Training stats from 17th Feb to 27th Feb, 11:30am:
- Swimming 3h:40m/5.8km
- Cycling 7h:29m/141km
- Running 1h:45m/21.3km
- Gym 2h:00m
In amongst all this Ironman training and I was able and lucky enough to fit in a road trip with my friend Phil to the Victorian high country to complete the final three peaks of the 7 Peaks Alpine Ascent Challenge.
#7PeaksChallenge is a Victorian Tourism scheme that runs from mid October to the end of March each year, aimed at getting more people out to the ski fields and surrounding areas during the summer months with cycling being the focus. This great initiative entails exploring and riding some of the most spectacular regions in the country. I highly recommend a couple of trips down/up there to take on the challenge yourself.
What an adventure!
In November last year we took our significant others and kids down to Bright to start the 2013-14 challenge:
Day 1: Mt. Beauty to Falls Creek
Day 2: Harrietville to Mt. Hotham
Day 3: (morning) Mt. Buffalo
Day 3: (afternoon) Omeo to Dinner Plain
All up it was around 6180 metres of elevation gain over 205km in an amazing 3 days.
Day 1: Mt. Beauty to Falls Creek
Day 2: Harrietville to Mt. Hotham
Day 3: (morning) Mt. Buffalo
Day 3: (afternoon) Omeo to Dinner Plain
All up it was around 6180 metres of elevation gain over 205km in an amazing 3 days.
With March and Autumn quickly closing in we had to make an effort get down there and finish of the final three - Mt. Baw Baw, Lake Mountain and Mt. Buller and qualify for a chance in the major prize draw and well earned 7 Peaks Jersey.
Mt. Baw Baw - Friday 21st of February 2014
Everything was working to plan until for some reason we refuelled at Mansfield. We didn't realise at the time the NavMan was literally taking the most direct route which meant our journey to Mt. Baw Baw included spending over 3 hours of dirt roads up to what my GPS was saying over 2000 metres above sea level.
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| This is the route we used to get from Mansfield to Mt. Baw Baw. |
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| Following the Goulburn River near Woods Point. |
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| More dirt roads and beautiful forests... |
So finally, around 3pm arrive at the start of the climb - "The Gantry" near Tanjil Bren.
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| "The Gantry" at the start of the Mt. Baw Baw climb |
I put it down to the elevation which was by that stage, at 1800 metres above sea level, coming down from 2000m!
On arrival at The Gantry it was bucketing down and 9 degrees. A perfect temperature for climbing but the rain was psyching me out knowing the monster that is Mt. Baw Baw at 11.5% from The Gantry with grades up to 20% over 6.7km was going to be difficult enough in the dry using 39/27. Being a mountain biker, even though it is nasty, 20% isn't all that big a deal however on a road bike and in the wet, I was wondering how I could keep the rear wheel from spinning on the oil spots, gum leaves and tree bark on the edge of the road.
To make things more interesting, while driving in from Tanjil Bren we noticed there were road rally cars driving and on trailers heading the same direction.
It turned out that the weekend of February Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd the road would be closed for The Mt. Baw Baw Tarmac Rally Sprint Race...
It was a good thing we chose to climb Mt. Baw Baw on the Friday, especially after what it took to get there! The only problem then was to safely ascend and descend in atrocious conditions with rally cars practising their driving skills on the mountain at the same time... Great... Zig-zagging was not going to be an option for "Winch Corner". The steepest section of the climb and a blind corner if you are going up.
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| Australian Tarmac Rally - Mt. Baw Baw Sprint |
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| Source: www.australiantarmacrally.com |
It was a good thing we chose to climb Mt. Baw Baw on the Friday, especially after what it took to get there! The only problem then was to safely ascend and descend in atrocious conditions with rally cars practising their driving skills on the mountain at the same time... Great... Zig-zagging was not going to be an option for "Winch Corner". The steepest section of the climb and a blind corner if you are going up.
With the threat of being hit by rally cars on the corners and wanting to limit our exposure to the weather we decided to start from The Gantry. It would have been a nastier climb had we started from Tanjil Bren or even Vesper which apparently is a gruelling hill climb in it's own right. Maybe next time... On the Saturday we were chatting to a fellow after climbing Lake Mountain who rides from Warragul (approx. 85km).
It took me around 45:09 to do the 7 Peaks Mt. Baw Baw Strava segment.
We had arrived just before the information centre closed to get our 7 Peaks passports stamped before a making the very scary descent back to the car. We were happy to find out that we were not the only crazy people riding the mountain that day. There were two others.
By this stage, at the top of the mountain, border lining on hypothermia our muscles were in a state of involuntary spasm. So much so that Phil found it hard to control the bike. In these conditions, when all you are interested in is staying upright, control of the bike is a pretty important part...
Slowing down was almost impossible on this ride. Even in the close to zero temperatures the heat generated by breaking still required letting go to cool the rims. This was a scary situation when the bike picked up speed very quickly due to the gradient.
Phil got a front flat halfway down. His new tire when back in the rim surprisingly quickly which was good because it was so cold I could not talk properly and had lost feeling in all my fingers and toes.
I was less than a metre away from being hit by an Audi rally car coming up the other way. I had nowhere to go when he appeared in a drift around a corner.
Due to the freezing weather, gradient (coming down), near miss with the car and risk of crashing in the wet, this had to be the scariest ride I can remember. I would like to do it again but with a few more kays in the legs to warm up for the climb and less racing cars on the road...
The thing stopping me, living in Sydney is just what it takes to get there.
If you would like to have a go at riding this mountain, check out this article by The Climbing Cyclist or visit the 7 Peaks Alpine Ascent Challenge.
We had arrived just before the information centre closed to get our 7 Peaks passports stamped before a making the very scary descent back to the car. We were happy to find out that we were not the only crazy people riding the mountain that day. There were two others.
By this stage, at the top of the mountain, border lining on hypothermia our muscles were in a state of involuntary spasm. So much so that Phil found it hard to control the bike. In these conditions, when all you are interested in is staying upright, control of the bike is a pretty important part...
Slowing down was almost impossible on this ride. Even in the close to zero temperatures the heat generated by breaking still required letting go to cool the rims. This was a scary situation when the bike picked up speed very quickly due to the gradient.
Phil got a front flat halfway down. His new tire when back in the rim surprisingly quickly which was good because it was so cold I could not talk properly and had lost feeling in all my fingers and toes.
I was less than a metre away from being hit by an Audi rally car coming up the other way. I had nowhere to go when he appeared in a drift around a corner.
Due to the freezing weather, gradient (coming down), near miss with the car and risk of crashing in the wet, this had to be the scariest ride I can remember. I would like to do it again but with a few more kays in the legs to warm up for the climb and less racing cars on the road...
The thing stopping me, living in Sydney is just what it takes to get there.
If you would like to have a go at riding this mountain, check out this article by The Climbing Cyclist or visit the 7 Peaks Alpine Ascent Challenge.
Strava Activity: 7 Peaks Challenge 2013-14: Mt. Baw Baw - Mountain Rally
Lake Mountain - Saturday morning 22nd of February 2014
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| Lake Mountain Park Entry |
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| Granite Grind MTB Race Event Centre |
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| Customary photo at the entrance of the alpine village |
Simon Gerrans wasn't wrong when he said this climb is one of the more challenging of all the climbs due to the constant grade.
There were plenty of opportunities appreciate the distant scenery and forest areas about three quarters of the way up, as well as a chance to take in ..."my new favourite smell - Cedar"...
At the alpine village there was a day of mountain bike racing. I am definitely coming back but not for the coffee if the same guy is in there pretending to be a barista!
The speeds coming down the mountain were high... According to Strava, I got just over 91kph. Phil hit 106kph... Fun!!!
Strava Activity: 7 Peaks Challenge 2013-14: Lake Mountain radness - Sniff'n Cedar (Ceedrr)
Mt. Buller - Saturday afternoon 22nd of February 2014
One of the reasons why wanted to finish the 7 Peaks Challenge at Mt. Buller was because Hells500, The Climbing Cyclist and Mt. Buller Alpine Resort organised a "domestique" - closed road event for anyone wanting to climb the mountain between 2pm and 5pm on the Saturday.Kudos to the organisers! I had a great time chatting to other riders, taking selfies under safe riding conditions.
A great atmosphere. Phil and I literally rode our bikes to the very top of Mt. Buller!
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| How appropriate... |
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| The very top... |
So back to IM training...
I think it was a great idea kicking off the 16 week plan with some altitude training!I now have a hill climbing addiction... I think I have always had one. I think now I have accepted it. ;-)
This Sunday I will be doing the Tour de Hills - 90km participation ride in north West Sydney with a neighbour - Nico. More hills... Just not so long, high or scenic. I might even push the ride out to make it the Strava - March Gran Fondo. It works out well because I have 6-8 hours of riding ahead of me this weekend.
Thursday night, if the rain stays away or light, I have to do 3 hours. The only way I will be able to do this is by riding the M7 motorway - bike path. I think I will be riding the M7 quite a bit of a night time as the daylight hours reduce.
Oh... I have added some high level statistics on my training as a gadget to the top of this blog and post.
Cheers,
:Pat
