Look what santa got me.

Dad helping me go for a ride.

Dad teaching me how to do endo's.

Do you think i'm having fun?

Recovery

For Monday and Tuesday i had pins and needles in both hands it is starting to drive me a bit crazy. It also appears i have DMS (delayed muscle soreness).

Wednesday, soreness has gone and so have the pins and needles. I went for a ride up to the post box just to see how i felt, but my bum is still bruised.

Thursday i went to Jeffs shed for some active recovery and stretching.

Friday was another big day as i played brickies labourer for the 3rd day in a row.

Saturday i went for a roll along the Yarra with my dad to see how things were going. I can sit on the seat again and my legs are spinning over nicely. The pins and needles came back about 20mins into the ride, it appears i haven't fully recovered yet.

Will continue to rest another week before starting to build a new base for the next year of racing.

2008 24 Hour Worlds

Just found out that the World 24 solo Championships will be in Canmore Canada at the end of July.

Where was Mitch?

I searched the forest for 24 hours but couldn't find him. The trouble is he is getting so damn fast on his feet. He stops only briefly for some bush tucker (dirt and leaves) then he's off again.

No seriously, Kate's parents were looking after him for the weekend. Not all was rosey though, by Saturday he had developed a temperature and was taken to hospital for monitoring. What a weekend to leave him with them, still what better hands to be in. They didn't call, no phone reception but said he improved and it wasn't serious just some side effects from his recient shots.

Its great to see him again and he will be at the next race. But i just wanted to thank Jenny and Laurie for taking such good care of our son while we were off playing swat the fly in Forest.

Photo's

Some advice in the night.

Finishing

Considering doing another lap for fun (ha,ha)

After three 24 hours, a 12 hour, and the vic enduro series

my fork seals have had enough.

Even a concrete floor is comfortable after a 24.

KONA 24 (inside my head)

Before the race: Really relaxed, no stress, no warm up - who needs to warm up when your about to ride for 24 hours, it is such a waste of energy. I got on the front row of starters as it always helps if you get a good clean start so you can settle into your rhythm early.

I started well somewhere in the top 10 riding a good solid tempo. At the end of the 2nd lap Kate gave me my first update - i had 7mins on Bell and Bailey after the first lap. I had gone around in just over the hour and wasn't sure wheather to slow down and do 5 laps before the change to the night loop or head out on a 6th. By change over time i had over 25mins lead but must have done a bit extra in the change over because my lead went back down to 15mins. This didn't bother me but at the time i must have been a bit dehydrated cause i had a thumping headache.

About midnight my headache seemed to disappear - i am not sure if it just went away of if i just stopped noticing it. Things started flowing well again. When this happens you have to roll with it and really take advantage of it as you never know how long it is going to last or if it will return. This was also the time i realised just how much light i had (1500lumen's). Instead of feeling tired i was pumped and flashing through the forest. I think the adrenalin kicked in because it felt like i was on a roller coaster between 2am and 6am. It was a moment i will never forget and one you probably can only experience when things go well during a 24 - a time when your mind forgets the boundary's and your body is in perfect sync with the bike and terrain.

The change to the 3rd loop came and i was caught halfway again but i just kept moving forward. By this stage i had gained a lap on the field and all i had to do was keep it together and pretty much just ride around for the next few hours untill the time ran out. During one of these laps i was chatting to a young rider out on course who said to me quite seriously that his seat was too hard. After riding for 21hours straight this made me laugh for the rest of the race. 11am came and i had a 2 lap lead so we decided not to strain the body any more.

Special thanks to my wife Kate who stayed up all night looking after me. To all those helped her clean and sevice my bikes, many thanks. Special thanks to Danny and Sue who packed up all our gear for us (will have to get together for a MTB ride over Christmas break). All my sponsors GIANT bikes built to last. NIGHTLIGHTING more light than you can handle. GEAX fast comfortable and hard wearing tyres. DIYMTB enduro bearings and longer lasting seals.

Will be posting some photo's shortly.

Ready for the Kona

Well i haven't done much riding since the 6 hour. Mitch had his first birthday today and is walking everywhere, getting into everything. Because of this he will be spending the weekend with his grandparents, hopefully they can bring him into line, but will probably encourage him and spoil him rotten.

I saw Phillip from Rosana Remedial Massage today for a tune up before the big race. It appears he has been doing some work on my competition Andrew Bell as well.

I will be running two light systems from now on, one the bike and one on the helmet. A new Digital Blast from Nightlighting arrived this morning. This will give me so much light it will be like riding during the day time which should also minimise any drop off in speed at night.

Anyway i better get more sleep cause I'm not going to get any Saturday night there are warewolfs in the forest.

Condition the body to handle pain and disconfort.

Well after the weekend i have decided to have a go at the Kona 24 Solo. I have been taking it relatively easy since the Mont and thought i would test my fitness on the weekend.

Saturday i was up at 3am and home by 10:45am with a solid 220km under the belt. This ride started in the Dandynongs and finished with the Hell ride and gave me some uncomfortable saddle sores.

Backing up on Sunday i headed up to Ballarat for the last round of the Enduro series . This was a tough 6 hour ride with about 3000m of climbing and the temperature above 30. This ride should have hardened me up a bit as i found it difficult to get comfortable on the bike and after the 4 hour mark took it very easy even having a dip in the creek. I only managed 4th but was able to take the Enduro series win for a second year.

I have always wanted to win the Kona Solo but it has always been at the end of the year and i have normally had enough of the solo stuff and enjoyed the team enviroment for a race. This year though i feel the need to harden up and just do it.

Listen to your body

Leading up to the Mont and just after i have been feeling pretty tired. I haven't felt like doing long rides on the weekends and have been skipping normal rides. This i have learnt is a sure sign i need some rest. It has been a big year with not much of a break so every time i skip rides my body has been shutting down more craving the added recovery. This has made me feel a bit lethargic without any go. If you ever feel this happen to you, take it easy for a week or two and get plenty of sleep. 2-3 weeks later you will find yourself in better than expected form and raring to go again.

Liking to shock the body back into things i will be heading up to the last round of the Enduro series at Ballarat on Sunday. A lazy 6 hour MTB ride in the heat should remind the body what it is all about and will be good preparation for the Kona 24 Hour.

Adelaide xc .

I raced the first round of the National xc series in Adelaide on Saturday.



The race was at the purpose built MTB Park at Eagle Hill. The park is the best MTB facility i have ridden in Australia. The trails are well made with a natural fun feel. The xc track had everything. It climbed from the start then went into a series of jumps and then into a long flowing section of single-track, some fast undulating single-track then ending with a long decent and short climb back to the finish.

Having flown in on the day i didn't have a chance to pre ride the course. With the course drying out from the overnight and morning rain i was looking forward to the race. After a good warm up i started on the last row. Heading up the first climb i was sitting on Sid's wheel in the top 15. When the opportunity to pass came Sid jumped hard and i tried to go with him. I made up a few places but was been held up in the single track. Then the rain came again making sections of the track quite difficult. I pulled away on the riders behind but was unable to catch the ones in front. With one last effort i chased hard on the last lap only to stray slightly off line entering the single-track with 5km to go slashing the rear tyre. I kept riding with it going down, gassing it when it got too flat and loosing a place just before the finish line. I managed a top 10 finish which is a good start.

Packing my bike and washing it for the flight home, the pouring rain couldn't wipe the smile off my face as that was one of the best xc tracks i have ever ridden/raced.

Mont 24 hour race.

Leaving Mitchell at home with the grandparents we hit the road for the Mont 24 hour. We arrived just after lunch and settled into the Giant tent. Then it was time to check out the track.

Heading out with the Specialized boys i had to quickly adjust to the pace as Joel Reed led us through the trails. Feeling like i wanted a closer look at the course i headed out for another lap with the Kyneton school team. We had a chat about a few different lines and what to look for as new lines will appear as the race goes on. We did have one minor incident where my front brakes locked up sending me over the bars face down in the dirt. I am sure somebody knows what caused this. With a quick dust off, we were on our way again no harm done.

We arrived early on Saturday to soak up the atmosphere and do some trash talking. To my surprise their was a documentary being shot on the whole event and our team were going to be interviewed and followed during the race.

I had the job of starting. The start line was 50 riders wide and all were keen to rip the course apart. The start gun went and for the next 5min we were all riding by brail. I don't recall even seeing the track i was riding on until half way around the first lap. I was glad to get the first lap over as it just didn't feel like i was having fun any more.

With my lower back aching from the long drive and no sign of it improving i only had one choice, change my focus. Isn't it strange that when you change your focus and forget about what hurts or whats going wrong and focus on what brings you enjoyment you start to feel like you can do anything. From then on i just relaxed and let the bike (Anthem Advance) take me for a journey through the pine forest.

Night fell and we were in a ding dong battle with 3 other teams for the minor places as the Gu team seemed to be slowly extending their lead over everyone else. Clipping on my Nightlightning LED lights i was able to get through the night easily negotiating the pine forest.

After a short sleep the sun was up. We were now holding second place thanks to Murry and Dan who had done the hard yards before the sun came up. When you have great team mates who just get on with riding as hard as they can, it is inspiring. Kate turned up with a morning coffee and it was time to drop the hammer just in case anyone had thoughts about catching us.

With an hour and a half to go Willo was keen to finish on a double lap so he had me fired up to give him enough time to do this. Isn't it great to be riding with someone who after 22 hours just wants to make it in before cut off to do another lap. No wonder he is such a tough competitor. Not one to let a team mate down i punched out a couple of quick laps and Willo went through transition with 30 seconds to spare for another lap to finish on the same laps as the Gu team.

It was a great weekend. We made the GU team work hard for the win. We all rode as well as we could have and you can do no more, that is satisfying. With a little recovery I will be backing it up this coming weekend at the first round of the National XC series in Adelaide.

Getting ready for the Mont24.

It has been a big week Mitchell has taken his first steps and Jeff Williams wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy - congratulations. This put Jeff into hypo mode throwing around Kettle Bells like tennis balls and causing my legs to ache for three days.

Saturday was a great day. I had an early start as i had lots to fit into one day. After a tardy start due to myself running late I met up with Ash(Felt) and AJ(Scott) and headed into the Dandenongs. Along the way we picked up Jason (Felt) to make up a solid group of four. Up the elbow Ash showed off by riding no hands so he could take photo's of the action. Out of Emerald AJ turned up the heat and had us all hanging on. This was a good solid hit out before next weekends Mont 24 teams showdown.

Just before i got home i went to the TAB to put a bet on the Caulfield Cup. I left my money on the counter so somebody made an easy $50 and i couldn't put my bet on. This really pissed me off - mainly because whoever took it lied to my face about taking it. Lesson - gambling does bad things to peoples morals.

Lunch-time came and i headed to Woodend with the family for a skills ride with the Kyneton Secondary College MTB Squad. We arrived to find a keen group of riders - 13 in total. After some introductions we headed down to the footy oval to learn how and why a bike behaves the way it does. After going over some of the basics we hit the local trails to start to put it into practice. The trails were fun and challenging. By the end everyone was starting to get use to the new riding position and were making improvements. It is really encouraging to see so many keen young riders willing to learn and have fun flying through the bush trails with their mates.

Remember: Body position (Triangle or chicken position when cornering) stay relaxed.
Brake before the corner not during (Gives you more traction, carries more momentum making you ride faster and with less effort).
Where you look is where you go. So look up the track to where you want to go.
Work on one skill at a time. Make it habit so you don't have to think about it, you just do it.

A tough weekend.

What a weekend. Saturday had organized a hilly ride in the Dandynongs, Jason(Felt) and Rowan(Specialized) were the only ones game after last weeks ride up Terry's Ave. So for 5 hours we rode solid tempo up every climb in the Dandynongs and just for fun i left it in the big ring all day.

Sunday i meet with Jason again for more hills. Jim and Brian also came out for some hurt. For another 5 hours we rode the hills around Kinglake and Yarra Glen with everyone joining in on the strength efforts. Now if you thought we had done enough strength work for the weekend, think again. Jason, Jim and myself headed over to Jeff's shed for a little more. We were in for a treat as Jeff has decided we were taking it to easy and now has us lifting for lengths of time instead of reps. This is great for it enables people of different abilities to train together more effectively.

I think i will have a very easy couple of days as my legs are tired and all that hard work won't be of any benifit untill i recover.

Ride at Woodend

Thursday i was invited by Cassidy from Kyneton Secondary College to go for a night ride with the local Woodend ride. With Jason Jackson(Felt Racing) for support we meet a group of about 15 riders and we headed out. For the next 40mins we rode up hill, what a tough start. After riding up for so long i new the reward would be worth it. We flew down the side of the mountain on some awesome technical single track that had me hanging back behind the seat. With local trails like these no wonder the boys were showing me how it was done. It was great to ride new and exciting trails that the local MTB riders put so much time into making and maintaning. It was great to see such enthusiasm in the young Kyneton MTB riders and reminded me that "The world lies right beyond the handlebars of any bicycle"-Daniel Behram.

Jeff,s Shed

Since i got back i have hit Jeff,s Shed regularly stepping up the weight training focusing on creating more strength and power for the xc racing coming up. While i was away Jeff has updated his training equipment, now with a full range of Kettle Bells. These are the single most effective piece of training equipment i have ever used.

Jeff has being training me now since 2000 and he still shows me new and improved ways to train the body for our sport. Every so often he makes breakthroughs that are incredibly affective for our sport. Jeff has a diploma in Human Movement which is why he is able to Analise our sport and then put together such affective training sessions.

If you are interested in learning more about how to cross train to improve your MTB riding Jeff has sessions during the week and a Sunday afternoon class at 5pm that will finish you off for the week and set the standard for the next one.

6 Hour at Officer

Well first week back on the bike and finishing it of with a hit out at Officer. I teamed up with Jim Hsu for some speed training in the Fat Tyre Flyers 6 hour Enduro. It was a pretty laid back affair with all of us still feeling the drain of last weekends 12 hour. The course did not let us down with some fun single track and sharp punchy climbs. Laps were quick (under 20mins), so lap on lap off was tough but affective training. Both Jim and I had done a 5 hour ride around Kinglake and Yarra Glen the day before so we were always going to feel the step climbs by the end of the day. We finished 4th in the 2 man category behind some very good opposition. Thanks to the Fatty's for a new fun track and another great event.

With no races for me until the Mont i will be clocking some big miles over the next few weeks training with Joel Reed and Jason Jackson to keep me honest and the riding tough.

Werribee 12 Hour

No better way to get back into riding after a short break, than to have a race. An email from the Felt Team a week earlier asking if i would like to race with them at Werribee was just what i needed after things went pear shaped at the worlds.

With it all hush hush that i would be racing with the Felt team, i wandered around chatting with everyone pretending i was just there to watch. The race started and Jack buried himself to open the bank account by wining the prologue. Jason and Ash took the pressure off me by sending me out with a good buffer. After not ridding for 2 weeks the first lap was a shock to the system. To my surprise i was only 20 seconds off fastest lap (incredible what rest can do). Being so close to the fastest lap i thought i would have a shot. With a clear lap i was able to do this adding to the days bank account. Into the night and the Specialized Team not far behind we had to keep punching out the quick laps and by the end i was feeling the toll, cramping the whole way round my last lap.

In the end we had a win and an enjoyable day. The new lighting system from Nightlightning provided plenty of light for us to set the fastest night laps. My Giant Advance made the rocky course easy to negotiate.The Geax tyres were fast and bomb proof yet again.

Also i would like to congratulate Ben Randall an his Solo win. Looks like i will have even more competition from now on.

Now if you want to know how fast it was at the 24 Hour Worlds. Imagine starting a 24 hour race as fast as my first few laps and then just trying to maintain that pace for the rest of the race (no joke).

24 Hour World Championship MTB Race

Well the 24 hour championships have been raced. The team had mixed results with some outstanding achievements. There were 3 age group world titles won by Australians and a number of podium finishes. They were Joel Denny under 25, Jeff Toohey 30-35 and Craig Peacock defending his title 40-45.

For me it didn’t turn out the way we would have liked but that’s racing. I felt great on the start line, ready for a good performance. I was first in from the run and lead them out on the first lap. The pace was set so I backed of a little. Kelly went up the road about half way round the first lap and I remember saying “I’II see you later” to which Tinker replied “no you won’t” and went off after him. My heart rate at this stage was 184bpm and it was 30+degrees, so I had no choice but to back off. They put time into me for about the next 6 hours but then I was holding and by midnight I had the gap at about 12 minutes and was still feeling good in third and confident I would catch them.

Unfortunately I had used too much endura in training before the race and we ran out by Midnight. Then at about 2am my battery ran out as I was heading out so I had to go back to the pits for a new one. When thing stuff up they really stuff up. Kate was over picking up my drink bottle and the battery I grabbed was dead, so back to the pits to try again. This time I got it right. About half way round that lap I just lost it in the head. Carl had found me wondering the track and walked me back to pit lane (Many thanks).

I take full responsibility for what happened and make no excuses. For the race I feel I peeked perfectly but on the day they were better. In all races there are critical points in them you either get it right or it’s over. For me midnight was this point as I was gaining time on 1st and 2nd .To run out of endura was a big mental blow. The next was the battery incident. These two blows where just too much for me to deal with at the time, the lesson to learn: make sure they don’t happen as it is too critical for success.

I am disappointed I didn’t tough it out and hang on for 3rd but it didn’t happen. For now I will take a well earned break and then look at the next lot of races - who knows maybe next year everything will go perfectly and I will be able to hold it together. Never give up and stay focused on your dreams. Finally congratulations to Tinker who at 47 has won his 1st World Title.

I would like to thank all my sponsors and people that made this possible. They were:
GIANT BIKES perfect bikes (light and responsive), NIGHTLIGHTNING (long range even spread light perfect for those fast fire road descents), GKA Sports (fastest tires I’ve ridden), D.I.Y MTB (fast, smooth bearings), My incredible wife Kate for her support, Rob who looked after my bikes, Jeff’s shed for his overall body conditioning, Craig Peacock who showed me a way to monitor training and how to peak for an event, Rosanna Remedial Massage, The Australian Brick and Blocklaying Training Foundation, and our families.

Last post.

This years 24 hour is the beginning of a new era, with no defending champion or past champion the title is open to who ever steps up. I respect all competitors who will undergo this challenging journey and wish them all the very best. As it is the beginning of a new era in endurance MTB racing i have nicknamed the event "CHAINFIRE". I suggest you bunker down and get ready for "CHAINFIRE" because we are about to light up the track. What ever the outcome we are all better for the experience. It is time to "Live the Dream", Yes, Now, Do it.

Aussie riders dinner

Had a relaxing day today and took in some local sights with the family.

We finished the day off with a get together of everybody who is over here for the 24 hour world champs. Their was about 30 of us at the dinner. It was good to have a chat drink some beer and meet everyone and their support crews. After talking to all the riders i think their will be a swag of medals again. They all seem happy and are confident they will do their best.

Tomorrow we have rider briefing and registration.

If you want to know how to get live updates of the race log onto http://www.ftf.com.au/ for all the details.

Photo's

Overlooking Laguna Seca

View from Hyde st SanFrancisco

Mitchell up scarey close

Stairs at Laguna Seca up and down each lap
That's why i was running stairs on the Wednesday night Faty'sride

Goldengate Bridge. The hills behind are good for training

My new bike mechanic

Just got baack form the local bike shop. The bikes are now primed and ready for action.

Wednesday in Monteray

I finally managed to upload some pictures - this is Lombard St in San Fran - apparently it is the curviest St in the world

Yesterday i met Joel and Bob who are staying at the same hotel. They are from Canberra and Joel is racing in the under 25 category. They are missing their transport, so in the morning i gave them a lift out to the course for a quick look at the track as i was already meeting up with Craig Peacock.

Track description: The track is hard and fast, some descents we broke 70km/h. The whole track is open with no shade. Parts of the track are a bit sandy and they have put straw down to help with traction and stop you sinking in. Their are 5 short steep and 3 long climbs at a moderate e grade. Their is only 1 long downhill single track section that is heaps of fun and i will look forward to this part of the track every lap. The course is 20km long, has 550m of climbing and takes about 1 hour per lap.

During the day it gets really hot out at the track. I'm also told it can get really windy. The conditions remind me of the Kona 24 hourat.

This afternoon i went and had a massage - it was just what i needed to complete my pre-race training.

I'm heading down the local bike shop(Sports Centre Bikes in Monteray) now so Rob can have a look over my bikes before race day. He has also agreed to look after my bikes for the whole race, which is awesome and puts my mind at ease.

Monteray

Arrived in Monteray safe and sound after learning to drive on the right hand side of the road. The weather is a sunny 23 and the accommodation is great.

I am trying to load some photo's and hopfully will have them up soon.

After we settled in we took a drive out to Laguna Seca for a look at the track and pit area. I've been a bit on edge the last week (nerves) and after looking at the course it is pretty daunting. It is open and exposed to the wind, the hills are steep and their is no shortage of them.

Training tip : The best way to kill nerves is to have a look at the course, assess the terrain and conditions. After assessing the course, finding the key points, cross reference these to the training you have done over the last few months. If your training matches your assessment of the course you can relax and go into the race confident you will race to your full potential.

Saturday in San Francisco

I got up early (6am) and headed back over the Goldengate Bridge into the hills. I did a couple of loops today at a solid tempo. You climb about 600m an hour here. On the way back I raced a tram car up Hyde Street. Hyde Street is about 500m long and climbs 150m, that’s over 20% grade. This received a huge cheer from the passengers and was a solid end to another great ride.

We headed out after breakfast to tour Alcatraz but all the tours were booked until Monday. So I suggested we walk over to the Goldengate Bridge. Little did Kate know this was a 20km walk along the foreshore - 4 hours later we had seen and walked the bridge, Kate and Mitchell had also completed their pit crew training.

Tomorrow we head down to Monteray to settle in before the race.

San Francisco

We arrived in San Francisco after a 15 hour flight. Mitchell (the dancing baby) was really well behaved on the plane and danced the flight away in his bassinette to the amusement of the other passengers on the plane.

We checked in to the hotel put the bike together and went for a little roll around the city. The roads here are in pretty bad condition, so I’m glad to have the MTB.

Day 2: I got up early and did a session on the rollers out by the pool before we went to have a look at the city. We caught the cable car down to Fisherman’s Warf and had a look around. From there you get a great view of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. There is also a large colony of seals lazing in the sun.

From there we walked up some massive hills to the top of Lombard street – the curviest street in the world. Then we walked over to Union Square, where I played with Mitchell in the park while Kate went shopping on 5th Avenue.

Day: 3 Slept in a little but headed out by 8am for a ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. I was told to head left after crossing the bridge for a scenic hilly loop ride. It sure was hilly and incredibly steep but the legs didn’t seem to mind. I came back to the hotel via Lombard Street -entertaining the tourist by riding up the hills.

Chase The SUN

It was time to put the finishing touches on the worlds preparation. I was confident we could get the money up for grabs after setting some PB's during training leading up. Russell Collete(Kona) was taking a well earned break which provided a perfect opportunity to team up with fellow Giant rider Murry Spink.

Great morning with the temperature perfect for racing. The first lap was brutal as Jack and Jason (Felt racing) pushed me hard for the first half a lap before i was able to hold it in the red zone for the rest of the lap to gain a handy lead.

Murry continued where i left off extending our lead further. From then on i just seemed to relax and really enjoy the trails. I had one minor hic up breaking my front derailleur on my 2nd last lap, leaving me with one option "ride the big dog home".

Murry finished it of for us taking line honors, making it 3wins from 3 races in the serries.

I thought the series was a great success and look forward to the next one. Hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as i did. I will be updating on how things look and feel on the lead up to the 24 Hour Worlds in Monteray. For now though a couple of easy days to recover before flying.

Bendigo 6 hour

The day started well with the sun poking its head out early for a great day of racing.
Everyone was able to set up on the side of the track which made for a good atmosphere each time you came around.

The race started on time with a frantic pace after someone overtook me down a hill. After the first lap i wish i had the dually for the course was pretty bumpy. For the next 4 hours i was able to maintain the lead in the overall bike race before the Specialized train caught me. In the end i took the win in solo men which has now cemented the series for me. I had a great time and look forward to the next event.

Someone asked how i was leading the race for so long? So here is a training/racing tip to pass on to everyone. The more efficient and smooth you ride the longer you can maintain your pace. Sounds easy, no it's not. Every little acceleration bad line or bobbing around while climbing is costing you energy. If you wish to ride more efficiently and smoother you have to slow down your riding while training and work on your lines, body position through corners, braking before corners not during, and learn to carry momentum which is the single most important thing on a mountain bike. You can't learn to do this while you are going flat out, you have to slow down and teach the body to do it automatically.

Good luck and enjoy the trails.

Weekend at Kooralbyn

Photo: Evan Jeffery

Photo: Evan Jeffery

I had another big week of training and still had a 12 hour race to come on Saturday. A visit to Rosanna Remedial Massage Thursday night sorted out my legs and all was set for Saturday’s race.

I arrived in Brisbane at 9.00am and met up with Craig Peacock. We picked up the hire car and headed off to Kooralbyn. We stopped briefly in Beaudesert for a hair cut (always good to support the local economy) and to pick up supplies.

By the time we reached Kooralbyn the temperature was climbing to the expected top of 27oC - very nice but a shock to the system.

After lunch we headed out to have a look at the race track. My first impression - fast, dry and hard like concrete. These were perfect conditions to test my new tyres from GKA Sports (GEAX Mezcal 1.90 a dry fast rolling race tyre.) before the worlds. The course was 11km long and didn’t have much climbing.

I had a good nights sleep and woke up early feeling ready to race. I didn’t know how the race would pan out so thought the best tactic would be to just ride tempo lap on lap off with Belle and see how things went.

The race started on time and I managed to get a good start behind Andrew Bell for the first lap. For the next 6 hours we did lap on lap off having fun trying to style it up for Even Jeffery who was their taking heaps of photos.

The next 6 hours the bike just seemed to roll faster and faster - Duncan from DIY MTB said it would take some hours of riding to run in the new enduro bearings. By 6pm it was time for lights. My new Enduro Blast light from Nightlightning turned night into day and made the last 3 hours no different from riding during the day.

Overall the race went exactly to plan and I had another win. My nutrition was perfect (special thanks to Dad and Marlene for taking time out from their holiday to feed me), my GIANT ADVANCE worked a treat and allowed me to finish the race in great shape and ready for the next one.

Thank you to Two Wheel Promotions, the volunteers and all competitors for an enjoyable event.

Next race is the 6 hour in Bendigo 12th of August.

Photo: Evan Jeffery

Welcome to "It's all about the extras"

Welcome to my new blog. On the blog i will share with you what i have been up to, current products i have been using and how they rate. Also i will share some tips and general things i have found to work well over the years.

First tip and why the blog is called "It's all about the extras".

The extras are not just about doing more km or riding for an extra hour after everyone else has gone home, it is more about all the 1%ers. These are things like carrying momentum on the bike, saving weight off the bike or just simply using the correct tires for the conditions. These things may only save you seconds but put enough of these together and you can save minuets without getting fitter.

I would also like to thank all my sponsors for their support. They are Giant Bikes, Nightlighning, GKA sports distributors, DIY MTB bearings and seals.