Rock Hop 6 Hour Enduro at Beaconsfield

This would have to have been the hardest race I have been involved in to date. The rain didnt stop all day on Saturday and driving out there Sunday morning was hard to see out the windscreen for all the rain, was sort of hoping I would get there and they would have cancelled it, but nope I got there about 8.30 and it was all happening.

So I rock up to the Croydon Cycleworks tent and ask if my 2 other teammates had dragged their butts out of bed to compete in our mixed triples team, I had spoken to Mick about one of my teammates the day before and found out he was pretty crook and most likely would not ride, this was confirmed in our conversation this morning and that I would be doing a mixed double team but about 20 minutes later we found out the he was no show too, so the discussion was made to combine the 2 other Croydon Cycleworks teams and put me in a mixed 4 which I quickly knocked back and suggested I do it solo, seemed like a good idea at the time, race didnt start off on a good note with my chain coming off twice going up the hill on the start line and passing my sponsor Mick at the Croydon Cyleworks tent about 30 seconds after the slowest riders so looked like the biggest hack 1 minute in to the race and then headed straight into a big mud bath, with my logic before the race that the rain was good thing as in my crazy mixed up mind I thought it would slow me down allowing me to pace myself for the race and conserve energy. Conserve energy???? Yeah right, What was I thinking, must have been having one of my moments I seem to be having alot of at the moment. Riding in the mud really takes it out of you, and added extra kilos to my already heavy big metal thing I am getting around on at the moment, not only that but my forks siezed up quite a while ago now and the ruts and rocks on the course were really taking their toll on my wrists and shoulders. Anyway enough whinging from me, on to the good stuff, uuuummmmmmm, ok I finished and didnt crash.

The course was made up by 9klms of mainly single track with rocky sections and 'the rock' that the race name comes from, which I had no chance of getting over and just stood there in amazement when I watched Paul Randell go over it so smoothly. Was a pretty technical course made even harder by the heavy rain, luckilly the rain held off for most of the race, with a fairly heavy downpour heading in to my second lap not far from the comfort of the tent I definitely let out a couple of swear words and got the sooks up big time and just wanted to ride back to the tent but it was short lived and the rain eased off and I was happy again, well perhaps not happy but settled down a bit anyway.

The course really did my head in and yet again had me doubting myself and whether I should or shouldnt be having a crack at the racing and just sticking to riding the trails at Lysterfield, I could do that but that would take out the best bits of Mountain Biking, the challenge of racing a course like this is one thing, riding it for 6 hours is another and as much I was getting down on myself for not being able to do what I wanted to do out there the great sense of acheivement I felt when I crossed the finish line for the last time was plenty of reward for what I had just put myself through and when I think about it I was one of only 3 girls to attempt it solo and managed to be the 2nd best solo girl on the day so that has to stand for something and is motivation enough to become the 1st best female in the years to come. I certainly have realised that it is going to take me a long time to get to where I want to be with my racing so for now the aim is just to relax and have fun with it until that time comes.

So I am struggling up a climb and one of the riders posed the question to me as to whether I would do another solo enduro, a quick No from me was the response as was the same response given after the Anaconda Enduro last week but I figure if I can do 6 hours on this track in those conditions then for sure I can do the next Anaconda Enduro solo, so decision made, my next race will be at Lysterfield on the 1st of June as a 6 hour solo compettior.

Overall was a good race and was great to have the Croydon Cycleworks guys there, they made sure I did the right thing with my eating and drinking this race, I was a bit of a mess after Lysterfield and felt heaps better at the end of this race today no doubt by doing the right thing by keeping hydrated and fed.

Thank You's

Croydon Cycleworks, Mick made sure my bike was good to go before the race and all the guys kept me motivated to keep riding.

All the riders that gave me encouragement when I just wanted to sit on the side of the track and throw a tantrum.

And Thanks to my photographer mate Gary Trounson for coming out in the cold to snap away at us and thanks for the photo above. Check out http://www.gteephotography.com/ to see if he got any of you.

Quote for today

"That's the beauty of mountain-bike racing - there isn't a f-ing pill available out there that helps you ride down a mountain faster."--Adam Craig

Until next time Happy biking

Kat

Anaconda Enduro Series @ Lysterfield

My first solo enduro, the idea was to do this one solo to see if I could handle doing the whole series solo, well that wont be happening, I ended up doing 5 laps of a 10klm course in 5 hours, the last lap was a big struggle for me, about half way through I really didnt think I would make the rest of the lap and just basically had the shits with the world, was getting angry with myself and just stuffing things up which made me worse and started getting a bit emotional and feeling like I really should not be doing it, everything I made it up or over in the first lap I just could not do and really had nothing left in me to get up the hills, it was very slow going and alot of stops to get me through.
I knew my laps would be 45-60mins and was given the advice to eat every hour and also have a gel, after the first lap I was feeling pretty good and the laps actually didnt seem to take that long so figured I would be ok for another lap before stopping to have a gel and food, as I passed the finish line to go on to my third lap I still felt pretty good so decided again to push on for another lap and then stop, about half way through this lap I started to feel a bit crap, was hungry and legs were not feeling good at all, I knew I was not drinking enough water but didnt feel thirsty so just kept riding, I pulled in after my third lap and had a power bar and a gel and went on to to my 4th, I felt ok for a while but as soon as I got to a climb my legs just had nothing in them and I was very slow going up.
I finished my last lap just after the 5 hour mark, feeling pretty sore and sorry for myself, I guess you can expect to feel sore after 5 hours of riding but to feel like you have just had a big night out is not right, was not feeling good at all, and as the guys said I obviously did not have enough water through the race and also should have been eating too, very valuable lesson learnt and I will know for the next one.
I think I will pass on the solo entry for the next 3 rounds of the series and team up with another rider. I have alot work to do on my fitness and skills before I attempt another solo enduro.
Overall I enjoyed the race, the course was alot of fun and everyone could obviously see that I was struggling up the hills so were very encouraging which definitely helped especially on the last couple of laps. I also made it through the day crash free which is always a good thing.
I am riding in the 6 hour at Beaconsfield next week in a team of 3 with 2 Croydon Cycleworks riders so should be alot fun. No excuse to not eat and drink there as I will have plenty of time between laps.

Quote for the day

Eat, drink and be Merry

Quoted by some dude in the bible but more importantly a verse out of a song by Dave Matthews Band, this quote would have come in handy for me today brother taped across my handle bars.

Until next time happy riding

Kat

6th and Final Round of the VSS XC at Beaconsfield

The final round of the Vic Summer Series was held out at Beaconsfield, they obviously saved the best for last, well perhaps not the best the but definitely the hardest for me, with some tight single track sections and plenty of logs and rocks to get over it was a challenge enough in itself without adding heavy rain overnight into the equasion. I pre rode the track the day before when it was dry, just as we were leaving it started pouring so I was nervous as to how the track would be in the wet and having only ever ridden a wet track once before this made me even more nervous.

So we are lining up on the start line freezing our butts off and the nerves are really kicking in now, again it is just me and Megan in contention for 1st place and I didnt think I had any chance at all of beating her on this track. We took off into the Pines section and I got through this bit OK, I was right behind Megan as we headed over the bridge and into the first climb, this was a struggle for me to try and get up and Megan and I both ended up walking up the hill, we both got to the top at the same time and took off into a bit of a downhill, I was focused on staying with her as much as I could until unexpectedly I slid out and hit a tree, my thigh taking the impact, with a corky that reminded me of when my brother and I used to have punching competitions to see who could give the best dead leg I jumped back on my bike and took off again, with Megan in my sights I pushed harder to catch her and again we were pushing our bikes up the next hill climb, at this stage the Elite guys had caught up to us and as usual I was trying my best to stay off the track and out of their way all the while Megan was getting away from me, so with the advice of many of the riders I decided to see how I would go with trying to keep riding while the riders pass me instead of stopping to let them pass, seems it is not that much of a drama after all and they all seemed to get around me fairly easily while still giving me some kind words of encouragement along the way. That is until a wider section of the track and Murray Spink and Adrian Jackson were battling for 1st place, they came up behind me and I heard Murray call Track so I went to move left but Adrian had started passing on that side and Murray was passing on the right, Adrian caught him here and passed him on the corner so didnt feel too good about that one. Murray went on to be the eventual winner of the race and the Series.
I came up to a section of the track and young Trent Bucknell had a branch stuck through his chain and derailleur so I figured I had no chance of catching Megan and it didnt really matter if I did anyway so I stopped to help, away I go again and almost at the end of the first lap I was about to go in between 2 trees when I saw some fast riders coming up behind me, I unclipped and went to pull to the left, slipped on my pedals and made and absolute dick of myself, hit the tree and nearly blocked the track for them, anyway we all got away unscathed and I went in to my next lap, was going along OK until I mucked up going over a few rocks and had a bit of a tumlbe, one of the Elite girls had just passed me and was around the corner when it happened and I heard hell yell out 'Are you OK?' yeah I am fine keep going I yelled out, 'Are you sure?' was her reply , 'Yeah yeah keep going i'm right' I yelled back, then I got around the corner and realised I had made a dick of myself for the 2nd time, she was actually asking Mary if she was alright and I was answering as if she was yelling out to me, Mary had crashed into a rock and was crouched on the side of the track so I stopped with her for a sec and then we walked off together and had a bit of chat along the way, was nice to relax a bit during a race rather than just trying to catch Megan the whole time.
I was nearing the finish line and was going through a nice fast section and perhaps got a bit carried away and nearly cleaned myself up again, so just reminded myself to ride within my ability (my ability? mmm..havent worked that one out yet but working on it) so I pulled up a bit and just finished safely, no good crashing out a few hundred metres from the finish line. Megan ended up beating me by 9 minutes in a well deserved win on a tough track. I actually found the track better in the wet than it was when it was dry the day before, just a bit dodgy going over some of the logs and rocks.
I definitely need to work on the cardio side of things, I was sounding like an asthmatic going up some of the hills and while my legs felt good I just could not catch my breath so that held me back a fair bit, back to doing the 1000 steps for me.
So overall my first season of racing with all the good and bad bits thrown in has been an awesome experience for me and after getting down on it after the bad rounds I am so glad I persisted with it and finished the series. When I look back to where I was 5 months ago to where I am now it gives me great sense of acheivement and inspires me to work harder to get better at this sport.
Next up for me is the Chase the Sun Series at Lysterfield on the 11th of May which I am competing in as my first solo race. The first round is 5 hours and depending on how I go there I will decide whether I continue the series Solo or do it in a team. After that is the Rock Hop at Beaconsfield the following week and then on to the Winter series which consists of 4 rounds at Beaconsfield. So it looks like I will be spending some time out at Beaconsfield training over the next couple of months.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I have had alot people comment on it and it is great to get your feedback, I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences and hopefully it paints a picture for you of what it is like for me as new comer to this sport in my conquest for that elusive win.

Thank You's

As always Croydon Cycleworks, was good to have Mick Jamison there on Sunday to cheer on myself and Jim http://www.croydoncycleworks.com/shop/

Rob Faull for convincing me to come and race after I had found a dog on the side of the road tangled in Blackberry bushes on my way to the race and was torn between taking him to hte RSPCA and going to race, worked out OK, the pound came and picked him up just before the start of the race, poor little fella, I hope they were able to track down his owners.

Also to James for helping me out on the Saturday, I would not have been able to get through the technical stuff without his help.

I have decided to add a quote the end of each of my blog entries so here goes

Quote for today
Vincent Lombardi NFL CoachIf winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?

Kat

Round 5 VSS XC Wombat

The penultimate round of the VSS was held out at Wombat track today. I headed out there yesterday to pre ride the track hoping to get one up on my competition, not the greatest idea as I decided I didnt like the track and had it in my head that I couldnt ride it. I called Rob Faull to tell him of my dillema, turns out it was not much of a dillema at all, pretty much the respone I got was to quit whinging about it just ride it. And fair enough too, I cant just pick and choose which courses I am going to ride and if it is too tough for me then I really have to question whether or not I should be having a go at this.

Turns out the course was not as hard as I made out to be on Saturday, I was in a crappy mood on Saturday and perhaps a bit emotional so was probably not in the right frame of mind to be riding out there on my own in the first place so was being a bit dramatic I think, anyway its Sunday morning and as soon as race mode kicked in all the obstacles I didnt attempt the day before soon seemed like no big deal at all.

With 3 girls in my class I was always assured of a podium but not really a legitimate one when you come third and there are only three of you in it! I was up against my nemesis Megan Lawson and a new chick Lisa, I was sizing her up and decided she was not much to worry about and that Megan would be my main concern, with only 1 and 2 minutes seperating us in previous races I was fairly confident I could keep with her on the first lap and hopefully get away from her on the hills, well we took off from the start and I let Megan go ahead on the single track planning to stick behind her and had Lisa behind me not worried about her at all, about half way in the elite guys started passing and I started stopping to let them get past, I could see Megan and Lisa getting away from me but am so worried about getting in the way of the fast riders I didnt want to continue on the single track and hold up riders, this is something I need to overcome, dont know how but I need to.

By the second lap I was pretty sure they would have been a fair way ahead of me and had given up any hope of a legitimate podium so decided to just try and enjoy it, which I did, as soon as I stopped worrying about where they were and trying to catch them everything actually went fairly smoothly and was definitely able to enjoy it more.

I ended up with 3rd and last place for the day and was beaten by 8 minutes so not quite as I had hoped but really was the best I could do on the day. Megan came second losing to Lisa by 21 seconds.

I was pretty down on it all after the race and really was wondering whether I should continue or not. I guess I have 2 choices, I can give up and go along and photograph the events to try and make some money or I can stop sooking and try to up my training which is pretty much non existent at the moment (due to work and uni commitments). I think a 6am jog tomorrow is looking to be the go for me rather than the 4 times I hit the snooze button. I am yet to win a race and cant give up until that happens and then when it does I will just have to keep winning to win the series and then I will start racing in the Expert class and this business of coming last will all start again and on it all goes, so giving up is just not an option.

I love riding and the atmosphere at the races and regardless of whether I win or lose (well lose or lose) I have mostly had alot of fun at all of the races, even at the Youee's race with my constant crashing and very bad result I still enjoyed it. I have also met some great people through it and some great riding partners.

One more round to go, hosted by my club Dirt Riders http://www.dirtridersmtb.com/ and then bring on the Vic Winter Series!

Thanks You's

Thanks again to Rob Faull, although we have not been able to train lately he is still a big motivator to me and I know if I do call him when I am doubting myself he will sort me out pretty quickly. http://www.mtbfit.com/

Croydon Cyclworks http://www.croydoncycleworks.com/shop/

And to Dave Blair for teaching me how to change a tyre!

Until next time Happy Biking!

Kat

SH.I.T.S, Beechworth 6 Hours in The Saddle

My first Enduro! I left work early on the Friday, bad headache (yeah right!) and headed up the Hume to Beechworth, I made my arrival to my accommodation of choice, well not really a choice it was either here or pay $120 for a room on my own so I opted for the cheapskates accommodation being the Commercial Hotel. I paid for my room grabbed my key and headed straight out to the Beechworth Mountain Bike Park. I met Graeme (on the left in the photo above) and his brother Brian who were staying at the same Pub as me, they were later to be my dinner dates for the night and thank god for that too, the room was about 3x3 metres and had a bed and a sink in it and that's all so would have been a boring night otherwise. Anyway, I changed in to my gear and headed off on my bike on to what is definitely the best track I have ridden, mainly single track and quite rocky and technical, no massive climbs, fantastic! for me anyway. Riding it on the Friday was great as there were not too many other riders out there so had the track pretty much to myself.

Saturday was a different story with over 200 riders I was quite nervous as the track was quite tight and me being a stress head I was worried I would get in the fast riders way and was having second thoughts about riding. As it was the rider I was going to partner with had not shown up or let me know if he was or was not coming so I was trying to decide to ride it solo or just take photos all day, the photography was looking to be a winner when Steve and Jodie Clausen convinced me otherwise, they introduced me to David Jupp who had the same issue with a partner pulling out so we decided to ride as a mixed pair. The decision then needed to be made as to who would do the first lap, I nominated David for the duty, good decision too, the start included an extra 15 minute hill climb.

My first lap was OK, I spent alot of time pulling over to let the other riders pass, 2nd lap was going great, I realised the riders could get around me quite easily without me having to stop and was feeling pretty relaxed, I was heading into the 2nd half of the track along a bit of fire trail when all of a sudden a hissing sound came from below, nope not a snake, a flat! SHIT! No tube, no pump, no idea how to change a tube even if I did have one, oh well better start walking, pretty much every rider offered to help which I knocked back as it was my own fault for not having a tube on me and felt like the biggest idiot too. One of the solo guys was having a tough time and wanted to stop so he pretty much took over and started changing my tyre for me, he only had enough air to half fill the tube so he headed off and I waited until one of the other riders that was not taking it too seriously to lend me a pump, so another rider stops and he starts pumping away to no avail, that tube was dud, back to square one, he was better prepared than me and had 2 spare tubes so gave me one and we got the tyre fixed and I was away again. I quickly went and bought spare tubes to repay the riders and waited for them to pass the finish line so they didnt get stuck out there without a tube.

Last lap hurt, I felt pretty good at the start of the lap but going into the 2nd half of the track this time I was not feeling too good at all, legs were sore, shoulder and back was sore, had a couple spills too so was not feeling great, alot of riders were very encouraging and that kept me going until I got to the last climb before the finish, I didnt think I would be able to ride to the top but somehow managed a very slow ride to the top and then it was pretty much all down hill from there, that was it for me I handed over to my partner and he completed the last lap of the day.
I really enjoyed my first Enduro experience, I like the fact that you get to rest between laps, eat, drink, socialise and then head off and do another lap, seems to be less pressure than the XC races too, everyone seems to be more relaxed and has a chat as they ride along beside you too.
I am planning to do the 6 hour Rock Hop www.dirtridersmtb.com on the 18th of May in a team and the Anaconda Chase the Sun series solo http://www.fullgaspromotions.com.au/new/cts.html on the 11th of May but for now I will concentrate on finishing off the VSS XC with the 5th round this Sunday 13th April and the last round on the 27th. Hopefully with good results at both.

Thank You's for today

Same as usual but special Thanks to David for partnering with me, I am glad I got to ride and didnt attempt it solo, I struggled with 3 hours so dont think I could have made it to 6. Also to Graeme and Brian for their great company both at the Pub Friday night and in between laps on Saturday.

Happy Riding!

Kat

Big Hill Race

Well as the name suggests that's exactly what it was, a race with a bloody big hill, I didnt conquer the thing either, I dont know what was worse trying to walk the damn thing or ride it, either way it equalled pain! Perhaps I will make it up it next year. I had a great race, it was by far the most enjoyable for me, I started right at the back so didnt have to worry about faster riders trying to get by and even managed to pass a few which was a first for me.
I managed to get 4th in the Womens Open which we entered as 36.5klm but were told they threw in an extra 2klms just for good measure, So for the 38.5klms I managed 4th place with a time of 2hours 50min, 11min 47secs off the winner.

The start of the race was a mass start of 200 riders so I stayed right at the back, from the start line we headed out onto a fire trail which went on for not too long before we got into the first bit of single track, I havent ridden very many different tracks but this was alot of fun and by far the best single track I have ridden in my total of 5 races so not much to compare to but that's what I thought, although would have been happier if there was a bit more single track in it but still loved it all the same. From here we came out and back to fire trail, there was a hill we were going up which I thought was pretty big and figured it was 'The Big Hill' I asked one of the guys that was riding in the group I was riding along with if it was in fact 'The Hill' to which he replied 'Nope it's alot bigger than this one', great I thought, I didnt struggle too much with the hill we were on so was quietly confident that I could do the big one, a few more hills came up and I wondered as I got to the top of each of them if they were the notorious Big Hill, hoping once I had got to the top of each one they were, until I spotted it, The Big Hill, there was no doubt in my mind that this was it. There were riders walking their bikes up, not one person ahead of me was on a bike, I pedalled as much as I could but couldnt even make it a quarter of the way, so off my bike and started waliking, then once I thought I had reached the top and got back on the bike for a bit it was there to haunt me again, so back off pushing my bike again not for too long though. From here it was not too far to the first feed point, I had some Powerbars and gels on me and didnt feel like stopping so rejected the offer of the bakery treats they had on offer and kepth going, came to really fast downhill that seemed to go on for ages which was a nice change to all the climbing we had just done, not too sure how fast I got down this section but figured after I had seen the other girls doing the first steep down hill section that they would probably not have gone that fast down it so figured that would have given me a pretty good lead on the others, I knew they would catch me on the up hills so tried to get though the next bit if single track as fast as I could which nearly ended badly with a wet log diagonally across track and my lack of experience riding in the wet, I hit it going pretty quick (or quick for me anyway) and it pretty much slid me sideways along the log towards the trees on the side of the track, I dont know how but I managed to avoid face planting it and remained upright, the only other near off I had was when my handle bar clipped a tree but managed to avoid any disasters there too. Once I got out of this bit of singletrack it was pretty much fire trail the rest of the way, I was on my own for the rest of the race and in some spots I was worried I had gone the wrong way until I spotted another rider off in the distance, I was cruising along nicely, most of it was down hill from here and next thing I spotted the top of one of the Bike tents at the finish line but actually thought I still had at least 10k left to go and thought it might have been a bit of a tease Otway Odyssey style where they have to pass the finish line and go off and do another 13klms past it, it was nice to find out that was not the case and I had finished my first Big Hill Race.

The finish line was very quiet and not too many people around, I figured either I was really slow and everyone was gone or maybe I made it in before the rest of the riders doing the bigger rides which turned out to be the case. I thought it would take me 4 hours and was hoping to do it in less than that so was a nice surprise to find out I had done it in under 3 and beat a bunch of girls in my class and some guys too, so very happy with that result! I planned on taking my camera with me to get photos once I had finished my race but figured there was no point as I thought most of the riders would have finished well before me, including the Elite 90 klm riders so didnt bother,oh well will take it with me next time.

Thank You's for today

First off a huge Thanks to Croydon Cycleworks, they have supported me from the start, Mick Jamison worked on my bike for me on the Friday before the race and just a few small changes to my bike made a huge difference and no doubt had an impact on my result today. Check em out at www.croydoncycleworks.com/shop/

Also to the organisers of this event, they did a great job putting this race together and to the marshalls for volunteering their time to guide us in the right direction. Top job!www.bighillevents.com.au/

Thanks again to Rob Faull for all the help and encouragement http://mtbfit.com/

Round VSS XC Castlemaine

There seems to be a pattern happening with my racing that I hope does not continue, my first round was a shocker, second one was good, third one another shocker and this the fourth round was another good one so going by that every second round is a bad one for me so I should be due for another shocker next round, hoping to break that pattern.
This round was the most enjoyable round for me, perhaps it was due to the number of riders being down this round so I didn't feel too stressed about trying to get out of the way of all the riders, this was the best start order too, we got to go last so didn't have fast guys flying up behind me for what seemed to be a long time before the Elite guys started to lap me, and I actually got to pass a rider that was slower than me, granted he was probably all of 8 years old but I will take it anyway.
I opted for the flat pedals for this race which helped alot with my confidence, still getting used to the clipless pedals and didn't want a repeat of the last round. Megan Lawson, my only compettiton on the day ended up beating me by 2min 59 secs, I could see her most of the race but no matter how hard I pushed I just could not catch her.
The next round is at Wombat State Forest on April 13th still not sure if I can make this round but will do my best to be able to get out there, everyone tells me it is not all about winning just so long as you enjoy it, well it would make it alot more enjoyable if I could actually win one and considering I usually only have 1 or 2 to compete against surely it is acheivable. I am lucky enough to live close to Lysterfield so get to spend some time out there training when I can.
Thank you's for this round
First off Thanks to Rob Faull, Rob has been coaching me once a week since my shocker out at the You Yang's, no doubt this helped me out at this round, it is good to have someone to push you to do things that you think are not capable of and then realising that you can actually do it is a great feeling.
Once again Thanks to everyone I have met since I started out, I have met so many great people all willing to help out however they can and also to the riders during the race giving encouragement when they can see me struggling, generally just an hour and a half of encouragement for me really!

Until next time happy biking!

Kat

Round 3 VSS XC You Yang's

Not a good day for me today, crash count started before the race had even begun, with a total of 5 for the day. I was still getting used to my clipless pedals and struggled to get out of them in time on a couple of sections of Cressy Climb so a bruised backside, ribs and a bloodied knee and elbow later I finally managed to finish the race. Not much to tell about this round, one I would much rather forget about. Came away from it having learnt some more valuable lessons to take into the next round, it seems in this sport all valuable lessons learnt are associated with pain.
That's all from me today, until next time happy riding

Kat

Rnd 2 VSS XC Bendigo

Round 2 of the VSS, held at Sedgwick.

Well definitely a better result than the first round, I actually finished this one! We raced on a 6 klm very rocky and pretty technical course, in my class we had to do 3 laps, I ended up with 2nd place and only 1 min 4 secs behind th winner. I can honestly say it is one if the hardest things I have done, my fitness is still not great but I am working hard on it,also mentally it was really challenging for me, after the second lap I found it hard to concentrate I was starting to hurt and was really struggling with it all, it sort of does your head in after a while and you start to wonder why you are doing this to yourself, that is until the finish line is in sight and suddenly you get all this extra energy from somewhere, then when you pass the finish line it is just the best feeling and then you realise why you are doing this!
I started doing the Wednesday night Dirt Crits run by Knobby Sports www.knobbysports.org, Chris Beales organises this fantastic race in Wantirna, a bunch of people all rock up after work to race each other in a 30 minute dash through a paddock scattered with odd obstacle (cow poo!)
Some exciting news for me, Mick Jamison out at Croydon Cycleworks www.croydoncycleworks.com very generously offered to sponsor me, which is great for me, all the guys there are very experienced athletes and no doubt I will gain alot from it.
I have also had an offer of some training from Rob Faull who is the Vice President of Dirt Riders www.dirtridersmtb.com, the club I have just joined so I look forward to starting some training with him and coming into the next round with some more experience to help me get through the technical stuff, hopefully fitter and better prepared.
Thank you's of the month!
Just one big Thank you to everyone that I have met in the last month, I have learnt so much from just riding with different people each week and I never seem to have a shortage of people to ride with, the one thing I have found with this sport is everyone is willing to help each other out.
Huge Thank you to Croydon Cycleworks for the sponsorship, I look forward to hopefully providing them with some good results in my class.
Well I think that is more than enough from me so until next time happy biking and hope to see you out there!

Kat

My First Mountain Bike Race

Sunday 9th December my first MTB Race!
But before I get to that I will give you the low down on how I got to this point. I got my very first Mountain Bike on the 26th October 07, I didn't have too many plans to ride the thing, didn't want to knock back the generous offer of a shiny new Mountain Bike from a friend, so headed out to Lara to pick it up on the Friday after work, still dressed in my work clothes including 5 inch stilettos (for those clueless guys out there they are very high heels), all excited I attempted to ride my bike in my heels, not a good idea, so to try and redeem myself I decided to pack my bike in my car without looking like a hack, that didn't work either, realising I had way too much stuff in the boot I tried to get the front tyre off to fit it in the back seat, after struggling for a couple of minutes to figure out how to get the damn thing off I tried once again to redeem myself and go for the logical approach, just shove it in! Worked.
So Melbourne Cup Day comes along, I decide to give the day out Flemington a miss and take my bike for a ride, off to Lysterfield for me. That was all I needed to get me hooked, 5 weeks later I was on the start line of my first MTB race, not just any race but a State XC. Ok now for the race report, well it will be a short one, after what can only be desribed as a series of unfortunate events I ended up with a DNF, wont get into details but I certainly learnt some valuable lessons from my first race and will be better prepared for my next race, including getting one up on my competition by pre riding the track we will be racing on ( Thanks John Harvey from Bendigo MTB Club for allowing me to come out and ride on his property)I have also started a healthy eating plan and vigorous training regime, including doing the 1000 steps out at the Dandenongs, great lung buster for all you fitness fanatics out there, long distance road rides, a couple games of netball each week and the usual rides out at Lysterfield so looking to go into my next race with hopefully a good result.
Thanks to all the girls out at the Woodend race for all their advice and encouragement and thanks to everyone else I have met along the way. Thanks especially to Garry Morrow who was my official Pit Crew, Dietcian, Chauffeur, Photographer and most of all Mentor to me when was down on the whole thing in the car on the way home. I am looking forward to the next round which will be held in Bendigo on 13th Jan. www.mtbbendigo.com I will update you with the results, until then happy biking, be it Mountain Bike or otherwise and have a very Merry Christmas and safe New Year.
Kat