Sunday 31st October, the day of Fitz’s challenge near Canberra. For the previous week I had been tracking the weather forecasts; last year riders broiled in 40 degree heat, the outlook for this year was rain. Lots of rain. Lots and lots of rain. With betwen 20 – 40mm forecast for both Saturday and Sunday, I waited till late on Friday night¹ before booking a car and deciding to head down.

The Parcours – one to sneak up on the complacent

the rain

6:30am I wake before the alarm, to the sound of hammering rain and wind in the trees; not promising. Shipping delays meant my new Fat Cyclist jacket was still in transit somewhere, I figured that with a windvest and armwarmers i would be wet, but at least hopefully warm and wet. I was seriously considering touring the galleries instead but was persuaded to at least head to the start and see what it was like.

Driving to the start in steady rain we had to stop to allow the 165km riders through the intersection, they had started at 7:30 and were facing six to eight hours in the saddle. Jackets, overshoes and long finger gloves were worn by many; it did not look like a fun way to start a long ride.

At the start, the carpark was running with mud and sand so I managed to grab a spot on the road; at least my bike would need a little less of a wash afterwards. As I started sorting out my gear the guy on the PA was talking up the end of the rain – rather optimistically I thought, the clouds were still as grey as the bits in cheap fishfingers and there was certainly no lightening on the horizon. Registration done I was signed up for 105km so set about putting my bike together, and then it was a bit of a wait for the 8:30 start. Rain was still in the air, but the forecast downpour seemed to have abated.

Electing to wait for the back of the pack having been warned that the first 10km was pretty much downhill and that things could get a bit sketchy with a big bunch before things started to string out. Hitting the first hill (Cotter Reserve) on the route to Tharwa a lot of riders started going backwards fast and it wasn’t long till the group became a string winding its way up the hill. A few people seemed to be struggling already and one guy was grinding away stuck with only a big ring. My own gears were playing up a little, and I soon found that I couldn’t get either 34-25 or 50-12². At the top a lot of people stopped to remove jackets, but I just chose to slide the armwarmers down and keep going, I figured I wouldn’t miss the missing gears too much; especially as I planned to take it easy on the climbs.

The rest of the run down to Tharwa started with another couple of small climbs, before becoming more undulating and trending downhill. I found myself solo for most of it, occasionally passing the odd rider but it was nice to enjoy the scenery as clouds shrouded the tops of the ridge a few hundred meters to the west. There was plenty of good speed to be had, but I knew it would be paid for on the return trip which would also feature a headwind.

the wind

After a quick bite to eat and a pocketful of jelly snakes it was time to turn around into the wind and start heading back. There were some rainclouds heading straight for us and last thing I fancied was a driven rain for the next 60km. Fortunately the clouds started to break up and sun started to appear. Again it wasn’t long until I was riding alone occasionally passing or being passed by riders in twos and threes. The headwind was just enough to be tiring, but a joy when the road turned so that it was over the shoulder giving a few minutes of respite and wind-assisted speed.

Passing Tanner Flats, the checkpoint had been setup for the turnaround for the 50km Tidbinbilla ride. I shortly started passing riders noticeably less fit and many on mountain bikes who where heading for home. With around 800m of climbing it was no easy 50km for them, but it was an impressive undertaking.

the hills

Instead of returning the same way all routes except the 50km took a left for the climb up Mount MacDonald. It was a nice steady climb of around 4% for 3.5km. Unfortunately I had not remembered the ride profile accurately, and thought that this was the last climb of the day, and would therefore be followed by about 10 miles of mostly descending road to the finish, the was certainly not the case, but I didn’t know it yet. I climbed strongly, and a few minutes later the road started to turn downwards to a T-junction where a right turn would see me back at the finish in no time. Turning right for a side-tailwind I put my head down and hammered. I passed a couple of riders I had been following for a few km and glancing under my arm I saw that I now had two wheel-suckers. Fortunately one was happy to take turns on the front, giving each other a rest and letting us cover a nice 4 miles at 22mph+. The road dropped away and didn’t take us back to the start and at that point I remembered being told about the ‘three sisters’ climbs near the end…

We crossed a stream at Uriarra Crossing, and road started going up again. The light wind was now behind us and all it did was fail too do anything in the way of cooling, the sun was shining and it was getting hot. Each climb I thought would be the last only for the next corner to reveal the next. Those last 8 miles seemed to take forever (though at one point I was distracted by a turtle crossing the road) and all they seemed to do was climb up and up.

the end

Finally, I could see the cars in the Mt Stromlo carpark, the road dipped down and I swung right back through the gates, along the access road and across the finishline on the criterium circuit. Just under 5 hours after I set out expecting to be rained on I had, instead enjoyed a nice warm ride with some spectacular views.

Rolling over the line. Job done.

the after

Racking my bike it was time to hand in the last of my brevet card before going in search of the greatest reviving liquid of all time – tea. With lots and lots of sugar. I nipped back to the car to put some warmer clothes (and compression gear) on before heading back to the finish area, where I hoped to photograph some of the other riders coming in. It was good to see other riders finish, first a mix of blue (50km) and yellow (105km) wristbands, then later orange (165km and 207km). Some riders barely made it over the line while others were engaging in outsprinting their friends.

It was at this point that someone pointed I was a little pink. After starting off in weather that looked like it was going to mean I didn’t need to shower, putting on sunscreen was not high on my list of to-do activities. It really should have been.

The colour of well-done lobster

the numbers

Overall stats: Distance: 65.9 miles (106.1km), Time: 4 hours 15 minutes, Average Speed: 15.5mph (25kph), Climb: 5,892ft (1796m), Average Heartrate: 157, Average Cadence: 69rpm.

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