SpoonBoy

*BANG*

25 mins into a 165km race and it is now I was seriously regretting not changing that chain I had meant to earlier in the week. The plan was so simple, hang off the lead bunches till the going got hilly, then back off into something more manageable for the rest of the race, but with a swift turn of the cranks I was left standing trail side, bike up side down while hordes of people past me by. We were all racing in the 3rd running of the Highland Fling Nominally a 100km race through New South Wales’ luscious Southern Highlands. This year, with the time limit extended to 9:30 and with many an enduro race tucked under my belt it was time to give the 100 mile option a go. But even with the longer time limt, this would be no easy race and standing there trail side, the clock was ticking.

With 165km’s to cover, I was unlikely to have an uneventful race. I wasn’t however expecting to break a power link really only moments after the start. Throwing a fresh one on I was going again with only a few minutes down time, but losing a lead bunch to work with early could prove costly. But now I was on a mission! Joining the queues of riders as we weaved through the remnants of the once abundant array of Primo Penrose single track, I was left to make my move once we hit the fire roads, out of the Saddle, in the air, up the hills, hoping to clamber back what time I could before the next section of single track.

The race continued as we passed through the Early Bath chest deep in water before making our way into the open paddocks of Boag’s Draft. With no one to work with, I ducked and weaved through my fellow competitors before passing Dreggsy (ironically stopped with a broken chain) and pushing onto one last final section of road and into Wingello transition in 1:30. A little behind where I wanted to be but with my main intention to just finish inside the limits, I wasn’t massively off track

After passing straight through Wingello transition, I arrived at the Mile High club (the silly ones get our own wee area ;) only to find a small bunch of guys just leaving. A mad scramble for food, water, and a bit of lube later and I was back on my mission in the hope of catching those guys just in front.

Still passing people, we rolled through the many fire roads and 4wd tracks of Wingello forest mostly undulating with the odd high speed descent (or pinchy climb). The tracks were in fantastic condition, despite the large amounts of rain that had dumped on the area over the last week. We were still not quite in the depths of Wingello though and only time was going to tell with the darker, less sandy soils that were in the area would hold for us. Any fears of long stretches of gluggy mud were unfounded, and while still a bit tacky, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking “Wow, these trails are going to be fantastic the 2nd time around!”

A left turn would take us into a new section of single track ( where did this come from? it wasn’t here last year!) The trail fairies had been busy! Beautiful flowing single track on dark, tacky soil. A quick bridge and more fantastic single track just following the gradients across the hill side. Short sections of fire trail and a couple of short pinches were the penalty for a whole lot of fun. Even tangles, a nightmare section from last year, proved to be just a great little section of trail. But it wasn’t going to last for ever, and after a short section of fire trail, the course would take us past the Gu station, probably a good thing given what was to come.

If Halfway hill wasn’t bad enough, one long grind would be rewarded with another. In fact, halfway hill was probably the least of your worries as the trail made way to my most hated climb. Soft red soil and deep ruts would keep you on your toes as you climbed back to the hill tops in the open sun. Some trees provided a little respite later on but the climb would just keep on going. It didn’t seeme to matter what I did here as I struggled to keep my heart rate in check and off the red line. I don’t even remember what the section was called (did it have a name?) but it didn’t matter and the pain would quickly fade as we headed through the fast flowy undulated terrain of the Wild West.

Out of saddle up the short climbs and then down the descents, I was motoring along and still passing people. Dreggsy had caught up briefly on that climb that shall not be named, but into the rolling terrain I was back into my “power zone”. A few more grinds through the outer limits, I passed another “miler” with a broken chain and finally caught up with Ray Giddins already declaring defeat. The race wasn’t over though and after popping out, back onto dirt roads with not a soul in site, I was in the big ring all the way into transition to see 4:30 tick over on my race time. The news, only 2 other riders in front (or was that 3?)!

Another quick scramble for food, water and lube and I was back out on the road into Wingello forest. It was a lonely existence as you powered along the dirt road, no one to draft off, or to chat to. Heading out into the middle of the day with the sun beating down from above, it was getting a little warm too. Being out on your own wasn’t all bad though; with the advantage of having ridden it already you now had a clean run at well, everything ;) nailing corners and descents with only yourself to blame for slowing you down you couldn’t help but have a little fun, and with 600 sets of tires having ridden it already, many a section had become seriously buff.

long gaps between check points and with the knowledge that potentially no one was behind you to help, I had started to grow a little paranoid. constantly I would hear hear my rear tire going flat, or more peculiarly, peoples voices off in the distance; was that a rider up ahead talking to a marshal or just a bird or some other noise? and with only the sound of your own breathing and the gears grinding, the noise from the cicadas just seemed to grow into this incredibly loud roar!

It was actually with some relief to pull into the Gu station again to say more than just a Hello to someone while I stopped for a water refill. I had started to get the odd twinge of cramp and had clearly let my hydration lag a little. Conscious of this and with the increasing heat, I’d managed to empty my camel back. So with a full camel back and a swig of oh so refreshingly cold Gu2O later, I was on my way to hit half way hill and *cough* that other hill *cough*.

Things were really starting to hurt here, 20k’s out from transition, with quite a few *big* hills to come I was starting to watch the clock a little more intently. I figured I needed a little more than the 1:30 between the two cutoffs to complete the last stage and allow for a little head room, and things were shaping up to make transition with about 20mins leeway. I had to blink twice, but I also started seeing people again (no no.. real actual people!) I grew excited on the prospect one of them could be another 100 miler starting to hit the wall only to see the F on their plate, still completing the Forests NSW loop for the first time. Wild west would give way to the outer limits, and yet more 100k riders started to appear. Out onto the last section of road with a slight head wind forming and legs hurting, I kept my eye on the clock as my 20 minute buffer turned into 15, finally pulling into the mile high club for the last time at 7:47 race time.

Water, Coke, and a pocket full of coffee Gu, I was out the other side to the cheers of the Wingello marshals at the 7:52 mark. The mission now? to make it home before 5pm! (oh and to keep the contents of my stomach well…. in my stomach). Quite a few stragglers were appearing now and calls to “rider up” were met with “Go man Go!”. Matt Barr, stationed out at one of the creek crossings called out “well done craig” but I couldn’t help but think “I’m not there yet!” the stage had only really just begun!

With my computer sensor dieing early on, I had no idea how far was left to go. Torn between not wanting to let up and not knowing how fast I was going, I was constantly treading a fine line with a sustainable pace. There had been some changes to the final stage over last year, and it was only until the 10k to go sign appeared with 35mins to go that I had any resemblance of knowing if I was going to make it. I still had to pin it though, but on a high of caffine and coke I was starting to feel confident.

Down the trail and the free bike wash appeared ahead, then the great sandy desert, I was getting close. Digging deep, I was out of the saddle for a few short climbs before arriving at your call. Up the short side with really only a few pinchy rocks to deal with but still in granny and the clock was ticking! 4ks to go and out on the road in the big ring for the 40km/hr descent. 2k’s to go and a gradual but painful little grind out of the saddle in the middle ring and about 17mins to go! The maths took a bit to work out, but I figured I’d done it, even backing off a little to zip up my jersey before getting out of the saddle for one last short pinch, marshals cheering by the road side and suddenly I can hear Huw over the speaker, Tents appearing from the pony club and most importantly the finish line, I’d done it! I was home… can I collapse in a heap now? :)

After about 9hours and 20mins I crossed the line, one shattered rider and 100miles on the rocket clock but completely stoked at what I’d just completed. The news? only two riders in front! yeah right, I’ve heard that on and off all day. This time it was true, and with barely enough time to grab some food and sit down I was standing on the podium for third place!

Tech & Tips

Tires: Tires were a big bone of contention going into this race. Everyone I spoke to was expecting a mud bath and many went with tires to suit. With many long sections of fire trail, dirt road and 4wd tracks, anything with excessive knobs I thought was just going to be too much. If it was really gluggy then it probably wasn’t going to matter what tire you had on, you’d be off the bike or struggling anyway. To that end I stuck with my tire combo I’d been using for other enduro races, the Syncros FLT front and Conti Twister supersonic rear. I meant to bring a 2nd Syncros for the rear *just in case* but well… forgot and it was a moot point anyway. A puncture during the 2nd loop of the Forests NSW stage had me briefly regretting not throwing something a little heavier on the rear, but Stansed up with a bit of “Slime” in the mix, the hole miraculously (given the size of it!) sealed up and held on for the rest of the race!

The 7 P’s: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. In this case, that power link I’d been looking at for the last couple of weeks, thinking maybe I should swap it out, made the decision for me. Too bad it was 25mins into the race :/ in fact, had it held on for another hour or so, the net impact would have been significantly better with the field spread out a little more and more open fire trail to sneak back past. While the actual down time for the repair was probably only a few minutes, the collateral damage was possibly much higher, maybe as much as 15mins between the first two stage!?. C’est la vie, and such is mountain bike racing…. Be good to your drive train kiddies! :)

Summary

I had a lot of fun this year. The single track seemed to have more flow, the hills less hurty and weather was brilliant. The support and cheers from the volunteers and marshals was fantastic, and I tried to thank every one as I went past, Especially the “Soigneurs” at the mile high lounge who couldn’t have been more helpful!

Riding the 160km’s was never going to be the concern, making the time cutoffs was. With my computer sensor dieing early I ended up just heading out hard the entire time, only settling into a more reasonable pace on some of the flatter sections. This proved to pay off and as it turned out, missing the cutoffs was never an issue.

If you didn’t think I was mad enough, I entered this race purely with the intention of having some fun and for a bit of a different challenge. Racking up on the start line with the other flingers, I felt calm and relaxed, the thoughts of what were to come didn’t even cross my mind. Having now finished, my legs still a bit stiff and the grazes healing, I can safely say I had an absolute blast!

Thanks again must go to Huw, the Dark Side and all the volunteers for putting on yet another fantastic event! See you all next year!

Happy Trails!

Cheers
Craig

Photos with the kind permission of Rob Parbery