Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

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HAKS
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby HAKS » Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:10 pm

scotto wrote:
DarrylH wrote:Has everyone read the small print that states that helmets will be inspected for an Aust standards sticker? I had forgotten that I bought my last helmet o/s - didn't intend to do anything competitive where a helmet inspection may be required! Luckily I still have my old one.

I'll be doing the 105km - old/oldest bloke on a blue OCR2 accompanied by 4 rpt 4 young ladies, at least for the first downhill section.
a snell compliance label ( ie usa, some euro) is acceptable
Hmmmm first i've heard of that been accepted for road events in Aus. I know MTB usually let that one through but I thought any open road event had to have Aus standard sticker bar none..........that is if they check of course :P
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HAKS
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby HAKS » Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:12 pm

Just went and gave Fitz a crack from the park info station. Brutal................is all I have to say. Decided I really don't have the legs for the 165km (especailly if there is a head wind on the way home). I would prob get back to Tharwa but that's about it. 105km for me it seems :)

Brakes sure got a workout though as i'm not the best descender :P
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby nickj_d » Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:54 pm

HAKS wrote:..........that is if they check of course :P
They were definately checking helmets last year, though can't say whether they were accepting anything other than AS
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby DarrylH » Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:43 am

Having now read the blurb they sent out, it does say that Snell is OK.
But my Bell Sweep does not have one.

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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby HAKS » Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:02 pm

DarrylH wrote:Having now read the blurb they sent out, it does say that Snell is OK.
I retract my previous comment then :)
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby HAKS » Sun Oct 30, 2011 6:55 am

Looks like the weather gods are smiling :)
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby cog_nition » Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:01 am

Looks like a cracker of a day, hope you all have a great ride. I wish I was able to make it. Ride safe.

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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby HAKS » Sun Oct 30, 2011 1:41 pm

106km in a tad under 4hrs for me :). Happy with that, had a few flat spots early on but overall a good ride and the legs feel quite good. Don't think I would have got the 165km though so glad I did the 105km :).
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby DarrylH » Sun Oct 30, 2011 4:28 pm

Did 105km in 4hr 41 min but I do demand some discount for age- and dropping the chain twice up the Three Sisters. Then rode home so 120km in total.

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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby MREJ » Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:42 pm

Did the 205 for the first time. It's a massive ride! I felt sick a few times so had to go slow - up Corin, I was really just puddling along. I got a 2nd wind when I got back down and after that it was ok. Given that I was sick, I felt satisfied with ride time of 9 1/2 hours and total time of a bit over 11.

I thought the event crew did a fantastic job. Good signage, great rest stops with friendly volunteers and lots of food. I am going to send them an email to congratulate them.

By the way, does anyone know what was the story with the ambulance?
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby HAKS » Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:19 pm

MREJ wrote:I thought the event crew did a fantastic job. Good signage, great rest stops with friendly volunteers and lots of food. I am going to send them an email to congratulate them.
+1
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby mrgolf » Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:42 pm

The guy I would have ridden with did 250 in less than 10. So bummed I couldn't join him. Seemed like a great day for a ride. Cant wait for my hand to get better.

Congrats to all who achieved their personal goals today.

365 days to go. :roll:
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby Schmenz » Sun Oct 30, 2011 11:16 pm

Finished in the time I aimed for with the average speed I aimed for so super stoked. Will check details tomorrow.

Ambulance - guy came off down Fitz hill at speed. Lots of broken ribs, not sure what else but the ambo said he was pretty messed up.

Saw a guy in the med area with heaps of scrapes too :(

Can I just say I love the grafitti on the final hill. I completely lost my sh.. when I saw the space invaders. So so great!

One major mess up.... Put sunscreen on my arms, but took my leggings off at the last minute. All I can say is owwww, and pleasssse don't blister!

Met some awesome people along the way, great first cycling event! Pretty stoked with 106 after only 3 months experience :D
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby jimsheedy » Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:52 am

great ride. very well managed event.

A good assortment of ute driving abuse screaming bogans too.
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby scotto » Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:06 am

and what about the exploded dead wombat just after fitzs. i dry reached for half a kay at least
...oh, and to the headwind gods, i say this "$*_%& you" !

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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby HAKS » Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:34 am

jimsheedy wrote: A good assortment of ute driving abuse screaming bogans too.
The group I was with altered our call to suit from "car back" to "w*nker back". Main problem we had was back along Uriarra road. A white patrol or similar made every effort to get as close to the riders as possible and plenty of others thought the best place to overtake was on a blind crest :roll:
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby Schmenz » Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:36 am

scotto wrote: ...oh, and to the headwind gods, i say this "$*_%& you" !
oh my god!

after the last checkpoint i was going down the hill lucky to hit 30kms/hr! i was pedalling my life out going no where! :evil:
so ridiculous!
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Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby blc » Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:02 am

What a day! Great weather (overlooking the late 'breeze' put of Tharwa), no flats, and relatively few bogans on the road.

I started out with aspirations of the 205 but cramps got the better of me going up Honeysuckle. Caught up with a mate doing the 165, so decided to stick with him. I guess I still finished the 165 (+20km) in just under 12 hours.

++ for camping at Stromlo. Nothing better than stepping out of the tent and being at the start plus a friendly bunch of people.

Congrats & thanks to the organisers and volunteers!

See you next year....
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby plasmapug » Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:51 am

So glad I actually entered, even though as a newbie I only did the 50km. Sad as it may seem, it's the furthest I've ever ridden in one go. How much fun is it riding with heaps of others?! Oh and as it turns out, I can climb! (As long as there aren't too many, they aren't too steep and I can granny gear it the whole way up!)

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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby Haydo » Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:15 am

Was a good day, even though I managed to get a flat 10 minutes into the 105km, changed the tube, pumped up new one, pulled the pump off and the inner valve thing broke off the tube and deflated, lucky I took two spares with me!! I might get some Continental Gatorskins for next time.

Pretty much did a solo ride all the way out to Tharwa lol, was some good climbs and descents out that way, wind made me a bit wobbly on a few of the steep descents! I think my ride time was a bit over 4 hours but close to 5 hours all up with all the stopping and flats. My average speed was 25km/h and max was 67km/h.

There was an idiot in a white el falcon I think, coming really close to every cyclist yelling and beeping on the last part, few cyclists were driven off the road. I hope someone managed to get his number plates.

Otherwise I thought it was a good day and well organised, might do the 165km next year!

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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby Schmenz » Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:28 pm

i saw a few people get flats :( but most were ok. and a couple got some pretty bad cramps.

i hit a new high speed! :mrgreen:

71.9km/hr :D before Tharwa.

Havent checked my max on the way back but I dont think it would be faster. I got stuck behind 2 people hammering the brakes on the way down to the dam, and then the cars were all held up, and i had to do my darndest to not hit the cars. :roll:

Single file in situations like that people.
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby nickj_d » Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:34 pm

another great edition of fitz's. We did the 165km. Managed to beat last year's average speed which I was happy with. When I got my first cramp coming into Tharwa with over 110kms still to go, I wondered what hell of a day I was in for. I think I spent the next 5hrs nursing the cramps alternating between the hammys and quads in both legs. Got through it though and feel good for it.

My Garmin plot gives me a max speed of 81.1km/h which for me is fast!! That would've been on the long straight decent between rendezvous cr and fitz's hill, and would've been just before I got the death wobbles and nearly s#@t myself. After that scare I toook it easy going down fitz's, but still managed to get the death wobbles :| :|

I wont get the sight or smell of that wombat out of my mind for a long time. It looked like some mutated bacterial alien orc formation.
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby HAKS » Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:39 pm

Heard one guy say (doing the 165km i think) he broke his derailleur hanger heading into tharwa. Friend picked him up and took him home so he could get his TT bike then he was back on course. Think he ended up doing the 105km instead as he flew by us just before Uriarra crossing.

Think my max speed was about 75km/h heading down towards the point hut crossing turnoff.
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby Schmenz » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:09 pm

ok way to make me feel slow then :cry:
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Re: Fitz Challenge - 2011 Edition. Who's in and which one?

Postby nickj_d » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:49 pm

Schmenz wrote:ok way to make me feel slow then :cry:
or sensible. after the first scare i realised it wasn't worth coming off and took it a lot easier. the second scare was when i was taking it easier. after that, i wasn't taking any chances. the strong gusty crosswinds on some of those desecents didn't make me feel safe either.

Schmenz wrote:after the last checkpoint i was going down the hill lucky to hit 30kms/hr! i was pedalling my life out going no where! :evil:
so ridiculous!
You weren't alone there. That descent down to the uriara flat was crazy. I think i got up to 25km/hr there!
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