The Beer Burner.

Out and about on the first day of 2013. I must say that this year the holiday season has been blessed with very mild summer weather. I even got up late and didn't leave for my ride this morning until 9am! That's unheard of in previous years. While it was still warm, there was a lovely breeze to keep it bearable and particularly on some of the small descents the conditions were just awesome.
I wouldn't really class todays ride as a training ride. It was slow with only 790m of ascent in the 50 odd K's. I may have slightly over indulged last night in some fine Australian ales and was really planning for a ride to burn off the festive cheer and to start 2013 in the manner I wish to continue. No New Years resolutions for me, no half arsed promises. Do what I can, when I can, and enjoy it!
My legs felt like they had 5 beers in them, which they did. I got over the Settlement Road climb by reminding myself how crap the ride profile would look if I turned around and went home. This effort was only to be trumped by my grovelling progress up the short pinch on Gap Creek Road. At least when I made it over that I had started to feel a little better. I wasn't about to set any land speed records today but perhaps a ride of respectable size for New Years Day was on the cards.
The plan for the ride was to get as far from home as quickly as I could so that I had no choice but to make a decent fist of it. I got over to the river beside Jindalee where I took a moment to sit down, drink a bit and splash water on my head to cool down. That was like a magic tonic from a fairy tale! I got back on the bike, sped up the first climb and was half way along the Centenary Cycleway before I knew it. Nah, not really. I was just as slow as ever but I did feel pretty good.
I returned along the Corro Drive bike path and was rewarded with no traffic, a clear run and a favourable tail wind. It was nice to sit up and just roll along and enjoy the scenery. Even the short blast along Roma Street was easy with no hassles. When I got home I just turned the hose on myself and sat there for a few minutes. Great way to cool off.
So there it is. 2013 has started. Giddy up!
Beer Burner.

Tumbleweeds.

As it is the last day of the year and it was pointed out to me that I haven't posted for months, I thought I should try and squeeze one last sagely script in.
This year has taught me that seldom do things go as planned. I struggled with depression again having thought I'd beaten it, I changed jobs, I all but stopped riding. None of these things was in my plan for 2012. So just like so many times before it's been a case of adapt and overcome.
The change in jobs has been refreshing if not a little scary at times. The project has been very rewarding and as it comes to a close there is a certain pride in what I have managed to achieve. Of course there have been many people involved but I can only comment on my part and my performance. With that I am very happy.
The depression thing is just a pain in the arse! It comes from nowhere and messes up an otherwise perfectly acceptable week. The coping strategies and management strategies work great though and with a little slap around the back of the head I can sort myself out and get back on an even keel. I have said it before and will say it again, I can not ever find words to thank my family and friends for being my "Jiminy Crickets" and telling me when I plunge down the slippery slope. Sometimes you just can't see the woods for the trees.
Riding. Ah my parachute, my reset button, my safety net. How is it I can walk away so easily from you? There is always a reason to not ride. Too busy, too tired, too hard. Too bad I can't turn it around to always finding that reason to ride. Slowly but surely though I am getting back into riding with a few short rides and plans to do some longer ones over the next week before I get back to work. I even grovelled up Camp Mountain yesterday and plan on pushing it up Nebo on the roadie for New Years day!
I hope to blog a lot more next year too. I hope to have something of note to post about and of a positive nature in then ear future. I am focused on a 24 hour race in March currently and although the preparation has started late and won't be particularly thorough I still love the lessons I learn every time I race and particularly in a 24. I also love the camaraderie on course and the fact that some of my crazy mates are willing to come out for a weekend and hand bottles and food to me. Crazy.

 

So that's it. 2012 goes out and 2013 comes in. I'm looking forward to it. New challenges, new possibilities. I hope you all stay safe and happy and look forward to sharing my upcoming adventures with you all.

An Epic way to spend a day.

Well that was interesting! I did my first Epic ever and now I know why it's called that. This race truly has an epic amount of single track and really does have some testing and mildly heartbreaking sections.
As far as my race report goes it was relatively dull. There was a seriously competitive field with lots of fast guys who actually train and prepare for events like this. My hope is that next year for this event I might be one of them. My goals were modest with a view to finish and if possible knock it over in less than 6 hours. I managed to achieve both with a provisional time of about 5 hours 50 minutes. I had a couple of little problems with a few cramps in the calves at about 70km and some stomach cramps around the 79km mark. Those were the worst because I was so close to finishing and it really took some effort to get up off the ground and pedal again. Otherwise I just ground it out. Every time I turned the pedals, I got closer to finishing.
There were a couple of high points along the way. I climbed razorback without getting off. There was a line of riders getting off or in various states of falling off as I hit the bottom of the climb. It was pretty loose and very steep but I toughed it out and made the crest with a heart rate similar to a race horse on meth. Red line much? I also had a strong pull at the front of a group of rather unhelpful riders along a tarmac section leading into Mulgowie. Thanks to the guys who did help out. I enjoyed the paceline heaps! Of course there was the social aspect too. Nick was very kind and offered to drive out and back and we had a great chat. I rode along for a while with Paul Burrows too until he left me on one of the longer climbs that I struggled up only by pedalling with my eyelids. Yep, that bad.
Strangely I am not in the least disappointed with my result. Results come from hard work and preparation and I have been sadly lacking in both for some time now. I've got the urge back to race now though and that was what pushed me on over the line yesterday and will keep me fired up to train and try and achieve some more note worthy results over the next year or so. I promised I would try my guts out and if the cramps weren't proof of that I don't know what is. Don't be expecting to see me on top of any podiums but hey, let's see what happens.

The Boomerang.

Yep that's me. I went out into the blue, spinning furiously, and just when it looks like there is no chance I will ever return....... I curved, lurched upwards one last time and came rushing back. It was a hell of a flight and at times I had no control over it. Scary but a little liberating at the same time.
So what does all that lyrical clap trap mean? It has been a long, long time since I have shared anything here and an even longer time since I actually wanted to share something here. It was a chore. It was laboured. Why now? Well things have, as they invariably do, changed. A lot.
I left my job of five years. I went to a risky, casual employment scenario. It meant I left the stress, the uncertainty and the anguish behind too. So far it has invigorated me and made me feel motivated and valued. As for the financial part? That's working out OK. The weight has lifted off my shoulders and my vest is back. I want to go ride a bike.
My plans are grandiose as always when it comes to riding and competing. Next year there are some serious IOU's in terms of pain and suffering to be cashed in and a whole bunch of proving that I am willing to fail in the pursuit of success. I have sat on my arse this year and made excuses for not racing. I love racing. I love competing. Stay tuned for the gory details of my successes and failures. It will be fun to watch.
This weekend I will race the Flight Centre Epic. Eighty seven kilometres of trying my guts out. There won't be any miraculous good result here. There's no training behind me to see that happen but there is a desire to go out and empty the tank. I'll give it everything and feel shattered come the end. I'll finish, and that will do for this year.
How far can I go in one year? Stick around and find out.

Goomburra!

Over the Easter long weekend the Menzies clan was lucky enough to be treated to a trip to Goomburra in the Main Range National Park. If at points this post sounds like a tourism commercial it is only because the place was that good. It's a beautiful place, the company was awesome and the weather perfect.
I spent most of the week before we left getting camping gear ready and stocking up on things that had not been replaced since our last trip. I put two extra bike mounts on the car roof so that the boys could have bikes with them. It really is the only downside of the family getting into biking. Everyone wants to have a bike with them camping! I packed the car on Friday so that we could leave nice and early Saturday morning for 3 days in a little piece of heaven. The load in the car was a marvel of modern logistics but at least all my hard work paid off with just enough room to fit everything with no need for a trailer. Well almost. I left the cutlery and plates behind......

Loaded!

I mentioned the awesome company. The trip had to Goomburra had been suggested by Nick after a conversation a few weeks before. I was really keen to get out of town for a few days and do some camping on my break. Nick offered up Goomburra and that was that. The Mills family, Nick, Annick and Emily were joined by Emily's friend Misty for the weekend. They had arrived on Friday and saved a spot for us right next door. There was plenty of space though around the site. I was quite amazed that for a long weekend there were so many spots still available. On the drive in though I was concerned we would be camped on top of each other as the couple of private camping areas were packed. No need for concern.

Rohan found a comfy spot.

Saturday afternoon brought the first adventure if the trip. Alison, Jack, Nick and Annick went of for a walk on the Cascades Circuit. All up it is a 6km round trip taking in a number of little creek crossings over Dalrymple Creek and up to a waterfall. Jack set off as the trail blazer and even decided to race Nick up a couple of the hills. He also learnt a hard lesson about the Gympie Stinging Tree. There were a few tears but he bravely marched on after the shock had passed. I think the walk and the adventure overcame the pain pretty quickly and he was off again. 

Jack was rapt to find the Bearded Dragon

The intrepid adventurers

The Cascades

Alison in Dalrymple Creek.

Everyone returned from the walk a little tired but well happy with the views along the way. Annick even backed it up with a night walk with the kids later that evening. We saw a couple of frogs and even the worlds sleepiest python. It was back to the camp for a few toasted marshmallows and cups of tea. Perfect end to a day.

Sunday was the day set down for a ride. Nick and I planned to head up to the top of Mount Castle and then on to The Winder. All up the trip is only 27km but there is over 1000m of climbing in a pretty short time. In fact most of the climb is in the first 8km. The ride through the rainforest to the clearing was beautiful. The canopy came over us letting dappled light filter in. The air was cool and damp until you passed into the sunshine where the day was warming up. 

The Winder was used to raise logs up one side of the mountain and lower them over the other side to be taken to the mills for processing. Logging stopped in the area in about 1968 but the machinery remains as a reminder of how much trouble people went to in order to satisfy the relentless need for timber during the 40's and 50's.

Crank it up!

The Giant 29er is still the business.

Nick. He took it easy on me this time.

Sylvesters Lookout. A little break on the way back.

The ride out to The Winder was fun and pretty easy. Coming back seemed a whole lot harder. The grass and soft surface made the climbs just a bit more challenging. The reward was certainly in bombing down the descent back to camp though. We passed a couple of four wheel drives to very perplexed looks. 

Parting shot.

There was no rush come Monday morning to pack up. A very leisurely breakfast of bacon and eggs and coffee furnished by Nick made a great start to the day. Slowly but surely the camp came down and was packed in the truck. We were loaded and ready to go after a brilliant weekend. Gotta do that more.