Thursday, April 8, 2021

Cloudride1000 2021

 

Cloudride1000 2021

The Coudride is a 1000km bike-packing event that takes riders through a course of very mixed terrain. Because the course is so mixed, people choose a bike that they feel may give them an advantage. I just used my Pivot Vault as it is a super lightweight gravel bike that I recently completed the Cloudride 500 on. After previously doing the course in an anti-clockwise direction in 2019, I was keen to do this event heading in the other direction, this time aiming to complete the whole event without assistance!

The ride leaves from Bentspoke Brewery on Good Friday at 8am and this year there were 26 riders attempting the loop.

The event started off in already hot conditions and I consumed several bottles early on in Canberra to Bungendore section. My first drink stop was at Jerangle Public School but the water tasted a little funky and I held off drinking too much until I hit Cooma where I phoned through an Indian takeaway order and picked up a couple of caffeinated beverages for the trip. I ate half of my dinner out the front of the shop and the other was consumed at a park in Nimmitabel where I could charge devices, sit down in the dark and warm my socks and shoes on the BBQ.



I spent the first night in Cathcart where the community hall was left unlocked for us with the option for a warmer night and charging options. I managed to get two hours of sleep before I woke up cold and continued on my way.

I reached Bombala for breakfast and the chance to find a decent-sized supermarket. I grabbed a loaf of gluten-free bread and made up vegemite and cheese sangers which lasted for around 12 hours!


From Bombala the road headed up, with a few pinchy loose climbs that were only passable on foot before a loose descent and off track navigation to the Delegate River. The river was still slightly elevated and I chose to take shoes and socks off for the crossing, slipping once to be fully submerged in order to save the bike. Upon crossing there seemed no option but to push through a thistle field that was 20-30m deep. Not far past the crossing was the local trail angel Ralene, offering various snacks and I snuck away with a couple of poppers, water and a zooper dooper!

The next town for a stock up was Delegate where I purchased a couple of extra 1.5L water bottles so I could carry just over 4L of water.

Tubbut was the next and final decent water opportunity before Jindabyne, so I filled up, talked to the holiday makers and went off into the night through the crazy hike a bike section in the Tingaringi Wilderness. I’m interested in seeing if I can ride some of these trails with a normal geared mountain bike as I had no chance on the loaded xc!

I wasn’t sure how close I would get to Jindabyne but when the head nods became too frequent, I camped next to the Snowy River where I snuck in 2hrs of sleep before riding again and reaching Jindabyne at about 8:30am. I was assuming a supermarket would be open on Easter Sunday but the best available was a coeliac unfriendly bakery so I grabbed some Snickers bars and kept riding towards the mountains. I possibly should have stocked up on a few more lollies as I underestimated how long the ride across the top to Batlow would take. I did reach Batlow eventually, a little tired and without setting an alarm had a comfortable 4hrs sleep.


I left Batlow around 5am as the sun started to come up in time to do battle with what felt like kilometres of blackberry bushes. It is hard to describe how bad this section of the track was. Initially, I was avoiding the plants, but, as the trial progressed so did the density of the bushes and with lots of trial and experimenting, I managed to push through the bushes, stomp and ride into the bushes with no flats (thank you Stans Notubes and WTB Tyres!).

The rest of the ride into Tumut was great as I menu planned for the final 170km leg back to Canberra. I grabbed another loaf of bread, bananas, several snacks, and a couple of caffeinated drinks to get me going at the local Coles. The temperature through the next part felt hot and I consumed lots of fluid and took any refill opportunity before the temp started to drop on my descent down 2 sticks towards Canberra. I was grateful to be met by several riders who rode me in the last 30kms to the finish back at the Bentspoke Brewery.



There were heaps of decisions I had to make in the lead up to and during the event. These are some of the things I considered, and suggestions I would make if you were to consider doing this event.

Bike choice?

I saw several bikes out there. E-bikes, 29er dual suspension, gravel bikes and hardtails. I had the choice of a fully ridged Pivot Les 29er hardtail but went for the Pivot Vault just as it has been the bike I have been riding lately.

Tyre choice

I just ran what was on the bike and I know that it works. A 40mm nano tyre on the front and 37mm Riddler on the back. If I had the options available, I would have run a 45mm Riddler front and back for more comfort and footprint / grip.

Sleeping

I didn’t set an alarm all ride. This was deliberate, as I planned on getting to sleep around 2-3am and just sleeping until I woke. This was after 2 hours on the first 2 nights and 4 hours on the last night. I used a Sol Survivor Bivvy and sleeping bag liner as my sleep system. I didn’t use a bed mat as that would be far too comfy!

Lights

I use a Klite Dynamo light on the bars and a Light and Motion 1000 on the helmet. I would have loved the fast charge version of these lights. The Klites are far brighter than I need but give a massive area of view which made it feel safe bombing downhill in the dark.

Shoes

I used old Northwave shoes. They were already ripped and super comfy.  I deliberately choose something with a Velcro top to avoid having a retention string digging into my ankles when hiking. I did swap out socks through the event and took off my shoes and socks when crossing rivers or creeks.

Power banks / recharge

I used a cheap 5000ma power bank which was charged via the Klite USB charger. I made the mistake of having a loose micro USB that kept jumping out over rough terrain. I’ll have to improve this connection next time. I only charged from the wall for 2 hours at Cathcart and around 20mins at Nimmitabel. The rest was by dynamo.

Food – coeliac

Riding gluten-free was a serious challenge over this course. I found a safe Indian option in Cooma, then relied on a supermarket at Bombala and Tumut for resupply. Everything else except for caffeinated beverages and Snickers bars I carried from the start. I had a range of Gu products which included stroopwaffles, gel, including a 15-serve bag and protein powder.
I also could carry over 4L of fluid which I did at times.

Navigation

I used a Garmin 530 for navigation and I’m sure I just needed to do some more research on how to set it up properly. I found after 200km the base maps disappeared, then the turn by turn disappears, then I just had an off-course message displayed and had a single line to follow for most of the event. When I did have a base map, I was often following a pink line that was on top of a magenta line which was almost impossible to see. Even googling support pages online, I couldn’t fix this. In future, I would look at trying a Bryton or Wahoo as the Wahoo is great to follow with the dots showing the underlying track.

What I would change:

Tyres up to 45mm
Gears – from a 11-40T on the back to an 11-46T and an XTR rear mech rather than the GRX that supports up to a 42T. The DI2 was great, I didn’t need a charge over the distance.
Nav – either get the Garmin sorted or try something that is easier to follow.
Feet – the trench foot started to get me again, so next time, I might throw in some baby powder to keep the feet super dry. I would also wear shoes through the creek crossing for safety and stability.
Blackberries – if I did this course again, I would take Velcro straps to strap bark or other protective equipment onto my legs to prevent them from getting destroyed.

Unexpected bonuses

Apples along the side of the road on the public side of the fence was a welcome treat on 2 occasions.
The 2 x Trail Angel re-supplies.
The TT bar position providing serious pressure relief off the seat.
The sunset through Kosciusko National Park.
The crew to ride into town with.

Special thanks:

Fizo / Moxie for the place to stay before the event
Michael Simms for the lift to Canberra
Kerry Staite from Klites for loan of the Garmin 530
Bobby Pezz for the brake bleen in the lead up

Equipment details:

Frame: Pivot Vault
Running gear: Shimano GRX DI2
Bars and Seatpost: Mt Zoom
Wheels: Klite prototype


Clothing:
Santini Rain Guard
Santini Custom Tono Jersey
Santini gravel shorts
Santini arm warmers
Northwave Spike shoes

Saturday, December 21, 2019

2019 Hunt 1000 - Never again???

Bike with bags and dynolights
With influence from Maisey at Ghost Gum Bikes and Kerry from K-lites I signed up for the Hunt1000. After the Cloudride 1000 at Easter, I  made a few changes to my setup. As extra items, I packed rain proof pants, a Sea to Summit Spark III sleeping bag and a rigid fork which saved weight and allowed for 2 more bottles to be carried.













This is my complete pack list:
Shopping bag from Omeo

In my font bag was my sleep gear: sleeping bag, Sol Survivor Pro Bivvy and Sea 2 Summit Silk Liner.
In the front bag holder bag I had hygiene / comfort stuff - chamios cream, toothbrush, tooth paste, no doze, neurophen and Spot tracker tied on.
Top tube bag - power bank with charge through, dyno charger, cords
On the handle bars: Wahoo Element for main navigation, quad lock for my s8 with backup navigation (ride with GPS), light mount and Garmin Etrix.
Rear top tube bag - co2, multitool, lip cream and tyre lever.
Chaff bags - nuts, gels, electrolytes and a spare bottle
Main frame triangle bag - left side top - Stroopwafles and gels. Right lower section - pump, rain jacket, spare tube, winter gloves, spare socks. Top section - 2L Camelbak bladder
Rear bag - water proof pants, spare tube, first aid kit, puffer jacket, thermal long sleeve shirt, boxer shorts most in a dry bag.


K-light charging unit

Bike Specs:
Carbon front fork with mounts for 2 x drink bottle cages. I used cages that would accept larger sized bottle and clamp them down.
Front wheel had a Son dyno hub laced to an Stans Arch Rim with 2.4 Ranger Slash Guard tyres.
Frame: Pivot LES Carbon 29er
Seat and post carbon railed WTB saddle.
Handle bars: Mt Zoom
Rear Wheel: Stans Valor (carbon) with WTB Trail Boss 2.25
Stages Power Meter / XTR M9000 cranks
Cassette: 11-46 Shimano XT
Pedals: XTR
Brakes: XT
Grips: ESI Extra Chunky





I'll break the event down to 4 days, as that was my plan.








Day 1 - Canberra to Geehi 250km










Richard and I originally planned to leave Canberra around 3am. After a late night buying food, dinner and sorting bikes we managed to leave the official start location at around 5.15am. As we rolled along, there were lots of initial adjustments to be made, bags, stems. light mounts. The first part of the trip was pretty fast going.









Once we got out of the Canberra city we were set along roads that would be a training regular route if you lived in the area, very quite with long climbs. With an aim of hitting Adaminaby by mid-morning, an early afternoon arrival meant we were in for a long night.











 I refuelled with calorie dense food items with plenty of carbs and protein which I consumed beside a few other riders we had caught.







We continued on along the Snowy Mountains Highway before we turned off onto progressively slower going tracks.















It was hard to describe how slow the going was through some of these sections. The most painful track was called "Grey Mare Trail". It was like you were riding on grass the whole time looking for the occational patch of dirt which allowed a bike to roll briefly.









The trail eventually improverd with a 1400vm decent down to Geehi hut. We rolled up to the hut and found a fellow rider who had already bunked down for the night. The 3 hours of sleep were greatly appreciated!










Day 2 - Geehi to Omeo - 140km in 18hrs!

The first part of this trip was mostly on tar for the first 30km before hitting a gravel road that led us to the Murray River. By the time we crossed the river, the sun was up and so was the tempreature. It would have been great to be at the Tom Groggin campsite overnight so we could have started the first ridiculous hike a bike in the cool of the day.






The hike a bike had 1300vm of climbing over 18km. In the whole section there may have been 1km that could be ridden, the rest was far too steep. Once we descended and got onto decent roads, we had 60km to and 3hrs to get to Omeo before the shop closed. I just sat on the front into a significant headwind and with 15km to go, went solo to make it to the shop in time for its 7pm closure.



Omeo is off the main track, but is a detour worth taking, especially since our last food stop was around 250km earlier. At Omeo Richard was pretty busted, and after meeting with other riders, the road closure for fires in the area meant we had to bypass Falls Creek. Richard needed a good sleep so we stayed in the pub rather than pushing on for another 5-6hrs as planned.





Day 3 - Omeo to Walhalla - 300km ish

Day 3 started with a diversion that required over 2000vm of climbing over 70km. With a rainy start, the full water proof kit was on including rain pants. The highlights of the diversion were the baby Emus that we chased for a few km and the most technical downhill of the whole course.









Dargo was only 100km from the start which we hit close to midday. After a re-supply of foods and fluids we headed up the valley towards the Billy Goat Bluff Trail. The temperature increased during this time before a hail and torrential downpour sent us hiding under a bridge for shelter. By early afternoon we started the Billy Goat Trail. Towards the top I knew I was running out of tim to make my Sunday flight, even with a short cut. I had to leave Richard and go solo. We had already planned on riding through the night and that is what I kinds of did. I was eating NoDoze tablets like they were lollies but had 3 X 10mins naps on the gravel road between 1am and 4am. I arrived at Walhalla before 7am and everything was closed. I still had 220km to travel and 12 hours to do it in which meant averaging over 18km/hr. If I knew the road was good, I would have had a go at it. Unfortunately, I couldn't guarantee I would make it in time, so took the shorter 50km short cut on the 4th day.

Day 4 - Walhalla to the train station at MOE via Erica 50km

As I left Walhala just after 7am, I started heading for Moe. I rode through Erica looking for a cafe, but found a local who was spot watching and spent a good hour having a stretch and re-hydrating. While I didn't make the full route, I wasn't too disappointed I missed out on the final section, as I had
already had to modify the route due to earlier bush fires.







Friday, April 26, 2019

2019 Monaro Cloudride 1000km - THINGS YOU MUST KNOW

The Monaro Cloudride is an unsupported 1000km race that starts and finishes in Canberra each Easter. This year the event was run in a anti-clockwise direction.
http://www.cloudride1000.com/


The Stages

I broke this trip down into sections as I found it easier to mentally deal with smaller journeys. It almost seems like the time between each re-supply town was its own stage and careful planning needed to be made before heading out onto the next stage.

Stage 1 - Canberra to Tumut (170km)
This stage seemed to start way too fast. I was happy riding mid field until I realised that the group was getting split and there were riders off the front. While this is a solo event, there was still drafting occurring over the first 40km.
This stage was hot, with temps over 30 degrees for most of the day. Moving time was relatively quick with only limited hike a bike sections (HAB) and I had reached Tumut at 4.30pm with time to fill up bottles, buy batteries for a low powered Spot Tracker before ordering Indian for dinner which opened at 5pm. Woolworths was closed due to it being Good Friday so the petrol station was the only option for buying batteries and caffeinated drinks.

Stage 2 - Tumut to Batlow (170km - 220km) 
Adrian and Paul left Tumut before me. I caught Paul climbing up the dam wall in the dark at Wereboldera. If I spent less time waiting for my Indian I could have made it to the dam wall in daylight. Soon after meeting Paul, he decided on a different course option and I followed the correct single track where I caught Adrian who had also found an extra hill to climb. Adrian and I rode together to Batlow where I stopped to eat the rest of my Indian, Adrian went to sleep and I continued on.

Stage 3 - Batlow to Cabramurra (220km - 315km)
I continued on solo after refilling water. This section I recall being fairly easy, I just put on the head phones and kept pedaling. It got colder as the night went on. I was keen to get to the indoor shelter of the Ski Lodge and arrived just after 5.00am in the morning. After a quick nap and recharge of devices I was back on the bike close to 7am. I was hoping for more sleep here but this was not possible with other people also using the same accommodation.

Stage 4 - Cabramurra to Jindabyne (315km to 415km)

This day has me wishing I had my dually, it was rough. It wasn't possible to sit down and pedal due to how rough the track was at times so lots of this 100km section was spent out of the seat. It was another hot day and I had to re-supply water at multiple clear looking freshwater streams. I used purification tables each time, just in case. I was surprised how long this stage took and I would have consumed close to 10 Stroopwaffles as I had only eaten a small breakfast. As I started to approach Jindabyne I noticed my chest feeling tight, which I thought was just inspiration muscles at the time. The highlight of the section was the final 10km into Jindabyne where there is fun single track. It was also perfect weather conditions and there were heaps of people out enjoying the trails. At Jindabyne I purchased 1kg of nuts, 1kg of trail mix along with a loaf of GF bread, cheese and GF vegemite. I also grabbed a couple of boxes of GF breakfast biscuits.

Stage 5 - Jindabyne to Tubbut (415km - 520km)
I left Jindabyne around 6-7pm with the aim of getting a few hours up the road. I had no plan on where to get to. At 495km was the river crossing. It was close to midnight as I crossed it and started the hike a bike. I really had no idea what I was in for. With my lungs now well and truly impaired (by some kind of chest infection) I really struggled through the next 5hrs of pushing the bike. The HAB section involved over 1000vm that were not rideable. Luckily there was a full moon so lights weren't required. I should have really called it a night on the top of one of the major climbs as it was still quite warm. Once I hit the valley on the other side it started to get cold. I found a campsite on the side of the road close to where I hoped water would be for the morning. Ideally I should have kept moving for another 5km further to the Tubbut tennis courts where I would have held a shelter, water and power! I think I got in after 4am and was back on the bike around 6.30am.

Stage 6 - Tubbut to Cathcart (520km - 695km)
Once I made the additional 5km to the road, I charged devices briefly while I filled up water and checked the requirements of the day ahead. The morning was cold so I started with my winter gloves but when I stopped and swapped them for my summer gloves I dropped a glove which I only discovered another 5-6km down the road. It is always worth going back for good winter Santini Gloves!
The next stop was Delegate. I rode the last 2hrs into town without water. I had run out and it was stinking hot. Once in the cafe I charged devices and drank 2L of milk drinks, shakes and coffees! I refilled bottles and aimed for an early arrival into Bombala. This wasn't the case. There was an extended section of hike a bike and paddock pushing. At the 640km mark I had a quick look at my phone which indicated that I perhaps should be taking a different route than what was on my device. I spend ages trying to work out where I should be going. Since my phone and Wahoo devices had gone flat I was left to use the only map I had available to me. This sent me on a slight detour and instead of arriving into Bombala with a choice of meal options I was turned down at a couple of facilities as they shut up at 8pm. I was lucky to find a pub at 8.10pm that kindly put on a huge feed of fish and mashed potato. After charging devices again I jumped back on the bike and pulled up at Cathcart close to 11pm needing a decent night sleep. The best option I could find was the grass beside the memorial hall. I looked in vain for the water tap but in the dark and with crazy fog I couldn't find it!

Stage 7 - Cathcart to 840km...(695 - 840km)
Sheltered campsite

Leaving Cathcart I had sufficient supplies to get to Nimmitabel at the 765km mark for the final re-supply. I got there with handy lead on the other boys so I went to the cafe, put my phone on the charge and sat in the park, aiming to have a sleep while I got some charge. I then swapped the phone out for the power bank as I got supplies for the last section including new batteries for the Spot Track, which was an issue. The general store had far less food than my pantry. The only portable GF products I could take included rice crackers, cheese slices and around $30 worth of various fudges, bars and lollies! It is a lolly shop! I was also down to my last 4 no-doze tablets so, with no more available, I took a couple of Dare Double Espresso drinks and a can of V for the road. Once I started pedaling again I was feeling sleepy already so I cracked open the V and then though I should check the ingredients first before consuming it. Disappointingly, it contained wheat derivatives so wasn't safe for me. It was pretty hard to pour out the contents knowing that I needed the extra fluid for this section and the caffeine to get through the night. In the end it didn't really matter as a stick took out my rear mech at the 830km mark. I pulled out my chain tool with the intention of making a single speed. I popped two pins out and when I tried to put the chain back together the tool broke trying to push the pin back in. I continued on for another 10km but with the rain, little light from a slow moving dyno light and hypothermia kicking in now I wasn't really working at intensity to keep warm. I had to seek shelter under a tree and wait for the boys behind to catch up to see if I could use their chain tool. I hadn't been so cold in my life. I was shaking uncontrollably and there was no easy option to get in a warm tent or car etc. I was just lucky for the sleeping gear that I had kept dry. From what I could see on my phone, the boys hadn't started through the 4wd tracks and were seeking shelter for the night also. I camped off the track a few meters as I needed a tree that offered some rain protection without the risk of having dead branches drop on me.

Stage 8 known to me as the bonus stage- 840km to Canberra
When I woke in the morning, I was in no rush to get up, everything I had was wet. I hadn't heard the boys ride past so I just took my time. The problem is, the boys had ridden past and I missed them, I was too far from the track to have heard them. I had a chat on the phone to Keith from Kumo Cycles who, being a keen bike packer himself, was able to come out and tweak my bike if I could make it to the 850km junction. He was able to rejoin the chain and we found the 3rd gear was the one that was going to work. This gear was good for around 10km per hour! I continued on the course where it was all fast fireroad. It would have been great to have big gears! At the 940km mark was a Cloudriders Feedzone which was great. A hot coffee, chips and water supply was really needed to get back to Canberra. After a quick stop I managed to sneak in to avoid the night time diversion through the back of Kowen Forest. My feet were becoming increasing painful during this section. Once I finished the event, I took my shoes and socks off and my feet were just throbbing from the trench foot I should have been managing. I don't think I will ever complain about "hot feet" again. It was so good to have Jason and Gwynn ready to pick me up at 10pm when I rolled in, I didn't want to ride any further if I didn't need to!



The gear


I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect from this event. I felt I had too many other events and things to think about. In the lead up weeks I decided I needed to focus on the following things:

Sleep strategies and sleep gear - for this I grabbed a hooded tarp from Sea to Summit and borrowed a Sol Survivor. I also had a thermal bag liner to add a few degrees of warmth. I just put on a Santini under shirt and got a Macpac 800 hyperdry puffer jacket. Not cheap but lightweight and warm.

Lights - I was using a dyno hub so it made sense to use dyno lights. I had a very cool setup on the front and back and ran an additional Light and Motion Trail1000 Fast Charge on the helmet as it only required 2 hours to charge.

Clothing - I decided to take only one riding kit but packed arm warmers, leg warmers, a windvest and rain jacket. I took both a Santini summer set of long finger gloves and a Sealskin winter waterproof set.
Nutrition - I had the plan to try and refuel along the way but packed 15 Gu gels, 20 Gu Stroopwaffels and Roctane Electrolyte Capsules
Fluid - I had a 3L Camelbak bladder in the frame bag and an additional bottle in the chafe bag.
Bags - I had a medium size seat bag that had additional food and clothes, full triangle frame bag that had my easily accessible food and equipment, 2 top tube bags for charging devices and holding spares and tools, 2 chafe bags - one for a bottle and the other for snacks and 1 bar bag to hold my sleeping gear.

What to do differently

- I would have stayed a night at Bombala to manage my trench foot. I wasn't prepared for this and I paid the price. I should have packed a spare pair of socks, talcum powder and taken the time to dry my feet regularly during the ride.
- I would ring ahead to order food or just only get food available from supermarkets to save time.
- I would have put a new drive train on, so if I did need to do a crazy chain repair it wouldn't slip the whole way home!
- I would have ridden with others, but with a sore throat and laryngitis I wouldn't have been much company as I wasn't really able to talk.
- I would have also considered hitch hiking to a bike shop to get my bike fixed when my chain tool broke, rather than getting a bike shop to meet me near the track. This would have ensured I finished without a DQ. I possible should have been more familiar with the rules of the event!

It was great to have the experience of Masiey and Kerry when considering this event. I'm not exactly sure if you are allowed to get advice mid race via a phone or if that too is considered external assistance?  Even a couple days on from the event my trench feet have limited my return to normal riding and I have recently stopped coughing up blood!Anyhow, I'm almost keen to give this event another go :)