ADCC Champs - Mt Stromlo ACT

The ADCC NCC started on 6^th Oct 2014 and was being run through to 12^th Oct 2014. Members of the club came in from all over the country for the disciplines of XC, DH and Road Racing. All disciplines where pretty even in members attending.

So my week started on the Sunday 5 Oct were I traveled to Canberra and gain access to my already booked room at RMC and settled in and prepped for the Mondays recce and start of the carnival. I hooked up with a young guy from Adelaide called Goggles, who had been to this event as a spectator the year prior and new where Stromlo was and how to get there. So we teamed up for most of the week. Well lets say goggles is a bit out there and in some peoples cases way out there. He rides a complete rigid frame where he continually changes his cogs dependant on the track he is riding. I must admit the guy has skills, and in some cases more skills than he says he has been riding for and racing. Oh well…..

Day 1 – Monday 6 Oct 14

Monday came and a majority of the XC peps ended up a track with a lady called Indi (Juli Boer / Derrick). Indi is Roger Derrick’s wife and together they run Fast Line Bike Academy in Albury. Well Indi was our skills coach for the day (a few hours) and for the rest of the meet when requiring tips etc. Indi is a multi European and Australian Champion DH and XC racer. Ok with some skills under the belt, plan is to complete one track a day until I have completed all 6 tracks around Stromlo. Track One Tick.

This arvo Roger the XC Organiser introduced use to XCE racing. The eliminator was over a short course of 1.1km which was on the mini playground near the Stromlo carpark ending at the DH finish hump.

All in all a good day.

Day 2 – Tuesday 7 Oct 14

Today for most of use was a free day as the DH where doing there thing and the RR had they Crit on this arvo, which I gave a hand in marshaling for. In the mean time I went exploring like most others in the morning to put our newly taught skills into practice.   

Stromlo track 2 x 2 - Tick

Day 3 – Wednesday 8 Oct 14

Today started like the others, breakfast at the mess followed by the trip to Stromlo and the Mandatory Coffee from the friendly coffee couple which the ADCC organised.

Today’s activities will include more DH some time trails and racing with the RR (Poddles) and for the XC peps an a Recce Run of the XCO course and then practice if required. Also will be doing the X country short course (XCSC) race. I didn’t enter into this as I just didn’t want to ride around in circles on a short course of 1.1 kms until someone caught me. So I volunteered to be a track marshal and watch the race from a distance. As usual the sheep stations came out from a few celebrities as usual. Overall a good day. XCO tomorrow.

Day 4 – Thursday 9 Oct 14

Today is the XCO race followed by a recce and dry run of the Super D course. The day started off as normal and a memorial ceremony was organised on top of the mountain for one of last years competitors who died after finishing his DH run in an apparent sicking accident. His name was Dutchie to peps who knew him and a memorial plaque was placed on the bolder that killed him was placed on top of the Mt Stromlo in his dedication.

There was a small pause as we all got ready for the today’s race. The course has a mixture Single track to open fire road to downhill and a luge type circuit, and a big arse hill climb. The course is over a 7.1km trail where we have to do 4 laps of. So as myself and one other had past the finish line to start our last lap, the organisers forgot to tell people if they got lapped then that’s it, your race is run. So we where both racing away up to the top of the hill and came screaming down to notice that there where no one around in the DH sections as safety, but continued racing as we then knew we still had peps behind us. NO. As we raced each other to the line, we noticed that the finish line tent was gone and the transition/water table was also gone. So we both past over the line together and turned our Garmin’s off, registering our race times.

We then slowly road back to the Stromlo office to come in at the very end of presentations and slaps on the back, to find out that we did the extra lap for nothing. Oh well that racing.

My times for the race where as follows;

Lap 1 – 00:30:12

Lap 2 – 01:04:46

Lap 3 – 01:39:52 and

Lap 4 – 02:12:18

Thus leaving the completed race of 29.4km finished.

 

After breather and some lunch we trekked back up the Mt to do a recce of tomorrow’s event the Super D.

At the end of this day I was absolutely shattered.

Day 5 – Thursday 10 Oct 14

Awoke a little sore and was in two minds whether to even compete in today’s Super D. when they said we where being bused up the Mt and you set your own pace, I was in. After that it was free time.

Ok so we got to the top and the start line was at the Start of the DH but took the trail to Wedgetail and then through to skyline over the DH bridge and into Luge both sections to the fire trail at the start of Old Duffy. Turn right and follow the firetrail to the top of the hill to the bottom section of the DH track and then scream all the way to the bottom to the DH finish line. I completed the course of 4.6km in 00:14:13 and got to a top speed of 40kph. Not he fastest but a descent time for my first time at Super D and first actual run on the track and was taking it easy. Great fun.

That night I went for a road ride up to Parliament House and some other sites just for a ride.

Day 6 – Friday 11 Oct 14

Today was a free day and Road Racing ITT started today. Which I will give a hand in to help them out.

Day 7 – Saturday 12 Oct 14

So I had a late breakie and headed to the track. Goal today was to meet up with some of the others and do some tracks we haven’t yet completed.

So I got to the track and there was no around. Cars where there, and I thought ok they have gone ahead so I ventured off with the mind set of completing the complete Stromlo Trail of 42kms. Well I followed the # 2 trail up the Mt when my chain snapped. WTF. Ok repair kit is in the car, so turn around and coast down the hill.

Got back to the car, and started mending the chain when the other had turned up. They had just gone around Track 1 as a warm up. So I told them I was nearly done to head off and I will catch them half way up or at the top and we will do the complete trail. They headed off and I followed @10mins later. (Toilet Break). Caught them ¾ of the way up and by the time we got to the top of Stromlo at the Observatory we all had sore legs and it was just way to hot. So we decided to say screw it, we’ll just do the fun part (Skyline and Luge) and call it quits there. 

There is always next year. So off we went and during the last part of the trip during Old Duffy I had to get some air and jump over a Red Belly Black Snack who decided to lie in the middle of the track. I came across another snake a bloody big Brown Snake at the finish line and alert the kids that where nearby to stay away. We all stopped for lunch and the RR’s didn’t require any assistance. So I packed the bike and headed back to RMC.

Not satisfied with today’s efforts I decided to pull out the Roadie and do the Lake Burley Griffin Bike Track. This was a great ride and took me past a lot of Landmarks and the Prime Ministers Lodge (Poor Bastard). Great ride and the track I rode was 31.2 km as per Garmin.

Day 8 – Sunday 13 Oct 14

Well that was that and will return next year, hopefully with more experience and talent. Today to finish off the carnival is the Road Race which I cannot attend to help.