A year in the life of a wannabe racer- Part 2!

[singlespeedscott]

Did you say gravel grinder. That would be a great ride.

[ldrcycles]

Most of the road is in pretty good shape but there are a lot of sections that are made up of very rough large rocks, I wouldn't have been surprised if I had got a tyre slashed. Certainly much rougher than anything on the L'Eroica or Strade Bianche routes, it might just be possible on a standard road bike but it certainly wouldn't be particularly safe or fun.

But the route i'm planning to take for that Kilcoy-Murgon Rd climb looks like a gravel grinder, apparently the bitumen runs out near Jimna and it looks like a fairly poor quality dirt road from there to Manumbar Road, which also has a few dirt sections. So starting in Kilcoy, up through Jimna and Kingaham to Manumbar Road, then west to Nanango and back to Kilcoy on the D'Aguilar via Yarraman. Looks like there's another good climb on the Dag after Blackbutt. About 215k all up. I'll be packing the 27s for sure.

[singlespeedscott]

The road from Jimna onwards is definitely dirt but certainly doable on a road bike with fat tyres. The climb up to Blackbutt would be better done on the rail trail than the highway. That section is still under road works and would not be the safest with all the flyash B-doubles coming from Tarong.

[foo on patrol]

Blackbutt Range is finished but be warned Idry, you will want your finger out after, you get over the first part, as there is no shoulder and us in trucks, give it everthing we have down there and around the bend for the next section. There is three parts to the climb.

Foo

[ldrcycles]

Think warm thoughts!!

Yesterday morning saw me setting off at 5 into bitterly cold 7 degree temperatures. The arm warmers and winter gloves were just enough to keep those bits under control but I definitely could have used a newspaper down my jersey and within only a few k my ears were very sore from the freezing wind.

But you know, rule 5 etc etc.

The ride from Coolum down the coast to the start of Steve Irwin Way was fairly uneventful, with the exception of a few motorpacing efforts (65kmh was the best ), though into a mild headwind. Even though it was only 7:30, the traffic on Steve Irwin Way was VERY busy, and as it is a dangerous road after Landsborough, I took the old road between there and Beerwah.

Then it was up to Peachester and down through Commissioner's Flat to the start of Bellthorpe Range Road. Halfway along Commissioner's Flat Rd the headwind went from mild to ridiculous, beating me down to just 23kmh at one point! But with Bellthorpe coming up I just took it easy and crawled on as best I could.

The first bit of climbing up Bellthorpe was hard work through nice scenery but nothing unusual, but it wasn't long before it got very steep and I was soon pushing very hard in the 39-28. After a few corners, I came upon this extraordinary sight..




This section of road took 2 years and 8.5 million dollars to rebuild after the 2011 floods, and I have NO idea how they were able to do it so quickly and cheaply, the scale of the work involved is absolutely astonishing.

Unlike the videos I had seen on youtube before riding it, that photo doesn't flatten the road out, it is seriously steep and it just keeps on going!





Eventually the pain and suffering does ease up a bit (though there are more little crests to get over) and up the top the views are truly breathtaking.



This farm near Maleny-Stanley River Rd is easily the most beautiful place I've ever seen, the photo doesn't come close to doing it justice. Through this part of the road I was just turning the pedals over at little more than walking pace with my mouth hanging open struggling to take in the view.




From there it was a straightforward run to Maleny where I stopped for a couple of muesli bars, then up the range to Mapleton, down to Nambour (roadworks below Dulong lookout meant no repeat of Thursday's exhilarating downhill run) and back home.

163k with 2,079m of climbing, excellent morning on the bike .

No riding today (I was going to commute on the bike but slept in) but tomorrow i'm off for what should be a very interesting ride .

[singlespeedscott]

Very jealous. I just can't find the time for guilt free long rides at the moment. Hopefully mid July I should get out a few for the STRAVA Rapha rising challenge.

[ldrcycles]

I bet you will, a climbing challenge is right up your alley!

Oh and I forgot to mention, the new Sidis are fantastic, they feel great and they let everyone who sees me know that I am one of the 'beautiful people' because I have Sidis. Great value for $94!


Also, some bloke with WAAY too much time on his hands worked out that the winners of the KOM classification in the Tour de France average 2 pounds per inch of height. So at about 73 inches tall, that means I should weigh....66kg?!

Sorry but when I weigh 80kgs and have people asking me if I've been sick and saying I look 'gaunt', 66kgs just ain't happening!

[singlespeedscott]

Good God, by that measurement I should weigh 63.5kg At that weight I'd have every KOM in the region. I'd be positively skeletal. My wife thinks I'm too boney at 76kg!

[singlespeedscott]

By the way were did you pickup some SIDI's so cheap?

[ldrcycles]

Pushys. They're the 'Spark' which is their base model, i'm thinking it may have been discontinued as they don't show up on the Sidi website. Only 2 Velcro straps, no ratcheting strap but on the first ride they were solid as a rock, no hint of loosening. They feel really stiff, and they fit like a glove, especially around my heel.

The alternatives were Shimano, Exustar, Venzo and Louis Garneau, and when the price is largely the same, having shoes with THAT name on them wins!

[singlespeedscott]

I prefer Velcro straps. Every ratched pair I have ever had has had the ratchet die before the rest of the shoe. Their a bit of a gimmick I think.

[ironhanglider]

I'm a fraction taller so that calculation comes to 67kg for me. When I was 18-19 I weighed 69kg at the same height, so I can believe that number. I used to be a much better climber too. I suspect that the idea is to stunt your growth when you're still young, like gymnasts.

I've been between 90 and 115kg for the last 20 years so I have no doubt that if I got down to 80 again I'd be looking gaunt as well.

I suspect that if you got down to the point of death, like those images of victims of catastrophes, POWs etc who are sub 50kg and then built up to 66kg you're friends and family would be talking about how much better you look. The human body can do incredible stuff when it has to in order too survive, but the process and the other consequences do not bear thinking about.

There are reasons why average people do not become pro cyclists. Let's face it all elite athletes are genetic freaks and uncommonly dedicated to training, if they weren't then everybody'd be doing it.

Cheers,

Cameron

[find_bruce]

if my maths is right, I have to get myself stretched to 8"8'

[ldrcycles]

Sometimes cycling is really hard.

Not when you're battling to reach the top of a mountain before your legs asplode.
Not when you're riding 80km into a headwind.
Not even when you have 'la fringale'.

No it's really hard when it involves waking at 3:30am and getting out of a toasty warm bed complete with gorgeous woman, THAT sucks!

This morning I was up early for a long ride, all the way down to Wamuran to have a crack at Mt Mee for the first time.
The ride down wasn't too bad, headwind all the way and very cold but I saw a dingo and azure kingfisher near Elimbah, and had a ripper of a motorpace effort along Caloundra Rd, 86kmh .

I didn't feel much chop over Mt Mee, and I was somewhat unimpressed with the ride, it just didn't have the certain something to make me love it.

Unlike Bellthorpe! Back there again today, and even though I had done 140km before reaching the bottom I really enjoyed it. I tried to stay in the big ring for the climb and got nearly halfway before realising that with the legs I had, that just wasn't possible, so I then switched the plan to staying in 2nd gear on the granny and that worked very well (although I was turning myself inside out!).

I could have kept that going but I got too ambitious and after the final hairpin I tried changing into 3rd and blew myself up big time. I was able to struggle to the top reasonably well though, and took nearly a minute off Tuesday's time! .

Normally i'm not much chop on steep climbs but Bellthorpe just seems to bring out the best in me, i'll be back there again very soon .

However the weather was not being kind to me, the wind had not eased at all (or got behind me) and I was getting colder and colder. By the time I reached Maleny-Stanley River Rd I was not feeling very good and after riding past Mary Cairncross Park to Bald Knob Rd I felt terrible. I don't think my body was actually doing that badly, more that my mental capacity to deal with the constant biting cold had completely collapsed.

The adrenaline from the high speed descent of Bald Knob helped, and I met my wife in Landsborough and had some hot food which helped a lot.
A nice nap this afternoon after a hot shower and i'm back to my usual self. I think I will ease off on the long rides for a little while though, at least so I don't have to deal with the cold for 6-7hrs at a time.

So total for the morning, 178km and 2,270m.

[singlespeedscott]

So you didn't enjoy Campbell's? I love it. It is one of my favorite climbs.

Your time up Bellthorpe was very impressive. You joined some good riders cracking the top ten.

Your right about that last hairpin though. The climb after that just takes the last of your energy.

[ldrcycles]

Nah I'm not much of a fan of steep climbs, unless they are really crazy like Bellthorpe or Obi Obi. And the scenery wasn't as nice as Bellthorpe for my eyes. The descent on Mt Mee Rd would be a blast with some familiarity though, I scared myself a little, went a bit hot into a couple of corners and she got a little squirmy under brakes .

I'm keen to try out the southern side of Mt Mee, one of my brothers got married at a vineyard over that way and from what I remember of the drive up from Dayboro it was quite nice. Of course one of my big goals is to get back to O'Reilly's before too long, now there's a great climb, big ring almost all the way .

[singlespeedscott]

You'll prefer the climb from Dayboro then. Its not as steep. Scenery is a bit naff though. It's alright once you get to the top and look back towards Dayboro though.

Any climb that can be done in the big ring is not a climb is it?

[ldrcycles]

Well I just watched a video of the Tour going up the Col du Galibier and there were quite a few in the big ring .

Back in the real world though, I reckon with fresh legs I might just be able to do Bellthorpe with the 52-28. Of course you could always have compact cranks and a 32t and you could do just about anything in the big ring!

[singlespeedscott]

Well I just watched a video of the Tour going up the Col du Galibier and there were quite a few in the big ring

Back in the real world though, I reckon with fresh legs I might just be able to do Bellthorpe with the 52-28. Of course you could always have compact cranks and a 32t and you could do just about anything in the big ring!

The guys in the tour are riding the dog ring because they are still doing 25-30 km/hr. going up hill

A 52x28 is a 50.2" gear. Same as a 39x21.

39x21 would be better on you drive train rather than the stress of cross chaining the 52x28.

[ldrcycles]

True but then you wouldn't be able to say you did it in the big ring. Not that using the big ring would get the fastest time anyway . At least until doing so built up some monstrous legs.

[foo on patrol]

For what's it's worth Idry, it is easier to keep the small ring spinning than the big, unless that has changed since I was riding fair dinkum. Something to do with size of the chain wheels and all that stuff, physics I think it's called?

Foo

[RonK]

True but then you wouldn't be able to say you did it in the big ring. Not that using the big ring would get the fastest time anyway . At least until doing so built up some monstrous legs.

Hehe - yeah, and at your age it'll probably twenty years before your knees pay the price.

[ldrcycles]

The bloke I mentioned a few posts back who rides the 108" gear fixie put a link on a facebook page to an in depth article about why bigger chainrings are more efficient, something to do with the chain being able to run more smoothly over a larger radius. Whatever he needs to justify the 60t chainring I guess . Personally I don't like changing out of the big ring but I suspect that's just because i hate spinning, my normal cadence would probably be around 70 at a guess.

As for my knees, touch wood there, both my brothers have had knee reconstructions so i hope I've not got dud genes. They both played footy though, not a gentle non-damaging sport like cycling .

[ldrcycles]

Did. Not. Finish.

Yes the wannabe racer is a Sad Panda this evening .

This morning the club was holding a road race around Eerwah Vale, and having ridden those roads before on a few occasions and not having ridden since Thursday (so surely as fresh as a daisy) i decided to go along and give it a red hot go.

Right from the off i was yo-yoing off the back as my legs refused to warm up. The course takes in a couple of short but very steep climbs and on the steepest of them i was sticking onto the back reasonably well until my bald, squared off rear tyre started slipping badly, so i had no choice but to get the weight further back, ease off the pedals and let the bunch go ahead.

There was an enjoyable downhill afterwards which i knew well enough to be able to chase back on, and by the end of the first lap i was right back in the bunch and felt like the legs had warmed up and were going to do alright.

Only a few k later though i had cooked completely and although i chased for a little while it was clear my race was over. I came across the Sunday Noosa bunch a bit before the halfway mark and decided to just stop and have a chat . (Thanks for the lolly Julie!)
I was also able to have a chinwag with spinner (or is he cotterpin531, i can never remember?) about the upcoming Noosa Strade Bianche, at least until he had another flat (his 4th for the morning poor sod!) So with this in mind, it's not surprising that my second lap took about 20 MINUTES more than the first .

While there are plenty of possible reasons for my legs being AWOL (late night, the morning chill, somehow not recovered from Thursday, the supermoon, who knows) and i have to be all philosophical about it, it is still dreadfully disappointing. Still a few more miles on the clock at least, must do better!!!

[ldrcycles]

Just a few pics I finally managed to upload (wifi being temperamental).

One of the glass house mountains from Steve Irwin Way.




And a note left on the lunchroom board by a co-worker a while back