Tuesday

It is quite amazing the difference a positive mental outlook can have on an otherwise dull week. I have tried to lower the pressure on myself and enjoy life as a way of bringing back into focus how lucky I am to be alive. I'm fit (relatively!), strong and healthy. I have a loving and understanding wife, two amazing kids and some pretty darn cool friends. After that pretty much anything else is a bonus.

I am looking forward to a good ride in the morning and hoping to clock up 60k with a good few hills thrown in. The weekend holds the promise of a good mountain bike ride up Mount Nebo and another effort on Mount Mee on the roadie. I relish the thought. That with another ride on Friday morning should see me knock out close to 300km for the week. I know there is much more effort to come but I feel good about fitting in this much riding around work and family commitments.
My only area of concern is my fundraising effort. It is a little slow. There is still heaps of time and I know there will be more donations to come but I really want to meet my goal of $10,000. I have even agreed to have my legs waxed by some mountain bike mates provided they raise $1000 for me. Guess what, they did it. My legs will be bare for the first time in 15 years. Anyone want to buy a mohair rug made of leg hair?

The weekend wash up.

Well it's been a huge weekend in Camp Menzies. It all started out well with a twilight ride to Tinchi Tamba wetlands on Friday night after work. Leanne, Steve and Becca joined me for 60 odd K's at a reasonable 24K per hour average in the cool of the evening. The journey home was punctuated by the suicidal runs of many a toad and the clouds of mosquitoes as we followed the creek back to town.

On Saturday I was planning on meeting up with Spence for a climb up Camp Mountain but due to some fuss with work I had to miss out. Instead some quality time with Rohan was planned and we decided that a fishing trip would be good training for Daddy. Training for what I am not quite sure... Rohan recently turned 5. He used to be quite strong willed and insistent but now he is just bull headed! He wanted to do everything himself including baiting the razor sharp hooks and casting his own line out. Fortunately we had some very understanding people fishing next to us as there was the occasional misdirected cast that often ended up tangling across their lines and creating a knot a Mexican macramé expert would be proud of! But we did catch a fish.

Sunday was a day in the hills for me with Steve and Leanne showing me another of their awesome training loops. We were also joined by Paul who is a very strong rider and a nice bloke even if he is a kiwi! It started with a run down Winn Road out to Mount Samson Road and then up Kobble Creek Road to sneak in the back way to Dayboro. The Kobble Creek run is really picturesque with farm land interspersed with bushland saved by the Land for Wildlife fund. You cross Kobble Creek itself a couple of times  and the beautiful little swimming holes where pretty inviting after 30 odd K's in the already building heat.

Dayboro is the last flat road you will see for a while as the bottom of Mt Mee signals 6.5km of climbing. The gradient is a reasonable 6% for most of the way and I really found a zone and powered up the hill. The views as you climb are spectacular. Unlike if you're driving up the hill you actually get a chance to see the vistas and appreciate them. There is a small hiccup in this expression of all that is wonder and light in the cycling world and it is called Townsend Road. Holy crap! It's about 300m of 20% gradient climbing. You just have to pull up on the bars and push down on the pedals as hard as you can and hope your legs can cope. Quite the challenge....

After Townsend Road the climbing is pretty much over though. I was really enjoying the zip down Mount Mee and the cruise back along Mount Samson Road. The last time I had done this road I was dropped like a hot potato by the group and left gasping for air. This time I got to help out the front a little and drop the pace to let everyone hold on when needed. I felt strong. It really is amazing what a good mental outlook can do for a ride. I even cranked out a lazy forty K today just because I felt I could.

Not bad for an old bloke...

The comeback.

I finally feel like I have shaken the virus that nailed me just before Christmas. I managed to get up and go for two short rides in two days and I feel pumped about cranking a couple of big ones over the weekend. While the rides were only 30k's each it loosened up the legs and lungs and now the body is saying "Oh yeah, thats right. I quite enjoy this bike stuff!"
Hopefully now my state of mind will obey the rules and get with the programme too. I guess everyone feels a bit low when they are sick though. I suppose I am just really aware of when I feel a bit flat or unmotivated. I have had some awesome chats to different people over the last week all expressing that maybe I am being a little hard on myself and that I should reevaluate my goals for life in general. I reckon they are right. My qattempt at the Terra is supposed to be exciting and challenging and most of all fun. It may be fun in that "Oh my goodness I can't sit down coz my butt has turned into part of my bike saddle and if I sit I may never get back up again!" kind of fun, but it should still be fun. I'm not a pro cyclist, I don't do this to support my family and pretty much anyone who knows me will know that I will give it the best shake I can possibly manage.
I am a little bummed about the fund raising thing as I don't think I will meet my goal. It was pretty lofty to begin with but I guess whatever I raise is better than nothing.
On the positive side though a big thanks must go out to all the MTB Dirt lot who have donated or pledged along the way. You all rock. I am not surprised at the generosity from you all in one little bit as I ride with a lot of you regularly and it is the same spirit that sees a spare tube handed to someone in need, or a gel, or even a few words of encouragement along the way.
Time for a cuppa. Peace!

Of secret trails and fever tales.

The last couple of weeks didn't go as planned. It started well with a couple of decent rides on the Yarra trails and even a bit of asphalt time to stretch the legs. It was pretty hot on a few days getting well over 35 degrees but I still managed to plug away and get some K's in. The fever tales bit? Well I caught a cold that seemed inane enough but soon turned into a throat infection and general phlegm fest. I missed some really cool rides with some really cool people and have only got back on the bike in the last few days. Oh well, enough of the downer stuff.

The highlight of my trip has definitely been the ride with two local guys, Hayden and John, out at a secret spot that not even many locals know about. This place was technical! The loop is only 12 k's and at first we talked about doing two laps for the day and seeing how we went. After two hours and only one lap the decision was made to head back to the cafe and have a coffee. There aren't any massive climbs out there, but everywhere you go the trail is tight and twisty requiring some serious concentration to make sure you track OK and don't bin it on one of the many off camber corners or log rollovers. John was smashing it on his rigid single speed and Hayden was very gracious in waiting for me as I wheezed up to them with apologies for holding them up.

The trails ran through lush forests with an underbrush of ferns. The dirt was that tacky, brown loam you dream about that made railing corners second nature. Bliss. You had better practice your bunny hopping skills though as the number of log rollovers was astounding. That and the number of real bunnies that darted across the trail kept me on my toes even if the trail did have a rare moment of ease. Just like magic as I crested a little climb Hayden and John are stopped mid trail smiling at me. I looked out towards where they were pointing and was rewarded with a view accross vinyards and farming land. It was hard to remember I was in a fairly settled area as I climbed up from the gully we had just dropped into but there it was. Smoke rising from the chimneys and all.

The final run down to the cars followed a fence line and was fast and open. I got that special stoke of making it through the ride even though I was feeling pretty average and being rewarded with the bug in teeth smile of bolting down a new trail and letting it all hang out. And the topper was yet to come!

Coffee at the Cog. What a cool place. Awesome banana muffins, great coffee and bike bling for days. I was in heaven. Hayden, John and I sat there for ages shooting the breeze and talking about bikes. We were joined by a couple of locals at various times and all in all I was reminded of just how relaxed and giving most of the people I have met while mountain biking are. hayden and John took some time out from their day to take a complete stranger out to some sweet trails. I only hope I get the chance to repay the favour if the boys get up here at some stage. Cheers fellas!

I guess if there is a time to be thankful and a little sentimental it is Christmas. I feel incredibly lucky to have my family around me happy, healthy and vibrant and such good friends to share the journey through life with me. How much more do you need in life?
It's important to me to say this. I thank you all. My family, friends, the people who hardly know me that have supported me and offered encouragement along the way. Thank you all for reading my blog and understanding my words and feelings and for the words of encouragement you all leave here. It makes a difference.
I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season. Peace.