Update on the knee

Just got back from the spunky physio and all will be fine, it is definitley the ITB Tendon and it has started to happen due to my lack of training and loss of strength in my thighs and glutes, so I am starting a strengthening program and am not going to be able to do any Enduro's for about 6 weeks. I should be right for the next FTF XC hopefully but for now plenty of stretching and a pilates class a week and make sure I stick to his program and I will be right.

Anaconda 7 Hour

Yet another depressing Enduro for me, the only 2 races I have not been able to complete since I started riding have been in the Anaconda series, mmm might think twice before entering the next one.

The first lap felt pretty good, just planned to stick with the riders at the back and cruise around to make sure I didn't burn myself out too early, so the first lap was going well just had some trouble on the wet roots and just in the wet in general not having had much experience in the wet so far.

I came in from the first lap and had a bit of pain in my knee and was told to stretch and I would be ok, so did some stretches had a power bar and headed out for my second lap, the pain in my knee was still there but bearable so kept on with it and hoped it would go away, by the time I got to about the 2klm mark it was really hurting especially going up hills but even on the flat fire trail it was hurting so planned on finishing that lap, having another good stretch and get a decent ride in, I pulled in after the second lap still in a fair amount of pain but didn't say anything just did my stretches and took off for the third lap, as soon as I took off I was still in alot pain but didn't want to stop so kept going, I couldn't even pedal down the fast downhill fire trail to try and make up lost time so just cruised down all the downhill stuff and tried to put all the pressure on right leg when pedalling up hills so I knew that this lap would be my last for the day and pulled in to the tent very disappointed, now have had 2 bad results at this series.

Anyone that knows me well enough knows that I am very competitive and even though I know I had no chance of coming close to the fast girls I just wanted to beat my longest enduro of 6 hours and complete the 7 even if I did come last at least I would have achieved a result in a 7 hour enduro, well actually still got a result and surprisingly I didn't come last, 2nd last for my effort today.

As for the course it was pretty good, (apart from the mud that is!) we started in the usual spot and headed in to the Blair Witch track and then down past the dam wall and over to the fire trail leading to Wellington Road turning off at about half way up this track and up in to the next very muddy section of single track through some muddy single track for a few k's and then out to fire trail then on to fast fun section of single track that was not as affected by the recent rain as the previous sections then up the last climb and downhill to the finish line, about halfway through the race they had to cut out a section of the track due to it getting destroyed by so many riders going through it so diverted us through some fire trail and back towards the finish, I was pretty happy to be finishing, but no, when we got to where we usually would go to the finish line they sent us down another few k's a different way.

I ended up finishing the lap in about 1hour 30 mins and knew that it was time to pull the pin, considering my knee was hurting so bad there was no point doing further damage and also not being able to enjoy the race, which is obviously half the reason most of us are out there.

Dont have any action shots yet will be coming though so check back tomorrow but for now check out the mud.



So Kieran that I mentioned in my last post has done a good job on getting my shoulder right for the Enduro's I guess now he can work on my knee. He is a bit of a hottie too so a good excuse to keep going to him now my shoulder is nearly right!

I am going to chuck a sickie tomorrow and get my knee checked out to make sure it is this tendon everyone has said it would be and hopefully get it sorted before the next Enduro.

Well done to all the riders this weekend and I think Jess Douglas managed to win the Womens solo race so well done to her and to Andy Bell for going hard the whole 7 hours to take out the win! And my god Paul Van Der Ploeg is a freak on the bike, I pulled over to let him pass on a really muddy section that had a ditch in the track that was not even a jump and he managed to launch himself a few feet in the air off that and ride at what is probably his normal speed in the dry! Oh and well done especially to Duncan Murray who rode the 7 hours on a fixed gear single speed, Maniac!

Was a nice relaxed Enduro today and had a few chats to different riders along the way which was good to break things up a bit.

Well unfortunately not a great result today and nothing too exciting to tell, I am sure I will be right for the next FTF XC Race at Harkaway and hopefully have some exciting news come out of that.

Well that's enough from me, hope whoever is reading this is entertained by my stories and unfortunately there are as many lows as there are highs and I just want to document what is going on in my racing life so hopefully I dont come across as being negative but no point masking a story to glorify it when it is not really like that, it is definitley not easy, even the elite riders go though the same thing with niggling injuries, mechanicals etc. I guess in this sport it is expected, I want to do well in this sport and hopefully be able to enjoy it for a long time coming, but for now as long as I am right for all the State Series rounds then I will be a very happy girl, I am definitley looking forward to it!

Good to see my former tutor Richard Jupe from On Track images out there snapping away, and at 7pm after the race the photos are already up and sorted in to category! Just ordered a disk of pics from him to brighten up the post, check out his photos here. http://www.ontrackimages.com.au/

Cant forget Steve Rowe either
http://mtb-images.ser.id.au/

Quote for today

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Until next time Happy Biking!

Kat

New Race Gear

Just a quick post to show off the new gear from Croydon Cycleworks

Just received my new gear from Croydon Cycleworks, instead of the red gear we usually get around in it is now mainly black and some awesome glasses by Ryders Eyewear, you can check out the new gear at the Anaconda 7 hour this Sunday.

I have also decided on the new bike. I ended up going for the Dualy and this is it

Trek Fuel EX 8 might get it in a gold colour called Root Beer

I wont be able to get it until November but hopefully will get it before the first round of the State XC Series and the Kona 24. I am doing the 24 hour in a team of 4, sorta looking forward to it.

Many many thanks to Croydon Cycleworks for their continued support, they help me out alot and really look after me, without having that support it would definitely make things alot harder, if you have not been out to check out the store yet make sure you do, they have a great range of gear, all the good stuff, Fox, Sidi, Met etc. and some awesome bikes with Trek, Cervelo, Norco and more they even have the bike above you can take for a test ride not to mention the guys there have a great deal of experience and all of them race as well.

Well I just returned from an appointment with Keiran at Elite Myotherapy, they dont sponsor me or pay me to give them a plug but Kieran has been working on my shoulder which has been giving me a fair bit of pain in the Enduros, and after just 2 sessions he has made me feel alot better than the last therapist I was seeing weekly for 3 months straight so hopefully after tonights session I can make it through the 7 hours relatively pain free (in my shoulders at least) and be able to last the distance.

That's all from me, check back on Sunday night to get the low down on the 7 hour.

Kat

FTF XC Race at Officer

Finally beat my arch nemesis Megan Lawson! Phew what a relief it was to cross the finish line knowing I actually didnt come last, it's easy to say its not all about winning but as Jack Brabham said in an interview about an upcoming yacht race yesterday "Well it's all about winning really" and obviously I didnt win the race but I beat a few riders and my times were not as bad as I had expected so was fairly happy with my result, now for the finer details of the race.

The line up for the A grade looked more like the start line for a round of the nationals not a club race down in Officer, Dan McConnell made an appearance along with a bunch of other top elite riders and a bunch of great chicks there too in Tory Thomas, Jenni King and Niki Fisher, so I entered the D grade and all I wanted was to not come last, we took off and my plan was to go out hard on the first lap and try and stay with Megan, we took off up the fire trail and as we made it to the single track Megan was puffed as much as I was but I went through ahead of her and that was the best thing that could have happened, usually I stay behind her and try to stay with her but this has not been too successfull so I will try this tactic again next race and hopefully it works out.

Now I went out to pre ride the track yesterday with my trusty riding pals James McArdle and Andrew Liu and came across a bit of a drop off which honestly scared me a bit, it took a bit of convincing on their part to get me to do it but I eventually did and on the 2nd lap I did it again without hesitating and wondered what all the fuss was about earlier so when I came across it in my first lap I didnt think twice about doing it but unfortunately cleaned myself up going over the handle bars in front a photographer (hopefully those photos are coming soon) not only embarassed but feeling a bit sore, didnt want to show it so picked myself up and took off still ahead of Megan. I managed to get through the rest of the first lap unscathed, a few close calls in a few slippery spots but nothing major, as I crossed the finish line for the first time I had no idea how far in front I was but obviously wanted to maintain my lead but my legs just had nothing in them, I struggled up the fire trail and back in to the single track and up the first hard climb, I didnt make it near as far as I did the first lap so started pushing, at least I wasnt the only one, the 2nd lap was going good until I thought I had spotted my compettition catching me so I pushed hard on the fire trail but my chain managed to get twisted and stuck when I changed gears, I jumped off and went to get it out but it was well and truly stuck so me being the logical person that I am (not!) started to try and pull the chain out and just using all my strength and built up frustration to try and force the thing out to the point I was getting upset, figuring my race was over I started to walk back to the finish and my chain just fell out, ha better to be gentle next time! So I was over my little hissy fit and was focused back on the race, was not that far from the finish either so was feeling good but not too confident, didnt want to muck up so took it pretty easy but still looking over my shoulder the whole time. I made it to last little climb before the finish line and was content in knowing I had finally beaten Megan.
Taking off from the start in 3rd position, shame I couldnt hold that possie!


Looking good in the lead up but all went bad pretty quickly, unfortunately the photographer missed the actual crash shot but you can see in the last one it was not going well


Overall it was a great race, I like the club XC events, they have the same relaxed feeling as the Enduros but still pretty intense and great for me to get the experience up before the next State Series. Was fairly happy with how I went, I am still stopping alot to let riders through, it was hard not to do it on this course though as it was so tight and tecnical but in time I will get better with having riders passing me, its just a confidence thing for me.

Next up for me is the 7 hour Anaconda Enduro on the 27th, maybe the Dirt Riders XC on the 20th but might be away for that one, really need to get some training in between now and the 27th, I struggled with an hour today dont know how I will go adding another 6 to that.

Thanks to Peter for the sequense of photos above and to Andrew Liu for the one on top, he won my race and had enough time to freshen up, get changed pack away his bike and grab his camera to snap away at me on my to the finish line. Well done to Andrew too on his first win!

Quote for today
Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.
Martina Navratilova, American Tennis Player

Well that's all from me today until next time

Happy Biking!

Kat

Dirty Dirt Riders XC Club Race

The first round of the Dirt Riders XC series was held today out at Upper Beaconsfield. A few of us went out there yesterday for a cruise around the track, well cruise is what they were doing it was race pace for me trying to keep up with them! I realised how quickly your fitness can drop off once you stop training. With uni finished for a while I have no excuses now so have to get back to training again especially with the next Anaconda Enduro a month away.

The race started off well with my mate Gary Morrow and myself battling for the hole shot, he got it no surprises there, stayed with him until the first gnarly decent followed by a killer climb. The climbs really hurt me today along with the majority of riders there too I am sure, they don't look that big but just a long gradual climb to the top.

Not too sure of my result today as results are not up yet, I raced in D grade with about 10 guys and only one other chick, I know she beat me but don't think I came last. Was a fun race and very relaxed for a XC, all the riders were pretty talkative on their way around giving words of encouragement as usual.

James Maebus lapped me 3 times throughout the race, he had 6 laps to my 3 and still finished before me, that guy is so quick and well done to fellow Croydon Cycleworks rider Brett Henderson for coming 2nd to James followed by Troy Bailey in 3rd in the A grade race.

Brett Henderson in action

Well I don't have much else to report on in the race, was pretty uneventful, which is always a good thing.

Now I always think I am doing it tough in the races and when I see the elite riders coming past me looking like they are not doing it quite so tough I will think of this quote

Quote of the day

"It never gets easier, you just go faster"

Greg LeMond

Which is absolutely true, just because I am not as fast as the Elite riders yet does not mean they are not hurting as much, we are all out there pushing ourselves to our limits, some just make it look easier than others.

Thanks to Steve Rowe for being at the races snapping away at us

http://mtb-images.ser.id.au/

Until next time Happy Trails!

Kat

I'm Back!

It's amazing what a long hard ride can do for you! (Stay on track here) After getting down on the riding especially after my embarrassing end to the last Anaconda Enduro, also just really having the shits with the world, everything has been getting to me lately with all the work I have been doing both with my full time job and the freelance photography stuff and to add to that I have my folio presentation for uni tomorrow night so the lead up to that has been very stressfull trying to get everything done before the big deadline but now it is all done and I finally had a weekend off so what better way to enjoy it by doing a heap of riding.

Yesterday saw me head out to the You Yang's with my trusty trainer for the day Duncan Murray, (in the photo above)we started off doing the same downhill section that was in the previous State XC round that I had alot of trouble with so was relieved to get through that without any probs, then we did a section from the 6 hour and managed to get through that one once again unscathed, with only one dramatic crash for the day resulting in little cut on my chin and elbow I was extremely happy as the You Yangs have caused me a great deal of greif each time I have ridden there, came away from it feeling alot more confident riding the rocks and downhill sections.

Today was out to Ringwood to fellow photographer and all round good guy; Gary Morrow's for a ride from his place in Ringwood along some bike paths (wouldnt have a clue which ones I am not that observant) to the Yarra trails and back again, ended up being a 70klm ride which is not much for you elite guys but was a big one for me, actualy felt fairly good at the end of it too.

So I have revived my motivation to get better at this sport and hope to get some half decent training in over the next few weeks whilst on my break from uni, and also to hopefully redeem myself at the next Anaconda Enduro after my crappy effort at the last one! Phew, 7 hours, dont know if i will be able to stay on the bike for that long but will have a good crack at it.

Well that is all from me, just feeling good after my weekends riding and thought I would share my thoughts.

Many Thanks to Duncan for helping me out with the riding, I am sure it must have been very boring for him having to slow down to my pace.

No quotes for this one but a recent coversation with a friend about how much men suck and how we could dedicate a whole site to it made me stumble over this http://www.mensuck.com/ turns out someone already came up with our idea, (it's amazing the crap you can find on the net!) as most of the people that read my blog are male I am sure you wont appreciate it but any chicks out there should check it out, has some funny stuff on it, disclaimer: if you do check it out and the love calculator tells you that you and Romeo are not 100% compatible I will not be held responsible.

Kat

Anaconda Enduro Lysterfield Round 2

Not a great round, one that I was looking forward to and just hoping to be able to last 6 hours, well race was ended at the 1 and a half hour mark, was going up a little climb really slow and chatting to another chick that had stopped at the top of the climb to let riders pass, I looked back to see if I would be holding anyone up and before I knew it I was on the ground.

Instantly my thumb was sore I looked at it and it had swelled up straight away and I couldnt bend it, I got up and pushed my bike to the side of the track and just let some riders through before attempting to ride back to the finish, I couldnt put any pressure on it and was struggling to hold on to the handle bars so sarted walking, my first thought was not about the race being over but about my upcoming photo shoot in Alice Springs for the Finke Desert Race, with 8 kilos worth of camera and lens to hold on to if anything was broken there would not be much chance I would be right for it in the next 4 days.

Nic Eagle from the Felt team walked my bike back for me and I saw the St Johns guys who told me to get xrays, so off I went and basically I was being a bit of a sook as nothing was broken and naturally if something is swollen generally you wont be able to bend it so does not nessacerally mean it is broken.

Would rather just forget about this round and now look forward to the next.

Got back from my trip to Alice Springs for the Finke Desert Race on Tuesday, had a great time except for the weather at prologue which was pouring rain the whole time and as I was expecting sunny skies I had not taken a rain jacket so after 6 hours of standing in the rain I was absolutely freezing and had to go back to my motel for a couple of hot showers before I actually thawed out.

A few photos from Finke

A very wet Alice Springs

No front tyre Well it has been a very busy few months for me and hopefully with my last class next Monday for this semester (studying photography) I will have some spare time to do some riding, the only riding I have been doing lately has been in a race so if I thought I was unfit before now I am definitley lacking in the fitness stakes.

Will get some rides in this weekend as it is my first weekend off in a long time so looking forward to a bit of a sleep in (7.30am for me) and finishing off last minute preparations for my folio to hopefully score myself a HD!

Thinking of doing the FTF XC at Chum Creek this Sunday but might do a big ride instead will decide tomorrow night so if I do I will give you the update on that one otherwise check back after the Dirt Riders XC on the 29th.


Until then Happy Biking!

Oh and no quote for today but Kat's words of wisdom; Dont go out drinking until 5am when you have to get a flight home a few hours later!

Bad move!


Kat