PART 2: PROBLEM SOLVED!!

So continuing on from last blog which explained what had been going on, I had a few calls from friends with some suggestions, thanks heaps for those guys. What eventuated was I went under the knife last Monday, nervous was an understatement as the surgeon wasn’t sure what he was looking for and if indeed the surgery would even solve the problem. Nerve-wrecking probably more so because we found out our private health we have been paying every month for the past 2 years that  we assumed would cover the surgery would in fact not be covered. To be confronted with an out of pocket $6000 bill for a surgery that may not fix the problem wasn’t ideal....... But we felt there really was no other option.

Once paid, I settled into my bed at 10.30am, after having another XRAY, and at 1.30pm was wheeled away for the operation. The anaesthetist was kind enough to run through the risks associated with the surgery, most likely a legal requirement but I didn’t really need to hear that there would be a 1 in 100 chance I would remember something from the operation. Next thing I woke up in recovery feeling very very ordinary and it was 6.15pm, they said it would be a 1 ½ hour operation....?!?!? I was taken back to my room, and apparently the lady next to me who had a knee replacement was in there for less time than me! Felt ridiculously groggy and nauseous but no pain in my hip. I was keen to get the hell outta there and save myself $800 for the overnight fee, that’s a new set of wheels I kept telling myself, get out of the bed!!! But I was hooked up to a drip and a catheter, some party drug called ketamene, I have no idea why anyone would voluntarily take that stuff!!! It certainly didn’t make me feel like partying!! That was making me sick so then I had maxillon plus panadeine, anti-inflammatories and anti-biotics put into my drip. It then became pretty obvious I would be staying put for the night!!! New wheels will have to wait!!!

Apparently the ketamene has hallucinogenic side effects so the nurse came in every 1 hour to wake me up, take my blood pressure and see how I was going. So much for sleeping.

So the verdict....what was it that had not only kept me off my bike for 3 months, but from teaching properly, walking more than 500m, and turning into an even more cranky and frustrated human being? A tear in the labrym muscle (sits in the pelvis), extensive damage to my hip cup (likely from a stack), FAI (  ), and a spur on the bone that was shaved off. All these are common in cyclists, but the symptoms they were producing weren’t common, hence why it was such an epic ordeal to figure it out.

I was discharged on Tuesday morning and decided to come back to Marlo with Al, seat as far back as it would go, blanket over me I was keen to get the 4 ½ hr drive out of the way. No such luck, we got 30 minutes down the road and the car run out of petrol...on the busy Monash freeway. Apparently foresight isn’t one of Al’s strengths. In his defence, the petrol ‘range’ said there were 41km’s of petrol left in the tank and we were only 2km’s from a petrol station. It was freezing cold, raining and the RACV tool 1hr 40min to arrive, meanwhile I was pretty sure a Mac Truck was going to squash us.  I had to stand up every 1 hour to prevent DVT, so a stop at Traralgon Maccas saw my make it as far as the front door where I vomited everywhere, that was awkward and embarrassing, trying to hobble back to the car hanging on to Al (I didn’t have crutches yet) whilst vomiting at the same time trying to get out of view. We finally made it home and there I spent the next 4 days on the couch. Each time I tried to get up I would get a massive headspin, nausea and then spew. I stopped taking Endone as the side effects of nausea, constipation and head spins weren’t worth it. But I continued to take these steroidal anti-inflams, but turns out they were also causing the same side effects. It seemed for every drug they gave me a had to take another drug to combat the side effect of that drug, which in turn produced another side effect. I’d rather a bit more pain in my hip than the crappy sick feeling.

And where to from now? I have crutches for another week, stitches out next week but I have started riding again!! The beauty of cycling being a non weght bearing rehab tool, sweeeet. 2 x 5mins on the ergo once on the morning and once at night. Feels so amazingly awesome to be back on the bike although the 5 mins goes soooo quick and I try to hide the timer from Al but he watched over me to make sure I get off precisely at the 5 min mark. Dreaming about the day I’ll be out on the trials, cant friggin wait!!! And it should only be a couple of weeks away!!!!

On another positive note, Giant Bikes are going to help me out and I look forward to being part of the Giant Family, as everyone who knows me knows how much I love Giant. I feel very grateful they’re going to help me out. And totally stoked that in a couple of weeks I get to test ride their Advanced SL 1 carbon dually and their 29er Anthem Dually!!  Will be a tough decision whether or not to go down the 29er path, but after a few laps of the Pineys and Jubberland it’ll give me a fair indication. So it’s full steam ahead, it’s funny how this time last week I was depressed, frustrated, cranky and feeling absolutely shithouse and now I’m getting back to my old self. Funny how bikes can be such a massive part of your life. This time off has certainly made me appreciate how riding is more a part of me than my arms and legs are, that it can be easily taken away from you, and to appreciate every time you get to rock up to the start line, every berm and jump you go over, enjoy riding cos you never know when you won’t be able to do it. To think there were times I didn’t want to get out of bed to train, now I’d give my right arm to be able to hit the trials, even for half an hour!!! I’ve learnt I need to listen to my body, train smarter and enjoy every pedal stroke. Bring on the Scott 24hour in October, the Gravity 21hr, Surfcoast 12hr....got em all locked in and cant bloody wait !!!

PHYSIO’s, OSTEO’s, MASSEUSE’s, MYO’s, GP’s, DR’s, SURGEON’s........INJECTION’s, XRAY’s, MRI’s, ULTRASOUND’s, NERVE TEST......

Just thought I’d jot down why I haven’t ridden my bike in 3 months and what’s been happening. The past 3 months have definitely SUCKED to say the least,  frustration ....anger.....tears.....guilt. ...annoyance....  are all adjectives that come to mind. I’ve had 3 separate MRI’s, 2 injections, an XRAY, 2 ultrasounds and a nerve conduction test and they still can’t figure out what is wrong. The upside is I am presenting the hip gurus with an intriguing and interesting case and feel somewhat of a freakshow! Last night I had a surgeon ask his 2 Western Bulldog doctor mates to come see this 25yr old girl and how weird her symptoms are, I had them all gathered around examining me and their only comments where “mmmmm......interesting..... that’s bizarre...that’s weird.....” So I guess the attention is kinda nice!!

So a quick backtrack on how it began. In Feb we headed out on our Saturday 150km ride to Buchan, hilly yes, hard yes, but I’d done it the past couple of weekends and was feeling really fit. Headed out and from the first pedal stroke I had a niggle in my glute which is when I should have turned around, didn’t and by the time I got home some 6 hours later I couldn’t lift my left leg over the top tube to get off. Rested a few days, raced Otway Odyssey 100km the next weekend in pain, then continued to do some training for the next 4 weeks but having soreness in left hip.

Went and saw a myotherapist and masseuse who both diagnosed it as illopsoas tendonitis, complete rest and massage would have it healed in 4 weeks. No dramas, except that turned into 10 weeks.

Teaching is a freakin hard job, especially when you don’t have any way to release your frustration and ‘switch off’ after work. By now I was struggling to work, couldn’t participate in teaching my Prac PE classes and every little thing the students did was magnified by about 100 and I was losing my shit in the class. Lucky to have a wicked awesome supportive principle who gave me time off to sort my self out, this meant a trip to Melbourne (4 ½ hr drive) for an ultrasound on hip to see how bad the tendonitis was. Alas, no tendonitis was present, ripper, but what the hell was wrong with me then?

Needed to see a doctor at VicHouse Medical Clinic but unfortunately they were all booked out for the next week, so I decided to make a stand for myself and declared I wouldn’t be moving from this seat in the waiting room until a doctor would see me. My puppy pleading eyes, low cleavage top and chaining myself to the seat did nothing to sway the male receptionist into sweet talking a doctor. Dammit, What the hell am I going to do?

Stayed the night at my good friend Ailie’s house, who is a triathlete (soon to be ironwomen) and she called up her physio friend, who came around to examine me on a Saturday morning. She said it was very interesting indeed and borrowed her doctor friends referral pad and wrote me a referral to get an XRAY and MRI, thinking it could be a laberal tear or FAI in the hip. Couldn’t be done until later in the week so I headed back to Castlemaine for some R & R. Back down to Melbourne for the XRAY and MRI at Olympic Park, then to see a doctor there. Doctor said the MRI and XRAY were all normal, a tiny laberal tear but it wouldn’t produce my symptoms. (By this stage I had an aching pain in my groin and was unable to lift my left leg more than 1cm off the ground, hip flexion did not exist) His next thoughts were a bulging disc in my back. Instead of having to pay another $380 for MRI which I would get $0 back at Olympic Park, we jumped in a taxi in peak hour and headed to Coburg where I could get $300 back. MRI showed up nothing, and the doctor told me to stay in Melbourne for the night and to go see his colleague in the morning for more tests. Now, mum and I had had to wait 3 hours in between appointments and decided to hit up DFO and made some purchases, which we decided to leave at Olympic Park as we thought we would be returning there that night. However, we didn’t get out of Coburn until 7pm (having left C’maine at 6am) so mum had to head home and I slept on the coach at Ailie’s. Next day went to Olympic Park and got a cortisone injection and a local anaesthetic in my hip joint. Other doctor did some movement tests which were interesting-internally rotating my knee caused pain in my hip yet my hip was anaesthetised..... weird indeed, the hip joint was numbed.... this lead to them thinking it is not the hip that’s the problem, but referred pain. 

Now this is when I really lost my shit, exhausted from lack of sleep on a wonky couch and desperately wanting answers the doctor told me he didn’t know, I would have to wait until next week to hear from the other doctor as he wasn’t even my doctor, and that I could jump on the bike for an hour and spin the legs over. Completely flabbergasted that this doctor who had just seen I couldn’t lift my leg more than a cm off the ground has told me to go out for a spin...... There’s lots of things I would have liked to have said at that moment but instead I just cried. Doh.

Walked out of Olympic Park loaded up with bags and no answers I just sat in a park and sobbed, then jumped on a train and headed back to Marlo town. Had to wait another 4 days to hear from the doctor who then decided I needed a nerve conduction test at the Melbourne Neurological Centre in a week. Waited another week, jumped on the train and headed back to Melbourne. This test friggin caned, they put these pad things on you then electrocute you with this little probe, which was uncomfortable to say the least, but to test the nerves in the back he put a needle in the muscle and then asks you to contract that muscle. Frig, the amount of pain this was causing I was laying there thinking well at least I know what it is now, there has to be something wrong with my nerves. Evil electrocuting doctor then advised me my nerves were in excellent condition.....a relief but still no answers....

Boarded the train back to Marlo and waited another 4 days to hear back from my doctor who said he would try to get me into see a hip surgeon specialist...waited another 4 days and was advised I would be seeing Dr. David Young a hip guru.

Another train ride back to Marlo for some more waiting.

A few days later it was back to Melbourne (waited 2 hours in waiting room) then Youngie had a look at me and said this is totally weird before getting called back to theatre for an emergency so it was another 3 hour wait in his rooms. This is when he saw me and showcased me to his other doctor friends and asked me to stay until tomorrow. Back at 7.15 the next morning, waited until 9.30 to see him, where he asked me to wait until 1pm to go get another MRI, this time on my abdomen and another injection, this time into my illopsoas tendon. His 2 thoughts were either endometriosis which was compressing my illopsoas, or I’d torn my illopsoas.

Over to Vic House and waited until 1pm for a MRI on my abdomen and pelvis, which luckily showed no endometrioses. Then I was injected with an ultrasound guided local anaesthetic into my illopsoas for pain relief and to note any changes over the weekend. The doctor administering the injection was the same doctor I saw about 6 weeks ago who did my first XRAY and he couldn’t believe it was still going on! Once I had this I waited in the waiting room for the girls to sort out my payment and when I went to the front desk to pay my left leg collapsed from under me and somehow I managed to not full flat on my face in a room full of people. Turns out the anaesthetic had leaked into a nerve in my leg and consequently my leg was now numb. I had to sit and wait until it wore off. Unable to walk they called a taxi and a mere 90 minutes later it arrived, to drive me around the block to my other doctor. There I waited another hour for another taxi to arrive and we headed straight into peak hour traffic into southern cross station to make the 6.30 train home. I finally arrived in Marlo at midnight, and once again returned home with no answers. My hip was sorer than when I left and is now the sorest it has ever been even though it has a local in it..... another weird factor to add to the already extreme strangeness of this injury. Also bizarre is that my left quad (bung hip side) is heaps bigger and stronger than my right, but my left calf has signs of wastage....go figure. Well that's what's been going on, hope I dont sound like a sook..... but I'm hoping to have some answers on Monday and Part 2 of this story will hopefully only be a 1 sentence story!

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.

TATHRA ENDURO RACE REPORT

When Craig asked if I was keen to race the Tathra Enduro on March 26/27^th, my plans for writing the race report were a little different to how it’s turned out. I had been looking forward to racing the Tathra Enduro since I had heard about it;  was a new race on the calendar, it was only 2.5 hours drive from our hometown, and the Youtube race preview clips the club posted on Facebook got us keen as mustard. However, I am currently sitting on a camping mat, in the back of our ute, typing this, as 71 males and 4 females have headed out on the King Nelba 100km. An injury has put me sulkily on the bench (literally as we are at the local football oval), and therefore I will give you a race report from a spectator’s point of view mixed with my partner, Al’s point of view who is lucky enough to be out there tearing up the trails. My only wish is for him and his bike to come back in one piece, as this has not been the case with one or the other breaking in his last couple of races.

Tathra is a small coastal town about 5 hours south of Sydney and 2.5 hours south east of Canberra and lucky for us only 2.5 hours from East Gippsland. This race came to fruition when the environmental group Clean Energy for Eternity collaborated with the Wilderness Coast and Snowy Mountains MTB Club to bring about one goal. The goal: to run an event that would not only showcase some wicked single track in Tathra but to also raise money to go towards making Tathra the first town to run solely on solar power. 

As we drove into the township of Tathra we embarked down a ridiculously steep hill and the worried look on Al’s face said it all. The cliff face we stared up on from the township confirmed the rumours we had heard about the race being hilly. Saturday we headed to the Tathra Country Club for registration and to watch the 10km time trail and the 2km kids race. This was very entertaining and no doubt there were some future Australian mountain bike champions in the making. The next event was a 10km prologue that showcased some of the best single track Tathra had to offer, with Jason English beating 40 other competitors in a cranking time of 29:31. The race hub was in full swing, with the Trek Demo guys displaying some awesome bikes, with the tunes pumping and the Lions Club frying up a bbq to raise funds towards the Clean Energy Community Project.  

Sunday morning soon rolled around and our caravan park was a convenient 5 minute ride from the Race Hub. We arrived to find the MC and the music blaring had everyone fired up for race start and then came race briefing, which perhaps went a little too long for nervous competitors keen to go, provided a hilarious and informative insight  into how the trails came about to be in Tathra. A helicopter doing doughies in the air had us all entertained as people wondered whether a kamikaze parachuting mountain biker was going to dive out. No such luck but an added entertainment factor to make this a unique event.

The King Nelba 100km course saw competitors head straight into single track so a Le Mans start was decided upon, seeing 71 riders lining up in the middle of the oval and running to their bikes was quite a spectacle. Same went for the 50km Goat Knob Race which had over 120 competitors, with the highlight being two guys wrestling in the middle of the field to stop the other from getting to their bike first, but most likely resulted in both heading into the single track last! I think the Le Mans worked well, however if this event continues to grow and numbers increase, organisers may need to look at making the run longer or having some fire road before going into single-track. A 16km single track circuit at the beginning of the race gave spectators the opportunity to see riders came through the Race Hub about after 16k, and then again at the 90km mark.

                                

The Tathra Enduro was a fantastic event, especially for an event that is in its first year and one that was run by a handful of volunteers. It had the feel of a local club event and I believe this gave it an awesome vibe, I can see this race getting bigger and bigger in the future, and I hope it can still maintain that relaxed feeling. Riders described the course as “bloody hard” and Jason English said he believed it should be considered for the National Marathon Championship Race next year.  There were some organisation aspects that are to be expected with a first time event, and I’m sure these will be ironed out for next year. Feedback from riders included the competitor show bags being a little light on with goodies and minimal nutrition at aid stations for an event with a $100 entry fee, a clock at the finishing shoot, on occasion some organisers seemed unsure of where riders should be or what to do.

What made this event truly special was having so many locals involved and the local support, it seemed every single business in the town was behind the event. The Royal Lifesaving Club, the local supermarket, the Lions Club, Emergency Services, the local fish and chip shop, newsagent and Tathra Beach and Bike Shop to name a few. Also, the local indigenous group needs to be thanked for allowing these awesome trails to have been built, the MTB club, Stacey George and all the volunteers who set up the drink stations, chopped the watermelons, and encouraged riders to the very end.

 Al would also like to thank the two 10 year old girls who were perched on a hill set up with a table and water jug at the 35km mark offering to fill riders drink bottles. When Al asked if they had any “Torq powder” he was met with the reply “umm...we don’t know what that is, we just carried the table, ice and water up by ourselves from our house.” It was this community spirit that made it such a special event and it he whole community has got behind this event and I urge mountain bikers to get behind it next year, it is well worth the trip. Well done to Jason English who won in a cranking time of 4 hours and 46 minutes, and Amanda Sanderson was the first female to cross the line.

Well done and a big thank-you must go to the Wilderness Coast and Snowy Mountains MTB Club, Clean Energy for Eternity, local businesses Tathra Beach and Bike Store, all sponsors, volunteers, locals and all involved on providing such a fantastic event that helps support the environment and clean energy campaign. I’ll be hitting the Tathra trials throughout the year as it is an awesome holiday destination and can’t wait to write next year’s race report AFTER the race in my lycra!

                              

Being Injured…… SUCKS

Last year was a very topsy turvey year in terms of my training and racing, trained flat out for the Red Centre Enduro after having 2 months of not very good training due to a knee injury and then 2 months off after it due to an arthroscope, moved to three different towns, got a good 6 week training block under my belt then competed in the Worlds 24hour solo in October. A lot of people I know had about 2 months off after that race, they had blown themselves apart both physically and mentally. I on the other hand, was rearing to go due to my time off before the race. Loved every minute of the race and had about 2 weeks recovery before racing again. But it seems it all eventually catches up with you. School holidays started shortly after and we thus began a 6 week block of living like elite athletes. All we had to do was worry about riding, eating and sleeping and we absolutely loved it! Racking up 400-500k’s a week on the bike and feeling fit.

About 5-6 weeks ago on Saturday long road ride, consisting of 150k’s of hills, I developed a pain in my left glute muscle that was there form start to finish. It got worse as the ride went on and by the last 50k I was struggling to lift my left leg up on the pedal stroke, and needed help lifting it over the top tube to get off. I rested the next day, stretched and iced and hoped for the best. The next weekend I raced in the Otway Odyssey and once again it hurt from start to finish, up out of the saddle descending over any bump and climbing were agonising for the entire 7 hours. Perhaps a strength in some circumstances and a weakness in others, I am very stubborn and have never not finished a race and stopping was never an option. A bit of a recovery week and the hip flexor region seemed to be getting a little better, but not 100%.

Got a few massages and this helped but each time I rode it then ached for the next 2 days, all day long even when I wasn’t riding. I still continued training and refused to let it stop me from doing the training I needed to do. Capital Punishment 100k, Tathra 100k, Bright 6hour Enduro and the National 24hour solo were races all booked and paid for. A trip to the physio last night provided a diagnosis of psoas tendinitis (pain around hip flexor region). A rest off the bike completely and ice massage is the only way to get over it. It could be 2 weeks, 4 weeks or 2 months. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, I should have had more time off after the Worlds, I should have had a rest 6 weeks ago when it first started hurting instead of continuing to train even when it was sore. Hopefully a lesson learnt for the future.

So, after a few hours of self pity and anger, I am trying my best to focus on what I CAN do, rather than what I CAN’T do. It is hard though, as I have been training hard and super pumped about those upcoming races. I know I’m going to be a pain in the ass to be around as mental health is so intrinsically linked to physical health. I am wondering what an earth I’m going to do to fill the time instead of riding. Perhaps I’ll get all those things done which I never have time to do. E.g the thankyou cards from our engagement party 2 months ago which are still sitting on the table! I daresay dinners over the next month or so will be a bit more exciting than the usual stir-fry as I’ll have more time to explore some new recipes. I need to see this as an opportunity to work on the things I usually ignore due to time restrictions and let my body recover fully. It's really not that big of a deal to be injured in the scheme of things, I mean Ive got 2 legs, 2 arms and a heartbeat, and if abit of tendonitis is all thats bothering me then Ive got nothing to complain about. Getting injured is just part of it, it's part and parcel when you spend 12-20hours a week exercising and I've gotta take it in my stride. I'll be focusing on upper body strength so going to the gym,  boxing,  kayaking, surfing and lots of stretching!