Not much riding, but a whole lotta busy

Working out of Bendigo for a week was all I'd hoped for, and some.  Great people, great location, and lots of work accomplished.  

Staying with Erica and Paul was a treat - great conversation and 3 loving staffords to come home to each night for hugs and laughs.  Erica was showing Toohey and Dizzy at the end of the week, and commented that Toohey had lost a bit of weight and needed to put a bit more on.  However I don't think she meant 2 rows of chocolate, an entire tube of bees wax lip balm, and a tube of hand cream !!!  Toohey got into my room and pulled everything out of my bag - books, registration papers, Road Worthy Certificate, wallet...everything.  He didn't damage any of it, but consumed all the tasty bits.  The only tasty treat that remains is some hand cream, however I don't need to pop the top off now, I just squeeze tube and it squirts out in 4 directions !!

Erica showing Toohey at Bendigo Dog Show

Erica showing 7 mth old Dizzy at Bendigo Dog Show

Always the laugh at work, Terry didn't fail to entertain.  Spilt the sugar, got caught, and the photo goes viral around the state to CFA and DSE within minutes - you can't get away with anything when so many people know you.  

Terry being resourceful, but he could have chosen a better spot to be resourceful...

Back to uni at the School of Forestry, Creswick.  Shauna and I had decided on taking the mtb for cruisey post-lecture rides.  Lots of exploring, talking and laughing.  

MTB at Creswick in the oak forest with Shauna

Uni field trip was to the Central Highlands of Vic - Healesville, Marysville, Toolangi, Kinglake - looking at different forests and their responses to fire.  Fairly basic stuff in general, but the real gems are in talking to the lecturers and picking up snippets of information that don't form part of the curriculum.  

Good laughs with the lecturers over an evening bbq - Chris, Lubov and Rohan.  Again, lots learnt and stories shared.  The following day didn't exactly go as planned, and resulted in Lubov, Shauna and myself getting a $300 cab ride from Kinglake West to Creswick !!  One of the buses ended up with a 3" branch through the radiator in the middle of a logging coupe, so some quick thinking by the lecturers had us still on track for the remainder of our field trip, with 3 of us getting a comfy trip in the cab instead of the buses.  

Alpine Ash burnt in 2009 Black Saturday regenerating - the 4WD gives some perspective to the height of the trees

Regeneration density of the Ash is incredible - can you believe that there are 6 people in the photo within 3m of me  

How do they grow so quick?...look at those leaves - huge photosynthetic potential (nice leaves, Shauna!!)

4 year old Ash regen with 1939 regrowth now dead - in scale with human height 

Standing among the giants - not really a safe place to be

Bright 12 Hour

I've had to work really hard to let myself back off from putting pressure on myself whenever I enter an event.  As much as I sometimes portray from the outside a casual approach to racing, on the inside I'm always pushing myself to perform even when I enter an event for fun.  But this weekend, I think I mastered it!!!

The week before was its usual hectic routine that has become routine for me for the last 12 months.  The 4 hour drive to Bright was beautiful even though I was tired.  The colours in the hills of Yea through to Bright were amazing as the sun was falling - not a cloud in the sky which was very different to the cloud of Melbourne.  I began thinking of how much of the country (particularly Victoria) I see because of riding and racing (and work) and how, because of the positive experience that riding gives me, each of those places leaves a lasting happy memory in my mind.  So the next time I visit that place memories flood back and I feel good and look forward to the time there.  

Bright brings back a number of good memories - riding the XC trails with Megs, Matt, Munge and Nick over 10 years ago ('....watch out for the....' 'OH SHIT !!!!!!' '...drop off...yeah, you might have wanted to stick to the left side of that one...'); Mystic Hill DH days with the early members of Albury Wodonga MTB Club (Mystic Hill DH was the first time I said 'I really need to get myself some disc brakes!!); Bright Rod Run with Rolf and Nudge (Bright Holiday Park was the beginning of Nudge's fascination with possums, and trying to climb trees to get them!!); and of course fires (how many weeks have I spent in Bright at fires?...though the couple of tours where accommodation was at Bright Chalet weren't so bad - pity I had to go on the fireground for 16 hours a day (or IMT), otherwise it would have been a lovely time!!).  So, Bright as a location for a race and the drive there was just the beginning.  

My race began at 10:30am.  Everyone else started at 8:00am.  Even before I started riding, many friends asked 'Aren't you meant to be on a bike?'.  I guess when you've been racing Elite solo endurance mtb races since 2006, people get used to only ever seeing me at these events on the bike riding non-stop for 4, 6, 8, 12 or 24 hours rather than walking round the event centre during the race.  

My first lap was great - the trails were awesome.  Not technically hard as such, but the course was pretty rugged and it was more a matter of 'how fast can you ride it' rather than 'can you ride it'.  It was nice to be riding in pineys again - a unique experience that other veg types don't offer.  The climbing was hard at times, either long fire trail climbs or singletrack pinches that hurt with tree roots and corners thrown in just to work you harder.  

It was in the singletrack that I met a rookie solo rider, Paul.  We rode at a similar pace for a lap, chatting the whole time.  Paul's wife was supporting him and looking after their 5 children as well.  I reckon Paul had the easier task of riding a bike for 12 hours....  Our 2nd lap together and Paul was starting to struggle - I talked him through it and then we just talked stuff.  Paul was going for a 15 min break before pushing out another lap - his last one.  But I knew that in the fatigued state he was if he sat down, there was no way he would have gotten up again.  So I pretty much shoved some food down his mouth, got his bottle ready, and got him out of transition for the start of his final lap.  I'm not sure what his wife was thinking while standing by watching me bully Paul around, but I knew he had one more lap in him and that he would be disappointed if he stopped now.  So although he was fatigued mentally and physically, he'd had food, he'd had fluid, and he had someone riding the whole lap with him.  Paul talked the entire last lap - you could almost say he was a bit delirious, but he kept pedalling, with his mind off with his mouth rather than thinking about how hard the lap was.  

The final 3km was undulating with a few pinch climbs and a nice gradual descent to the finish line.  Wanting Paul to finish in high spirits, I pushed him for the last 3km - worked him hard on the pinch climbs, drove him to shift to a harder gear to enjoy the flowy descent.  We hit the finish line and Paul had nothing left in the tank, and he was thrilled with the last blast of his race - he finished on the high that I promised him.  

And you know what?  I thoroughly enjoyed the riding, helping someone achieve their goal, and seeing them so happy for it.  My race ended with 4 laps, 4.5hrs riding, and a great slightly fatigued feeling in my body.  And of course my Cannondale 80mm Scalpel rode flawlessly...sweet bike.

Post race I was thinking about maybe one day being fit enough to push myself the race an endurance event again, rather than just ride.  I'm stuffed until June with study and work, but maybe when I'm settled, when winter is over, when life settles down a bit, I might just plan to make a serious hit out at Bright in 2014.  Stranger things have happened....

A beautiful setting for a race at Bright - Morses Creek in the background

Enjoying the surrounds during a lap break

New bike not so new after Bright's dusty trails

Bright 12 Hour ('Juz, aren't you meant to be on a bike?')

The fact that I'm typing this 1 hour before finish time gives you some idea of the social and fun day I've had.  More to come soon.

Back to Bright

Since being back in Victoria I haven't spent a lot of time in the north-east.  Bright 12 Hour was initially entered for 'racing' back in December.  Now, it is a great place to ride some new trails of Bright (since the huge windstorm a few years ago wiped out all the existing trails), a relaxing weekend, and a time to catch up with racing friends.

Of the 4 people that I have randomly bumped into since leaving Melbourne, 3 of them have been old racing chick friends.  Mel and Kel at Glenrowan BP, and Jane Ollerenshaw in the toilets at the caravan park.  I knew it was going to be a good weekend when the following scenes welcomed me to the north-east on the drive up.

Another journey and lots of fun to be had.  Race/ride wind up will follow at the end of the weekend.  In the mean time.....I'm goin' ridin'...

The Adventures of Juzzy

Triggered by the decision that I no longer need a big car with just 1 person, 2 dogs and (generally) 2 bikes at any one time, I decided to downsize to a sporty Impreza.  Those friends that have known me since my teens know very well how much I like and know my cars, and I get exactly what I'm after.  Though this affliction always makes me happy with my purchase, it also means I often have to wait for a while to get what I'm after, and/or travel a fair distance to get it.  So my adventure began...

The original plan was to drive to Adelaide to look at the car, sleep in the car overnight on the side of the road, then drive back.  If I purchased the car, I fly over the next weekend (missing out on a race) and drive it back.  A later thought was to take a gamble that I would purchase the car, fly over early Saturday morning, then if I bought it I would drive back to Melbourne the same day.  If I didn't buy it, I would simply book a return flight later in the day and fill the time in wondering round Adelaide.

I realised how tired I was when I got on the plane and was asleep before the plane even travelled forward - I fell asleep before or during the reversing of the plane before taxiing to the runway.  1.5hrs sleep later I woke up as we were descending into Adelaide.

The taxi ride was...interesting.  The driver was about 76 in the shade, and didn't know the street I was to go to, so he asked me to navigate using the Melways/UBD to get us there!!!  Very amusing and you could only expect that in Adelaide, but at least I wasn't getting ripped off by him driving all over the city in the wrong direction.  It was actually comforting.  

The car was in great condition and worth the trip.  The guy was a roady so we talked bikes and cars.  Finance and paperwork all sorted, I stocked up with food for the trip back.  I considered driving to Willunga Hill to have a brief look at the Tour Down Under, but it was 45 mins out of my way - ultimately adding at least 2 - 3 hrs onto my trip.  I knew my mate Macca (who I've known for 15 years from Panther Cycles) was in Adelaide for The Tour and decided that if he was at Willunga then I would make the trip.  I rang him and he was only 5 mins from where I was !!!  A walk and talk up the road to check out a bike shop, and an hour later I was back in my new green machine ready for the 800km drive to Melbourne.  

Macca & myself at bike shop taking me back to my Penrith westie days - a flanny jersey

The drive was awesome - time to think, sing to myself, enjoy my new car, work out how many kms to a tank of fuel, see lots of mallee vegetation and lots of sky.  Thinking on and off how my dad would have been proud of me for confidently making my own plans and following through.  It was him that began my interest in cars - under the bonnet with him holding the light while he worked on the family car, taking the boys and myself to the drags out at Castlereagh - imbedding in me a desire to be a confident, independent female when it came to cars, which is so much a male-dominated interest.  So of course I knew he was with me the whole trip.  

It ended up taking me 9 hrs with breaks, and I was getting 650km from a 45 Litre tank - not bad for a 10 year old car.  (That last bit of trivia took up so much of my time playing with figures and comparisons that I thought it important to include!!)

After lots of sleep on Saturday night, I had an enjoyable and very much fun mtb at Lysterfield with Kylie and Dave.  Kylie came up with the quote of the day when Dave fell off his bike while standing upright and did a commando roll...'And he didn't even stop talking during it...'  Very very funny couple of hours.  Wonderful Dave then offered to drive me to the airport to pick up the Outback after yesterday's flight - or should I say 'his' Outback.  Such wonderful friends and great fun to be around.  

Mt Buller National Round - some photos and some thoughts

What a weekend...the highs, the lows, the hurts, the smiles, the friends, and the people that are now friends.

None of the people at Mt Buller that I interacted with knew any of the difficulties I was facing that weekend, so I was surprised to experience friendliness in its purist form.  My return to racing after 2 years away was hard - the stresses associated with racing, the pressure on myself, the preparation, the lack of training.  Not to mention the personal turmoil of the past year.  But I woke up Monday morning and realised I wouldn't change a thing.  I had to do it all at some point, and I'm stronger for it.  

During the weekend I found things - treasures you might say - some that were there all along, part of me but hidden, others that are new to me.  And it all came about thanks to my riding - that in itself is a treasure that my brother shared with me 20 years ago, and we're still sharing together.  

It was hard trying to concentrate at work today.  Work was just so boring and hard work compared to my fun weekend.  I was seeing things differently whilst driving to work, and it wasn't just the dense smoke in the air from the Gippy fires !!!  

Some photos of me racing below - I'm tracking down the high resolution ones and will post them soon (thanks to Russ Baker).  I'm loving the pink Panther Cycles jersey - it stands out so well in the bush !!

XCP climb up Corn Hill (ignore the bruise on my leg from practice lap) - certainly hurting but still looking good (& happy for the young gun behind to pass me)

XCO - starting the climb

XCO - starting the climb - I didn't so much have a smile by the top!!!

Mt Buller Day 4 - Point to Point

Today's race thought: 'I may not be with you in person, but I am always there' - a message from my dad that came to me last night.

The Point to Point was shortened for Masters Women to a 20km loop out to Howqua Gap and back via the steepest, rockiest singletrack that they could find.  

The race start was very casual - Sharon, Flip and myself in 3 separate categories having a chat and laugh on the start line.  Funny how each of us were set to win our own races - all we had to do was finish.  Halfway up the road climb we'd already sorted out the order in which we would enter the singletrack descent so as to not hold each other up and risk not enjoying the descent to its fullest !!!  

The climb from Howqua Gap was hideous for me - 25 mins of non-stop hard climbing...steep, rocky, transverse tree roots and never ending.  But that's when my thought for the day came in handy.  Dad has been dead for over 30 years, but he was with me today.  Dad loved the outdoors and nature, and he would be proud of me racing well and loving doing it.  

The climb finally came to an end, and I was happy that I had mastered all but one of the tight switchback climbs.  The descent was welcomed, though it was very rocky and difficult to see through corners due to the regrowth from the base of the Snowgums after they were burnt in 2007.  I nailed the final descent from Corn Hill, only to have Chris from work (who was marshalling) tell me that I had to do the XC climb back to Mt Buller Village.  Damn...Chris is so being demoted when I get back to work tomorrow....

I finished in 1hr 30min - placed 1st in Masters Women (Jenny was a DNS due to stitches from a fall in the XCO).

Master Women National Series Leader - got a new jersey out of it !!

Back in my room - dirty faced but still recognisable, unlike some of the Elite Men

Thanks to Panther Cycles for getting Luke Brame (U17) and myself on awesome Cannondales and kitted out

Mt Buller Day 2 and 3 - XCE and XCO

The Eliminator event went as planned.  Except for the spewing up after my Time Trail.  But I rode hard and qualified, then rode out the heat I was in against Kathryn O'Shea, Lindsay Gorrell and Melissa Anset.  I had no interest in even trying hard against these girls, and I really don't enjoy Eliminator events.  

My aim for the Cross Country event was to get on the start line and finish the event.  The morning started as most race mornings of many years have started...I don't want to race...I can't do this...and a new one, I will just pack up and drive home and not race.  So what got me to the start line?  Something my mum gave me when I dropped the dogs off a couple of days ago.  It said: 'Even in darkness, light dawns for the upright.'  So I wrote this on my arm to get me to the start line and through the race.  You have no idea how relevant it was.

Warming up, I was laughing while looking out at the smoke-filled valleys south of Mt Buller.  Yesterday I'd had a phone call from a DSE friend who'd just finished a 24 hour shift as IMT Ops Officer - he needed a friend to talk to where he could offload the past 24 hours of stress, then get a good laugh with me talking about crap that really means nothing.  This put us both in a great mood - me to go and race, him to go and sleep before the next night shift.  So as I was warming up, I was chuckling - the smoke offering a very tangible reminder of the silly laughs from the day before.  What a great way to prepare for a race.  

I got a good start - I think my very first good race start EVER.  I happily announced this to the crowd standing by - I was so proud of myself.  Philippa and I had a good run through the singletrack descent together - Flip flowing beautifully and I was happy to follow.  The climb separated the two of us, with Flip riding away from me.  I struggled with the climbs each lap and enjoyed the descents.  And when I was struggling I would say 'Even in darkness light dawns for the upright'.  This also started to come out while descending - a bit of a dual meaning there, being that I was hoping to stay upright on the bike for the descents, being that so much was at stake if I came off....narrow singletrack with a steep drop on one side that was fast and rocky.  

In the end I finished 1st Women Masters, didn't come off the bike, and only had to walk the final pinch of the big climb on the final lap.  Bike is clean, I'm feeling surprisingly good, and kind of looking forward to tomorrow's 25km enduro.

Series Leaders plate (they gave me the wrong class, but will fix that tomorrow)

Em Parkes (Torq Nutrition) and myself - together again on bikes

Mt Buller Day 1

I headed out for a practice lap Thursday morning.  I got 3min 45sec into my lap and sliced my front tyre, rolled the tyre off the rim and came off.  A 15min walk back to the lodge to change bikes, then had another hit out.  

The XCO course is awesome, but it will certainly claim some riders.  I'm pretty sure I'll be one of them.  Flowy, rocky, fast, dry and powdery, then a horrible long steep climb that is rocky and powdery.  Not sure how many laps I'm doing, but hoping only 3 - I may just have 3 laps in my legs, but not much more for that amount of hard climbing.  

This morning, Friday, is relax, maybe do a lap of the XCO, then practice lap of the Eliminator Course, then I race the Eliminator at 3pm.  My aim?  Get eliminated early to save my legs for Saturday and Sunday.  

Thursday night was topped off with sunset just below the Mt Buller Summit.  The alpine environment is one of my favourite - and this weekend it is my refuge.

I sat on a patch of Poa sp. in alpine grasslands 

Billy Buttons at sunset

My Journey

My journey began over 6 months ago - it's just that I couldn't really enjoy the ride to start with.  

Now I've hit big chain ring and am way down the cluster, and I'm embracing every bump, boulder, climb, drop-off and switch-back.  I'm choosing the 'A-line' (the hard way) rather than the chicken shoot/'B-line' (easy way), and cutting my own trails.  I'm feeling strong enough in my head and heart to deal with aspects and happenings of the past, so that I can make my future and enjoy it.  I know there are a lot of riding analogy, but if you're reading this blog then you'll know how much bikes area a part of my life.

My journey this week alone has been a ride and a half.  Well, technically not a lot of riding as such, but the emotional journey has been huge, with my outlet being actual riding.

I saw a very good friend of mine after many years.  It was great to see him looking so well and healthy in mind and body.  It will be some time before I see him again, but that doesn't stop us sharing our daily lives through letters.  And as he so cleverly put it, I have a 'captive audience' whilst he is reading my letters !!!  Very clever.

I spent some more quality time with my mum.  She really is amazing.  And especially amazing as she is looking after my dogs for 5 weeks so I can do 2 races and be at uni for 2 weeks.

I finally went though my chest of draws that was still at mum's place.  I had never made time for this job, and until now I didn't realise that I wasn't ever ready to go through it either.  Old stuff, photos, letters, special jewellery, stuffed toys, handbags (yes, I used to own handbags when I was a girl and worked in an respectable bank job!!).  A very emotional couple of hours while I shared some notes that I had written 20 or so years ago. I chose the hard road tacking that chest of draws, but I feel better and stronger for it.

Amongst all the hard stuff was some joy in picking up my new Cannondale Scalpel and making modifications to my 100mm Scalpel.  Between Gav and myself we spent a day getting both bikes set up perfectly.  Can't wait to take it for a spin tomorrow on the trails of Mt Buller.

And that brings me to my 'fun' 4 days of race prep and racing.  More to follow once I do a practice lap tomorrow, but in the mean time the photo tells my Mt Buller story - Outback, Scalpels, and Snowgums.  Life is good.  Only thing missing is the babies, and missing them I certainly am.  The 9 hour drive was very lonely without the babies in the back seat.

And here I was thinking there were fires in NSW...

But my first ride back in the Blue Mountains and it bucketed down !!!

Gav and I headed out for a Marge's and Elizabeth's Lookout mtb ride, just like old times.  I guess you could say, back to where it all began.  We were chatting and sharing stories, while we shared the trails.  Gav handled a 'controlled' slide very well, possibly with a bit more arse than class, but still made it look good and stayed upright.  It was great to be out and about on old and new trails, comparing sections of old trail and whether it had held together or changed much over the past 20 years.  It was awesome.  

Not far into the trails and it started to rain - we were actually thankful for the cool feel of the rain.  But then it just got heavier.  Gav took a new easy line on an old descent - I took the old line that has had some modifications in recent times.  But in the wet I just didn't have it together and fell off, laughing hard.  It's not the first time that section has gotten the better of me, but it was so much fun being back there.

Gav and I went our separate ways after the descent and we each rode home in the pooring rain.  But what a great hour of riding, on trails that are the basis of my mountain biking and my skills.  There are many a sandstone rock on those trails that took skin and left bruises - but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Returned drenched and grotty

The dogs found their spots at mum's place

Early 2013 Racing Plans

I may not have any fitness, I may not have any strength, but I'm planning out the first half of 2013 racing.  I need to start somewhere after not racing for so long - it's too easy to tell myself I'm not fit enough to race.  The hard thing is actually getting to a race and getting on the start line.  So I'm prepared to enter races, turn up knowing that I'm going to come last, start the race knowing it's going to hurt the entire time and wanting to pull out half-way through, but finish each race fully fatigued and happy to celebrate my achievements with myself.  

18 - 20th January Mt Buller National Series Round 1

2nd February Bright 12 Hour Solo

24th February Lake Mountain 4 Hour Solo

15 - 17th March Bright National Series Round 3

14th April Wombat 100km Woodend

28th April 100km Epic Bendigo

11th May 6 Hour Beechworth

So I may not be fit or strong now, but having racing plans and getting to these events will help me in more than the physical sense to achieving my goals.  And, as my mum reminded me recently...I've got dad on my side - all I have to do is ask for help.

Relaxing and Riding

I had a great weekend.  Saturday was spent doing house chores, relaxing, and then meeting my friend Jen at the gym for a great workout.  

Sunday morning started with a nice relaxing lie in bed with the doggies - they snoozed and I read my book.  I finally got out for a mountain bike ride out to Sylvan Dam via Mount Dandenong.  A great long climb, an awesome long singletrack descent, then a long climb back up to the bakery.  I met some nice people at the bakery who made this lonely mtb chick feel welcome into their large group, and a man who is recovering from surgical removal of a brain tumour.  19 hours of surgery, 4 months of recovery and rehab, and he's smiling, happy, and surrounded by close family and friends sitting in the sunshine at Mt Dandy.  The local joke was that, although he no longer has his sense of smell due to the surgery, the chilli pie he was eating was hot enough for him to at least enjoy some of the taste!!!  His wife, however, with her full taste, considered the pie too hot for her liking.  

Almost forgot another great bit....Jen and I went for a fantastic bike track ride on Sunday arvo.  Lots of laughs, and we also arranged a night out tomorrow night for Jen's 33rd birthday.  Hopefully some more laughs to be had.

View from Mt Dandy Bakery to Olinda

Christmas 2012....home is where the dog is

I was certainly not alone this Christmas.  My very dear friend, Erica, invited me to spend Christmas with her and her family in Indigo Valley, North East Victoria.  And of course, the dogs were more than welcome!!!  My two darlings plus 11 other staffords!!!!

Christmas morning was planned for an early dog walk, followed by an early ride before the pressie opening.  However we slept, then Buzz found the only puddle in Watchbox Lane, and proceeded to lie in it, roll in it, play in it, dig in it, and have a drink while lying in it!!!!  Then stood up and brushed himself along the length of Beep, so they were both covered in grey clay mud!!!  But Buzz had a great time, and Beep had as much fun chasing rabbits up the roadside.

A quick bath for B & B, then it was pressie time.

Buzz and Beep then got their pressies.  Buzzy opened his and Beep's, as usual.  They then sat perfectly still for their Christmas photo.

I finally got in my ride in the afternoon - the roads were quiet and so nice to ride - gradual climbs, nice descents.  It was so good to be out on the bike in the north-east again...such a nice place to ride.  No photos - I was too busy riding.

Many thanks to Erica, Celia, Anneke, Meika and Ivy for making me feel welcome into their family Christmas.  And to all the staffords for their love, kisses and laughs.  And of course, Happy Christmas to my babies, Buzz and Beep - love you both so much.  

RFS Mid North Coast Christmas Party !!!!!

WHAT A NIGHT !!!!!!  The laughs didn't stop for 5 hours - it was just like old times, but missing a couple of people.  I knew I missed my old friends and family from MNC Fire Control Centre, but Saturday 8th December made me remember what life at work was really like.  I now understand why Paul (Manager) would call out from his office "Okay you lot, stop the laughs and get some work done!!!".

Between Jo-anne throwing bungars from the deck to the unsuspecting pool plays below, Paul bringing out the AED/IUD for Mick, Jamie playing pool with the garden blower, the sloping pool table which meant the balls would roll to the centre pockets, and my hair, it was a most treasured night to remember.

No-one could understand the family that I have in Coffs FCC, but it's so good to know that nothing changes over time.  Friend forever, that's for sure.

Jamie waiting for the next bungar

Jamie realised the pool cue chalk matched my hair...and then my face

Maree and Lukey - Maree my comrade and friend

My bestie, Mick (so much history here)

Paul and his IUD ready to revive Mick

Jamie playing pool

Juzzy, Mick and Jo-anne sharing the love

My hair was the same colour as the pool table felt

Coffs Harbour Teams Race

My flying visit to Coffs Harbour was shared amongst good friends and lots of laughs.  And thanks to Team Parkes, Tim's old 'goose.  The Coffs club held a 6 lap Teams race - fastest riders matched with slowest.  A lot of new singletrack has been added to Pine Creek since I last rode there over 12 months ago - so lots of flowing trails and the odd tree that would jump out at you.

Thanks to my team mate Phil, we placed 4th.  I had a great day with lots of fun and a good, humid ride.  Unfortunately my hair was sweating pink.  Still.  

Thanks to Team Parkes for after-race lunch, photos, and even more laughs.

After 1st lap - before I passed out

Hanging with Tim between laps

End of last lap - notice the BIG smile!!!

Post-race chatting with the Coffs regulars