Please see Grudge Match Results for latest update. See you at Yarramundi this weekend!

ROUND 2 - CURRAMBENE

We can’t speak for Round 1, but Round 2 was a beauty for MJ, being their first crack at an 8 hour.  Basically, the conditions were perfect, what more can you say?  The track had everything that Currambene is reknown for, thanks heaps to SCUM for preparing a challenging circuit that required endurance and technical skill.  Thanks to the organisers and volunteers.  It was also great to see so many women racing next to the blokes, and even on this paradise of single track, we found riders of all levels to be considerate and allow faster riders through with a minimum of delay. 

The day started well with Mike getting a good position behind the first few rows.  As always there was a massive rush up the first section, then a traffic jam at the first log, but we quickly settled into a steady pace for the long day ahead.  The only mishap was swiping a rough barked tree at the bottom of the course (which I repeated on the next 3 laps!).  I soon realised I was not the only one giving it a nudge.  First lap down and Jay took off to hold our position.  After the first hour we were in 21st position, not to bad, but we can do better.

My turn again and when I got round the first time, Jay was still resting so off I went for a 2nd, following Simon as best I could.  Wow! he has really picked up some pace on the downhill sections.  And so it went on, Jay and I taking two lap turns and each pulling 26 min laps all day.  The nutrition was working well! At the 4 hour mark we have climbed to 17th and still feeling strong. 

Towards the end, the legs weren’t quite as dynamic as earlier in the day, but the track knowledge was starting to really pay dividends as you started to flow through the course rather than ricochet through it like a pinball.  It was then the inspiration (which may later be labelled insanity) kicked in, we might even give our younger TORC brothers a run for their money.  Kurt and Tom had run a respectable result in Lithgow but an argument between Kurt and a bollard on the spit bridge during training ruled them out for Nowra.  So the TORC grudge was born and may the oldest hmmm I mean best team win.  It is game on in Appin.

You wouldnt believe how quickly 8 hours can slip by and at 3:40 it was Jay who had the challenge to get his two laps in before the cutoff at 4:36 and send Mike on one final lap to score 19.  And he makes it!  Well done Jay, I really wanted just one more lap (RIGHT!).  It felt great to speed around the course once more, and even better when I caught an inside line on the final climb and left a tailgater in my dust.

Finally, it was an awesome day and the formalities were kept to as short as possible which was much appreciated.  Next time I am bringing the family, the whole event had a great atmosphere.  Thanks to all the TORC riders there too, it was great sharing the tent with a terrific bunch of riders.

ROUND 3 - APPIN 

Round 3 and I can’t really claim we were fully prepared, but we decided to give it a go anyway.  You know how sometimes you think "Let’s not go too hard, we’ll just circulate and enjoy the day".  But once you are on the bike and the heart rate is at 89% something clicks in, you just have to give it everything you’ve got, so it was for Jay and I.  We managed to hold our position in the Top 20 and after 6 laps each we’d had enough. 

Highlights were seeing the same crowd again, catching up with friends we made last round and making new ones, testing your skill against a track that certainly lived up to it’s reputation (TOUGH!), and just the general organisation of the race…oh and the 2 laps I ran on the test BMC TrailFox, thankyou BMC, what an awesome bike!

I also have an apology to make, I bumped handlebars sneaking up on a rider to overtake him on the left on the approach to the start finish.  Sorry about that, I think your mate was more upset than you were, anyway next time I will make a bit more noise when passing.

So it starts and after the first lap I was wondering if it might better to pack up and go home after gear trouble and a couple of spills, but the next lap was better after adjusting my gears and Jay (my partner) even decided to turn up!  Two laps down and we were going pretty good, so I sent Jay off to make up for sleeping in.

So how about this track, I really liked the first long section on single track, the bit that slopes gently down hill with the tight twisting turns.  By the middle of the day, those corners were starting to get some great berms on them and I wasnt falling off them quite as much.  The first downhill firetrail was also a beauty, not too many big hills and the final stretch of single track was good too.  But it is on the really technical sections where we lose time.  With a little more courage and a lot more skill we might climb a few more places.

The other thing I really like about this series is the catering!  The steak sandwich at the end of the day is something I am already looking forward to after Rd 4.  Thanks guys!

So where art thou TORC Dog? Hope to see you in Killingworth for a TORC showdown

PS.  Lot’s of photographers out there, if you took some shots, please post them somewhere so we can all see them
 

Here are the 2008 Current Grudge Match Results

After having my car pulled out of a wee bogholl and spending saturday afternoon sponging water out of the passenger seat floor (don’t ask), I rocked up to the Currambene race track feeling confident, and perhaps a touch cocky over the once again expected defeat of one Dr Eggs. The grumpy old man had, as many grumpy old men do, an injury sustained at the otway only a week ago so this weeks battle was to be restricted between the young gun and undisbuted Egg vs Spoon champion (me) and well, the Egg . Don’t get me wrong here, I had good reason to believe that my path to being the pie hurler at the end of the series was going to be plain sailing. With a 3rd in the series for the solo men last year, the complete obbliteration of Dreggsy at the last round, not to mention a completely unblemished win loss record since the Otway last year and the numbers were stacked in my favour…

…boy was I in for a shock.

It’s not like he’s never beaten me, and even in the last year on the odd occasion, he’s even managed to get in front. There was even a time when getting infront was pretty tough, but often unnecessary when sitting back and watching Dr Eggs Crack was all that was needed to take the victory. It was still somewhat of a surprise to see the Ellsworth jersey in the middle of a pace line slide steathly past down the fire trail. Hang on, flat track, couple of hours in, I thought I was feeling pretty good and well, I’m behind dreggsy! To make it worse, a quick turn in to single track and a bit of traffic later, I could only watch as he pulled away, knowing that the next passing spot to clea the traffic was a little way away.

5 hours in, and after racing wheel to wheel with Michael Crummy virtually the whole race, I see a familiar sight, Dreggsy by the side of the track, though this time I wasn’t lapping him, I had just caught him back after he’d taken a quick call to nature. Ha I knew it! he’s history now, just need to keep this pace up with Mr Crummy and I’m home sweet! Little was I to know the stealthy, low down rotten move that was to come! Turns out I wasn’t able to keep Michael’s wheel, and backing the pace off a little my lap times started to creep towards 30mins. I was still confident, although starting to hurt a little, and despite having not put the same sort of k’s in through the summer this year, I had history on my side right!? ‘Sif dreggsy was going to beat me, he was tucked up behind me and probably thinking of his next excuse

For some reason, I had started to settle into a cruisier pace. There was only an hour and a half to go, and typically most of the 8hrs in the past have turned into a bit of a procession by now. Perhaps even complacency had settled in or just, I had resolved to accept whatever fate that came. In through the first section of single track, and not being as spritely as I’d been earlier in the race, struggling with a few mechanical issues I was just hoping would survive to get me home and then comes the double whammy…. Behind pulls up a rider, he was obviously not grossly faster, but not very talkative either answering with some odd and well, one word answers. Finally I hear a "yeah track if you can" and I look ahead, find a clear spot to slow down and pull over only to see the flash of that familiar ellsworth jersey go flying past! Gah he’s suckerd me in! and then I discover why my drive train was playing up. With a quick flick of my lever, I find myself all of a sudden in 32:11 and well, no shifting. Half way around the track with only 3 inappropriate gears and a snapped gear cable, I limp home to swap bikes and head out for my last two laps.

2mins! was the call from the El PreSSidente, now normally I’d know better than believe his splits, but he was looking kind of serious about it, so after a bit of faffing I pushed out to smash out the two fastest laps I could. On the rivit the whole time, I was digging as deep as I could just hoping to make up some time. Out of the saddle in the dog pretty much the whole way and really starting to hurt. I passed another Ellsworth rider, Harrisen Walden up the final climb to transition to the sounds of "Hi Craig, By Craig" but I couldn’t stop to chat, I was on a mission!

Through transition, grab a coke and out for my last lap. This time the call was 40secs, and he was slowing down! I don’t know what I was thinking, but I had to give it a shot and just opened up. As if to make life doubly interesting, I pick up another solo rider "Hey I think you’re on the same lap…" I didn’t have a clue, and definately had no idea what lap I was on, but in a blink of an eye, we were both hurtling down the fire trail for the last time, just pushing the limits of man and mind. Through the last bit of single track, the seas just seemed to part as the call to track if you can was made, but with only one painfull little pinch left, I was starting to fade. A rider I had just passed pulls up behind cheering me on, if only to beat the guy in front… little did he know, or I know that the real race had been run. And with dreggsy already lounging around transition, I was spat out of the final section of single track on to the fire road through transition for the last time… tired… broken… and for the first time in over a year, defeated!

I have to say, it must have been the best 8hr race I’ve been in for a long time. The competition was tight the whole day. To spend the first 5 1/2 hours wheel to wheel with a fellow solo rider was a blast, and with less than 10% seperating the top 10, it wasn’t going to take much of a mistake to see you sailing out of the leader board. But the race has been run and with the grudge match now leveled at 1 all, I leave you with this quote:

"It’s really good that French rode well, he normally rides crap!" - Ryan Bayley

Congratulations Dreggsy! good to see you have your legs back

Happy Trails!

Spoonie…

Wow!!!, what a day out,

Probably one of the nicest trails I’ve ever ridden, lost of twisty turny single-track with a short climb thrown in for good measure.
Approx 440 teams turned up for this one, and while talking to people setting up they were saying this was a flat track, so I decided to see how long I could keep it in the big ring.

I had to keep my eye on Spoonboy in this one as I was hungry for the win, and I need the points after a disappointing 1st round.
So the typical start with everyone racing up the fire-road I had somehow managed to get to the not so pointy section of the field.

Just as we get to the first bit of fire trail I just miss out on getting into the singletrack up front, so the first 2km was spent sitting behind a slower rider holding up approx 20 of us who wanted to pass. He kindly pulled over when he had a chance and let us through. It was to be a little like this for the whole race as there is very little passing room on this course.
Up in the distance I could see 2 soloists one of the being spoonboy, I try to catch them but some of the newer riders slowed me down just that little bit
after 4 laps I am finally behind them and there is a big fire road section coming up which is full of people.

Slowly and quietly, I creep up behind them, put the hammer down and race past him and another soloist (Michael Crumb?)

Ha Ha, I laughes like a lunatic to myself quietly, I’ve got him ha ha ha….I keep the pressure on, looking behind me on the switchbacks next lap I can see he is still not that far behind me.
Hmmmm, I’d better keep the pressure down.
6 laps later I stop on the top of the hill to visit mother nature, thinking that Spoonboy is well behind.
I turn around to hop on my bike and Spoonboy in tow with Michael Crumb creep past,
I follow them to transition where I stop, Grab a fresh bottle spend what seems forever looking for my powerbars I eventually find one and hurry it down.
I see Spoonboy disappear into the distance again…….
Damn… he’s now got close to a minute on me.
Thats OK I’ve got 3 hours to catch and pass him,

"Yeah Yeah " Rob your not going to get me with you mind games I say to myself.

Next lap "He’s only 10 seconds in front " people are yelling at me

Yeah Yeah sure sure.

I put the hammer down,

What’s that up ahead?
Is it?
It cant be?
It is!!!

I get a second wind….

Up in the distance are the familiar KHS colours of Spoon boy, I slowly gain on him and ride behind him for a Km or so, pretending to be somebody else.

He looks hurt.

On one of the slower sections of single track I ask if I can pass he pulls over giving me enough track to pass, and wham i make a break pedalling as fast as possible trying to make time on my new found lead.

"Yes" I think to myself "I’ve done it" but I had better keep the pressure down,

One lap later I come back into transition and Rob says I have made 2 minutes on him,
We are at the final stages of the day, I have no idea of how much time we have left, but I’m thinking I have probably one more lap to go before they close the course for the day.
I get passed by BMC rider David Rome whom I chat to as we descend some of the fun parts and tells me this is last the lap.

OK keep my head straight don’t do anything stupid and pedal.
Up the hill for the last time and I cramp the right hand side of my body luckily there’s only 500m to go and Spoonboy is nowhere in sight.

I cross the line.
Finally I’ve done it.
By the time I put my bike down catch my breath, do some starjumps and 20 pushups,
Spoonboy crosses the line
3 minutes behind me, man what a race.
Best. Race. Ever.

1 all Spoonie.