Training Log Archive: Yak

First session at local place - trialling for week.
Was quite good.

Road ride from West Beach
Meant to start with a group I sometimes ride with but I was late and they had long gone.
Wanted to do a beach ride as the weather was 26 and sunny but I forgot about the wind down there. 33kph average gusting to 48 while I was riding.
Even more reason I should have had a group AND I hate the foreshore loop alone ...I persisted and ground out the kms.
Did a couple of small diversions but basically up to Outer harbour and return and then onwards towards Brighton and back.
Very slow going north but wind seemed more of a crosswind than tail going south.
Spent afternoon & evening with brother.

Too tired to get up early for Bal ride.
Instead drove to Gorge kiosk and then rode to Gumeracha to meet them at coffee at Rocking Horse. Then rode most of return trip - towards Birdwood - Mt Torrens - Springhead - Charlston - Woodside .

On the way to Gum...just before the town I came real close to being killed by a car that brushed my elbow. Scary. I didn't have my mirror, so didn't see him coming. Just after a friend (Nick Tilbrook), who I didn't know was there, came alongside and said "that was bloody close."

Then returned alone to Charlston where I headed to Lobethal via Jungfer rd.
Hadnt done this for years...a small hill, a big hill that I remembered (16%) and then a middle length hill that was mostly in the 16-22% range, which I didn't remember!
Then back to Cudlee Creek...

Not fast but at least I was out there.
Bike has come back from a visit to the doc and now isn't making any nasty noises, which is great.

Quick run around as only the front was high.

Meant to do a xc mtb race at Anstey Hill today but chickened out as l knee felt dodgy. Annoyed as I had entered.

Pity that Julie Bishop (the best politician in Parliament in my opinion) has stepped down from the foreign affairs role to be a backbencher.

Decided I should take opportunities as they arise ...
Mike Round was organising a "walk" up Harrison Ck, near Palmer, which is on private property. I had last been there in 1980's and probably at night, on a rogaine.
Turned out it was with Adelaide Bushwalking club, so there were 15 starters, a couple of whom I knew. One I had walked with in Nepal last century!
John, the guy who owns the property bought it in about 2002 and destocked it of cattle so as to just let it revegetate it. Also built a lovely small cottage from old ruins.
Luckily I had taken my walking poles, as I needed them from almost the get go, as we headed up Harrison Creek. It was very rocky, so my knees complained straight away and I went to the back of the group.
Luckily I had queried Mike about escape routes and knew that I could walk back halfway via an old rd/stock route.

It was actually a really nice creek with lots of waterholes, a waterfall and one permanent waterhole. The perfect time to visit too as everything still green and a lovely almost spring day. I got some good photos.
At the waterfall there were 2 options ... a long climb around to the south and a short climbing route to the north. Given my sore knees I took the climbing route which had one quite dubious point, but I survived. When we finally climbed out of the creek I proved fitter than most just walking uphill, without rocks.

Walked back along Camelhump rd (Not really a rd) while others dropped into Baker creek, which also looked rocky and had running water at the end. Saw Kittacoola mine chimney (cooper & gold from 1800's) and explored a bit.

Amazingly Mike hadnt even taken the rogaine map he had (at assembly) with him ....

Proved to me that my bushwalking days are well and truly over ...only hassle was that both knees hurt equally, so that didnt help me as to which one to have replaced first.

Late afternoon ride from home via back streets over to Anstey Hill to check out the xc course for Sunday. 8 kms to get to start...uphill so always feels slow.
Then about 5.5km course which people described as very hilly ...actually is just 1 climb up (but not very steep) and then single tk all the way back.
I did the climb quite easily but found the last bit of the very loose single track above the quarry (go north 1 metre and you die...) daunting.
Home via 1 bit of illegal riding in another old quarry and then on the newish bike track thru the recently unfenced Highbury aquaduct. 2 sections are now open but the one nearest me is still fenced and undeveloped.

Got out on a perfect day on the roadie.
Somewhat slow ascent of Norton Summit and then to Marble Hill and down Montacute. Knees both hurt. Chest still stuffed.
35 mins to NS....55 to Marble
Dropped in on Round household and caught up with news. Hugh & Doris moving back to Adelaide with 2 kiddies. P has just had a baby boy. +++

Been recovering from a chest infection I picked up in last week of WOC.
Then I couldn't find my road bike ...until I remembered it was at Phil Mittiga's getting fixed.
I'm also not liking the cold, esp as my house is like a freezer.

Anyway took myself off to Vic Park for some safe cycling given that I have been riding on cyclist friendly European roads and not cyclist hating Australian ones.
Almost bailed as:
a) it was cold b) my Garmin wasn't charged c) my headphones weren't working...so nothing to distract me from the boredom of lapping the crit track.
However I soon became occupied by dodging the 100's of off lead dogs - why they cant stay on the green ovals to the south I don't know. Then there were the walkers and the remote car people.
Anyway I persisted and quite enjoyed my outing.

Back from 5 weeks in Europe late last night.
Adelaide is cold and rainy...bit of a contrast to almost continuous 30+ degrees each day in Europe!

Customs took my word for it that bike was clean...though coming off an agricultural college, with chooks, pigs, cows, horses... and cleaning my bike in their machinery cleaning area immediately after 6 Austrians hosed themselves down from jumping in the manure heap (punishment for MP's) I wasn't exactly sure it would pass the 100% clean test.

I did a lot of kms o/s - with almost 3 weeks daily bike packing in Slovenia and smaller amounts in Austria whilst O coaching, but don't have time or inclination to write it all up here.
Did the 2 Austrian Champs races and thoroughly enjoyed, with a 1st & 2nd in W60. Also managed to do 3 of the middle length public races held each day after WOC, although I didn't actually race the first two as stopped to take pictures, plus SI died midway thru 2nd race. I always feel tired after standing around for hours at starts each day too.

Did race the sprint on Sunday but knew the SI wasn't working at all, which was a pity as I blitzed it really well, even keeping my cool when there were many controls in a small area making it hard to read. The Kiwis, who were giving me a ride back to accom weren't finished, so I then did another half loop taking photos.

In a quandary what to do now knee wise
The recent giving way of the knee hamstring related pain gradually improved as I rode Slovenian mountains.....
Have appoint with surgeon soon

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