Race Report: Australian Championships (MMAS3 40 - 44 years), Road Race, 1 October 2016 & Individual Time Trial, 3 October 2016

Road Race

This was the hardest road race I have ever done at masters level. Our field was extremely strong and included an ex-professional who has raced in the Giro d'Italia, the current world number two in our age group and a big handful of riders from New South Wales and Victoria who are still racing Elite A grade in their respective states. 

The course was a good one for me (17 km completed five times), with a long power climb and strong winds. My form was also on point, so I was looking forward to a good race.

The pace was solid from the start. We lost half the field on the climb on the first lap and by the second time up the climb, amazingly there were only twelve of us left. It was a huge confidence booster to still be in the front group at that point. A quick glance over the shoulder showed me a trail of dropped riders in small groups and solo spread across the countryside.

The group stayed at twelve for pretty much the remainder of the race with plenty of attacks and aggression. Tom Leaper from Victoria (Giro guy) broke clear near the end of lap four and stayed there. Another rider slipped off the front on the last climb and took the silver. This left me in a group of ten sprinting for the bronze. I finished 7th in that group for a 9th place overall. 

An exceptionally hard day out and I was very satisfied to be top ten in Australia:

Individual Time Trial

The ITT included the same climb we used in the road race. The course was basically downhill for 9 km and then (of course) a 9 km uphill return.

I felt good and did everything right. It was blowing a strong wind again so I made sure I stayed locked into my aero position, which I successfully did (even up the climb). My power numbers were where they should be, so all was good.

I did however, make a stupid mistake. The turnaround point was not the simple, single marker we use in Queensland, It was a bit more elaborate and there was actually a car there surrounded by markers. My mistake was that instead of turning around at the front marker, I went around the whole 'set up', effectively adding an extra few seconds to my time. After that 'mess', I remember thinking to myself, 'If I miss a place by a second or two, I'm going to uppercut myself'.

In the end, I finished up 8th. Another top ten that I was satisfied with. But (prepare for a whine about how much of an idiot I am), that turnaround mess cost me at least one place. I was 0.67 of a second behind 7th place and 4.27 seconds behind 6th. It is hard to not let your mind wander to 'what could have been'. In any case, I will take my 8th (it is a good result):

I would also like to make mention of my two Bikeline Racing clubmates who also competed in Griffith. Richard Macavoy (the masters version of the 'flying mullet') had a very consistent weekend with a 5th in the combined 30 - 39 years Road Race and a 5th in the 35 - 39 years Criterium. Trent West worked hard for Richard in the Road Race and then produced a solid 6th in the Individual Time Trial (in the same divisions as Richard). 

So there it is. The 2016 road racing season pretty much done. Overall, I am very pleased with what I achieved this year on the road. Even more than that I am happy to have had a great run with health and injuries that has resulted in me being on the bike and not in recovery mode. I would also like to thank my coach Mark Brady for his persistence with me. 

Next up I have my Everesting attempt on 8 October and I am really looking forward to getting back on my track bike not long after that.

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!

Race Report: Cunningham Classic, 6 August 2016

The Cunningham Classic is regarded as the 'biggest' race on the Queensland road calendar and I believe rightly so. It has been running for nearly thirty-five years and when the race conditions are 'wrong' it can be a brutally hard race.

Forty-five of us rolled out of Gatton in Masters A last Saturday, in very mild conditions; a slight head-wind and nice temperatures. I was looking for conditions to be a little dirtier than that, but it wasn't to be. I was unsure of my form as well. I am feeling very fit at the moment, but I had a planned four day complete break that had finished only eight days earlier. The long-term goal of freshening up had been achieved but a break like that can do funny things to your form.

As it turns out, my legs weren't too bad. I wouldn't say great, but I felt like I could 'ride myself in' as the race progressed. That was a little tricky though, as the first hour of the race was aggressive with a lot of moves trying to get off the front. I tried to stay out of that mess and only put myself into a break on one occasion when a move looked dangerous. That move was caught however and we had a full bunch as we rolled into the slopes and twists before the climb of the day.

This is where the race winning move happened; a break of about five or six with the 'right' combination slipped off the front. I watched it closely and saw it had about a ten or fifteen second gap. I could also see that Matt Ryan and Michael Bettany (both Australian Masters Champions) were still in the bunch, so I watched them with great interest.

A minute or so later, those two riders bolted from the bunch to attempt to get across to the break (they would actually go on to finish first and second respectively). I waited until they had established a small gap and then I attacked on my own. I managed to break free from the bunch and gave it FULL GAS to get across to the two riders.

This move took a significant effort and when I caught Matt and Michael I could understand why. They were absolutely flying... In terms of timing, it all went wrong. I had made contact with them almost at the bottom of the big climb of the day. Full of lactic acid and bad manners, I lost contact with Matt and Michael almost as quickly as I had caught them.

I tried to get over the climb on my own before the bunch caught me but it wasn't to be. The bunch split with about twenty going forwards and ten going backwards. I went over the top of the climb between the two groups and stayed there on my own for the next sixty kilometres. I must admit, I didn't even know that the remains of the bunch was behind me until I reached the finish line in Warwick and saw them trailing by a couple of minutes! Anyway, it gave me a nice sixty kilometre solo training ride.

So a disappointing 33rd place in a race I should have done much better. You know what they say; shit happens. If I had my time over again, I am not sure if I would do much differently; I just didn't have the legs to finish the job on the day.

What's next? State Individual Time Trial and Road Race Titles are both in the next four weeks. I am keen for results!