KONA DIRTY WEEKEND!

When we told our non-mountain biking friends we were going to Adelaide for the Kona Dirty Weekend we certainly got some interesting looks. For our mountain biking friends, they knew exactly what it meant! The Kona Dirty Weekend was held by Bicycle SA on 16^th/17^th April and saw us make the road trip to Adelaide so Al could compete in the 24 hour solo race, with me as support crew. It was awesome timing being the middle week of school holidays meant we did not have to get any time off school and could have a little holiday in Adelaide.

The race started at 2pm, so we made the trip up through the Adelaide hills that morning. Setting up was a little tough as I was feeling a bit green from the windy roads to Cuddlee Creek, and most of the trackside places had already been taken by other support crews. We managed to find a piece of grass on a fairly steep incline about 10 metres from the track, next to a couple Jane and Gaz who were competing in the 24 solo. Looking at their elaborate and organised set up they had clearly done a few of these!! Once setup it was time for Al to eat, drink and put his feet up and wait for the clock to strike 2!! Race briefing at a 24hour feels like there is a nervous energy buzzing cloud in the air, hovering over as many riders prepare to ride their bikes for what seems like an outrageously long time! They would be riding for 12 hours in light and 12 ½ hours in pitch black!! The fear and nerves in their eyes said it all!!

Speaking to a few of the locals, the track had been changed from last year, and there were whispers that the course would be more difficult than the recent World Championship 24hour at Stromlo. Surely not!!!! 2pm come soon enough and the twenty one 24 hour soloists were off. With 114 entrants in total, this event offered something for everyone. A 6 hour, 12 hour (split into 2 x 6hrs giving competitors a chance to sleep through the night) and a 24 hour event had solo and team entrants. The course was 10.9km, which we had estimated would take Al roughly 45 minutes to complete. When I saw the leaders charge through at 45-50 minutes I was starting to wonder if our estimations were a little skew-if. Indeed they were; a course with almost 100% single track would result in lap times being slower than anticipated. The course was described as full of switchbacks and rather technical for a 24hour, but no doubt a lot of fun. Once the riders were off, the event village was pumping to keep riders, team members and support crew entertained. They did a great job with the Torq van providing energy, a mobile cafe serving delicious food and coffee and the red bull tent pumping some tunes which gave the event an awesome vibe.

When Al came through the pit in over an hour, towards the end of the riders, with his number plate hanging by a thread and blood down his arm and leg it was obvious something wasn’t right!! Not exactly the start we had hoped for! About 7 minutes into the race, the rider in front of him had skid out and with nowhere to go Al found himself catapulted over the handlebars crashing badly on his head and right shoulder. Next lap he came back to the pit in an even slower time advising me his right arm had pins and needles down it. He was obviously in a lot of pain but was refusing to stop, and kept saying ‘it’ll be right.’ I went for a walk through the pit crews and found an off duty paramedic who came up and spoke to Al after this next lap, which, by this stage his arm intermittently going completely dead and the movement in his neck and shoulder were fairly limited. Obviously struggling with the decision to ride on or not, we decided it would be best to go to emergency to make sure no nerve or spinal injuries had been obtained in the crash.

Needing to pack up the marquee and all the gear in the dark which luckily my Ay-Up head torch made things a lot easier and quicker. As did the help from our next door neighbour’s support crew, big thanks to those guys!! The GPS sent us on a dirt road for about 20km’s, which was badly corrugated and had Al flinching in pain the whole way down. Worried we were doing more damage by not keeping his neck completely still we were holding our breathes as the GPS took us past some weird looking hillbilly places. The numbness in Al’s arm was a result of swelling in the shoulder and neck pinching the ulna nerve with every small bump or movement and thankfully no permanent damage was done.

Unfortunately our Kona Dirty Weekend was cut short and it was a shame to miss the night’s events and Day Two, which was sure to be quite eventful, especially in the men’s field. The women’s field was vastly underrepresented with only 1 competitor, Jane Hutchinson, who managed a fantastic 15 laps. Awesome effort considering when you come in to pit at 3am and you know you have the event won, it would be quite easy to stop riding, however Jane kept riding through and placed 45^th overall. Super effort!! Come on girls, have a crack!! Steven Lee took out the Solo male category with an impressive 25 laps, placing 18^th overall. Team Orbea had a close tussle with Bobby Dazzler’s for the male 4 person team with a whopping 32 laps. In the 12 hour event, Anne Antrecht and Dean Jones took out the solo wins.

 This event was run superbly, with the event village really pumping and friendly smiling faces everywhere you looked. Suggestions for next year would be to include a bit more fire-trail in the loop to give riders more of an opportunity to eat and drink, as some described the course suited to a cross country race rather than a 24. Perhaps having some merchandise such as tee-shirts would be good for competitors so they have a souveniour of their epic feat, as well as having more room track side for support crew. It was quite a tad annoying having to race down to the track with food and drinks and then have to run back up the slope if riders needed a bike tool or something else. A big thank-you and well done to Bicycle SA, sponsors, volunteers for running a fantastic event!

INTERVIEW WITH A FIRST TIME 24HOUR RACER!!

I reckon there are a few people out there who are thinking about doing a 24hr race solo and perhaps pondering whether they have what it takes to undertake this challenge many perceive as impossible, crazy or just plan ridiculous. I’ve decided to interview Al who this weekend will take to the tracks at the Kona Dirty Weekend in South Australia and attempt to ride solo for 24 hours for the first time. This article will include some words with Al before and after the race and maybe convince a few readers to get out there and have a crack at the 24solo.

How long have you been riding for?

I started cycling in 2003 through triathlon and then about 2 ½ years we bought Giant Anthem Duallies with the intention of doing some mountain biking over winter for cross training but it has turned into somewhat of a cycling obsession!

How many Enduro’s have you done?

I’ve done a few of the Victorian 6hr State Series Enduros, including the Bendigo and Castlemaine rounds. I’ve also done the Surfcoast 6hr, 12hr mixed pairs (Surfcoast and Gravity) and the Woodend and Bendigo 100km events as well as Otway Odyssey. I seem to have had more DNF’s than F’s in the past 12 months with broken ribs, concussion, food poisoning and numerous smashed rear derailleur’s’ have had me walking my bike through the finishing chute.

What’s your ride?

About two months ago I traded in my dually for a 29er Single Speed Lynskey Titanium and it is AWESOME!!! It’s got stylo cranks, ZTR crest 29er tubeless wheels, XT brakes and Rockshox forks.

Single Speed! Surely 24 hour’s is hard enough with gears let alone without? One question: Why?

One of the reasons I got the single speed was to improve my road racing, as riding SS forces me to have a higher cadence and increase strength for the climbs. The other reason I got SS is to eliminate the mechanical issues that come with a geared bike. For enduro racing, I had plenty of offers to help with handing out drink bottles but none who were very handy with a spanner. So for this reason the SS is awesome as all I need to worry about is pedalling, eating , drinking and staying upright.

So does that mean you’re going to grow a massive beard, rehydrate with beer after every lap and grow dreadies?

If it means I will ride as quick as Brett ‘Jebus’ Bellchambers than I’m willing to do or grow anything!!

What makes you want to do a 24hr?

Just to see if I can. Also, I think that contemplating this at the age of 27 when most of my mates are down at the pub drinking and smoking ... I guess it’s a bit of a celebration that I haven’t done the stereotypical thing, as I would much rather ride my bike than spew all over myself being hung-over every weekend.  

What lighting system do you use?

When we first started riding we were keen to get out there and do some night riding so after a heap of research into what would be the best and the cheapest, we got a set of Ay-Up Lights. 2 ½ years later they are still going strong and I wouldn’t recommend anything else. The V4 Adventure Kit includes a handlebar light, head light, 3 batteries, head torch and a range of mounts. You get to choose from an awesome range of colours for both lights which is pretty sweet. PS choose separate colours for each light as this helps you remember which is which, as they have different shaped lenses.

Do you have a race plan?

My plan is to make sure I eat enough, because in past races I haven’t. I’m thinking it is going to be a good idea to stop after every 4 hours for 15 minutes or so to ensure I get enough calories in. I’m going to pull over and refuel/rehydrate if I feel myself running a bit on empty. I also aim to not fall asleep whilst still riding my bike!

What types of hydration and food are you going to be using during the race?

Nuun Hydration to rehydrate, Endura Optimizer and sustagen for calorie drinks, sandwiches with jam, honey or peanut butter, creamed rice, porridge, torq bars, muesli bars and home made cookies. I would normally have bananas but Courtney was not willing to sell her kidney to pay for them, even though I have told her she only needs one. And I may even eat a geared rider if they get in my way up the climbs.

How much training have you done in preparation for this race?

For the past 6 months I have had some pretty consistent training with a couple of races thrown in. I generally get about 10-14 hours in per week. However as I am a school teacher and am on holidays more than I actually work (according to all my non teacher friends), I am able to put some long k’s over the summer holidays. Weekends generally consist of a long road ride (100-150k) and a mtb, Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I try to get in a quality session whether it be strength or intensity on the ergo and Wednesday is a mtb skills session. At times I do whatever training my mates are doing as this is what I enjoy most about riding, the social side to it.

What is your goal for the race?

To ride 300km’s...... and to finish in 1 piece......and to still have a fiancé when we leave for Victoria.

POST RACE QUESTIONS

How are you feeling?

Pretty sore.  

How did the race go?

Not so good, about 7 minutes into the race I crashed on my head and consequently had to go to the emergency room as I lost feeling in my arm and didn’t have much movement in my neck.

So things definitely did not go to plan then?

Nope, not at all. I was pretty devastated at not being able to finish another race. However, there is always another bike race, there isn’t always another neck though!

Thanks for the interview and good luck for your upcoming races!

I reckon if you’re thinking contemplating doing a 24hour my advice is just do it! You’ll never ever know if you never ever have a go!!! It’s great fun, you get to meet and chat to lots of different people and eat loads of food all whilst riding some wicked trails and doing some night riding.

However, things don’t always go according to plan as Al race has shown.  It was hard for me as support crew to see Al in the state he was, he wanted more than anything to finish this race. He had invested so much time training and preparing for this race, the past 6 months of training had been geared towards this race and it involved a 1300km round trip to be there. However, as support crew it is important to know when a rider is in danger of doing further damage to themselves and if you need to force them to stop for their own wellbeing then it must be done. Al continued to ride for another 3 ½ hours after the crash and each time he came into pit he was clearly in pain and his movement was lessening each time. Most riders are very stubborn and Al was refusing to give up. As support crew I had to seek further medical opinion (a big  thank you to the off duty paramedic who helped us)and we decided if he kept riding he was risking permanent damage. Luckily no permanent damage and no doubt he hill be back on the bike very soon!! 

NUUN HYDRATION FROM MOXIEGEAR!

In March 2008 I made the transition from triathlon to mountain biking, not intentionally but rather through injury and have been absorbed in the cycling world since. In September 08 after watching Craig “Gordo” Gordon smash himself and the field on 24Solo I decided I wanted to race the Kona24 hour in November. I set out to research this somewhat extreme sport and discovered it would be a race of whoever ate and drank the most whilst still pedalling their bikes. After many hours on the internet researching what the best nutrition and hydration products, I came across ‘Nuun’ tablets. I used them in training leading up to the event to make sure they were the real deal. They got me through the 24hour Solo and even into 2^nd place. For those of you who have not used or heard of Nuun, here is a quick rundown of what it is; Nuun Hydration is an electrolyte tablet that you simply pop into your drink bottle to give you all your hydration needs. It’s as simple as “poppin a tab” and combined with eating properly will see you avoid the dreaded “bonk” in races.

                                      

I am yet to find another product on the market that works as well as Nuun.  Here is a list of reasons why I use Nuun:

-          They offer a great range of flavours: Banana, Tri-berry, Lemon-Lime, Orange and Ginger and Citrus Fruit. This is essential when racing an endurance event as you soon get sick of the one flavour. I rotate flavours throughout the race to continually stay hydrated.

-          The small waterproof canister allows you to carry it easily and conveniently in your camelback or jersey on those long training rides or marathon races.

-          No sugar in the tablets means no sticky mess or mouldy Camelbak bladder! I often forget to empty and clean it and I can leave Nuun drink in the bladder for days and it still tastes just as good and more importantly doesn’t wreck my camelback!

-          The taste. It’s all well and good to say just drink a drink, but it’s simple, if you do not like the taste of something, you won’t drink it. That’s why I rank taste up there as the number one factor in choosing a hydration product. Obviously it needs to replace electrolytes and do all the scientific stuff, but at the end of the day when our slugging it hard out there you need to like the taste of what your drinking, or you won’t drink it.

Now for those after the scientific reasons as to why Nuun works (jump on www.nuun.com for further information)

-          It is a hypotonic solution, meaning there are no carbs in the formula. This allows for your body to absorb Nuun faster and is able to restore the electrolyte balance your body needs quickly and efficiently. Having no carbs is also good for people who are being conscious about their carb intake. (Personally when I am riding for an hour or less I want no carbs)

-          Nuun has 700g of sodium per litre, which as we know sodium replacement is critical to minimise dehydration.

-          Per tablet, Nuun has 25mg of magnesium. Perfect for defending you against cramping. I sip on Nuun in the 3 days leading up to an event and I have not cramped once in a race since using Nuun.

-          Nuun tablets also contain Vitamin C, B, Calcium and Potassium to ensure optimal fluid replacement and hydration.

It was my absolute delight when we stumbled into a triathlon expo the day after we had competed in the Otway Odyssey to meet Darren and Briana. Darren and Briana are keen cyclists and adventure racers (both are competing in the XPD World Championships later this year) who are distributors for Nuun Hydration, through their company “Moxie Gear.” I had explained how as much as I try not buy products overseas on the internet, preferring to support local businesses, I had been purchasing Nuun products for two years from overseas as it was the only place I could find them. They explained how they had only started distributing Nuun and were able to offer more flavours that weren’t allowed to be shipped through the internet, drink bottles and socks.

 Loaded up with Nuun gear and their business card in hand I was very pleased we had accidentally stumbled across this triathlon expo. Darren and Briana have set up an easy to use internet site, offering Nuun products and SipStream (a bottle hydration system for cyclists). As soon as I get home I jumped online as my partner Al, and I have three 100km marathon mtb’s and a 24hour solo race each coming up in the next few months and I wanted to make sure we had enough Nuun to get us through all of those races and the large volume of training. Once online, I discovered Moxie Gear also offer a discount if you purchase more than one canister of Nuun’s, making it the cheapest place to buy Nuun products. I was amazed when our package arrived the very next day! Nuun is a fantastic product that will compliment your hard work on the bike and make sure you all your hydration needs are met!

                                              

Head to www.moxiegear.com.au to check out the Nuun tubes, funky socks and drink bottles designed perfect for racing.