Wahoooooey!!!! Great day to ride like snot!

**crazycanuck** · 09-19-2010, 12:34 AM

This might be a long post...I'll break it up into sections as that was part of my race plan.

The Dwelli 100k mtb event is the biggest one in Western Australia & is by no means the easiest-esp the last 36km! A friend gps'd the route-i've no idea how to figure out how much climbing we did but you can tell me

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49576653

My aim was to finish & the weeks prior to the event, i followed the Training Peaks 100k Finishers Program. Ian was quite peeved that i spent quite a bit of time training but it totally paid off!!!I did the 40km portion last year in 4:15-I had my old bike, i hadn't trained, my relatives were here and I wasn't really into it. This year was a different story.

First..good thing we stayed overnight in dwelli on fri as it really did help me yesterday..ahhh..

First 40km loop-I decided before taking off that i'd try and keep up with whomever I could remember that started off with the 100k folks. Zipped downhill into the singletrack & it chugged along from there for a while. Hit a large downhill & I then realized i pumped my back tire up too much by about 3psi. ( I love tubeless!!!) My right shoulder started sending me bad messages but i told it to go away & it did. Also, I encountered a shifting issue that I thought had been solved when my bike was serviced (i need a new derailleur & shifters...don't go there) but then hit some bumps & it sorted itself out. No bike issues after that!!!

The hills were pretty self explanatory & ensured I didn't go too crazy before the 9km mark..where Big Bertha starts. It's just a long hill that goes on for a few km's-there's debate whether or not it's easier to walk up or ride up. I rode 3/4 of the way up but then decided to hop off n run the little bit left. As I started riding up, i noticed someone in a costume on the side of the trail. About a week or so prior to the d100, I told a good mtn biker person I know that it would be hilarious if he was on the hill dressed in a devil costume-like at the TDF. I never thought anything of it & didn't expect him to but there he was in a lion suit with a "Give us a Grrrr" sign. Classic..made my day & will be buying him dinner/beer at our next club meeting.

The rest of the way heading towards the Nanga camping area seemed easier for some reason this year. Around nanga we go up some tracks the downhillers use & even with a bit of run up, most of the folks didn't make it up. Awesome area and way cool downhills

. My legs are cut up from all the blackberry bushes..ow ow ow..A dude I know fell into a shrub of blackberry bushes & was lucky because underneath those bushes is..a pine plantation & not much between

I just kept on drinkin n takin my cliff shots n bloks and didn't stop. I had a sandwich to eat around 11am that i'm sure I looked really pretty with half of it hanging from my mouth as I went uphill..

My odometer stops if i walk uphill so i was a bit muddled on my exact end time for the 40 but i just kept on zipping along to ensure i met the time cut off. About 5km towards the end I realized i'd just beaten my time from last year for the first 40k by 1hr

(The first 40k was easy compared to the next parts...!) I told myself not to get cocky as I had 60km to go!

I wahooooooooooeeedd all the way to the oval & breathed a sigh of relief-tons o time to do turner hill. Ian had my hydration pack ready as planned & I zipped on out again.

Next 24km-the part I was most worried about. The first 10km is all bitumen & relatively uphill. We had a headwind so another dude n I just took turns zipping up the hill towards Turner Hill. I was stoked with my road speed & thought if i keep going like this i'll meet the next time cut off!

I rode part of the course beforehand by pure fluke on one of my training rides so I knew what was ahead. The road turns into pea gravel (as it does in western Australia) and onto turner hill-one of the hardest mtn bike areas for WA.

I did quite a few training rides there prior to the d100 & knew that it would be hard for me after 60km. Not in terms of physical demands but mental-this is something i struggle with. I can drink n drink n drink n take as many clif shots etc beforehand but still can't keep the mental zippyness there...Anywho, i made it to turner hill & had 2 hrs up my sleeve!!! Cool i thought..i can take my time round the course & not panic. Oddly enough-i did the trail in 1:15...normally i can do it in 1hr....not bad for not being 100%! Got to the end and wahoooooooooed again for beating the time cut off by 40min! Changed hydration packs over, had another sandwich & mozyed off.

more to come

**crazycanuck** · 09-19-2010, 04:36 AM

(just to backtrack a bit...In my training i spent quite a bit of time just pushing it to ensure I could meet the two time cut offs. I only really did 65km mtn bike rides during the weeks leading up to the event due to my lovely dear having to be my support crew, driving to n from the area close to where we'd be racing etc etc.)

I had no clue what was ahead and ..I thought most the hills lessened after Turner Hill! I was wrong..

I knew part of the trail after turner hill as i'd used it during training but only small bits. I know the pea gravel's freakin deep

but that didn't bother me. What started to bother me was ingesting food. I often felt a bit off but then felt zippy again..I just kept on goin and battled the hills, toodling along & then Hells Gate...It's a 4wd track rutted & rideable to a point...reminded me of the Otway!

It was from here that I never saw any other riders for another good 45min. I was totally cool with that and just kept going. I swore for a while that I was the last person...

By this stage, my legs kept going & I felt fine mentally but nope..think again. I came to a deep pea gravel section going around a corner & my mind said "spin, spin,spin" my legs just did one spin & ended up walking for a smidgen. I couldn't trust my odometer any longer but my ETA was a fine time. URGh..another long drawn out pea gravellly hill. Lovely until i stacked it..going uphill. I decided to take it easy but then..the trail got easier!!! I then heard a motorized vehicle & it turned out to be our XC club prez/marshall. The end must be near..cool..only 10km to go!!! Wahooooey!!

Last 10km was flattish so i zipped it out & let of some wahoooooooeeyyyys!!! I wasn't the last finisher!!!!!

Finished in 8hrs:17sec.

. Heaps o congrats n handshakes etc from other mtb friends. Awesome day. WIll def do the 100k again next year!!

Now to do a 200k Audax ride in Oct..

and am pondering the 12hr solo this year. I'm going to follow the Training Peaks program. Ian's not been doing much dirt & isn't doing much dirt for the next month as he's overseas again. He's my dedicated support crew

**crazycanuck** · 09-19-2010, 05:02 AM

First..warming up in the morning.
Second...end of the 40k..I was wahooing not cringing!
Third..the road leading into Turner Hill
Fourth...end of Turner Hill!
Last-At the end with one of the top female mtn bikers in Australia-Jodie Willett(beat my friend, the Western australian champ, by 5min..)