Training Log Archive: simmo

Event: WA Middle Distance Championships - Jumbuck Hill
 

West Coast ride, very foggy at first, but cleared by Herdsman.

State Middle Champs at Jumbuck Hill, gps 3.48km. Stayed on the lower track after the start triangle, which would have been a good move but for the difficulty of crossing the fence - the start of the upper track was obscured by the start triangle, something which I reckon PP should get fixed. Still managed 3rd on the split to 1, less than a minute down. Lost a minute at 2 with a poor bearing, then was pretty even until 6. 7 was my undoing, just went slightly right along the contour into the dark green area, hadn't noticed that I should have been going slightly downhill. Hit some bare rock which I assumed was the one just before the control, but I was actually on something mapped as rocky ground 70m to the South. found a boulder (unmapped) and circled around finding more bare rock (which turned out to also be mapped as RG). With visibility in the area virtually zero, I eventually went on Eastwards to the track 100m beyond the control. Immediately identified a bend (there was a control on it) and tunred back once more into the green. Found more unmapped boulders and eventually a bare rock, which I correctly identified as the one above the control. Went the required distance NNE but still couldn't see a 2m boulder, so went on a bit more and finally found it - I reckon about 30m N of where it's mapped. 8 minutes (at least) lost.

Easily won the next 4 splits, then got lost in the finish chute for the first time in my life. Saw the tapes leading to the finish ahead of me, but it seemed to me that they appeared to be simply a warning not to go on to the bitumen road, so I turned back and followed GH down what appeared to be the track leading to the finish, but was actually an unmapped dead-end path into impassable green. One minute lost for a confusing finish - a few tapes along the track including up to the boundary tape would have been useful.

At least the 70s (without my help) thrashed the 65s, once again proving that we don't need 5 year age classes.

3 - Splits