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'The Big Hurt' makes 24 hour MTB Racing look decidedly soft!

28/5/2013

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An unusual training ride

Picture'Riding' the unrideable
After the late cancellation of the STM Series race at Coondoo Road, Nowra, I was given the option to join an exploration ride for a future 'Big Hurt' mountain bike race. Basically, this is a race that covers 750 km of predominantly singletrail of which vast tracks are barely rideable. Allegedly, elite competitors are able to complete the route in around 54 hours with little or no sleep. The 'victim' is required to navigate using GPS and the ride is totally self-supported. This,therefore, means carrying everything and anything on the bike from tools, spare spokes, tent, clothes, food and drink and, much to our uninitiated amusement - needles - for sewing up torn tyres. All this extra equipment means a hell of a lot of extra weight.

Ross Cairns, the organizer of the race, had advertised for suitable nutters to come on a ride from Bulahdelah to Taree and he had 3 volunteers. Peter Selkrig and myself, both battle hardened from 24 hour racing and a young cross country mountain biker, Landon from the Gateshead Cycling Club. It was clear from the outset that Ross was prepared for every eventuality. He was carrying a hefty backpack and had an ingenious storage bag set between the triangle of his suspension-less frame; somewhere within all this equipment lay his needles and thread. In contrast, Pete and I were on 29er Anthem X Advanced 0 Racing Machines and we were carrying a camelbak and feeling unusually weighty compared to how we would be with our usual streamline racing gear. 
And this is where I realised how 'The Big Hurt' really starts to live up to its name. There is no denying that riding 24 hour mountain bike races is tough. But every 10-20 km we come into a transition zone and can take on more food and water. We have teams of mechanics and helpers who provide assistance whenever it is required. A problem with a wheel means a replacement or we simply swap to a second bike. In the night, lights are exchanged, batteries recharged, hot food and coffee is only a request away. Not so when you ride 'The Big Hurt'. Nobody assists you, you cannot simply replace, you have to fix any problem all by yourself. A split tyre is not a inconvenience but a potentially hazardous situation which could leave the rider stranded in remote, isolated bushland. Indeed, it's not trite to say the needle and thread could save your life!
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River Crossing
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Toughen up Princess
The 130 km trip took in a mixture of fireroad, singletrack and bitumen through varied terrain and, despite all the previous rain, the ground was mostly dry and the sun smiled from a clear blue sky. Most of the trails were rideable but at times we needed to walk through thick bush and once we were required to traverse a river that bit into my soft bare feet from the hidden depths below, making this quite the ordeal. My sophisticated nutrition consisted of 2 bacon and egg McMuffins and a third greasy cafe version which were all consumed before the start at Bulahdelah. As if this wasn't enough 'pig', I then happily shared a bacon and egg pizza with Pete while waiting 20 minutes for a ferry.
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Wholesome bacon pizza and a manly mocha with pink marshmallows
With light fading, we decided to take the last 30 km along the Pacific Highway, which is where Ross finally decided enough was enough and he happily withdrew to a cafe to wait for the 'sag' wagon on its return to Bulahdelah. The three of us pushed on and worked together as a group to rapidly finish the final part of our adventure. 

Just before we bid farewell to one another, Ross passed me his backpack and my knees buckled under its weight. What's more, Pete went to put his bike on the roof rack and, he too, felt the extreme mass of the bike Ross had been riding. Ross and his fellow 'Hurt' competitors certainly deserve a great deal of respect for participating in this crazy race; one which I'm sure is a life-changing experience - even if ultimately that is just learning how to backstitch and embroider.


For further information on 'The Big Hurt' and for a stimulating read check out Ross's blog: www.theunknownrider.com
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Convict 100, Wiseman's Ferry

4/5/2013

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Life is Good!

One of the main reasons why I re-located to Australia from England was the climate. Initially, I moved to Sydney with the intention of sampling the delights of 'A' Grade Rugby League. After 2 seasons, and the first of two ACL knee reconstructions, I quit League and turned to boxing and Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. Later, I started competing at climbing and then, in November 2009, I experienced my first mountain bike race. The latter two sports are weather dependent and, as such, are well suited to Sydney's temperate climate. And how wonderful has this year been in that regard, with Australia experiencing its second-hottest start to the year on record.
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Welch, 2013
So, as I emerged from my tent and my morning slumber, I was greeted by a simply stunning crimson glow above Wiseman's hills. The omens were good for the upcoming Convict race; a race I had never quite got to grips with in three previous attempts. Why, I'm not really sure. The normally manic first 10 kilometres are duked out along fairly flat dirt road and, with lungs bursting, riders are greeted by a brutal hill climb. This was a climb I had invariably failed to conquer. The Convict 100 course then follows long tracts of undulating fireroad, a more technical section of rocky step-ups and a little singletrack and a lot of very rough and fast descending. Then it's the Kayak bridge at the 68 kilometre mark, notorious for giving its victims an embarrassingly early bath. My first ever attempt nearly ended in disaster when the rider in front of me stopped dead half way across the bridge complaining profusely of leg cramps. When he eventually stopped moaning and remounted, I attempted to follow but, as I picked up speed, the bike swayed from one side of the bridge to the other and only good fortune saved me from an unceremonious dunking. But the worst is still to follow, with an endless climb that keeps threatening to end on each corner but then maliciously throws up another wretched ascent. Finally the apex is reached and the final fast, rough and rocky descent is followed by an extremely fast dirt road which awaits those with enough energy left in wilting legs.
Unlike the previous year, I managed to place myself in the first group behind the Jason English's and Shawn Lewis's. I would be setting off with my main rivals instead of leaving with the less competitive riders and having to constantly pass the masses ahead. Like last year, my warm-up had been for nothing, and as I listened to the strangely witty compere, I started to shiver with the sun still not yet radiating any significant heat. The start was not quite as manic as I had endured in previous editions of the race and when I looked at my trusty Garmin 510 my heart rate was still only 130.  As we hit the big hill, a few riders were ejected to the sides of the trail but most continued to plough onwards and upwards. A number of waterbars presented a few moments of anxiety but the climb was smoother and less rocky than in previous years and it wasn't long before I crested the summit. My first race goal had been achieved and I was feeling quite smug and content.
This was my first 100 kilometre race with just bottles - the camelbak is extra weight, meaning more chance of lower back pain and more sweating. I had long since stopped using a camelbak in lap races but had never quite calculated how to survive in events where it is not possible to pick up ready-made water bottles. I carried a 500 ml bottle in my back pocket and a 750 ml on the bike. If necessary, I would fill up at one of three feed stations. Although the sun had risen high in the morning sky, the temperature remained cool and the breeze refreshing and so hydration was to prove less of an issue.
Dave Langley, a rival in my age category, and who had successfully held me off in a race in Taree last week, now passed me and soon disappeared up the track and out of sight. Soon after the 50 kilometre feed station I was then caught by Ben Edols. I discarded my first bottle and began to step up the pace. Ben fell back and I focused on the riders ahead. Soon Dave was back in my line of sight and I was feeling strong. I made a move to pass and Dave was unable to respond except to wish me luck for later. My water was now running low as I approached the kayak bridge, but I was to pass up the opportunity to refill when I saw that no one was crossing the kayaks. I knew others would be ahead and we could work together on the bitumen road section that followed. 
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Maxadventure, 2013
The long hill loomed and the riders with whom I had ridden across to the climb seemed to blow up leaving just two of to ascend together. I had built the climb up in my mind to be long, hard and painful. But it seemed to all pass so quickly; perhaps this was a form of reverse psychology. 

Once I had crossed the sand and water section I was back on the road where Wendy Stevenson was tailing two male riders in the 50 kilometre version of the race. I caught and overtook the group only for them to jump on my wheel until the first hill shook them from my coat-tails and I was left to ride on my own to the finish. 

I had broken my previous best by over 25 minutes finishing in a time of 4.33.52. I had conquered the first hill, had ridden without a cumbersome camelbak, beaten a number of my more serious age group rivals, had negotiated the kayak bridge with ease and had thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful autumnal days riding. And I had a cold beer thrust at me, not once but twice. Without doubt, life in God's Country is good. When you ride a mountain bike in such a beautiful setting life is great!
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Robin, 2013
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    Author


    ​Level 3 Road & Time Trial Cycle Coach with British Cycling (BC) & the Association of British Cyclists (ABBC)

    National Master Wattbike Instructor


    Cycle Strength & Conditioning Coach 

    ​Cycle Trip Leader

    Sports Scientist (Honours degree in PE & Sports Science - Loughborough University)

    Postgraduate Teaching degree in PE & History (Loughborough University)


    Silver Medalist in WEMBO's World MTB 24 hour 40-44 solo at Finale Ligure, Italy, 2012 

    Silver Medalist at the Australian National MTB 24 hour 40-44 solo, 2012 & 2013

    I have completed several of the World's biggest stage races, including the Crocodile Trophy in Australia, the Mongolia Bike Challenge, the Sudety in Poland and the Andalucia Bike Race

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    • WEMBO World 24 hour Solo, Italy, 2012 - 2nd
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    • Chocolate Foot STM 7 hour Series, 2011 - 1st

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    • Sydney 12 hr, 2013 - 1st
    • Sydney 12 hr, 2012 - 1st

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    • National 6+6, 2014 - 1st
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    • Sydney 6+6, 2010 -    1st

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