Last Big Ride...

So this weekend, I did my last "big ass" ride before Peaks Challenge. I went back to Tawonga South/Mt Beauty and stayed at the same motel. I arrived on the Friday afternoon and settled in for the night.

The plan for the weekend was to ride Mt Hotham again before the big day as the last time I did that route was in October. Instead of just riding Mt Hotham from Harrietville return which is approx 60km, I needed a big day out so I decided to start from Mt Beauty, ride over Tawonga Gap up to Hotham and then back over Tawonga Gap again, about 150km in total.

Once again, I left the house at 8am and rode up Mt Beauty side of Tawonga Gap (for the 3rd time ever). For once, I did this ride with fresh legs! By all strava records, I achieved a PR on all segments along this side of the climb. It makes a difference when this climb is not done during the hottest time of the day or after having done 100km already. So I achieved a PB of 10min on this climb. The descent down was also a PB, maybe because the temperature was pretty cold and I couldn't wait to get off this descent.

I had never ridden from Germantown to Harrietville before so it was good to see how I would fair along this route before hitting up the 2nd climb of the event. Apart from a few small inclines and cars (which won't be present on the day), the ride was pretty straight forward.

I stopped at the park at Harrietville to fill up my drink bottle and had quick toilet stop. The day was starting to get warm too as I could feel the sweat dripping off my face. I thought that with the amount of riding I had been doing over the last few months that I would improve on my climb up Hotham but at the end, it wasn't to be.

I found the ride pretty challenging from the start. My legs just didn't want to spin faster than 50rpm and I struggled with the heat. I guess because this was my 2nd time up Hotham, I had expectations that I would find the climbs easier but it wasn't the case. I found The Meg quite challenging, much more than my first attempt and I didn't find the 10km false flat in the middle as much of a relief as I did the first time in October. I struggled with keeping up the speed along this part of the ride. The last 10km of Hotham is where I struggled the most. Straight up after the toll gates there is a pretty long and sharp climb. I rode out of the saddle as much as I could. I didn't find the small roller coaster parts too intimidating this time around but I did find CRB hill more horrific this time around after actually reading about it more in write ups and blogs. I really had a lot of trouble keeping my cadence above 30rpm which was just soul destroying for me. I think at this point I had also ran out of water (both bottles) and was stressing out...I had 5 hot and sweaty ks to go....

I had to stop at one point along the ride to just rest. My legs were throbbing and I was just tired. I knew that I had one or two more sharp climbs to do before I see the water catchment and all the hard work was done for this peak. I have never been so happy to see that body of water as I knew the rest of the ride was downhill towards The General store where I could buy some coke....something I was salivating about for literally hours.

I stopped at Hotham for about 15min or so. I bought a Gatorade and a Coke and added a sachet of Hydralyte into both bottles with added salt. I didn't stop off at the toilets as I didn't feel like I was busting and I sweated so much on the climbs.

The descent back down to Harrietville was not too bad. The roads are smooth and I enjoyed the views. When I reached Harrietville, I felt like the sun was right next to my face. I had to stop and take a quick break....and bought another can of coke for a top up as there is no other method for top up until I reach the motel.

Although it was around 4pm, I felt like the sun was out on force and I was being chased out of all my energy. The ride along Tawonga from Germantown side was the hardest ever. It is my 3rd climb along this route and Strava also tells me that it is mostly my slowest too. No surprises there, this climb was done after a long day...

I stopped twice along this route. I was hot, sweaty and tired. My legs were f#$ked and couldn't keep my cadence > 30rpm which was ridiculous for a gradient no greater than 6%. I hated this climb. I felt like it went on forever and every turn the road took, I thought it was the end but when I reached the apex, it was not the end, just another turn.

When I finally reached the top of the climb, I was relieved and didn't even think about stopping. For once I was so glad for the descent as I was 8-10km from "home". My total time spent with the bike was 10:12 with 9:24 saddle time.

I am so ready for taper....my legs are shattered and I have two weeks until Peaks Challenge. No more long hilly rides until the 13th March.

The Backside of Falls...

So on the weekend of 20 – 21 Feb, I went back to the Alpine region as I wanted to tackle a few more climbs before the big day (which is in 3 weeks….eeekkk).

During the week, I went about my usual training schedule with CF Altitude on the Tuesday and AOC KOM class on the Thursday. During both sessions, I worked on my weakness which has been out of the saddle work.

Come Thursday night, I was panicking slightly while I packed for my weekend away. I have heard plenty about the “Back O’Falls” as it has the final (and steepest) climb. I was stressing about this as much as Baw Baw…

As this climb is part of the Peaks Challenge, I couldn’t delay this like I did with Baw Baw. I needed to tick this climb off before the big day and the 20^th Feb was the day planned. I booked my accommodation Mt Beauty and the plan was to ride up the front of Falls Creek, then ride to Anglers Rest return. I checked on the map and the distance from my motel to Anglers Rest was about 77km so the total trip would be about 150-160km.

I had also planned on a ride on the Sunday as well but that didn’t eventuate – more on this later.

I arrived at my accommodation around 9pm on the Friday night. I settled in for the night and went to bed around 10pm. I woke up around 7:00am and started the ride at 8am. The ride up to Falls Creek was good. It was my 3^rd attempt up the front of Falls Creek and by the looks of my data, it was not my fastest. I was passed by plenty of vehicles carrying mountain bikes and it wasn’t until I reached the toll gates that I found out that the Gravity Enduro is on that weekend. When I reached the top of Falls Creek, I stopped for a toilet break, bought a coke, an orange juice and filled up the remainder of my bottles. A lesson learnt from previous rides is that I take too long to finish off a can of coke so what I did was filled up my bottle with coke along with some salt and water. The salt degassed the coke as well as providing me with some sodium.

I then took off down the back of Falls. I had my jacket on as it was windy but I didn’t realise the back of falls still had a few climbs to do. I stopped about 5km on to take off my jacket and it was then I saw how nice the top of Falls Creek was.

It was around 50km into the ride was where the big descents were and I knew that I was close to the infamous “WTF Corner”. When I rode down the descent, my hands on my brakes were so tight that they were close to red raw and bruised when I reached the bottom. It was a very sharp descent and I knew that I was in for a bit of a shocker of a climb. I rode all the way to Anglers Rest so I could refill my drink bottles and stop for the toilet.

I decided to order a coffee at the Blue Duck Inn which made my total time longer than needed. For the Peaks Event, I need to adjust my strategy and reduce “wasted time”. No buying of coke and then drinking it, no coffee breaks, nothing which will put my finishing of 3 Peaks into high risk.

So after my coffee, I got back onto my bike and rode towards Falls. As I approached WTF corner, I told myself that I was to not look up and just do what I can. The climb was steep and the gradient was something which I had never done before. I saw the gradient >15% a few times on my Garmin and I did ride from side to side. I had no idea how I managed the ride but I was adamant to not stop, more because I could never get back on the bike…

All the negative thoughts came into my head – I was doubting myself for Peaks due to how difficult the climb was and the fact that I would be doing this climb with 200km in my legs having already climbed Tawonga Gap and Hotham….

The ride was a shock to my system and I didn’t realise it until 100km into the ride that I had run out of hydration. I was desperate and panicked about how I was to finish the remaineder of the climb back to Falls Creek (30km) ride with no hydration…I waved a car down and luckily, they had a tank of water in the back of their car. LIFESAVERS!!!! With one of my bottles filled, I rode the remainder of the 30km tired but I knew the worst was over and I would make it in one piece.

When I reached Falls Creek for the 2^nd time, I was too late to refuel. All the shops (Foodworks and the café) were closed. Luckily there was a vending machine there and I topped up my bottle with Gatorade and was on my way back down to Mt Beauty.

At this point, I had done 125km or so and I was worried that I would be riding in the dark. I put on my jacket as it was getting cold at the top of Falls Creek. I would say that my descent back down to Mt Beauty was my slowest. I was tired and I concentrated harder than I had ever been. My aim was to get back to my accommodation before 7:30pm. I actually made it around 7:15pm which was too late to buy dinner from Foodworks but similar to October training camp, I was so exhausted to be hungry.

I ended up having my protein shake, my carrots which I had packed for my car trip and the motel biscuits provided. I showered and then went to bed from the exhaustion.

I didn’t end up sleeping until about 3am due to my legs throbbing. I decided the that I would give Sunday’s training a miss and would treat myself to wholefoods at Bright and then drive home early and that was what I did.

Lessons:

• ·       Pack more nutrition than needed. I had originally planned to be out on the bike for no more than 10 hours but it ended up being about 11:30 in total.
• ·         Always fill up bottles at rest stops and ration with reason…I think at one point I drank half a bottle in one go as I was thirsty but ended up with half a bottle to last me for the 30km….luckily on the event day, there will be more water stops.
• ·         My Lumiere cycling knicks are the way to go and will wear it for the event.

 I have plans on going back to My Beauty again this weekend. I would like to ride up to Mt Hotham again before the big day…

Where are your cycling posts?!

Where are my regular updates of my cycling you may ask??? Well, the reason why I haven't done any posts lately is because I haven't done any riding/training....

Late 2015 (we are talking about 23rd December 2015), we were advised by our landlord that we needed to vacate our house as she wanted to sell…..such bad timing! There was nothing for us inspect until the 9^th Jan and I was going to be packing the house, moving and unpacking during the peak of my training for Falls Creek…

Since the 130km AUDAX ride in Jan, I haven’t done any long or hilly rides on the weekends as I have been packing the house and not venturing out of Melbourne as I had been doing for the last 3 months.

I have kept up my training on the wattbikes at Melbourne Altitude and Art of Cycling but that is about it….50km a week (not hitting the 400+km required as per the program) with 0 elevation.

We only moved in last weekend (5^th – 9^th Feb) and during this week, we will be emptying out boxes as the boxes are being returned this weekend and attending two weddings in between….

I am hoping to get back into the hills on Sunday (14^th – yes, I know it’s Valentines Day) locally and getting back to the Alpine Region next weekend AND the weekend after if I can. I still need to tick off the back of Falls Creek and I would like to climb Mt Hotham once more before the 13^th March.

Time is truly running out and I am stressing.

Looking Ahead - March

March is the big one….Falls Creek Peaks Challenge is on the 13^th. The thought of this event stresses me out to no end, maybe because I have yet to ride up the back of Falls Creek (from Omeo) and the fact that I am moving house (now) when I am supposed to be riding the most ks, highest elevations and spending the longest time on the saddle.

For the week of 29^th Feb through to 6^th March, I will be training but not doing anymore big rides. I will continue with my altitude and wattbike classes during the week, strength work will be about core and functional movements and my long ride on Saturday 5^th will most likely be about distance rather than anything too strenuous and Sunday will be a recovery ride down to crits.

During the weekdays of Week 7^th – 10^th March, I will continue with my spin classes but it will be a taper set. I will see if the AOC Wattbike class would be suitable or not. Driving up to Falls Creek on the Friday and may ride down to Mt Beauty on the Saturday (not back up).

I am not sure what I will be doing for the weeks after Falls Creek…I don’t have any events lined up. I am probably just going to be commuting more to work…and maybe a swim or two at the beach.

I am about 70% confident about the Falls Creek Peaks Challenge event. My descending skills have improved but my fear of falling and crashing at high speeds is still there. My nutrition training has been pretty good. I still don’t eat solids on the bike ride and this is not something which I am going to change anytime soon. I am happy to run on fluid calories for the whole 13-15 hours from when I wake up. As long as I am hydrated, I will survive the day. 

AUDAX Alpine Classic - Falls Creek 130km

On Sunday 24^th Jan, I participated in my first Alpine Classic event. I only signed up for the 130km which is the route which takes you from Bright – Tawonga Gap – Falls Creek – Tawonga Gap – Bright. There is 3 climbs and the total elevation was about 2500m. The reason why I wanted to do this climb rather than the 140km (Buffalo – Tawonga Gap x 2) or the 200km (Buffalo + 130km) was that I wanted to an out and back route and I thought that the 200km was too much for me to do at this point. Having only done a 150km (with 2900m elevation) only the week before, I haven’t done enough long rides to be able to tackle 200km.

My legs after my Big Ass Ride were fatigued but I still pushed on as much as I could during the week. During the CF Altitude class, it took me a while to get going and only pushed towards my limit the last 20min of the session and during the Art of Cycling (Wattbike) session, my power zones were a bit off but it was the best I could push. I didn’t really do anything after Thursday’s session – just wanted to save my legs for Sunday’s ride.

I drove up to Beechworth on Saturday. I was late for accommodation around Bright and surrounding areas and could only find something affordable around Beechworth. It wasn’t an issue, it was only 45min away and closer to Melbourne. After I checked in, I drove to Bright to pick up my rego sticker and bought a crepe from the French Festival area. I bumped into a few friends and also visited friends who were staying at the Airstream caravan (they were riding the 200km from 4am). I stopped off at the supermarket for a few supplies before I headed back to Beechworth for dinner of leftover roast vegies from the night before and drank about 1 liter of hydralyte before I headed for an early night.

My 130km route started at 7am so I planned on a 5am alarm and arrival at Bright at 6:30am taking into account needing to find parking etc. It didn’t take too long to find parking as most stayed in Bright for the weekend and even more people started at 4am so the only “traffic” were supporter cars and cyclists.

I rode into the starting zone around 6:50am and waited in line for the start. At 7am, we started the event and headed towards Germantown. I stayed on the left as I wasn’t racing and I didn’t want to get caught up. Although getting into a pack would help, this day was about climbing rather than anything.

Once we got to the incline that was the (Bright side) of Tawonga Gap, the gap between riders started to widen. I stayed in my rhythm and concentrated on my cadence. I felt the ride was easier than the last time I rode up in January, maybe because I had plenty of people around me. I rode up the first climb with a PB of 3 minutes.

When I reached the top, I didn’t stop and just kept going….I didn’t need to rest or take photos. I wanted to minimise my rest times as much as I could. During the descent I passed two people (wahoo!) There was a control point at Mt Beauty but I only rode through it for timing. Once again, I didn’t need to refill my bottle, it was too early for a toilet stop and I just wanted to keep going.

The climb up to Falls Creek was good. The day was starting to get warmer but I just concentrated on my cadence. I recognised a friend’s bf during the climb and we rode together for a brief periods during the whole 30km as he went back and forth for several reasons. Overall, my climb up Falls Creek was 7min slower (2:40) than my first attempt in Nov 2015 (2:33). I stopped at Falls Creek for a toilet break, drank a third of a can of coke and ate half a banana. I have never been a “meal” person on long rides so no point trying anything new. I consume my calories during the ride and I hate riding on a full stomach.

I think I stopped at Falls Creek for 15min. I topped up both of my bottles and then off I went. Due to the temp, there was no need for jacket where as I needed a gilet and arm warmers during the descent back in Nov 2015. I was 7min slower this time around on my descent as well, I did slow down more due to so many people passing me at such high speeds (1:01). Once I got to the bottom of Falls Creek, it was a slight incline towards Tawonga Gap.

The climb up the (Mt Beauty) side of Tawonga Gap really hits you in the face. You can see it straight away and wonder how the hell does a bike get over that angle. I tired as much as I could to ride at a good candence and could maintain a cadence of > 60rpm for the first 1km. Then I could only maintain the ride at my tired legs cadence of 45-55rpm. I rode out of the saddle a few times and good practice on tired legs too. Due to the heat, my feet started to swell and the pressure was becoming a bit unbearable. I didn’t want to stop half way on the climb so I ploughed on until I got to the top. I stopped for 5min to undo my shoes, a quick massage and then it was off I go down to Bright.

The descent down to Bright was slow for me – about 5min slower than my PB. Then it was a 5km ride back into Bright. I tried to TT it back to town but I wasn’t able to sustain it as my legs were so tired.

Once I got back into Bright, I stopped for about 30min. I picked up my shirt after they sent me a text reminding me to pick it up during the event, ate some fruit and an icy pole and then it was back to Beechworth. The total distance according to my Garmin was only 121km, not close to 130km at all. 

My drive back to Beechworth was not great. I was yawning constantly. I took a shower and laid on the bed for about an hour before I packed my bags for the drive back to Melbourne. Driving back to Melbourne wasn’t the smartest idea on tired legs but it had to be done as I needed to get back to work on Monday. I didn’t drink any caffeine as I needed to be able to go to bed once I got home so the drive back was 4 hours of yawning.

My legs post ride are feeling the effects of over 7 hours riding. Luckily, they are not injured or anything like when I was running. Just tired.

I am looking forward to next year’s event already – I will either ride the 200km Sunrise event or the 250km. I really enjoyed the pace of the event and the support along the way. I have about 6 weeks left until 3 Peaks. I am more confident that I am able to finish within the 13 hour limit but I really do need to work on my descents more and climbing at a better cadence. As I am moving house on the 5^th Feb, I won’t be heading back to the mountains until mid February. I still would like to ride the back of Falls Creek before 3 Peaks. Like I discussed with a friend, I don’t want to go through the entire day stressing out about it. 

Big Ass Ride...

According to one of the advice from a coaching program I am following for my Falls Creek Peaks Challenge, I need to be able to do a big ass ride comfortably in preparation for the event. One of the routes they recommended was the Warburton-Lake Mountain route. I originally signed up for the Lake Mountain Classic held on the 9^th Jan organised by the same group who organised AUDAX. The entry was much more affordable than other events ($20) but the aid along the route was minimal – all you really need is water stops. The day finally came along but I decided to not do this event due to the following reasons:

1. -          We need to move house and had about 6 houses lined up for inspection that day.
2. -          I had a Hen’s dinner which started at 6pm at the Docklands which meant that I needed to finish 150km by 3pm (impossible) on my speed.
3. -          I didn’t sleep due to cramps all through Thursday and Friday (they are so bad sometimes they actually wake me up).

I then decided that I would do this ride on my own the following week – we didn’t have too many houses to inspect (we did inspect up to 13 houses during the week already), I didn’t have to deal with cramps anymore and the wedding is on the Sunday (for the friend who had the hen’s dinner).

I had planned the route according to the climbs I needed to do and the drink stops along the way – utilising cafes and bakeries. So the plan was to ride from Warburton along Reefton.

I started my ride at 7am and there were about a dozen guys at the same parking area as me. I figured they would be riding Donna Buang instead of my route as they were all talking about the chilly descents.

The temperature hovered around 5 degrees when I started but as I was climbing out of Warburton, I opted for no arm warmers or jacket as I do warm up very quickly during climbs. I just rode in my Fondo jersey and my Rapha knicks. I was pretty cold when I first rode out of Warburton but it wasn’t unbearable.

I decided the route for the day would consist of climbing out of Warburton and then ride into Marysville. I remember from the Giro della Donna that I had gone through 1.5 bottles of hydration by the time I had climbed out of Reefton and at the T intersection of the Lake Mountain climb. This also meant that descending down to Marysville, I would not be running out of hydration before the climb back up to Lake Mountain summit. As it was not as warm as the Giro day, I had gone through one full bottle of hydration and only about quarter of my 2^nd bottle by the time I reached Marysville. This was perfect as it gave me a chance to fill up my bottle with a more electrolyte concentrated solution for my Lake Mountain climb. I bought a juice first at the Bakery but also opted for a coffee too which made my break longer than needed.

The climb towards Lake Mountain was tougher this time around compared to the first ride on the 15^th Nov. I guess 60km in the legs with 50km of climbing didn’t make them the freshest. The first 4km of the climb was tough as the average gradient was around 8-10%. I couldn’t keep my cadence > 40rpm and I trained on riding out of the saddle half a dozen times. I met a couple of guys at the Marysville bakery also rode up Lake Mountain. They had come up to Marysville via Acheron Way rather than through Reefton. They both rode passed me in a flash and they would have also started 30min after me too.

After the first 4km of the climb and the gradient levelled out more towards a more manageable one around 4-6%, I could keep my cadence around 55-65rpm. The temperature also started to heat up and I could see little bubbles of tar forming along the road which “popped” and “crackled” as you rode over them. Some of the tar would stick to the tyres and made the climb (felt) slower than usual.

The second half of the Lake Mountain climb, although an easier climb, I felt like it went on forever. Maybe it was due to the heat as it was around the middle of the day, maybe because by then, I had about 80km+ in my legs and already climbed over 2000m in elevation. The climb took me nearly 20min longer to do compared to the one in November. I started to cramp at about 12km mark of the climb and that was when I decided to utilise my more “salted” hydration solution and the cramps went away.

By the time I reached the top, I was tired. I stood at the entry into the resort for about 5min before I decided to get off the bike and bought a coke! I am not a big coke drinker, especially from a can so it took me about 45min to get through half a can of coke. I decided that I really need to scoot along before it was too late.

The descent down to the main roads didn’t take too long. I stopped half way to take off my wind jacket. I have decided to ride with a wind jacket instead of gilet and arm warmers as I only had to carry one thing rather than 2.

The rest of the ride down via Reefton back to Warburton felt like it took forever! Although most of the distance was a descent, there were a few short and steep climbs and rolling hills which sapped the energy out of the legs. Each slight incline felt like another mountain climb. The last 5km from Warbuton East to Warburton was the worse…I was so slow and it was nearly 5pm.

By the time I got to my car, the bakery had closed and I was hungry. I quickly got into my car and drove to the nearest McDonalds (sorry!). The funny thing is, whenever I have a big training day like this, I crave salty savoury food but I actually don’t have much of an appetite.

I finally got home around 7pm but just took a shower and went straight to bed. I was just dead to the world and just didn’t want to think for the rest of the day. The next day, I had planned on doing a recovery ride but I opted out of it and just enjoyed the company of my partner whilst we had breakfast down at Black Rock, met a friend for her 32rd Bday cake sharing and then got ready to head in for our friend’s wedding.

I am glad I did this ride – it gave me confidence that I was able to get myself through the big ride. I only felt “over it” when I stopped riding. If I had ridden Donna Buang at the end of the ride, it would have made the equivalent elevation to Peaks Challenge but not quite the distance.

In terms of nutrition – I am pretty satisfied with that I consumed. I would just add the salted solution from the start rather than during the middle of the ride to prevent cramps. I would also refrain from stopping at aid stations for too long. Just a quick one to fill up water is all I need. I do need to change my music or even incorporate podcasts or audiobooks in my rides just to break up the repetitiveness of the music I have been listening to on my long rides since October.

This weekend, I have the 130km AUDAX ride and then it’s a few more weeks before the big event in March.

Looking Ahead - February 2016

February will be a stressful month for me. It is the last month at which I can do any more training for 3 Peaks, I have planned on tackling Mt Baw Baw to finish off my 7 Peaks Challenge, I have 2 weddings to attend and there will be a big chance that I am going to be moving house (if it is not done by the end of January).

Due to double wedding on the weekend of 12^th – 14^th February, I am not able to head back out to Bright for the training camp but I have signed up for Mt Baw Baw with the Domestique group. I do have a wedding at 3pm around Gisborne and the ride doesn’t start until 10am, I may have to get this ride out of the way early before the crowd hits or the day after the wedding.

There are no more events prior to 3 Peaks so it is just a matter of putting in as many hours as I can on the saddle and putting as much stress on my legs as I can in training for the big day.

Some “big day climbs” I might add to my training schedule in February include:

•           Super Crucifix x2
•           Donna Buang x 4
•           Bright to Hotham x 2
•           Mt Beauty – Falls – Anglers (and return) and Towonga if possible.

Just writing this post is making me nervous for 3 Peaks. I don’t have many weekends left for training and I can’t avoid not moving house within the next few weeks. STRESS!

(Not Quite) The Crucifix - 1st Attempt

One of the cycling “routes” to do around Melbourne is the Crucifix in the Dandenong Ranges. What is deemed as the Crucifx? Many people follow different routes and the order at which the climbs are to be taken but pretty much you complete the 4 “climbs” around that area forming almost like a cross and riding all 4 climbs (not repeats). Variances of the climb may or may not include Sky High, both (of the Devil’s) elbows and Inverness Road. There is no official route but the gist is that you do the following:

1)      1 in 20 (West)

2)      The Wall (East)

3)      Inverness Road (North) – although some people choose not to do this climb but use the main road instead.

4)      Devil’s Elbow (South) – variations of this is the One Tree Hill detour for the 2^nd elbow.

I have never done “The Wall” side of the crucifix nor have I ridden up the infamous Inverness Road at which others say to ride as much as you can before attempting Mt Baw Baw. I had the opportunity to try and complete the crufix during my work holidays but due to the extreme weather conditions before both Christmas and New Years, I report that I didn’t complete the Crucifix and only did 3 out of the 4 climbs…and the below is the report.

On the 28^th December, the day after my Bday, I decided it would be a good time to take myself out to attempt The Crucifix. I wanted to ride Inverness Road and the Wall as my main priority for the day. I had researched on the different variations of this climb and stuck with the one which I knew would include them both. I didn’t include Sky High in these climbs as I was also short on time.

I started from The Basin and that was my first climb – up the 1-in-20. A climb on (not warmed up) legs was not ideal but I didn’t really dwell on it too much, I had a long day ahead. Once I reached the top, I turned left and headed towards Montrose. I have never done Inverness Road before and it is a road which is branched off the main Mt Dandenong Tourist Road but I missed the turn so I ended up riding down to the end and then turned right on Canterbury and then right along York Road and then started my climb up Inverness. 

Because I hadn’t done this climb before and was told that it does feel like death, I took it slow and steady. I tried not to look up as much as I could as the gradients just seemed to be ridiculous! The hardest part of the climb was by far the last few hundred meters – it was so steep, I practically held my breath and grasped for air when I reached the top! 

I had a small rest at the intersection, composed myself and then continued the climb of the 2^nd part of the crucifix. Once I reached the top at Olinda, it was a left turn along Olinda-Monbulk Road which is the 3^rd part of the crucifix know for “The Wall”. To be honest, I didn’t find this too hard to do. I think having just tackled Inverness Road and having done 6 out of the 7 Peaks and the Donna Buang, The Wall was just another “climb”. I found the difficult part of these climbs were the descents especially with cars using these roads alongside cyclists.

Once I finished this climb, I had hit the 3 hour mark for the day and I was getting tired. I decided to not finish the 4^th climb (having done it before) and just decided to descend the 1-in-20 to head home. It was a warm day and hovering around 35 degrees when I finished.

The entire crucifix is something which I want to complete in its entirety before I hit 3 peaks. Maybe I can program it in somehow in between the Alpine Classic (on 24^th Jan), several weddings, supporting commitments (friends racing their first half Ironman triathlons), squeezing in my 7^th Peak (Mt Baw Baw), heading back to the mountains to ride the back of Falls Creek (the 3^rd Peak of the 3 Peaks Challenge) and the most time consuming thing of all – MOVING HOUSE!! Yeah, we have to be out of our current house in 3 weeks.

I can’t really add any concluding words into this report as I didn’t quite finish the Crucifix. It took me nearly 3:30 to do 3 out of the 4 climbs. I also didn’t include any Sky High climbs either. Maybe as part of the training, I will include the Sky High climb. I didn't do any photos for that day, so here is a snap shot of my Strava. 

The Two Donnas

The last two weekends, I have been doing my “long hilly” rides up Donna Buang. Melbourne weather has been shit crazy (nothing out of the ordinary) and the last 2 rides is a testament on the contrast. 

On the 12^th Dec, I arrived in Warburton around 6:30am…I was yawning like crazy on my drive there and could barely muster strength to keep my eye lids open. I had a quick 10min nap in the car which helped immensely. I started my ride around 7am and headed towards the summit. This day was forecasted with a bit of showers around Melbourne but Warburton/Donna Buang was dry and cool. I started the ride off with arm warmers and had the gilet in my back pocket. It didn’t take long for me to sweat buckets and I took my arm warmers off at the mid-way point of the climb (where the Forest Gallery was). I felt stronger on this climb (my 2^nd ever attempt from Warburton) and I paid attention to my stroke efficiency and cadence. I didn’t feel the climb was as horrific as the first attempt on Melbourne Cup day.

Once the arm warmers were removed, I felt much cooler and it was hovering around 8 degrees according to the Garmin. The climb up to the summit was good and I felt much better than the first and second attempt – Melbourne Cup day and part of the Giro della Donna respectively. I knew I was on track to break my own PB as I looked down at my Garmin and I finished the climb within 2 hours (1:50 on Strava as my PB). It was very foggy along the 2^nd half of the climb. At some points, it was hard to see where I was pedaling until I actually reach that point. It was like I was riding through cotton wool. Once I got to the top, I knew it would be a freezing descent as I was starting to feel the chill as I was climbing which was rare.

I didn’t stop for long (more like couldn’t), I put on the gilet and arm warmers straight away before I froze to death. There was a bit of snow/frost coverage at the summit which meant that it was freezing. This was supported by my Garmin telling me it was -1^oC. Luckily I had a pair of long finger gloves in the car and brought them with me along the climb as they were a gold on the way down. It was so cold, my jaw was chattering and my arms were shaking because it was that cold. At one point, I had an “ice cream headache” and I had a little cry because I just wanted to get out of there. Once I had about 5km to go on the descent, I could finally feel my body and felt more relieved. The plan was to do 2 repeats of the climb but decided against it as I didn’t want to put myself through that descent again.

On 19^th Dec, it was forecasted to be 41oC. Once again, the drive into Warburton early in the morning really made me sleepy even with a coffee along the way. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as last week and I didn’t need a nap before the ride. I decided to not bring along arm warmers or gilet as it was already 30 degrees at Warburton.

The ride up was not comfortable and I felt dehydrated. I usually finish a bidon within 2 hours but I found myself finishing nearly two bottles before I reached the top of the climb. 

I logged into a webinar about cycling strength and preparation for 3 Peaks on Wednesday night and one of the things which they spoke about was training for strength and riding on one of two gears harder than what you would on race day. So this meant that my cadence would be slower. I also did a few strokes standing up and training myself to be able to do that more often so I could get myself over steep pinches and maybe Mt Baw Baw.

Due to the heat and the strong winds, it was hard to pedal at some points of the climb as the wind felt like it was a warm blanket holding me back. Even with my sunglasses on, the wind brought debris into my eyes and I did spend a few moments trying to blink it out. There were twigs and branches everywhere along the climb. I think I heard about a dozen or so branches cracking from the tree trunks and cascading down the slope. I was actually afraid that a large branch would fall on or around me during the ride.

There was a bit of coverage from the trees along the route so the temperature along the climb was about 10 degrees less than Warburton apart from the top of the summit as it was exposed (temps around 35oC)

I decided to have a bit of explore to find the natural spring to fill up my water bottles. It wasn’t hard to find as another cyclist was there filling up his bottle too. Luckily it was there as I had ran out of water pretty much when I finished the first climb.

I forgot to unpause my Garmin from the natural spring down to about 1km from the mid-way point – bugger. I decided that instead of doing 2 repeats, I would do a 0.5 repeat from the mid-way point. The second attempt up the 2^nd half of the climb was much harder than the first that I couldn’t ride on a harder gear without going down to 30rpm (too low!) The winds didn’t die down on the 2^nd attempt either and more debris came onto the roads, which was annoying. I didn’t fill up my bottles again on the way down as I had about half a bottle left and it was only a descent down to Warburton.

My quickest ride down to Warburton is approx. 25min but this time around, it took me nearly 33min due to maneuvering myself around twigs, branches and even a wallaby that decided to stand in the middle of the road. The temperature also increased dramatically the closer I got to Warburton.

I decided against a coffee or a visit to the bakery as I wanted a nap before I had to finish off a musette before I headed to the Austral Track Champs on Saturday night so it was a quick pack of the bike in the car and fuel top up and off I went back to Cheltenham.

As you can see from the photo below – the contrast between the two conditions. Top photo was the 19th Dec - around 35 degrees (although it felt like it was 40) and the bottom was the 12th Dec and -1 degrees. 

7 Peaks - Dinner Plain (6/7)

First off, I am a pretty stubborn person. Once I have a plan of attack or a current obsession, I don’t let it go easily or change my plans until it is done/task done to death/item purchased.

The latest plan I had was to finish off 6 out of the 7 Peaks challenge before the end of the year, leaving Mt Baw Baw to do in February once I get some training in my legs and mentally prepare myself for the task ahead. My Baw Baw is pretty frightening and I will dwell on this later.

So I had ticked off 5 of the 7 Peaks already last week. The weekend just gone, we had originally planned on staying at Hotham and riding both sides of the climb – Mt Hotham climb whilst the Tour of Bright (ToB) rode the Gap loop on Saturday and on Sunday ride Dinner Plain-Omeo and back whilst the ToB rode the Hotham climb for Stage 3. There was a slight change of plans due to life-commitments so other plans came into play to accommodate.

As I had already done Mt Hotham climb, I decided to just do one big ride for the weekend and to just tick off the Dinner Plain climb (solo) ride of the 7 Peaks . Instead of staying at Hotham, I decided to stay at Omeo. It’s a small town but provided all the amenities such as caravan park which is where I stayed and a bakery for my lunch post ride.

I had a pretty big week in terms of training: weights on Monday and Wednesday, Wattbikes + Altitude on Tuesday, Wattbikes at Art of Cycling (first class) on Thursday 5:30am class and a swim on Friday afternoon. I decided to take Saturday off in terms of training as the drive to Omeo would be a big day.

I left the house at 11:30am on Saturday after packing 80% of my things the night before. I just had a few things to sort out such as my homemade nutrition (RMS, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt) and something new which was dates soaked overnight and blended in the Thermomix. Packed the bike in the car and then it was off I go along Princes Hwy towards Omeo.

I stopped 3 times during my 5 hour drive – for lunch, iced coffee and then just a juice and a stretch of the legs. I got into the Omeo Caravan Park at about 5pm. The basic cabin I had booked was cosy – everything I needed for an overnight stay (needed to bring my own towels and linen) and it had a community shower block which I really didn’t mind. I had a late check out so I only had to pay for one night’s accommodation.

I brought dinner with me as I didn’t feel like heading to the pub by myself, ate it around 8pm and then it was packing my kit ready for my morning ride.

kitgrid

The initial plan was to ride at 6am as the forecasted temp was over 30 for the day but the temperature of Omeo (especially at the caravan park) dropped below 10 overnight and I was freezing. Luckily I not only brought my sleeping bag but I also brought an extra blanket too. I ended up sleeping in a bit as headed out for my ride at 7am instead of 6am.

There was a climb out of the caravan park which warmed up my legs quick. I rode through the main street of the town and then passed the Bakery which is the official start of the 7 Peaks Climb. I was going along pretty good and then I realised that I forgot my heart rate monitor (no big deal), and then I stopped to turn on my rear light for safety as I was on the road by myself. I stopped again during the first climb out of Omeo as I needed to get rid of my arm warmers (so warm!). I struggled to keep my cadence > 45…I knew the gradient was significant, I didn’t want to push so hard so early in the ride especially when it was only 5km in and lastly, my legs were just dead.

The temperature hovered above 20 at this point and I was sweating buckets. I had about a hundred flies as passengers as I climbed and I had to do a bushman’s hanky blow several times to push these flies out of my nose. After the first climb passed Mt. Kosciuszko, there was a soft descent and I knew that I would have to climb this on the return leg. There was a pretty steep descent after another climb and I also dreaded for the return.

Once I had done the first steep climb, the rest of the ride was pretty good. Rolling hills which sapped the energy out of the legs. More flies…

There was another climb you could see from a mile away through the rolling hills. Luckily I could ride at a comfortable pace and cadence. There were a few people descending, I am guessing they rode from Dinner Plain, heading towards Omeo.

There were a few false flats before the final “climb” into Dinner Plain. I was comfortable and even saw a few familiar faces near Hotham Airport. Once I got to the top of the climb, I was relieved. The climb from the caravan park to Dinner Plain took nearly 3:20 which I was pretty happy with (aimed to be below 3:30). I bought a drink and got my 6^th stamp at the café, sat down for a little break, then it was a toilet stop and refill of hydration before I headed back down to Omeo.

The official 7 Peaks strava segment - fastest female was around 2 hours. 

I have been pretty consistent with hydration ever since I set my alarm for 15min intervals to remind me to drink at least every 15min and eat every 30min. I tend to go through a bottle of hydration every 2 hours so finishing the climb with only a third of the second bottle meant that I was a bit thirsty than usual.

The temperature hit 34 (as max) on my descent down to Omeo. The country roads are rough so there was plenty of friction that I felt comfortable about speeds > 50km/hr on the descents – they were also pretty straight descents which I could do. There were some gravel parts which shook me at some points but I recovered from them quick.

I hated the steep climbs back towards Omeo – my legs were fatigued at this point and I just kept my focus on heading back to the caravan park. I actually slowed down when I reached Omeo as I wanted to take in the scenery of this small town. Once I got down to the caravan park, I uploaded my garmin data, posted a photo of the ride on Instagram and Facebook (also to let people know that I arrived safely). I then took a shower, checked out of the caravan park and then it was lunch at the Omeo Bakery before I headed back to Melbourne.

I stopped twice on my drive back to Melbourne – once at Rosedale for a toilet break and to check up on my friends’ progress at Busselton (Ironman) and the next at the main servo stop for fuel and early dinner. I also bought 2kg of cherries from the side of the road. I have a weakness of cherries – I could eat cherries until I have a stomach ache.

Now having done 6 out of the 7 Peaks challenge rides, my personal ranking for the rides are as follows:

1) Mt Hotham

2) Falls Creek

3) Mt Buller

4) Lake Mountain

5) Mt Buffalo

6) Dinner Plain

I found Dinner Plain to be more like a long ride on country roads rather than a “climbing challenge”. There were some challenging parts but generally, it was very manageable. Just a long day. I would recommend that others carry 2 full size bidons and not those small ones and there is nothing in between Omeo and Dinner Plain for a top up and it can get hot and sweaty.

I have been pretty lucky in terms of weather for all of my climbs – nothing crazy has been handed to me so far (knock on wood) and I have been staying away from cycling outdoors when the weather has been stupid. 

Cycling Update

I haven't done a general update of my "activities" in a while (since September). However, I have been doing regular updates on the significant rides (and milestones). I do like to write about them as much as I could - it gives me a chance to reflect on the event, ride, day and how I went and what I can do to improve and more importantly, allows me to be thankful for being able to achieve those milestones. It also gives me a chance to read them and then reflect on changes in my life, especially on days when I am feeling a bit low on performance.

Since I changed my "sport" from triathlon to just cycling, my training schedule has been manageable and I have been able to tick off more of my key sessions well compared to juggling the three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running. With the addition of strength sessions since May 2015, it was just too much to balance training with work and life in general.

With regards to ticking off my 7 Peaks Challenge - I have done 5 so far! I have Omeo-Dinner Plain scheduled for this weekend and then Mt Baw Baw in February. I am actually scared about this ride and I will talk about it in a separate post. Since the challenge started in October, I had ticked off the following:

1) Mt Hotham - 25th Oct during the Bayside Tri Club Bright Camp
2) Falls Creek - 7th Nov
3) Mt Buffalo - 8th Nov (both Falls Creek and Mt Buffalo was done during a weekend away at Porepunkah with my friend Dale)
4) Lake Mountain - 15th Nov with the Domestique/Hells500 crew (and the Canadian and Dale too)
5) Mt Buller - 29th Nov (rode from Mansfield) with Dale

I have also done a few cycling events since I came back from my holidays in Japan:

- Amy's Gran Fondo
- Dirty Gran Fondo
- Around the Bay
- Giro della Donna

I have one more cycling event in 2016 (Audax Alpine Classic) before the big one in March. I need a few more 8-10 hour rides with 3500+ of elevation climbs under my belt before I am comfortable about tackling this event and making it within the 13 hour cut off. I have never had a fear of making the cut off time for Ironman but this is different - this event is actually a challenge and they warn you that if you can't make certain training goals and climbing segments comfortably, you have no hope of finishing within 13 hours (not as blunt and crude as that but it's close enough).

My weekly training schedule is pretty much as below:

Monday - Rest/Strength - depending if I had done a big event on Sunday the week before.
Tuesday - Spin on Wattbikes + Altitude with CF Racing
Wednesday - Strength
Thursday - Spin on Wattbikes, spin bikes at GESAC or road ride.
Friday - Rest/Recovery ride
Saturday and Sunday is different each week - it ranges from big rides on both Saturday and Sunday, big ride on a Saturday and then recovery on Sunday through to only doing one big ride due to the 4-5 hours of driving required to get to the big mountains for training.

With the long rides I have been doing over the last few months, I have been a bit obsessed with audio books (through Audible) - I have been able to get through 5 books since 25th Oct - pretty much one book per week (for every return trip out of Melbourne). It really beats listening to music which can be annoying when the reception gets sketchy outside of Melbourne and listening to one of the three CDs I have in the car - Chet Faker, Lorde or City and Colour.

I am still reporting to Chris at Excite on a weekly basis and this makes me accountable for my training - both on the bike and strength. We are currently on week 32.

My weight has not gone down the right direction but I know that my muscles in my legs have developed more than ever. My guts however have not shifted - I am putting this down to the lack of running and swimming and the fact that I am either sitting on the chair at my workstation, sitting on the saddle whilst cycling or on a chair at the sewing machine (sewing cycling caps). I am going to have to introduce some other cardio form of training such as elliptical trainer before my strength sessions to assist with that. I am still hovering around 65-66kg. I don't think the fat around my stomach weighs enough that if I get rid of that that I am able to get down < 60kg....

My bike strength has been improving and that is something which is the main priority and not necessarily the numbers of the scales. Mental strength on the bike has also been improving but I am putting that down to the naivety of exploring new climbs and training for new goals. I can climb for 3 hours comfortably (Mt Hotham) but I struggle to ride more than 2 hours on Beach Rd....

Nutrition wise, both The Canadian and I have gone pretty much vegetarian in our house. We still consume meat but its more like thin slivers of salami or prosciutto on our homemade pizzas and we still consume seafood and animal products such as diary, eggs and honey. We sometimes make vegan meals for dinner but this is not on purpose. The reason for this is to increase our intake of fruits and vegetables in our diet and not rely on meat for nutrition 3 times a day, 7 days a week.

Anyways, apart from not looking like a typical lean cyclist, I am looking and feeling stronger in my legs. My fitness on the bike is always improving especially with the Wattbikes (and added bonus of Altitude chamber) on Tuesday nights.

I am looking forward to my work holidays - you will see me riding more mountains, exploring new boundaries and napping.

Coffee, Donuts and Cycling Thighs

Looking Ahead - January 2016

This is my final Looking Forward post for 2015 and also the first for 2016. January will be a busy month for training as I have work holidays from the 24th Dec through to the 10th Jan 2016 (back to work on the 11th). I am going to be heading up to the mountains again to do more training ahead of the Audax ride. I haven’t booked anything yet but there is a 90% chance that I will be spending a few days there, climbing and climbing.

16^th – 17^th Jan: I have a wedding to attend on the 17^th so the 16^th will be repeats of a climb of some sort. Most likely be Donna Buang or Lake Mountain (something substantial) or I will ride the Crucifix in the Dandenongs. Between 5 - 6 hours. 

23rd – 24^th Jan: The Audax Alpine Classic is on the 24^th and I will be riding the “poor man’s 3 Peaks” – Bright – Tawonga Gap – Falls – Tawonga Gap – Bright (130km). Most likely arrive at the accommodation on the Saturday 23^rd rather than arriving there on the Friday night.

No plans so far for the 30^th - 31^st weekend but the training will be local (less than 2 hours drive from home). 

7 Peaks - Mt Buller (5/7)

Yesterday, I finished my 5^th of the 7 Peaks Challenge – Mt Buller.

As this ride is located relatively close to Melbourne (not around the Alpine Region), we thought we could tackle this over a weekend. As I had done the Giro della Donna the previous weekend, my legs were in a bit of a noodle-like state and I didn’t want to go as tough for the weekend. I did a few strength session throughout the week too which hindered my legs to fully recover as I was walking about like I just just done a marathon.

So I had booked some accommodation at Mansfield as we decided to make the ride there count and would start from Mansfield and ride up to Mt Buller and back (around 95km) instead of just ticking off the 7 Peaks ride which is only 32km (return).

I had a pretty busy week at work and a late Friday night. I had accompanied my parents from Richmond station to Rod Laver arena so they could watch the Hugh Jackman (mum pronounces it as “Huge Jackman”) and the Canadian and I spend a few hours in the city as we hardly do anymore since moving in together in the suburbs. We didn’t get home until 11:30pm (woah, so late!!)

I had a bit of a sleep in on the Saturday and stayed in bed watching iView on the iPad until about 10am. I got out of bed to pack my bags and bike for Mansfield. I left the house around 2pm with a pit stop at the rest point along the Eastlink freeway for fuel, coffee and a toilet stop.

I got into Mansfield around 5pm. Dale had already arrived (she got in around 2pm) and we went to the local pub for dinner. We discussed the plan for the next day – start the ride at 7am from Mansfield to Mt Buller and it would be a 4.5 – 5 hour day on the saddle. A bit of Sound of Music on local TV and a read of the route description and we were off to our respective rooms by 10pm. My room didn’t have a fan and also faced the main caravan park area so I had to close the window to reduce noise. I couldn’t sleep until about 12:30am and woke up a few times from thirst. The alarm went off at 6:15am and we were pretty much out the door by 6:50am.

I am still trying to sort out what my “kit” will be for 3 Peaks. I bought the Spoxe kit a few weeks ago and tried it out for this ride. I won’t go into too much detail about the kit as the intention for this blog post is for the ride and not a kit review but I can confirm that I won’t be riding with the knicks for 3 peaks – the chamois is too small (didn’t cover my butt area on the saddle - why?!) and the size was too generous (even when I bought a S in ladies). The jersey I had gone for a Medium in ladies but I think I could have gone for a S as it is not a race cut and therefore, it was flapping around a bit. Can confirm that I didn’t get the stomach look as it was generous in size.

I felt the ride from Mansfield to the start of the Buller climb was pretty tough. The country roads meant that the ride was pretty slow for a relatively flat terrain (I later found out from my Strava that it is s slight incline on the way out of Mansfield). I didn’t get on the large chain ring apart from the sections where it was downhill-ish and just spun my legs out at 80rpm+. I didn’t want to wreck my legs for the climb. I was also trying out a new nutrition strategy – eating a date for every 2^nd 30min nutrition timing. I think I will need to do some prepping – even start by removing the pit ahead of time. I might look into soaking and blending the dates into a gel-paste like consistency for the next ride too. More about my nutrition on a separate post…

Once we reached the toll gates, I set my sights on keeping my cadence > 65rpm as much as possible. This was good for the first 2-3km but it slowly decreased to 55-60rpm for the next 10km. I really enjoyed the climb. The scenery was amazing and the tree coverage made for a cool climb. You could feel the drop in temperature along the way, this I have noticed for most of the climbs I have been doing over the last few months.

There were distance markers along the side of the road which helped with knowing how far we had to go to the summit but it was also disheartening when you think you have made significant progress but the distance covered had only been 1km or so.

The last 3km or so of Mt Buller had plenty of hair-pin turns. So crazy and steep! I had to get out of the saddle for most of them and rode towards the middle of the road. The last 1.5km was even more crazy steep but I knew that it was close to the end as I could see the ski lodges.

When we finally rode through the entrance to Mt Buller, I was so relieved. The ride was not my best performance – could be due to the change in nutrition strategy, could be because I was so uncomfortable on the saddle (knicks), it could be because my legs were still fatigued. Even though I found the ride pretty tough, it was manageable and I am glad I ticked that one off.

Pointing to my signature on the wall

My 5th Stamp!!!

We had a break at Foodworks, grabbed our stamp and signed the board. I told Dale that I would be behind her as I am going to take my time heading back as I wanted to stop to take some photos along the way. The descent was a bit tricky due to the sharp turns and I took my time along them. Where I could see the road, I let go of the brakes but I was still hesitant as the surface of the road was patchy in some areas. In my mind, if they are patchy and I ride over them fast, there is a chance that I will fly off the cliff.

BAAT - Bike Against A Totem

The ride back towards Mansfield from Merrijig was painful….It was only 20km but it just went on forever. I was tired and bored. There were plenty of 4WD passing but luckily there was plenty of side lane to keep me at a distance. I had music to keep me company but there was just nothing interesting about the ride back. I just couldn’t wait to get back to the caravan park.

The total ride took me just over 5 hours to do – could have been quicker if I didn’t stop to take photos along the way or let my motivation wonder on the ride back towards Mansfield. I didn’t really mind as the main aim for the day was to tick off Mt Buller on the 7 Peaks challenge.

Ranking the climbs on my own personal scale:

1) Mt Hotham
2) Falls Creek
3) Mt Buller (I thought it was overall more difficult than Lake Mountain and Buffalo)
4) Lake Mountain
5) Mt Buffalo

Some Strava stats

 My Mt Buller Strava Segment info - need to work on the cadence!!

Inaugural Giro della Donna Gran Fondo

So yesterday, I participated in the inaugural Giro della Donna event hosted by Cyclingtips. This is a Gran Fondo starting in the town of Warburton doing a loop through Marysville and then finishing at the Donna Buang summit.

I entered this event as part of my (fatigue and stress) training for 3 Peaks. I wanted to put my body through as many stresses as possible before the 3 Peaks event. I didn’t think too much about the event so I wouldn’t have an anxiety attack about it but I kept it in my the back of my mind that I will have a 120km ride on the 22^nd Nov with about 2700m of climbing to do…

On Saturday, instead of sleeping in, I decided to try something new. I joined Cycles Galleria for their womens only ride around Williamstown. I arrived at 6:30am with pouring rain and hesitated about riding for a few minutes as I didn’t have wet weather gear with me. I recognised a few faces on the ride and I actually joined to faster group for a trot around the area. With 3km left of the ride, I dropped my light around the speed humps and spent a few minutes searching for it. I didn’t want to lose it as they are not cheap to buy (the good ones) and I needed it for my ride the next day.

The alarm went off at 4am on the Sunday morning and I left the house at 4:30am as the plan was to arrive in Warburton by 6am. The morning went off without a hitch as I prepared my bike and bags the night before.

When I arrived at 6am, we were directed to park at the oval next to the event village. Some wore their arm warmers and gilet at the start but I decided against the gilet as I am one who warms up very quick. I hung around at the back of the group start as I knew that many would be jostling for the front positions during the ride (they would race it).

0 – 20km

From the get-go, I rode at my own pace. Although I did get into a bunch ride (two abreast) for about 5km of the ride before the rolling hills started to be prominent. There was a bit of a hustle when unpredictable behaviours started and people’s rhythms were thrown into disarray. At this point, the groups started to spread and once again, I found myself riding at my own pace with only ACDC, Tay Tay and RATM as company.

20 – 40km

All I remember around this point was how I had to stop to take off my arm warmers! The Reefton climb was long and because I was not familiar with this climb (not reading about it anywhere), I just made sure that my cadence was above 70rpm. It was generally manageable and I actually rode passed a handful of people along the way.

There was some sort of “Sufferfest Section” along this point. As there was no one around me apart from a handful of gents who stopped to pee along the way, I just rode at my pace and finished the climb through great scenery.

(These are the photos I have saved to be purchased)

Looking OK. 

40km – 60km

The ride towards Marysville had a few steep climbs after the Sufferfest section. I remember the cadence dropping at some points but I felt that the legs still had something left to be able to maintain a comfortable pace. The road met the intersection where I turned off towards Lake Mountain last week so I knew where I was along the route. I had a 6km or so descend down towards Marysville and I am pretty sure that my speed was a bit better than last week due to increased confidence and knowing a bit more about the roads.

As I had refilled one of my bidons at the last aid station and having 1.75 bottles of hydration with me, I decided against stopping at Marysville for a rest and just kept going.

60km – 68km

Leaving Marysville was cruel – there was a steep section as you leave the small town which I thought was quite unpleasant. The rest of the route was along a pretty major road with cars but they all seemed to be travelling along knowing that there is an event on. I found the rolling hills a bit challenging as it was quite exposed and the heat from the roads was getting warm.

68km – 83km

This was one of my favourite parts of the ride. It was through the paved section of Acheron Way. The road was narrow but covered by the trees. It was cool, a contrast from the exposed roads of the previous section. I didn’t push too hard along this section, stayed in the small chain ring and just kept at a good 80-90rpm and just enjoyed the relatively flat ride. If I was aiming for a good (strava) time, I would actually be pushing hard along this section, maybe next year.

Riding thorugh Acheron Way

83km – 96km

I have to be honest, I was actually a bit worried about this section of the Gran Fondo. It was 13km of gravel roads and I was worried about getting flat or skidding off to the side of the mountain but I surprised myself and actually loved this section! It reminded me of much of the #dirtygranfondo events which I have done for the last 3 years. The road was bumpy and lumpy at some points but it is a matter of choosing a good line. I had so much fun!

96km – 107km

The gravel road ended at the end of the carpark at the hairpin section along the Donna Buang route. The rest of the 10km was the climb up to the summit. At this stage, my legs were a bit tired…

Having done 96km already with plenty of climbing, coupled with being shock absorbers throughout the gravel section, I found myself okay for the first 5km of the climb and being able to maintain 60rpm through to feeling absolutely smashed and not being able to maintain 40rpm along the last 5km. I kept reminding myself that I am nearly finished and only had a few km to go but I really had nothing left in the legs.

When I could see the end, I was so glad! I felt more of a relief having completed this ride more than I did during Amy’s Gran Fondo. I collected my momento (see photo below - its a plaque/keyring), put on my arm warmers and gilet and started on the descent. I found out that when I reached the top of the summit, the sag wagon was about 4km away. I actually saw the last riders with the sag wagon during the middle of my descent back down to Warburton and I was just glad that I had made the cut off (by about 20min or so).

The temperature along the descent was just as I remembered it on Melbourne Cup day, shivering cold. I would like to think that my descending speed was a bit better than the last time I rode down. As always, I had plenty of people passing me.

When I arrived back at the event village, I had a large coffee to relax before riding back to the car to undress into something more comfortable and prepared for the drive back home.

My Giro della Donna time was 6:37. Average moving speed of 16km/hr, max 57km/hr. 2594m of climbing.

Including the descent back down to Warburton and back down to the village, my total time was 7:09.

Final Thoughts:

• Were there toilets along the route (apart from Marysville)? I don't know but I would suggest that a few be placed along the way. I saw about 30 guys who stopped along the way for a pee. As a female, I would like to relieve myself in a toilet and not in the open. 
• Nutrition was good. Although I prefer to stick to my homemade ones rather than the Gu I had in a flask....I am thinking of adding some form of caffeine with my nutrition but not in the form of store bought gels. 
• I really need to work on my cadence (on tired legs). All part of the training. 
• Need to work on the core - my guts seemed too relaxed in all my photos.  
• Felt more comfortable on the descents although I did hesitate for a few. Luckily I was pretty much by myself at most points along the course.
• Finally, would I do this event again - Yes!!!