Sunday morning at Lysterfeild

Jason off a very loose sketchy jump that lands in a burm.

Paul and I crossing the dam wall.

Paul gets a different perspective of a Giant Anthem Advance in full flight.

Last chance to dial in the skills for the 24 hour Nationals i decided to hit the Lysterfield trails with Jason. I have also been trying to catch up with Paul Cubbin for a MTB ride since the Kona. Since the 12 hour had been cancelled he was keen to come and play.

We meet at 7am and headed out through Churchill which had the lungs pumping furiously. With a quick decent down the Com Games course and into the heart of the Lysterfield trails the adrenalin was pumping and we were all grinning from ear to ear for the entire ride.

It was the perfect ride to set the body up for next weekend.

2008 Giant Advance MTB

I just received my new bike from Giant. I picked it up on Friday from Pro Motion. Sometimes you get a new toy and it takes a while to adjust and get right but not this time. From the very first ride it was dialed perfect and felt like one i had been riding for years.

Out of the box this bike comes specked with full XTR including wheels, Reba World cup forks, raceface stem bars and seat post and weighs under 10.5kg. Changes for this year are the XTR wheels , Reba world cup forks and a smaller rear disc rotor.

I hit the trails at 5:30am Saturday morning for a blast along the Yarra Trails to Westerfolds. So you think it's dark at 5:30am but if you had of come across me you would have thought differently as i had my Endura blast on the handlebars and one on my helmet (that's about 1500 lumen's) practicing for the 24 next weekend. Things were going perfectly, the bike was hooking up unbelievably and i was feeling good again, then on the way back a bee got stuck between my helmet strap and my neck resulting in a verbal cursing session and me been stung on the neck. I had to get a group of walkers to pull the stinger out so i could continue my ride.

It seems i might have a bit of bear in me as one little sting isn't going to stop me from getting the honey.

Tip: Be the Bear

SKINS SPONSORSHIP

I am pleased to annouce my newest sponsor is "Skins". As all of you know i have been wearing skins gear for a number of years - both during races, while training and in recovery. As of today skins have offered me their full support so you will be seeing me using all of their latest products.

In case you did not know Skins is an Australian company that make compression product for athletes. Here is a exert from their website about what their product can do for athletes-

"Ongoing testing of elite athletes have proven that Skins™ BioAcceleration Technology™ creates marked improvements in reducing the build-up of lactic acid immediately after periods of sustained exercise (2hrs and 15 mins up to 37% ), and allows for more rapid return to normal levels (up to 38% at 20 minutes). You experience less fatigue, minimise soreness and recover faster.

Even more exciting is that they are about to release a new cycling specific range, which will be on the market for all in the near future. The range will include compression knicks which i am personally looking forward to trying.

If you are at all interested in any of the Skins products feel free to ask me any questions.

Thanks to Andy from skins for all your support. It is great to have the support of a Australian owned company with such a great product.

New road bike. Giant TCR Advance Team SE

I picked up my new road bike from Pro Motion about a week ago. Leon spent some time making sure the fit was perfect. On the weekend i finally had time to give it a good test ride. It has a great feel with needle like responsiveness. The over sized bottom bracket transfers the power perfectly. The ride feels a little harder but this is due to the pure racing geometry and stiffness of the compact frame with integrated seat post. The new Dur-ace wheels roll along effortlessly. I am still getting over my little problem of a lack of power in the legs but am confident that this bike can make up for any shortfall in the meantime.

Otway Odyssey

With showers all day i guessed we were in for a hard slog for the 100km from Apollo Bay to Forest. First of all to all those who finished the race - well done. I believe that it was one of the toughest courses ever put together for a race. Chris Jonglewood made us all look like punters riding away from the start to once again confirm he is a class above all other MTB riders in Australia.

The race for me did not go all that well. I managed to hang on to 16th place dropping about 10 places on the last loop. At the moment i am suffering from lower back pain and while racing it seems my muscles around my hips tighten up putting my hips and back out of alignment causing a loss of power to my legs. While this is very frustrating and badly timed all i can do is keep getting realigned and address why this is happening.

Tip: When things are not going well, you have to address the cause but focus on the aspects that are going well. If you focus on the negitives it will take longer to turn things arround. Find positives, this will keep you mentaly alive and hasten recovery. Put a plan together to get you back on track, then work on that plan.

Next race is Mt Bueaty 6 hour, then the 24 solo nationals at Easter.

Also have just recieved my new road bike from Giant and will be posting photo's and comments shortly.

HDATO

Sometimes things just don't go to plan. The first race for the year and it appears that Scott Chanceller (Orbea) will prove to be very stiff competition. He absolutely ripped the track apart, flying past me just before the 4 hour mark and he didn't look like slowing.

On the day i had to pull the pin due to back pain and dehydration. All i can say is "i will always be unpredictable".

So here is another tip: When it is hot and you are working outside doing a manual labour job such as bricklaying make sure you wear a hat and drink, drink, drink (which i did not do all week).

If you are racing in the heat you don't stand a chance of winning if you start the race dehydrated. Even a 1-2kg drop in weight will zap all your power and stamina.

Sometimes it is better to pull the pin. You must know the differance between good pain and bad pain. Is it just the negitive voice getting inside your head or are you in danger of causing yourself damage that could take weeks to overcome?

Remember it is only one race and the next one has not been raced or won. Don't dwell on the past, don't predict the future, you can only control the present. See you all next week at the Ottway's.

Sunday MTB ride. (Testing tyres)

On Sunday i headed over to Jason's with Jeff for a ride in the Dandenongs, which was lead by Jason's neighbour and keen adventure racer Matt.

My mission for the ride was to test some new tyres from Geax - the Baro Racers. They have the same tread pattern as the Baro Mud but have lower profile knobs. They come in a 2.0 and weight under 550 grms (TNT tubeless).

We had a fast ride along the bike track and were quickly at the base of the Dandenongs where we enjoyed some fine single track. We spent the next couple of hours zig zagging up the nongs before ending with a long fast descent. This was a great ride and solid preperation for the Ottway's race in a couple of weeks.

How did the tyres go?

They did everything i asked them. They climbed with no loss of traction. They held the line while descending. They soaked up the rocky sections of trail. Most importantly they accelerated incredibily fast.

So far i am really impressed with these tyres. The next test is under race conditions at the Hard Day at the Office, where they will undergo a full 8 hours of harsh punisment. A race test like this is a true indicator of a good tyre as the will be pushed to their limits. I have a feeling i will not be dissapointed this weekend as Geax tyres have always been a class above the rest.