WWS 8hr Lithgow February 8th

[leximack]

WWS starts up again soon, very relaxed atmosphere and always a good fun event. Website is http://www.brightorangeevents.com/
Not much details yet, so check back soon
I am hoping to do the lithgow one in a team of 3 (wedding the night before so solo could be a bit of a struggle)

Don

[ozlegacy]

Full details are up!

http://www.brightorangeevents.com/08_BOE_WWS_Rd1.htm

[Chuck]

Hey Don, sorry for not getting back to you earlier about this. I have a midday shift that day so unless I can swap it away I won't be available.
Again sorry for not letting you know earlier mate.

[leximack]

Hey Don, sorry for not getting back to you earlier about this. I have a midday shift that day so unless I can swap it away I won't be available.
Again sorry for not letting you know earlier mate.

dont worry about it Chuck, i am 99% going Solo anyway, will ride till i drop basically.

[ozlegacy]

Forecast for Sunday in lithgow is 35c !!!

Gunna be a hot day esp for anyone going solo

[leximack]

i am entered, going SOLO
Team Name: Footpath Racer
gonna be a tough one me thinks

Don

[leximack]

my goal is to beat Rainer and his 3 man team
Not even remotely possible considering its going to be 35 degrees and i have a wedding the night before, but will give it a good crack

Don

[Spiza]

You're nuts Don

I'm not sure what the best strategy is going to be for a team of two. Because of the heat I'm thinking 1 lap and swap but the legs might cool down too much so 2 laps might be better. What are your thoughts?

[leximack]

You're nuts Don

I'm not sure what the best strategy is going to be for a team of two. Because of the heat I'm thinking 1 lap and swap but the legs might cool down too much so 2 laps might be better. What are your thoughts?

it all depends on how long it takes to do a lap, if the laps are say 30-45mins long i would do 2 laps at a time in a pair, as it takles me 15-20mins to warm up sometimes. This will also give you extended rest between laps, enough time to eat, relube bike, chill out etc. If the laps are 1hr each then i would probably only do 1 lap at a time, you may start off doing single laps, then change to double or the other way around,your partner may be shagged so you coulddo 3 laps in a row and they do 1, most times i have raced in pairs i have done 2 laps and my partner just done 1, tough day at the office. Team of 3 is perfect as you can just hammer it all day, pairs you have to be a bit more conservative.
As a solo rider i will pace myself from the beginning and hope to keep the same pace all day. Stopping every 2 laps for a bite to eat, and refill water. If its a stinker i may stop for longer periods or more often, just depends on how i fell and how the day is going.

Seeya there
Going to be a ripper

Don

[Spiza]

Don, I am so pumped!!!
Are the laps timed?

[alchemist]

Laps are timed.

Alternating single laps is generally the fastest provided you don't miss any transitions. Warming up & down is not really an issue. Doing double laps does allow more time to eat, drink and recover but in this case warming up may become more important.

[leximack]

yes the laps are timed so everyone will see how slow/fast you are
I would say start off with single laps and then see how the day progress's and change tactics after that. Unless your there for a podium finish do what will get the most enjoyment out of your riding.

[Spiza]

Cool thanks guys. Keith entered us as a 2 man team this morning. Team name 'Dirt Munchers'

Can I still back out??

[alchemist]

Can I still back out??

Not without sustaining a serious injury

[Spiza]

Can I still back out??

Not without sustaining a serious injury

Hmmm... Ok.

[Bnej]

I was thinking about doing this because I like the lidsdale track, but it's going to be waaaay too hot for me.

Keep your hands dry cause you'll get blisters.

[ozlegacy]

Did some practice laps today at 36c was hot, gunna be a scorcher but a awesome track!

[Chuck]

You guys still alive ?

[ozlegacy]

Just

Sure others will post but awesome effort for Spiz's first ride had some very fast lap times!

[NotFlyingScot]

You guys still alive ?

What I was wondering also
NFS

[leximack]

holy Showtime, that was tough
My lead up was not ideal (crap infact), wedding the night before, couple of drinks and getting home and in bed at 1.30am, then awake at 5am (3.5hrs sleep), i was pretty much rooted before i was even on the bike, managed to sneak in an extra hr sleep in the car which helped a little.
Race started off fine, i didnt really havev a goal and thought i would just ride and see how i felt, i knew the lack of sleep combined with the heat would smah me about. I did the first 2 laps back to back, had a quick 3 or 4min break to refill water and get a quick sandwhich in (was drinking 1litre per lap, did i mesntion it was HOT), third lap was good, not fast as i was riding a slwo pace to survive but felt good, went past the Gazebo and out for a 4th lap, amazingly at this point i was still ahead of Spiz and keith (in a pair team) and also Rainers 3 man team. $th lap was a toughy, the heat got to me and i slowed down a bit, (think my lap was about 5mins slower), Spiz past me on my 4th lap, he was powering and looked to be doing it easy, think it was his 2nd lap, i manged to finish my 4th lap still ahead of Rainers team , at this point i was content to call it quits, i was knackered, my eyes were stinging, only thing that felt good were my legs, like i hadnt riden at all, pity i had nothing upstairs left to push them. I had lots of water, ate lots and then decided to go and do a 5th and final lap. This one was fairly cruisy and felt ok, rode with Keith for a bit of it. Decided that i did not want to go and do anymore and risk damage to me or bike so stopped it there, think this was only about 2.30 or something. Chilled out while spiz was doing some more laps and packed up slowly.
So it was a tough day, 38 or 39 degrees and very little sleep is not a good combination and in wont be doing that again thats for sure.

So i did 5 laps, moving speed was 12km/h i think, 1200m climbing i think.
Will post up garmin data tonight.
I finished 29th out of 41 solo riders. Well atleast i wasnt last

Congrats to Spiz, he flew around at good speed. Congrats to keith who didnt break his bike (first event i think his bike has lasted the whole event ), Rainer broke his rear suspension but should hopefully only need a bolt to get it back together.

Congrats to all the solo riders who rode the whole 8hrs, very huge effort indeed.

Don

[alchemist]

So i did 5 laps, moving speed was 12km/h i think, 1200m climbing i think.
Will post up garmin data tonight.
I finished 29th out of 41 solo riders. Well atleast i wasnt last

28th for me, so a least I was ahead of Leximack
I was only planning to do 4 hours in that heat, but chucked it in on 4 laps after 3 1/2 hours before getting talking into heading out just one more time. Pretty happy with my ride, cleaned all the climbs all morning on the SS which is a first for me out a Lidsdale which usually has me walking after one lap.

[ozlegacy]

You rode a single speed !

What kind of bike? I followed some one a SS but it was a dually i think with full on disc brakes etc. from memory frame was white?

[alchemist]

Silver Baum Espresso, just sounds like a dually cause of all the squeeking.

[Spiza]

What an introduction to MTB racing! Damn it was hot! 38°+ heat and MTBing just don’t go together. That said, the times some of solo experts were doing in those conditions are unbelievable!

Thanks for your comments Rainer and Don. Lidsdale is an awesome track and very confidence inspiring due to a lot of flowing singletrack. I felt very comfortable. I rode the lot except for the log at around the 8km mark on the last lap. I didn't want to push my luck on the last lap so I walked it over

Riding a hardtail is a bit harsh on the body but still enjoyable. Looking ahead and choosing your lines definitely helps to smooth out the ride. I’m really surprised at how well the hardtail handled the rocks and tree roots.

Keith and I managed 8 laps in total with back to back laps by both of us at end. I think we finished 14/19 (male pairs). It was an excellent effort by all considering the extreme temperature.

I’ve got to thank Rainer and his mates for the practice at Yarramundi a couple weeks ago. It definitely helped to get an idea of what to expect at Lidsdale. Thanks Keith for the offer to team up. Thanks to Don for the constant harassment to go MTB racing. It was a fun day racing