The Winery Ride with Orica Green Edge or That Hill and That Heat belong in HELL!!

To quote directly from the event website...

Ride alongside the ENTIRE 2014 ORICA-GreenEDGE Team & members of ORICA-AIS through the beautiful Nagambie winery region and challenging Strathbogie Ranges.

As part of the preparations for the 2014 season ORICA-GreenEDGE and ORICA-AIS would like to invite you to join them on their training camp and ride through one of their favourite regions in Australia. Reminisce on the 2013 season that was, the Tour de France stage wins, the 4 days on the coveted 'Malliot Jaune' and help welcome some new faces to the team. 

There are new rides this year - 138km, 48km and 24km as well as the Children's ride around the Winery - so there really is something for everyone.

With my Ironman training well underway, this seemed like the perfect event to kick start my long rides.  It was my third hilly mass participation ride of this year, the previous 2 being the Great Ocean and Otway Classic Ride and the Amy Gillett Ride.

I had a look at the map and the profile of the climb, and thought that there was absolutely no way i was going to be able to climb with the gearing i have on the TT bike...so the roadie got to borrow the race wheels for the day! (Note the compact chain ring...that was a god send at certain stages of the climb - but more about that later)

I really didn't think the logistics of this through when i entered, so it was a very early start! But hey, i love a road trip!!

Alarm went off at 3:30 am, on the road by 4, and coffee & sunrise at a roadhouse by 5:30...brilliant start to the day!

I arrived at Mitchelton Winery at about 6:45 and was greeted by the early morning sun warming all this potential wine...

So the ride itself.  The first thing i did before the ride was check out the climb.  So onto Strava i go.

The main part of the climb was as follows...7.2km in length, 426m elevation gain, average 6.1% (remember that word average!) Which on paper didn't seem too bad... Oh, and there was also a 2.7km, 99m gain, 3.6% on the descent (and here was i think descent referred to going down!!)

The general consensus was that The Climb was a Cat 2 climb... with the ascent on the descent being Cat 3.
Here's the link to how Strava categorises climbs -->> Click Linky

As you can see from the pic below, The Climb starts at about half way through the ride. And from the top, the trip home is mostly downhill into Seymour, before the relatively flat ride home.

Just as an aside, i'll also put the temperature during the ride in...

As you can see it was a pleasant 20 degrees at 8am for the start, got to 30 just after i started the climb, peaked at 39at one stage, before returning to 35 for the run home.  I think those 3 little dips on the last 45 minutes are when i stopped under trees to try and cool myself down, but thanks to the hot northerly wind that really didn't work...

Now to the actual riding...

The first 70 km or so was largely uneventful, with some gentle rolling hills and wonderful views of the countryside.  The serenity was however broken every now and again by impatient and inconsiderate sods in cars who were less than impressed to see hundreds of cyclists on their roads - but on the whole the car drivers were quite good.

My plan was to use the ride as part of my IM training program, so Zone 2 HR and try not to sit in packs and draft.  Well...that was the plan...until i left my HRM at home, oh well.  I figured I know my body well enough to distinguish between 6hr pace and "ride like you stole something" pace.  With that in mind i went out relatively easy, remembering that i had a nuts hill to climb at the 70 km mark.

By the time i reached the bottom of the climb my average pace was above 30kph, and i still felt fresh...

<<cue dramatic music>>

BOTH OF THOSE THINGS WERE ABOUT TO CHANGE!!

As i mentioned earlier, the climb was 7.2 km long, averaging 6.1% grade.  It soon became apparent that, as with most climbs, every time you came across a section of easy climb (i.e. less than 6.2%) you would be paying for it later!

I can't really remember every detail of the climb, but there were bits that were hard, bits that were punishing, bits that were very punishing and then the other bit! 

I was going pretty slow at this stage, maybe in the order of 6km/h, the i rounded a corner and the road got steeper...i'm not going to print the words that came out of my mouth - but about 7 seconds later, as the rider behind me rounded the corner a similar sentence was yelled!

Ok...go! I gave it absolutely everything i had, and for a while managed to not slow down...then i slowed, i looked at the Garmin, and it was slowly dropping 5.5km/h, 5km/h...ok time to get out of the saddle and drive the bike up. Yeah...Nah...just at that point my quads gave me an ultimatum...they would either hold me up, or power the bike, NOT BOTH! So down i sat, 5km/h, 4.5 km/h...ok, this is getting stupid. Looking up the hill about 20m i see two other cyclists - 1 walking, 1 riding...both at the same pace. Back to the Garmin 4.1km/h - that's enough...off the bike i get... I started walking, i managed a huge 4.5 km/h - i was walking faster than i was riding!! 

I reached the break in the slope, where the road eased from insanely steep to ridiculously steep, so back on the bike i got. And off i rode at a super fast 7-8km/h!!

(Just as an aside, on roads that steep snaking up the road from side to side it is a great way to keep going. However, in this case as the roads were open to traffic, and there were numerous blind switch backs - it just wasn't a safe option.)

I've had a quick look at the ride data and the best i can work out is that grade was at 23.5% at that point. (The section of road that was at 18.5% i actually managed to ride - not fast, but i stayed up right!)

And then after 44 minutes and 36 seconds...it was over! I'd covered 7.2 km at an average speed of 9.7km/h. I can fairly confidently say, that was the toughest hill i have ever climbed!!

Then it was time for the descent...but that wasn't all down hill! Huh...WTF...why is there a 2.7km section which rises at an average of 3.6% on a descent - i thought descent meant down!!  Compared to the previous climb it was actually quite an easy climb ... but having said that the 16% pinch did hurt a little!! 

The descent finished at around 102 km, which was followed by a 12 km stint due west, back through Seymour. With a howling north wind, this section was tough. I was basically riding alone, which was mentally tough after 5 hours, but i was still going forward.

At about 114 km the road turned around to the north, the wind was probably blowing about 20-30kts and it was 39 degrees!  IT WAS HOT!! And I had 24 km of this left before the finish!

There was an aid station at about 118k, at which point i sent Claire a text saying "Hey ya, 20k to go. All good."

Well, i spoke to soon! Just after i left that aid station, i started getting stomach cramps and couldn't ride. So off the bike i got, I really didn't know what was going on. There was nothing i'd had that i hadn't used before - but that didn't matter, i just needed to get to the finish. I was too scared to eat or drink anything for fear of vomiting. So i got back on the bike and started again.

This on the bike, feeling like shit, getting off the bike, resting, getting on the bike...repeat...went on for about 45 minutes until my stomach finally felt ok again.  So i started drinking water (with electrolyte) again.  By the time i reached the entrance to the winery, i actually felt good again and maybe could have continued... ;) 

In short, the last 20km took 1 hr and 5 minutes! Very slow going for a flat stretch of road!!

Here's the Strava link to the ride.

Looking back now, i think i was dehydrated and that was causing issues.  I was good with fluid intake for the first 70k, but i don't think i drank enough on the climb, the descent or the stretch back to Seymour.  That was 2hr 45min and i think i probably drank 2 full bidons, so about 1.5 litres. I probably should have been drinking that much per hour!!

Looking back at the ride, i was very pleased with both my general fitness and cycling fitness.  My nutrition went according to plan, as even toward the end when i felt crap, i didn't feel low on energy.  I just need to ensure i have enough hydration for the conditions.

I really enjoyed the challenge of the climb.  I'd like to have a crack at that climb again - but think i'll do it on a cooler day :)

Oh, and i also got to have a bit of a chat with Matt Goss, Simon Gerrans and Daryl Impey which was pretty cool.

Relaxing Post Noosa...

I forgot to add this photo of my bike relaxing after the Noosa triathlon, to the previous blog, so here it is...

Just getting those liquid carbs back in ;)

A Relaxing Weekend In Lorne ... Alternative Title - Damn Those Hills Are BIG!!

This weekend just passed was that time of year, when cyclists of all abilities descend on Lorne to race 110 km (or ride - depending upon your goal) along the Great Ocean Road, and the Otway Ranges to raise money and awareness for cycling safety, in the name of The Amy Gillett Foundation.

For those of you who are unaware of the Amy Gillett Foundation...this line is a link...CLICK IT!!

Those of you who have been long-term listeners of my ramblings may remember that I got gastro en-route to this event last year, and instead of racing spent the weekend in bed.  Fortunately, this year was a happier trip!

So as is our way, Friday after work / school / kids' swimming lessons, we set off on a family weekend away to Lorne.  We stayed in an apartment on the main street of Lorne, so we were never too far from the activities.

Saturday morning I had a little sleep in before heading out for a run.  I think i missed the memo which said that this weekend was only about cycling...

So i donned my trusty Vibrams and set off. The run was a mix of beach (sand with a few rocky sections), boardwork, graded undulating gravel tracks and a bit of a mid run hill climb. The hill was about 700 m with an average grade of about 7%, up a muddy, grassy path. I didn't know that ground that steep could get that wet! But ankle deep mud in the Vibrams was kind of cool and it gave me an excuse to head home via the creek, to clean then!!

For those that know Lorne, here's a screen shot of where i went...

And here's a pic of my muddy shoes (which afterwards got hosed down, and are still drying) and my Garmin...riveting stuff, i know!!

 

After breaky and stuff we went to find coffee, and play in the park. That was closely followed by the kids playing multiple board games, because 1 board game at at time just isn't challenging enough!

Ok, back to the reason where here... Amy's Gran Fondo!

Prior to the race, is the mandatory race briefing and number / race pack collection.  The race for the door after the briefing, and subsequent avoidance of the long queue, is almost as hotly contested as the race!!

As all endurance athletes know, the key to a great race, is carbo-loading.  Well, as most of us are also aware, a lot of holiday accommodation doesn't cater for preparation of massive meals.  This pan was full, of chicken and veges, before the pasta was even thought of!!

And of course, you can't actually compete in an event of any type without laying out your gear the night before and posting a photo of it on your chosen form of social media.

Oh, and just for the record, the beer was last minute carb loading ;)

I got up early on race morning, wandered down the street to find coffee and was greeted by this sunrise...which was nothing short of amazing!

As the start time approached, i gathered up my awesome support crew...

...and wandered toward the start.

In accordance with the Rules of the Velominati, gear on the bike is limited to two frame mounted water bottles (i think the little under seat baggy may have contravened the rules though). With the remainder of my gear jammed into the jersey pockets....rain jacket, nutrition for 120km, extra nutrition in case i drop stuff, pump, phone... It's amazing how much crap you can fit in 3 pockets!!

Ok...bike ride.  Everyone who has driven along the Great Ocean Rd will know how spectacular it is...

So, once the ride began, i was faced with two options:

1 - sit on the wheel of the cyclist in-front of me, and try and hang on in a peloton for 110 km. OR

2 - ENJOY THE VIEW!!

Easy call really!

The ride itself, as shown on the map below, starts in Lorne and travels about 40 km along the undulating, winding coastal road. This section of the route is just awesome - some of the most spectacular roads you will ever travel along, and NO cars!!

I knew that at 38.5 km, we would be turning right and heading up. The whole way along this stretch of road, the cliff to your right is quite steep. In fact on more than one occasion i was wondering how the hell we were going to find a way up the hill!

But right on cue, there it was...the climb. There was no easing into, it was go... pretty much 5% from start to finish. There were a few flatter sections, but none to really give you too much of a chance to relax...

For the data freaks out there, the climb from Skenes Creek to Skenes Creek North is as follows:

• 9.52 km
• 491 vertical m
• average grade 5.2%

As far as climbs go, i found it quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, i had stomach cramps not long after the start of the climb, so thought i'd better try and climb with a reduced heart rate. 

But, i'm still pretty happy with the climb:

• 42min 20 seconds
• ave speed 13.5 km/hr
• ave HR 148
• ave power 180W (estimated by Strava)

The ride then continues across the ridge line for another 7 km or so, before dropping down the back of the range...The next 20 km was all downhill and i did it no faster than the flats... 

I CAN'T DESCEND!!!

After the major descent, the next 25 km, were flat / undulating.  That was fun again. I mostly rode solo, occasionally catching a group and then jumping off the front trying to drag them along...just for a bit of fun, but no-one was really playing ;) Still jumping off the front of packs is was a great workout!

The other major climb is from Deans Marsh up to Benwerrin. This climb starts near the 100 km mark.  I did this climb earlier in the year, so i knew what i was in for.  Overall, it's a longer climb that the first one, but doesn't have anywhere near as much gain. It also has several areas of flat and downhill - neither of which existed on the first climb!

The data on this climb is:

• 12.1 km
• 262 vertical m

My details (and the details from my previous attempt are:

• 46 min 40 sec (April 49:15)
• ave speed 15.7 kph (April 14.8 kph)
• ave HR 144 bpm (April 157 bpm)

As i mentioned earlier, the Climb started after 100 km this ride, having already climbed Skenes Creek Hill.  In April the climb started after about 73 km of relatively flat riding.

I was pretty happy with this climb, and think that my cycling fitness and strength has improved markedly in the last 6 months.

I'm also very happy with my nutrition / hydration / electrolyte plan - at no stage did i feel low on energy or cramp.

As i sit here and write this (the day after) my quads and calves are a little sore, but that also may have been the run on Saturday...

Hopefully, in the next 12 months i'll learn to descend, and come back and give the top 25% of my Age Group a shake, and get one of those medals!!

So to every cyclist out there...YOU NEED TO DO THIS RIDE!

And to every non-cyclist out there...YOU NEED TO GET A BIKE, GET FIT & DO THIS RIDE!!

Bike Rollers.... If Siri can make an omelette while on them, surely i can just ride on them!

It's like i don't know how to ride a bike and have to learn again!!!

A mate of mine was down sizing his apartment, and had no room to keep his rollers, so offered them to me.  Apparently they're good for you bike handling and general cycling skills, balance, etc, so i thought i'd look after them for him.

How hard could it be...apparently you can make an omelette whilst cycling on rollers.  (well Norwegian pro-cyclist Siri Minge can anyway!)  

Well... Last night was go time... me, my trusty Avanti and the rollers...

Ok, so where was i going to set this "funniest home video in the making" up?? A ha, rumpus room, beside the couch, on carpet...soft landing all around! Winning!!

Nup...the carpet too soft, the rollers were rubbing... 

So here i am walking around firstly the house and then the backyard, looking for something that was at the perfect height, so i could hold onto it with one hand and the handle bars, the other.  Outside beside the kids cubby house was the winner...

First off i thought i'd just ride in sneakers - why would i want my feet attached to the bike when i suspected there was a high potential i was going to come seriously unstuck! Nah, that was no good, pedal stroke was off...so proper clip-in shoes it was!

Once i got sorted, i happily managed to keep my cadence in the 90-100 region for twenty minutes.  At the start there was more hanging onto the cubby house than two hands on the bars, but after a while i started to hold the bars for a couple of seconds before i started to lean too much and needed the support.  It was a pretty frustrating ten minutes, and i reckon i know what kids go through learning without training wheels!!

But by the end of the session, i had managed to relax and ride a couple of stints of a minute or so without any support, so i'm thinking that could be considered a successful first roller outing!!

Once i got sorted, my heart rate was in the 140-150 bpm range, so I'm thinking for endurance workouts the rollers may be a better bet than the turbo trainer. But the turbo will definitely have a place for the balls to the wall sessions that are The Sufferefest!

Great Ocean and Otway Classic Ride 2013

The Great Ocean and Otway Classic Ride, or #GOOCR13 as was the preferred twitter hashtag - mouthful i know, is one of the popular mass participation bike rides in Victoria.

The event starts in Torquay and follows an anti-clockwise loop through the edge of the relatively flat western district farmlands, crossing over the Otway Ranges to the coast, before returning 145 km later to Torquay via the Great Ocean Road.

Event Route and Profile

While not being an overly tough ride for experienced, as far as rides go, it could quite easily be turned into a challenging ride, by treating it as a race, or by trying to hang onto one of the quicker front packs of riders.  However, for novice cyclists and those without too many long rides under their belt, the rise up from Deans Marsh followed by the numerous short rises along the coast would indeed be a challenge - particularly with the winds on the day ignoring the prevailing weather patterns, which would provide a tail wind for this final 50 km stretch, and instead delivering a headwind!

I had no delusions of grandeur here.  This was going to be my first ride in excess of 80km / 3 hr for about 20 years!  My plan was merely to roll around the course, attempting to keep my HR under control - particularly after my DNF at Xterra GOR 2 weeks ago - hoping that my base fitness would get me through, if I didn't redline my HR too often.

I awoke at 3:45 had some breaky, loaded the car and was on my way by 4:30.  Quick coffee stop at the road house on the Geelong road and i was at Torquay by 6:30, just in time to get ready and take the obligatory bike and sunrise photo with the phone!

Obligatory iPhone photo for social networking purposes

Then it was time to go and catch-up with a mate who i've been chatting with on Twitter for a while but never "met" (we'll refer to him as "Nigel" to protect the guilty).  Sure enough, he actually did exist and wasn't just a little plastic man on a little plastic bike - as his twitter profile suggests...

Just like any of these events, the participants lined up behind the start line according to coloured wrist band, based on their expected finishing time.  So we made our way to the start line and after a quick chat "Nigel" kept moving forward into the Green Zone, while i was more than happy to stay back in the "Orange Zone". 

BANG!! And we're off - well, the first wave was.  After about 3 minutes i was in the start group and GO!! 

hmmm... that's strange, my cleat wouldn't click in... no worries i've only got 145k to ride on a dodgy cleat - anyway, quick stop, gave the cleat and the pedal a quick once over (no idea what was wrong or what i did, but it worked).  Take 2...and, GO!!

The start was always going to be a little nervy for me, not being a big fan of pack cycling. I just rode on the edge of the road and let a few packs go past.  There are two little hills (of 2km and 1.5km length) within the first 10km and i found myself getting stuck behind some quite slow climbers. I was feeling strong, so i started cruising onto the wrong side of the road (massive move for Captain Conservative) passing groups of slower riders.  That was just what i needed to do - ride at my pace, not being dictated by what people around me were doing.

The route took us in a general westerly direction along gently undulating roads for the next 50 km or so before turning south.  This was a nice easy section of the ride, where you could just relax, get into a good rhythm and ride.

I was going quite well until we made the left hand turn, putting us on an easterly course straight into the wind! This is where things got a little tougher, so i dialled things back a notch knowing that i was going to enter the "i haven't ridden this far before" zone part way up the looming rise from Deans Marsh up to Benwerrin...

There were numerous rest locations / water stations set up along the route. I'd managed to reach Deans Marsh (approximately 75 km) without stopping, but was running low on water, so figured this was a good place to stop to re-fill the water, have a quick bite, stretch the legs and answer the call of nature.

Now...time to get back on the bike and climb!!

The Climb!

For the data nerds, the details of the climb are something along the lines of 11 km, 250 m elevation difference (an average gradient of ~2.2 %), with 300 m of climbing... yes, there is some minor downhill sections, and quite a few flats  - so as far as climbs go, it's not too bad.

Knowing that i still had 50 km of winding, undulating, Great Ocean Road into a headwind after this, my plan was to take the climb relatively easy and enjoyed the view.  I almost achieved this, my cadence and speed got a little bit too low on a couple of occasions - as my HR started to nudge into the 170 bpm range (this ordinarily wouldn't bother me - but still a little worried about any residual effect from my recent bout of man-flu).

In all honesty, I actually enjoyed the climb, and can see people actively seek out insane climbs to ride up!  Refer to The Climbing Cyclist website for such insanity!!

One of the features of my new Garmin Edge 500 (purchased the day before the event) that i think i'll steer clear of in the future is the gradient function...too many times on the climb i was seeing numbers like 9 %, 10 % and 11 %. But having said that, it was great to know that i was climbing with relative ease (not very much speed or power mind you)... 

Typical rainforesty-esq view on the climb from Deans Marsh to Benwerrin

Yours truly looking...well, like a cyclist riding up a hill.

The Descent!

And down....

Well, I believe I can officially lay claim to being the world's most conservative / slowest / worst descender!! At one stage I was certain I was being overtaken by a group of toddlers on tricycles!

Checking the Strava segment for the descent, my average speed (excluding the time at the top to stretch) was approximately HALF that of the KOM...

I just can't let go and fly, I generally go faster on nice smooth gentle slopes than I do on massive high speed downhills!! I don't know why?? Maybe with a bit more time on the road I'll gain the confidence i need...who knows??

Anyway, I eventually made it down! My nerves were a little frayed so i took a quick break in Lorne to re-group.

I left Lorne feeling great.  There's a bit of a climb out of Lorne, up Big Hill, which isn't really that big.  But either way i was feeling pretty comfortable, and before too long the Garmin clicked over 100 km... Woo Hoo!! 

The ride from Lorne to Anglesea, follows the coast. It goes up, down, and around, and is a fantastic way to see the coast!

The typical view along the Great Ocean Road, it's pretty hard not to enjoy the ride! 

I even managed a smile for the camera. I thought about getting out of the saddle for
the photo - but my legs sensed what i was thinking and threatened to cramp!

Approaching Airey's Inlet i was starting to cramp in my hamstrings, and continued to cramp for the remaining 40 km, so stretching stops were required at Aireys Inlet, on a little climb coming into Anglesea, the drinks/rest stop at Anglesea, and finally just before Jan Juc.

The view into Anglesea is pretty amazing. This is also the area where Xterra Great Ocean Road
was held a few weeks back. The swim was at the beach in the mid-view, the ride in the hills beyond
that, and the run back up the hill this shot is taken from.

Anglesea to Torquay stretch...wow!

The final long climb, coming out of Anglesea. 

This section seems to be a continual climb all the way to Jan Juc...but no...once you summit after leaving Anglesea it's pretty much slightly down the entire way!!! DAMN EASTERLY WIND!!

After rolling over the top of a little climb i looked up and was met with a view like this... no more beach, no more forest...down town Jan Juc!!  From here i knew it was just a matter of rolling down this hill, back up the other side and then through the main street of Torquay to the finish line!

The view from Jan Juc toward the finish at Torquay

Once i got up the little rise into Torquay the excitement of finishing kicked in and i raised enough energy to put in a bit of a sprint past the cafes full of already finished competitors drinking beer!! 

And then, after 6 hours riding time (and another hour spent stretching, etc)....THE FINISH!

About 5 minutes after i finished i received a message from my mate who we're still going to refer to as "Nigel", simply saying... "Are you dead ?" to which i simply replied "dead man walking - just finished".  As it turns out, he had a pretty good day's cycling, and was sitting on a couch enjoying a cuppa!

Looking back now, it was a really enjoyable ride. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes spending a few hours in the saddle!!