So much for taking it easy!
After the Rocky Trail 12 hour at Mt. Annan, I decided to enjoy some quality time with my wife Greer and dramatically reduced the weekly training load. Quite apart from the fact that the body needs a break from the physiological load an endurance cyclist places their body under, the time away from cycling can be used for following more leisurely, yet equally rewarding, free-time pursuits. So the Christmas period was spent bush-walking, frequenting the cinema (Rush, Blue Jasmine, Filth were all brilliant), watching DVD's (Lawless and The Bounty were great viewing) and revisiting the all-time classic Godfather Trilogy. On this point, my wife and I are still rather baffled how Gravity and Sandra Bullock are so heralded, in a film with great special effects but such a feeble and, at times, embarrassing script. Let me tell you Miss Bullock, that when you are starved of oxygen (as I often find myself in races) it is not possible to chat casually with another, even if it is George Clooney, let alone save yourself from impending doom.
My period of relaxation was supposed to continue during the New Year's Eve Wicked Wombat mountain bike enduro at Jindabyne, in the beautiful Snowy Mountains. I turned up with the intention of gently rolling around the course and enjoying myself. At registration, Garry James informed me of the presence of Ed Mcdonald and Callum McNamara and, with no Masters category, there was clearly not even the remotest chance of getting a whiff of the sweet aroma of podium girls. This was perfect - finally a race where I had no real expectation of success...
So why was it that once the race ended I could do little more than peel myself off my bike and feebly stagger around, wondering what had possessed me to push so hard. I guess that racing is in our blood and when we pull on a race number the mindset changes. It was hot, I raced harder than I should have, and took every 'A' line only to find out later that a few of the B lines were faster, probably because riders were taking short cuts across tracks that hadn't been properly sectioned off.
After the race, we settled down to some beers with Gary Harwood, his better half, Martine, Wendy Stevenson, John and Fi and Joe from Chocolate Foot. Gary was in fine form, entertaining us with stories of his mis-spent youth. Unfortunately, Greer was feeling unwell and so we were compelled to pay a late visit to Cooma hospital. All was well, it was just Greer's blood pressure was high and her electrolytes low after she had drunk too much water, trying to rehydrate from her hike to the town centre and back. As a result, New Year's Eve was celebrated on a lonely highway back to Jindabyne.
So why was it that once the race ended I could do little more than peel myself off my bike and feebly stagger around, wondering what had possessed me to push so hard. I guess that racing is in our blood and when we pull on a race number the mindset changes. It was hot, I raced harder than I should have, and took every 'A' line only to find out later that a few of the B lines were faster, probably because riders were taking short cuts across tracks that hadn't been properly sectioned off.
After the race, we settled down to some beers with Gary Harwood, his better half, Martine, Wendy Stevenson, John and Fi and Joe from Chocolate Foot. Gary was in fine form, entertaining us with stories of his mis-spent youth. Unfortunately, Greer was feeling unwell and so we were compelled to pay a late visit to Cooma hospital. All was well, it was just Greer's blood pressure was high and her electrolytes low after she had drunk too much water, trying to rehydrate from her hike to the town centre and back. As a result, New Year's Eve was celebrated on a lonely highway back to Jindabyne.
Despite this drama, we had a fantastic time in the Snowy mountains. We went on a couple of great walks, including going to the top of Thredbo and back down. I uncovered a rock hiding the deadly funnelweb spider, which was a highlight to match seeing the lethal black snake on the trails a day earlier. We also caught up with relatives of Greer's before we had to make a hasty retreat to Sydney when our campsite was smashed by gale force winds, which our tent definitely couldn't handle.
Before Greer returned to London, we were able to dust off the tandem and get some time in the hills of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. At one time this didn't look possible, but new wheels from my old 26er mountain bike and some work on the brakes and the old beast sprang back to life. The first ride since February 2012, was 47 km long and included coffee at Akuna Bay.
The second ride took us to West Head Lookout. Riding back, we decided to add Akuna Bay and, after a caffeine and sugar hit, we insanely took the turn-off to Cottage Point to tackle the steep inclines of the Col. The climb out of Cottage Point is hard enough on a road bike so with all the extra weight of the tandem it is quite a feat. Impressively, Greer never gives up and we successfully ascended the monster climb. What is more, we had completed the 3 peaks, a personal challenge we had set ourselves years earlier. The tandem continues to give us so much enjoyment, and is the ideal machine, allowing us to ride together in so many varied and beautiful locations.
Greer is now back in London, but the memories of a wonderful Christmas and New Year will remain long in the memory. I am back training for a new season and with new racing goals. Training at the Cycle Studio with Mike Israel and under the guidance of James Lamb 'Chops' augers well for 2014.
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