great day at forest 6 hour
July 6th, 2009
Great day had by all at today’s Mountain bike 6 hour race at Forest today. Forest is fast becoming the place to ride for Victorians. Its lush trials in the Otway rangers have to be riden.
Todays race ran over a 12km course of beautifull flowing single track. The bearms on this track are amazing , they just throw you from left to right with amazing power.
5 Topgear riders took on the challange of of the solo catorgory. Peter ,Garreth ,Nick ,Carsten , Avner and Bryce all rode well.
The stars of the show were our girls pairs team who rode strongly into 3rd place. Great work Bec and Lucinda for taking on the challenge today and also collecting a cash prize.
Gareth’s race report
Fun in the Forrest
Forrest held their first 6 hour enduro last month promising big things from their 6 hour Championship event. This was my first attempt at a solo 6 hour enduro and therefore some careful planning had been done pre race in regards to my nutrition and equipment requirements.
Identifying the right nutrition for optimal performance can be a bit of a trial and error process for each competitor. Personally, I begin the day of any big ride with porridge. Before and during the race bananas are good options. Add to this a quality sports drink, some energy bars and gels and you’re halfway there. I try to stay off the energy gels for as long as possible but some people use them from the start. It’s important to learn what works best for you. Making sure you drink plenty of water is vital. Using a camelbak as well as water bottles is a handy way to alternate between your energy drink and straight water. Usually I’ll have some dried fruit & nuts at hand and a few muesli bars to give me a break from the energy bars etc. Also having something more substantial to eat at your pit stop/transition area is a nice idea, as is something for after the race to help with your recovery and to restore your energy.
Equipment wise, first and foremost make sure everything on your bike is working, as it should be. I find that a trip to your local bike shop for a quick service before race day isn’t a bad idea as they may spot something you’ve missed that needs attention. I carry a few spares, rear derailleur hanger, a couple of tubes, power link and some lube for my chain, gear cable inner, puncture repair kit and some CO2 cylinders or a hand pump. Also a multi-tool with a chain breaker is handy. Back at the pit stop, a track pump, bike work stand, a few more tubes and some basic bike tools are useful. But often someone will be only too happy to loan you something you need if you don’t have it yourself.
I find that careful planning prior to a race also helps ease any pre-race nerves. So I arrived at Forrest feeling fully prepared, and excited to see what the course had in store for me. Forrest’s reputation for great single track seemed to draw the crowds, with entries closing well before the day. The race had certainly attracted some big names, the likes of Jason English, Dan McConnell, Troy Bailey and Katherine O’Shea to name a few.
The stage was a 12km course with about 90% single track and 40% of that climbing. It flowed well with few tough technical sections some fast downhill stretches and some of the best bearms to be found anywhere.
However, what would have been on any other day a very fast circuit changed somewhat by the addition of some precipitation. Scattered showers throughout the day and the sheer number of riders soon turned the course into a slippery slog, climbs got harder with one in particular becoming very boggy that just drained the energy from the legs. After 3-4 hours of riding in these “are my brakes binding” conditions you could be forgiven for asking yourself how much longer you’d stick it out. But for most these thoughts passed over time, and the mind focused on the great parts of the track pulling you through the gruelling sections.
Needless to say the conditions didn’t appear to affect everyone with the top guys still putting in some impressive laps in a range of categories.
Overall an awesome event to put in the calendar for next year.
Food and water consumed during race…
4 energy gels (peak fuel)
4-5 energy bars (peak fuel)
4-5 banana’s
2 muesli bars
dried fruit & nuts 150g
5 litres water
3 litres water mixed with endura magnesium rehydration formula
In regards to water, still feel I need to increase the amount I drink during races.
