Get on board this one as it is the best run bike event with a great format in the beautiful high country around Mansfield. The 2nd stage from Mansfield to the Mt Buller village, is a good opportunity to put to bed any arguments over who is the strongest climber amongst ya mates.
Saturday night on the mountain is a cracker!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Otway Odyssey - more wash up
Oops! Well done to all the other MMBCC members that raced Tom and Dan McMunn that supported each other and finished together in 103rd and 104th overall. Also Richard Eisner in 339th place, I think that's all. Good work lads!!!
Otway Odyssey - the wash up.
What a buzz it is to be one of 1750 MTBers willing to test themselves on what is a pretty hard day on the bike, no matter what the conditions. I truely marvell at the wide variety of riders and skills that take this one on. Yeah, yeah, there's the elite riders that train for it and finish sub 5 hours but it's also the riders that are average recreational cyclists that can spend 9 or 10 hours out there, I dips me lid to all of ya!
Yes, it wasn't as hard a slog as last year in the mud but still, well..... hard! And what a race of many parts it is, a significant bitumen climb, steep 4wd climbs, fast water rutted descents, sweeet singletrack climbs and descents, sand, just about everything except rocks I suppose.
My race started probably a bit slow (for a change) but probably too slow and lost a bit of time on the initial climbs (ya really gotta train on climbs to blitz the climbs but anyways). The pace was pretty hard from the get go and I decided to hold back and save for the true MTBing, the singletrack. Cramping is not something that usually affects me much but *#%! me, it did on Saturday, from the 35k - 60k I had to nurse the legs through but after the first transition at the 65k mark, it was game on, trying to peg back some riders I wasn't feeling too bad and the caffeine kept me pretty wired. The final 13k section climb seemed to never end and I was weary of going over the bars on the final descent as was the case last year. Not before time, I raced to the end with no idea of time or position, releived. 5hours 51mins 45secs, 71st position overall and 9th in vets catagory. I'm pretty happy with that considering I would be lucky to get 100 -150k's in for a week and certainly haven't been doing any MTB marathon stuff. (...but we've all got our excuses).
Deano Bravo cruised in, all smiles, in 388th posi overall, in a time of 7:31:00, great work bruva considering the bike has taken a distant back seat of late.
Gezza arrived in 238th posi, 6:51:23 after the start, and after throwing down the challenge last year to beat the Kellett boys, ya gunna have to get on the programme now for next years race.
As predicted, Jongers smoked it again, in 4:30:46, confirming that yes he is a robot but I hear he did put on his granny ring for the race (perhaps I should have also, doh!).
Great day, great race, I'll be back next year, well done to all fellow riders, just finishing is a considerable achievement in my books.
Great to have Mum, Dad, Becko, Sassy & Nina Jean there for support, thanks muchly it was greatly appreciated.
Holden High Country Cycle Challenge next Saturday, (it's an event and not a race you know).
Bruce and Steve run a stellar event, get on board the Buller train Saturday arvo and hit the tins on Saturday night, beer and bikes, a match made in heaven. Always love going up to ride with my cycling country cousins (fellow club members), let's just hope for weather under 30degrees.
Yes, it wasn't as hard a slog as last year in the mud but still, well..... hard! And what a race of many parts it is, a significant bitumen climb, steep 4wd climbs, fast water rutted descents, sweeet singletrack climbs and descents, sand, just about everything except rocks I suppose.
My race started probably a bit slow (for a change) but probably too slow and lost a bit of time on the initial climbs (ya really gotta train on climbs to blitz the climbs but anyways). The pace was pretty hard from the get go and I decided to hold back and save for the true MTBing, the singletrack. Cramping is not something that usually affects me much but *#%! me, it did on Saturday, from the 35k - 60k I had to nurse the legs through but after the first transition at the 65k mark, it was game on, trying to peg back some riders I wasn't feeling too bad and the caffeine kept me pretty wired. The final 13k section climb seemed to never end and I was weary of going over the bars on the final descent as was the case last year. Not before time, I raced to the end with no idea of time or position, releived. 5hours 51mins 45secs, 71st position overall and 9th in vets catagory. I'm pretty happy with that considering I would be lucky to get 100 -150k's in for a week and certainly haven't been doing any MTB marathon stuff. (...but we've all got our excuses).
Deano Bravo cruised in, all smiles, in 388th posi overall, in a time of 7:31:00, great work bruva considering the bike has taken a distant back seat of late.
Gezza arrived in 238th posi, 6:51:23 after the start, and after throwing down the challenge last year to beat the Kellett boys, ya gunna have to get on the programme now for next years race.
As predicted, Jongers smoked it again, in 4:30:46, confirming that yes he is a robot but I hear he did put on his granny ring for the race (perhaps I should have also, doh!).
Great day, great race, I'll be back next year, well done to all fellow riders, just finishing is a considerable achievement in my books.
Great to have Mum, Dad, Becko, Sassy & Nina Jean there for support, thanks muchly it was greatly appreciated.
Holden High Country Cycle Challenge next Saturday, (it's an event and not a race you know).
Bruce and Steve run a stellar event, get on board the Buller train Saturday arvo and hit the tins on Saturday night, beer and bikes, a match made in heaven. Always love going up to ride with my cycling country cousins (fellow club members), let's just hope for weather under 30degrees.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Otway Odyssey... again getting on board the train o painnnnn
In 2 days time the heart rate will be up, up and away yet again in what is a cracker of a test of ones mettle. 999 others munters and I will tackle the 100km's of extremely varied terrain of this Otway race and another 750 riders covering shorter distance versions. With a strong drive to perform better than 51st place last year and this year cracking into the 40 - 49yr old bracket, my expectations are high, even though I've probably been training less than last year but we'll just have to see ay.
Deano Bravo is back and has a date with the monster that is the Odyssey after crashing out last year on an extremely slippy descent. Gez has been training hard (lots o secret miles working for Worldtrail me thinks) and has put out the challenge to smash the Kellett lads, good luck with that.
Weather should be spot on, low 20s and possible morning showers. I reckon the winning elite time's gunna be &*%k'n quick, under 5hours me thinks and I just can't see anyone beating Jongers for the honour (and $$$), he's is a robot you know.
Lots to organise still.
Preparation is paramount.
All the best to all competitors.
Look out nemisis (you know who you are)
Deano Bravo is back and has a date with the monster that is the Odyssey after crashing out last year on an extremely slippy descent. Gez has been training hard (lots o secret miles working for Worldtrail me thinks) and has put out the challenge to smash the Kellett lads, good luck with that.
Weather should be spot on, low 20s and possible morning showers. I reckon the winning elite time's gunna be &*%k'n quick, under 5hours me thinks and I just can't see anyone beating Jongers for the honour (and $$$), he's is a robot you know.
Lots to organise still.
Preparation is paramount.
All the best to all competitors.
Look out nemisis (you know who you are)
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