3 Dam Challange 2014

[magix66]

I am looking for a partner for the 3 Dams Challenge held in April 2014. As I'm sort of a sole rider I thought this might be a way of finding someone who wants to share this experience with me.

How do I ride? well Strava might give some idea on my level...
http://app.strava.com/athletes/1446049

Hope to register as soon as possible as there are free jerseys for the early bird, cheers

[magix66]

ok, just want to bump this one... maybe I'll be lucky

found some info on "single" riders
http://www.bwa.org.au/events/633/

[Red Rider]

Hope you find someone magix. I did the 3 Dams last April and really enjoyed it, recommended. My buddy and I will be tackling the 5 Dams next April.

[magix66]

Thanks Red Rider... If you hear of a lonely soul looking for a buddy, you know where to find me.

Just came back from a week in the hinterland of the Gold Coast, Robbie McEwan country loved the hills and scenery

http://app.strava.com/activities/88303543
http://app.strava.com/activities/87486245

[ParkertR]

I am looking for a partner for the 3 Dams Challenge held in April 2014. As I'm sort of a sole rider I thought this might be a way of finding someone who wants to share this experience with me.

How do I ride? well Strava might give some idea on my level...
http://app.strava.com/athletes/1446049

Hope to register as soon as possible as there are free jerseys for the early bird, cheers

was looking at your Strava details and I think I'd make a horrible partner! lol. hope you find yourself a good partner to train and ride with mate!!

[Redbull]

The Peel Districts Cycling Club usually has about 15-20 members that participate each year. Some do the 3 and some the 5. They generally start some Saturday morning hills rides (120km to start then pushing up to longer distances, departing from Rockingham) for this around November. If you are looking for a partner there maybe a spare bod looking for the same thing.

[michelle_s]

How many kms is the 3 and the 5 dams challenge?

[magix66]

luckily I found a partner at the Ride to Conquer Cancer...
@michelle_s: 3 Dams is 146 and the 5 Dams 245km

off to Sydney soon... by bike

http://perth2sydney.gofundraise.com.au/page/MarcMetzger

any help is much appreciated, thanks in advance

[michelle_s]

That's awesome! I might do
The 3 dam challenge

[jonhanson]

3 Dams and 5 Dams open for registration now.

[jaseyjase]

If anyone has a 3 DAMS spot they need to pull out of id be interested in filling!

[Pravda]

I know someone who has a spot for 5 dams!

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[jaseyjase]

I know someone who has a spot for 5 dams!

haha yeh i know about him as well ben!

dont think i can handle 5dams yet, and pretty sure id be way to slow for him anyway!

might send him a message if he gets desperate, but id hate for him not to be able to finish because ive had to pull out.

[bjohnson]

So the start times have just been released.

Quick question for anybody that has done the event before.

How feasible is it to slip in with another starting group.
A few of us are planning to carry a solid pace and have ended up in one of the last groups to head out.

[jaseyjase]

just over take them?

[Red Rider]

So the start times have just been released.

Quick question for anybody that has done the event before.

How feasible is it to slip in with another starting group.
A few of us are planning to carry a solid pace and have ended up in one of the last groups to head out.

I don't think there is much of a problem starting earlier, but it doesn't really matter as it's very easy to overtake along GE Hwy due to the bus lane.

[kx315]

I really cannot see the need there will be not shortage of road for over taking along the route. Also I am not sure how the timing works 3 dams vs 5 dams. I am doing the 5 dams so I am assuming we will be heading out first?

[Rex]

Just rock up when they start releasing riders and go whenever you want.
There is no policing of start times.

[bjohnson]

Cheers guys.

Not a huge deal, have just had bad experiences at big events in the past.

[paulz]

You will find that most people are keen to get into the course and won't be tootling along.

As others have said, there is plenty of road to get around slower riders.

Chaos will ensue if too many jump the line. The purpose of the staggered release is to minimise impacts on other road users.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Great to see a massive number of riders coming back to home base in South Perth still looking fresh. Those two rides must equate pretty solidly with any other one days rides anywhere.

My feet are aching like trucks have been rolling over them all night and I only did the kids Great River ride. I imagine there are a few others this morning with some aches and pains too.

Congrats to all. You have earned the right to be a little self indulgent and post here tales of your adventures, mishaps and victories. (Pics 'd be nice too.)

(Suggestion to mods - Maybe a bit late but this thread would make more sense to just be "Dams Challenge 2014".)

[CXCommuter]

Thanks Colin- I will start this off- First time doing 3 Dams. Turned up and found that it was an all in brawl/queue to start- no order (like implied with start times) they just pick ten guys and start. Was okay- though left about 5 minutes later than anticipated.

Big groups out to Greenmount started to dissipate with faster guys linking up- we had a good group of about 10 turning things over without going to hard. Greenmount sorted it all out- set a good (turned out to be very good) pace up Greenmount to Mundaring overtaking dozens. In the end both of use felt good so kept it up. Hills were good, overtaking lots and very few if any overtaking us.
Ride to Canning dam was fun (hard work)- worst point of the day, short break there and quick stop for lunch and the final hill then found a fast but surging group which cleaned up its act for the PSP- sitting on 40km/h plus up the PSP. Felt good and strong with no real issues. Ended up top 140 with a time of 5:01 (35min off top spot) and average of just over 30km/h according to official timing. Strava says 30.5 km/h and 15 minutes less for stoppages

[IncognitoMosquito]

We also had a great day out. As mentioned, the start was a little messy with groups of 10 or so set free at 30 second intervals with no regard to the formal start groups. Quite how they really planned to organise nearly 1,600 starters for the 3 Dams I don't know, but there was no marshalling of riders in the holding area.

We headed off a couple of minutes early, but given the number of red lights we caught down Great Eastern Highway it probably didn't matter where you started. We were making good progress as we skipped between a few groups and headed towards Greenmount. With hills being something I don't handle well I decided that I needed to be near the front so I didn't get dropped by the bunch we were with. To my surprise relatively few overtook us and I even managed to pass a couple of riders myself which is a rare event once the grade goes up.

The run down to Mundaring Weir was a bit dicey with the freshly surfaced section having loads of loose stones on it. If you ran in the wheel tracks of the cars that had passed over the area it was not too bad. I managed to let my mind wander and next minute I was in the loose grit and fighting hard not to drop the bike. That refocussed my attention quick smart. On the steep section down to the bottom of the weir we managed to round up quite a few more cautious descenders before the climb out. After that point it was a case of survival for me. More hills and more pain, but nothing like what must have been in store for the couple of dudes on hybrids who we passed on that section, and they had the 5 Dams stickers on. Hopefully they finished.

We stopped for a snack and refill at Wungong. Leaving the stop there we were filmed crossing the dam wall by a drone camera which was obviously better controlled than the one that smacked a tri-athlete in the head up in Geraldtion on the weekend. I ground out he climb out of Wungong as my buddy waited for me at the top. Climbing over we turned into the wind and headed to the Freeway. We spent some time hanging onto a group along Armadale Road but they were a little too quick for me so we dropped off the back and looked forward to getting some wind assistance over our shoulder on the Freeway and back to the finish line.

The event was smoothly run despite the lack of co-ordination at the start and all credit to BWA for this. In a stroke of genius they even had a bar set up. Any beer would have tasted good, but the Feral Hop Hog was the perfect post ride refreshment.

We had set ourselves a goal of 5:30 and top 25% of finishers so we were pretty happy to come in more than 15 minutes early and in the top 15% with a huge swag of Strava PBs though the first 100kms. Looking forward to next year already.

[Rex]

Congrats to all who finished, and even those who didn't!
I didn't enter this year but it's still a great achievement for the uninitiated.
Glad to hear the event is still going strong and smoothly.

[Sith1]

I loved it , went in with no precncieved thoughts ... BWA did a great job ... 5.33 hrs for me ... had a great chat with some awesome guys and girls along the way... fantastic partner with John ... and yes the beer at the end was comatose experience.
Learnt a few good lessons ...