Rapha #festive500 Part 1. The Surburban Explorer

Rapha Festive 500. Ride 500 kilometers in 8 days.

Rapha

Haych.mtb
104 km

http://app.strava.com/activities/101629439

The Suburban Explorer is just another point less ride close to home.
Sort of like seeing your name written in the sky. Only in reverse.

The ride took me about 1/2 hour to plan and 4 hrs to ride. I'm lucky it's Christmas eve, the traffic was light this morning and the pre-plotted Garmin map created in Strava Route's worked perfectly.

104 #Festive500 kilometers complete.

MTS The Mystery Tour Series

Rather then the usual 1 in 20 twice a week we are on a quest to find some new roads.
Each week a different rider gets to choose where we ride.

There are not to many rules.

• Start 6.00 am from work.
• 50-55 km.
• Back at work 8.15 ish. for the 3 S's. (Shit, shave & shower)

Week 1.
Host: JB 
Where: Selby-Aura Road.
Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/95885864
Description: Gently run up to Belgrave, down to the Trestle Bridge then a left turn onto Selby-Aura Rd. Roughly following the Puffing Bills railway line we end up at Cardinia Reservoir. A short bit of dirt and back the way we came. Great views over Western Port Bay.
Ratings
Originality: 8
Suffer Score: 6
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 7.3

Week 2.
Host: BP Dave
Where: Mast Gully Road.
Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/97126131
Description: We start in the back Streets of East Burwood and Glen Waverley and end up following the bike Track all the way to Upway.  Where are the hills, someones asked.  Coming!  Mast Gully road Goes straight up Maxing at 20 %.  I don't think I have ridden anything steeper on the road bike.

Ratings

Originality: 8
Suffer Score: 9
Enjoyment: 5
Overall: 7.3

Week 3.
Host: Kate
Where: The Wall? 

Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/98386997
Description: That's what we were told in a cryptic way.  Off we go and all of a sudden we are climbing Devils Elbow.  That's a bit of a slog to climb on the way to The Wall. "This is the wall isn't it?"  "No" Up and over and back to work on time.
Ratings
Originality: 6
Suffer Score: 7
Enjoyment: 7
Overall: 6.7

Week 4.
Host: Brett
Where: Mount Pleasant.
Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/99475465

Note: I forgot my Garmin and loaded Warrick's file.
With his Wiper Sniper heart rate against my max it looks like I just busted my pooper. 

Description: Not going near the hills today. Where heading North.  Up Blackburn Rd all the way to the top. Then some. I have done a couple of the roads before but WOW! Nice place to live.  Oh! and 1200 m of altitude. 
Ratings

Originality: 10
Suffer Score: 9.5
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 9.2

Week 5.

Host: Ian

Where: Perrins Creak Road.
Strava: http://www.strava.com/activities/100571362

Description: Today we start with the usual ride up the 1 in 20.  At the top we head south for 1/2 a km. then down the Crescent.  It's a very slow and tenuous decent as the fog has reduced viability down to about 30 meters.  Turn left, up Perrins Creak Road.  We stop for coffee/hot chocolate on the way back through The Basin.

Ratings
Originality: 7
Suffer Score: 7
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 7.3

Week 6.

Host: Haych

Where: Boo to McDonalds Upway

Description: Reviewed by Warrick
We knew we were in for a hot ride, but the wind was the variable that caught us all out today. Haych led us from our usual rendezvous point at WVA to climb the 1:20, and continue onto the beautiful but rough Sherbrooke Rd. We popped out in Belgrave and for a moment I thought Haych might casually suggest climbing Terry’s Ave but thankfully we rolled past to take Glenfern Rd home. This turned out to be the most unpredictable part of the ride with crazy cross winds catching all of us out. I’d burned all my matches on the 1:20 so the ride back was fast and tough, and eventually we got to work sweaty and exhausted!
Great route Haych
Thanks!
Strava:

Ratings
Originality: 8.5
Suffer Score: 9
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 8.5

Week 7.

Host:

Where:

Description:

Ratings
Originality: 
Suffer Score: 
Enjoyment: 
Overall: 

Week 8.

Host:

Where:

Description:

Ratings
Originality: 
Suffer Score: 
Enjoyment: 
Overall: 

Forrest MTB Festival 2013

Away for a weekend with a difference. Forrest MTB Festival. 5 races over 2 days.  Short race, long race.

Stage 1
15 km on the southern trails. Not  much oportunity for passing on this one.  I had one spill going over one of the log rollovers. 0 speed but did a spectalular flip over the handle bars. 6th place.

Stage 2
4.3km up hill. not fast at all. It took me 7 min to do the first 1.5kms. Elete boys did the whole thing in under 12 min. Finished in 15th place with 18.11

Stage 3
Same distance but down hill this time. 3 min faster down Red Carpet.

Stage 4
5km one on one. Starting in 30 sec intervals. Two riders. I tucked in behind at the start but 1km in my buddy crashes. It takes him the next 3.5 km to catch me but i'm cooked and he passes me 500m from the finish.

Stage 5
Here is the good one. 50 km. All the Yaugher trails in one go. After 20 km just riding with the bunch through Grass Trees and Mariner Run we hit Yo Yo. As the name suggests it's all up and down.  By persisting I climb all the steep bits on the bike where others fail. As we hit the fire trail at 22.5 km I take off. (Maybe it was the Jell, maybe it wasn't) For the next 28 km I smash out the trails like never before. loving it. I pick up 4 paces to finish 4th.

Over All
4th Place in Master Grp B

Better than a Root Canal

WEMBO - 24 Hour Solo MTB World Championships. 

It's been a big week with many mixed emotions. With my injuries over the last couple of months and my inability to train I went off to Canberra well under prepared and worried whether I would be able to ride the full 24 hrs.

Helium in the tyres?

Thursday
We had a fairly uneventful trip to Canberra.  Except for when the front wheel of the car fell through drain resulting in water spewing from the front of the car.  Emotional turmoil #1. Fortunately it was only the washer water.  I fixed it in a couple of minutes and we were back on track.

Friday
Woke up early as usual with a slight tingle in one of my back teeth.  You know the one.  It's been filled that many times it's now more filling than tooth and is going to cost $5000 to have fixed.
We head out to the track after lunch, register, set up camp and the usual practice lap with Kate, James and Mark.
The course this time is a mix of the red and blue laps of last year. 16 km with one big climb and last years more technical rock sections removed.

Oh! and it's dry. 
It has not been raining for 2 days. 
There are no creek crossings, mud swamps or lakes.

Looking totally exhausted.  I haven't started yet.

Race Morning.
It's 8.00am. I have hardly slept overnight, the tingle is no more. I'll go about a 5/10 on the pain scale and an 8  when i bite down.  Emotional turmoil #2. At this point I could possibly say I have reached a lifetime emotional low. In fact, I'm a blubbering mess.
The idea of competing in the Solo 24 Hour World Championship was conceived just on 2 years ago and as such the last two years have been spent preparing for this day.

11.00am. With some great advice and support for Kate's dad Kim I was seated in the dentists chair discussing the option.  If they remove the tooth it's all over. Go home and rest for a couple of days and wait for it to heal.
Option 2. A Root Canal. Open it up, drain the infection and hope for the best. I will be able to compete but to what level? We will have to let the tooth fairy decide.




Race Day - Saturday
11.15am.  "Mark can you please get the bike ready. I'll be there in 30 minutes"
A Root Canal, the associated drugs and the pain has gone.  I'm just left with that numb feeling and a fear of eating for a while.
11.58am. I'm ready, the bike is ready, I haven't eaten all morning, I haven't stretched and the face is still numb but I've made it to the start line.
WEMBO here we come.

No Haych.
I am not going to massage your date.

Race Day - Sunday
I find out later that they expected me to last a couple of hours then concede.
19 hrs later I did gave up. Emotional turmoil #3.  No leg strength, forearms weak and hands sore as hell. The pain in the butt and tooth are distant memories.  40 minutes later after a ten minute walk and some stretching I'm back on the bike.  2 more Laps.

I'm sitting in the back of the car writing this and tears still come to my eyes as I realise how fortunate I have been to have such great people around me.  Without their support and help this would have not been possible. Mark, Glenn, Shannon, Bart, Jeremy, James, Kate and Kim.  I thank you so much.







WEMBO 24 Hour Solo MTB World Championships.
haych.mtb - Haydn Chapman
127th Place overall
19th in Male 45-49
16 Laps, 
270.24km
5540m Elevation


And a huge congratulations to Kate.
6th Place - Elete Woman
20 Laps

Not so well prepared

Well.
It's now been 5 weeks since Black Candy and I came to grief. The bike suffering no damage but poor me, a bruised Coccyx. I'd like to post pictures of the bruises........... No I wouldn't, they have been censored.

I think I've had 8 rides since for a total of  220 km. Not very good lead out for Wembo - World Solo 24 Hour Championships  next weekend.

Went back to the doctor again this morning for more needles in the Butt.
Fucking sore now so tomorrows ride is off and will have to get up real early on Monday for one more training ride.

The new seats  (cut away at the back)  have made a difference and this mornings ride (before the Doctor) was no worse that yesterdays ride on Dave so I might actually be able to race on the Black Candy. The hard tail.

Oh well.  This time in 7 Days I'll be just heading out on my? 6th lap. One 6 hr Enduro done, 3 more to go. Am I trying to talk myself into this or out of it?

Clock forward 1 hr tonight.  LOVE Day light Savings.

Got the SHITS and loving it.

Six Hours In The Saddle.

Black Candy went on a diet during the week and has lost 1.5 kg with the new wheel set.
As a first timer at Beechworth and not knowing what the trails were like I decide to take Black Candy and test the new wheels rather the the Dualy.

Beechworth MTB Park has some fantastic trails. They flow well but there is an amazing amount of rock that has to be endured.   With 10 km track not muck bigger than a football field and being as technical as it was I started to feel a bit lonely towards the end of the first lap. (No riders on the track in sight either ahead or behind).

After an almost crash on the first lap. Legs in the air bouncing around on rocks and landing on the tip of the seat I believe I may have hurt myself.  The bruises and the pain when I sit down would indicate such.  I might go and see a doctor tomorrow and find out if I have broken my Coccyx (Tailbone).

7 laps later I finish the event 6 hrs ride time, 6.10 elapse time.  77.5 km at an average 13 kmh.  7th place in the Male 40 + Category.

Banned from the bike. Again!

I've been having a problem with doors in the last week. This little one has kept me off the bike for a week as i can't put a helmet on.  8 stitches in total.

Note to self.
"Don't not pick up thing off the floor while standing in the front doorway".

Then 2 days ago a banged my head again on the screen door. Other side fortunately.

Today I scratched my arm on the Microwave door.

Ritual dance to the MTB Gods

A little trinket compiled by Glenn after the Scott 24 hr last year.

You tube Who dropped the h bomb

Another pointless ride close to home

I have to go for a ride this morning.

Up the hill? Will do that tomorrow.
Into the City? Nah!
The velodrome?  I haven't been there for a while.

Ah! "The Suburban Explorer"
How about I ride every Street on the block and see how long it takes.

It wasn't to hard.  But who would of thought I'd end up doing over 30 km.
Give me a sense of the Garbo's job.
Except they have to do it in both directions and stop every 15 meters to empty another rubbish bin.

http://app.strava.com/activities/72737795

1 Minute : 30 Seconds

Blores Hill 6 hr Enduro. Hayfield, Gippsland

Been a bit quiet lately, still recovering from shoulder surgery but been doing lots of riding.
The times up the 1 in 20 have still not come down so I'm feeling like the fitness is still suffering.

I had my first race of the season at Blores Hill. What a great race venue, all that fantastic single trail. Smooth, flowing and fast with a monster rock garden in the middle.


Here I was thinking my fitness is suffering and I finish the first lap in 43 minutes. For me that's not bad. I continued with 7 more and finished the race in 6 hr 2 min. 107 km. Average speed 18.3 kmh. Last year at the same race I only did 92 km at an average of 16.4 kmh.

I'm not sure what's going on as there a few new variables this year.

Felt Nine 3.  I love the new 29er.
Hardtail, first race ever on a hardtail.
I've also lost 5kg.
Or could it just be I had Kate 1:30 behind me for the first 7 laps.

What an "Epic" event.