Training Log Archive: Wally80

Event: (MTBO MDC) Mt Gungin
 

Middle distance ride on course two since I was too disorganised (and tight) to enter the M21 course.

Slow to #1, tried too hard to 2 and 3 and stuffed up. picked up after than and was relatively smooth. I chose to go the fun way to 8 just to test out the new bike and that cost me some time.

And new bike was fun. very light and responsive and climbed beautifully. It was a bit of a handfull on the rocky descents and it will take some getting used to.

Distance a guess since I didn't have a bike computer or GPS.

I wanted some more single track so I rode to the camel farm and back on the Kalamunda circuit. I need to take different lines on the new bike and it was fun just going over everything. Thankfully I was on my own as I was singing a bit of Proud Mary as I went along.

Course 2 - Splits

Zamia loop from Clancys with Slighltysmallerthanexessivilylargepete and Bae's friend Bobbie.

Decent run at an OK pace, slightly faster than last time but seemed easier since I think we started slower. Bobbie is a nutsw ultra runner so he just cruised along chatting.

My big mouth cost me a carton today. But since it was from me betting TBE that my bike wouldn't be ready before the weekend I am not too upset.

Shiny Shiny Shiny!!!!

Quality game of golf, it is suprising since she is related to me but my sister cheats.

Ride round the river. fairly pleasant.

Did a warm up with Rach then tagged on with Kris and Andrew for a while. Kris's team still don't have a replacement for Espresso so there is hope for Fletch yet!

We cruised out to the city then did some intervals between the channel markers. I did one more than I intended so it was a bit of tempo paddling back to UWA for the run start.

C • No there's not 11

Quick change since I was a bit late then off with the crew. Mhy suggestion of a free drink last week must have worked.... at scaring the blokes off since it was just Jake and myself. And our harem.

slightly cruisy run as a result but we still put some harder efforts in. Sore toe held up better than expected. It was still slighly numb after paddling which may be the secret for espresso.

Fail commute.

I drove to yoga and left the car there, then rugged up and rode most of the way to work. As I came along UWA I realised the back tyre went flat so I stopped and changed the tube, then the replacement went flat in a different spot. (I did check the tyre) I pulled the patches out but it was too cold for them to stick so the rest of the trip consisted of sprints punctuated by pumping up the rear tyre, had to stop six times on the way to work and was half an hour late. Dammit. And I need to go down at lunch and try to get a patch to stick so I can ride back.

Note: Rick rang yesterday and Giant is definitely honouring the warranty on the Anthem, and they gave me an option of changing the frame size so I have asked for an XL. It will be interesting how the fork fits in since an adapter is required for the new frames regardless of size and I didn’t have a particularly long riser as is. There is still a chance to have it back before Espresso at this stage but no promises

C • Good News 6

Ride to Yoga with Rach. I went down and patched the tube at lunch and it thankfully held. The patch from the mornings effort fell off as soon as I took the tube off.

We rode through the new section of bike path through Claremont, and noticed the new pedestrian crossing just in time to avoid cleaning up some poor bloke.

C • Claremont 2

Shoulders set tonight, we only did five triceps push ups but I am really feeling them afterwards. It was all the excuse I needed to skip the 5:30am paddle.

Glad we had the car so I didn’t have to ride home.

Rode from work to TBE, hopped on a test bike for a bit then rode back to work. It felt good so I ordered one (Scale 29er). I now have got a race between the new bike that is coming in from over east and the replacement Anthem frame as to which will be ready first. I think I have no hope of having a bike for this weekends MTBO but the Scale “should” be ready for Espresso. And a small chance the Anthem will be ready.

C • My bike 2

T2 group

Damn! This was the coldest paddle I have done in a long time, since I suspect the Espresso paddle last year. So I am calling it Espresso training.

Normal format, still a decent crew despite the cold but no Andrew so my grid was T2, Mr black K1 whose name I keep forgetting and myself. The K1 destroyed us in every set so I was really just racing T2, and he pulled out early on a few sets and I was left trying to keep the speed up alone. I always get a bit lazy in these circumstances and I chatted a bit to people on the way past.

Focus was all on the catch today. And on staying warm. But I tried to keep the catch in front of my feed and power the first bit of the stroke, off the line me stroke is terrible so I was trying to bring it under control as soon as possible.

Walyunga to Amiens with Rach.

Started off by paddling up river to the first rapid and trying to teach Rach how to ferry glide and eddy in and out, the flow was so weak that you could really do whatever you wanted so it wasn’t that successful.

Started off downriver and cruised through upper walyunga, I tried to get a photo of Rach coming down the chute but she was too quick, and she stayed upright to spoil my fun. We stopped for a chat with the CDU guys and check out the stick, 0.47.

I managed to stuff up again at Terminator 2, I really hate that rapid. I stayed in but managed to get wedged between a tree and a rock and I just sat there as Rach paddled past. When I freed myself I speared out, hit a different tree and ended up leaving the rapid backwards. I really hate that rapid.

I had to wait until Bells to get what I was hoping for when Rach swam at the last drop. I don’t think I would have heard the end of it if she had stayed upright for the whole day, but I then had to one-up her at Boland’s Bend and I hit a rock very hard and bent the nose. Whoops. How did everyone else get theirs fixed?

Rest of the paddle was pretty standard, I was just starting to get concerned we had overshot the take out point when we finally saw it.

C • Heatgun and broomstick 4