another 4s on 19 - another fastest split after a turbo charge to get past two riders. All up a win by 20 seconds and my 5th MTBO Aus Championship win (a trifecta in 2006 and the Middle in 2007 - all in M50!).

C • Map folding 2

Eumeralla Scout Camp, Anglesea. Middle Distance, M50, 1st.
I hadn't actually seen the Sprint result before heading out, so didn't get ahead of myself which was good. No. 1 was downhill and I didn't pedal, not wanting to miss the side track. So 9th to #1, 20 seconds down but reading the map. That was paying off as a fastest split to 3 and mistakes by others gave me a share of the lead with Andrew by 4.
Then came the dumb slog up a 45m hill to a lookout. I was climbing OK, but on the gravelly path I caught up (5 minutes) to Steve Pyatt. As I went to pass he accelerated. So I'm on the wrong side of the narrow path as elite Chris Firman charges around a blind corner. I've nowhere to go and 40 psi in my tires on loose gravel - a touch of the brakes and I'm down. Firman must have bunny hopped me?
Anyway I lose about 20 seconds, adrenaline kicks in and I do the repass of Pyatt on the way out of the dogleg, pretty much at the same place. Unfortunately then comes the steep bit on loose gravel, I have no grip, and Pyatt dodges past again. I bide my time to 6 and then take a roundabout route to 7: thankfully that was the last I saw of him. I had lost 25s to defending champ King on that leg, but it was worth it. So now I'm down in 6th place, but a fastest split to #8 gets me up 1.
#9 is a bit of a worry - I didn't make a mistake, rode OK but only had the 14th fastest split, losing 46s to Darryl Smith? Darryl was leading here and did till losing 6 minutes on #11. Steve Sullivan had dropped more time than me on #9, and Rob Garden lost a minute on 10, so by 11 I was up to second, just 17 seconds off King. King lost 3 minutes on #13 to drop out of the places and by attrition I had taken over.
At #14 I picked up a passenger - who blew past me on every leg from here to the finish, but stopped at every junction to let me find the controls.
A little blip at #18 cost 45 seconds and the lead to Rob Garden, but Rob blew a minute on the third last to hand me the win.

You Yangs. Last!

Melbourne Bike Share

C • did u .. 6

Mat - 45 each, last 50. Reformer 3 springs. Arms, singles on 2. 150 hundreds.
80 Scooters and 20,20 slidies 25 lunges on 1.75

Two gorges from Waitara. Happened upon Cam/Matt/Fergus and Helmut so rode to Beaumont Rd with them.