Tweed Coast Treadly

Mark, Rob, Adrian and me. Up early, 6:00am, to Mebbin 2010 Mud Marathon in Marks work van. Road to get to Cutter Camp was wet and slippery, with newly laid roadbase and slimy mud.  That was nothing, I say again nothing, like what was to be experienced later. The others had pre-booked entry I was left to make a late entry, and stand in a queue for 30 mins while they parked the van. I chose the 25km loop, lucky me. The other distances were all reduced, the 75 to 55 and the 45 to 35 due to the really wet and now boggy conditions.

The start was delayed and staggered with a loop of 3km covered by all riders the 25k’ers last to ride the loop. Mark and Rod started on the 45k loop and the 25k’ers had to wait 25mins for them all to get back (3k!) before we could start out, some turned the wrong way Adrian and Rob amongst them. Many riders decided that the mud on that very first stage was enough and pulled the pin (organisers suggested if you couldnt do the loop in 15 minutes you should maybe consider stopping). After a couple of hundred riders had traversed the same stretch of gravel track twice the surface was at least 50 mill thick layer of soft sticky mud, and we would all have to ride part of this section again to ride to the finish. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to look forward to. (but more on that later when the home stretch ride was comparatively easy!)

The ride continued back through Cutters Camp and then the ride falsly seemed to improve, ha! that was all to change by the time the first descent off a maintained gravel road was complete. Everyone rode many of the same tracks with minor variations. At the 6km’s point of the 25km loop it became apparent that there was to be a lot of push bike walking in amongst the pushbike riding. The uphills were really, really greasy in some locations you could barely make any headway even when you locked both brakes and stepped forward and tried to pull the 35 kilogram mud cacked bike after you. After the first downhill and a couple of crashes, one where the front wheel slid into a position at right angles to the direction of travel stopping dead with me flying into the mud, lucky I’ve been practicing a bit lately. Lost the computer on that flip and wouldn’t know how far it was to go until I again made it to the start loop.

Some stretches were a greasy sticky orange mud, others grey and sticky and yet the worst(??) was the red sticky clay. It continually built up in thick multiple layers onto the surface of the tyre. Any excess found a way of squeezing and clinging to the sidewalls of the wheels. The worst effected bikes seemed to be the rear suspension models with the extra parts making ideal places to encrust more mud. All along the route riders from both sexes were, at the start using sticks to trying to remove the build-up especially when the wheels started to lockup. Later it was fingers and hands!  Many tried to ride the less steep hills and were mildly successful, although often they would spin to a halt and tumble only to be overtaken by a walker who they had passed on the way up while they cleaned the build-up from the frame.

The rest of the ride was much the same as the first half. Except the single track section was probable the most enjoyable, the number of riders pulling out or something else meant the track was not as chewed up but still as slippery and as it was downhill you, meaning I, could actually ride (??) the bike over it. It was fairly exciting even where I managed to hit a drop or log and slide into a shrub off the track, numerous times. I even managed to only crash and fall into the mud once on the way down.

This ride was not a speed record unless you could say that 4 hours (I think, but will see when the finishers get posted) is the record for slowest time ever for completing 25 kilometres. An experience none the less.

Later I heard Rob blew a sidewall and dnf, Mark was worried about the time and Rob’s wife waiting for him at the finish and so took the short way home therefore dnf. Adrian also dnf he had to get to work and ran out of time to complete, on his brand new Avanti shop provided loaner. Also heard that 7 rear derailleur’s broke from the mud and debris build-up. Also chains snapped and others got punctures that on the course could not be repaired successfully.

An experience where I could hear a lot of frustrated anger, swearing  at machinery and fellow riders. The riding through Mooball along Wabba Rd in some way prepared us for the conditions where to stay upright I needed to ride the grass debris verges, where there were any, and avoid being sucked into the sloppy wheel ruts of previous riders and hope the derailleur’s handled the debris.

I washed the bike in the creek near the van after finishing, getting some of the masses of mud off, then I lay in water cloths and all and managed to get the surface layer off me as well. I was not alone numerous riders did the same, boys, girls, women and men.

Lucky I brought a towel.

EDIT: Results….50-59 male

Just a quick post on th’s mornings commute. Last night I was chatting to Mark about his rides on the weekend with his new shoes ‘n pedals . Had a few laughs over the few slow tumbles and the one lost it going downhill along a deep cow track. Kama was out to get me this morning. I took off tired from the get go and the sunnies were annoyingly dirty but left them on, which would add to my problems later.

The ride went uneventfully through the still air of the morning, mist  lingering in the small valleys along the route. Pleasant enough!

After 7 km’s I began the noisy section along the freeway bike lane. Passing the Eviron overpass bridge nothing was out of the ordinary, mind doing it’s wandering and being brought into focus as the next B-Double flew past.

Then the tree jumped out from the edge of the verge. No but nearly. Last week I saw the tree laying low and fully extending out across the north bound bike path and mentioned it to my daughter, so I should of been expecting it. But I had begun to tilt my head low to allow me to see through the clean section of the sunnies to avoid debris, big mistake travelling at 35 km/hr as it didn’t let me see far ahead.

At the very instant of seeing the tree and the knowing there was no way to stop before hitting it, I began to hear a truck coming up fast behind  me. This cut off the only escape route. I was thinking quick enough to not want to bounce under 24 wheels of a semi travelling at 110 km/hr.

So that left the only option ” hit the tree head on”, which I did, still clipped in. So I tested the somersault skills I have been honing on my gravel road riding. Although I have never tried one at this speed it wasn’t totally successful. Both the bike and myself ended up on sprawled out on the other side of the foliage.

More bark of me than the tree. Lucky it was still green and I hit it near the top zone, still far enough away from the truck and end to be both 600 mm high and more around. I scrambled to my feet and move the various parts all moved normally. Painful back, hip and elbow. Checked the elbow nice road grind there no blood. Next checked the bike front and rear wheels still round and true. Derailleur’s still functional. Only sign of damage the right shifter moved a bit and the new bar tape grazed, so it’s still rideable!

What to do next? Make a call? No! Ride the rest of the way? Give it a go! What about the f!@$&#$g tree? Move it off the bike lane? Yes! Moving the tree got the self aggression out and calmed me down to ride “normally “ the rest of the commute.

I didn’t get the time, during the rest of the ride, to dwell on my crash. About 2 kilometres up the road a Lindsay’s Bro’s B-Double did a scare the bike rider by deliberately drifting into the bike lane by about 600mm, close after my earlier experience.  Ah another ride in paradise!

Just after the Chinderah interchange the commuter rider from last week caught me and cruised past with a gid’ay. Didn’t struggle over Sextons Hill but was a little concerned with the Machinery Drive intersection. But it was an unwarranted concern.

A bit of an uncomfortable day at work but that was all and rode the return with relative ease, except I took the bike path up the rise of Sextons just in case I lost it! Another two minor incidents stood out. Getting squezzed into the gutter by a non indicating lane changing delivery van and another Lindsay’s Bro’s B-Double moved into the bike lane again. They must employ  a lot of disillusioned dropkick ute drivers.

Not so small…

Mark, Rob and myself decided to sweat it out… no that’s not how it started.

OK

So we decided to go through the Mooball forest today, the usual root for me and as Rob was coming over Clothiers Hill Mark and he met at the bottom of the quarry hill to ride over to Reserve creek etc to Cudgera Creek. The start of the 1000 plus meters of ascending today over ~50kms through to Cooridilla Road(?). On the Wabba Road section another victim was claimed, Rob managed to get snake eye flats front and rear, changed the rear and tried to use a slow leaker on the front. This gaves us another 3 or 4 breaks until he finally used my spare, the freebie one from Minyon Falls ride. And in the shaded forest every thing was cool, literally. As usual I managed to find a way to do a sumasault, no damage.  Mark wasn’t able to escape totally unscathed he developed a slow leak on our way through the cane fields between Reserve Creek Rd and Clothiers. He managed to scrape home with just a few stops for air.

By the time we were out of the forest and well down Smarts Rd the temperature had climbed to 38  °C and stayed that way all the way to over Clothiers hill past Duranbah Rd and onto Mark’s. Mark and I both finished  3 litres of water as we got to his place and were still dehydrated. Rob only took 2 bottles and was well wasted, lucky he finished before the return over the hill. By this time my knees were a worry and I elected to get the lift offered by mark in his work van.

So a good ride but hell hot! We only manage 12.5k/hr avg speed.

I’ve had the shogun commuter returned via Jeff on his way home today. I’ve had to work back until after 1800 the last 3 nights and wanted to get at least one commute in this week. So tomorrows the day. Meant to be mild easterly in the morning and a hot tail wind for the ride home.

Each arvo this week the family including the dogs have been getting a short 4km Skateboard, ride and run to the end of the road. The only one of us to take it easy was little legged Jessie sitting in the front basket after a distance of 500 meters not bad for a 13.5 year old tubby little dog. The temps have been a pleasant 28°C and slightly cloudy to match with a weak southerly.  

The excessive heat finally starting to show signs of releasing it’s grip has shown in the number of cyclists appearing on the Tweed coast cycleways. shame that most of who see fit to disregard the mandatory NSW helmet law. The police if they cared to would have a field day. I have not heard of anyone being prosecuted once, twice etc

Doubled the Shogun down to Caba Cycles this arvo. Riding the MTB and holding onto the head tube to pull it along steering basically when required… until! On the bike pathe between Round Mt Rd and the skate park there is a sharp round a tree zig-zag. This is where the Shogun zagged when it should of zigged. the pedal’s locked together riping the head tube out of my hand and completely losing it on the MTB.

A crash in the peleton but there was only one rider. Picked myself and both bikes up. a quick inspection showed only damagwe was a bit of bark off me and some bar tape scrapped off the the shogun… and added expense to the degrease repack and head tube bearing replacement I was taking it to the LBS to get.

Towards the end of the 5kms the left hand was getting a little worn out. The shogun was continually bucking over small , (or large), joins in the concrete paving. A few times I had to lift the Shoguns front wheel off the ground to keep some control. Then managed with luck to rebalance the Shogun and was able to put it down  again.

Anyway job done.