The learning continues as I've just joined up for the second emerging phase of the Learning 2.1 programme. It might make me blog a little more too.
The second step in 2.1 is to familiarise yourself with twitter. I've been on twitter for a while now and mostly post progress on rides from my 3G phone. Sometimes I have conversations with my twitter buddies.
We haven't engaged twitter at the Library just yet, I think it really has useful applications as a reference tool, though it could also be useful as a general promotional tool. Might set one up later today.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Blogger redux?
Lots of kilometers under the saddle in these past months and a number of stories to sort out and share. Last weekend I finished the Longer Loop 300km brevet and enjoyed a wild ride to work last wednesday, complete with 50 knot cross winds, pinch flatting the fron tyre on the descent of Broughton Pass with a truck behind me and general cycling around in circles.
Next weekend I'm biting off the Scone 600km to finish off the randoneuring year which so far has seen a really large increase in my mileage over last year.
I am very much looking forward to the Scone ride, the body is feeling strong and the head is getting into the right space to do these things. Should be a hoot.
Mileage in Kilometers = 5379
Next weekend I'm biting off the Scone 600km to finish off the randoneuring year which so far has seen a really large increase in my mileage over last year.
I am very much looking forward to the Scone ride, the body is feeling strong and the head is getting into the right space to do these things. Should be a hoot.
Mileage in Kilometers = 5379
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Dogs in the trap - "Doin the Dog trap - 200km brevet"
When Greg mentioned offhand on a training ride that he and Aldo were going to head north to ride the Dog Trap 200km brevet organized by Howard and Bec, I thought yeah why not, new ground to cover and a chance to practice navigation. With about 2900m of climbing it promised to be a challenging ride.
At about 4.45am I loaded the bike onto the car and left for the start at Waitara having checked and double checked that I had everything before departure. It was raining slightly in the gong and while it was dry further north, it was foggy and well moist for most of the day.
There was a large group of riders assembling which was a bit of a novelty for me. We normally ride with a group of 5 or 6, so 20 or so riders were a huge pack. Greg and Aldo rolled up to complete the southern contingent and soon we were all on our way, into the fog and the unknown.
The Dog trap ride is a great route, the first challenge comes at about 6km in when you descend Galston Gorge, its tight switchbacks and lumpy surface made all the more difficult by quite dense fog. It was a sensibly cautious descent and then slow work climbing up towards Wisemans Ferry.
I heard the song of a lyrebird at one point, and Howard later mentioned that he nearly ran it over a bit earlier. The joys of morning! After the climbing the gorge I was feeling quite good and started to pick up some speed on the flatter sections looping around the agricultural lands of the western Hawkesbury. Despite my cue sheet clipped to the handlebars and despite Douglas’s shouted advice, I still managed to miss the turnoff and did a couple of bonus kilometers until I realized that the only riders around me were from Wollongong. Could have been worse I suppose and it was still foggy.
Rejoining the route we sped on towards Berowra Waters and the novelty of a ferry ride. Then there was the climb out which as Howard promised was quite good, if a little foggy. From Berowra we turned left onto the Pacific Hwy and headed north. Pretty soon I had a puncture and we stopped to fix it before the enjoyable descent from Cowan to the Hawkesbury. Crossing the river was lovely until Greg picked up a puncture. Two punctures in 5km. Nice one puncture god.
From the Hawkesbury bridge the route pretty much climbs for 30km to the controle at Mt White. We were now a bit behind and stood resolutely into the climb to make the controle closing time. The riding though was very pleasant, snatching views of the upper hawksbury, admiring the occasional sandstone outcrop, spotting the odd parrot. As a bonus for nature lovers, Gymea Lilies and banksias were flowering prolifically along the road and apart for the odd motorcyclist the road was quiet.
Eventually the Mt White café emerged out of the mist and we had made it by 25 minutes. There were still quite a few riders at the café and it was interesting to her Glen Druery talk about his recent achievements at RAAM.
From the controle there was more riding in the general direction of up through smelly farming land towards Kulnara. Just after Kulnara, we had to pull to one side to allow a Rolls Royce to pass before descending the truly frightening Bumble Hill (I didn’t see any bees but the road was very rough, perhaps better named Bumple hill) into the Yarramalong Valley.
We were making good progress now and the fog and mist had cleared so we felt a bit drier. By the time we made the second controle at Wyong we had picked up and hour on the closing time so were pretty happy with our progress.
A quick sandwich and discussion of home brewing and we headed off toward the next challenge, the Dog Trap Road. We were at first puzzled, the road looked benign, and we couldn’t see any gravel, but a kilometer or so further on the gravel and the climbing commenced. It wasn’t too bad until the final 400m which were very steep, Greg and Aldo made the climb but my internal heart rate monitor told me to stop, so I walked the hard bit. There were more hard bits to come and next 20km to the 3rd controle were my least favourite form of riding, undulations heading upwards, and I was feeling pretty shagged when I finally made it to Peats Ridge.
From there things improved rapidly and we reaped the benefit from all of the climbing earlier in the day with fast downhills and momentum into the short climbs for the 40km. Descending Mt White in the enfolding dusk at 70k/h was terrific. From the Hawkesbury bridge, the last major challenge remained to climb back up to Cowan. For some reason I had been worrying about this all afternoon, but as so often happens, the reality was no where near as steep as I had been imagining.
Greg and Aldo waited for me at the top and we fairly zoomed back to Hornsby along the Pacific Highway, dodging broken glass and car doors as best we could, landing at the final controle at 6.35pm.
It was a great day and a challenging ride, thanks to Howard & Bec for some great organization and Greg and Aldo for dragging me along.
Mileage in Km = 3182
At about 4.45am I loaded the bike onto the car and left for the start at Waitara having checked and double checked that I had everything before departure. It was raining slightly in the gong and while it was dry further north, it was foggy and well moist for most of the day.
There was a large group of riders assembling which was a bit of a novelty for me. We normally ride with a group of 5 or 6, so 20 or so riders were a huge pack. Greg and Aldo rolled up to complete the southern contingent and soon we were all on our way, into the fog and the unknown.
The Dog trap ride is a great route, the first challenge comes at about 6km in when you descend Galston Gorge, its tight switchbacks and lumpy surface made all the more difficult by quite dense fog. It was a sensibly cautious descent and then slow work climbing up towards Wisemans Ferry.
I heard the song of a lyrebird at one point, and Howard later mentioned that he nearly ran it over a bit earlier. The joys of morning! After the climbing the gorge I was feeling quite good and started to pick up some speed on the flatter sections looping around the agricultural lands of the western Hawkesbury. Despite my cue sheet clipped to the handlebars and despite Douglas’s shouted advice, I still managed to miss the turnoff and did a couple of bonus kilometers until I realized that the only riders around me were from Wollongong. Could have been worse I suppose and it was still foggy.
Rejoining the route we sped on towards Berowra Waters and the novelty of a ferry ride. Then there was the climb out which as Howard promised was quite good, if a little foggy. From Berowra we turned left onto the Pacific Hwy and headed north. Pretty soon I had a puncture and we stopped to fix it before the enjoyable descent from Cowan to the Hawkesbury. Crossing the river was lovely until Greg picked up a puncture. Two punctures in 5km. Nice one puncture god.
From the Hawkesbury bridge the route pretty much climbs for 30km to the controle at Mt White. We were now a bit behind and stood resolutely into the climb to make the controle closing time. The riding though was very pleasant, snatching views of the upper hawksbury, admiring the occasional sandstone outcrop, spotting the odd parrot. As a bonus for nature lovers, Gymea Lilies and banksias were flowering prolifically along the road and apart for the odd motorcyclist the road was quiet.
Eventually the Mt White café emerged out of the mist and we had made it by 25 minutes. There were still quite a few riders at the café and it was interesting to her Glen Druery talk about his recent achievements at RAAM.
From the controle there was more riding in the general direction of up through smelly farming land towards Kulnara. Just after Kulnara, we had to pull to one side to allow a Rolls Royce to pass before descending the truly frightening Bumble Hill (I didn’t see any bees but the road was very rough, perhaps better named Bumple hill) into the Yarramalong Valley.
We were making good progress now and the fog and mist had cleared so we felt a bit drier. By the time we made the second controle at Wyong we had picked up and hour on the closing time so were pretty happy with our progress.
A quick sandwich and discussion of home brewing and we headed off toward the next challenge, the Dog Trap Road. We were at first puzzled, the road looked benign, and we couldn’t see any gravel, but a kilometer or so further on the gravel and the climbing commenced. It wasn’t too bad until the final 400m which were very steep, Greg and Aldo made the climb but my internal heart rate monitor told me to stop, so I walked the hard bit. There were more hard bits to come and next 20km to the 3rd controle were my least favourite form of riding, undulations heading upwards, and I was feeling pretty shagged when I finally made it to Peats Ridge.
From there things improved rapidly and we reaped the benefit from all of the climbing earlier in the day with fast downhills and momentum into the short climbs for the 40km. Descending Mt White in the enfolding dusk at 70k/h was terrific. From the Hawkesbury bridge, the last major challenge remained to climb back up to Cowan. For some reason I had been worrying about this all afternoon, but as so often happens, the reality was no where near as steep as I had been imagining.
Greg and Aldo waited for me at the top and we fairly zoomed back to Hornsby along the Pacific Highway, dodging broken glass and car doors as best we could, landing at the final controle at 6.35pm.
It was a great day and a challenging ride, thanks to Howard & Bec for some great organization and Greg and Aldo for dragging me along.
Mileage in Km = 3182
Sunday, July 5, 2009
What a great thing a goal is
Since deciding to do the SM1200 I have really been enjoying my riding and have been doing quite a lot of it.In June I managed 801km for the month which has been my highest monthly mileage so far since reduxing.
The last couple of days have been quite windy, with strong gusty south westerlies. In the past wind has really ruined my rides but this weekend I've taken the opportunity to get to know it a little bit better and have down about 130km riding into it. Apart from the wind chill, it's really just a matter of finding the right gear, getting into a low comfortable position and adjust to slightly slower progress.
Next weekend I'm going to travel up the Waitara to "Do the dog Trap" 200km brevet organized by Bec and Howard. Should be a great ride!
Mileage in Kms = 2949
The last couple of days have been quite windy, with strong gusty south westerlies. In the past wind has really ruined my rides but this weekend I've taken the opportunity to get to know it a little bit better and have down about 130km riding into it. Apart from the wind chill, it's really just a matter of finding the right gear, getting into a low comfortable position and adjust to slightly slower progress.
Next weekend I'm going to travel up the Waitara to "Do the dog Trap" 200km brevet organized by Bec and Howard. Should be a great ride!
Mileage in Kms = 2949
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thoughts on preparation for Sydney- Melbourne 1200
I have made the committment to join the Sydney Melbourne 1200 come late November in recent weeks and have begun piling on the kms in order to get fitter, happier and more productive on the bike.
As of today my mileage count is up to 2680 for the year, which is a lot further than it might have been I suppose, but still very low. I have managed to crank out 250km each week for the last two weeks and hope, by mid August to be riding 500km a week including commuting to work a couple of times.
I have also restarted my yoga practise and find that both my breathing and core strength are improving and I'm slowly starting to get back into shape, come November 28th I'll be buff. I'm also backing off on the fatty foods and the (sob) beer for the duration. So far so good.
I have just invested in some Hammer Perpetuem food supplement stuff to try and see how I go with it. It's mean't to provide effective nutrition during edurance exercise. I frequently have issues with fuelling during longer rides so hopefully this stuff will allow for a more balanced intake/output than I can manage with normal foods.
As of today my mileage count is up to 2680 for the year, which is a lot further than it might have been I suppose, but still very low. I have managed to crank out 250km each week for the last two weeks and hope, by mid August to be riding 500km a week including commuting to work a couple of times.
I have also restarted my yoga practise and find that both my breathing and core strength are improving and I'm slowly starting to get back into shape, come November 28th I'll be buff. I'm also backing off on the fatty foods and the (sob) beer for the duration. So far so good.
I have just invested in some Hammer Perpetuem food supplement stuff to try and see how I go with it. It's mean't to provide effective nutrition during edurance exercise. I frequently have issues with fuelling during longer rides so hopefully this stuff will allow for a more balanced intake/output than I can manage with normal foods.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Thirlmere Thrills
First longer ride since the Opperman 24 hour and while I have been trying to ride frequently, weather, work, family commitments and health have been working against me.
I did however feel excited about this ride and was anticipating it all last week. Prepped the bike with a new rear tyre (Continental 4000) and new mount for the D'Lumotec. Weather was looking on the cool side, but no rain (Hooray!). Did I say cool? maybe freezing.
Set off at 7am as planned from Dapto, group of 7 and made reasonable time to Picton. Climbing Keira I could hear the Lyre Birds singing to each other which was lovely. Coming down the Picton road I felt the cold as the sweat of the climb quickly breezed off in the shadows.
The wind had sprung early and strong from the Southwest which wasn't such an issue to the first Controle, but really made a difference on the second 50km. After a bit of confusion looking for a "lost" rider at Picton (I was leading the ride and felt obliged to clarify his position), I fell behind the pack and was left to force my way into the sou'wester on my own. Insult soon turned into injury when the wind chill and effort induced my old friend the thigh cramp when attempting to climb Mount Hunter on Boragorang road.
I dragged myself into the Oaks, periodically stopping and walking up the steep bits, eating salt tabs and sucrose buttons and anticipating a call to Sue to come and pick me up. I bailed on the last 200 and felt regrets afterwards so coming into the Oaks I thought to apply Greg Lansom's philosophy of only pulling out at the controle. Thirlmere was only about 15km away at this point so I stopped at the BP servo, got some water, had a bio break and ate some protein. Refreshed I set out anew thinking that I would ride in my time and not worry about the others.
I did catch up at Thirlmere and followed the main group up towards Hill Top and Colo Vale and the long (Fast!!) descent to Pheasants Nest for the penultimate controle and refreshing burger. Slogging back up the Picton Road at dusk was a memorable experience. I had ice flung at me from a passing mini bus (missed wankers!) and saw and heard a number of wallabies crashing through the scrub.
Th descent down Keira in the gloaming was slow, but catching up with the bunch at the Highway we sprinted back to Dapto sitting on 30ish k/hr. A fine way to finish a 200km brevet. Richard and I turned to ride back home so that made 230km ridden for the day for me.
I was really happy with this ride, not just because I finished in difficult conditions, but mostly because I changed the way I was thinking when things were not going so well. I've been riding as much as I could have these last few weeks, but I've also been working on the way I think and the thinking part has improved a lot.
I got on the old(slow) bike on Sunday and did a recovery ride of 20km. A great weekend.
Mileage in Kms 2239
I did however feel excited about this ride and was anticipating it all last week. Prepped the bike with a new rear tyre (Continental 4000) and new mount for the D'Lumotec. Weather was looking on the cool side, but no rain (Hooray!). Did I say cool? maybe freezing.
Set off at 7am as planned from Dapto, group of 7 and made reasonable time to Picton. Climbing Keira I could hear the Lyre Birds singing to each other which was lovely. Coming down the Picton road I felt the cold as the sweat of the climb quickly breezed off in the shadows.
The wind had sprung early and strong from the Southwest which wasn't such an issue to the first Controle, but really made a difference on the second 50km. After a bit of confusion looking for a "lost" rider at Picton (I was leading the ride and felt obliged to clarify his position), I fell behind the pack and was left to force my way into the sou'wester on my own. Insult soon turned into injury when the wind chill and effort induced my old friend the thigh cramp when attempting to climb Mount Hunter on Boragorang road.
I dragged myself into the Oaks, periodically stopping and walking up the steep bits, eating salt tabs and sucrose buttons and anticipating a call to Sue to come and pick me up. I bailed on the last 200 and felt regrets afterwards so coming into the Oaks I thought to apply Greg Lansom's philosophy of only pulling out at the controle. Thirlmere was only about 15km away at this point so I stopped at the BP servo, got some water, had a bio break and ate some protein. Refreshed I set out anew thinking that I would ride in my time and not worry about the others.
I did catch up at Thirlmere and followed the main group up towards Hill Top and Colo Vale and the long (Fast!!) descent to Pheasants Nest for the penultimate controle and refreshing burger. Slogging back up the Picton Road at dusk was a memorable experience. I had ice flung at me from a passing mini bus (missed wankers!) and saw and heard a number of wallabies crashing through the scrub.
Th descent down Keira in the gloaming was slow, but catching up with the bunch at the Highway we sprinted back to Dapto sitting on 30ish k/hr. A fine way to finish a 200km brevet. Richard and I turned to ride back home so that made 230km ridden for the day for me.
I was really happy with this ride, not just because I finished in difficult conditions, but mostly because I changed the way I was thinking when things were not going so well. I've been riding as much as I could have these last few weeks, but I've also been working on the way I think and the thinking part has improved a lot.
I got on the old(slow) bike on Sunday and did a recovery ride of 20km. A great weekend.
Mileage in Kms 2239
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Oppy 2009
What a great 24 hours, even now as the pain subsides I experience the quiet euphoria of post extreme exercise, body stress, NSAIDs and home brew. Gotta love this cycling pastime. In the end the Dogs did 367km despite my best efforts to sabotage the run. I had a spate of punctures, the first 160km in, followed shortly by the revelation that the headlight mount had broken rendering next to useless my lumotec senso plus. Luckily cheap Blaze flashers kept me on the straight and Richard and Greg were generous with their more carefully aimed lights when the going got tricky - or fast.
I had two more punctures this morning in the time critical portion of our ride from Picton to Parramatta, so I'm now looking for a replacement options for the Stelvio's I'm currently running. The punctures cost at least 20 minutes and my breakfast at Maccas.
We did however make the target in impeccable time (bang on 9am) despite, me, my doubts, lack of stamina, hills and traffic lights. Next time we will take the M7. The breakfast was terrific and the train trip back and our combined aroma's meant we had the compartment to ourselves. Even the transit police were "distant".
All in all a wonderful day, my second Oppy but no less challenging. Congratulations to all of the finishers.
Mileage in Kilometres = 1431
I had two more punctures this morning in the time critical portion of our ride from Picton to Parramatta, so I'm now looking for a replacement options for the Stelvio's I'm currently running. The punctures cost at least 20 minutes and my breakfast at Maccas.
We did however make the target in impeccable time (bang on 9am) despite, me, my doubts, lack of stamina, hills and traffic lights. Next time we will take the M7. The breakfast was terrific and the train trip back and our combined aroma's meant we had the compartment to ourselves. Even the transit police were "distant".
All in all a wonderful day, my second Oppy but no less challenging. Congratulations to all of the finishers.
Mileage in Kilometres = 1431
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