Everesting Attempt for the Cancer Council; Saturday, 8 October

Inspired by the amazing efforts of students and staff at Dalby State High School in the Relay for Life (major fundraiser for the Cancer Council) each year, I am going to make an Everesting attempt on Markham's Hill, on Saturday, 8 October. I hope to raise funds for the Cancer Council through donations leading up to the day.

What is Everesting? The famous Mount Everest is 8,484 metres high. Everesting involves riding up and down one hill, on a bicycle, in one ride, until you have achieved that elevation. 

Markham's Hill is off the Bunya Mountain Road, roughly halfway between the small town of Kaimkillenbun and the base of the Bunya Mountains. It starts off with a steady gradient of 5 % but that increases all the way to the difficult last section which maxes out at 17 %. The climb itself is 1.7 km long and has a total altitude gain of 112 m.

How good is your maths? That is 76 times up and down the hill. Okay let's round it up to 80 times just to be sure. And.....288 km in total. You will notice I said Everesting attempt! But trust me, I'm going to have a big crack at it!

I am planning on a very early start, well before sunrise and if successful, I expect to still be going in the evening. Dalby cyclists, don't be shy about coming to join me for a lap or two. I am sure I will appreciate the company. I will have a little camp set up at the bottom with spare wheels, plenty of food and lots of water. 

I would love to raise over $1,000.

If you would like to donate, you can do it in three ways:

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/2ptb6myp

PayPal: druss4@eq.edu.au

Bank Transfer: Commonwealth Bank - Dean Russell - BSB 064 175 / ACC 1026 7737

Race Report: Queensland Championships (MMAS3 40 - 44 years), Individual Time Trial, 27 August 2016 & Road Race, 10 September 2016

I went into these two races virtually smack in the middle of a big training block, as I am leading up to the Australian Masters Championships in a couple of weeks. These championships have pretty much been my target for the year. This meant that I wouldn't be backing my training off besides my standard easy day that I have at the end of the week. I knew this was not going to put me in 'red hot form' for the two Queensland Championships, but I was still confident I had the fitness to pull off a couple of results. Although at the time it didn't quite feel like it, a little way down the track I can now reflect and realize that I achieved that goal. 

Individual Time Trial

The 22 km course at Murwillumbah is a good one for me. Dead roads, a bit windy and a few slight ups and downs. There was a big tail wind out and a big head wind back. I may have slightly overcooked it on the way out, as I really struggled into the big head wind on the way back. I finished in 30 min 32 sec (43.3 km/h average). I heard not long after that I was in second place; missing the gold medal by ten seconds from Rockhampton's Aaron Stewart. I was gutted....

I replayed that race over in my head a million times in the following days and I 'found' my ten seconds every time. Once that disappointment faded, I started to feel a little more satisfied. After all, a silver medal in a Queensland Championship is something most people would be very happy with. 

Road Race

The 95 km Road Race was held on a course I had not seen before at Wamuran. It was a little over 10 km for a lap and the road was rarely flat. It was the kind of course that didn't initially look too hard, but it managed to wear the bunch down lap after lap. The bunch was MMAS 1 - 3 combined, with about forty-five starters. Incredibly, we were all given the same colour number, making keeping track of the race very difficult.

The first few laps, I felt terrible! I was wondering if I would even make it to the finish. Fortunately I felt better as the race went on. It was an interesting race, as breaks were all very short lived. Numbers dwindled lap after lap as riders found the pace and the gradients too difficult.

Ben Manson from the University Club (in my MMAS 3 division) escaped on the second last lap. I saw it happen but just didn't have the legs to do anything about it. On the very last lap, a MMAS 2 rider joined him. They managed to stay there for the win by a handful of seconds. Somehow (as a bit of a non-sprinter not having a great day) I managed to have a solid sprint in the big bunch gallop and ended up 4th. Given how the day panned out and the legs I had, I was pleased with this.

So there it is; two Queensland Championships and a silver medal and a 4th. As I said at the outset, I am satisfied with that, but always looking for more. Next stop, Australian Championships at Griffith (NSW) on October 1 and 3. Can't wait!