Lots of Laughs at the Youwies

Jane Ollerenshaw and Amanda Herd were exactly what I needed today to kick off my weekend.  We had a general whinge about life's 'stuff', then rolled on the mountain bikes for a couple of hours with lots of chatting and laughter.  The sun was shining and it was warm/hot (depending on whether you were Justine or Jane).  

This photo was on the flat section over the back - one of the many times we pondered where we were and what trails to ride.

Amanda shared advice and stories of life as Amanda, which had us laughing so hard I stopped concentrating and fell off my bike flat on my back !!!  Such a fun day.  Thanks to my girl friends. xoxo

A New Ride - my new Cannondale Scalpel

I am indebted to Panther Cycles and Cannondale for their generosity and support in kitting me out with my bike collection in preparation for the 2013 WEMBO World 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike Championships.  My new 2012 Cannondale Scalpel brings a very nice 80mm lightweight, dual suspension ride for my upcoming XC races and second bike for endurance races.  It fits together perfectly with my XX equipped 100mm Scalpel, giving me the XC/endurance race bikes that I need and want.

Mount Buller Ride

Our last ride together was Mansfield - Mt Buller - Mansfield.  A slow but achievable 92km 4 hour 1800m elevation gain ride.  Gav was really tired all the way until the last 3km climbing section to Mt Buller Village.  I felt good - not fresh but still able to tap away at the climbs.

It was cold at the top so we didn't stay long, and then I smoked Gav on the descent.  We met up at Mirimbah and peddled back to Mansfield.  The Red Bull and hamburger Gav consumed at Mt Buller must have helped, cause he was able to do turns on the way back, which meant that I returned from my (almost) 100km ride still feeling good - pleasantly trained would be wording, I think.

Gav and myself at the end of our Mt Buller climb and descent

I've had a great few days away, now have a cycling tan to be proud of, am now going to watch the New Moon set tonight from the top of Mt Buller (this is probably a bit romantic blah blah to be doing with my brother, but hey...beggers can't be choosers).  The New Moon has a spiritual meaning of new beginnings, setting goals and wishes, and opening yourself to magical change.  So, here's to a new outlook and a happy future.

A Week On Holidays

My brother Gav has come to visit for my week on holidays and my week of riding.  We started with a casual Beach Road 2.5 hour ride on Saturday, with good friend Dave.  

On Sunday we started our 5 days of riding in Mansfield.  The dogs were (sadly) dropped at dog kennels on the way.  Mansfield Holiday Park didn't disappoint with the accommodation and beautiful setting, and the weather was perfect.

The outlook from our cabin - Gav getting ready for Jamieson ride

Jamieson general store

Our first ride was to Jamieson - 70km 2.5 hours and 850m elevation on undulating, quiet roads.  We were kept entertained on our return journey with cars that had participated in the Targa Mt Buller Hill Climb weekend.  The late afternoon was spent sitting on the deck with a good book, then a couple of episodes of 'Allo 'Allo.

On the way to Whitfield - Gav with a Movember moustache and me with a mouthful of food

Second ride, after nearly 12 hours sleep for me, was to Whitfield and back - 128km just over 5 hours and 1800m elevation.  The sun shone beautifully but the wind was not kind - head wind and cross wind for a good part of the ride.  My legs held up really well, considering I haven't ridden that far for 2 years.  I was slow but Gav was patient.  The locals in Whitfield were a great laugh and very friendly - a highlight of the ride.  As much as I enjoyed the ride, I was looking forward to getting back to the cabin, and giving my bottom a break from the saddle.

Tomorrow a shorter 2 - 3 hours for me, and Gav is planning to do a couple more hours than me.  

Base Miles - more than a training stage

I submitted my final assignment for the year at 1am the morning it was due.  Not quite the 2:15am of my good friend Shauna, who also had a house move and upheaval before the due date.  

That morning I woke to a beautiful sunny, warm morning.  Beep wasn't used to the new approach I had to life that morning - after breakfast she climbed back into bed for our usual lie-in, an attempt to put off the start of another day of pressure, demands and depression.  

A long walk with the dogs followed by a ride to work.  The ride was amazing - I felt free and as though I could do anything.  I felt confident and comfortable on the bike, and I belonged there.  I wish the ride had been longer than 35 mins, because I was making so many plans and had so many new insights.  

Planning the next 12 months was fun.  I've been set a rough plan for the next few months by coach Tory Thomas - base miles.  Without base miles I will never reach my racing potential.  I began to think....

Base miles: without base miles I will never reach my potential

What does this mean?  Well, of course I'm feeling lonely after 9 years of having a best friend with me all the time, who is no longer there.  But looking for someone to fill that loneliness is not healthy.  I need to build the basis for my life - without a good base I can never fulfil my potential.

So I'm on the program - I'm building me - and I'm going to reach my potential.  

Chicks MTB Weekend - Daylesford

My thanks go to the girls of Daylesford, Jane Ollerenshaw (Liv/Giant) and St Mel for putting on a great girls mountain bike ride.  23 girls on a social ride - it was awesome.  The riding was fun and the laughs were plenty.

The real fun came when 6 of us got to our rental house for the weekend.  Jane Ollerenshaw, Amanda Herd, Kira Douglas, Nicole Jeffries and Jo Riley - what a fantastic group of women.  The laughs were endless and much needed - thank you girls.  Organising meals really was a laugh - emails were flying back and forth for days....how do you cater for gluten free, vegetarian, grain free.  

You Yangs Yowie (66km) 'ride race'

I was recently prompted to update my blog on my recent racing 'to celebrate my achievements' - this being something that I have never done.  A new me and a new approach to me.  

The race started casually for me - meeting Dave from Castlemaine on the start line was a great introduction to the 66km race.  We rode together for the first 15 minutes or so, catching up on the latest.  The remainder of the race was spent by myself either passing, or being passed by, other riders.  They were all pleasant and enjoying their ride, other than one goose that could have taken me out big time on the boardwalk wall ride....if you can't ride the wall, before you place your bike in the middle of the boardwalk check whether someone is already riding on the 45 degree wall !!!!  My bike may be fantastic, but it doesn't defy gravity for long.

The last 30 minutes of flat trails was some back and forth with Lee Schultz - I had the corners nailed, but Lee had the legs.  In the end I was about 45 seconds behind her, finishing in 6th place with 3 hours 45 minutes of ride racing under my belt.  

So what did I learn?  That I had about 2 hours in my legs.  

What achievements can I celebrate?  That I got out of bed, I got to the race, and I finished.

The 60km Double Cross this weekend - another opportunity to catch up with old friends and enjoy some good riding.

Weekend Wind-up

Saturday started with a long dog walk with beanie and a hoodie to keep warm.  An easy hour on the roady trying to figure out how to get to work from my new location.  I got lost, and still haven't figured it out, so I'll just have to wing it tomorrow on my commute to work and hopefully I won't be too late if I get lost.  I guess it would be a different excuse for being late than my usual 'I had a head wind'.

I then had inspiration from the beautiful and completely mad Hel Parkes - turn a negative into a positive, so I placed a lovely spring flower through the bullet hole in my front window...how pretty !!!

 A MTB ride at Christmas Hills with Dave and Neil on Sunday was just awesome.  Flowing trails that still make you think about what you're doing, and work hard.  Some great laughs, usually at Dave's expense, and it was a great day out.  Thanks for a great ride, guys.  Will certainly head back there again.

A Chick's Weekend...what to do?....

My list of choices:

• A long doggie walk on Saturday and Sunday
• A long ride on Saturday and Sunday
• A movie or dinner with friends
• A good book from one of my favourite authors
• A sleep-in
• Prepare my awesome Scalpel for next weekend's You Yangs Yowie
• Relax with the dogs
• Start my final assignment for the year
• Contemplate if another bullet is going to come through my front window again

Well, all of these might happen, I reckon.  Starting with a long dog walk early Saturday morning; a mountain bike ride at the You Yangs; dinner or movie with Dave and Kylie.  Sunday will be a long-awaited sleep-in, long walk with the dogs, a ride, a read, a relax, and probably not even looking at my assignment.  Report will be at the end of the weekend, hopefully with some photos.

Buxton Liv/Giant Chicks MTB Ride

A ride at Buxton MTB Park on Sunday 16th September was something to look forward to and a welcome distraction from my own thoughts.  After arriving at Buxton 30 minutes early, I was thinking that this new me is an improvement....I'm NEVER early.  

There were 12 all up, and we split into 2 groups.  Pictured above is the group of 8 - all evenly balanced in skill and fitness, the ride was pretty much flowing for 1.5hrs.  Lots of laughs, some new challenges ridden by a few, and many great cheers of encouragement made for a day of feel-good friendship.

Thanks girls, and I look forward to the next one.

Study, Work, Dogs, Ride

I've written this year off for too many reasons, but mostly due to study.  I've completed my final subject for the year, giving me the Post Graduate Certificate in Bushfire Management - half way to my goal of Post Grad Diploma in Bushfire Management.  Will I go on to finish my Masters of Forest Ecosystem Science?...that depends on whether I want to lose another 2 years of my life, so that will be considered in November 2013. I've met some great friends during this year's study - some good laughs, much 'Excel' formula frustrations, and great support.  Thank you to all my uni friends, and I (kind of) look forward to next year's study.

So where to from here?  I've started back training 5 weeks ago, though life has thrown its hurdles not just in front of me, but directly at me.  I've come out the other side knowing that I have great, supportive and caring friends, and I would like to thank them all.  Special thanks to Mickarse, Poopsie and Jim Bob for your genuine care, and always being able to make me laugh; Hel for her great empathy and care; Em for being a quiet source of motivation; Owen and Dave, my caring and ever laughable co-workers in the (CFA) Vegie Patch; Megs for her always honest, caring and supportive friendship; Travis for his voice of reason and good friendship; and of course Buzz and Beep for their undying love and ability to make me laugh.

I may be a month behind in my training, but I'm on track for my first race back - the You Yangs Yowie in October 2012.  The first of many in my journey to the 2013 Solo 24 Hour World Championships in October 2013.  

A Postponement to Endurance Racing

I was preparing for and entered to the Blores Hill 6 Hour for 22 July 2012.  I was looking forward to it, even though it was only going to be riding, not racing.  Another full week at work preceded the race weekend, but that was okay - I'd set aside some ride time while I was away in Bendigo.


A good 1.5hr roady with good mate and all round great guy, Travis, and his mate.  The quiet and undulating back roads of Bendigo were so nice.  That night I was a very unwell chooky - a late night trip to the chemist, a passing out scenario, and a fever.  So 3 days off work, and not a single kilometre ticked over in the legs - very disappointing.  


I still had hope that I'd get to race.  I took the new Scalpel out for its maiden voyage, wanting to check that it was all set up perfectly before racing on Sunday.  Why the 3 of us chose Warramate is beyond me - maybe I was still feverish and off with the fairies - but 1.5hrs of riding with an unusually high heart rate delivered the verdict...no racing for me this weekend.  But the trails were awesome, my head space was surprisingly good considering I have no fitness, am sick, and it was slippery as all buggery.


Warramate delivered all that it can, at its worst - off-camber single track, tree roots, tough pinch climbs, all on wet, slimy, super slippery trails.  But I must have been doing something right, because I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted more.


Let's put this week down as a lost week, but not entirely - got some of my assignment out of the way, got in a couple of great, fun rides, a good catch up with an old friend, and topped off with a good movie and dinner with friends (loved The Dark Knight !!!).  Let's plan for the next one - Lysterfield on 29th July, XC at You Yangs 12th August or Castlemaine on 19th August.  So much to choose from, so much to do.

Let's hope the weekend gets better

Not such a good day today.  Work is demanding and I'm putting pressure on myself, I've got 2 assignments due next week, and it's raining.  Evan wore most of my stress.  A visit to the chiropractor was the first positive step.  An afternoon of the house to myself to work on my assignment helped.  

I'm racing tomorrow at Lysterfield Chase The Sun 5 Hour.  The Rush is looking and running well, and I just want to ride my bike.  I logged onto the web site tonight to check out what time I had to be there to register tomorrow - guess what I found?  That you can only register prior to race day !!  Can you believe it?  What a crock !!  Well, I'm turning up on race day to register - if they won't give me my race number, I'll just ride anyway...Snozza can go blow it out his arse if he thinks that's a reasonable expectation.  

Another race, another ride, all good fun

The Forrest 6 Hour was ridden in a mixed pairs - team Recreation Not Procreation hit the trails again, but in a pretty casual way.  I'd been at uni all week and overall very unfit - Evan had the 'flu all week.  It rained for the first hour - Evan best not riding in the rain - me a case of the can't be stuffed.  Evan eventually headed out for 3 laps.  I did 3 laps.  But the ride was only part of the really awesome day.


The dogs were at the race and had a great time.  Buzzy socialised and was open to pats and attention.  Beep said hello to a select few and wanted to rip the face of two other dogs.  But overall they were so well behaved.  The photo (still to come) is pretty much a reflection of the day...the spare chair was where I was sitting, Beep in the other chair, Buzz and Evan in the crate.  It was so nice to be able to show off my well-behaved babies.


Tory Thomas and Tim Retchford (with occasional visits from Hamish) shared our tent, not that Tory was in the tent for long having done the event as a solo.  But the laughs were good and it was great to see mum Tory working it like she always does.  My inspiration.


Back to Creswick for another week of uni, and I found a few mtb friends in my Bushfire Planning & Management subject.  A 1.5hr ride after lectures was a great way blow off the days learnings before heading back for more homework at night.  Thanks to my new friends.

I'm Back...

Well, I'm back on.  Back on my blog, back on the bike, back in Victoria, and back studying.
First race was the Wombat 100.  Well, the Wombat 50.  Which turned into the Wombat 20.  A big step back into racing, I decided to ride 'cattle class' and took on the Wombat 50.  15km into the event I had a mechanical that meant I limped my way 5km to the next marshall station, where I got a lift back to the event centre.  But until then, I was having a great time, if not a little frustrated with the inabilities of others on the technical stuff.  But I rode with a few really great guys (including my Giant friend) and enjoyed the experience.
And as if getting back into racing isn't taking up enough of my time, I decided this year to start post grad studies - Post Grad Diploma in Bushfire Management - 2 years part time.  I'm enjoying the mental challenge of studying again, but still working out the finer details of balancing working full time, studying part time, and trying to train enough so that races are enjoyable.  
On Saturday I'm riding in the Forrest 6 Hour in a Mixed Pairs.  It will be casual, it will be cold, but it will be fun.  
Keep you posted.

Got my...body back!!!

It's taken several months of commitment and hard work, but I've finally got my 'fit body' back. Any female who's body has had 'better days' can relate to this comment. It's also taken some getting used to. For the past 3 months I haven't liked my 'race' body - the core strength work that I've needed to do has meant that I no longer have that 'hourglass figure' - I'm more straight up and down. The strength work on the bike and improved riding technique has meant that my already developed (big) butt has somehow taken on a mind of it's own and has 'further developed' (the kind words of my chiropractor...translation meaning my butt is bigger). I have realised that, when developed, ones glutes actually sit as high up as your hips - after complaining to coach Tory about this new development, she exclaimed great pleasure with my newly acquired 'shelf'....SHELF I say - what a totally unglamorous word. I simply refer to it as my 'muffin tops'. Unfortunately my 'shelf' meant that my work pants were becoming uncomfortable. A good reason to take 4 weeks leave, I say. Thankfully, the increased intensity/duration of my rides (assisted by not working) and more time working my upper body at the gym (Coffs Coast Health Club) has resulted in a far more impressive body.

3 weeks out from the Worlds - all going pretty well, and then it started raining in the middle of a block of long rides...DAMN!!!

I'm enjoying being the full-time athlete - wake, ride, eat, sleep. The dogs have enjoyed having me around a bit more, even though I have been spending long days in the saddle. I had been doing most of my training on my own, but then managed to coax a fellow Worlds racer to join me on a 6 hour mtb ride near Bellingen. We enjoyed the ride, especially the cake shop stop in Bello 2 hours in. On the way out the climbs were interspersed with short descents. The final 6 hour ride clocked up 2,300m climbing - lets hope this can be useful during the 24 hour.

The idea was to back this ride up with a longer or harder ride the following day. Initially my riding buddy was all in for this, but I think I broke my new riding friend on our first ride cause he pulled the pin on the following day. I'm still a bit worried that it wasn't the hard ride that turned him off, but my company... : (

5 weeks out from World Solo 24 Hour Championships

It's been a busy 3 months since my last post. A brief summary:

5 days in Mt Beauty with coach Tory Thomas, her husband Tim, and their fantastic fur kids. This time was finished off with the Albury 6 Hour. I was still really fatigued after a hectic 9 week program - a program that saw me doing long rides week after week, and what local racing I attended was a matter of hanging in there. Warming up with Tory was a sign of things to come - my legs were fatigued and I was not in a good state of mind either. I completed the prologue and the first lap, and pulled out - I had nothin'. But that allowed me to assist Tim in supporting Tory, and catch up with Albury locals I hadn't seen for many years. Tory raced consistently, took out the Female Solo win, and also took home the Fastest Female prologue lap, beating teams riders and fellow former Torq team mates in the process.

After a well needed recover week, I was back into training. 8th August saw the Coffs Harbour Marathon - a 100km event on the local flowy trails of Pine Creek. This event was 4 x 25km laps. I was feeling strong and fresh in the warm up (something that I hadn't felt for months), and I was looking forward to the event. I hung with the other girls for the first lap, but realised that I didn't have the speed to be able to maintain that pace for another 3 laps. I backed off to a pace that I was still working at, but could maintain for the remainder of the race. I was feeling strong for the entire time, until the last 8km. I didn't eat going into the final lap (a lesson learnt) and blew up. The hills were actually hurting me and I didn't like it. I finished 4th in Elite Women.

A week later was the Appin 400 - a 400 minute (6hr 40min) event on an extremely demanding course south of Sydney. I entirely enjoyed the course, even though by 5 hours in my upper body was in agony. Mum offered to support me for the event, which meant that I was riding strong the whole way - no missing feed stops this time. I finished feeling tired in the legs, but surprisingly good compared to previous events. I finished 2nd in Elite Women behind Katrin van der Spiegel.

It's now early September, 5 weeks out from the Worlds, and I can finally leave the demands of work behind me and focus entirely on myself and my training. Ride, eat, sleep, beach with dogs - oh to have the life of an unemployed person.

The Long Training Rides

The past 2 months have flown by. The weeks are filled with hard and easy rides during the week, then long days in the saddle on the weekends.

3 weeks ago Evan and I travelled to Central Victoria for the Bendigo 6 Hour. A great few days of fun rides around Castlemaine, where I found I was either over the front wheel or over the back of the saddle for all of the rides....great times of technical, flowing trails.

The 6 Hour was held in our old backyard in Sedgwick. For 2.5 years our property backed onto the trails of Sedgwick State Forest, and I had so much fun enjoying these trails again. 6 hours of hard-packed singletrack/fire trails and rocks. I found the course physically demanding, but so much fun. I finished 2nd behind Jess - I was pretty shattered but glad of the outcome.

Since this race I have been spending my weekends on long rides. Below are a couple of photos from yesterday's ride out the back of Nana Glen, heading towards Lowanna. Hard climbs, fast technical descents. Thanks to Boris, the local endurance motorbike man, for all the great single track in the middle of nowhere - makes the 1.5hr climbing worth while!

Have come a long way already, with still a lot more climbing to go.

Scody High Country Cycle Challenge 2010

So, what do mountain bikers do for holidays? Go riding, of course. I needed a holiday desperately, and wanted to go away somewhere, and that's when I found the Scody High Country Cycle Challenge. It is a road event based in Mansfield, North East Victoria. Beautiful country, diverse, and totally awesome road riding. And it was even better to be there on a holiday, rather than all previous times with DSE fighting fires.

The holiday began with a visit to my family and dropping off the 'kids' at Puppy Hilton (mum's place), where they would be spoiled rotten for 2 weeks. A quick visit to Mt Beauty and some MTB-ing on the way through - why wouldn't you? - and then onto Mansfield where Evan & I enjoyed the roads, and the MTB trails around Mt Buller.

Evan was to ride the SHCCC with myself and my brother, Gav, however he was whisked away to the world of Elite MTB-ers at the final round of the National Series. So it was just Gav and myself doing the event - 185km on Saturday, 125km on Sunday.

First day was Mansfield - Mt Buller - Jamieson - Mansfield. The event began with a hiccup - I'd forgotten my glasses so we had to swing by the cabin on the way through town - so we missed the bunch ride out to Merimbah. As I found out, no big deal. With this event being my first road event, I've decided I don't rate bunch riding....too risky with too many numpties, way too close for comfort. Gav was strong on the Mt Buller climb - he'd been concerned he didn't have that sort of climbing in his legs, so he'd put in some pretty hard training days on the bike in the Blue Mountains, and it paid off....he had to hold himself back to ride at my pace! He'd made a friend with a chatty bloke named Jamie, and this made the climbing go quickly for him. A quick re-fill of bottles and we were ready to decend. At this point I came into my own, and smoked Gav on the 16km decent. A combination of the perfect bike fit - I LOVE my Cannondale feminine Synapse - and several years of chasing Evan down Bruxner Park and Ulong road decents. The remainder of the ride undulated and was enjoyable, knowing that the 900m incline was over.

Sunday was another gorgeous day of sunshine and very little wind for the Mansfield - Whitfield - Mansfield ride. We rode with the bunch for 30 minutes, then tried to get away from them....it was mayhem. Once we got to Tolmie the majority of riders turned around and headed back to town. There were very few continuing on for the entire ride, which made it SO much better for Gav & I. The decent to Whitfield was great fun, particularly passing so many riders who were using the 10km decent as recovery - bugger that! I didn't care if I crawled back up it on the return trip, but damn I was going to get as much speed out of the decent as I could! Returning back to Mansfield was quiet and enjoyable - Gav was still out-climbing me but I didn't care. Just short of Tolmie we caught up with a bunch of 4 older guys - we decided that Gav would go off the front for the last, flatter 15km and the guys would take us down the decent. Oh sweet rolling for 10km! And true to form, Gav took the front and drove us home, dropping me twice in the final 8km section. But we all rolled into town together, having shared a great ride.

We're going back next year without doubt - the smooth roads, the pleasant climbs, the scenery, the towns people, and the perfect time of year in NE Victoria.

The Closing of 2009 and 2010 Begins

2009 presented very little racing for me - a couple of local races and 2 x 24 hour races.

The Australian Solo 24 Hour MTB Championships was the race where it all came together. After competing in 3 previous 24's, this was the race where my support crew got it right; I got my nutrition and hydration right (other than a couple of self-exploding bananas on the first couple of feeds); the bikes ran perfect; my support crew got poll position; it poored for 2 hours but I didn't want to stop - I only wanted to rain to stop; I had a strong finish in the last 5 hours, picking up another position; I finished the event with nothing left in the tank. And all this was done with very little training in the legs and going into the event feeling fatigued. I finished in 4th. I also finished in First Aid and on oxygen. And one toenail less.

The Scott 24 Hour Australian MTB Championships was 6 months later. 6 months of no riding. 3 weeks before this event I wasn't competing in it. 2 weeks before the event I decided that this event had only 2 purposes:

1. Qualify for the 2010 World Championships
2. Work on my weaknesses

With a lot of teamwork with my support crew and hard work on my part, both of these were achieved.

So what does 2010 bring for me? Hopefully no fires!! But more importantly more of a focus on this year's racing goals.

• March 2010 Scody High Country Cycling Challenge (Mansfield) - 2 stage road event of 185km & 125km
• June 2010 Mawson Marathon (South Australia) - 350km mountain bike event
• October 2010 World Solo 24 Hour MTB Championships (Canberra)
• November 2010 Sydney Fat Tyre Festival 8 Hour (Ourimbah)
• Other MTB events that come up throughout the year & local MTB racing

I look forward to reporting on my progress towards the Worlds. At present I'm doing approximiately 2 hours a day on the bike, with strengthening gym sessions with the assistance of Coffs Coast Health Club.

See you out on the trails, and hope everyone has an enjoyable 2010!

Scott 24 Hour Australian Mountain Bike Championships

Feeding time at the zoo - about 6 hours in, just going into night

My brother Gavin and Evan looking after me

Starting out with a smile and my new sponsor's logo !!!

I QUALIFIED !!!! Yes, I have qualified (again) for the World Solo 24 Hour Championships. These will be held at Mt Stromlo, Canberra in October 2010, and I will be there.

This information leads me to the story of the Scott 24 Hour on 10th & 11th October 2009. Why was I doing another 24 hour event in 2009? To qualify - that's it folks. I now have 12 months to prepare for the Worlds without having to do any other 24's between now and then - a great relief considering it takes sooo long to recover from 24's.

I was feeling fresh in the legs the days before the event - a good sign. I'd had a shocking 6 months prior to the event with very little training/motivation/desire - all I wanted was bed. So 2 weeks prior to the event I made my decision to race, with the following two goals:

1. To qualify for the Worlds
2. To work on my weaknesses

To ensure that I kept to the plan, my good friend Megs offered an idea to tape a note to my handlebars saying "Keep it light and fun". Great idea, but I could do better than that - I had Sesame Street Bandaids !!! So Oscar the Grouch and Elmo were stuck to my handlebars, the reminder to keep it fun.

The first 6 hours were good - consistent lap times and enjoying the ride. Around 7 hours in I came back from a lap and was flat - the lack of eating/drinking spots on the course meant I was only consuming Endura and not solid food. My support crew decided that they would stop me for a minute or two each lap and feed me at the tent - this proved to work well and I picked up significantly and was happy to keep lapping.

Night came, as did midnight. From midnight on my mind went blank......pedal, drink, eat, pedal, pedal, drink eat..... I have no idea what was happening or where I was placed - all I had to do was what my support crew told me. I had a short 15 min break sometime in the dark - it was nice to stop but COLD getting going again. Typical Canberra weather - definitely a 2 dog night!!

During the darkness when I was starting to struggle with darkness and fatigue, I shone my helmet light onto Elmo....."hello Elmo.....he-lloooo Elmo.....tickle me Elmo" - yes I was going balmy but it made me happy!! My mind was kept busy with a fact that few people will ever experience - I couldn't stand on my own without being supported; I couldn't walk on my own without being supported; but throw my leg over my bike and off I went for another 7 hours of riding......WOW!!!!

The birds began cheeping and daylight began. I still had 6 hours to finish. Each lap was approx. 1hr 30min. I tried to work out how many more laps I had before the end - it took me the entire lap to work this out, and still didn't come up with an answer. At 7am the crew were doing the figure for me, and asked me to go and do a lap that was a bit quicker.....WHAT??!!!! OK. At the end of this lap I was told that I could afford to do one slow lap and then finish after 11am to qualify. My support crew had made the decision to give up 4th position and finish 5th (still qualifying), but finishing happy, with a quicker recovery time. I was very happy with only one more lap. I stopped and chatted; checked out the view from the top of Mt Stromlo; smelled the Lavendar growing; and walked the horrid, rocky switchback climb.

I finished 5th, qualified for the Worlds, and rode a 24 hour event pretty much on psychological strength rather than physical strength. To others, my result may have been disappointing going on past finishes. To me, it was an amazing achievement, knowing that up until 2 months ago I struggled to get out of bed each day, let alone leave the house to ride my bike.

Thankyou to my sponsor, Coffs Harbour Health Club - your support and guidance is greatly appreciated. And a HUGE thankyou to my bestest brother Gav, his special care-giving partner Mel, and my forgiving partner Evan - thanks guys for getting me there....I couldn't do it without you.

3 weeks into my 5 weeks from hell

I’m over the hump of a very chaotic and emotionally draining 5 weeks – only 2 to go before I can completely relax.

My 5 weeks from hell began when I acknowledged that I had to let go of my brother and remove myself from his train-wreck of a life. Against my better judgement, I tried to be there for him, and all it did was suck the life out of me. While this was going on I was sent to Victoria to undertake building impact assessments on the houses that were destroyed or damaged in the fires. The days were not long, but it was draining on the emotions seeing the devastation, asking people re-live that time for them all in the name of research, and then watching them begin the clean-up process of their pile of rubble that was their beloved home.

I returned to work to a very hectic workload that had built up while I was down south. Normally my out-of-work time is my own, however numerous nights were spent preparing for (and stressing about) a job interview that I had a 9 hour round trip to get to. And I can’t forget that Beep has a big show at Easter, so she has to be exercised an hour each day to get her looking good for Erica. I’d really like her to do well, cause Erica has had a rough year after losing her house in the fires – she deserves some good things to come her way.

This was the turning point – I was over the ‘hump’ of my 5 weeks.

Evan headed to Thredbo for the MTB Oceania Champs, leaving me with Beep in season and the 2 week process which fluctuates from Beep wanting to rip Buzz’s face off, to very suggestively flirting with him. You’d think that Buzz would be confused by all this, but as soon as she swings her rear end near him and makes him feel manly, he quickly forgets the last week of PMS snarls.

So work is still very busy, Coffs Harbour is out of fresh ‘roo meat (so Beep’s not getting her protein for muscle building), and Justine is attempting to continue her training through all this for the Solo 24 Hour Championships at Easter. You’ve probably already guessed that the training has been shelved a bit, so I’m going into this event with the attitude that “all I have to do is roll around for 24 hours and qualify”.

Victorian Fires

This is the vegetation immediately adjacent to the house below

This house was featured in 'The Age' as an amazine example of a save

Some of the friendly locals at a house that was successfully defended

Note the destroyed houses in the background

Crew members Craig and Andy
Pre-fire mud brick home

Same mud brick home post-fire

PLEASE remove gas cylinders from beside house during a fire - check out the roof that was blown off when the cylinder vented

Geographically challenged team relying on technology (note it didn't work...)

Just when I thought I'd escaped being whisked away from my everyday life whenever fires hit Victoria, an opportunity of a life time came up, and it was one that I couldn't resist. So this meant that I've had a bit of a sojourn from riding for the past week.

I dodged being deployed to Vic as crew or IMT, but was offered a the opportunity to be on the Building Impact Assessment Team. The Bushfire CRC initiated teams to assess the impacts on the buildings that were destroyed or damamged during the recent fires. The research will be used to assist putting together the story as to why some buildings were damaged/destroyed, why some survived, and what can be done to prepare buildings and the community for such events.

A Couple of Weeks Holiday

Typical Central Victorian riding - Jubber Land, Campbells Creek

Evan and I thought we'd make a road trip of the MTB Nationals and Mt Buller round. After settling the dogs with my mum (much to her stafford's delight), we headed to Canberra for the Nationals. Mt Stromlo gave as good as it gets in the way of weather - hot, dry, sunny and windy. I enjoyed a few mtb rides round some of the 24 hour trails, and didn't enjoy the couple of falls that I had. Mind you, I was one of many that came away from Stromlo with grazes and bruises.

We made a mad dash to Castlemaine for 2 days to enjoy some awesome riding and not-so-awesome 43 degree temperatures. We managed to time the visit with the regular Wednesday Night Ride - some great trails in the pineys followed by a welcomed swim at Golden Point Reservoir.

We were looking forward to escaping the heat of Central Vic as we headed for Mt Buller, however the normally pleasant summer of the high country was abnormally hot also. Evan concentrated on photos while I enjoyed a few laps of the XC course and a leisurely ride to Mt Stirling and back.

A quick visit to Panther Cycles on our way home made the whole trip worth while - my new Cannondale Synapse road bike was waiting for me!! I had to wait till getting back to Coffs to ride it, but what a ride it is. For those who have ridden Coffs roads, you'll know just how rough the bitumen roads are. But I am lost for words in describing how smooth the Synapse makes these rough roads. I now realise that I had every reason to feel like I was riding a jack hammer before, and my whinging and complaining was totally justified!!

It was a nice break away, but it's always nice to come back home - and we realised that we're finally calling Coffs Harbour 'home'.

2009 is here....and my new bike is nearly here too!!

After a very hectic weekend at a Stafford Show in Queensland, I ended up with a cold that has hung on for 3 weeks. Finally a trip to the chiropractor and the chemist put me back on the bike and ready to roll into 2009.

And I've been hugely surprised that I didn't lose too much whilst I was sick. A weekend of strength work and a 120km ride didn't seem to phase me too much - although the couch was looking pretty good by Sunday arvo.

And there's nothing more motivating than looking forward to getting my new bike. My trusty steed is being upgraded to a new Cannondale Synapse Feminine Carbon 5. And she's lookin' pretty nice too!!

JP Morgan 8 1/4 Hours of Power - 3rd Solo Women

The face says it all at the end of the race...

This event was held at Ourimbah State Forest, near the coastal town of Wyong. My practice lap was totally awesome - it was really difficult to not go hard on the hard-packed, flowing track. It had sections of trail that were reminiscent of many trails in NSW and Victoria - Killingworth, Yellowmundi, Castlemaine, Bendigo, Whittlesea, Mt Beauty.... But, even with this world of awesome trails, I had an angry race, which was unfortunately not to my benefit.

I was fatiguing on the climbs by the third lap, I was fed up with people, and then it rained. By 5 hours in I was contemplating pulling out. 6 hours in I found out I was coming 3rd. With only 3 more laps to finish, it was too late to pull out. So I got some food in and plodded through the first of three at a very slow pace. With only 2 laps to go I pulled my finger out and did a hot lap, followed by another.

I finished in 3rd, and walked away having learnt alot. I also learnt that a 5 1/2 hour drive straight after the race is crap!!

The end of a week

I've had a mixed week - time off work, time on the bike, and some beach relaxing too. Evan needed some bodies on bikes for a few photos, so Evan, Brad & myself headed out for a mtb ride. Evan's comment was 'challenging hills' - my experience involved biting the head stem for way too long, then walking the remainder. The first hill ascended 170m, followed by...well, more hills. But the photos were worth it, apparently!!

Sunday gave us a local race at the 'Cows with Guns' course - this time with a few extra kms of new track. Rain last night meant that the new sections made for hard riding, and the old sections were as trecherous as always in the wet with dozens of tree roots.

My aim was to stay upright so that I am fully functioning for next weeks 8 hour at Ourimbah. After a full week on the bike my legs were tired, so all I had to do was go out and ride, spend some quality time on Dale, and work on consistency in my laps. All of this was followed by several hours of pancakes with some very good friends.

Road Training

The last month on the bike have been up and down, in more than one way. I've been fitting in a good week on the bike, then the next is a week of interrupted training (but I guess that's life). And as the pictures portray, I've been up and down with the local Coffs terrain. These pictures are from Ulong climb - a non-stop 10km climb that takes about 45min. But what a beautiful environment.

I've been a bit put off one section of road since a nasty incident with a 4wd - he nearly hit Evan & myself on a 100km/h stretch of road. What's really funny is the freakin' idiot was stupid enough to park his 4wd outside the Coramba Pub 10km down the road!! We livened up the normally sleepy pub whilst trying to get someone to own up to driving the 4wd...

Australasian Police & Emergency Services Games

On 12th October 2008 myself and 3 other employees represented the Rural Fire Services in the XC Mountain Biking in the APES Games. The RFS came away with Gold and Bronze medals.

I had a home course advantage, with the event being held at the technically demanding Pine Creek course. 7km of fun flowing single track, pimped with a few long crossings that would have landed you in the drink if you strayed off the 1 foot wide plank.

Due to my recent return to the bike and regular training, I went into the event pretty tired in the legs. As I summed it up, my legs were as tired in the last lap as they were in the first. However my laps were consistent, I was able to work the technical aspects of the track, and I had a great time riding and chatting with like-minded people.

It was only on my last lap that I started to knock off a couple of competitors - those endurance legs are slowly returning to their former glory. I made a tactical sprint 10m from the finish line, giving me 1st in the Women, and 2nd in the Mens 35 - 39 category. My moment of glory was a moment of embarrassment for my competitor, whose children then chorussed 'You got beaten by a girl, dad!!!'.