Marathon Worlds countdown continues - Chamonix

My trip to France started with a short stopover in Sydney for the King of Kincumber. The King of Kincumber is a charity bike ride/race run by Rocky Trail Entertainment over a 28km fire road course on the central coast near Gosford. This community event is in its second year and is a really fun way to support a worthwhile charity, the Westpac rescue helicopter.  Although short, the course was pretty tough with some sections up to a gradient of 29%!  It was worth it though, with everyone going down to the Kincumber Pub for relaxing lunch and some rehydration in the spring sunshine.  Well done to Martin and Juliane from Rocky Trail, hopefully this event continues to grow.

 Le Tour and col du Balme in background

My sojourn in Sydney felt a little like procrastination and sooner or later I need to get the big plane trip out of the way.  Thankfully it all went smoothly and I eventually arrived in Geneva in one piece ..…and my bike even arrived on the same plane!  My next challenge, and one that nearly got the better of me, was trying to fit a big bike box into a Ford Fiesta hire car. I got there eventually but it was at the expense of my leg room. It was far from ideal but I could still perform most of the important functions of driving a car, and at least it made me appreciate the ample leg room I had just had the privilege of enjoying for the past day in Qantas economy class.  I was very happy to arrive at my final destination for the day of Chamonix and be warmly welcomed by my friend Seth who has been living here for the past year with his partner Jaymie.  After a nice lunch I built my bike and headed out for a roll on the road to spin some of the flight out of my legs. It had been raining all day but I was lucky enough to catch a break in the weather by the time I was ready to go.  As I rolled up the valley towards Argentiere the enormity of the Chamonix Valley hit me.  Huge glaciers hang a couple of thousand metres above the valley floor and jagged mountains dominate the skyline, all of which are dwarfed by le Mont Blanc which for the time being was veiled in clouds.  I’ve been here several times before but I had somehow forgotten just how amazing it is. Despite feeling the fatigue setting in from the trip, I was now super excited about waking up tomorrow for a proper ride.

 Aiguille du midi and Mont Blanc in the clouds

If you have ever travelled much to race, you will have probably found that training while abroad can be quite tricky. At the race venue is usually fine because you have arrows and bunting to follow, but when you rock up to a town and have no idea where to ride, it can be hard to get that specific session that is on your program which you normally do on your local trails. I wanted to do a steady 3 hours today, and I spent half an hour trying to research trails on the internet before I gave up and decided to just wing it. 3 hours was long enough that it would matter if I took a few dead ends and I was excited about the prospect of exploring and hopefully finding something cool, plus even if I found a good route on a map, I knew that stopping continuously to check it would become very tiresome.  I headed up the valley and started to follow a few arrows for walking tracks and the odd MTB trail arrow.  Before long I was riding some spectacularly rooty and slippery trails (amaed particularly exciting by the previous day’s rain) and then stumbled across the Petit Balcon Nord which was a terrific swooping trail benched into the side of the valley. This spat me out at Le Tour where I began to climb a beautiful switchback climb up into the alpine meadows before topping out at a mountain refuge at the Col de Balme. It was a long and tough climb, made tougher by a growing impatience after having caught glimpses of a downhill track that would take me back down. On the way down it became clear that the MTB season was now over as the trail had some signs of erosion and evidence of goats grazing on it. Eventually I actually came across the said goats; there must have been hundreds of them parked right on the trail and nearby the farmer had even erected a yurt complete with a chimney. Imagine if farmers grazed livestock on the ski runs at Thredbo in the summer, it just would happen. On the way back to Chamonix I continued to follow my nose and I managed to stumble across more awesome trails. Steep, rooty and rocky in parts and then fast & flowing in others. When I got back I was grinning from ear to ear, 3hrs in the bank & sweet trails, I could not have asked for more and I can’t wait to get out again tomorrow.

Goats on the DH track at Le Tour

 

20 days to go – the countdown to Marathon Worlds continues

At three weeks out from the big race it was time for my last big test, and what better way to gauge the form than one of the most fun marathons in the country; the Act Belong Commit Dwellingup 100 in Western Australia. I first rode the D100 last year and was very impressed by the course, as well as the super friendly atmosphere. Although being the biggest state in Australia, WA has what is probably one of the closest MTB communities in the country.  Perhaps it is the relatively small population and its isolation, or maybe Western Australians are just friendly? Either way, every time I have been over there I have been warmly welcomed and had a great time; there’s never any shortage of riders keen to take you on a loop of their local trails and they definitely have a way of making you feel like one of the family. Being hosted by the Tucknott family from start to finish, this latest trip was no exception.

Reece & I at the start

  

Arriving in Dwellingup the day before the race, I meet up with local gun Reece Tucknott for a reconnaissance ride on the Turner Hill section of the course. If there is a trail that epitomises WA mountain biking, it is Turner Hill. It is pretty rocky and covered with the infamous pea gravel, which makes it super slippery. It was a bit scary at first trying to follow Reece’s pace around the first part loop, but after a while I started to feel a bit my comfortable and relaxed as we drifted around the corners on the loose surface.  It was a fun ride and I started to get very excited about the following day’s race.

Race day dawned and the 900 riders assembled at the Dwellingup Oval for the civilised 8:30 start.  I knew my main competition would be Peter Hatton, Craig Cooke and John Gregg but it was James Kennedy that lead the race out of town. When we hit the single track a lead group of five formed which included John, Hatto, Craig, David Hind and myself. I wanted to make the race as hard as possible so I tried to push the pace on all of the single track sections.  At about the 25km mark we hit the Marrinup section and I tried to put the group under pressure. I had bad memories of Marinup from last year because it came at the end of the race and I was in pieces but the time we got there, but this year the course was a bit different and it came much earlier on when I was still fresh and it was really fun! So much better than I had remembered. When we exited the single track the group was down to just myself and John Gregg so we pushed on together (I found out later that Craig and Hatto had suffered mechanicals). When we got to Turner Hill I thought I could attack John with the knowledge I had gained from my recon ride with Reece, who was I kidding?!  John, who has probably ridden pea gravel his whole life, was all over me and I was just wasting energy. I then made a mistake and he came past....suddenly the hunter became the prey! I was relieved to be still in touch when we left Turner Hill and then in the next single track section I was finally able to get away.  It was still probably 25km to the finish but I hoped that I had the legs to go on with it. It wasn’t long before I knew I was in trouble, I noticed my heart rate dropping and my pace was slowing. I was starting to blow. Soon I felt like I could barely point my bike on the trail and I knew it was a matter of time before John would catch me.  He joined me at 5km to go and luckily for me he was suffering a fair bit too.  He hit me with one attack and I knew I had to stay on his wheel which I did, JUST. After that he just sat on the front all the way into town and I was happy to follow. I knew the finish and I wanted to lead into the final corner, I opened my sprint just before that and managed to get to the corner first to take a narrow win. 

 Super close finish with John Gregg

I am very happy to have taken the win in WA’s premier mountain bike marathon, and pleased with my form 3 weeks out from the World Championships. The course was so much fun with a great mix of fast & loose single track and fire road. Tony Tucknott and his team did an awesome job of setting the 400-odd arrows out on the course and everyone seemed to be finishing with a smile.

The after the race Reece snuck in a bit of cross-training by taking the motorbikes out on a section of trail that we had used the day before. It was really fun to blast around with an engine on my bike for a while but it did take me awhile to get the hang of braking with my foot. We were back in Perth in time for a quick trip over to the Camel Farm MTB park for a blast on the Perth trails with Jim Lobegeiger (the man behind to course for last year’s AMC in Perth) plus Reece and Tony Tucknott....what a way to finish the weekend.

Thanks a lot to everyone that made the Dwellingup 100 happen, and the Tucknott family for looking after me so well and making me feel at home. Hopefully I’ll be back next year.

Marathon World Championships – Blog: T minus 32 days

The world marathon championships are 32 days away and I thought it might be a good time write a blog.  I plan to post regular entries here, so if you are interested in keeping track of my progress feel free to drop by again over the next month.

After the Husky100 I had a bit of a break off the bike; it was a little shorter than I would have liked after having a pretty busy season, but big objectives require some sacrifices so I had to hang up the skis and get back on the bike. I have been focusing a lot on volume rather than intensity over the past month in and effort to build slowly and resist the temptation to go too hard and peak too early. In theory, it sounded good but the reality of working as much as I do meant that I spent a lot of cold, solo hours in the dark in the hills and back roads West of Canberra. My only solace was that I convinced myself that it would make me tougher.

The first big test of my progress was last weekend in Wollombi NSW, Round #5 of the Real Insurance XCM Series.  In the bigger picture of my preparation for the World Champs this race wasn’t much more than in indication of my level, but sitting 2^nd in the series behind Shaun Lewis who has dominated the series so far, I couldn’t consider it as just another training ride.  It was a must-win for me in order to keep the increasingly prestigious series alive as well as my first opportunity to race in my national champion jersey. Trenton Day and I broke away from the field on the first climb at 10km and worked really well together to build a comfortable lead.  At the turn around we had over 2 minutes from what looked like a fragmented and disorganised chase and I was confident that we would stay away. With very few climbs in the second half of the course I was resigned to a 2-up sprint at the finish, however at the bottom of the last big descent I noticed that I had a small gap of around 30m. Without thinking too much, I attacked and to my surprise I had managed to catch Trenton off guard and soon built a small lead.  It was then a 15km individual pursuit to the finish which was very reminiscent of the Convict 100 and I managed to hold on for the win.  I was happy with my sensations and stoked to keep the series alive with only the Highland Fling remaining.  Unfortunately for Trenton it was another 2^nd place (he has 3 now for the year), but as a very young guy I know his time will come....very soon!

Now I will start to increase the training intensity through to my next big test which will be the Dwellingup 100 in Western Australia.  I am really looking forward to this event that I did last year for the first time; it is really well organised and has a great atmosphere, there are also some super strong lads over there like Peter Hatton and Craig Cooke that are always motivated to stop guys from the East coast coming over and burgling their races.

Enjoy the Spring weather!

Real Insurance XCM#2 - Capital Punishment, Canberra ACT

Only 6 days after round 1 of the Real Insurance XCM series all the usual suspects were lining up again, this time in Canberra for Capital Punishment. It was another early start with the gun going off at 7am out at Kowen Forest. The pace was fairly subdued early on as we rolled through sections of Kowen familiar from the Mont 24hr, some of which we rode in the opposite direction which was nice for a change. With a relatively flat course ahead of use, no one seemed confident enough to drive the fire road so the front group kept reforming after splits were formed in the single track. After a loop in Sparrow Hill and then over to Central Kowen there were still probably about 15 in the leading bunch, quite a lot for a marathon. When we hit the CORC club course at Sutton road and the racing finally started with Lewi and myself using some local knowledge to slip of the front and try to put everyone under pressure. Upon leaving the single track the group was definitely smaller, but the main players were still intact: Cooper, AJ, English, Fleming, Hatto, Lewi. Hatto was next to test his legs when he attacked going through the defence land. He held a small gap for quite while until Cooper hit the front in Majura and the pace was on again. Following Dylan around Majura is heaps of fun and Hatto was soon caught. We whizzed through the feedzone at Majura Winery but no one took a bottle; we were more concerned about the sprint to the KOM and start of the untimed section which in a race like this is just as important as the sprint to the finish line. About 2km before the KOM I made a mistake in a corner and managed to pretzel my front wheel. Luckily Cooper and Lewi didn't notice that I was momentarily missing or they would have made me pay dearly for it. Instead I was able to bridge back to the group despite my front wheel rubbing on the fork. Unfortunately the effort to close to gap took a bit out of me momentarily and I was only 5th at the top of the climb behind Lewi, AJ, Hatto and Cooper. In the transition the Rockstar boys went to Dylan's and AJ and I went to mine, perfect timing for an unscheduled wheel change!

As we approached the end of the roll across town to Black Mountain, the Rockstar crew converged onto our path from a side street and we all arrived at timing together. We left transition in roughly the same order that we finished at Majura and I held back a little bit to try and nullify any losses incurred on the KOM but was nervous not to wait too long as the guys could attack me. We regrouped and the pace across black mountain and past the Arboretum was really easy. With a climb to the top of Stromlo at the end, no one wanted to waste any energy on the flat fire roads. When Matt Fleming (who had left transition before us) waited for his Rockstar team mates and came back to our group, he went to the front and started working for Lewi and Cooper which lifted the pace considerably as we approached Mt Stromlo. Knowing that the final 10km to the top of Stromlo and back down was virtually all singletrack and passing would be limited, we all sprinted to get into the trail first. I managed to get in front and tried to hold a solid pace up the climb and whenever the trail got slightly wider and an overtake was at all possible, I gassed it to stay in front. I was gambling on being able to drop the others on the descent, which seemed more possible due to the thick traffic we were encountering from the 50km riders that we were passing. I took some risks on the downhill and gave it everything as I knew, not being a strong sprinter, that I only had one roll of the dice. I was able to unhitch everyone except for Lewi and Cooper, and as we entered the crit track on the front for the final 300m I knew the numbers were against me. With little choice I reluctantly opened up the sprint quite early, and right on queue both the Rockstar boys came around me with Lewi taking his 2nd win in two weeks.

I am pretty happy to have got on the podium after the disappointment of a week prior, and I am proud that I rode a smart race and had the confidence to take control in the last 10km.....it just didn’t quite work out on the day. This weekend is round #3 with the Convict 100 at St Albans. Due to the hillier course I think we will see the race split up a lot more than the first two rounds and I will be surprised if we don’t see a new winner (sorry Lewi).

Thanks to all my sponsors for the support!

Real Insurance XCM#1 - Wombat 100, Woodend VIC

I was looking forward to the Wombat 100 as a chance to test my form after having 7 weeks with no racing, and as round 1 of the Real Insurance XCM Series it was also a gauge of how the competition is going. Yesterday in Woodend, both of those questions were answered and were strong and very strong respectively. It was also a chance to debut my new kit which arrived late last week from 2XU. It looks really good and I love wearing it, thank you so much to everyone that help make it happen.

The race started off quite predictably with a big group riding together for the first 10km of fire road at which point we went in to the first section of the single track. I was holding good position in 2nd wheel behind AJ, but barely a few corners in, disaster struck.....puncture. I must have run over a sharp rock or some glass because I had a huge slash in my tyre. As I set about sleaving the tyre and installing a tube, it occurred to me that I was a bit rusty at having to fix flats in a race situation. I think 2009 was the last time this happened which certainly says something about how reliable Maxxis tyres are, so it’s not a bad thing to be out of practice I suppose. A few minutes later I started my chase to get back into the race. It was tempting to think about it as a 90km time trial and pace myself accordingly, but in order to stand any chance whatsoever of finishing high up I would have to rejoin the front group early enough to recover and be ready for the attacks that would inevitably come in the last third of the race. So I chased hard and gradually made my way through the field which was tricky because I flatted so early that virtually all of the race was between me and the leaders. I eventually caught my mate Peter Malcolm and knowing what had happened to me he did a huge turn on a 2km section of fire road. Thanks to Pete’s effort (which he subsequently paid for!) my heart rate, which had been red lining for over an hour, dropped by 15bpm for a few minutes giving me a bit of respite and allowing me to take a drink and compose myself a bit. However all good things must end and he soon swung off and I resumed the solo chase. I was getting time gaps from Theo (of cyclenation) at various points and the gap was slowly dropping but not as fast as I had hope. As I started passing more and more accomplished riders it became clear that the reason for this was that if pace at the front was fast enough to un-hitch these guys then it would be hard for me to catch up. I caught Ben Mather in some single track at about 40km and asked him what had happened up the front, he said that the lead group was down to AJ, Lewi and Cooper with AJ having caused most of the damage. Without any expectations I told Mather to hang on to me which he was able to do, and I stayed on the front through the feedzone at the halfway mark. We hit the next fireroad section then Mather came around me and said “I don’t know what I’ve got, but I’ll do what I can”. It turns out that despite having been dropped, he was starting to re-discover his legs and before long he had me under pressure! We work together and continued to swap the pace making duties until the 60km mark when we rejoined the front of the race. Pheww! Three leading trio all looked back to see who had caught up, they seem neither surprised or disappointed to see Ben and I. Lewi and AJ raised not so much as an eyebrow in acknowledgment, which is expected at this stage of a poker game. Dylan was the only one to say anything with simply: “nice one Blairy”. I sat in for the next 10km, trying desperately to recover as much as possible (and pretend to be fresh). The single track sections were fine, but on the climbs I was finding it harder and harder as the 50km chase was now taking its toll. Mather got dropped at about the 65km mark, then at 70km we hit a solid climb; one minute I was sitting fine & ticking over a high cadence, then all of a sudden, the lights went out. It isn’t pretty when this happens; it’s a pretty dark place, believe me. When I finally made it to the finish in 6th, I was greeted by the news that my good mate Lewi at got the win - a well deserved and much anticipated return to form, well done mate. AJ was 2nd and Cooper 3rd.

I’m not too disappointed with my race overall. In general I am very consistent, so one flat every 3 years is a tolerable rate in my opinion. The biggest positive is that I was able to rejoin the front of the race which is an indication that I am moving well and it gives me confidence leading into the subsequent rounds that I have the form to be up there at the pointy. Having missed out on a result will also relieve me of any pressure as the focus will be on Lewi, AJ and Dylan for next weekend’s race in Canberra. Who knows what would have happened if I didn’t flat? Who cares!....Capital Punishment (round #2) is a new race and I’ll be very motivated to make amends. Besides, if I had have won the Wombat I would have to wear the Real Insurance XCM series leaders jersey instead of my brand new kit. ;-)

National Series Wrap-up & National Champs

With so much going on and a huge block of racing, I haven't managed to do much blogging of late. My new job and new house have kept me busy between racing the National Series, Champs and Wildside, but now that I am on a little break I'll have a go at catching up. 

I haven't written a race report from Wildside because I am writing a story for Enduro magazine for that one, but shortly after that was the Canberra round of the National Series All Mountain Cup. Racing the AMC at home was fun, I even worked nearly a full day on the Friday which seemed to be appreciated by my boss and kept the nerves down. The field was probably the best we have seen all year with everyone there to test their legs before the national championships. Chris Jongeward took out the Super-D in a bit of an upset over Carlso, then was Pauly, Macca and me in 5^th. The course for the XCO was disappointingly easy and void of climbs or technical challenges, but the pace was super fast. I got caught up early and missed the split for the front bunch. Sid was caught out too but did an amazing job to bridge the gap, while I was destined to spend the whole race on my own :( Macca got the win and I was happy enough with 5^th. The point to point was only 1 hour long but it took us on a magical mystery tour of some of the Stromlo trails that we rarely race on. Macca once again dominated and I was 4^th and moved up to 4^th on GC. Not bad, but room for improvement before nationals!

Subaru Australian National Championship

As far as MTB racing in Australia goes, the National Championships is the big one.  All the best riders in the country come together to battle it out for the right the wear the converted green and gold jersey; a competition that takes on even more meaning in an Olympic year as the hopefuls are particularly focused on staking their claim on our single spot at the games.  The conditions that greeted us upon our arrival in Adelaide were ridiculous: temperatures in the high 30’s and a forecast for 38degC on race day.  As the week went on the forecast got worse and worse with the temperature eventually hitting 40degC for the Elite men’s race!  This is bad news for a fair & freckly guy like myself, but having had more than my fair share of heat stroke, I have learnt a thing or two about avoiding it.  I would have to pull out all the stops in my efforts to keep cool and hydrated if I was to get through this one; minimal warm-up, wet jersey, ice packs, water to tip on my head each lap, and lots and lots of Gu Brew electrolytes!

On the start line it was a pleasantly familiar atmosphere with the event centre alive with excitement and anticipation for the biggest race of the year.  Photographers, TV cameras, supporters and spectators were all buzzed around the place under the shadows of the giant TV screen the dominated the site. I didn't really feel nervous and was actually quite calm on the start line; I knew I had done the hard work & was in pretty good form and I was confident that I had the experience to handle whatever this race would through at me .....all I had to do was hurt for 1h30m and enjoy the experience.  When the gun fired I was a fraction slow to get clipped in and was soon boxed in, but in a complete reversal in fortune from last year a gap miraculously opened right in front of me and I rolled straight through up the first steep ramp to be in 2^nd wheel right next to my team mate Nick Both who dutifully let me go ahead into the first corner.  Chris Jongeward lead the race and pushed hard on the front, while I just kept him close and tried to limit my exertion.  At the end of the first lap Chris was a few seconds ahead of me with Dan McConnell, Lachlan Norris and Paul VDP just behind. At that moment Chris appeared to blow and found reverse gear and we were pretty much all together, Macca went straight around us both and I followed. Unfortunately I was got held up as I made my way around Chris and ended up having to dab, loosing valuable seconds while Macca disappeared up the trail.  Pauly and I chased together for the next 2 laps, but having been so focused on drinking and keeping cool I soon found myself in a spot of bother and I realised that I had forgotten to eat!  Paul then got away from me and I took the opportunity to eat a couple of GUs and regain my composure and control.  Lachy Norris caught me and disappeared out of site as I waited for the effects of the GU to kick in, but it didn’t take me long to get going again. I knew my slight easing of the pace wouldn’t have cost me too dearly and I was focused on regaining Lachy’s wheel.  I caught a glimpse of him with just over one lap to go and could see that the gap was diminishing on the downhill sections.  As we went through he start finish for the bell, I could see him up ahead and I knew I could catch him, however with very few opportunities to pass I had to be smart about how I timed the catch.  I took my time and tried not to burn all my matches, gradually bridging the gap with half a lap to go.  I knew I had only one opportunity left to pass before the finishing straight so I rode behind him patiently and waited for the short uphill fire road crossing.  Just as I knew exactly what I had to do, Lachy did also; he accelerated as soon as the trail widened and did everything he could to stop me coming around...he succeeded.  Back on the single track I could not pass and he could recover.  I wanted to be going faster, but he had the luxury of dictating the pace.  He also started to employ a few other tricks of the trade and as we approached some rising switchback he would back me off to upset my momentum and then accelerate away causing me to have to chase back on.  Knowing exactly what he was doing helped me to stay calm and patient and I just gave him a bit of breathing space knowing that I had only one chance left and I needed to make that one count.  I resisted the temptation to try anything dangerous to get around on the loose descent of “Sunset Boulevard” and I knew that it was now coming down to a sprint.  I watched his body language carefully and I knew he was tiring (at least that’s what I told myself), up the final climb to the finish straight I tried to stay close enough to pounce, and as soon as we hit the straight I made my move. Neither of us are really renowned for our sprinting prowess, and after 1:30 of racing in 40degrees I’m sure it looked like it was in slow motion, but I had just enough to get around him and score my best ever nationals result and realise my dream of winning a national championship medal.  Meanwhile, 2 minutes earlier Macca had taken his 2^nd national title and Paul VPD had claimed the silver medal 1 minute back.  The podium ceremony was a bit of a highlight for me and a really buzz to share the champagne with four athletes that are all gunning for the Olympics.  

AMC National Series Finals, Awaba

On a high from the National Champs, I tried to settle back to earth and focus on the 4^th and final round of the Real Insurance All Mountain Cup National Series finals which was less than a week later.  The All Mountain Cup format sees riders competing in various discipline over course of a weekend stage race with the cumulative time over the 3 stages forming the final placings and the awarding of series points.  I had led the series from the beginning after taking out the first round in Perth and then following that with consistent performances to finish 2^nd and 4^th and Mt Buller and Canberra respectively, and the pressure was on me to hold off the challenge from Athens Olympian Sid Taberlay who trailed be 33 points and was coming off a disappointing 10^th place at Nationals.  I was motivated by my strong race at Adelaide and when I hit the start line for the 1^st stage of the Newcastle AMC I had hopes of finishing the series the way I started it...with a win!  Unfortunately my body had other ideas and I had nothing, I felt really fatigued and struggled around the short 2km circuit in the horrifically wet conditions to finish 4^th on the stage.  On to the Cross Country event and I knew that it would be tough, the conditions were still muddy and wet and despite trying my best to rest up I knew that I didn’t have the same legs that had propelled me to the podium a week earlier.  Sid attacked early on and had me under pressure, I followed for as long as I could but eventually dropped back and was passed by Josh Carlson.  The wet and muddy conditions usually suit me, but I was struggling to put out enough power to maintain a smooth speed.  I just tried to focus on the basics and use all my experience to grunt through a race that was just as demanding on the bike as on the body with the sand and grit cutting though brake pads quicker than I have ever seen.  I managed to hang on to 3^rd place but it wasn’t pretty.  It was also enough for me to move up into 3^rd on GC, which would be just enough to retain the series lead if I could hold it for one more stage.  Sunday’s point to point was only 12kms so I was relatively confident, but with such muddy conditions and tired legs, anything could happen.  I tried to go with Sid early, but he was again too strong.  I was forced to limit my losses and focus on staying upright, eventually coming on 4^th on the stage and retaining 3^rd for the round, but retaining the series lead to become the 2011-12 Australian National Series Champion! I'm pretty chuffed with that, it is such a relief after leading from the beginning, I'm also glad that I was able to win a round and have a great national champs on the way. Looking back it is also interesting to note that I rode every round (and the champs) on my dual suspension Felt Edict. For someone that is an old school hardtail-lover from way back, that is amazing....the Edict is just too much fun. Having said that though, I'm pretty keen to rip out the Felt Nine for some of the marathons that are coming up. Also note-worthy is that in 12 individual stages of the national series I didn't have a single mechanical or flat tyre, which I have Sram and Maxxis to thank for. Thanks also to all my other great sponsors that have helped to make my national series so successful.

For now though, I am having a short break, which have recently been made slightly longer by the postponement of Capital Punishment. My calendar will now revolve around doing some of the Real Insurance XCM races and hopefully Alice Springs stage race before the next big target which will be the national marathon championships....so plenty of things coming up to get excited about. As well as the upcoming races, Swell Design have just finalised my new race kit and it is off at 2XU getting made at the moment. Good luck to all the guys heading over the Rotorua this weekend!

Finish at Nationals (photo by Mick Ross)

Nationals Podium (photo by Mick Ross)

Wildside preview

There are two kinds of mountain bikers; those that have done Wildside and those who haven’t.  If you are one of the former you will probably be able to relate to post, and if you are one of the latter I hope for you that you are on your way to Cradle Mountain!  

Held every two years, no race creates more excitement and anticipation than this classic of stage races, and with only 2 days before the 2012 event I can’t wait to get down to the “Apple Isle”.  I thought I would write a little preview about this year’s race and remember some of the highlights from the 2010 edition.  

Wildside typically attracts a stellar field of the nation’s best racers and the field that will assemble at Cradle Mountain this Saturday certainly looks like living up to that billing.  There are no less than three Van Der Ploegs (including arguably the most talented, humble and good looking one, Daniel), Olympian Sid Taberlay, former winner Adrian Jackson, confused motocross rider that has lost has motor Josh Carlson and international Max Plaxton.  At the pointy end, a field like this guarantees some exciting racing and a deserving winner, but there is much more to this race than the front bunch.  It is a journey from the top of Tassie to the rugged West coast, through some truly stunning and varied terrain.  It will be a journey that requires commitment which makes the rewards that much sweeter, and everyone that gets to the finish will feel a sense of accomplishment.  Friendships will be formed and fortified as people share a terrific mountain bike experience.  Additionally for me, this year Wildside will be an opportunity to race with my Dad and brother who are both competing in it for the first time; the Blair team will race with the objective of trying to get “Big Davo” up for the GC in the Grand Masters class!  It will also be a chance to race (against) many of my sponsors: Jason (2XU), Rob (Sram), Dion (Adidas Eyewear), Llyody (Gu) and Nic (Felt) are all making the trip to Tassie which a clear indication that it is not just the riders that love Wildside, but the industry as well.  

Why am I so enthusiastic about this race? Well I guess it is because in 2010 I had such a good time.  On that occasion I got a last minute call up to ride for the KOM Cyclery team and I went into the race with no expectations.  It turned out to be one of the most fun times I have had on my bike, shared with a great team of riders and our wonderful soigneur Sammy.  The highlights from that experience were:
Ø  Assembling at Cradle Mountain on a cold misty mountain morning not knowing what to expect
Ø  Stage after stage of some of the fastest MTB bunch racing I have ever done
Ø  Hanging onto the Paul Vandy express for as long as possible in the 2-up time trial at Zeehan
Ø  The Trial Harbour stage – no single track, but just the roughest, gnarliest, freeridy and fun sandstone fire trail I’ve ever ridden
Ø  Seeing Mark Fenner get ripped from his bike when a fish hook went through his finger along the beach on the final stage
Ø  Racing with Willo for the last time and having the opportunity to work for him on the last stage so he could maintain his spot on GC
Ø  Being served an amazing salmon fillet at the finish of the last stage in Strahan
Ø  Smuggling about 5 bottles of “stage winner” wine into the Strahan pub after it ran out of booze
Ø  Paul VDP running up and down the main street of Strahan in his undies   Hopefully I’ll see you there. If not, start planning for 2014…..unlike the Olympics, you will only have to wait 2 years if you miss it.