Short and sweet...

Today a short mtb ride was on the menu. Thanks to Jayden braking his arm, I needed to keep it real short to get back in time for his doctors appointment. Jase recommended bring out he long travel and for good reason, there were plenty of fast step runs, rocks and roots to bounce off. I'm sure the Felt Epix boys will do a good ride breakdown with more photos over on their blog, so pop on over and check it out.

I won't bother mentioning to painful assents required to get the full effect of the down hill, cause we all know that's what mtb'ing is all about. It is always worth it.

Training tools...

Yesterday I got me a new training tool. Jackson has been waking up really early (5:30) lately, so I decided it would be a good idea to get him out in the fresh air. The only problem is if the trail is't sealed I need to go very slow. We go out for an hour this morning and will try and get out most mornings.

Lysterfield under attack...

Rides have been few and far between lately. I've just finish my third course of antibiotics after developing a massive saddle sore following the dusk til dawn. In total that gives me three rides in three weeks. I think it is fair to say I am a little worried about racing the NZ 24hr National Championships in five week. I made it out on the hell ride on Saturday morning and the butt was still a tad sore and the legs felt unfit but I will soldier on and hope for the best.

Today I went out to Lysterfield (avoiding the weekend crowds) for a very short roll around on the Unit. I am planning on getting on the bike a little more often over the next few weeks, even if it is only for an hour or so.

Now as I watch the news I see that Lysterfield is under attack from a fire. Good luck to all those currently under attack from the fires around the state. Both my parents and my brothers properties are under threat. Its all just a bit too close to home really.

The finished product...

Well, finally myself and my Uncle Richie finished Pop's bike restoration (you can see some other posts of the restoration by using the short cuts on the right). We were all in Tassie for the weekend to celebrate Charz's (my grandmothers) 80th birthday. This is the reason for the lack of posts on this subject, it was a huge surprise to Charz that the bike was finished. It was a great feeling to see here reaction to the job we had done on it.

I thought I would post a reminder of what it looked like when I first received it about two years ago.

We had the bike at the RSL where the party was held. It was a great talking piece and a good opportunity to show to everyone in the family. This is Charz, she is still full of beans and loves to reminisce the old times.

Myself and Richie at the New Norfolk cycle track where Pop used to race.That is the old club rooms in the back ground. We know also know the build date of the bike. It was custom built for Pop in 1946. It was his most cherished possession and was very well looked after.

Ay Up's ahoy....

Sorry about the lack of posts lately, but I have truely had very little time to do anything bike related this week. My race bikes are still sitting - dirty - in their boxes from the dusk till dawn last weekend. Speaking of which, if you click the link below you can see the start of the race. It's Andy Fellows blasting off the front in the AyUp jersey and me about four places behind. It's nice to see about 80% of the field were using AyUp's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNZtXvUplTs

I am currently on my way to Hobart for a bit of a family party (my grandmother in turning 80). When I return I am sure I will have something exciting to show you all.

All for a good cause...

Many may have already heard, but the Hard Day at the Office 8hr has been cancelled for this weekend. However, many Victorian MTB clubs (including FTF) and MTB wholesalers (including Kona) have banded together to run a fundraiser event for the many hundreds of bushfire victims. All funds raised will be donated to the cause.

As we start to learn more about the severity of the fires, just about everybody I speak to knows of somebody directly affected by the carnage. So if you were planning a ride this weekend, why not enter this event and show your support. You can find more information at the Geelong MTB Club website.

Dusk till Dawn in brief...

As you can see from the pic I won the race held over night yesterday. Fellow Ay Up team rider Andy took out second one lap down after a blistering first 2-3 hours. Sean Bekkers, also riding with Ay Up's put in a solid performance finishing on the same lap as Fellow's.

My race was tought for the first six hours before I started feeling strong and comfortable . The course was hilly, climbing over 4000 vertical meters in the 12 hour and 10 minutes, but extremely well designed.

I will put a full race report together once I get hold of some of the event photographs pics.

Travel insurance...

Well I am almost packed for this weekends race. I have decided to take both bikes because we are racing on a new course and I don't know what to expect from it.

I took out some travel insurance also. Notice I have packed the bikes in Giant boxes. Nobody will steal them now. Sorry Johnny.

Bike preping...

Well, the bikes needed a little TLC after being abused a little over the last couple of months. I needed to get the both bake up to speed rand race ready for next weekend. New Maxis tyre all round (Larson TT on the rear and Crossmarks on the front), tyre filled with a new dose of Spex tyre sealant, new cables, chains and cassettes. I replaced the broken front mech on the Hei Hei and fitted some Authority brake pads.

Next time you are after some new pads for your bike, check these guys out. Designed by Fabian Borel, Authority Brake pads are available to suit most brakes and have three different compounds. They are also an environmentally friendly, using recycled materials in both the pad and the packaging. all for less the $40 an end. I will let you know how good they work soon, but from what I have been told from the Kona down hill guys I won't be disappointed.
I thought I would get a pic of the new Mavic Chasm MTB shes posted. I have now spent more than 10 hours in these and I must say they were comfortable straight out of the box. Check out the neat brass plate under the cleat. This will save you shoes from a premature death when using egg beater style pedals. They are super light also, but not as load as the yellow ones.

Feeling flat...

It's been a tough week. Melbourne weather has made it very dificult to get the training done. Basically if you can't get out very early in the morning you are toast. I rolled the Wednesday Fatties ride, the temperature did't drop delow 35C. It was very uncomfortable indead. And the recovery from such a slow, easy ride in the heat sucked big time.

Today I got out very early (5am) to meet the boys in Yarra Glen at 6:30 for a nice little loop. It ended up being a day filled with puntures.

Here is Jason fixing his first or three flats. I got the first one of the day on the sealed road thanks to a nail.

Jason's second flat. I think we are going to run out of tubes.

And yep, no more tubes. Here Randall tried to tire a knot to use an old tube. It didn't hold.

Luckily there was a house close buy with a kind lady offering her husbands tube to save the day. Rohin was in need this time after Jason used his spare.

All in all in was a good ride. I think the heat of the week is making me feel flat and a little tired. I am planning a week of rest before I head up to Queensland next weekend for the Ay Up Dust till Dawn 12 hour. Finally, it's race time again.