Redshift Racing MTB Team Blog

Perth National Round Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie Barnes) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:07:00 +0000

By Rosie Barnes

Last weekend all four Swell-Redshift riders travelled to Perth for the opening round of the 2011-12 MTBA National Series. I think that most of us were pretty tired after some solid efforts at the previous weekend's Highland Fling, and probably weren't sure what to expect of ourselves at the season opener.

For me the Perth race was my first elite race in a really long time, and I was feeling pretty anxious about whether it was a good idea or not. I was completely unsure about how fit I was, as my training at the moment consists of only 3 days on the bike per week, in addition to a range of other things (like water polo, roller skiing, yoga), which I wasn't really sure would translate into form on the bike.

My new bike

I got a brand new bike (a fresh-off-the boat 2012 Felt Edict) the day before I left, and my practice laps on Friday were its first outing. The new bike is a whole lot lighter and more xc-appropriate than my Felt Virtue trail bike that I had been racing on, and about 10 seconds into my first practice lap I was appreciating the difference. The course started off with a Euro-steep climb up a dusty and rocky trail, before turning off onto a fast and loose winding descent. The course continued like that for 5.5km, alternating between steep and techy uphills and fast, technical descents.

Early in the women's race: Jenny Fay, Jody Willett, Jenni King, Rosie Barnes

The women raced on Saturday morning, which meant that we would get most of the race out of the way before it started heating up. It was a very small field, with just 6 elite women turning up on the start line. My plan was to take it very easy for the first half of the race, as I knew I would struggle with the distance and the heat. Luckily the pace was slow at the start, so I wasn't tempted to dig too deep off the line. Jenny Fay led up the first climb, and as we reached the top there was just a small gap between me and the top group (Fay, King and Willett). I quickly bridged the gap on the descent, and stayed in the group until Jenni and Jody went to the front on one of the short climbs about halfway through the lap, and pulled away. It turned out that these positions were to remain for the rest of the race, with gaps widening each lap. For the remainder of the first lap I stayed within eyesight of Jenny. She would pull away on the pedally sections, I would catch her during the more technical descents.

After the long climb at the end of the first lap/ start of the second I lost sight of Jenny, and basically rode around by myself for the last 4 laps. Judging from the large time gaps between all of us, I guess that this would have been pretty much the same for all the women, which is the consequence of such a small field, I suppose. Still, I was happy with how I rode, and surprised to be as close to the more serious women as I was. The final result was Jenni King 1st, then Jody Willett, Jenny Fay, then me in 4th, Sarah Holmes came in in 5th and Perth local Claire Garcia-Webb in 6th.

Me on the A-Klein descent

Next up for the day was the elite men's races. Swell-Redshift was represented by Andy Blair and Nick Both in the elite men, and Cam Ivory in the u23. I had struggled in the heat on my last couple of laps, and knowing that Andy "the Freck" Blair is capable of getting serious heat stroke at even 23 degrees, I was a bit concerned about how he would fare. Cam's dad, Mark, and I teamed up in the feed zone to give Andy a bidon of water to pour on himself in addition to one to drink to keep him as cool as possible. You can read Andy's race report here to get all the details, but basically Andy dominated the race from a couple of laps in and came away with his first ever, and much desired, national series win. I have never seen a bigger smile than his as he crossed the finish line.

Andy winning the men's - happiest man ever!

Nick was sitting in 4th place for most of the race, but was passed by a fast-finishing Ben Henderson with about a lap to go, which meant Nick finished in 5th, which is a great start to his season. In the u23, Cam finished in 4th place after passing Kyle Ward (who blew spectacularly after a really strong start) on the last lap. All 4 Swell-Redshift riders finished in the top 5, which was really great to see.

On the Sunday there were an additional 2 races as part of the inaugural "All Mountain Cup." The mini stage race format is a new concept for the 2011-12 National Series, and the Perth round acted as the guinea pig for the format. The day's racing was set to start at about 9am with the eliminator race. The course sent riders down a jumps and berms track before climbing back up the hill at the end. Every rider first did a time trial to gain seeding positions, and then there were heats of 4 with two riders progressing to the next round. The format was good in theory, but with so many separate races to run (e.g. 16 riders in a category means 16 time trials then 4 quarter finals, then 2 semis then the final) the race did drag out quite a lot. This was exacerbated by timing system problems. Still, it was an interesting race, and I imagine that any new format will have teething problems the first time it is introduced.

Cam smashing the eliminator time trial

Cam was amazing in the time trial, easily the fastest u23 rider, and in fact only beaten by Josh Carlson in the elite men. But he unfortunately crashed in the first round and got eliminated. Andy made the final in the elite men, finishing 4th. Nick and I were both eliminated in the early rounds.

The final race of the All Mountain Cup was a super D (basically a downhill race with more pedalling), which is a format that I absolutely adore. I have done a couple of these with my local club, CORC, and they are always heaps of fun. There wasn't a lot of opportunity to practice the course, and by Sunday afternoon I think everyone's energy and enthusiasm had reached a pretty low point. Still, I was really hoping to have a fast run, and the course was great fun, so I was looking forward to it. My run alternated pretty much 50/50 between complete spaz and awesome. I would take a few corners really well, but then take a stupid line over some rocks and nearly stack. I lost my chain at one point after a particularly unco attempt at the rocky A-Klein, but was able to get it back on without having to get off my bike. I was happy to finish second (despite what Cycling News says!) to Jenni King, whose fast run rounded out her hat trick of stage wins.

Nick rocks A-Klein

Cam also came second in the Super D, Nick was 6th and Andy 5th. All the major positions remained the same after the XC, which for the Swell-Redshift riders was Andy 1st, Nick 5th, Cam 4th and me 4th. There were double points awarded for the Perth round as an incentive to get riders to make the trip across the country, so all of us are looking good to have strong series results this year.

Men's overall podium, L-R: Henderson (4th), Carlson (3rd), Blair (1st), Taberlay (2nd), Both (5th)

Women's overall podium, L-R: Holmes (5th), Fay (3rd), King (1st), Willett (2nd), Barnes (4th)

I would like to thank Perth Mountain Bike Club for their efforts. It was such an awesome track, and I would love to see more like it in the future. I also want to thank Paul Aubrey and Tim and Jo Bennett for their hospitality and chauffeuring, and Mark Ivory for more driving and help in the feed zone.

Now it is quite a long break until the next national round, which is Mt Buller in late January. I really enjoyed the venue last time (except for the terrible weather), and I am looking forward to racing there again.

Thanks to Russ Baker for the photos!

Swell-Redshift Wins Cape to Cape MTB!

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:46:00 +0000

Swell riders Andy Blair and Nick Both recently returned from a successful trip the Cape to Cape MTB stage race in WA. Nick rode a solid race to finish in 12th and Andy took the win, here is Andy's race report:

The Cape to Cape MTB stage race takes competitors on a journey from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste in the Margaret River region of WA. The race has been growing in numbers since it's inception in 2008 and the 4th year attracted 800 riders that came for the 4 stages and 220km of singletrack, forest trails, dirt roads, beaches and road.

At only 40km, stage one from Cape Leuuwin was shortest but it was probably the hardest with a few solid climbs, plenty of sandy trails and a killer section of energy sapping beach. Fortunately for me, it was one of those days when you just feel great. On the first main climb at the 6km mark I went to the front to apply some pressure and hopefully cause and split. It didn’t quite go to plan as I ended up off the front on my own, so I just pushed tempo and hoped that someone would jump across because I didn’t fancy 34km on my own. I expected to be caught at any minute, but as the kilometres ticked by I started to think that maybe I should go for it and by the time I hit the beach I decided that I was 100% committed. Despite being low tide, the sand on the beach was terrible. It seemed to be like quicksand; sucking my tyres down and I felt like I was going so slow. I started to panic that the bunch would come flying past at any moment and I just focused on keeping the power down & the momentum up, while constantly scanning for the hardest bit of sand which was sometimes in the salt water – sorry bike! The remainder of the stage seemed to go on forever; the last few climbs seemed so tough but having now gambled so much energy on this stage I did not want to get caught. I pushed all the way to the finish line in Hamelin Bay to take the first stage, with a time gap back to Chris Jongeward, Craig Cooke & Jason English of 7 minutes!

Stage 2 started with predominately bush tracks and single track and finished with a very fast and open 2^nd half on dirt roads. Predictably it was Chris J who was the main aggressor and he pushed the pace on all the narrow sections, I was super attentive and stuck to him like glue. After loosing time on the fist day he was riding with a kind of reckless abandon that makes him very dangerous; he is one of the best bike handlers normally, but when he rides like he has nothing to loose it is a sight to behold! As a result of Blood’s surging, the main group split and reformed several times, fortunately I was feeling good and able to keep contact. The lead bunch swelled to 6 riders for the final 20km fast run in to the finish at Xanadu winery. We all had a few digs to get away, but the day was destined to come down to a sprint where it was Hatto who out-foxed us all with Blood and Lewi 2^nd and 3^rd.

With 20kms of Margaret River’s best single track and the finish at Colonial Brewery, stage 3 was one of the most anticipated stages of the race. The abandonment of Jongeward meant that it was English that assumed the role of pace maker for much of the first half of the race. It was in the 2^nd half of the stage that things got serious with Peter Hatton making his intentions clear with several venomous attacks. With 15km to go he managed to snap the elastic and get away solo with Craig Cooke and English dragging me along in a chase group. With 6kms to go we hit a steady climb and I attacked Craig and Jason to set off in pursuit of Hatto, but it was too little to late. Peter Hatton is a classy bike rider and when given a sniff of the finish line he is very hard to beat. He held on for a second consecutive stage victory, but more importantly took more time out of his rivals to move up the GC to 4^th. I came across alone in 2^nd with Craig Cooke popping English for 3^rd.

The final stage to Dunsborough is renowned as being fast and I can see why; the majority of the stage is on dirt roads and with GC positions up for grabs the stage was the most aggressive of the race which ended up with an average speed of 28kph...not bad on a mountain bike! With only a handful of seconds separating 2^nd and 4^th, Hatto, Craig and Jason had a titanic battle to decide the make up of the final podium. Hatto and Craig were super aggressive, with Hatto in particular launching an unrelenting barrage of attacks on Jason in an attempt to bump him of his 2^nd place overall. The constant surging kept splintering the main field with some lulls and the odd wrong turn seeing it come back together again time after time. With about 8km to go Hatto finally got away for good and a couple of kilometres later I attacked in an attempt to solo across to him. I was able to join Hatto with about 5km to go and the two of us worked together; him for a GC result and me for the stage. Having had a much easier stage than the super aggressive Pete, I was able to take the stage with him on my wheel stopping the clock for his anxious wait to see if he had gained enough time to make the podium overall. Lewi was next in with English on his wheel doing enough to hold 2^nd overall, but Craig Cooke came in an agonising 18 seconds too slow to drop back to 4^th overall.

I certainly left my first Cape to Cape with some very fond memories; good company, scenery, wine and food, new & old friends, fast & fun racing and a lot of laughs. Thanks heaps to the Bennets, the Kennedys, the Aubreys and my Swell-Redshift team mate Bosch, for all the support and good times. I can't wait to get back over to WA for the National Series opener in November.

Swell-Redshift wins Scott 24hr Mixed-6!!

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:25:00 +0000

Report by Andy Blair

What a weekend it was for the Scott 24hr; a few small showers over the weekend made the track super tacky and the mild temperatures overnight made it less intolerable getting out of bed for that 4am lap. Swell Design had the usual army out on course with a total of 24 riders in 4 teams. The Swell-Redshift mixed six consisted of Cameron Ivory (fresh back from XC worlds), Nathan Spencer, Nick Both, Peter “Pinky” Kreillis, Rosie Barnes & myself. I opened the account with a double lap and was happy to get the team off to a good start despite a very scary encounter with a massive Eastern Grey kangaroo that actually took a swing at me. Hendo (who was ahead of me) had managed to piss him off so much that he certainly wasn’t going to cop any shit from me and he stood his ground as I approached. At the last moment I swerved off the track to go around him and he tried to kick me, definately a scary and sureal experience. From there, the team took control and we soon overtook Anytime Fitness and built a small lead over Merida. During the night Anytime went to bed, but Merida closed the gap. Just before dawn, Ryan Standish (Merida) passed Rosie on the red climb and got a gap over the top. Sensing that the situation wasn't good, Rosie desceded like a woman-posesed and caught Ryan, eventually following him into transition. I was out next and managed to get a gap again, and as Merida threw everything they had at us, Cam, Nick, Pinky and Nath lifted and punched out some great laps to get the gap out to 6 minutes again. With two laps remaining Rosie and Standish had a rematch on the red lap. The tension in transition was crazy as AJ and I (and our respective entourages) waited for Rosie and Ryan before we could comence our "ride-off" for mixed-6 glory. 24 hours of racing and it came down to this......Rosie was first into view and the Swell crew cheered, seconds later Ryan appeared! The gap was 9 seconds. Pacing the lap was a bit tricky; I did not want to give AJ a chance to catch me so I had to start fairly hard, but I didn't want to go too hard and blow. Luckily I had the aid of a head start, and Cam & Clarkey out on the track giving me splits so I could measure my effort fairly well. In the end I was able to do my team proud and hold of the 'flying ginger' to finish the 2011 Scott 24hr with a big skid into the arms of my team mates. Wow, what a way to finish after 24 hours of hard racing! That is what these races are all about; everyone digging deep for the good of the team and the excitement of it all coming down to the wire. The stoke from this race is sure to hang around for a while.

As usual the support from Swell Design was second to none. My Felt Edict LTD with Sram XX was amazing and I was having a ball on both laps. And thanks to 2XU, we looked good all weekend. An especially big thanks to my awesome team mates!

The snow is melting and the MTB pre-season continues

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:07:00 +0000

I got the hole-shot from Gracie at Dwellingup!

The start line at Tathra,

R-L: Cameron Prosser (who lead the first lap), Paul Brody (old school pinner), Me, Ryan Gormly (snowboarder and backyard bike mechanic)

I've been flat out since the last post; I quit my job, had a little break, did some skiing, surfing, training and racing...and then started my new job, which is conveniently located at Mt Stromlo!

As far as training went, there was a couple of sessions on the Jindabyne trails, solo road missions around the Illawarra (with a few of the old favourites like Saddleback, Jamberoo pass and Glen Garry), road riding with the boys in Wollongong and a fair bit of Queanbeyan MTB gold. For the racing, there was the Tathra 3hr, Dwellingup 100 and the Rocky Trail Entertainment 4hr at Stromlo. I managed to win the Tathra and Stromlo enduros, and got fairly smashed at Perth in the Dwellingup 100 to finish 4th, but overall I'm pretty happy with how the form is coming on. Looking back I suppose I have been doing a fair bit, which isn't bad considering I snuck in some spring skiing and and few waves. I certainly feel like Ive been busy and have the droopy eyes to back that up.

With the Scott 24hr coming up and the warm weather and long days kicking in I get more and more motivated everyday. It doesn't hurt that I just got a new F-series Felt road bike, and I am currently tinkering in the shed with a new Felt Nine (29er MTB). I really liked the Nine that I road in Alice, but this one is on a strict diet and when it's finished it should be a rocket ship....my aim is for it to be lightest bike on the start line at the Highland Fling in November. We will have to wait and see.

Go riding....now!

Val Di Sole World Cup By Cam Ivory

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:05:00 +0000

After almost 30 hours of travelling, I arrived in Mezzana, Italy with Trenton Day, Michael Crosbie and the U/19 MTB team. We spent the first week of our 2011 World Championships trip preparing for the Val Di Sole World Cup. The track proved to be a great physical test. The climbs were long and steep, with a gradient of 20% in places, but we weren’t really rewarded with many long descents. It seemed like most of our time was spent on the three main climbs. The descents were fun with some technical skills required.

Saturday was race day, so we performed our various warm up routines and gathered in the start boxes just before 9 AM. I started from 79^th position, but lost positions on the start loop. This consisted of a flat grass loop a couple of km long. There was a crash on the first corner that held me up, and I crossed the start line at the back of the 95 rider field. From there, I made a few positions on the first steep climb, watching my heart rate dramatically rise in the process. After the first lap I was already 3 mins down on the leader, but still had many positions to make up. I continued riding to my race plan and chased down several bunches in front of me to finish in 73^rd position. I’m happy that I finished and didn’t get lapped out, but I would have liked to have finished higher up.

This was my first major race on my new dually, the Felt Edict. I loved every minute on it! It felt great on the descents and felt like my hardtail on the climbs. I’m glad I brought it over with me and I think it will suit the World Champs track. I’m looking forward to racing next week in a Swiss Racer Bike Cup, then World Champs after that. Hopefully I’m at my peak for that!

2011 UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE AND TRIALS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - By Cameron Ivory

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:03:00 +0000

We travelled to Champery on Monday 29^th of September for the 2011 World Champs. We had less than a week to prepare for our biggest race of the season on one of the hardest and most technical tracks. The Worlds course was located in Val d’Illiez, a valley in Switzerland that remains damp for the majority of the year. The terrain is steep and full of slippery roots. Comparing Champery to any track at home is near impossible, and we were all eager to put our skills to the test in this unfamiliar European territory.

Throughout the week, we did easy sighting laps, worked and reworked the gnarly sections, and did some short efforts to get our legs and lungs fired up. By the end of the first day, only two of the eight riders managed to stay upright; myself and fellow Newcastle rider, Chris Aitken. However, by race day nearly everyone was confident and had their lines nailed. Some showers set in Wednesday night and wet the course for the juniors on Thursday. I was hoping that the course would dry up a bit by 5 PM Friday, my start time, but more rain came Thursday night. I gathered as much info as possible about the new course conditions from the U/19’s, but I knew I would still be ‘hitting and hoping’ in some sections.

I awoke early on Friday, keen to get my pre roll over and done with, then relax until the late 5 PM start. We left our accommodation at the top of the ski village Les Crosets and descended into Champery, arriving just after 3 PM. Our dynamic warm up and individual warm ups commenced at 4, and by 4.45, we were in the holding boxes, eagerly waiting to be called to the start line. Number 87 was called, so I rode up to the back of the other athletes, and chose my starting position. As the remaining 4 riders took their place, I was already beginning to slightly move up through the bunch, a typical move by all riders in European races. I gained another row at best, but at least I wasn’t sitting in 5^th last anymore.

The whistle sounded and we swarmed around the first corner and along the main straight of the start loop. After about 1km, I was unfortunately caught in a crash. This left me in the last few wheels, but I stayed focused and kept riding a good pace, clawing back some positions. I tried to ride smart and consistent, and this seemed to work. Each lap I was gaining positions, but my time behind the leader was increasing. The course suited me fairly well, with many fast technical sections, but I felt I was losing valuable time on the 24% gradient climb towards the end of the lap. I could feel myself slowly closing gaps on the technical sections. My favourite section was near the start of the lap. We climbed and descended along some steep single track, had a slight right hand corner, then a step down jump. It was approximately 2 metres high and had a 2 metre gap. The landing ramp was still very steep and this lead into a super fast and tight berm. We then rode a fireroad and climbed again for 50 metres. The track then turned left into a steep chute, with shaly rocks everywhere. It was difficult to make the left hand corner at the bottom, but my ability to ride with my opposite foot forward allowed me to get into a better cornering position. This skill was required in many other sections to maintain balance whilst the bike slid beneath us on the roots and rocks. This track really showed me how important little skills such as switching feet are. In Australia, you can get away with basic skills on most courses, but over here, there’s nowhere to hide! At the end of the 4^th lap, I was pulled by the officials due to the 80% rule, but I was satisfied with how I went.

I finished 2 laps down in 58^th position. I’m happy with my performance and my result. My goal was to beat my start number, and I did this. I moved up 29 places from my starting position and this was better than I expected. This race was the end to my hardest season yet. It was filled with many ups and downs, but the amount of experience I gained was incredible. I can’t wait to put it to use next season and improve on my results.

By Cameron Ivory

Urban Criterium in Bern

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:57:00 +0000

The town of Bern, Switzerland, approximately 1 hour from our accommodation played host to the craziest, most exciting, and most enjoyable crit I’ve ever raced in. The crit was raced around the Prime Minister’s house with no dirt to be seen anywhere. The loop started with a long straight, half on the road, half on the footpath, before we met wooden crates, piled two high. We bunny hopped over these and sprinted for the next obstacle 50 metres away; a two metre long section of logs that we jumped onto and bounced over. It was about another 50 metres to a jump that launched us towards the first corner, where we jumped up onto a platform, turned 90 degrees, and rode down some more crates. We rode along the footpath some more, jumped back onto the road and had a sweeping right hand corner that seemed to tighten up towards the end. As you come out of the corner there was another jump, and this shot you down a small descent then a pinch back up. The next section was the hardest bit of the track. We had a hairpin corner on the footpath with handrails beside us. It took us down a short, steep descent to another hairpin the opposite way. You rolled away from the corner and gained speed for the next jump. As soon as you landed you are on the brakes to navigate a hay bale chicane, still on the descent. Another hairpin corner finished the chicane and you kept descending to yet another hairpin bend, however this corner was at the top of a staircase. Technical skills were required to ride down the stairs while still turning onto them, then making the right hand corner at the bottom which led us to a longer staircase. We rode down, performed a tight right hand corner and faced a long steep climb. The climb would have only lasted about a minute but it was flat out each lap. We jumped up three stairs at the top, rode through a covered driveway and navigated the next few corners to another jump, then to the finish. Apart from the start loop, we had a right hand bend under a tunnel just after the finish line. We jumped onto three roll over jumps, then continued turning right before a steep pinch onto some scaffolding back over the track, and down some logs on the other side.

At 8:00PM, about 15 mins before the start, an electrical storm set in and soaked the entire track. This made all of the obstacles, especially the logs, a lot more slippery and challenging. The rain eased up until we were on the start line. The gun went and the 68 starters all raced down the start straight. The storm came back and the rain was even heavier. Rivers were forming on some sections, and we could barely see through the rain and excess water being flicked up. It was also dark because of the late start, plus the clouds above. We were racing under lights and it was a great atmosphere with spectators all around the track, and music playing as we came across the start finish line. It was an 18 lap race, but unfortunately I only finished 7 laps before being pulled. After being pulled, I watched from the side, and saw Florian Vogel and Thomas Litscher battle for the win. Bury Stander was one of the other big names racing, and I was excited to hold his wheel for a section when they lapped me.

I only lasted 7 laps, but it was close to the most enjoyable race I’ve been part of. I would definitely come back here in the future and hopefully improve on my 34^th place finish. My only regret about the race is not using my helmet camera!

By Cam Ivory

NSW State XC Champs - Nowra

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:27:00 +0000

With the unseasonably warm August weather melting all the snow, it was a perfect weekend to go down to the coast for a mountain bike race. The NSW State Champs was a fairly laid back affair just South of Nowra and the track that they put on was great fun. Heaps of cool single track and some fairly fast fireroad climbing made the race quite exciting. Ben Hendo and Mitch Codner broke away toward the end of the first lap and Andrew Arthur and I tried in vane to chase for a while. We could see on the odd occasion throughout the first couple of laps but after that it became a race for the last podium spot. Hendo (the burglar from the ACT) eventually unloaded Mitch for a 2 minute win and Andrew and I came in for a sprint finish another 2 minutes later, which I narrowly won. Andrew had waited for me on the last lap to take a stick out of my wheel, what a gentleman...should I have let him have the sprint? Nick Both finished a respectable 6th place.

A good fun day out in the forest and with the fitness slowly starting to return I've definitely got the stoke back for mountain biking. What's next? Tathra?

Andy

Cam's Vermiglio and Windhaag Race Reports

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:16:00 +0000

I am a bit late getting these reports up as they were lost in my inbox for a while. But better late than never, I suppose. Thanks heaps to Cam for all his great reports during his European racing adventures this year! - Rosie

Vermiglio and Windhaag

By Cameron Ivory

The race in Vermiglio, Italy was fast and hard. The quick pace from the gun was set by Marco Fontana and Gerhard Kerschbaumer. I had a good start and was in the first 10 wheels around the first corner. Unfortunately I began to move backwards through the field due to lack of stamina and strength, and was forced to retire at the end of the fourth lap, obeying the 80% rule. I was disappointed in my result, but happy that I could back up relatively well considering I had just finished the extremely fatiguing Alpentour Trophy the previous weekend.

We travelled back to Austria on Wednesday, ready to race the Osterreich Mountain Bike Grand Prix that weekend. We lapped the course on Thursday and were surprised that it was only a 2.5 km loop with no technical riding whatsoever. However, the next day we realised we had missed half a lap; this half lap being the most technical terrain I’ve ever raced on! The lap started with a fast descent around a right-hand berm, over a large jump and into a tight left-hand berm. A tight right hander pointed us towards the fire-road which took us to the top of the ‘techy’ section. This section was not like anything at home! It was loose, rutted, had roots and tight corners, and was super steep. Stopping midway was almost impossible without falling off. Even slowing for the corners was hard. We had to get used to sliding down the rut, leaning into the corners and letting the bike slide underneath us with hardly any control. We were then taken over some roots before dropping into a rock tunnel, barely wide enough for our bars. After the tunnel came some more roots, a steep, tight right-hand corner then down another drop onto a short stretch of fire-road. We then came to yet another technical section; we jumped some roots and performed a tight left hand corner, dropping off a rock mid turn. We dropped onto off camber wet roots and this lasted for 50 metres. The track then undulated until the final techy section. This section had a thin line over some roots and rocks before a steep roll-in, into a 90 degree left hand corner. Everybody was locking up the brakes and sliding to try and make the turn. The safety mattresses played a part in helping us hold our line and wash off speed. This was just about the end of the first half of the lap. We all fell off at some stage during practice, but got off lucky with minimal injuries. The second half of the lap was quite tame, with a somewhat easy singletrack climb, a long fire-road loop, then a fast descent down a wooden bridge to the finish.

Sunday was race day, and we had to sit around all morning waiting for the 2.30 PM start, a typical European race time. We spun the few km to the track and began our various warm-up routines just after 1 PM. I was called to the line in 28^th position and chose a spot on the left hand side. The gun went and we all raced up the start loop climb through the town of Windhaag. I gained a few positions on the start loop before joining onto the main lap just before the wooden bridge descent. I was surprised that the field was riding the technical sections on the first lap. I was expecting we’d be walking due to the nervous energy and bottlenecks off the fire-roads. I finished the first lap and wasn’t looking forward to the remaining 6 laps. I was losing positions until I managed to find form at the end of the third lap. I began to make my way back through the field and was feeling great. The second last lap came and I went as hard as I could, trying to make up as much time and positions as possible. Surprisingly, I was still feeling good at the start of the last lap so I continued to hold a good pace and felt like I finished strong. I came 20^th overall, and 7^th in U/23’s. Apart from the first few laps, I’m happy with my performance.

Cam's World Cup #3 – Offenburg, Germany

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:37:00 +0000

The Offenburg World Cup course is one of my favourite tracks in the world. It’s fast, technical, fatiguing, and just generally really fun to ride. I think it suits me because it has some hard climbs, including a long steep pinch, and some technical descents.

My lead up to the race was relatively good. I was feeling much better than the previous week and was fully over my sickness. We rode the course multiple times, perfecting lines, and racing the clock in short efforts through different sections. I rode in the Offenburg World Cup in 2009 and I could almost perfectly remember all of my lines I took that year.

Saturday was race day. The weather was perfect, around 25 degrees and sunny. I was the 84^th rider called to the grid. The field was huge, around 117 riders. This was by far the biggest field I’ve raced in, and it was essential I get a good start. The gun fired, and we all swamped towards the first corner. I positioned myself on the left for the first right hand corner to avoid any carnage, and it was a good idea. We all raced towards the pinch climb and my heart rate must have been close to max already. I managed to make up a few positions up the climb and a few more before the fast descent to the finish line. We crossed the line and had 5 full laps to go. I slowly made my way through the field, rubbing elbows with the Euros. I was taking some gambles but most of them were paying off. It was an awesome atmosphere to have so many people cheering and yelling, mostly at the technical sections. The final lap came and I went as hard as I could with what I had left. It was my quickest lap, and 33^rd fastest last lap overall. I finished in 69^th position, 7 mins 40 seconds behind first.

I’m pleased with my performance, and feel like I’m finding some more form as the trip goes on. Next week we will be racing in the Alpen Tour; 4 days, 200+ km, 10000m of vertical climbing. I can’t wait!

Cam's World Cup #2 – Dalby Forest, Great Britain

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:36:00 +0000

I lined up for the World Cup with no real expectations for myself, apart from to ride as hard as I could, and hopefully finish. I was the 59^th rider called to the grid and lined up 6 rows back from the line. I felt like I was going to have a good race; I felt great on my pre roll that morning, and I was excited and energetic in my warm-up. I just wanted to start as soon as possible. As 15 seconds was called, the mass of spectators went quiet, and I could already feel my heart rate rising. The start gun fired, which meant we had about 90 minutes of pain ahead of us.

The start was the fastest start I have ever been in. I knew it would be faster than last years World’s, but I didn’t expect this. It was like racing a crit and we were all sprinting for the line. I was losing positions because my legs just would not go any faster. I was one of the last riders to finish the start lap and I stayed around that position for most of the race. I had been sick with a cold during the lead up week, and I think I was still feeling the effects of it. I felt tired and exhausted, but I still went as hard as my body would let me.

The track was relatively easy, with only a few technical sections that never caused me trouble. The back side of the lap had two climbs. One was a steep switchback climb that lasted for a couple of minutes, and the other climb was a straight fire-road climb, which was also steep. This climb would have been approximately a kilometre long, and it was torture! I used to love to climb, it was one of my strengths, but I dreaded that part of the course. I was losing valuable time up the climbs each lap. I really wanted to finish and not get lapped out, and I was so glad to make it to the last lap. I managed to pass a Belgium rider on the last lap, and I crossed the line 15 minutes behind the leader in 64th position.

Overall I’m a little disappointed in my result, but I went as hard as I could. I wasn’t there to win. I was there to learn and hopefully improve. I’m extremely happy to have been given the opportunity to represent Australia again, and can’t wait to be lining up for World Cup #3 at Offenburg, Germany next weekend.

Andy takes overall honours in Ingerreke Commercial MTB Enduro

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Wed, 25 May 2011 00:08:00 +0000

photo by Rapid Ascent / Jose Garcia

After a week of solid racing in the Red Centre Andy Blair has taken out the Ingerreke Commercial MTB Enduro at Alice Springs.

The win was a result of a hard fought battle between Aiden Lefmann, Jason English and Andy. The 3 were virtually inseparable all week, but thanks to an attack in the final kilometers of stage 2 Andy took the leaders jersey and held it to the finish. With bonus seconds up for grabs on each stage finish, the battle for the yellow jersey was quite tactical and Andy's three stage wins helped him to stay in front.

Nick Both did a great job as Andy's lieutenant throughout the week. His own race was plagued with some bad luck, but he took advantage of opportunities when the presented themselves and nearly snuck away for a stage win on day 3, but was caught just before the finish. Nick ended up finishing 12th overall.

Congratulations Andy and Nick! Thank you to all the sponsors, they couldn't have done it without your support and the boy's bikes rolled smoothy all week.

Cam’s AIS Report – Weeks 3 and 4

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Sun, 01 May 2011 12:12:00 +0000

The third and fourth weeks were both physically and mentally tiring. Within the two weeks we had 6 lab sessions, and did approximately 60 hours worth of riding. Usually when I train at home, if I ride over 100 km, the next day I would take it easy. The coaches here however had us ride 180km, 200km, then 240km over consecutive days. These were by far the biggest rides I have ever done. I felt great on the 240km ride, despite forgetting to use chamois cream; rookie error! At about the 200km mark, half of the bunch attacked and began racing back home. I was in the lead group and I was feeling pretty good racing over some tough climbs. By the time I got back to the AIS my legs were cooked, and the ice bath had never felt so good. 15 minutes in 13°C water, up to the neck.
There wasn’t a lot of time for mountain biking in these weeks, but whenever I was given the opportunity, I was in the bush. Most of our riding was at Mt Stromlo. Myself and the other three mountain bike boys; former Swell team mate Trenton Day, Kyle Ward and Michael Crosbie, would race down either ‘Skyline’ or the downhill track on our XC bikes. There were a few stacks, but no serious injuries, just a lot of jokes.
On the Saturday of the fourth week, I had my second DXA scan. This scan measures the amount of fat, muscle, bone and other important ‘things’ in our body. My body fat had remained the same since the first week at 5.2%, but I had gained 1.6kg of muscle. Nearly all of which I’m guessing was on my legs. I didn’t expect that much of a change.
My legs are currently fatigued and aching, and I can’t wait for the taper weeks to start tomorrow. The taper weeks will be mostly easy spinning, along with the high intensity lab testing sessions.

Marathon National Championships - Mt Joyce QLD

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:52:00 +0000

The 2011 Australian Marathon Championship was a bit of a magical mystery tour. There was a lot of concerned discussion between riders before the race; details of the track were pretty sketchy, no one had ridden the course, and we didn’t know what tyres (or bikes - 26” or 29er, HT or dually) to use. We couldn’t even get access to the area the day before the race to have a look at the track. On the start line no one knew what to expect.

The race format was 3 laps of a 19km circuit and not knowing what we were in for meant that the pace on the first lap was fairly controlled. After smashing through about 5 kms of bumpy grass we hit the first single track section which must have gone for about 15kms! I was in 2nd wheel following AJ and there was a train of about a dozen of Australia’s best riders in toe. It felt like a training ride out with friends, we were hitting totally unseen drops, doubles & berms (including one massive timber one!)…bloody good fun. We emerged from the single track with smiles on our faces and hit a gravel fireroad which soon pitched up hill and reminded us that it was a race. It wasn’t too steep at first and then we turned a hairpin and saw the first ramp in front of us. It was probably 20% (?!?), anyway, steep enough for me to wish I had a 36T cassette instead of the 32. Peter Hatton showed his first card and hit the front, setting the pace up the hill. There were 3 or 4 more hairpins, each revealing yet another steep pinch and prompting me to wonder if I could continue Hatto’s tempo much longer. Hatto and I crested the hill together but Gordo, Mather, Cooper and Lewi weren’t far behind us, with the rest of the group not too far behind. After the day’s first little test, the pace eased off a bit and the group came back together again. 5kms of fast fireroad and some more bumpy grass later we return to the start/finish in a group of 11; all the favourites still there and everyone somewhat wiser after the reconnaissance lap. Back onto the bumpy grass and the race seemed to stall as no one wanted to sit on the front. I took the opportunity to eat and drink plenty in what was clearly going to be the “calm before the storm” and the last chance for my tummy to see some solid food. Approaching the singletrack AJ and I were at the front and then Trek team mates, Hatto and Cooper sprinted around us and it was game on! Hatto slipped clear and the pressure that he applied, right at the time we started catching the back markers of the ½ marathon, incited panic in the group and blew the race apart. When we emerged from the single track Hatto still had a slight lead over Mather and I, with the rest of the race seemingly in tatters. Knowing how strong Hatto is, and the form that he had at the Cape Epic, I decided to try and bridge across to him, so at the bottom of the big climb I stepped on it. I couldn’t close the gap on the climb but pushed over the top and joined him at the bottom of the descent. I told Hatto that the race was in pieces behind us and we agreed to work together. Despite this agreement, Hatto didn’t work so I rode on the front for about 10kms, but starting to worry that he would pump me on the next climb I gradually backed off the tempo. It wasn’t until Mather had bridged across to us and the pace lifted again that I realised Hatto was actually just getting tired, so with word getting to us that English was chasing, I went off the front on my own. By this stage I was getting pretty tired myself and starting to cramp. I just tried to keep a solid tempo and hoped that I could get the to big climb first. Unfortunately Jason caught me and attacked with about 15kms to go, and I had no response. All I could do was to maintain my tempo and hope that he had a problem. With the cramps getting worse, the main climb was a real punish. I struggled to turn over the 28-32, but with a bit of a grimace and a few audible grunts I eventually got over the top. I had been looking forward to the last descent, but my body was glad for it to be over and on to the relatively smooth fire road run-in to the finish. I crossed the line pretty smashed for 2nd place, happy with the result, pleased with the race that I rode, but having podiumed at a national champs there were the inevitable “what ifs” running around my head. The 6 weeks has been pretty tough with injury and illness, so most of all I am relieved that I was able to put together a good ride and get a bit of confidence back. I am looking forward to the Canberra tour in 2 weeks!

As always, thanks to all the sponsors. Your generous support is much appreciated.

Cam’s AIS Training Camp – Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:26:00 +0000

On Monday the 21^st of March, I checked into my new home for the next 2 months. I will be attending a training camp at the AIS with about 30 other cyclists. The camp will have us doing tests in the testing laboratory on watt bikes, and big road kilometres.

The first week was fairly easy. We had 5 days in the lab, with a light spin on the road after most of them. On Thursday we had a 2 and a half hour ride over some hills which suited me and the 3 other MTB boys. After the testing on Saturday and Sunday we were allowed to take the mountain bikes out for a spin which we all looked forward to. It was great to finally get out of the lab onto a bike that you can actually have fun on. We used my helmet cam to film us racing down ‘Skyline’ at Mt Stromlo, then onto the 4X track. We have been allocated 2 days a week for mountain biking, unfortunately. I don’t think that’s enough.

From now the weeks get harder and more fatiguing. Hopefully the ice baths will help with recovery, along with my 2XU compression garments. A lack of energy shouldn’t be an issue, with 3 ‘all you can eat’ meals a day.

I look forward to training for the next 2 months and hopefully I’ll find some great form to take overseas with me in May.

Andy's video

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:22:00 +0000

I had the opportunitty to test out a GoPro HD camera so I made this little video of my local trails in Queanbeyan.

Nick's Oceanias

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:19:00 +0000

Every year the Oceania Mountain bike championships are alternated from Australia to New Zealand and this year it was the turn of mighty Shepparton in central northern Victoria. A place known for its hot dry climate and complete lack of hills had won the bid and had a few people worried. These worries were put to rest with the mention of Mount Major. Not as big as it sounds but certainly a giant amongst midgets and some serious flooding in an area that has been drought ravaged for too long.

This brought about a course much more suited to a big race having bedded in well with organsiers saying they were having to spray the track to keep grass levels down. Minor changes included some filler near laps end to make for a more exciting finish, a new line down the waterfall (which we looked at the year prior only to find it bunted during the race) and still an array of off camber high speed corners begging for skin if you made a mistake.

A smart line up suggested to be on the outside of turn one was the right choice and I proved this, moving around the outside after a slow start down the straight to again find myself higher than expected going into the major climb. I knew I would fare better having more training in the legs so raced far more aggressively than at National Champs, sticking with slightly faster riders to help pull me away from the riders I was battling on the first two laps.

The waterfall was a major point of focus for the crowd and I can understand why. A very tricky run in leads to a large roll down and you need to have the entry angle just right as you exit with a high speed, straight into a left hander with a rocky descent. In practice it wasn't too much of a hassle having clear track and some time to line it up, racing was completely different. Riders on course were a big worry as it was the only line, so not riding it means walking, just as treacherous. Add to this you are fairly cross-eyed leading into the roll in that I decided it wasn't worth the risk and took the soft option. I'm not happy with with this as I had it dialed the day before, but I wasn't riding well technically anyway, having some trouble with other sections on course too.

After being passed by some of the quick kids in under 23 I settled into a rhythm and felt like I had good legs, moving up a few places myself and finishing in 12th. Nice to have a consistent set of results adding to my 11th at nats. Hopefully this means I've reached a level that I can build from for future races.

Nick's Nationals Report

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:15:00 +0000

The 2011 National Championships were this year moved to late February as opposed to late January due to the risk of fire. A total fire ban would see the event shifted if needed from friday racing for XCO. This was thankfully not needed and the weird sensation of friday racing has still not left the building.

Adelaide's Eagle Champs course had changed little in the 12 months proceeding the 2011 Australian national championships, except that it was harder. A shorter lap with the same amount of climbing, retaining all the key elements which make the course fun and challenging. Flowing corners, the visually exciting "sunset boulevard" which rarely makes TV coverage and fantastically hot weather.

The addition of a short steep graveled fire road right from the gun made for an exciting start leading to a crash for the second year running catching out many of the favourites, within 200m of the start line. And again I steered clear of this to end up riding higher than expected for the first lap. I couldn't go with the lead group, having lost more strength than I thought during my lay off and not having the intensity needed. Still I made the best of the situation careful not to burn all my matches too early and rode a steady pace making sure I kept momentum where I could, which is important on such a fast track.

At the half way point I had made enough ground to be riding inside the top 10 and had caught the national champion of only 12 months ago, but he promptly left me floundering on the major climb. With two laps remaining the reversing lights were on and it was grit the teeth while hoping for the best. Old man cramp was settling in and I began to wonder if my hard work wouldn't pay off. I struggled on to finish 11th, losing one more position on the final lap. It was all I could manage and only one place higher than last years 10th, although the time gaps were bigger, also due to the nature of the course.

It was nice to be back kicking it with the top 10 again and hope to be able to build on this for the upcoming Oceania Championships in March.

Cam's Oceanias Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:46:00 +0000

Cam on the Waterfall

The Oceania Champs in Shepparton went better than I thought. I had a good lead up to it with more training than I had been previously doing due to my sickness. I raced at Shepparton last year and was really looking forward to it. The course this year suited me fairly well. The first half of the lap is mostly climbing, and gets more technical towards the top. There is a technical step down, “The Waterfall”, before a super fast, flowing descent, and a small grassy loop to the finish.

I started in the 2^nd row on the far right side, hoping I could avoid any accidents. I was sitting in the top 10 going up the first climb and slowly began to make my way through the field. I washed out on one of the fast left hand corners on the descent on the 2^nd lap, and this cost me 2 positions by the time I straightened my seat and got back on. Eventually I got those positions back and maintained a steady pace until the end. It was a fairly uneventful race, no major accidents or mishaps. I finished in 6^th, the fourth Aussie. I am pretty happy with my result.

For the next 6 weeks I will be on a training camp at the AIS as preparation for the UK, German, and Austrian World Cups. I will also be racing in L’Hexagonal stage race in France. I can’t wait!

Andy's Race Report - Oceania Champs, Shepparton

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:35:00 +0000

The start fo the Elite Mens Oceania Championships

Me riding the waterfall (and getting in Josh's way)

Passing AJ down the waterfall

With its generally physical nature, treacherous "waterfall" section and some pretty fine and fast off camber corners, the Shepparton XC track was a far from ideal re-introduction to mountain biking after my dislocated shoulder. But after a good strapping job from my buddy Anne-Marie on Thursday morning, I gingerly headed out on the course with my Swell-Redshift team mates, Nick and Cam, for a few practice laps. I was pretty timid to say the least, but managed to get around the course without major incident.....that was, until we got to the "waterfall". I had been dreading this moment. This is a pretty scary section at the best of times, but with my constant fear of crashing and dislocating my shoulder again I was very nervous. We stopped to check it out and it looked tough; no really easy way to get down it, even walking it looked bloody hard! I took a couple of run-ins to it and balked at the top, not good for the confidence. I had another go and cleared it, then to prove to myself that it wasn't a fluke I tried again. This time I lost my front wheel at the top and had to leap over my bike, landing on my feet at the bottom. Quick check of the shoulder...ok, quick check of the knicks.......probably should change into a fresh pair for the next lap. :(

Despite the disrupted preparation, race day came and it felt like business as usual. Pre-roll, toast & coffee, drive to the track, transponder pick-up, warm up, staging, 15 seconds....bang. With a short start straight it was relatively easy to defend a good position from the front row. I hit the first single track in 4th wheel with only Blood, Macca and Aido ahead of me, exactly where I wanted to be. Being slightly concerned about the imminent technical sections of the course, I was reluctant to drive over the top of the climb and I was passed by Mike Northcott from NZ. On the lead-in to the waterfall, I was getting bounced around a bit and struggling to hit all the good lines. I had a close call on a tricky little rock section and nearly fell off the side of the little goat track. Arriving at the waterfall I had no idea what was going to happen, but fortunately my instinct took over and I rode it ok. Sid motored past me later in the lap, but I held on to 6^th place for a couple more loops while being shadowed by Carlso. I was trying to relax but still felt quite tense and felt like a bit of a passenger on my bike. Then coming in to the finish of lap three, a lapse of concentration and I crashed hard on a fast right hand grassy corner. Luckily it was my good side and I wasn’t hurt, it was also fortunate that Josh didn’t run me over, but I was now back to 7^th. The rest of the race was a bit of a blur. I was suffering on the climbs trying to hold of AJ and Carl Jones (NZ national champ) and fighting to steer my bike around the technical and rocky course. AJ got me with 2 laps to go but I past him again at the waterfall. He hit me again with one lap to go and I tried my best to limit my losses but it wasn’t enough and I finished up 8^th.

In the end Blood got a well deserved win followed by Sid (who incidentally also competed with a recently dislocated shoulder) and Mike Northcott of NZ. Nick continued his solid form with a 12^th place and Cameron showed more improvement from illness with 6^th in the U23s.

Thanks to all the sponsors, especially Jason from 2XU who made the trip up from Melbourne to watch. the race. Cheers for all the support! And a big thanks to my physio Robyn Armstrong for helping to get me to the start line and to Anne-Marie for the massage and strapping that got me to the finish in one piece.

Cam's Nationals Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:38:00 +0000

It’s great to be racing again, and what better way to come back than racing at the Australian Championships. I felt terrible racing at Glenorchy, Tasmania, and afterwards I became very tired and quite ill, and was diagnosed with glandular fever. It kept me off the bike for almost two months, and in bed for the first one and a half weeks. I couldn’t be bothered to do anything, even walking was a chore. Luckily for me, I had relatively mild case of it, and that allowed me to start light training after about seven weeks. I was getting fatigued very quickly, and felt like it would be ages before I got my fitness back. I skipped the Mt Buller National round so I could continue to train easily and not over-do anything. I was doing some gym work, light km’s and recovering with my 2XU compression gear. By the time National Champs came round, I felt confident that I could complete at least half of the six lap race.

After an average start, I was sitting mid-field in the U/23’s. By the end of the first lap I felt great, like I hadn't had any time off. I had a quick pace up the loose pinch then the steady climb which I think was a result of the adrenalin pumping and making me want to go faster. Towards the end of the second lap, I could feel myself getting tired so I eased up a bit. I lost a few positions, but also gained some throughout the race. I started the last lap in eighth place. I gave the last lap everything I had, and it somehow felt like my best lap. I was slowly closing the 1 minute gap between me and seventh. I flew up the climb to the finish straight and finally bridged the gap. It was a close sprint to the finish, but I wasn’t going to lose that position after I worked hard for it. I crossed the line with my legs burning in seventh position.

I’m really happy with how I went. I wasn’t expecting to go so well, considering my poor lead-up. It has definitely boosted my confidence, and I can’t wait to be lining up for the Oceania Championships. Hopefully I can improve on my result as I am slowly increasing my training load.

By Cameron Ivory

Andy's National Champs Report

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:11:00 +0000

Final climb in the team relay

Team relay podium

Cam on Sunset Boulevard

Cam on Sunset Boulevard again - nice line

Nick on sunset Boulevard

Andy on Sunset Boulevard

Elite XCO Podium (L-R: Andy, Norri, Blood, Aido, Lewi)

Andy in XCC

The dust has well and truly settled at Eagle Mountain Bike park in Adelaide after the National Championships, but it is only now that I have got a chance to sit down and write my race report.
The National Mountain Bike Champs started with the club team relay. This competition is based on the team relay at the World Champs, with clubs putting forward a junior, a woman, a veteran and an elite to battle it over a 4 lap relay, for the title of Australia ’s quickest mtb club. It is not the most serious event of the championships, more just a great opportunity to drum up a bit of club pride and have fun. CORC has typically been very successful in the team relay, but going into this year’s race against a very strong Adelaide team, we weren’t sure if we could do the job. Trekky got us off to a good start to put us into the lead against Ben Hogarth from Adealide. Hesther Logie was next out but she could quite hold off Adealides gun Junior, James “Shorty” Hanus. Shorty passed Heather late in the lap only to puncture and surrender the lead back to us. Our little man, Hamish Prosser went out closely followed by ever-speedy “Stink” Rhodes and he managed to stretch the lead to about 3 minutes; a great effort for a first year U/17 rider. When it came down to me to finish it off, I knew the race was ours to lose; 3 minutes is a big advantage, but knowing what Chris Jongeward is capable of I was looking in the rear view mirror all the way to the finish line. So in the end it was CORC followed by Adealide MTB Club, with Perth MTB in 3rd. Congrats to everyone that raced the relay and to everyone else....start planning your team for next year!
For me, Friday was the big day with the running of the Elite Men XCO. I crashed pretty hard the day before and had a corked thigh; I told myself at the time was that it was actually a good thing as it would force me to rest up and spend the day on the couch, something I typically struggle to do. As it turned out it didn’t feel like it slowed me down so I might have been right!? The start was hectic, more so than usual. I got boxed in off the line and lost some places when most of the second row came past. Then 50m in, I got caught in a big pile up and was back to about 20th position...not the start I wanted. With very few passing opportunities I had to really dig deep to make up positions whenever I could and by the end of the first lap I was up to 9th. I think I burnt a few too many matches though because for the next few laps I was really struggling. Fortunately I started to come good in the second half of the race and managed to make up some places. With Chris and Norri riding away from the rest of the field, I was never going to see the front of the race again, but I was very happy to eventually finish 4th.
As you might know the event was marred by the controversy between Chris J and Hendo. I don’t think it is really my place to comment on that, but I will offer my opinion on something that seems to have been overshadowed by the drama: that is Norri’s terrific ride! He got caught in the same crashes as me in the start (I even put my foot trough his wheel at one stage), and he managed to get back into the lead, only to be pipped by Blood in the finish. Well done mate. Equally worth a mention was the welcome return to form of my team mates Nick and Cam. Nick has been struggling after having a big crash nearly 12 months ago and his 11th place is hopefully an indication that he is on his way back to the kind of racing that I know he has in him. As for Cam, he has been battling with glandular fever and has barely been able to train. He has much bigger fish to fry this year and was not even sure that he would start, just getting through the race is a good sign that he is on the mend and is a good chance of getting back on track for the European season. Good work boys.
From the high of my best ever elite national champs result, I headed over to NZ for my buddy Ronan’s wedding. The first stop was the “buck’s do” at Rotorua and on day one, Ronan, Mocky, Malcs and I smashed out “be rude not to”, hot-X bun”, “billy T”, “rollor coaster”, plus more.....gold! Then, after 4 hours of riding I managed to drop my chain and have a bit of a moment that resulted in my shoulder dislocating. 3 hours, a cylinder of happy gas, an ambo ride and a couple of viles of morphine later, it was finally back in place. At least it was me and not Ronan! This of course ended my further participation in any activity that involved mountain biking or bombing 7m waterfalls in a raft, but it did allow me to get reacquainted with my favourite coffee shop, Zippy’s. And other than limiting my choice of which hand to use, I was still able to join the boys at the pub. That’s something at least. Then it was off to the island of Waiheke for the actual wedding and what a beautiful place. I definitely recommend a visit if you find yourself in the area. New Zealand is a great place and the frustration of my “clipped wing” has only got me more motivated to get back over there soon.
Unfortunately I have had to shelve any immediate plans to race the mountain bike so I won’t be racing in Wingello this weekend. Oceania’s is also up in the air, but hopefully with a lot of physio and some good strapping, I will be good to go.Thank you to all the team's sponsors, especially Swell Design Group.

Bermigui 3hr and the new FRM wheels

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Sweet Bermi single track

FRM Urano XC Team Wheels

After what seems like has been a long block of racing and training on the road bike, I made the trip down to the NSW Sapphire Coast on the weekend for a hit-out on the mountain bike in the Bermagui Dirtsurfers twilight 3 hour race. I was very keen to test the legs and get an idea of my form coming off the Christmas break as I prepare for the National Championships, and the 3 hr format provided a great opportunity to achieve this, as well as a good excuse to get down to the coast for a relaxing weekend away with my brother, James.

Having arrived at the track a little early, I had a peek at the course to find that the local “dirt surfers” had been going nuts with the leaf blower, and the course was groomed like a champion race horse. It really indicates the level of pride they have in there track that they keep it looking so nice. Probably not so obvious was the amount of work that they needed to do after the recent storms to clear all the fallen trees and make the track ridable again, from all reports a solid achievement to get it done before the race. Having a track devoid of leaves also had the advantage that there was no need for much in the way of bunting and arrows. It is pretty funny being used to racing on fully bunted and signed World Cup course, to come to a local race with very minimal arrows and virtually no bunting. It definitely gives the race a natural and organic feel.

The start of the race was pretty fast with Shane Spicer not scared to drive it on the front for the first firetrail. When we turned into the first corner, Trekky (Brendan Johnson) came through to the front and then I thought I’d chop him on the inside to snake him into the single track. However, having had to brake too late cost me some speed and he snuck back in front of me, good fun.…rubbin’ is racing! My coach had instructed me to ride the race like an interval session so I pushed 100% for the first 3 laps, not your typical strategy for a 3hr. After one lap, Trekky let me go, probably laughing at the idea that I thought I could ride that pace for 3 hours. From then I managed to stay in front of him despite my erratic lap times and his consistently solid splits. At the end I narrowly got though before the cut off to complete an 11^th lap, while Trekky and Shane just missed out on the extra loop and finished 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. My brother James completed 7 laps and came 27^th – it was nice, I got to see him 4 times during the race!

The race was also a great opportunity to test out my new set of FRM Urano XC Team wheels that I received during the week. These are some seriously cool looking hoops; they are anodised red, and feature FRM’s Urano hubs, XMD 333 eyeleted rims, laced with Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes. The weight comes in at 1330g with rim tape and valve stem, which is exactly the claimed weight – That would have to be a first for the bicycle industry?! The wheelset’s light weight make them feel very fast, while the asymmetric rim helps to keep them stiff be accommodating a bigger spoke angle on the drive side. In fact they feel a bit stiffer than the previous incarnation, I’d say most likely due to changes in the hub design which now has a higher flange and a bigger axle, which is not bad for the same weight. Another great feature of these wheels is the system for mounting the rotors; it is a bit like centre-lock in that all you need is a cassette tool to screw of one nut, but the standard ISO rotors fit on there. . It is clean, simple and light design that makes taking rotors on and off a breeze, perfect for taking your bike on a plane. Setting them up tubeless was also pretty easy with the FRM sealant and the “tubeless-ready” rim locking the bead of Maxxis Exception tyres without any dramas. Overall I am super happy with how they rode in the race. I pushed hard on a few laps and they felt solid underneath me the whole time, even when I got fatigued later in the race and started bounce off a few rocks. With Exception series Maxxis tyres, the weight of these things is pretty impressive. That and having good quality bearings make them feel very fast, just what you want for race day.

I’m off to Mt Buller this weekend for the 3^rd round of the Jayco National Mountain Bike Series. It should be a cracker of a race with more riders starting to hit form and the first UCI points for the year up for grabs.

Blairy's Race Report from Buller

noreply@blogger.com (andy) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:21:00 +0000

Thank you to Tim Bardsley-Smith for these amazing images.

After 40 degree temperatures and melting tarmac the last time we raced a national round at Mt Buller, the mountain turned on contrasting conditions this time, with riders battling hypothermia rather than heat stroke. It rained constantly from lunch time on Friday, and right through race day on Saturday, making the track very hard work but heaps of fun. My Swell Redshift team mate Nick and I got around for a practice lap in the rain on Friday afternoon and we had a blast, sliding around in the alpine mud, I couldn't wait for the race.

Unfortunately, I just didn't have the legs on this occasion and after the first 2 laps, I had gone from the front row to 18th position. I kept pushing hard, especially on the descent, and eventually managed to get going. After a couple of solid laps through the middle of the race saw me climb up to 11th, and I was having heaps of fun, but on the second last lap I started to blow like a steam train. This was a very bad sign, and with the rain & wind driving harder than ever, I was soon struggling to keep warm. The last lap was an absolute struggle, my arms felt so cold and stiff that I felt barely able steer my bike. I limped into the finish for 12th place, and went straight back to the lodge for a hot shower and a nice cup of tea. Having had a lot bigger expectations for this weekend, I was a bit disappointed with the result, but it isn't the end of the world. At least I had a lot of fun (for about 1/3 of the race) in some of the toughest conditions I have ever raced in. And well done to Nick who continues on his road back from injury to finish 19th, and Rosie for taking out sport women for the Swell team. I've got to say a big thanks to all the feeders, volunteers, and race staff that braved the horrendous conditions.

So what is the perfect therapy for getting over a disappointing race? ........Stonefly. Stonefly is the latest trail to be opened at Mt Buller MTB Park and makes a 10km loop out near Mt Stirling. Nick and I headed out there on Sunday morning and timed it perfectly to see the first signs of sun shine all weekend when the clouds parted long enough for us to glimpse some of the most amazing scenery that the Victorian high country has to offer. As for the trail, it was great. Still slick from all the rain, it was in prime condition for drifting through the countless berms and rhythmic inversions. Definitely one of those trails that has you subconsciously squealing like I little girl. Though in Silk Lane and Misty Twist, and I was cured...what race?

James Williamson Enduro Challenge – 13 March 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Barnes) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:53:00 +0000

James Williamson Enduro Challenge – 13 March 2011

Wingello State Forest, Southern Highlands NSW

The inaugural James Williamson Enduro Challenge is to be held in memory of James Williamson, the 2008 World and 2006 Australian MTB 24 Hour champion. James passed away on 23 March 2010 while he was participating in the Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race in South Africa.

The James Williamson Enduro Challenge is a joint initiative between the Southern Highlands Cycling Club and Canberra Off-Road Cyclists and is intended to be a ride for those who love mountain biking, and a race for those who love to ride hard.

Categories include:

· Open Male & Female - 75km, 50km & 25km

· Under 19 - 50km & 25km

· Under 17 - 25km & 13km

· Under 15 - 13km

Proceeds from this race will be used to finance a range of activities in support of developing young mountain bike riders in New South Wales and the ACT including an annual training camp, assistance packages and other forms of support to be determined by the administrators of the James Williamson Fund.

All registrations completed before December 1st, will receive a specially designed “Willo T-shirt” as part of their entry fee. Numbers will be limited to 600 riders, and registrations will cease after this number is reached.

For all enquiries please contact Meg Patey at meg.patey@gmail.com