Viking Tour of Norway - day 2

The plan today was to stay with the front riders up over the first climb, then hang out with them on the 100km downhill and flat, then ride the last climb at my own pace, and surprisingly for me it worked out.

Leah's plan was to survive and she broke her chain. F**king chain is her update. Broke it at the 2nd feed station. Up until then she was enjoying her day, riding with a group of Scottish riders. When I eventually saw her on the last climb, I had thoughts of riding up next to her, but by the time I had turned around, so had long gone. She was flying, and more on the last climb later…

Today's ride started with a 20km climb (700m vert) out of town. After 500m of controlled riding, we were off, and my plan of hanging on was a painful one. I pretty much maxed it out for the first 10km, then the sat up, and caught back on again, before once again just getting dropped by about 2 seconds by the time we got to the top. Looking around, there was only 15 riders left so was pretty happy with my effort. The climb itself was much friendlier than the one last night. After a 3 km punch, that took a real effort to hang on, it was more gradual, and the dirt was smooth and fast. Once again we cleared the tree line, and were able to enjoy spectacular mountain views in all directions, although I was too busy suffering to pull out the camera. The downhill and flat section went in a blur, although after we had caught the breakaway the group sat up, and I was once again able to enjoy the scenery, and got a few pics.

The scenery and mountains are everything and more than I imagined. The climbs are bigger and steeper than I had expected, with the final climb of today been a 1000m climb in less than 10km. A true mountain climb from the valley floor, up to the valley headwall, before a series of never ending switchbacks brought you up out of the trees to what I thought was going to be the finish, until I saw the 3km to go sign. Big waterfalls, U shaped valleys, and harsh above the tree line landscape is what welcomes you to Norway, and we got it today. We also had perfect sunshine, and it was a hot which I had not expected.

In the end today, the fast boys dropped me on the last climb as per plan, and I tempo rode the climb. 142km, 2120m climbing and it took 4hrs 26min. A solid day's riding. We also had a bonus 20km to the town of Andalsnes where we are staying tonight.

Andalsnes is on a lake. I am not sure what lake, but looking out my window, it is very pretty. Scattered around the lake are a few houses, then it goes straight up a steep sided tree lined valley up onto the mountain tops. I can only imagine how spectacular this would look in winter.

Tomorrow is 108km, with no meaningful climbs until 60km where we have a 500m climb. A few rollers, so I expect a fast start. Once again my plan will be to hang on for as long as I can. Maybe I will make it over the climb to the last climb.


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Viking Tour of Norway - day 1

Viking Tour day 1
A long day, and a lot longer than planned. For Leah this are a few things in life that she reallu does not like. Spiders are one, and bus trips are the seventh ring of hell for her. So you can only imagine how she felt when the 3 hour bus trip from Oslo airport to Vagamo took the best part of 6 hours, and included at least 2 wrong turns. The trip was very scenic, as we think the driver avoided all toll roads. Also the bus did not have air conditioning, which made the trip even more unbearable. Result was Leah was not a happy camper, but she was a real trooper as she knocked off the climb, after threatening to not do it for some time.

The climb was a nasty piece of work. Straight out of town, and straight up. The first 2 km, at a stretch, was sealed, then it turned into smooth dirt and some loose gravel and washboards on the corners. If I was not riding the climb hard, it may have been fun, but it hurt. From the village of Vagamo on the valley floor, up the steep sides of the valley, and eventually the to the tree line. I never did look back when I was going up, and that may have been lucky, as I may have just stopped and taken a photo. Some of the corners hit 18%, and we climbed 690m in 5.7km, and that included about ½ a km of flat. Not what you want after 6 hours on a bus.

In the end Leah took a bit over 46mins, and I was up in 32:22, for 2nd in my age group, and about 15th overall. The guy who won my age group won overall, and was 4 minutes faster than me. Oh to be a climber, but not in this lifetime.

The ride back down was a slow one, and we stopped several times to let our rims cool, as well as to shake out our hands from gripping the brakes so tightly. We eventually made it down just before 9pm, and then for a 15min spin out of the legs before a quick change and to the buffet dinner.

At the Viking Tour there are two options for accommodation. Vallhalla camp and the hotel. The camp is in school gyms. We took the hotel option, and pretty happy with that choice.

That was day 1. A long day more due to the bus trip than anything else.

Viking Tour of Norway – day minus one

Tomorrow it all starts for Leah and I. The Viking Tour of Norway, a seven day road cycling race between floyds and through towns that I have no way of ever pronouncing. I have the added bonus of Leah joining me for her first stage race. She is viewing this as a warm up for the Haute Route and is planning on taking it easy. Let's see how that plan of taking it easy goes as I know how competitive she can be......

A short overview from the website:"Five fjords - eleven climbs between 500 -1500 meters up from crystal sea - several new glaciers - and another thrilling roll-out of spectacle between our two new stage finishes. Trollstigen, Geirangerfjord, Norangsdalen, Eagles`road, Dalsnibba 1476, Trollveggen, Old Strynefjell and the prologue climbing to northern Europes second highest road - Blåhøe." http://www.vikingtour.no

That is the overview. What do I expect. Some good long climbs, beautiful scenery, and I will be trying to take photos from the road, and a fun, but sometimes painful week. Everyone I have spoken to has enjoyed the race, and described it as a 7 day cycling holiday with a race within it. We are looking forward to it as we getting to see parts of the Europe that we would not have seen, and from what we hear it is very beautiful. The race is also meant to be very well organized but at the same time low key, which could be a great combination. We also have the added bonus of staying in hotels rather than camping

Today I am sitting in an airport hotel waiting for Leah to fly in. As the one in this adventure who works for a startup, I drew the short straw, and flew out on the cheap early flight. Leah arrives in a few hours time.

Tomorrow we catch the bus arranged by the organizers to make logistics easy is to the start town of Vaga. I think it takes about 3 hours, and is out on the coast. This is a real bonus, and something that makes the race a lot easier.

Then it will be a quick bike building session before the prologue stage tomorrow after. This has been built up for some time. A 15km, 1200m climb. Only the first 2 km are sealed, then it goes to gravel, and looser and looser gravel and there was always the risk that it may be cut short if it is too rough. Well the hill climbing gods were smiling, well Leah will think they are, as it has been cut short. 5.7km for a 600m climb. It will still be a nasty 10% average gradient punch and the short news release says be ready to walk your bike if it is too steep and too loose. A real hard push and rough way to start, and to walk up the legs but better than 1,200m climbing on the first day.

Below is a summary of each stage. Not all of the riding is timed as we have ferries, gravel roads and some nasty downhills to contend with, but they will still be miles on the bike.

Stage   KM Vert

1 Prologue. Vågå – Blåhøe. 15 1200

2 Vågå – Trollveggen – Trollstigen - Åndalsnes 159 2200

3 Åndalsnes – Stranda 110 1100

4 Stranda – Øye – Stranda 88 1950

5 Stranda – Eagles Road Geiranger – Stryn 152 2700

6 Stryn – Panoramic road – Stryn 125 1600

7 Stryn – Strynefjell – Vågåmo 159 2300

  808 13050

Until after tomorrow’s session, I will leave you with the photo of the day. Tomorrow, some scenic pics coming.

Cycle Touring: From Amsterdam to Friesland and onto Zwolle

From Amsterdam to Friesland and onto Zwolle

Photos

From Amsterdam we headed out to the coast then north towards Den Helder, then across the Afsluitdijk and to Halingen. From there north following the North Sea to Lauwersoog before going south to Groninger and onwards south the Zwolle.

Day 1. Amsterdam to Bergen
http://www.strava.com/activities/151485481
72km

Headed out of Amsterdam towards the coast and caught our first ferry, and Leah had her first ice cream after 25km iof riding as we waited for the ferry to get across the North Sea canal.  As per usual getting out of Amsterdam we made a couple of wrong turns and added a few km, but that was to be expected as we were navigating a little by feel, when we should have been following the maps more closely.
After getting across the canal we headed north arcoss the Dutch farmland and then turned towards the coast and into the dunes and great scenic riding. After a quick detour through Egmond ann Zee, as we could, it was further north following the North Sea dunes to Bergan ann Zee then inland to Bergen and the hotel for the night.

Bergen is a town that if we were not cycling touring we would not have stopped in at, and we were glad we did. An old town, with the highlight a church in partial ruins.

Day 2. Bergen to Harlingen
http://www.strava.com/activities/151485446
110km
From Bergen we headed back out to the coast and for a surprisingly varied ride up through sand dunes, a National Park, and farm land towards Den Helder. Not really knowing what to expect, this was a bonus as we rode from sand dunes, into low growth wind swept forest and then into farm land all within a few km.

After leaving the coast it was into an ominious headwind to cross the northern North Holland provience to Den Over for a bite for lunch before we tackled the Afsluitdijk. Not recommended in a headwind. This is 30km of perfectly flat, perfectly straight road on the outer dijk that keeps the North Sea at bay. A tough battle as I rode on the front and Leah was tightly tucked in behind me!
Happy to be off the Dijk we headed back up the coast to the old fishing port of Halingen. Founded in 1234, and still an active yachting port for the North Sea, this is one of more scenic small towns we have come across. A perfect sunny evening also helped and we enjoyed a good meal, and couple of glasses of wine in the sunshine.


Day 3. Halinger to Gronginer
http://www.strava.com/activities/151485427
138km
Continuing north along the coast, the plan was to go up and then cut down into Gronginer. We followed the plan but the route was a little longer than planned at 138km! That is a long day cycle touring and woud normally be better split into two days. We had a hotel booked in Gronginer, so on we went.

The ride north impressed us as we followed the old sea wall. The first sea wall was built here in 1100, and then they have been building walls ever since, and at the same time dealing with floods. To deal with the ever present treat of floods, the first locals built “turns”, essentially a small manmade hill which they could escape onto when it did flood. Somewhere we read they there are 1,100 of these scattered across the northern Netherlands, and we ran across the largest at 8m high, with of course, a church built on top of it. You can see these turns from a ways off as this is where the old town is built.
Into Gronginer, and a nice hotel, but an average town.

Day 4. Gronginer to Zwolle
http://www.strava.com/activities/151485408
140km
From Gronginer it was due south to Zwolle and the train home. We followed a LF route today, and it took us mostly straight, but with a lot of small twists and turns all the way into Zwolle. Today we rode mostly across open farmland, and through scattered bush sections. A very pretty ride and we managed to go on the last hand drawn ferry. See the pics as we were hand pulled across a small canal just on the out skirts of Zwolle.
Zwolle is a very pretty old town and we will be back, as it was into town, a quick bite to eat, buy some food for the train, and Leah brought a skirt from Hema, and onto the train back to Amsterdam.

Crocodile Trophy - Checklist to make your adventure more enjoyable

Having done my first Crocodile Trophy, the list below is intended to make your Crocodile Trophy adventure more enjoyable. It is a tough race on both you and your gear. The list may seem long, but recovery and spare parts are important to a successful Crocodile Trophy.

General:

• The Crocodile Trophy is a tough race. It is hot, and the average temperature every day was above 30 degrees C.
• First time at the Crocodile plan on survival, and if it goes well then you will be racing. 
• Tent service - I paid for the tent service and it was very easy having someone else put up and take down the tent each day. It also included a camp stretcher as well, but this costs Euro400. For far less, you can buy a small tent, a cheap, air mattress and  sleeping bag in Cairns, and still have E300 left over. You also get to pick where you want to pitch your tent each night.
• If you are gluten intolerant, or vegetarian, bring food to self cater
• If you buy bike spare parts in Cairns, keep your receipt as you may be able to return them if they are in good condition and unused.
• Train on lots of hills as that is generally were the pack splits, if you can hang in on the hills makes the flats a lot easier.

Before the start

• Plan on arriving 3-4 days or more pre start. This is important as you need to acclimatize to the heat, even if you are just planning on surviving. Your survival will be more enjoyable, once you are used to the heat. In theory it takes 7 days to get used to it. You also need to buy a lot of stuff to kit yourself for the race.
• I booked a small 1 bedroom apartment. Lots of space, and I could do my own breakfast and lunch. If you book a hotel room or hostel, make sure you have plenty of space for bike, and all your kit.
• Buy a Telstra SIM card for your phone and/or tablet, they have the best coverage.

During the race

• Stage 1 (if it is at Smithfield), do not expect any food post race. Bring your recovery food, and everything you need for this. Bring recovery shake and food.
• Energy food and drinks. Plan this in advance, and I would recommend buying online and having them deliver to where you are staying. Otherwise, bring it with you. Last resort is buying in Cairns as it will be 3-4 times more expensive than at home, and no guarantee you can get what you want as it may be sold out.
• Race with the nutrition you train with, don't experiment with new products during the race.

Recovery each day

• This is really important and if you can get your recovery properly dialed, then it will make your race much more fun.
• Plan your recovery food out in advance. Shakes and food. This helps for the next day.
• The organizers put on pasta and post ride food. I would recommend thinking about what extra recovery food you would like.
• If you are vegetarian, or gluten intolerant, you need to self cater
• Get a massage every day. 
• Bring cash for massages and spare parts
• Sweets for post dinner snacks
• Bring high calorie breakfast cereal if you want good breakfasts. The organizers provided basic muesli, corn flakes, eggs and toast.

The Bike...

• I used a Cannondale F29 C1, and it was great. 
• Garmin GPS, to record just how hot it is, and your distance.
• I carried 4 CO2 canisters. Next time 2 CO2 canisters and a small pump.
• Camelback vs bottles - the field was split
• 2 bottles, but some stages I had a third in my back pocket
• 2 spare tubes, and and puncture repair kit. 1 tube under the seat and 1 taped to the top tube
• Tires - tubeless with latex.  I used Racing Rhalps. Something that is pretty hardy, and has good nobbles. You need them. Also better to have new tires, as at the end of 9 days they will be dead!
• Spare chain joiner
• Spare chain links
• Small sleeve to repair tire slashes
• Expect to get punctures, and if you get one on a stage, expect to get more. Some people got 4 flats in one day.

The spares I would take next time around

• 5 spare tubes
• 6 CO2 canisters
• 2-3 spare water bottles, as you people lose bottles all the time due to how rough the roads are
• Small pump, taped to the bike
• Spare brake pads, 4 pairs. If the weather forecast is for rain, bring a lot more.
• Spare spokes (2 for each size)
• spare chain
• Latex (lots) for tubeless tires. Your tires will dry out, so expect to have to top off the latex mid race
• Chain oil
• Spare cleats
• Spare wheels - if you can, it would be helpful. My guess is that 15% of the field had serious wheel problems, from bearings, to broken spokes, to destroyed wheels.
• Multi plug for plugging in and charging
• Electrical tape for securing tubes, CO2 etc to your bike.
• Cable ties for temporary mechanical repairs.
• Duct tape for temporary tyre repairs when the sidewall has been slashed.
• Use "dry" chain lube as "wet" attracts too much dirt. (Mixed opinions on this as I also heard use “wet” lube as it lasts longer on the chain.)

Other camping kit

• Bucket (buy in Cairns). Used for laundry and washing the bike
• Rags for cleaning bike and chain
• Pegs - to stop your clothes blowing away as they dry
• Cord for a clothes line
• Laundry detergent
• Camping chair - it is so nice to sit down in something soft at the end of the day
• Sleeping bag. You WILL need this as it is cold at night on the tablelands
• Torch and spare batteries
• The luggage service allows you to have more than one bag
• Ear plugs for sleeping

First Aid/ toiletries

• Sun block - lots
• Lip sun block
• Hydrogen Peroxide for cleaning scraps (everyone falls at least once)
• Betadine spray for protecting scraps
• Something to cover open wounds, as it is EXTREMELY dusty
• Chamois butter
• Something for post ride chaffing
• Soap
• Something to scrub yourself with to get the dust off
• Hand sanitizer
• Gastro-stop or Imodium, the electrolytes in your drinks and gels can play havoc with your insides.

Bike clothes

• 3 pairs of bike shorts
• 3 bike tops
• 2 pairs gloves
• 3 pairs socks
• Bike shoes
• Helmet
• Light weight rain jacket, as you never know, (plus it can be used at night if it is cool and windy)
• Under helmet hat or headsweat if you are sporting the no hair look.

Other clothes

• Shorts
• Something you can swim in
• Long trousers, as it gets cold at night
• Sweater - for at night
• t-shirts
• Rain coat, as it does rain, and you are camping
• Underwear
• Sun hat
• Flip flops
• Other shoes
• Long sleeve top for evenings
• Towel

Post Race

• Take an extra day and go out to the Great Barrier Reef. A good forced rest day, with plenty of food.

Crocodile trophy - stage 9 it is all over....

Well folks it is all over. Stage 9 is done and I am sitting in a cheap hotel room back in Cairns, doing laundry, recharging batteries and catching up on the world before heading out for a curry (please no more pasta) for dinner.

Stage 9 finished in Cooktown yesterday, and was an eventful stage for the wrong reasons, crashes…  What was planned to be a 50km cruise into Cairns, turned into more like a spring classic until we managed to splinter the group into a more manageable size, and then it settled down. The spring classic element was the sudden surge of pace whenever we hit anything technical, as everyone wanted to be at the front, and on a dirt track at 45-50km/hr there is only so much space, and the inevitable  happened, and people stacked it hard.

The day started off with a nice 10km on asphalt, but even there someone went down, then it turned to dirt and it got much worse. Fortunately I could see what was happening and promptly moved towards the front of the pelaton to get away from the mess behind me, and there were several crashes. The tally for the day was:

-          A lot of lost skin

-          One broken arm, although he managed to finish

-          Someone opening up the stitches he had from earlier in the race

-          4-5 separate crashes

As I said I got away free and did not hit the dirt again today, so was happy for that. Once we got off the dirt the final 15km into Cooktown was into the usual headwind, so things slowed down a little, and settled down. My legs were not feeling great after yesterdays push  and I ended up on the front as whoever was behind me in the taking turns at the front, was not playing the game. Anyway, I had the pleasure of leading the lead race into Cooktown, and up to the final roundabout with 1 km to go. I was leading, but it was a slow lead out, and I knew that I did not have the legs to play on final steep climb up to the grassy knoll and finish. Hopefully I made the TV shorts, as I was in my Mexican jersey for my Mexican friends.

The final push up grassy knoll played out as expected. It was steep, and it hurt, and felt good once it was done. It is only 1km long, but climbs 130m, and has some 20% pitches in it. I ended the day 3rd in my age group, so another podium spot and a good way to finish.

Overall, I came 2nd in M2, and 12th overall. My best result was 3rd overall on stage 8 in the sprint finish and something that I will remember for a sometime. Once I am back in Amsterdam, I will post more pictures, and some stats as well, as it was hot, and the days were long.

Last night was the final prize giving, and after party. Having ridden our bikes through the outback for 9 days, it was a pretty quiet party , and I was in bed by about 10:30. I just did not have the energy to keep shouting over the band, and the red wine was not good.

Today we all jumped on a bus back to Cairns, and tomorrow another lazy day as I am heading out to the Great Barrier Reef for the day. I fly back to Amsterdam on Wednesday, and after another marathon of about 25hrs, arrive back Thursday afternoon.

That was the Crocodile Trophy.

What is next – I am not sure, but I will post a couple more updates to the blog. I have a few things lined up for next year, and the about 500 Croc dollars I won here can only be applied to either the Alpine Tour in Austria, or this race next year. So you never know.

Thanks for all the support through out the race. It was great, and as I said, I will send more pictures etc onto the blog once I am back home. I will put a couple in below of the taste of what is to come..

Hamish

Dusty day...

My ouch....

The evening feast, more like feeding time in the zoo.

The tent village at Laura

The three kiwi finishers

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Crocodile Trophy - Stage 8 - A good day on the bike.....

Crocodile trophy stage 8 update, one stage to go and it is all over.

Today was a good day on the bike. After yesterdays soft pedal time trial, my legs felt good, and I got a good result. More to come at the end.

Todays stage of 118km went from Laura to Hope Vale. One small town to another you could say. Todays stage looked more like a road race than a mountain bike race, with the first 65km on a hard dirt road that is usually corrugated as hell, but today was smooth, thank goodness. Then we had 50km of asphalt and that had 1000m climbing in it and the end.

For me, it was fun. My kind of stage you could say. The group stuck together for the first 50km, so a big pelaton. My drama happened at the first drinks station where I stopped to pee, and when i got back on I heard the ping-ping-ping sound that is all to familiar of a broken spoke. Stop, wrap the spoke around another spoke, and look up and the pelation has gone. I look back and see Cory Wallace, the second place on the GC back as well, and think this is going to hurt to chase back on. Off I set, and Cory quickly caught me, and Mark, the leader in GC is also waiting, and we chase on. Taking turns it took us a good 15-20 mins to catch back onto the pelaton, and it was a hard effort. A few words were exchanged once the boys made it back on. Then the buggers in the general pelaton sat up, and soft pedaled at about 15-20km/hr. Maybe the head wind got to them, and I was not going to find out if there was wind or not out front.

On the first kicker hill, I managed to stay with the lead group, as the group got smaller and smaller. More hills, and suddenly it was just 6 of us. The two leaders were off the front chasing someone who had got away. We chased on and caught Cory and Mark, and then the group was again 7, as we spat out another on the chase. Looking around it was a select group. Places 1-4 and 7 in the GC, Hans (the guy I have been racing), and me.

I managed to hang on until the end over more rollers that hurt a lot of hang on, it was a sprint finish.

I managed to get third overall on the day. The sprint had an added bonus of a small dip that ended up been a jump 200m before the finish, which definitely added a small bit of excitement at 50-60km/hr. Happy with that. The guy who got away, stayed away and won by 5 mins, one guy beat me in the sprint, and I managed to win the M2 category to get another boomerang.

A good day today, and one day to go. Tomorrow we have 50km from Hope Vale to Cooktown. It will be interesting to see what happens as I am semi expecting a soft pedal, then a race up the short hill to the finish line. The hill is 130m high, but has some 30% pitches in it, and a stair climb as well. I am sitting 12th overall on GC, and 2nd in M2, so it has been a very good race for me.

Until Cooktown.

Hamish

Crocodile Trophy - stage 7 update and second night in Laura

Today was a short day. 37km of time trailing, and all over in 1hr 19min for me, and 1hr 10min for the winner. A nice 37km loop through the outback. We are on the plains and really in the outback now.

Riders were set off at 1min intervals after our lazy morning as we started at 9am. My start time was 9:45, so a lazy morning indeed. The first 10km were on a road, more like a corrugation highway, as i could swear there was no easy way through. Usually you can pick a line that is not too violent but not today. You are cruising along along at 30-35km/hr then next thing you hit the corrugations and you are doing 20km/hr looking for a way out. I have a bruise developing on the edge of my palm from the never ending bumps. Luckily the remainder of the course was not as violent.

Bevan, one of the other kiwis started 1 minute behind me and caught me within the first 10km. It was looking like I was not having a great day, and I decided to not give it everything, as I could not. The heart rate would not come up, and i could not get the power, but a good day to have a bad day as it was short. Anyway, I followed about 50m behind Bevan until about 10km to go, and I could see he was fading, and managed to sneak past him. By then I was feeling a little better and tried to make up the minute that Bevan had gained on me. Through the outback bush and scrub, on a semi developed, but smooth track. A pleasant change from the corrugations of earlier in the stage. I put my head down and with 5km to go Bevan was still on my tail, but he had over cooked it a bit in the first 10km, and in the end i beat him by 1 second. I had the luckier timers finger today.

Overall I was third in M2 today, and 22nd overall. The podiums looked a little different today as the roadies and time trailists came out in force. Peter, the guy who is running 3rd overall in the M2 category won the class today. He is a machine on the flat, having worked with him on a couple of sections earlier in the week. Hans came in second, but he hurt today, and Peter had 2 minutes on him. I was happy to get third, as i did not work that hard in the end, and i did not fall, or flat. I am in 2nd in the M2 category, and have about 1.5 hrs on 3rd, and 1st is about 1.5 hours in front of me.

So what do we do for the rest of the day in Laura. If i could include photos of Laura, i would but i can't so i will try and describe it. It is a small outback community (not even a village) of about 80 people, and I am not sure if it would exist if it were not for the highway that passes nearby. It has a roadhouse, (takeaways and very basic store BUT it has air conditioning), a general store. The general store is very light on general, and is only a little bigger than the road house. It does sell Magmum ice cream, and cold water. Then there is the pub, which we are camped behind. The pub is all things I imagined an outback pub to be. Open, i do not think the windows have glass, just shutters. Fans slowly rotating overhead, a bar than must be 30ft long, and last night as we walked though looking for ice cream, a hand full of beer belly locals hanging out. All you can see is low outback scrub, and perched outside the pub, and general store, in any shade anyone can find, must be 50 skinny cyclists, sipping water. I am sure the Crocodile Trophy is the biggest thing to come through Laura, and the English girls who work in the road house, are planning on coming to the pub tonight, as no one ever stays here, and we have stayed two nights. 80 odd cyclists and 60 support crew, we have more than doubled the size of the town.

So what do we do. The riding was all over by 11am today. The three kiwis did a short TV interview, not sure for what, then I headed to the roadhouse for ice cream, and to explore Laura. I was back pretty shortly, but not after enjoying an ice cream, and the air conditioning. Clean bike, every day you clean your bike. A high pressure hose, and the dust is gone for another day. Oil the chain. Clean myself. A cold shower that is not that cold. Lunch, and more lunch. Then i was off to see the doctors to clean my wound on my arm from my fall a few days ago. More food, more ice cream, and the prize giving was at 2:30. That done, my few mins on the podium, and now to find shade again. Maybe more ice cream. Forgot somewhere in there I did some laundry as well, and I need to get a massage. That is effective what you do in a town of 80 for what has been in all effect a rest day. It is now 3:30, so maybe time to find more shade, and read for a while. Did I add it is 36 degrees in the shade, so it is hot. Yesterday was over 40 in the shade, so you cannot escape the heat.

Tomorrow we have 118km to Hope Vale, and so we hear, a swimming pool at the camp ground! Now that will be a treat. I am expecting the ride tomorrow to be more road ride than mountain bike as we are now in the open flat country. The roads are meant to be wide, and fast, so it will be a day of hanging onto the lead group, and then we hear there are a few small hills at the end. The only unknown is what the road conditions will be like, as we hear they are good. If we have 50km of corrugations that will do in our heads, and make what could be a shorter day much longer. I also do not like the idea of riding corrugations in a pelaton at 35-40km/hr.

Until tomorrow, that is another day down at the Croc Trophy. 2 to go....

Hamish

Croc Trophy - stage 6 update

Stage 6 completed, after the monster yesterday. A good day considering that it is day 6 and we did a long day yesterday. Came in 2nd again in my age group. Hans out climbed me again.

Todays stage was 118km from Granite Dam to Laura. The first 40km was good going, then we had 20km of really rough, slow going, and it finished off with 60km that was a lot faster and better going.

I had a good start as i was in the front break of about 15 riders off the start. The bunch broke up on the first hill, and I was just able to hang on. I pushed hard and managed to just make the cut, as it is a lot easier if you are in a group, and i hang on until km 40 when the going got rough. I was happy to see the front guys attack, and go, and Hans followed them, so that was my day. I sat up, and rode low risk, as now I am protecting my second place in M2 category. I have it by 1.5 hours, so easy to protect. I still managed to fall once, but that was after the third placed rider in M2 today caught me. He is a big Polish rider who motors downhill. I had been sitting up, and really taking it easy through the 20km of hard rough going. It was really rough, and slow going. Anyway, he caught me, and then i decided I was not going to stick around, as I thought he was not as fast on the flat. Correct, and in the next 10km I put 3 minutes into him, and that included throwing my chain off, and a my fall for the day. I was happy to see the gap, as I rode out of aid station 3, he was about 100m away from coming in. It is kinda satisfying.

Once I had the gap, I decided that no one else was going to catch me, and put my head down and went until the end. In the end I think I was about 5-7 minutes in front of him, so happy with that. Another second for the day. The bike is all good post fall, and I added another scrap, this time to my left arm. The crash was at the end of a technical section, and I came into a corner a little hot, and just did not make it around. A small tree broke my fall, and it broke in the process.

So overall happy with today. The legs felt good considering the ride yesterday. It is amazing how quickly you can recover. I also have the advantage of a lot of riding and this is my third stage race this year. The very front of the race was decided in a sprint finish, and the rider who is leading overall took it.

Tonight we are in Laura. 80 residents, a road house, a post office, pub and a store. The store sells ice blocks and that is what matters. We are now out of the rolling hill country which we spent the last 2-3 days in, and on the flats. It again has the real outback feel, and above all it is really hot. Today someone was saying it was 42 degrees on the bike! I guess it might be time for another ice block.

Thank you for all the email support. It has been great, and sorry I cannot reply as I have very limited internet. This has been a lot harder than the Haute Route. The climbs are steeper, the going is slower, and the days are longer. Then throw in the heat, the dust, and the camping, and it is another level. I am pretty sure it took me 1.5 - 2 hours to go 20km today, and I am lucky as i finish early. Someone just came in now, and they have been out there for 5 hours longer than me, and it took me 5hr 15 mins!.

Tomorrow is a 50km time trial. 25 km out and back. The good thing is that we start between 8 and 9, so we will be done by 11. A good recover day. I would say sleeping, but it will be too hot, although i may try and find a shady spot. Until tomorrow.

hamish

Sent from my iPhone

Crocodile Trophy - Stage 5 over

Thank goodness it is over, as that was the hardest day i have ever done on the bike. 161km, 3,700m climbing, 99% off road, and rough for a lot of it. At least for the first 70km, i was in the leaders group been pulled along in the pelation.

(This is a text only update as we have no internet, and not sure when we will be able to get pictures out again. The official site of the Crocodile Trophy has lots of photos on it. I am either wearing Drummond kit, or the very distinctive Mexican Virgin Mary kit).

So all over, and it was a long day 7hrs 13mins, i think was the final time, and second to Hans again. He put 20 minutes into me, and i put another 20 minutes in the third place overall in my age group, so they are now out to over an hour. That feels good to increase the time gaps even more.

So how was the stage. The first 70km were fast and exciting as we were in the leading group. I would also say incredibly dusty as well, as it was like been behind a car on a very dusty road for 70 km. I finished today, and my face was orange with the dust, and my legs were coated think with the orange red dust. Photos to come.

After the 70km mark, it got hard, and slow, and nasty, and hilly and not so much fun you could say. The fast guys took of and had their fun, and it was a race against one, me. Hard going, up-down-up-down all day, as well as been really hot. In one 20km stretch, i drank 3 bottles in what must have been 1.5hrs. The only blessing was i rode with two Belgium brothers for the last 30km, and that saved me, as we were all in a deep exhausted hole. The road would go up, and then down, and then up and then down again. Down the hill at 50km/hr, and up the other side at 5km/hr. Even some of the cars commented how steep the hills were. The road was put in for the solar eclipse last year in Maytown, and there is not ANY flat on it. I am pretty sure it just follows the ridge for the sake of been horrible.

In the end we rocked into camp after 7hrs 13mins. A long day, and shattered at the end.

The camp tonight is a true camp, as the organization has created a camp for the night. Water is pumped from the dam, where the fresh water crocs live, for the showers and bike cleaning. The kitchen is build on the spot, and the tents etc up. All will come down tomorrow and we move to Laura.

Tomorrow's stage is another 118km, and we have been told it is hilly again, and rough, although the last leg into Laura is meant to be pretty spectacular as long straights, which may also mean some flat... Lets see how it goes. Hopefully the legs recover, and we will do it all again.

hamish
(Photos to come once we get better internet)


Sent from my iPhone

Crocodile Trophy brief update - Stage 4

Another stage down and no internet today, so am writing this and will send when I get a chance, and the longer version will go out once I am in good internet.

118km and it was faster today. 4.5 hrs and 3rd in my age group as I got passed by someone who is strong on the flat. They are also 50mins back overall, so safe in 2nd for m2.

Today's stage was fast from the gun as there was a lot of attacking by one rider in particular who is a very strong road rider, but hopeless on the trails. All it managed to do was get the HR up, and break up the field a little. I expect the same tomorrow. The first 15km was on roads, then we hit the trails again, and it was a real mixture of very rough, rough, then it got better to e finished off with a good 15-20km on corrugations to make sure you were well exhausted.

We are now at Mt Mulligan station, and beside their small lake. It is a true working outback station, and we are now really in the outback. Gum trees, dust, wide spaces, rolling - rolling small hills, and a few cows. It fits all the requirements of what i expect the outback to be, and we are in the middle of it now. Feeling a little isolated, all the more so, as we do not have nay internet today.

Tomorrow is what is on everyones minds at the moment. 168km, 3,000m climbing to Granite Dam. It is just so long that is the challenge. Expecting between 7 and 8 hours on the bike, as the roads are meant to be good. The first 30km will be fast and rolling, then we climb for a while, which will sort things out, and the final 45km are hilly. Nothing big, but it just rolllllllssss. A big day on the bike, and more than a little intimidating you could say.

Well hopefully by the time you get this, i will have done the monster, and will have had my post ride recovery shake and food, my massage, and i am enjoying a cold drink.

cheers

hamish




Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone

Croc trophy stage 3 - brief update

Stage 3 done and dusted. Another 80km, 2,500m climbing and a fun day, although eventful as most people feel. More eventful for me as my rear wheel went out of true I'm the neutral 18 km ride to the start. A quick trip into atherton and Never in Northern Bike Works tweaked the wheel, and I managed to make the official start 1 km out of town.

In the peloton, toddy's rode had been a favorite. 35km of single track, sweeping, gast single track, them into
A rain forest section and finally dry sandstone. Great variety and now we are in Irvinebank. It may or may not be on any maps! A pub, a campground and that is about all. We have descended on the place now.

My ride today was an "ouch" ride, as I fell hard on the sand stone section. Lots of scraps, a good bruise on my hip and shoulder, and missing some skin. Nothing broken, and the bike is ok, so all good really.

In the end I was second again.

Yesterday's update could not get out and today's has been written on the iPhone. Once I have better internet the full updates as well as pictures will come.

Yesterday, Hans, who got second on the first stage, put 20 mins into me. He can climb, and he also beat all of the class below us as well. A strong ride from him, but I still managed the podium, so happy. Back to my survival plan.

Tomorrow, 120km so a longer day.

Also on the official website of Crocodile trophy, they managed to upload lots of photos last night, so check them out.

Until tomorrow....

Hamish


Sent from my iPhone

Crocodile Trophy - stage 1 done and dusted...

Day 1 done and dusted

My race plan went out the window today, as I won my age group. That was not the plan, so now I will have to race to keep the position. The plan before todays stage was to take it easy, and see what happens towards the end of the race. I will bank the boomerang I won today, and am happy to have got one on my first stage of the Crocodile Trophy.

A good day on the bike you could say, much better than planned. I thought it might have been OK, when I passed the guy who got second in my age group last year, and rode away from him. Better than planned as I won by 1 min 30 sec, so I will bank that and take that to the next stage. I also had the fastest time for a lap in my age group, so not so bad for a non-mountain biker. I am guessing it was the long straights where I could use some of my roadie power. My other piece of good luck was hitching a ride with another kiwi, Steve, in his Dad's truck back to Cairns, avoiding the 15km bike back into the headwind. Thanks guys, and much appreciated.

Todays stage was 5 loops of the Smithfield Mountain bike course (a short 15km ride out of Cairns), the same course as was used for the World Championships a few years ago, and I hear the year that Roberto rode. The course was fast, and twisty, although it had a flat and quick section at the end, where my road bike training of riding into the headwind paid off, as it was rough, but still fast. A good fun course, and by lap 5, my mountain biking skills were coming back to me, andf i was really enjoying it. I think a lot of people went out too hard, as after the first lap no one passed me, and I passed a few very red in the face riders, as it was also hot. In the end my time was 1hr 45mins, and the overall winner did 1hr 30mins. 

The Podium shot :) The guy wearing the Smart Cycling top got second in the age group last year.


And the boomerang I get for winning my age group, along with AUD 70!


That was today. A good day on the bike you could say.

Yesterday was sign in day, and it was pretty low key. By far the lowest key race briefing and welcome I have been to, for the most serious race!  Hanging out in the sun.



The other interesting study that the doctors are doing here is looking at what the race does to you over the 11 days. To do this they are weighing people, and measuring their fat, in about 20 places. This was done yesterday, and they will do it again after stage 5, and then at the end. It will be interesting to see what effect the race has on me. At the weigh in we did not get the fat results but I weighed in at 78kg, 2 kg heavier than usual, although everyone was weighing heavy.
Next weigh in - after stage 5, then at the end. I will report the weight, and fat if they have the results.

The weight in:


Dinner last night with Pete and Christopher Morrin, Dad's brother. I have not seen them for some time, and Pete and Judy, are over here volunteering on wildlife and fauna suveys. A good dinner and away from the race thoughts and talk, so good fun. Great to catch up with them.


Finally I will finish with a few other photos from today.

The Kiwi races. Steve Bunton from Perth, Bevan Spratt from NZ, and myself. Three kiwis, and only one lives in NZ. Typical. 


On the start line before the action today.


Tomorrow stage is 89km and 2,500m climbing, plus 18km of neutralized to the official start to get us out of Cairns. The test comes in the first 9 km when we climb 500m, then again at km 80 where we climb another 400m, although word has it the climb has been reduced due to road works. It will be an interesting day, as I will ride my own race, but at the same time need to keep an eye on Hans, who is second place behind me.


Thanks for all the emails of support. They are much appreciated, and i try and answer as many as possible. Today I may not, as I had to rewrite this as I lost it once already. In particular, thank you Ramon for your support of not working and taking time off. I really appreciated it, and the comment that you should enjoy it while you can. More on that tomorrow...

Until tomorrow - cheers hamish

PS - the Leah update. She is in Mallorca, but has not managed to send any good pictures of them riding yet, so tomorrow we may have a bonus photo or two here.

Sent from my iPad

Crocodile Trophy Update - 1 day until it all begins...

Firstly, thank you for all the support emails. It is great, and i really appreciate it. For those who commented that I needed to get a job, and you know who you are, for the record I have been working of late. Yes hard to believe, but it is true. I have been working for Armadillo Merino® (www.armadillomerino.com) helping Andy Caughey. Armadillo Merino® is a couple of years old and supplies merino base layer to first responders and the likes, and has some great product (and would make a great christmas present).  We have products, sales and the business is looking good, so it has been exciting to be involved in a start-up that has gone through some of the very early growing pains, but is still experiencing a few. Good times, and i have been busy with trade shows, working on business plans and chasing sales. It has allowed me time to train, but at the same time I have been working pretty much full time since early September, and post race I will be busy catching up and back into it close to full time. 

1 day until the start of the race. Nervous times and there are some very serious looking racers here. Lots of little skinny cyclists, and more so than the Haute Route. In total there about 100 racers and I heard 60 support crew. 15 from Belgium, and hardly any Aussies here. What does that say about the Belgians, and what do the Australians know that everyone else does not. Maybe in cycling terms the Aussies are soft and the Belgians are hard men, but we already knew that. The field is a mix of first timers and returning racers, but I get the feeling that the standard is high. 

How does someone fill in 2 days pre a 9 day race. Very easily. Yesterday we had a group photo shoot at 10am, and made the selection of pics at the end as the Kiwi contingent with Steve, one of the two other Kiwi in the race. 

Then off for a quick recon of the first days course. Day 1 is 5 loops around a 6km course, that is fast, single track, and very twisty. Not so technical but it will be hard to pass people as it is tight. 2 laps was enough for the day, then the 15km ride back into town. I found out afterwards that two of the guys are expected to be in the top ten in the elites, and are sponsored riders. I feel better as they got away from me on the twisty parts.

The rest of the day was spent sorting out stuff. You may wonder what I would need to sort out, but a surprisingly large amount of stuff.  

By the numbers, 9 days of racing needs a lot of stuff:

- 5 spare tubes, as i have heard horror stories of flats and if it is extremely hot, which it is forecast to be, the tubeless tires do not like it, so maybe back to tubes.

- 2 containers of spare latex gu for the tubeless tires

- 5 CO2 canisters in case i get a flat

- 20 Cliff bars

- 10 other bars, as I brought all the Cliff bars in Cairns

- 45 energy gels

- 10 tubes of nuun

- spare chain

- spare derailer hanger (as again bad stories. 

- spare brake pads

- spare spokes

- chain lube

- 9 recovery shakes

- 2 big bags of salted nuts for post ride snacking

- 3 tea towels to be used as rags

- knife, fork, spoon, plate and cup (for camping)

- Sleeping bag

- Camelback as expecting it to be very hot on day 3 (37-40 degrees C)

As you can see a good list of spares, and the good thing is that i am nearly there. Lucky, as some of the bike shops are running out of spares, and I brought pretty much all the Cliff bars in Cairns today. 

Later today, race briefing then a good meal and a good nights sleep for the start on Saturday. Weather is forecast to be 30 degrees C, and 100% sunny. It will be a hot first day as we start at noon, and expect it will take about 2 hours for the 30km. The plan is to not go too hard, although that is always easy to say the night before.

Below are a few useful links:

http://www.croctrophy.com/

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/crocodile-trophy-2013

Until tomorrow, enjoy your day.

Hamish

PS - I am not the only one having all the fun as Leah is off to Mallorca for some late summer warm weather riding. I may even get a picture or two from them to drop in the end of the updates tomorrow.

Crocodile Trophy - 3 days until the start

In Cairns, after a long 30 hours of travel. Amsterdam - Dubai - Singapore - Brisbane (6 hours on the airport floor) and finally Cairns. It is a long way from Amsterdam to Cairns, and my body does not know if it is night or day! The good thing is that I managed to stay up until 9pm, and now cannot think straight. Jetlag...

I left Amsterdam on Monday (it is now Wednesday in Cairns) and was a cool over cast grey day, and arrived in Cairns and it is hot. No surprise and the locals are saying it is nit so hoit at the moment. e. On Monday morning before I flew out, Leah and I went for a spin in North Amsterdam. Long wind proof tights, heavy tops, full finger gloves and insulated booties (OK, I feel the cold), but you get the idea. Cairns, short sleeved top and shorts, and dehydration will be the challenge. The pic is of Leah in Monnickendam, mid ride. I forgot to add that it was dark for about half the ride, and the other half, it was grey. Sunshine here i come.

Below is the Drummond bikes outside our coffee stop. I had to add this, as sometimes when it is freezing and cold, you need a reward and a good coffee is all the motivation needed, well it is for Leah.

So why am I in Cairns? Well a few months ago, just before I did the Haute Route, when I was fit, and it was warm and sunny in Amsterdam, I signed up for the Crocodile Trophy. This is a race I have follow on Cyclingnews.com over the past 4-5 years and always thought it would be fun to do, well maybe fun... It is a 9 stage mountain bike race across the Australian outback, going from Cairns to Cooktown.

The easy way is a short 5 hour bus trip up the coast, instead, the race takes you over 950 km of some the hottest, dustiest, sandiest, and generally toughest outback countryside a sadistic race organizer could find. Well that is the description a past racer used to describe his experience. Then overlay camping everynight, camp showers, maintaining your own bikes and you get the feeling of what I am expecting. The other piece of advice someone said, and he should know as he had been a mechanic for a pro 3 times and raced it himself once, was to aim for survivial. If you think you are here to race, think again, as it is more about survivial. The heat, the camping, the day in day out of the dust, and did I say the heat. Now you get the feeling, and I am beginning to wonder why I signed up for it! A combination of racing/survivial and a big Boy Scout adventure. Well at least everyone else is playing by the same rules.

The race is 9 stages: Saturday 19th Oct to Sunday 27th Oct.

 

Stage 1: A short little 30km stage with 800m climbing. It is 5 laps of a past Mountain Bike Worlds course. Added bonus we get to stay in Cairns. A real bed, and air con for one last night.

Stage 2: Cairns to Lake Tinaroo 92km (plus 12km of neutralized riding). 2,500m climbing

Stage 3: Atherton to Irvinebank 111km and 2,700m climbing

Stage 4: Irvinebank to Mt. Mulligan 114km and 1,600m climbing

Stage 6: Adams Dam to Maytown 96km and 1,400m climbing (The longest individual time trail in the world)Stage 5: Mt. Mulligan to Adams Dam 147km and 2,700m climbing. That is LONG!

Stage 7: Maytown to Laura 87km and 1,300m

Stage 8: Laura to Hope Vale 122km and 1,200m

Stage 9: Hope Vale to Cooktown 56km and 1,100m into Cooktown and up the stairs to the finish line

Stage 9.5: the Cooktown after party, then bus 5 hours on the bus back to Cairns the next day.

So what am I doing for the next few days until the race starts. As tempting as it is to go and enjoy some serious beach time, I will be sorting out my stuff, riding a little, working some and generally getting myself ready for 9 tough days of survivial.

In theory, there is WiFi internet in each camp, so I will try and blog each day, and get a few pictures. The organization is also posting on Facebook, until Crocodile Trophy. My daily emails will also be posted on my blog at: http://mountainmaninaflatland.blogspot.nl. If you know of people who want to be added to my email list, email me their address.

Until the next blog, time for to go to sleep after a productive day today of putting  bike together, finding the bike shops,and a short ride to flush out some of the jetlag.

Cheers from hot Cairns.

Hamish

Forgot to add, Leah (and I) have signed up for the Haute Route Alps for next year.

http://mountainmaninaflatland.blogspot.nl

 To unsubscribe, please email me. If you want to add someone email me. The next version will be sent via an email manager...

Stage 7 - I was provisionally 3rd, but no more....

It is all over bar the official prize giving and cocktails. I am in Nice with Leah, having safely made it out of the Alps before the rain came in. Another interesting day, made all the more exciting as for a while there I was unofficially 3rd for a while there, but in the end not to be...

The last day into Nice was always going to interesting and today had more interest than expected. Due to "expected" thunder storms later in the day, todays stage was shortened, and the 1,100m climb was taken out to get us all into Nice by 1pm. The result was a 65km neutralized, downhill ride, then 40km of timed which included an 800m altitude gain, then the timed section was off and basically it was a cruise into Nice.

The excitement for the day came in the form of the 40km timed section. I went hard, with another rider who also rides the same way i do, and we pushed it to our limits. It hurt, and i went harder than in the up hill time trail, well it felt that way. For a while there I was with the front guys, who seemed to come from nowhere. (There was a reason for their sudden appearance). It was fun, but in the end they spat me out and i had to keep pushing by myself until the next group rolled up, and i pushed on with them.

The excitement came after we had all rolled over the finish line and down the neutral downhill to Vence, and I checked the results. I thought I was fast, but was provisionally 3rd. Yes, hard to believe and alias, it was not to be. The top 20 had been sent the wrong way, hence why they came from nowhere, and they were given 6 minutes time for the error. My 3rd is now a 23rd, and I am happy with that. No podium today for me:( I did manage to put a 1min 20 sec into Ramon and Roberto. Payback felt good after Roberto really hurt me in the last km yesterday, and took 40 seconds out of me then.

A fun day, and another hard effort that was for sure. The stats for the day:

131km cycled

40 km timed

800m climbing

Timed section time: 1:19:39 for 23rd on the day.

Overall, the hard push today just sneaked me into the top 75, as I am now 74th. Roberto came in 54th, Nacho 70th and Ramon 91st. Ramon broke his chain yesterday, and lost a lot of time. In the end he got the flying wedge motorbike push up the hill. A motorbike in front, and then one on each side pushing him a long! Word on the street has it he was doing 60km/hr up the hill! Not sure on that but a good story.

So that was the day. A soft pedal into Nice, and along the promenade and happy to see Leah on the finish line. Tonight we have cocktails, the official giving and then we are going out for dinner with the 12 Mexicans. No doubt it will be amusing, need i say more

The event has been great fun, well run, and the Mexicans have made it even more fun.

Next, my final event for the season is the Crocodile Trophy. A 9 day race in October. As I have told people, and paid the entry, there is no backing out...

The small village where we stayed last night. after we found out the stage was shortened, we had a great dessert, and a bottle of wine.

Part of the neutralized section cut into the cliff.

 

The finish line at the top of Col De Vence.

The team at the end...

The finishers medal and the unique jersey.

Enjoying the ride down the Nice promenade.

Roberto and I at the end.

Hello Leah:)

Posted with Blogsy

Stage 6 update - in effect 3 up hill time trails..

As if yesterday was not enough, today the downhills were neutralized, so we in effect had 3 uphill time trails, and it was a long day in the pain zone. After securing a prime starting position on the front line of the starting grid for my group, we had a terrible merge with the main pelaton and once again i spent the first hill chasing the fast boys passing people, but with no one to pace m.e That changed about half way up, and it was all on, racing and going hard up hill. Having ridden with a lot of the same guys in the group, i could tell they were well into the red zone, and we all paid for the first effort up the Col De Cayolle, an 1,100m climb. Crossing the timing chip at the top, and off the clock, I was pretty spent and happy to see Roberto, Ramon and Nacho, my fellow Mexican teammates waiting for me. After a lazy bottle fill, a couple of slices of cake, we were off the down the neutralized descent of the Col De Cayolle. It was a good call by the organizers to neutralize this one, as it was narrow with big drops off the side. It also meant that I could stop and take pictures, always an added bonus and a couple are attached.

After our lazy descent, it was all on again for another timed section and this time i tried, successful, to say on Roberto's wheel. It hurt a lot, and i went harder fopr longer than expected and i was pretty worked by the time we got to the top. We also had added bait, as a couple of guys, one cheeky Aussie called Scottie and another Swiss guy, who managed to get away at the bottom. I now know how the pros must feel as they hunt down their prey out front and up the pace again and again catch them. In the end they survived the chaser and just got across the top of the hill and into the neutralized section. A close call and good fun.

The final climb was a brunt as once again i tried to play with Roberto and Nacho, but this time they got away in the last km. Crossing the finish line I was shattered and did the collapse into the shade maneuver.

Overall a good hard day, and i came in 60th, and managed to jump up 5 places to 76th, just outside the top 75 and the "special" start as they call it. Roberto and Nacho had very good days and gained places while Ramon broke his chain at the bottom of the last climb, and lost a lot of time. A tough one for him.

Below are a few pics from the day, including a couple from the massage table. Each day we get a free massage, and it has really helped.

Tomorrow is the final day into Nice, and the course has been changed, a lot, as they are expecting a big storm to roll in just as we would be arriving at the end of the climb. the result is that the first 60km will be neutralized, then we have a 40km, 800m climb. This will be a power climb and fast, to the top of the Col De Vence, then it is all over. We wait for the last person, and roll into Nice together for a planned 1pm arrival. They have cut a 1,200m climb, which is a bugger, as i am climbing above my overall placing, but not to worry.

Also tomorrow Leah gets to meet the Mexicans, which will be a laugh, and we have booked a restaurant for dinner. It should be fun.

Well signing off from the gym where we are sleeping tonight.

Cheers

hamish

On the front row of the starting line

Drafting the motorbikes at the start.

A crazy village built into the side of a very steep hill. The road zig-zagged down fropm up there sommewhere.

Hanging out at the end of the neutralized section, waiting to form up into a pelaton

Scottie, dead, at the top of the last climb.

Nacho enjoying his daily massage

Roberto in the hurt zone, again, but this time on the table

Hotel De Gym.....

Posted with Blogsy

Stage 5 update - time trail day - the day of reckoning

Time trail done. 23.5km, 1521m climbing, up from the green, tree lined valley floor to the top of the highest road in Europe, the Cime de la Bonette at 2,802m. A good day on the bike for me. This was a true time trail, as we started at 20 sec intervals from a starting chute, with someone holding your bike, and counting you down then it was all on for the next 90 or so minutes.

I had a good day, and managed to come in 57th overall with a time of 1:28:55. Very happy with the effort, as i worked for that result. Overall no change today as still 81st, but now have about a minute on the 82nd place. The challenge for me is that the Mexicans I have been riding with have all managed to sneak into the top 75, so they get the special starting spot. Tomorrow, I will be chasing to catch up with them as i want to ride with them and use them as pace setters.

For those who like numbers my stats from today were:

Climbing 1,521m

Distance: 23.5km

Time: 1:28:55

Average HR: 149

Average power: 336watts for the just under 90 minutes

Ave speed: 15.7km/hr

Fastest time: 1:05:00. Second fastest 1:13:00.

How do i feel now at 9:30pm, a little tired and a full tummy... Post dinner of another meal of a huge salad and pasta. I do not think i need to eat pasta for some time post this race.

A few pictures are below. I enjoyed the coffee pre-ride today. My first real coffee since Geneve, and got to enjoy another one post ride as well.

Overall a good day, and am ready for bed.

 

What is on the menu for tomorrow:

Pra Loup to Auron, via Col De Cayolle and a couple of other cols. Total distance is 143km and here is the kicker. Climbing 3,800m including a 800m steep finishing time up to Auron. As an added bonus, we get to sleep in a gym tomorrow night....... Yes, basic accommodation means basic this time.

Cheers for all the support, and sorry if i have not answered any emails. I am just about out of data

Waiting for the start, drinking coffee

View from the starting ramp... Only pain to come.

Nacho as happy as ever, post stage finish. You have to love those long white socks.

Celebrating at the top of the La Bonette

 

Nacho and I

 

Spectacular is all i can say

 

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Haute Route - Day 4 - An "easier" day

Day 4 done. Half way there, and the "easy" day done. It all depends on how you define easy doesn't it. 111km, and 3000m climbing including a 500m climb up to Pra Loup, that just got steeper at the end does not sound so easy. This is also the climb that Eddy Merckx famously passed out on and lost the 1975 Tour De France to Bernard Thevenet. Included in that 3,000m climbing today was the Col D'Izoard and the Col De Vars. Two big names the Col D'Izoard was on my list of climbs. Worth the sweat, although I would have rather climbed it with fresh legs.

So the quick run down of the day. After another cold downhill cycle from our basic accommodation 4km from the start, we stood around for 30 mins getting colder before the rolling start. I think after the late arrival on the bus yesterday, everyone was early today. It was a rolling start out of Serre Chevalier, and a cold one as well for the first 10km to the bottom of the Col D'Izoard. I think i had the whole body shivers it was so cold, and as you are in a controlled group, there is nothing you can do but shiver. That all sorted it self out pretty quickly on the climb, and before we knew it vests and arm warmers were off and we were all sweating our way up.

A bit on Serre Chevalier. A very pretty little town, that i can only imagine in winter must be very spectacular, as the mountains rise up all around it, and the village itself has always been a village, not a 70's build which a lot of the ski villages are here. Very old houses, nestled in beside a stream, with mountains all around. Quite the view, and very scenic.

I have inserted a couple of pics from the start and climb below. The start was cold, and today I rode with Naco, one of my fellow Mexican team mates. Good fun, as he is as funny as hell, and does not stop talking, which is actually good for hiding the pain on the uphill. He had several small groups all laughing as we worked our way up.

The downhill was fast! A sweeping downhill from 2,380m to 1,000m and then a drag race along the flat, on a particularly unpleasant narrow road at the bottom that had been carved out of the cliff. This would have been much more pleasant if we did not have a truck in front of us thinking he is was a racing car driver, and we managed to pass him, and then we had him behind us for a bit. Fortunately he had to slow down as the road was so narrow he and a car could not pass. This gave us space! We also hit a steeper downhill, and turned off shortly for the second climb of the day, the Col D' Vars. Just a 19km climb and 1,100m. It seems a bit of a blur, as i was hurting at this stage. (I did not eat enough early, and had not gone onto gels yet. Lesson learned...). Naco and i were lucky on the flat as we got dragged along by the leading female. On the flat she was a machine, but we dropped her on the climb, but not before i managed to snap a picture.

Our luck of having people to work with continued as after the downhill there was a 30km flat - downhill to the base of the climb, and we had 20 people in a paceline. Our lucky day as we drag raced along the valley floor towards the final climb. This definitely saved my legs and saved a heap of energy. Onto the final climb, I think i may have burnt a match as they say in cycling as i went hard. Not sure why, but i did and it hurt. This was my hardest effort yet, and happy to be able to put the effort in on day 4.

Pra Loup, a ski town, and the Haute Route has taken over the main small village square today. The backdrop was stunning as the town looks out over another amazing Alps range, and all around us are the alps.Tonight we are staying in a boarding school, a good new one, in the town of Barcelonette, a few km down the hill from Pra Loup. As a basic accommodation person, we are often out of town. Unfortunately Roberto and the rest of the crew are up in Pra Loup, so i have nto seen that much of them.

Tomorrow, is the individual time trail up the Cime De La Bonette. 23km, and 1,500m climbing awaits. It should be all over between 1.5 hrs and 1.75 hours. Lets see how the legs feel after todays effort.

I am going to end this update with some things that have impressed me.

• the one legged and one arm rider. Yes, he is doing this with 1 leg and 1 arm. Amazing and inspirational. He is also going on to do the Haute Route - Pyrenees
• The riders who finish just in front of the lateen Rouge. I typically get in between 12:30 and 1pm, and start my recover then. Food etc. Imagine been on the road for another 3-4 hours. Everything is pushed back, and then they do it again. That just sounds really hard, that long on the bike
• 30+ motor bikes that follow us everywhere. Yesterday we had an escort for the best part of 50 km, all the way through Italy. Just in front of the group clearing traffic as well as giving us a lead. Today we had one for about 10km of the flat downhill. These guys do a great job in keeping it safe, plus you feel like a PRO, with the bike just in front of you.

How did i do today. 4:23:40, for 81st on the day. Overall my time is 19:44:30 for 78th. The consistency strategy is working as i am climbing places. If i get into the top 75, i get to start with the leaders, and this is where Roberto and Ramon are. Maybe tomorrow. I need a couple of people to have bad days, and me another consistent one.Signing off now as the shower is hot, and the briefing for tomorrow starts in 25 mins. Also i am running out of roaming data, so i may not be responding to emails until i find wireless, and here in France, that is HARD.

Thanks for all the support.

Hamish

Naco and the women's yellow jersey wearer. I think she may have slowed down to get away from the consistent chatter:)

Naco at the start. I now have kit like he does. Day 6 and 7 I will be proudly supporting it.

Towards the top of the Col D'Izoard

The bike park and mountains in the background at Pra Loup. As a side note, 11 bikes got stolen a couple of nights ago from a hotel... Look has given them bikes to complete the event on.

The Mavic support cars. Just like the pros

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Haute Route - Day 3 update - The Marathon stage

Day 3 update. Post Marathon stage, sitting in hotel trying to recover.

In hotel, now post dinner.

Todays adventure started in a chilly 3 degrees Val D'Isere after a 30 minute bus trip from Tignes where our budget accommodation was. It was a bit of a mad rush to get to the start as the bus got in at 635 and it was a 7am start, but we all made it. I started a lot further back than planned but as it was a climb first up it really did not matter so much. The first climb was up to the top of a even colder 1 degree Col D' Isrean (another famous col). I looked back as i started the descent and was a little annoyed that i did not get a picture it it was bleak and at the same time beautiful. High above the tree line, an old stone building and then all of the support cars and tents for the race. A little surreal but at the same time kinda cool as you feel pretty pro with all the support.

The drop down was one of the best downhills I have done for a while. A long sweeping, but very cold downhill, and to add to the spice we descended through layer of fog, that managed to coat the glasses and at high speed this is not what you want. After finally dropping into the valley, we then climbed up into Italy and dropped down a very steep twisty downhill into Sasa. Leah and I may need to come back here as it was very pretty. Old castle, old town, and plenty of places to drink coffee. No coffee today as we had a 35km climb in front of us and I was in a group of about 20 riders. No messing around today. We were also cautious as we knew that a nasty climb, the Italian climbs seem to be steeper, and then a 35km deceptive valley climb into a headwind lay in wait. The good thing was that the group stuck together over the short steep climb, then all the up the valley. I think this really saved me today as some others got pretty beat up battling into the wind in the valley. I also suspect that most of the group may have been working harder than me as well as we rolled to the last aid station just before the next headwall climb, and they took their time. That was the end of the them, and i only saw them at the end after the climb then a fast 35km gentle downhill into Serre Chevalier for the finish. All up 163km and 3,500m climbing in just under 6 hours.

Roberto and Ramon started 3 minutes in front of me, and i think i finished 3 mins and 30 seconds behind them having not seen them all day. They kept expecting me to catch them from behind, but not today.

I am happy with today as felt good, and was able to put in a good last climb. My strategy of going a little easier the first two days may pay off, as i was able to climb at a steady rate today, and did not hurt. Lets see how tomorrow goes.

Tomorrow is an easier day, on paper.... Only 119km and 3,000m climbing... `another typical day on the Haute Route as we conquer the Col D'Izoard, and another climb before a little kicker 700m climb up to Pra Loup. My plan is to ride with my Mexican team mates. They are also on the home page of the Haute Route at the moment.....

I thought I would finish todays update with a day in the life of a Haute Route cyclist, (this was today)

5am - alarm

5:30 breakfast

6am - 6:30 bus to start line (This was a little unusual)

7am start (either 7 or 8 depending on how long they think the stage will take)

1-2pm arrive at finish

Post finish.

- Recovery drink

- hot lunch which the organizers provide. Pasta and a salad

Then find the sign up sheet for 15 minute massage. (Follow the disneyland maps, as everyone gets lost. The signage has got a lot better as a lot of compliants as we walked around the small ski village looking for some random building)

- Shower, in gym where massage is

- 15 minute massage

4pm or so - find hotel. This can take 5 mins or 15 mins as they are not signposted very well. Today it was a 4km ride away.

- sort out stuff for next day. Pin on number etc, and maybe do some hand laundry. Sort out food for next days ride

6pm - 6:30 race briefing for the next day

6:30 - 8:30pm - dinner. A lot of food

8:30- hitch hike back to hotel, (basic place), as no taxis

- stretch and foam roll for a bit. Email

9:30pm bed, and hope that your room mate(s) do not snore and go to bed about the same time as you

Repeat.....

Some pics from today are below. The high mountains ones are from the climb up from Val D'Isere to the Col D'Isere. No pics from Italy, as the camera was buried a bit deep after shedding all the layers.

Cheers

 

 

hamish

Cold start a long way back..

The village of Val D'Isere is down there.

all smiles...

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