Audax Alpine Classic - Over For Another Year! (longish)

Trekked down to Bright again this year for the AAC (see
www.audax.org.au/alpine for ride profiles etc). Had a go at the 130km
this year after doing the 100km in 2002 (2003 was burnt out by bushfires).

The day started chilly (arm warmers were the go) but soon warmed up to
beautiful cycling weather, although it did get quite hot around midday.

Saw people on all kinds of bikes - road/tri, MTB (knobbly and slick),
hybrid, tandem, recumbent (OK, there weren't any BMXs, penny farthings,
or unis).

The first climb up Tawonga Gap after about 20km was in the cool of the
morning, and with a steady and not too steep gradient, it was just a
case of getting into a rhythm and spinning up it (I have a triple on my
road bike).

The climb up Falls Creek was nothing like Mt Buffalo in the 100km ride.
Falls goes up and down like a yo-yo, whereas (IIRC) Buffalo is a steady
1:20 for 20km. If anything, the occasional descents on the ascent of
Falls made it harder, as the legs would go idle and then have to get
back to work again later. My friend and I climbed Falls in the way we
did Tawonga One, well within ourselves at a pretty cruisey 70-odd % of
max HR (not that I know what mine actually is - I identify with hippy's
thread on this).

Had a relaxed food/drink/loo/sunscreen break at Falls top station,
slipped the arm warmers back on for the descent (welcome but not
absolutely necessary at 11am). Got plenty of descending/cornering
practice on those lovely Victorian road surfaces (seriously, they crap
on most NSW roads I ride on).

The last climb back over Tawonga had filled us with some pre-ride
trepidation (both of us having driven but never ridden it), but it
wasn't as bad as we had dreaded, either because it wasn't actually that
bad, or we had dreaded it too much, or simply because we went so easy on
the first two climbs and had plenty left (even for a
testosterone-fuelled KOM sprint at the end!).

A few quick whoops of joy and we were plummeting back down the other
side to pedal the last 10 or so clicks back to Bright and the "salad
roll/fruitcake/quartered-orange" combo that seems de rigeur on mass
organised rides.

All in all a very enjoyable outing (although our two friends who did the
200km didn't enjoy themselves quite so much!). Major thanks and hats off
to the many Audax volunteers who did a sterling and in many cases
thankless job, always with a smile.

Maybe in 2005 I'll have a crack at the dreaded 200...

&roo

Whoops, forgot the stats for those interested in this kind of thing:

- Total elapsed time (7:00am - 1:52pm): 6:52 @ 18.9km/h avg (including
two food/drink stops and a handful of
clothing/stretching/weeing/mysterious-noise-from-front-wheel stops)

- Time spent riding: 5:51 @ 22.2km/h

- Max speed: 68km/h

- Energy expended (according to my HRM): 2322 kcal = 9715 kj = 19 K-time
bars!

&roo

Andrew Swan wrote:
Whoops, forgot the stats for those interested in this kind of thing:

- Total elapsed time (7:00am - 1:52pm): 6:52 @ 18.9km/h avg (including
two food/drink stops and a handful of
clothing/stretching/weeing/mysterious-noise-from-front-wheel stops)

- Time spent riding: 5:51 @ 22.2km/h

- Max speed: 68km/h

- Energy expended (according to my HRM): 2322 kcal = 9715 kj = 19 K-time
bars!

&roo

Andrew,
Does your HRM tell you max and average?

Well done, I did the 100km a few years ago and that took me
about 5.5 hours. The climb up Buffalo was certainly a challenge.

--
Nick

"Andrew Swan" wrote in message
...
Whoops, forgot the stats for those interested in this kind of thing:

- Total elapsed time (7:00am - 1:52pm): 6:52 @ 18.9km/h avg (including
two food/drink stops and a handful of
clothing/stretching/weeing/mysterious-noise-from-front-wheel stops)

- Time spent riding: 5:51 @ 22.2km/h

- Max speed: 68km/h

- Energy expended (according to my HRM): 2322 kcal = 9715 kj = 19 K-time
bars!

&roo


Congratulations,

All the rides are a challenge up that way. I did the 200km and rode 20kms
of the Buffalo climb with legs cramping. I had to stop at the water stop
2/3 the way up to give the legs a break and dowse myself with water.

I recovered on the descent and was able to finish by 3pm. It was
particularly difficult without much tree cover on the climb up Buffalo.
Also the lack of ground cover grasses and lichen exposed a lot of rock that
reflected heat and light.

I hear a rider hit a wallaby on the Falls descent while travelling at
~50kmph Ouch! A couple also took a detour on the return to Bright down the
Tawonga Gap. I was flagged down by a young guy who had run off the road,
flatted and had no pump! He was shaking so much from coming off that he
could not change the tyre.

It was a great weekend with bicycles everywhere you looked.

I will be back next year.

Kevin

NickZX6R wrote:
Andrew,
Does your HRM tell you max and average?

Nope, but from staring at the thing all day, I'd guess a max of 180 and
an avg in the low 150s... (out of an HR max of 190-odd, who knows these
things?)

&roo

Hmmm, is Skillsy still out there....

_____________________________________________
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for th
pub_bug group

Its the Alpine Classic this weekend and I intend to be Lantern Roug
(last place) for the epic 200km

I tend to start singing aloud but which songs... The decision is yours
other tunes considered Skills

o Radio Birdman - Alone in the End Zone o Saints - I'm Stranded
Screaming Tribesman - Ice o SunnyBoys - This is real o God - M
Pal o Hoodoo Gurus - A thousand Miles away o Jo Jo Zep - Shape I
in o X - Suck

To vote, please visit the following web page
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pub_bug/surveys?id=124710


-

Andrew Swan wrote:
Trekked down to Bright again this year for the AAC (see
www.audax.org.au/alpine for ride profiles etc). snip Major thanks and
hats off to the many Audax volunteers who did a sterling and in many
cases thankless job, always with a smile.
Maybe in 2005 I'll have a crack at the dreaded 200...
&roo


I also made the annual pilgrimage to Bright for the AAC. Did the new 10
km route, harder IMO than the old 100. Also first time on my road bik
and much faster. I was wary of not having a triple set & accompanyin
low gears but climbed quite well without them. The road bike climbs a
twice the speed of my MTB & I finished in 4:52, more than an hou
quicker than my last attempt. Hmmm.. the 200 next year? maybe the 130

I echo the thanks to the many AUDAX club volunteers for their work o
the event


-

I did the 85k - it was a hard slog with plenty of extra weight (trimming
down EVEN MORE for next year)

Mt Buffalo doesnt let up! Ouch! And doing this while recovering from a viral
infection isnt a good idea either....

I completed it in 6 hours 10mins (total time on the bike was 5 hours 9mins)
so about an half an hour resting, then more time stopping on the climb to
offload snot, cough up lurgies, and stretch....averaged about 18k/ph

I did the 100km on the MTB in 4 hours...8th to the top..not that its
race thoug


-

Jess wrote:
I did the 85k - it was a hard slog with plenty of extra weight (trimming
down EVEN MORE for next year)
Mt Buffalo doesnt let up! Ouch! And doing this while recovering from a
viral infection isnt a good idea either....
I completed it in 6 hours 10mins (total time on the bike was 5 hours
9mins) so about an half an hour resting, then more time stopping on
the climb to offload snot, cough up lurgies, and stretch....averaged
about 18k/ph



I did the 100 in 6 hrs 5 mins with lots of waiting for my wife:-) (she
doesn't read this group so it's safe to say that here). Hope to do the
100 next year in 5 hours if I can lose 5-7 kg from the 'engine'. Buffalo
is not as tough as Donna Buang but easier IMHO than Falls Creek.

I was nearly cleaned up by some ****wit in a white Disco who overtook
some riders on the wrong (my side) of the road around a blind corner
whilst I was descending. It missed me by about a metre. I stopped at the
bottom and 3 out of 4 others who stopped had a similar experience with
the same idiot.

The guy who hit the wallaby was descending Buffalo. When an
ambulance raced up the mountain I thought the Disco had finally
collected somebody.

I was spurred on when I saw a friend of mine close to the summit just as
I was starting my descent - he was nearly at the top of Buffalo but he
was doing the 200! Not bad for 41 (he was 5th or 6th to finish the 200 I
think). Buggered if I was going to finish behind him:-)



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