Third dirt crit

  Third night in the six week dirt criterium series tonight.  General attendance was fairly similar to past weeks but the SPR contingent was down a few.  Just me, time-keeper extraordinaire Lozz, young gun Nick & enduro specialist Chris tonight.  The mozzies were out again too but I'd remembered to get some repellent this week!
  Same course as previous weeks but run in reverse this time around.  A quick warm up suggested that going in the reverse direction would make for slightly slower lap times, partly because at one of the mounds you couldn't ride up it and had to dismount and run up.
  B grade again for me this week.  The bunch took off at a great rate of knots (standard...) and I settled in towards the back end.  I found Chris's wheel and held it for most of the first lap.  I was sticking so close behind him in the tight singletrack that I was finding it difficult to stay on the track and was constantly smacking my bars into shrubs and over correcting.  Chris was laughing at me and my resulting profanity!
  Second lap and I was still glued to Chris's wheel. A small train of four had formed and was storming around the course.  The guy in front missed a turn and Chris followed him, allowing me and another rider to sneak past and tear on up the track.  Lots of Shimano Automatic Shifting™ going on at this point - about time I gave the dually a little bit of TLC...
  Third lap and I was going well, passing plenty of riders in other grades.  I was stuck behind some in the singletrack and was getting impatient when I hooked a shrub and came crashing down.  A bit of claret on both legs but no major damage and I was up and riding again momentarily.  I wasn't sure if Chris had gone past me whilst I was on the deck or not.
 Fourth lap I was with the organiser of the dirt crit series, Greg, for a bit before passing him and also passed Nick on this lap.  He was looking very comfortable and going great!  I think he is enjoying these races!
  I was heading out at the start of my fifth and final lap when the leading A grade duo powered past.  I was also catching plenty of back markers on this lap making it a bit tricky.  John, who was sitting in third place in A grade passed me before the mounds.  No other happenings and I came home strong.  Chris and Nick rolled in shortly afterwards.

  Another great night out Garvey Park, topped off with Lozz's brownies. Numbers might be a bit down week as there is a little horse race and associated frivolities on during the afternoon.

Details of my ride can be found here.

Second dirt crit

  Although it's a bit of a logistical effort to get to the dirt crits, I'm so glad I've been making the effort. So far I'm really enjoying the riding, the location, the people and just the buzz from having a crack during the week. All the Usual Supects were lurking about - Pete, Nigel, Cheryl and Chris (not racing) as well as some having their first go - Scott, Gregor and Lozz's son Nick. I took Nick out for a quick lap of the course before the racing started and he was doing it easy. I forgot the Aeroguard again this week and was getting eaten alive before the start...
  Tonight I entered B grade again and like last week it was the largest field. I was at the back of the pack from the start, maybe second last and overtook a guy about midway through the first lap. It seems that most of B grade was riding as a pack a bit ahead of me but I never caught them. I was tearing around the course mostly by myself but overtaking a number of people which I presume were in C and D grades. Unless they publish results I really wont know. I was putting up with a lot of automatic shifting - might be time to give the poor girl some TLC. Lap four was my most eventful lap. I passed Nick sucking down some water at the back of the course, almost fell off the second lot of mounds, went crashing through some bushes which almost ripped my helmet off in some tight singletrack and passed Scott coming towards the end of the lap. I sustained a fairly uniform pace over the five laps and never got passed by anyone - so I managed to hold off A grade despite them starting three minutes ahead. A much improved effort from last week where I was lapped and only completed four laps.
  Highlight of the night - refuelling with a Lozz Special Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffin.

First dirt criterium

  Tonight was a first for me. I've never participated in a 'dirt criterium' before and the experience was a good one. I wasn't sure what to expect and had brought the dually after briefly contemplating bringing the 'crosser. This proved to be a good decision. During the racing there was a guy on a 'crosser struggling on anything other than the open bits. IMNSHO the perfect steed for this racing would've been a 29er hardtail and there were several punters rding them tonight.
The course was a 3km loop consisting of grass, hardpack dirt paths, newly cut tight singletrack, obstacles resembling large mounds, a couple of sandy areas and some rutted doubletrack. My impression of the track was that it's not the sort of place you''d go to ride your mountain bike but as a course for racing it was excellent. The creators managed to come up with a track of decent length and enough challenges to make it enjoyable for mountain bikers and still have plenty of places for the fitter crew to power along.

A few familiar faces were amongst the 44 punters including Pete, Chris, Nigel and the effervescent Cheryl.

I'd entered in the largest grade (B) and we were keen to get going before the mozzies made a meal of us. 'A' grade came through to complete their first lap and then 'B' was released. Didn't take too long for the field to spread out. Highlights of my race included :-
- missing one turn and briefly going the wrong way
- couple of sketchy moments turning off dirt paths (still reluctant to ride with low pressures in my front tyre...)
- oversteering in the start/finish area and coming to a complete halt so I didn't bring down the pretty bunting.
- Missing a turn in the fast, tunnel like singletrack, ploughing through a bush and then realising I was still on the track!
- Being passed by the three eventual 'A' grade winners going Warp Factor 9 .

I was supposed to do five laps but after four they were pulling people off the course which was fine by me. Pete ended up finishing fourth in 'B' - not bad for an adventure racer!

I think the night was a great success. It was great to get out on the dirt and get the heart rate up on a school night. Much fun was had racing an interesting track and located within the metro area. In the past I have ridden through this area as part of my commute to/from work but I never thought it would suitable for mountain bike racing. How glad I am that some of the genius's at Perth MTB club have a better imagination than I. I'd like to get out there during daylight hours and get some pics of the course.  Top marks to the organisers (just don't run out of bunting next week!) I'd encourage anyone who doesn't mind a dose of mid-week dirt competition to get out there and give it a go. Only $5 if u already have a MTBA licence. Don't forget your Aeroguard (or mozzie repellent of choice).   Unfortunately I wont be able to attend next week but I'm looking forward to having another crack at this format of racing in the following weeks.
 
Details of my ride can be found here.
Pete's report is here.

Kalamunda Loop - Return of the MTB Jedi

  Went out and did the Kalamunda mtb loop again today.  Joined by Ainsy and Kat, we were going along nicely but there was rain threatening.  Kat bailed near Pickering Brook so we wished her a safe ride home and continued on.  The rain came but it was more drizzling showers than a solid downpour.
  Lots of fun had.  Whore No More is still a tough climb but no longer seems the massive obstacle it was the first time.  Before we knew it we were at Gungin and doing that cool bit of track back down.  Still didn't ride over the car.  But one day :)  Scorpion Track, The Dell and the long slog up the powerlines before the Kalamunda circuit and descending into Piesse Brook valley.  Saw plenty of kangaroos and colourful birds.  No problems except I thought I may have pinch flatted my front wheel on one fast rocky section, however it remained inflated enough and I was just a bit more carfeul after that.  Ainsy apparently managed to head-on a blackboy on the way down but no damge done.  Manged to ride most of the Elevator except for the usual right hander and made it back to the carpark soggy, dirty and content.  And a little bit tired :)
  Incidently it turns out we'd ridden the course within 13 seconds of the time that I rode it the other week!

WA State XC Championships - Murray Valley

  I'd decided to enter Sport as they had 9am start time.  The other category I was eligible for, Masters, didn't kick off until almost midday and I had other commitments.
  Arriving at the venue, I had time to manage a sighting lap - pretty cool course, lots of up but all rideable.  I'd estimate 90%+ singletrack with just a few bits of joining fire trail.  Rather tacky too, none of the usual pea gravel!  I decided to put a little bit more air into the tires too.  I know I get a bit lazy when I'm tired and didn't want to pinch flat.
  Sport class was being combined with the U/17's due to there only being one punter in that category.  So I think there were about 12 punters all up.  Straight off the line there was a short and steep fire road climb and I settled in behind everybody else.  One keen customer managed to knock wheels and veered off the track before remounting and rocketing up the incline.  Turning off into the uphill singletrack I encountered a phenomenon that all cross country bike racers are familiar with... the 'get off and walk because some hubbard has stopped and not moved off the track'.  I was forced to stop and walk which sucked but at least it gave me a moment to get my breathing under control.   I was rather enjoying the rest of the rocky and rooty singletrack until I smacked my hip into a tree on one of the fast sections.  No damage but I was concerned I'd smashed my glasses that I'd put in my jersey pocket.  Shortly afterwards at the base of a steep bit of track I managed to drop my chain off the front chainring AND inside off the rear cogs.  A short bout of swearing, yanking and reefing ensued before I realised one junior rider who had stopped on the climb was watching me intently. Whoops.  Chain re-aligned, I checked my glasses - all good - and continued on.  Wasted about a minute and a half stopped.  The guy who I'd been chasing was gone.  Getting to the end of the first lap I could hear the leading sport female rider approaching and set about trying to reel in the guy I'd let get away.
  Second lap was uneventful.  Caught and passed Bruno (super Grandmaster old dude mountain biker character).
  Third lap was mostly uneventful too.  Caught a few dudes from other classes (think Veterans) and was lapped by three dudes (dunno what class they were in).  Managed a few Scott Specials (shoulder-to-tree interfaces) whilst flying about the singletrack but again, no damage.  Heard a couple of guys about 30m behind me and was getting ready to let them pass when I heard a fairly abrupt stack by one of them.  That was the last I saw of them.
  Didn't quite catch the guy I was just behind before my chain issues but he came in 6th so I reckon I must of got 7th or thereabouts.
  I enjoyed the track but I'm glad it wasn't a part of the Dwellingup 100 from the other week.  I don't think I would've appreciated the technical and steepness of it on top of the challenges of that event.
  Another great event from Tony Tucknott and the Perth MTB crew.

Course map and other boring details can be found here or here.
Results can be found here.

Start / Finish / Rego area

Kalamunda Loop Redux

Enjoyed yesterday's loop so much decided to do it again! Gabby wanted me out of the house as she was studying and producing an essay, so I went for my second impromptu mtb ride in two days! I'd slept in this morning and missed out on the SPR public holiday ride which would've been cool. So I was keen to make up for that.
Every bit as fun as the first time - perhaps even more so due to the fact that I knew what was coming and where I was going. Managed to ride almost all of Whore-No-More and all of the Elevator except for the tight right-hander.

Kalamunda Loop

After the late night I didn't make it to the SPR hills ride. But not long after lunch I was feeling like a ride. I'd gotten a good GPS track of one of Gregor's mates and thought I'd go exploring on the dually for the first time in ages,.... and the first time actually using my Garmin for navigation.
Heading off from the trailhead, otherwise known as the carpark of Kalamunda Coles..., I was full of enthusiasm. It had been some time indeed since my last solo expedition on the mountain bike. A few recent blats in the vicinity of The Dell and Mt Gungin had re-ignited a spark for riding off road.
The trail was at first a narrow fire trail, fairly smooth and small sections of singetrack, pretty flat with nothing too taxing. This is a popular section for walkers as it cuts along the back of houses in Kalamunda, not that I saw any this afternoon.

Dwellingup 100

Insert post here

Kep Track

With the Dwellingup 100km off-road enduro coming up in September I found myself presented with a problem. I’d ridden my mountain bike exactly once (a 4hr enduro) since the last 100km effort (2010 Karri Cup[1]). I remember telling myself after the Karri Cup that I’d need to put in some more saddle time on the (near ten year old!) Giant dually before doing something like that again. The time for action was nigh.

I’d wanted to tick the Kep Track off my list of ‘Rides To Do’ for some time now. I'd read about Andrew's expedition and thought I'd like to give it a go. It’s basically a dirt track that follows the Golden Pipeline from Mundaring Weir to Northam, 75km away. It’s not technical at all but does provide ample riding distance on dirt which would suit our purpose nicely. I’m not really into touring and staying in Northam didn’t turn me on so it was put forward that we ride it out and back. It’s not even hilly but my thinking was that what it lacked in elevation would be made up for in distance. The Dwellingup100 involves quite a lot of up and down but is only a mere 100km – so surely this would be a good training ride! A few emails to some interested parties, a short debate on a free weekend and a date settled on. It’d be good to knock this one over in a day.

By the time Sunday morning rolled around our band of riders had been whittled down to four. Scott, Lee, Craig and myself rocked up to Mundaring Weir Hotel carpark at 0600 [2] where it was deserted and dark. Scott and me on dually’s, Lee on his cool Focus hardtail and Craig on his Surly Long Haul Trucker. After some Mindless Banter™ [3]- mostly about how chilly it was, and jibes about me and Scott not having lights we set off shortly before 0630.

Three of us heading up the road and then we wondered where Scott got to. He had done this ride before and knew the way. He did the first half klick on the track whilst we plodded up the road and then joined the track. Jumpers and jackets were discarded shortly afterwards. The 7km or so to Mundaring township is mostly wide-ish sniggletrack [4], crosses the road a couple of times and very pleasant to ride, even uphill. It was dark, with just enough moonlight, and a bit of mist. A favourite part of any ride, I was just waiting for the Tauntauns to appear out of the white haze...

Negotiated the unsigned dogs-leg at Mt Helena with no hassles thanks to Scott’s prior knowledge. Most of the track is easy to follow but this intersection could be a trap for first timers.

Past the BMX jump track at Chidlow The rest of us resisted Craig’s call to ride the jumps. I’m useless in the air. Once my bike wheels leave the ground I may as well be a triathlete [5] for all the skill I have.

Section of flat path that was dry but quite bumpy. In the not too distant past it seems a horse or two had been through here when it was wet and left many hoof marks which had now dried hard. Kind of like corrugations but different. Certainly not the most pleasant surface to ride on.

Went past Baker’s Hill and it’s over-rated pie shop (IMNSHO) It was somewhere about here that I first started to feel it. Yes it wasn’t that far into the ride but lack of mtb saddle time and yesterday afternoons racing was reminding me that the effects were still present.

Nearing Clackline there was a fun downhill run ending in a gully across a stream. Video

Six or seven kilometres of deserted road provided Craig with a chance to stretch his Surly’s legs necessitating him to wait for the rest of us at a lovely paddock edge. Reminded our two ex-pats of Wales apparently. It is quite scenic in parts and all the sheep were out with their lambs following them about. We continued past the West Northam water tanks followed by a nice run of sniggletrack just before Northam. A cool, rough downhill, complete with dodgy pipe crossover before a short pathway blat into Northam town centre where the Garmin told me we had done 75km on the dot.

Not much doing in Northam on this lovely sunny Sunday. I was looking forward to the mountain bikers lunch of choice [6] but was sadly disappointed with what was on offer. A bakery, a cafe or Chicken Treat. We settled on the bakery which was empty when we arrived but within a minute of entering it was filled with more than a dozen locals. Purchases were made and we adjourned to the local park by the river to scoff down our sausage rolls, pies, buns, pastries, milk & Cokes.

After refilling CamelBaks and bottles we headed back out of town and climbed the steepest part of the ride. The rough track next to the pipeline wasn’t as hard going up as I thought it might be when I was barrelling down it earlier on.

A regroup at the Wales-esque paddock took place before the short roll down the road to Clackline. We waited there too as it seems Lee had a puncture. Craig went back to help him out with me and Scott heading off up the track. It wasn’t too long before Craig and Lee caught, then passed us and we were off the back again. This might have been the last time I saw Craig until I finished the ride! Lee I could see in the distance for some time and almost caught him at a road crossing but then he disappeared into the yonder again. I was really hitting the wall at this point and it was somewhere around the 135km mark that I stopped and waited for Scott. I was knackered and inhaled my emergency gel. Scott turned up after a few minutes and we had some more lollies. A lady rider heading the other way said she hadn’t seen anyone else on the track. I figured Lee and Craig must’ve finished. We re-mounted , determined to finish off the day. I spent most of the remaining kilometres back to Mundaring township yo-yoing off the back of Scott’s wheel. I perked up once we reached the downhill sniggletrack back to the Hotel and we bombed down it, legs forgetting that we’d already asked 144km of them. I finished the last of my water somewhere around here. Rolled into the carpark, band was playing in the pub across the road, with 150km on Mr Garmin.

Craig was waiting for us – and had been for 25 minutes! Strangely, Lee turned up a few minutes later than us. Turns out he stopped to fix another flat and then got lost, probably missed the dogs leg mentioned previously at Mt Helena on the way back.

I was completely spent. I’d drunk 1.5 litres of water on the way out, 3 litres on the way back, a small Coke, sausage roll, small mocha milk, two bananas, two fruit & muesli bars, two Coconut Rough’s and my emergency gel. It was a bit before 1645, slightly closer to my self-imposed limit of 1700 than I’d planned.

The ride was certainly harder, or perhaps it’d just taken more out of me, than I’d anticipated. The mission was accomplished (which was to get some time on the dually) but if I was doing this ride again I’d definitely take my commuter (the Salsa ‘crosser of Orangeness). It’s much better suited for this ride. Hopefully I’ll get in a couple more sensible rides on the Giant before Dwellingup.

Scott will be along shortly with his version of events and possibly some cool video footage of the final piece of singletrack into Mundaring :)

Cheers,

Dave

[1] Karri Cup Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4

[2] “It's 0600. What's the O stand for? Oh my God, it's early!” - Adrian Cronauer, Good Morning Vietnam

[3] Meaningless MTB-OZ reference

[4] Sniggletrack = singletrack

[5] Let the flaming begin... (but if you'd rather read something funny try this)

[6] burger with the workx & caramel milkshake

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