Flinders Ranges Outback Epic - 205k MTB

Me: I’m doing a 205k mountain bike race through the Flinders Ranges

(insert name here): Oh! How many days will you be racing?

Me: Umm, just one…one really long day.

That’s how most of my conversations went in the lead up to the Event Strategies Flinders MTB Epic in the remote reaches of South Australia.  Grant it, it’s the longest one-day MTB race I’ve ever attempted but in my head is was going to be akin to a long Saturday training ride. Travelling with three other riders from SE Queensland added to the social-ride feel.  As the race drew closer I began to get nervous though. Firstly, I started the week with dead-legs from a big training and racing block the previous week. It’s just a social race – no need to taper, right? Secondly, I actually started to read the rider information pack. It’s been a while since I did a race with a mandatory first aid kit and there seemed to be an emphasis on the remoteness and requirement to be self-sufficient, which I should have thought more about when ticking the ‘unsupported’ category box.  Perhaps I had entered into this too lightly.

The big lap

Race director, Malcolm Robertson, stated during the comprehensive pre-race briefing that this is not a race that will likely attract 1000-plus racers.  This would be a niche event for riders looking for a true challenge.  I think the event has the capacity to grow far beyond the 80 riders who attended this year though.  As well as the 205k, there is a 100k and 64k which contains some of the best parts of the race.  The starts of the latter two, are timed to coincide with the passing of the leading group of 205k riders so there are often people to ride with despite the vast distances.  I rode straight into gun-time at the half-way mark and it certainly lifted the spirits.  There was a certain air of distinction having a 205k plate and being acknowledged by the fresh starters as a hard-ass.

 

After extolling the virtues of Canadian single-track and Swiss mountains for the last few months this was something completely different.  It finally dawned on me why international visitors come to the Australian outback.  Living amongst all those peaks must get suffocating at times and I guess they yearn for what we have – wide open spaces.  Flinders Ranges is every quintessential vision of the Aussie interior, right down to the numerous Emus roaming the roadside.  Just the sheer vastness of it all was spectacular.  Nine hours of riding on forest roads would have been an exercise in boredom, whereas here there was always a view to, what looked like, the edge of the earth.  Being out there for most of the day also showed off the distinctive ranges in various light.  And the colours are so vibrant, almost electric, with the red dirt, yellow grass, fluorescent green shrubs and cloudless blue sky.  It’s confusing how such a harsh dry land can also be so beautiful.  I felt like I was seeing my own country for the first time after years of travelling other lands. 
 

The Razorback
Peter MacDonald takes a much better photo than me.
See more at thesentimentalbloke.com
 

 While the 205k is definitely a challenge, it is achievable by anyone willing to prepare their nutrition and equipment and steel their resolve to finish.  Lights are required at a certain point as riders have until 10.30pm to make the finish line.  The elder statesman of our group, 69 years young, finished inside the time cut whilst managing to apparently bathe and sun himself at each water station and take plenty of photos. I was keener to get in and get it done and travelled with a camel back, bottle and all the food required.  Deciding I’d rather have something solid in my stomach I tried some new non-gel race foods – I will not be eating chocolate brownies again for a LONG time.

The route is certainly not a technical one, however it is ‘as nature left it’ so there are obstacles such as sand, rocks and deep water ruts that have to be navigated.  I would say the wind is perhaps the biggest technical factor as the first 50ks were subject to a howling gale that threaten the blow riders off their bikes. A crosswind had competitors riding their bikes tilted to one side just to stay upright.  The highlight for scenery came at 185km cresting the Razorback and looking down the Bunyeroo Vallley. Well worth waiting for although the descent was over far too quickly.

Although the race is literally in the middle of nowhere, resort accommodation is available at the Wilpena Pound Resort.  There is also a camping option, but I’m too old and soft for that.  The pre-race meal at Rawnsley Station down the road was one of the best restaurant meals I have ever had (I did not know Kangaroo could be that tender!) so there is no reason to rough it while in the area.
 

With my coaching client and awesome chick Amanda Reddy who
won her age group - 205k unsupported

 Thanks to Event Strategies for a great race.  We just need to get you to tell more people about it!  Also to my sponsors: Liv Giant (Lust dual suspension was a good choice for 9 hours), For The Riders / NS Dynamics (flawless mechanical service), Shotz nutrition (zero cramping), Ride Mechanic (lube tested for 205k = happy drivetrain), Maxxis Tyres (puncture-free) and Oakley (no squinty eyes, can delay botox for a bit).

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Flight Centre Epic 2014

It’s interesting observing how some people respond to tough conditions.  During a 5 hour event the lower racing intensity allows people to voice the thoughts which come into their head.  Apparently a lot of these thoughts are single words starting with ‘F’ when it’s the Flight Centre Epic course after a dumping of rain.  The highly fertile soils of the Lockyer Valley spell death to drive trains once mixed to the consistency of super glue.  There’s only so much which can become attached to a tyre before the wheel refuses to move through the frame.  So yes, the conditions were tough.  While walking up one of the many hills a guy behind me threw in the towel saying he would rather forfeit his entry fee than invest in replacement parts for his bike.  I wondered aloud if he was really familiar with the concept of mountain biking.  You see, there’s usually dirt involved.  Sometimes, that dirt is wet…

 

 

 

 

Aforementioned 'wet dirt'. Photo credit: James Downing

One of the most psychologically damaging things people can do during a race is imagine that everyone else is having an easier time.  I was asked afterwards by a competitor how I got through the muddy sections, as if I’d secretly been provided with experimental Teflon-coated running gear.  Umm, no, I stopped at the top of every hill and scooped mud out with my hands, like everyone else.  I just didn’t waste time or emotional energy bitching about it, because I knew everyone was in the same situation.   

There were others who were having quite poor luck.  I rode with one of my PCS clients, Alex Sheppard, who was on an absolute blinder.  I’ve never been so happy to see someone ride away from me, but was equally devastated to pass him later fixing the first of two flat tyres.  He ended up off the podium by a tyre width.  Jason English had a massive lead on the field and was looking good for overall victory and a hefty pay-day until his rear derailleur came off.  He enquired about my knowledge on single-speeding a chain but without Youtube I was helpless.  Tour de France legend Robbie McEwen was nailing the descents but every pedal stroke sounded like a scream for help from his seizing chain.  Eventually he poured a can of Coke over it just to make the screaming stop. (*note: Apparently Coke is a poor substitute for chain lube). 

After being hit by a careless driver 10 days before and sporting some serious bruising in the tail-bone area I wasn’t sure I could make it through the race.  I had to clench teeth just to take the pain of sitting in the car for an hour to get there.  Along with the mud, getting attacked my magpies on-course, tired legs, a fire at one point, my normally aching back and now this deep sickening pain that started an hour into the race, the inevitable thought crosses my mind: “what the f##k am I doing?? Oh yes…winning…I’m winning…must keep going.  Why the f##k do people who aren’t winning do this??”

 

Then I try to think of things which are worse than what I’m currently going through.  That really wet Epic around 2008ish where we rode through the black soil.  Now THAT was mud - like ‘no point in riding, suck your derailleur into your spokes’ mud.  Breaking my wrist and not being able to ride at all – way worse than half a day turning the pedals on the MTB.  I passed Brendon ‘Trekky’ Johnston having a bad day with wheels failing to turn.  The first time I met that guy he was diagnosed with cancer just before World Champs in Canberra.  He postponed his treatment so he could ride the XCO and fulfil a dream.  So I had a bit of a sore ass – that’s way better than cancer.  So I metaphorically dried my princess eyes and kept going.

It might not have looked like it but that was one of the toughest battles I’ve had to win my 6^th(??) Flight Centre Epic.  Turning up with no idea what my body was going to do, with a lot of people expecting me to win I just kept repeating one thing: no matter how much it hurts, don’t give up.  While I know I should be moving into a ‘forgiveness’ phase, all I can think is that the damage to my body just made an incredibly tough event even harder.  So to the lady who hit me (and didn’t stop), I’m still stuck at “Screw you”.  Even though the usual elite female field was absent, there is no way to just cruise through the Epic.  It’s a mega day out on the bike however you approach it, and I have no way of knowing how far back my competitors are, or if I’m going to need some time up my sleeve to fix a mechanical.  My race plan is, and always has been, to get to the finish line as fast as I can. 

 

Now to do go through it all again this Sunday at the Kowalski Classic!

 

Thanks to Fleur and Hayden Brooks for organising another super event.  And as always the people who make it all possible: Liv (Giant) Bikes, For the Riders, Ride Mechanic, Shotz, Oakley, NS Dynamics, KWT-Maxxis.

 

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Singletrack 6 - Kananaskis, Canada

The term ‘best ever’ is used too liberally at times.  When I talk about the 2014 Transrockies ‘Singletrack 6’ stage race, I will be using it often – but I will be dead serious.  I almost didn’t write a race report, as there is no way to really do the week of racing mountain bikes in the Canadian Rocky Mountains justice.  If Transrockies Events can dish up this standard of parcours each year then the Singletrack 6 will supersede the BC Bike Race as Canada’s premiere mountain bike event.

 

The setting – think of every postcard picture of Canada you have every marvelled at.  White cliffs of Nipika, lush greens of British Columbia forest, the surreal pastel blue of the rivers.  Some days it was difficult to keep my eyes on the trail, I was so desperate to take in the landscape.  Classic BC singletrack lined with loam, strewn with conifer nettles and snaking tree roots.  I culled many photos I took at the beginning on the trip as their splendour was surpassed with each passing day.  The culmination was the day AFTER the race riding the trails of Frisby Ridge.  Feeling like we were at the rooftop of the world, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and wild-flowers, before an incredible 50 minute descent on some of the best trails of the week.

 

 

Top of Frisby Ridge - still snow on the ground at the height of summer.

Belgians on left wishing they'd brought beer.

 

The team – it was solo racing for me this year but south-east Queensland MTB stalwart Pete Winfield agreed to share transport and shelter with me.  It’s fair to say we now know each other a lot better as pretences were stripped away as the days of racing wore on.  Moments of fist-pumping followed by those of extreme emotional fragility are par for the course.  We endured and prospered, united.  Even those two small ‘incidents’ we had in the hire car have been put behind us.

 

The organisation – revising the point-to-point structure of the previous Transrockies event has improved it immensely.  No one wants to be relying on a support team to meet them at a distant finish line these days.  You can do it a few times, but I guess it wears thin quickly.  Booking motels in each town was a breeze and, although we had a car, it can easily be done without one as the race provides for transfers when the show moves to the next town, in addition to a later start time to avoid hideously early mornings.  Did I mention the food?  Fresh, tasty and it satisfied even someone with my strange requirements (gluten-free, low lactose).  Sharing the evening meal was a way to catch up on the day’s events, check if you had made it into the daily photo and video collage and get details on the next day’s stage.

 

The company – 19 nations of racers were represented.  Pete and I were adopted by some Belgians which lead to more beer than I’ve consumed in the previous 10 years.  There was also a smattering of ex-pat Australians, and everyone’s brother or mate worked in a bike shop at a town we would be passing through, so we would never be short of riding guides.  The competition was tough, but given there was no prize money on the line, it was also good natured.  Battling it out with 4^th placed Cath Williamson we laughed at what we’d put ourselves through on a stage for a pair of socks.

 

The weather – cloudless blues skies greeted is every day and the temperature rose steadily into the low 30s.  Similar to Cairns but sans the humidity.  Given that the locals constantly remarked on it, I’d say this is atypical for the region and we just got incredibly lucky.  Despite jaunting around in a bikini post-stage the furthest into the water I got was upper thigh.  Glacier-fed rivers and lakes are still frigid on the warmest of days.

 

 

Gratuitous non-race pic of Moraine Lake.  I'm sure you don't need to ask why.

 

I learned that the Canadian term “that’s all the climbing done” has absolutely no shred of truth to it.  Also, when assessing stage profiles, a Canadian kilometre converts to approximately 1.5 Australian kilometres and nutrition needs to be planned accordingly.  Hunger-flatting during an epic descent certainly added to the excitement when no addition was required.  This year’s race really showcased the Rocky Mountains in their full grandeur and I’d consider them equal to any I have seen of the European cols.  As a red-blooded mountain biker it would be difficult to consider living anywhere else in the world due to the quality of trails here and the way the small communities like Golden and Revelstoke have embraced the sport.  It’s impossible to describe how good the single-track is here, it just has to be experienced.  On every day though Pete and I found each other at the finish line, just shaking our heads, hugging and repeating the phrase “Oh my god. How good was that?  HOW GOOD WAS THAT??”

 

The only reservation I have about returning to this race is the risk of disappointment that the following events could never match up to this years.  Could it possibly get any better than this?  I guess I could risk it…

 

 

On the podium!  Third after 6 hard days of racing (Kate McAardle 1st, Mickal Dyck 2nd)

 

Sponsors – a special mention to Giant Bikes for the Lust Dual Suspension.  In a race with this much climbing it’s always a tough call whether to cop the weight penalty but I enjoyed every minute on this bike.  It smashed through the most rough and technical terrain and has brought back a confidence to my riding which has been missing since my injury.  My ass thanks you.  For The Riders for another expert gear preparation – mechanicals = nil.  Shotz Nutrition for their electrolyte tabs and gels which fuelled me over the 6 days – you guys really need to get into the Canadian market!  Ride Mechanic and SRAM – flawless drivetrain performance in dusty conditions.  Oakley – the Radars were perfect for the darkest trail and the most exposed ridgeline.  KWT Maxxis - Ardent Race on the front, Ikon on the back.  Sweet as!

 

 

The most difficult thing I do - capturing the scenery while attempting to make the shameless product display seem casual

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AUS Under 19 MTB camp - Cairns 2014

Volunteering to coach at the Australian Under 19 MTB camp meant I would be back on the Cairns World Cup course where I’d broken myself.  For the first two days I froze on all the technical sections, still feeling the pain and stiffness in my recently healed wrist.  Did I really need to be riding this stuff only 10 days before I headed to a race in Canada?  When I am riding well, all I can see in my head me, floating effortlessly down rock gardens.  But now, all I could visualise was crashing and ruining a holiday.

 

 

Getting good press from the local media

 

Helping the U19 girls by pointing out the lines, instructing on body position and telling them to ‘let go and do it!’ must have worked its way into my own subconscious though.  I also felt like a giant fraud coaching someone to do something I couldn’t or wouldn’t do.  By the end of the week in Cairns most of my confidence had returned and I was feeling like a mountain biker again.  No, I didn’t hit the A-line at Jacob’s Ladder but I think that was a prudent move!  The best part of the experience was watching the riders progress on the challenging track.  The athletes really inspired me by overcoming their fears and going out of their comfort zones to ride features like ‘croc slide’ and ‘barramundi’.  I feel they helped me more than I helped them.