Your MONT reports...

Add a Comment

Comment by Chris Wells on April 13, 2011 at 22:57

Thanks guys, I am keeping my fingers crossed but I expect the shoes have gone.

 

I would also like to say I thought the event was extremely well organised and the organisors and volunteers did a great job.

 

I am looking forward to seeing the photos :)

Comment by Steve K on April 13, 2011 at 10:13

What great reads - thanks for taking the time to type it all out everyone. It really helps for those not there :)

Comment by Karl B aka Crasher on April 13, 2011 at 9:09

+ 1 for Morgans comment.

Comment by Snakehips on April 13, 2011 at 8:37

Hey Chris, I think your experience counts as the gutsiest effort of the weekend so far.  It's shite being let down, especially when you're in a 4.  Massive kudos to you guys for having the guts to get up time and time again to give it a go, especially when the soggy stuff started happening.

I reckon you deserve another pair of shoes for that.  

HEY ONYA GANG, ANY CHANCE OF PULLING ANOTHER PAIR OF SHOES OUT OF THE BAG FOR CHRIS?!!!  Well mate, we'll try.  Good on the three of you for putting in the effort.

Oh, and if you took Chris's shoes by mistake get in touch with him here to return them.

 

(If you didn't take them by mistake you're a scumsucking asshole; people like you deserve to get shit on throughout the rest of your meaningless life.)

Comment by Chris Wells on April 12, 2011 at 23:45

Report for the Mid Life Crisis team,

 

I had planned on doing lots of training but as everyone knows all good plans never work out.  On the long weekend I went out and did two laps back to back in 1:17 and then 1:16.  However later that weekend my sons appendix burst so I spend 2 weeks in hospital with him and did no riding, then I catch the nastiest cold I have had for years and was still feeling a bit sick on the weekend.  Probably got the cold from the hospital but it did mean hardly any riding for 4 weeks before the event.  I decide based on my only training if I can beat 1:16 for day and 1:30 for night then I will be happy. 

 

Friday I picked up brother in law Glenn from Hobart at 8:00am at the airport.  We went home and assembled his bike, put my tents in the car and drove out.  We found a great spot next to Nigel and the rest of the Bermome Foursome,set up the tents, did a nice slow lap, registered then went home to try get a rest - especially as Glenn got up at 4:00am for his flight.

 

Saturday morning I get a phone call from Peter who said he has accepted some work so will not be there until 3:00pm.  As we are a team of 4 I think well as long as he is quick getting ready he can do the last lap of the 4 and not miss out.

 

I do the first lap and apart from starting right at the back and having a traffic jam in front of me until the section of track with the snow gums I do quite a good time - 1:15 all up but my bike said I was riding for 1:06.

 

Glenn does the next lap and then John.  Glenn did very well as his naughty bike got stuck on the large chain ring so he had to really push hard up hills.  I am sure I couldn't get up some of those hills if I ws stuck in the big chainring.  Try to get hold of Peter who says he is over an hour away so I quickly get ready for the next lap but miss John by 13 minutes in transition.  I do 1:23 due to missed tranistion but as my computer says 1:10 and I wanted to beat 1:16 I was very happy.  We keep going like that and my next lap is in the dark and is 1:15 so I am also happy with that.  Got hold of Peter who said he spent about an hour trying to ring us and find us but couldn't so went home for a snooze and will come back later.  I thought he would have hung around transition but he didn't for some reason.

 

John falls asleep in the tent and misses transition so I tell Glenn to do another and I will go find out what happened.  Glenn then has mechanicals with his front tyre going flat all the time so does a 2 hour lap.  John goes out and I try to get some sleep, I wake up and John is back and asleep and Glenn is asleep and bike still broken so I go out for a lap.  I take 1:25 but it was about 2 hours on the results.  I don't really rush as I know John will do another lap when he wakes up and chances are he is asleep, glad I don't rush as I manage to find every loose corner and I did come off a few times.

 

In the morning John is out doing a lap when I get up so I get ready and wait for him.  It starts to bucket down and my lap is pretty slow will lots of slipping and sliding.  When I finish John tells me that Glenns bike is still broken, Peter decided to stay home so we are doing two laps each to finish the morning so i have onemore to go.  While he does his lap I have a look at the results and realised we are going to end up 28th in the teams of 4 over 40 males whether we do more laps or not.  I do my last lap starting at 10:30 with John saying make sure your back before 12:00 so I can go again.  I ws thiking most peopel are giving up and going home and he wants another lap.  Well I try to go fast but all I do is slip off the track so I pull over and let my tyres down from 38psi to about 15psi and end up doing OK even though my pedals filled with mud so I end up doing the last 7kms not clipped in but I get back at 11:50 so John can go again. 

 

All up Glenn does 4 laps and John and I do 6 each.  My 6 consisted of 2 afternoon laps, two dark laps and two muddy as anything laps so really I got a lot of riding done, 108kms all up and a lot of variety.  Unfortunately I got very cold waiting for my last lap and my nasty cold has now turned into a nasty cold and cough.

 

We ended up 28 out of 32 in our category but 408 our of 596 overall which I am happy with, especially as we were basically a team of 3 for most of the event and then a team of 2.

 

The only bad thing about the weekend was I didn't want to hang around cold and muddy for John to finally finish just after 1:00pm so I had a shower while waiting and my cycling shoes dissappeared.  I think I left them in there but they were not there when I went back.  I am not happy as I got them from Onyabike in civic and only had 4 weeks riding on them and they had brand new cleats as well.

 

All up a great ogranised race and while I know I am a slow rider, I was very happy with my times and I don't think even if I had not spent 2 weeks in hospital with my son and then getting sick myself my times would have been any better.

 

I saw Milto come in a few times.  How he handles a bike in that mud is amasing.

Comment by Kenji Walter on April 12, 2011 at 22:00

Great account of the race Madi.

I only got to do one lap in the arvo but it was so much fun. Being a complete noob I went out way to hard and cramped a calf muscle from not warming up enough but once it stretched out I was loving it. Riding the track with so many other riders was a new experience, but the vibe was really fun and the fast riders were all good about getting past us slower riders. The downhill sections made all the ups worth it. Now that I've had a taste of the Mont I want to give it a proper go next year. Thanks to the organisers and volunteers.

Comment by Madison Giles on April 12, 2011 at 20:20

The week leading up to the Mont was a shocker. The final week of term at uni meant exams, assignments and more importantly, no time for training. After spending pretty much every night that week studying and working till past 3am, I'd finally completed all my assignments by the friday midnight deadline. Absolutely exhausted and wanting nothing more than to stay inside and relax all weekend, I set my alarm for 6am and went to bed.

 

Thankfully, friends had already setup a prime position campsite (thanks Rich and Kylie) but I still had absolutely nothing ready when I woke Saturday morning. After frantically packing way too much food (thanks mum!), camping gear, bike stuff and clothing, my brother and I set off for the Mont. He was particularly excited after spending a couple of hours out at the race site the day before soaking in the atmosphere and setting up camp - "Dude, I saw like 5 carbon Yeti's out there!!". I struggle to get excited but I know the adrenaline will kick in when we arrive.

 

We rock up early at about 8:30am as the fog lifts and start setting up. I pull my tent out and find no tent poles or pegs. Great start, looks like I'm sleeping in the car. I overcompensate for my poor preparation by eating lots of food and drinking loads of water - 10 toilet breaks later and it's go time. Our team is a six mixed, but we are a one man down with a replacement rider only in for a couple of day laps. Thomas volunteers to go first and gets off to a solid start with a 1hr lap. Shane in next with a 58min lap. Now it's my turn.

 

I take off like a complete idiot down the fireroad out of the saddle sprinting. By the time I reach the first bit of single track, my throat is completely dry and I feel a little sick. I power on up the climb consistently overtaking riders. By the time I get to the top corner, i'm stuffed but I know it's smooth sailing from here - I curse my lack of warmup all the same. The next few k's are a lot of fun, I feel fast and I forget the race - it's just me riding my bike out there having fun. The Sideshow descent puts a smile on my face. An elite rider flies past. I stay on his tail for a while but he is on a mission and I can't hold him. Through the checkpoint my front washes out in the dust but I somehow hold it together. The climb begins and I'm doing well. I catch a rider who was out in front of me for the descent. He is a good rider and I'm tempted to sit on his tail for a while and follow him in. He asks if i want to pass but I tell him I can barely keep up. We hit a fireroad and I take off - "I'll give it a go mate but if I hold you up just give me a yell" I tell him. I sense his surprise at my baggy shorts and t-shirt. I really don't want to hold him up so I do most of Cheap Seats out of the saddle. My legs start to burn up The Pinch but I know it's worth the pain. I come to the last fireroad pinch and sprint with all i've got overtaking a few guys grinding up in granny gear. The Beer Garden is a lot of fun as are the flat corners of Last Call. As I come through transition I'm not a pretty sight as snot drips uncontrollably from my nose and I'm looking wrecked. A 53 minute lap for my effort as the next rider takes off. Kenji manages a lap of a little over an hour. Not bad for someone that started cramping 3km in and has never raced before!

 

After some food and a great chat with mates it's time for a night lap. As I begin to get ready I find I've forgotten to pack my battery and extension cable. Man preparation really helps! An emergency call to a friend who is on his way out later and he brings his light along (cheers Angus). Lucky I've given myself plenty of time to get ready. I've also forgotten a rear light so I lend my brothers. This is a nightmare. I head over to transition nervous. My eyesight is terrible in the dark and I hate night riding. Seconds before I take off I ditch my clear glasses, they are scratched badly and I need all the help I can to see clearly - should've bought some new ones! I figure I'll be fine as I never wear glasses anyway when I ride. As I take off down the fireroad my eyes start to water - this is going to be great! As we hit single track my eyes thankfully stay under control and I start to gain places. There is a lot of traffic and most riders seem a lot more tentative in the dark. The lap is uneventful and I come in with 56 minutes on the clock.

 

In between laps I have a fantastic chat with some great mates and try to get a little bit of sleep. Thankfully Shane offers me his tent as he will be sleeping in the car. We joke that it's the prize for setting the fastest lap of the team. I'm tired from my sleepless week and as I lay in my tent I begin to wonder what we are even doing out here! I start getting really negative towards doing another lap as my super warm sleeping bag sucks me into sleep. Meanwhile, the team are doing fantastic keeping to about an hour per lap average.

 

At 1am I head out for another night lap without my glasses. The dust is bad but I'm used to it. I'm definitely slower this lap and as I near the top of the Sideshow descent I decide to catch up some time. I sprint the fireroad leading in and decide to rail the first left hand berm in the single track (just off the fireroad). I'm so sick of losing speed on this corner so I throw myself in full pelt. Unfortunately over the last few hours a large pothole has appeared in the apex of the corner. In the dark, I don't see it. A quite spectacular somersault/cartwheel follows. I've corked my thigh and banged my knee hard, I can feel it bleeding but I don't look down. I jump back on the bike and let the adrenaline take care of the pain. A gentleman I passed on the fireroad cruises past and asks if I'm OK, soon I'm right on his tail and we split up for the overtaking lane. He is faster than a lot of riders and makes it a tight squeeze as I sneak inside him at high speed before the tracks join together. He thanks me for the dust and I sprint off desperate to make up time. I quickly check my computer to see how I'm going but it's gone, lost in the crash. I come home battered and bruised in 58mins and not looking forward to another lap.

 

I hand over to my brother who has a good mate hot on his heals. His mate is the guy who originally got us into riding so it will be interesting. Our friend eventually catches him on the final descent with a massive drift up the inside of a corner yelling "PG!!!" - my brother's initials. We all have a good laugh over this.

 

I get back to camp and sit down. My muscles warm down and start to seize around my knee and thigh. I have a quick shower (phew no lines at 2am), a slice of pizza (which doesn't go down well at all) and go to bed. I try to brush my teeth but realise i've forgot my toothbrush - add it to the list of stuff i've forgotten! I get a couple of hours sleep but I'm worried about my knee. Everyone is sleeping and I don't want to wake them with this. I poke my head out of my tent and see my brother on the way to the bathroom, he offers to do my lap while I consider my options. I really don't want to let the team down as we are already down to 5 men and everyone is tired. I try to ride up to the toilets but can barely get up the grassy hill without a lot of pain. I can't tell if it is from the crash or just from being tired.

 

6:00am comes around and I decide to jump on the bike and slog it out, I figure once i'm riding it will stop hurting. I smash 3 gels and some Endura drink to keep me going and stave off cramps. I just need my body to work for one more hour. It's a perfect morning after what has been a comparatively warm evening. The first 3km are hard work. I drop down to the middle chainring for the first time and sit behind another rider. I figure this one will be a massive struggle of a lap. I've told my team that I'd be aiming for a 1:10. The riders I come across on track are tired and weary. I remember how I felt last year cramping on the final lap. It fells like an eternity ago when I had only been on a bike for a few months, struggling around sparrow on flat pedals.

 

It starts to rain now. Thankfully, overtaking is easy, there are new lines everywhere and the track has almost doubled in width. The rain is making things tacky and plenty of riders are generously completely getting out of the way on the descent without a track call (perhaps just wanting an excuse to rest!). Everyone out there is hammered. I power up the final 4km climb as much as I can. I see many riders walking up The Pinch. One rider calls me through and I kick hard to get past on a tricky off chamber section. My back wheel loses traction as my bike slides around, my handlebar barely clips the man's own bars but we both remain upright. I apologise profusely and speed off. The final photo opportunity passes me as I forget once again to 'point shoot' at the camera to win the little bet we had amongst our team. As I come into the finish it's really raining now. My brother is waiting and I hand over to him. A 57 minute lap to finish.

 

As my brother takes on the course I relax. I grab an excellent coffee and go to check on some mates who are competing. They are looking very weary after riding all night in their winning 4 man SS team - I thought I had it bad but at least I got some sleep and didn't have to do 6-7 laps!  Some of my other mates are not looking forward to the idea of destroying their drivetrain on another lap in the muddy conditions. They are forced to push on as they are looking at a podium. In the meantime Kylie has rolled her ankle and won't be able to ride. We are sitting in 9th but no one is keen to go out again. We head to transition to greet my brother. It's really looking slippery out there. My friend Claire rolls in before him with the biggest smile I've ever seen - "SO much fun out there!". Payt runs through transition keen to pass on the baton but we tell him the bad news. He's had a great lap in the wet and lead Claire (a former aussie DH champ) down all of Sideshow! I've ridden the track once in heavy rain and it was super slippery and sketchy, those bridges must've been dodgy as. I'm glad he is in one piece as we crack out some beers, grab some pizza and my bro also cooks us all up some hot dogs (thanks dude!). We sit and chat for hours and watch riders roll back looking very muddy and unhappy until the rain stops at around 1pm when we packup. We head over to the prezzo in the hopes of winning some free stuff (our mate won some fox forks last year!) but after 15 minutes we can barely stand so we head home where I collapse on the couch.

 

Weekend over!

Comment by KevJ on April 11, 2011 at 21:02

Team Tentative were a team of five this year (in the Six Pack Male category) and its major goal was to have a rider on lap for the whole 24 hrs. Goal achieved with 22 laps. I have no idea where we finished and no-one in the team really cares. We were there for fun, and fun was had by all. I describe my four laps as 1 day lap, 2 night laps and 1 mud lap! We were all complaining about the dust on the night laps but the rain fixed that! I was surprised and pleased at just how 'busy' with riders each of my night laps were, especially the 3:30 am lap - it added to the dust problem but it was great to have so much company. Thankyou to all who indulged me in conversation - some of those climbs went faster whilst chatting away. I think it's been mentioned before but there did seem to be more females on the course than last year - fantastic!

And the track was wonderful! After the wonderful curves of Sideshow and all the wonderful single track that followed, the last 6 km despite being mostly 'up' didn't seem that bad and each lap I was surprised to see the 'Last 2km' sign come into view to signify a truly wonderful downhill finish to a lap - awesome! All of this topped off by a huge and spacious campsite - may the Mont live long at this address!

Comment by Rachel on April 11, 2011 at 20:04

4 laps went by sweetly, enjoyed every moment, new dually was worth every penny. Went out for last lap as heavy rain began, by 'slideshow' it was a mud bath, tyres came out from beneath me, had a run in with a big rock and still connected to my bike we went over, winded but not broken I pushed through the last 7 kms! I probably need stiches but I'm going to tough it through and brag about the scar :) awesome event - everyone out there courteous and friendly, my reflective yellow smileys were a hit :) bring on the next 24hr!

Comment by Wayne Taylor on April 11, 2011 at 19:33

Fantastic weekend although I am guilty of not catching up with enough of my riding friends . My team , Lycra Free Zone , in the highly contested mens open fours managed 20 laps but were cut short due to the rain .... And the fact that the shower truck was just too damn appealing . I did manage five laps on what I thought was a very good 24 hour course , times of my laps ranged from 1:04 to 1:19 . From what I remember after the race we finished in 49th spot out of 196 which hit my pre race goal of the top third of the category ( I remember Rockstar Racing jerseys passing me at least four times too )

Looking forward to a regular Wednesday night ride again soon

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page