Sunday, July 31, 2011

Race of Six Friends













(Cresting 'Hell' Hill Doug T talks to new friend. God? Photo Amy Taylor)

-- Race report

130km of testing terrain for teams of six, the Solo Race of Six Friends puts 'Gentlemen's' racing on the local map. LABC's Doug T. reports.

"Firstly, this was an awesome event - fabulous countryside, car-free roads, great camaraderie, well organised and with the added excitement of 19kms of unsealed roads..... Also featuring 1800m of climbing, several grueling time trials of 10km plus and multiple choice directions. The last one was possibly not an official feature, but we took full advantage of that anyway.

"LABC were 13th away of the 20 teams, nearly one hour after the first team, Geoff Bulte's group of Parnell school kids. ASB were 6 mins ahead of us so we figured that at TdF ratios of 1 minute per 10kms we'd expect to catch them at 60km or thereabouts. So it was somewhat of a shock to catch them at just 20kms in on the first major off-road section. We were just about past them when Pete M decided to have a little bit of a lie down. Possibly should have stopped his bike first..... Good job that new LABC kit is arriving next week!

"Caught and passed several more teams in the following 20kms or so, then Karl Murray's Exceed Coaching team streaked past at warp speed. We found them again on the side of the road about 20kms later - one of their team chucking their ring piece out violently and we also heard later they had three punctures. Possibly they should all have left the deep section carbon tubulars at home.....

"About the 40km mark we also passed Geoff B's group. They were suffering, but they did go on to complete the course. Also about the half way mark my legs were starting to slow the team down so a plan was hatched to have all of the rest of the guys push me up the hills. Of which there were lots. But just prior to that we got our one and only attempt at pace line going and it worked a treat. Great organisation and rotations saw us powering along the open roads, until the next hill came along and put paid to that silliness once and for all.

"After a major section of unsealed roads (climbs, descents and more climbs) we ended up in Kaukapakapa and then got into a major drag race with another team. Richard C did an unbelievable job of hauling us up to their wheels over the course of about 6kms, and then we followed them into and through Helensville. By which time they were muttering things about us wheel sucking so we backed off. For a bit :-) Richie let them go for a bit and then decided they were going too slow so we sailed past them. The next 10kms were fairly jolly with their guys and ours trying to out-do each other's pace. Which pretty much rode my legs off, and a few others to boot....

"At the 100km mark we turned off the highway and onto Hell Hill (my name for it, possibly not the correct one..). A 2km climb of more than 12% on seal gave way to a hundred meters of dirt road - at 18%. Somewhat unsurprisingly I found that I'd left all my mountain bike gears at home so ended up walking most of it :-( I have little doubt I was not the only one to do so today....

"From then on it was pretty smooth sailing to the finish 24kms away. Or it should have been. A navigational error saw us (probably) doing a few unnecessary hills and a bit of back-tracking to get to an official course turn in Huapai. All good, back on track, let's head for the finish. Our second navigational error was one that half a dozen other teams then seem to have also made as apparently we all ended up approaching a roundabout on the Riverhead Coatesville highway from the East instead of the North... Much arguing with officials (and amongst ourselves) ended with us concluding that as we were 2kms from the pub and we would be finishing with exactly the right number of elapsed kms (129 of them....) the bloke on the roundabout could go f@#& himself, there was beer calling us.

"And so we crossed the finish line in 4 hours 36 riding time and probably about 4:49 total time and sometime later I'm sure someone will post results.... No idea where we actually placed - until the navigational deviations we had been passed only by one team - and then re-passed them as previously mentioned - but it's entirely possible some teams slipped past by unfairly taking the correct route.

"ASB jettisoned their two elder statesmen at the 50km mark, thereby failing to meet the requirements that all 6 riders ride the actual course, not just a third of it..... And Geoff B deserves a medal for getting his team home - after 7 and a half hours on the road. And also Muzza - who finished the race with no bearings left in the hub of his somewhat ancient front wheel.....

"Some stats from my computer, for anyone who is interested:

Total Kms: 128.5
- Ride time: 4:36:46
- Avg speed: 27.8
- Max speed: 66.9
- Avg cadence: 79
- Max cadence: 146
- Meters gained: 1808
- Max gradient: 20% (this may have been downhill on Taylors Rd - which we we're not actually supposed to be on....)

- Avg HR: 150.4
- Max HR: 172.5
- Zone 5: 1 hour, 40 mins 59 secs (36%!!!!! - no wonder I was rooted.....!!)
- Zone 4: 2 hours 10 mins 16 secs
- Calories: 2754
- Missiles released: Muzza opened fire twice with his rear seat tube launcher, firing bottles at those behind him on the rougher unsealed roads... Made him go back himself the second time!

"So we finished. Definitely one to chalk up as memorable and worthy of doing again, one day. When the pain and suffering have become faded memories and we're all trying to convince each other it really wasn't that bad.

"Thanks Murray for organising our entry to an awesome event, thanks to Diesel Carter for just keeping on keeping on out the front forever; to Pete, Richard and Andrew F for doing the huge majority of the work out front, and thanks to all the guys for the much needed, very welcome and greatly appreciated pushes up all those bastard hills :-) Bring on the next one!"


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Weekend rides and Tour de France immersion



















-- Saturday 8/Sunday 9

SATURDAY - Weather looks OK
0730 Mechanics Bay depart for moderately paced Poo-Ponds

OR
Stay indoors and watch the last two hours of TDF Stage 7 - Le Mans to Chateauroux: 218km

SUNDAY - Weather looks wet.
TDF

OR
Harden up and get out there

In the event of bad weather or disputes regarding the Rules, conduct, results and all other matters relating to weekend rides, the decision of the judge(s) shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Riding through the night
















Follow in the pedal strokes of a legend - ride a Queen Stage, live. Who's keen?

In 2010, LABC member and Dr of Bicycle Engineering Mike Pengelly took Tour de France participation to a whole new level.

Perhaps better known for his pre-breakfast marathons and as the inspiration for Heineken’s experimental sports nutrition programme, Mike’s commendable Stage 17 (Pau - Col du Tourmalet 174km) finishing time of 5:07:44 (incidentally the same time as Lance Armstrong) wasn’t the only thing about his performance stealing thunder from Luxembourg’s fast pedalling stage winner Andy Schleck.

As the peleton rolled out from Pau, sometime around 10pm Thursday evening, New Zealand time, Mike pedalled his rollers into life.

Positioned in his lounge and facing a large television sufficiently cranked up so that Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen drowned the whirr of his rollers, Mike found a comfortable position immediately behind team Radioshack.

His race preparation had gone smoothly – a large water resistant mat would contain his sweat and natural ‘breaks’, and three bottles of Raro were positioned within easy reach. The only complicating factor was his Soigneur, who refused to work past 11:30 p.m. His final pre-race act was nailing hardboard over an internal window to stifle noise coming from his lounge.

Getting down to work, his natural high-cadence style helped him ride to the ebb and flow of the peleton. The hours rolled by and it was only during advertising breaks, as riders radioed team directors, that Mike rose from his saddle, allowing blood to flow back into his nether regions.
Just over five hours later, moments after the Schleck-Contador embrace, Mike crashed, the severe gradient of the Col du Tourmalet disrupting his roller’s gyroscopic forces. However, he quickly remounted, crossing the finishing line behind Radioshack’s Lance Armstrong.

Sometime shortly after 3:00 a.m. Friday, Mike stopped pedalling and dismounted.

The reason for recounting Mike’s epic ride is the opportunity to follow in his pedal strokes.

We’re currently scoping a location, Sky TV hook-up and surround sound to host a bunch of cyclists (and their wind trainers) ready to succumb to the magnetism of Le Tour and go head-to-head with Schleck, Contatdor and co.

Ride a Queen Stage, live.

Who's keen?

Monday, July 4, 2011

Rapha we're not


-- Though they do make rather lovely movies

But I reckon the Waitakeres on a cool winter early morning is tough to beat.

If only I could keep the bloody camera still.

Check it - click here.


Sunday, July 3, 2011