Preparation was not ideal
I grew up in Cootamundra, only an hrs drive East of Wagga so it was also a great opportunity to catch up with family down that way was as well. My wife Cindy also came from down in Coota & her father still lives in Wagga where we stayed the night before the race. It was great getting the chance to catch up & go out for dinner for the night at an all you can eat restaurant to well and truly complete my carb lading before the race, as well as stay somewhere in a comfy house that we felt at home in.
What better way to end the series though in a place that I grew up around and on a track that I had ridden before & was lookng forward to riding again. Seeing some familiar faces that are from down Coota way also make the race that little more special. It seems racing in SW of NSW is the only time I get to briefly see my Spokey Folks Friends. Maybe I should plan to do a more social ride one day with them.
The weather was fine & I felt ok
Macquarie where we can get over 50mm in just one downpour & it soaks up into the rainforest floor, in the Riverina that would mean flooding of some parts.
I was in the right spot at race briefing and managed a good start near the front among the 220 plus riders including teams & 3 hr riders that were to ride the fun 13 km race loop marked out.
I had raced in the Wagga 6hr back in 2013 before the World 24hr Champs in Canberra that year & just before starting up this blog. Back then I didn't have much luck with a leaky tyre & this year all I wanted to do was get a better result than 5th in Masters. I knew it was going to be a hard task with a cold.
Near the top of the hill a few km into the race I was surprised to see Jason English (the series leader) go past me thinking he would be way out in front of me. Turns out he was late to the start line.
The Pomingalarna Park in Wagga is a great MTB track & I was loving the return back to the track. I have always described the track as a mini Mt Stromlo style MTB track & one of my favorite MTB tracks in Australia with great lines that keep me smiling and wanting to keep riding km after km.
At the half way point in the race I was feeling OK but my bike was now feeling heavy from the mud I had picked up on the frame from the wet patches on the back of the hill. I was sitting in 3rd place in Masters but like all solo riders I had to stop and oil the chain to stop the chain suck that could potentially break the chain by getting caught up on the front chain ring as I put pressure on the pedals. My first oiling of the chain I could not remember where I had placed my oil & used another brand that was fast to grab in the pit. Riding off from the quick pit stop I could still hear the chain as though it was still dry & it was not to long before realizing that I was still getting chain suck. After working out that if I left the front shift alone, my chain would not suck up as much & I completed the lap OK, at the end of the lap I searched through my bag in the pit to find my WD wet Lube to apply on the chain. Immediately when I started pedaling again I noticed how much easier each pedal stroke was & how quiet my chain was again. I will recommend this oil for wet conditions now for sure.
With only an hour to go I was feeling a bit weary but with a hit of caffeinated carbohydrate, within 15 min I was getting my energy back. My Garmin GPS was being returned in the post during this time from a warranty replacement after it locking up in my last race, so I was using a Magellan 505 that I won in the Jetblack 12 hour earlier in the year & one of the main features that is missing that I use on the Garmin is lap times & this meant that it was hard for me as a solo rider to determine if I was getting slower but I was told that I was gaining on 2nd place & I was pretty happy with that. With the hour to go I thought I would only get another lap in after being told at race briefing that all riders results would only be counted under the 6 hours, but on completion of what I thought was my last lap I had everyone encouraging & letting me know that if I pushed myself I could get another lap in & catch 2nd place still finishing under the 6 hours.
The last lap was tough with a cold but I was not wanting to complete it over the 6 hours wasting my effort for the last half hour, so I made the most of it pushing harder up the hills & trying to stay off the brakes on the downhills. Feeling surprisingly good after downing more caffeinated gels I managed to ride a better time than my previous lap by a minute and a half & finished in 5 hrs 58 minutes completing 118 km that earned me the Centurion trophy that is given to riders that complete 100 km under the 6 hrs. Only seven of riders got this trophy in the 2014 Wagga 6 Hour.
unexpected results made possiible
All other results are in the link below.
#EnrichedHealthCare for all physio & strength training
#SeersCyclery for all my bike repairs & servicing
#DIYmtb for all my suspension maintenance & repairs
The Evocities MTB Series for 2015
- Orange Ginja Ninja 250 min - Sunday 15 February
- Wylde Western Sydney 7 hour - Sunday 12 April
- Bathurst 4 hour / 6 hour - Sunday 31 May
- Albury 6 hour - Sunday 21 June
- WD-40 BIKE Dubbo 300 min - Sunday 19 July
- Stan's No Tubes Tamworth 5 hour - Saturday 8 August
- Wagga Wagga 6 hour - Sunday 6 September
The series has been well ran by all the local clubs & had great support by all the inland Evocities & in particular the Mayor of Dubbo Mathew Dickerson who helped the series kick off.
I would like to thank all the sponsors that supported the series & made it what it is bringing some of the best endurance mountain bike riders to the races by supporting all the categories.
- Sydney University School of Rural Health Open Male
- QantasLink Open Female
- Fly Orana Masters Male (40-49)
- G8 Performance Masters Female (40-49)
- NAB Super Masters Male (50+)
- NAB Super Masters Female (50+)
- Maas Group Properties Male Pairs
- Hogs Breath Female Pairs
- Fly Orana Mixed Pairs
As well as all the other volunteers that helped with marshaling & other tasks along the way.