Training Log Archive: Boltboi

sore throat overnight and sinus infection was causing me grief without the thought of a long race as well. Very cold morning out in the forest so i ummed and arrred about wearing extra clothing but eventually decided on an undershirt and no arm warmers.

Just couldnt push as hard as i wanted today so i aimed to have the cleanest run possible but that started to come unstuck when i couldnt find the joing track to 7 and then hesitated finding a track at 8 and 9. Clean into 10 and then had an epic fail when i crossed over a junction and took the single track to 10 but it dissappeared after 200m and i then had to turn back. At this point i realised i had made a parrallel error so i decided to smash it around the long way. Lost 6min here.

Clean through to 15 and then on to 16 got confused with some gullies that had what looked like tracks running up them. Clean through to the last control when i SI tag detached from the cord and i had to find it on the ground before bombing it home. Dark about finishing equal 6th as the SI tag cost me 10 - 20 secs.

Event: MTBO National Series Rd 1 (Vic)
 

Wow what an insane map. 1:5000 scale with the course on a double sided a4 sheet.

Overshot the first junction then picked up a wrong track and ended up at a wrong control. Relocated and then collected no 1. Got close to 2 before seeing 3 first so turned and punched 2 as the guy who started behind had caught me up. Punched 2 motored to 3 and then monstered it out of there back towards the velodrome before checking map and picking up 4.

Picked up the main track to head towards 5 and went past a dam. This confused me as i wasnt expecting to see one but realised where i was and then realised this was going to be the key to the race. Ripped it though a couple of streets before heading back into the bush. clean through 5 and 6 and then noticed my nemesis with control 7 located in the middle of a straight leg to 8. Punched it fine and then was pretty clean the rest of the race.

Finished 3rd behind Steve Cusworth and Oscar Phillips.

Starting to feel a bad ass cold coming on after a stressful week. Tried pushing from the start but the second control cost me as i tried to make sense of the tracks and map.

A mapped junction was wrong at 1 control which cost me time as i tried looking for a track after the junction as shown on the map but it was actually at the junction. So much for being prepared coming into a control and knowing to turn immmediately left then right. As a result i didnt see the track in front of me as i wasnt expecting it to be there.

Rest of course was fine but the body was going into shutdown mode by control 14.

Finished 5th overall (4th of the people that did the sprint as well)

11 people in a mass start race with 7 controls and 3 variations so we had people crossing all over place which made for a very distracting but fun session.

Think i came in 4th.

After our van from Ballarat Karate Club broke down on the way to Ballan we eventually got into castlemaine at 3pm. Not bad seeing we left melbourne airport at 11am.

Rode up to the map as we had no bike transport and completed a exercise from a course that was previously set by Peter Hill.

Got back to the cabin just before dark.

Chris, Shane, Wally and a surprise but short appearance from Dangerman.

Good warmup pace through to Challenger pde before we felt the strength of the easterly blowing this morning. Pood pace through to cop shop before Chris ramp up the speed. 2/3 up the hill i heard a grumble from Jason and then i noticed him tailing oiff so i called for Chris to ease up. Jason caught up and pointed out we had no danger so we turned around at the roundabout to look for some danger but we couldnt find any so we decided to look for danger elsewhere on our ride.

The sprint was a no contest but i did notice i was doing 55km/hr down to port beach. I presume the floreat group caught us on stirling hwy so we let them do the work through to the water tower climb when Chris tried to sneak off but i made sure i took the win :-)

Chatted with Jason and Shane about boundless stuff on the second climb and noticed i had given Chris to much of a head start so he claimed the win.

Jumped onto the tail of the floreat group again as they went past near gallop house. Managed to hold their wheel when we came around for the sprint but the others didnt make the jump so it was another lonely win.

Packing the 29er last night i discovered that the rear seatstay has been cracked from a stick that caught in my rear wheel. Hopefully Scott will come to the party but wont know until after i get back and have a chance to put the bike in to the bike store. Had to drive to Jason's to pick up the Epic so i could have a bike to take to melbourne