Becoming a road riding weenie AKA the 3 Peaks obsession!

It started as a good idea.  It always does - doesn't it?  Get a road bike to cross train and build a base level of endurance fitness for expedition racing.  

The words from Tristan at Bikeminded still ring in my ears. After purchasing my road bike, all he said was - be careful - it's addictive!  "Yeah yeah" I said.  Fully certain I wouldn't turn into a road weenie.

It started simple enough - try and ride up the local hill without the benefit of my MTB granny gear.  Yep - you sure run out of gears quickly on a roadie.  Time to stand up and up and up for the next 6 months as it turned out!

Well, after the preliminary safe rides - with no big hills - I took on the Tour de Blueys - a 160 km loop of the Blue Mountains - after 8 hrs of suffering I wobbled home thoroughly crushed. But hooked.

Next was a little jaunt know as Fitz's Challenge - in my normal style - I opted for the big one - 210km of mountains around Canberra known as the Fitz Epic.  

Start of the Fitz's Epic - David with original Five Ten member Ed

The brochure described it as a hill grinding odyssey - and it was -  12 hrs and 4000m of climbing later I had made a qualifying time for the Alpine Classic.

This time not a little jaunt at all - BUT a big mother of a day out across the Victorian Alps - twice!  With 250km and 4500m of climbing - I really would need to train!  And so began the mission, ride up as many big hills as I could find - which loosely translated to multiple repeats of the steepest hills in the Blue Mountains.

Ahhh - The Devil in Fitz Epic....

After exhausting all the hill options I needed to find longer climbs  - 6km was the longest in the Blueys and wouldn't cut the "mustard" for the ACE 250 in January.  

So off to the Snowys for a training camp in the first week of January - and did I say it would be hot?  It was #$%@* HOT.  Based on the Swampy Plains River at Geehi - day one was a ride over the Geehi to Khancoban and back - with  two 20 km climbs and temps of  37 deg C  - it was a tough intro to riding in the big mountains - no hills here boyo.

Ed and David half way over the Geehi

Day two was "suck it in princess day" - Swampy to Thredbo and back - via Tom Groggin, the Murray Rv and Leatherbarrell Creek to Dead Horse Gap!  Rated as an Hors Category climb - it lived up to it's name.  Words like - gruelling, leg snapping and relentlessly steep come to mind.  The average gradient was about 10 % with many long sections of 14 % and higher. The temperature was close on 38 deg and a short 90km ride turned into a very tough day out.  We got a dose of monster hills on this outing.

Climbing Leatherbarrell

Day three was to be a ride up to Charlottes Pass - mercifully I broke a spoke in the first 
1 km and called it a day.  Day four saw us back in Canberra for a quick 140km of climbing little hills in the Brindabellas.


So now I was primed for the ACE 250!  Australia Day weekend in Bright Victoria was the rendezvous for almost 2000 riders. With a range of rides on offer by Audax Australia from a 70 km to the Alpine Classic Extreme - ACE 250 for short; riders of all capabilities were catered for!

Start of the Mt Buffalo x 3 extravaganza

Unfortunately, out of control fires closed Mt Hotham and the race had to be changed. So, after three months of grinding hills - I was somewhat disappointed not to be tackling the Grand Alpine Circuit!  The race organisers came up with an equivalent form of suffering - 240km and 4500m of climbing could be had - if we made three ascents of Mt Buffalo!  Each loop was 80 km and 1500m up!  YIPPEEEEEE was the general consensus from the peleton!  Well, not really - so with a large measure of stoicism - 400 riders lined up at 4 am in the main street of Bright to begin what was to be a VERY hard day out in the saddle.

Mt Buffalo x 3

Riding in a bunch of 400 riders using lights was quite an experience - the flats quickly turned into the 20 km climb of Mt Buffalo.  Lap one was done mostly in the dark - I later described myself as feeling relatively strong and okay after 80 km.  Lap two became a struggle and at the 160 km mark - rolling out of Bright in 38 deg temp for the final ascent of Mt Buffalo, the ride became a real mission.  Lap three was all about survival - and was generally lost in a haze of suffering, nausea, heat and forever going up.

From Mt Buffalo looking down the climb

Perhaps the greatest plus about three ascents of Buffalo were the descents - pure joy - high speed cornering on lovely s bends for 20 km!

I rolled over the finish line 14 hrs and 20 mins after starting - 240 km, 4500m of climbing and 3 kgs lighter.  It was an awesome day out.

But - I had the Grand Alpine Circuit bug!  I needed to finish what I started out to do  - ride across the Vic Alps twice.  So I promptly signed up for the 3 Peaks Classic another version of the ACE 250  - it starts in Falls Creek - goes to Mt Beauty, Tawonga Gap, Mt Hotham, Omeo, Mitta Mitta Rv and back up to Falls Creek for the finish.  Another 240 km of suffering.

So after the Buffalo experience I decided I needed to train harder on the big mountains.  With 4 weeks between ACE and 3 Peaks - I had to cram.  So off to Jenolan Caves and Oberon the hard way - a long day out!  I followed up three days later with my second go at the Tour de Blueys.  This time I thought I was tougher - so I would ride it the hard way - up Bellbird Hill at Kurrajong!  Fortunately I was a lot stronger than the first time and finished the 160km in good form. Well, good form for me is anything other than crushed!

And to finish off my prep - one last biggy!  Thredbo to Khancoban and back in a day - 170 km and 4500km of the steepest steeps. The last 2 km of Leatherbarrell crushed me - I threw up at the car.

I was now ready for the 3 Peaks.

Dawn start of the 3 Peaks

Except the fires still raged and the roads were still closed.  So NO grand circuit for this lad in 2013.  Instead, another make do sufferfest to take it's place. At 7 am on a cool Sunday morning, 1500 riders rolled out of Falls Creek for the 20km descent to Mt Beauty.  Without doubt, this high speed descent was the highlight of my road riding career and the best thing in the whole day of riding - by far!  Next came a short sharp climb of Tawonga - a bunch ride to the base of Mt Buffalo - fortunately for one ascent only and by the 120 km mark I was 1 hr inside my pace time to complete the 235km in 13 hrs.  Things were looking too rosy - I should have known something was up!

By 1 pm the temp began to nudge 38 degs and a long slow climb up Happy Valley became anything but happy!  My race unravelled and the hour I had up my sleeve turned into a 1 hr deficit in just 50 km.  What ensued was a miserably tough nauseous ride in the heat to hang on for as long as I could. There was a cutoff at Mt Beauty, which I didn't make - so at 200km down on a stinking hot day - my race was over.

A dead 3 Peaks leg.

For the first time in 30 years of competing I had to take the sag wagon to the finish. Climbing up the last 20 km to Falls Creek was easy in the bus - littering the road were hundreds of broken riders who didn't have the good luck to miss the cutoff - they had to drag their destroyed bodies up a 1300m climb to the finish.  A true summit finish to a ridiculously hard day out.

And so ends my road riding career for 2013 - it achieved it's purpose - a very strong endurance base for Geo and XPD - I hope it pays off.  Now to running, walking, mtbing and paddling.

And oh - I have a date with the Grand Alpine Circuit in 2014!

Step Training

With new team member Dean keen to go  - we tackled a 15 km loop in the upper mountains last Sunday - up and down the cliff line a few times, not a big distance BUT lots of steep steps - affectionately known as "the steeps".  

Dean on Furber Steps

And just to make the day great - Carey joined us for her first training day in 6 months.  

She has weathered chemo and radiotherapy for Breast Cancer and has started her XPD 2013 campaign.  She can't race with us this year but has decided to volunteer so she can still be part of the adventure!  

Carey hopes to be out in some remote checkpoint or on a roping section in the Flinders.

Awesome effort by Carey after suffering 4 months of toxins!

Paddy Pallin 6 Hour Rogaine

Our first event as a Team was the Paddy Pallin Rogaine run on March 3rd in the mountains east of Canberra.  It was to be Dean's introduction to navigation on the run; one of the key components to Adventure Racing.

It was also the first time David and Robbo worked together as co-navigators.

The course appeared to be fast, open scrubland up to 1000m and crested both sides of the Great Dividing Range.  With Robbo's experience we quickly picked a course we reckoned could be done in 6 hrs and set a plan to complete it.

The clocked counted down to 9.30 am and over 150 people charged off in a myriad of directions.  Our plan was to stay cool and not get sucked into the hype of rushing at the start.

We had targeted 21 checkpoints in a course of approximately 22km - in the cool drizzle - we set about methodically ticking them off.

Apart from one slight error early on - we navigated accurately to all our points and remained on track to complete our goal in the time.  Each checkpoint is worth between 40 and 100 points.  If you are late back - each minute penalises the team 10 points - so it pays to manage you distance and time!

Robbo is a very competent navigator, which is a great asset to our new team.

We ended up finishing about 30th out of 150, pleased with our efforts and most importantly we got on great together as Team!

New Name, New Team

At the end of 2012 Team Five Ten changed it's name to Team Rubicon. And we began a search for new members who were crazy enough to enjoy Expedition Racing.  The first to join was Mark Roberts a past graduate of XPD Cairns, great navigator and ultra endurance runner.  Robbo as he prefers to be called, brings a wealth of experience and firepower to the team.

Roll on 2013 and Team Members were slim on the ground - with the GeoQuest looming, the recruitment drive ramped up.  Dean Grasselli and Rajan Thananayagam have recently joined; both are very experienced whitewater paddlers, enthusiastic and raring to go.  

Rajan has completed three full Ironmans and Dean is a great all round athlete.  And better still - we are now a very strong paddling team!  

And if we need to swim - Raj is our man!

Geo and XPD here we come!

Rocky Trail - GP8, Mt Stromlo

I sense early signs of an MTB enduro tragic, or maybe just a mid-life crisis?

I was planning a long training ride in the Brindabella's Saturday, that was until I came across the Rocky Trail GP 8hr race scheduled at Mt Stromlo the same day, now this had to be more fun than grinding out a bunch of miles on my lonesome.  A call to the race organisers late in the week to check entries were still open and a quick on-line registration and I was good to go... the Super Master category again.  Kind of like a day at the office, start at 9 and finish at 5, except the Met' Bureau were predicting 90% chance of rain with 10-20mm forecast, the potential for another mud fest had me a little nervous especially on a course like Stromlo.

Photo by Dave B - the Berm website.

This race was definitely a "gentlemen's" start with registration open from 7am and the race starting at 9am.  I managed to make registration in plenty of time, collected my race number and parked a discrete distance from race central.  I struck up a conversation with another racer Ian who was prep'ing his single speed for the 4hr event, the low and ominous cloud cover had us both thinking the day could easily get worse.

At a guess around 250-300 riders crowded the start area come 9am, the 8hr bunch were scheduled to go off first with the 4hr riders about one minute behind.  Although this didn't make sense to me, everyone was pretty well settled after the first lap.

I'd thought about 8 laps would be a good number to aim for on the day, it'd give me somewhere around 110-120km which I'd planned for on my own in the mountains that day.  I settled at the back of the 8hr bunch so I didn't get in anyone's way, however it seemed no time at all before I had lots of 4hr 'sprinters' up my clacker on the first lap.  The pressure was mounting as we crested Mt Stromlo and headed out along Western WedgeTail then SkyLine and into the Luge trail, it was towards the end of the Luge that I 'burped' a front tyre and came a cropper in the single track, not a good look.  It seemed to take ages to get a tube into the front wheel and sufficiently inflated so I could get back on the bike and complete my first lap, gravel rash and all.  The 29'er was performing beautifully throughout all of this by the way, I can assure you I was the weakest link.

A nice feature of the day was Mike Tomalaris from SBS Sport calling the race, it was pretty cool coming through the checkpoint area and having Mike call your name, number and time out over the loud speaker,  just as if you were at the Tour de France.

I'd ridden trail 2 at Stromlo a number of times before, this wasn't a lot different except the organisers had added a section of track to the start that extended the total circuit out to 12.2km, a lot of hill climbing but with some pretty classy downhill as well, it didn't take too many laps before I became intimately familiar with every rock and bump on Stromlo.  8hrs is a fair time to be racing technical single track so I settled into a pretty comfortable routine stopping briefly at the summit for a drink and a gel then again as I passed through the checkpoint area, my laps were around the hour mark and that suited me fine.

Throughout the day the weather varied from heavily overcast to sunny periods which raised a sweat on the climbs.  The 90% chance of rain really never eventuated thankfully, just a few drops of rain across the whole day.  The single track on Stromlo is really quite technical, this meant the day never became boring as it was always a challenge to nail difficult sections of track no matter what lap you were on.

We'd been warned at race briefing that due to the nature of the weather that day the organisers may cut the race short at 4pm, which they eventually did and this meant I officially completed 7 laps for the race, coming in at around 4:30pm.  What to do, head over to the event centre and a beer or go out for another lap, decisions, decisions?  I eventually came into the checkpoint area around 5:30pm having completed my 8 laps and the very last person on the course, by this stage the race organisers were handing out free beer and there was almost a party atmosphere developing... now that's an MTB race!

I missed the presentations while I was out on that last lap, so it wasn't until mid week that I eventually caught up on the results.  What a surprise to find I'd actually taken out the GP8 Super Masters category on the day, quite a thrill.  It's raining now in Canberra towards the end of the following week and all I want to do is go back out for a few more laps... now that's tragic!

Here's a tip, keep an eye out for Rocky Trails enduro events, they're a lot of fun... ;O)

Standard Training Plan - XPD 2011

A number of people have asked - how do you prepare for a 700 km race?  The short answer is -  I have no bloody idea!!  Ask me after we have finished and I will be able to tell you what we needed to do more of!  

Basically, each of us have targeted a number of major events during the last year as a lead up to the XPD.  This has enabled our bodies to become progressively tougher - at least, that is the hope!


Members of the Team have completed a number of Ultra Marathons:  Bogong to Hotham, Overland Track, 6ft Track, TNF 100 and OXFAM trailwalker 100.  The GeoQuest was entered as a major mid year adventure race as well as the Husky 100 MTB race.


Here's a typical 10 day training block for David.


Day 1:    Run 45 mins, Paddle 3 hrs
Day 2:    Ride 6 hrs
Day 3:    Gym 2 hrs, ride 1 1/2 hrs
Day 4:    Ride 1 1/2 hrs
Day 5:    Ride 2 hrs
Day 6:    Gym 2 hrs
Day 7:    Ride 1 1/2 hrs
Day 8:    Paddle 3 hrs
Day 9:    Walk 5 hrs
Day 10:  Gym 2 hrs, Ride 1 1/2hrs
Rest and repeat!


Elevation change 7000m - most sessions at aerobic to upper aerobic range.


Is it enough?  Probably not - but that's all I can do.....

OXFAM 2011 Trailwalker

A happy and NAIVE Team at the start

The more you disappear down the rabbit hole of Adventure Racing the more the "normal" world warps.  


The OXFAM trailwalker is a great example of this - most people consider walking 100km to be a major outing and one that requires significant dedication and preparation!  Our Team had fallen so far down the rabbit hole that we now have fur, long ears and stupidity to match.  How's that?  Well, we thought it would be a good idea to "do" the 100 as a simple training day, in preparation for this year's AR World Champs - the XPD in Tasmania.

17km down - crossing at Cowan Station

 Warping and weirdness ensured that we and 2000 other walkers toed the start line at Brooklyn on the shores of the Hawkesbury River in NSW.  The competitors were a mixture of regular folk, teens, oldies, clubs and corporates.  Hiding in the crowd were a sprinkling of serious runners and the odd ARer - a few GeoQuest, TNF 100 and XPD logos gave the game away.  The start was literally a circus, with horns blowing, party hats, costumes and officials "pumping" up the walkers - a party atmosphere prevailed but was short-lived as the clock counted to zero and the first steep hill appeared. 

Col ensuring he has enough vegemite sammies

The game was on.  Walk as fast as you can.  Minimise your stops - manage your tiredness, boredom, fatigue, hunger, pain, blisters, knees, crutch and any other "bit" that could hurt. Remember to eat, drink, refill water, change socks and shoes, lube up as required - tape up bits sooner rather than later.  Stay warm, stay cool, stay dry - keep rocks out of your shoes.  Ensure you have enough light to get through a dark night.  Don't forget the chocolate coated espresso beans, no doz, painkillers and rescue blanket - walking poles are handy if you want some form of knee left at the end.  Oh, and a good sense of humour is required - you'll need it.  Some parts of this walk are exceptionally tedious and painful!

The best way to describe the Hawkesbury to Sydney Harbour walk is as a continuous series of short steep 100 - 200m hills - up one side, along a ridge top then down into a creek bed - long stretches of tree roots, slippery rocks and technical walking - if you put your brain on auto - you would trip almost instantly!  Occasionally a fire trail would appear and give respite to creek beds.  We walked non-stop between checkpoints that were spaced every 10 - 15 km.  Starting at 9 am, we had covered 35 km by dark - the conga line of walkers on the narrow tracks created a line of headlamps disappearing into the distance.  The first 50 km went by in a respectable 12 hrs and 30 mins - our aim was to complete the 100km in 24 hrs.  Nothing flash - just consistent walking - the sort of effort that we envisage will be necessary for the XPD in Tasmania.

Wildflowers in abundance

Pizza for dinner at midnight - a slug of coke and we were on the move again - with 60 km down our wheels fell off!  Knee pain and blisters began to seriously hamper Carey and I wasn't far behind with my own problems.  Colin was suffering 
from Monkey Butt and Emma was challenged by the late hour.  Maybe a touch of reality would have helped in our preparation - 5 weeks is not enough time to prepare for something as arduous as the OXFAM trailwalker!  Living in the AR rabbit hole, it becomes easy to think - yep 100km - no worries - we're fit - stick it in the training plan.  Opps - 100km is a LONG way - especially in the type of terrain this walk covered! 


A bit of humbling is good for the soul!

Dawn Day 2 - 75 km down

With this in mind, the midnight to dawn stages dragged on and on.  Carey was a champion - her feet were becoming bloody pulps.  Add a painful knee to the feet and going downhill was becoming a mission  - with taped paws and gritted teeth the night disappeared.  First light found us close to Roseville Bridge and the 80 km checkpoint.  Carey spent an hour in first aid having her feet repaired. A cup of coffee later and we followed the Middle Harbour track along the foreshore until we came out of the bush and into the suburban jungle of cars, noise and expensive houses.

Just another bash along a creek

Carey receiving blister aid

What a shock - we had managed to walk almost entirely in bush through one of the most densely populated areas of Australia.  Such is the quality of the Great North Track that it was only now; at 90 km did we encounter the noise and rush of a big city.

Down and across the Spit Bridge - the urban experience was a surreal juxtaposition to the previous 24 hrs, up the hill and down to the "glamour" of Balmoral Beach and the Saturday morning brunchers.  We must have looked very shabby and alien in our sweat stained clothes, muddy legs, weary faces and distant eyes.  By now our feet felt as though a cheese grater had been run over them.  Every step burned.

Not so glamorous walkers at Balmoral Beach - 95km down

One last hill and thankfully it really was the last one!  And the finish line loomed.  A very pleasing sight - a bit of fanfare and Team Five Ten had completed the 2011 OXFAM Trailwalker.

6600m of elevation change - 100km - 28 hrs and 20 mins.

Colin, Emma, Carey and David 

It was a great training day.  We were pretty toasted.