Tuesday 31 December 2013

Timmy's New Years Eve Trail Ultra 2013



So whilst most people are on the cans getting plastered for New Year’s, I decided it would be much more inspiring to bring what has been my greatest year of athletic achievements to date with a monster run!
On the Great North Walk in the Berowra Valley

And what a run it was. Paul and I started from Mount Kuring-gai and quickly made our way onto the Great North Walk access trail taking us down into the Berowra Valley. Due to the Calna Creek Bridge being damaged and impassable we had to take a previously unseen detour around. It certainly didn’t disappoint! The first section was an epic bush bash up to the ridge with gradients regularly reaching over and above 100%. It was a real slog regularly on all fours! Once at the top we descended down Somerville Rd to Crosslands Reserve which proved to be a pretty serious descent.

We stopped for a brief break at Crosslands and then began the rest of the trek through the Berowra Valley. It’s quite unrelenting with lots of climbing and descending on pretty technical trail. By the time we finally reached the outskirts of Thornliegh Paul and I were finding very hard going on the climbs as the sun was really starting to bite.

Upon reaching Thornliegh we met up with Mikey. We took a few quick photos and stopped for a brief Coke/Poweraid break. Paul left us here as he needed to get home to finish off the construction of his new back deck! Mike and I pressed on and dropped into the Lane Cove River Valley. The first few kilometres of this section always sucks as it is extremely rocky and the footing is terrible. We made it through browns waterhole and back onto the better quality trail.
With Mike & Paul at the Thornleigh Trackhead

The going was starting to get extremely tough for me and anything resembling even a slight incline was reducing me to a walk. Mike did a great job of keeping me moving and eventually we made it to the Lane Cove National Park and stopped for a desperately needed drink and poured some cold water over our heads. It’s amazing how the simple things can be incredible when you’re ruined.

From here on it was just survival mode through to the finish. We ticked off the kilometres ever so slowly passing Epping Rd, Buffalo Creek and finally onto the final section of trail through Mars Creek Reserve. Emerging out of the bush we hit the final 3 kilometres of roads which was extremely tough to even maintain a jog on. Passing by Top Ryde we challenged ourselves to run all the way to the finish. Despite a desperate struggle up and over the final incline we did it cruising up to my front door after covering 53.5 kilometres in 8 hours, 6 minutes & 49 seconds.

Honestly one of the toughest runs I have ever done as the heat was unrelenting and it just dehydrates you and wears you down so quickly. I don’t think I could have done it without the company of Paul and Mike out on the course. Thanks very much for being a part of my end of year celebration.

What an epic year it’s been between buying our first home with the Love of my Life, finishing The North Face 100km Ultramarathon and completing the epic 600km Festum Prophetae Audax Ride. I honestly couldn’t be more satisfied, and so much of what has been achieved has been done with the help and support of some incredible friends. Seeing all of my friends achieve greatness is also an endless source of inspiration. 2013 has been a big one. 2014… Here We Come!!!

Sunday 1 September 2013

Audax: Go Loopy 400km 2013


What an absolutely cracking day! Started out just before 5am and made my way up to Hornsby for the start. We stayed more or less as a group for the run down Pennant Hills Rd and along the M7 cycle way. The pace was fairly high so we made good time to Camden.

Berry tart and coffee at Camden

After a quick coffee it was onto the second leg which was the killer. We passed over the Razorback and made the journey south towards the Southern Highlands. I was very conscious on riding my own pace so was yo-yoing of the back most of the way. We passed by the airfield and then tackled the terrible climb up Old South Road. It was one of the worst road surfaces I've ever ridden and by the time we got to the top Hugh and I were seriously doubting whether we would even finish. Fortunately this is more or less where you start the run through the Highlands and we were treated to some of the most spectacular scenery and beautiful roads around. Eventually we made it to the Famous Robertson Pie Shop for lunch where I enjoyed two pies whilst Hugh stepped up and devoured three!


Hugh up ahead on a beautiful stretch of Southern
Highlands road
Howard pointing out the awesome view of Fitzroy
Falls Reservoir

We joined forces with Howard and Phillip here for the run around to Mittagong via Fitzroy Falls. After a stop for coke and Doritos we started the Homeward journey back towards Penrith. It wasn't long before the beautiful afternoon faded into night. As the temperature dropped, the sky lit up with millions of stars, it was awesome! This was certainly a long section of 100km without a break and we were very relieved once we reached the McDonalds for a final rest.


With Howard & Hugh near Mittagong

Leaving the Yobos and their Commodores behind we headed up to Richmond. I dunno what was in Hugh's apple pie but he took the front here and absolutely gunned it! After passing through we rode passed the RAAF base, through Windsor and onwards towards Cattai Ridge. After 365km my legs decided that they had finally had more than enough for one day. They felt like lead and would scream every time I would jump out of the saddle on a climb. After the grind up Cattai Ridge I had one final gel and we pressed on into thickening smoke from the back burning over in the Kuring-gai NP.

Finally we made it over the Wyldsberg and pulled up alongside Andy's cafe with 15km to go for one last breather. We both cracked out our secret weapon, Grandma's Favourite Chocolate Custard which we promised Howard we would save for the bitter end! It was delicious but certainly more of a mental boost than anything else. We descended into the freezing Galston Gorge and crawled up the other side. We looked at the clock and used every last sap of energy to get back in under 19 hours and 30 minutes rolling into Hornsby Police Station with approx 20 seconds to spare!

An absolutely awesome but shattering day, the final 15km ride home was an ultimate struggle despite being mostly downhill. A big thanks to Hugh for the ride and sharing the journey and as always, to Howard and Bec for organizing yet another fantastic day


Strava GPS Data.

With Hugh at the finish after breaking 19.5 hours
for the 400km
 

Monday 29 July 2013

Jabulani Challenge Trail Marathon 2013

What an awesome day at the Jabulani Challenge with perfect conditions for trail running in one of the nicest parts of Sydney. Bel, Paul and I met at the Bobbin Head top gate at 6:30 and cruised down to the start/finish area in B's car.

Paul and I had signed up for the 43km event and B has doing her first ever first trail running event in the 12km.

Settling into 3rd position early on in the race
We collected our timing chips and race numbers and prepared for the run. After a short briefing we were quickly underway. Paul had a few dramas at the start and started a minute late. I wasn't too worried cause I knew we would catch up soon enough.

I settled into third position as we made our way onto the Gibberagong trail. The pace was higher than I would have liked but I was keen to run hard today and see what happened. We reached the first big climb and I decided that the pace was suicidal so I dropped back into a hike whilst the other two ran away up the climb. After the climb it flattened out for a while until reaching Wahroonga and then taking the turn onto the fire trails over to Turramurra.

Paul flies on descents and sure enough it wasn't long before he caught up. I enjoyed the company briefly but Paul was quick to move to the front and do the pace making. We were hammering on the fire trails at 4:30/km pace. I knew it was too fast but I wanted to try and hold onto Paul as long as possible.

Cruising with Paul on the Marrua
Firetrail at the 16km point
As we reached Turramurra it decided that it was silly to hold on any longer and fell off the back. About a kilometre later I caught up to him as he had stopped at the aid station to top up on fuel. We made our way together along the Marrua fire trail towards the lookout. This section was an out and back. I was ok on the flat section but fell behind on the descent down to the lookout. The view from the lookout was awesome although I only got to enjoy it for a second. I touched the turn around sign and the started making my way up the climb.

It was great seeing the other runners coming back the other way although some of the folk coming up behind looked stronger than I felt. I made it back along the fire trail and caught Paul again at the aid station. We cruised along together for a kilometre or so before he dropped me for good on the descent of the Sphinx trail.

I made it to the bottom and the was quickly onto the Warrimoo trail climb. I slogged it up here but I could tell I was really on my last legs. I made my way behind the houses and down the big descent into the Kuring-Gai Wildflower Gardens. There was another big climb here and it was were I really started to fade. I finally lost sight of Paul as there was simply no climbing strength left. I walked to the top and then hoped onto the bike path. It's a smooth path and it allowed me to keep the legs turning over. I hit the aid station and started the short out and back along the fire trail.

Descending the Sphinx Track at the
24km mark
The inevitable soon happened as one of the fresher guys passed by me. I saw Paul as he made his way back the other way and wished him luck for. The last 15km or so. I deliberately hadn't looked at the distance covered the whole time and was relying on my course knowledge to judge where I was at. I was glad I went with that strategy as I was seriously in the hurt box and it would have been a little demoralizing to see how far was still to go.

I passed the turnaround and received a slight mental boost that from now on every step was one step closer to the finish. It wasnt long before the chick that was coming 5th passed by in the other direction. I was pretty worried because she still looked pretty strong. I hit the Mueller trail and made reasonable progress back towards Turramurra. It all feel apart completely on the final big climb. I was stumbling all over the place on the way up the climb and my vision was hazy and spinning. I thought I had been doing well with nutrition but decided to have two gels at once to see if that would do anything to help. I finally got to the top of the climb and got moving again. I hit the final descent on the Warrimoo trail back down to the river. My quads were trashed at this point so I was moving pretty gingerly. About halfway down the chick that was in 5th came flying by like I was standing still. It was pretty impressive to watch!

I had my second last gel at the bottom with 4km to go and 30 minutes left to make my target time of 4:30. It was gunna be tight. It was a great mental boost passing by the walkers that were doing the shorter distances as they all gave me words of encouragement. I was really moving well on the flat sections but had to walk anything with an incline. I dropped my last gel with roughly 2km to go. I managed to lift the pace a little and burst out onto the Bobbin Head Marina with 5 minutes remaining and 500m left to run. I knew I was going to make it but have it everything over the bridge and across the grass to finish with a time if 4 hours, 27 minutes and 36 seconds.


Absolutely shattered at the finish!

I am really stoked to have gone under 4:30. The course was much tougher than last years with heaps more climbing and some seriously technical sections. There is no way I possibly could have ran any faster. Bagging 5th spot too was pretty awesome! Paul finished in 3rd spot 4 minutes before me and was pretty stoked to make the podium. B also finished her first ever trail running event in the 12km in a tick over 2 hours which is pretty bloody good considering the almost the entire course was technical singletrack!!!

Thanks for a cracking day out guys. Looking forward to the next one!!!


Strava GPS Data.

Full Photo Gallery.

Monday 17 June 2013

Audax: Festum Prophetae 600km 2013




Riders listening to my ride briefing
Festum Prophetae or 'The Festival of the Prophet' is an annual celebration of the day that our Prophet and the greatest cyclist of all time Eddie Merckx was brought forth onto the Earth. It is a day where we mere mortals can lay homage to The Prophet by pushing our limits and exploring new territory.

Audax NSW celebrated Festum Prophetae with a plethora of different mixed terrain rides ranging from 200km, 300km and as far as we know, the first ever mixed terrain 600km in Australian Audax history!

A large group of 16 riders gathered in Hornsby under the cover of darkness whilst lighting checks were performed and brevet cards were handed out. Nine riders would be undertaking the 200km event with two tackling the 300km. Finally there were five brave (or stupid) souls lining up to tackle the 600km Odyssey including one rider, Jon Daniels on a 20km recumbent trike!

The field rolled out at 8 minutes past 6 and started making their way North along the Old Pacific Highway. It wasn't long before we passed the Pie in the Sky Cafe and started the descent down to the Hawkesbury River. After crossing over the Hawkesbury it's quickly on to the first big climb of the day up towards Mount White. Passing by the Road Warriors Cafe it was only a short stretch from there before we reached the Calga Interchange were the 200km riders would continue onwards towards the first checkpoint at Kulnura whilst the 300km and 600km riders would swing off towards Mooney Mooney Creek.

Settlers Road on the way to St. Albans
The 200km riders from here continued along the undulating road up towards Kulnura. After a short stop to refuel it was onwards towards Bucketty and the highlight of the day which was to be Settlers Road. Settlers Road is an old convict trail and includes a 35km stretch of dirt from Bucketty all the way south down to St Albans. It's a fantastic stretch of road through remote countryside. Initially the road heads through bushland before dropping down a big descent to the Macdonald River. The road then winds its way along the banks of the river through farmlands and small floodplains until eventually reaching the small village of St Albans. From here it's a flat 20km blast along the river banks down to Wisemans Ferry.

From Wiseman's it was onto the River Rd which is a favourite of many. Along the banks of the Hawkesbury until reaching Cliftonville and tackling the nasty climb up Cliftonville Rd. For most riders it was their first time ascending it and it certainly doesn't disappoint with an average gradient of over 11% for the first kilometre. Once cresting the climb riders made their way through Pitt Town, Dural and then finally up and over Galston Gorge before rolling into the finish. I am pleased to report that all 9 riders successfully completed the ride. A special mention goes out to Bill Parker who completed his first Audax 200km, you certainly didn’t pick an easy one mate!

The Minnesota Road closure
As the 200km riders swung off, Howard and I said farewell to Ricky and made our way through Mooney Mooney Creek and onwards towards the first checkpoint. Shortly before the stop at Wyong we got our first taste of dirt for the day on Old Maitland Road. It’s only a short section approx. 500m long but it is easily the roughest section of road on the entire route. Upon reaching Wyong with 84km covered we stopped for a brief break, taking on some chocolate milk and a blueberry pie. Tim left before us but Hugh decided to wait for Howard and I and we left in a group of three.

Shortly after the checkpoint we had our first and really only incident for the day. Swinging off the main road onto Minnesota Road we passed a road closed sign. This surely wouldn't be a problem given it was a mixed terrain ride. We pressed onwards only to discover that there was an excavation the size of a small open cut mine blocking our way. We spent 10 highly amusing minutes trying to walk across it and then around it. We managed to get through a locked gate and then realized we would have to contend with barbed wire fences. Eventually we came to our senses and decided to detour around it adding a few extra kilometres to the route. I would later discover that Jon had actually tackled and successfully traversed the barbed wire section with his 20kg recumbent, certainly an adventurous effort!

We continued our way North until finally reaching Morisett which is the northernmost point of the course. Swinging south we passed through Mandalong and onto the first proper dirt section of the day. It would take us on a gradual climb out of the Mandalong Valley and then a descent down towards Lemon Tree. After a while we were lucky enough to bypass a steamroller and enjoyed a beautifully compacted section of dirt before reaching Lemon Tree and following the countryside down towards the Yarramalong Valley.


Tim & Andy in the Mandalong Valley
The lunch stop at Yarramalong

Once we got back down to the Yarramalong Valley we were back on some familiar roads for the run down to the second checkpoint at Yarramalong itself with 160km covered. Tim was waiting for us here and said that Andy and Cam had only left a few minutes before we arrived having decided to not stop for a meal. That was certainly not our plan and we were quick to order home hot chips and a few other bits and pieces to refuel. After about 30 minutes or so we were back on the road but not before I grabbed an ice cream which I enjoyed over the next few kilometres or so.
Climbing Brush Creek Road

Cam & Andy on Murray's Run
We were fast approaching the section that I had stamped in my mind as the possible highlight of the entire route. After about 5km or so we hit Brush Creek Road which is a Category 2 dirt climb approx. 5km long with over 350m of altitude gain. The four of us slowly drifted apart as we wound our way up through the forest before regrouping at the top of the climb and the turnoff to Murray's Run. This is where we went our separate ways with Howard and Hugh continuing on straight while Tim and I made the turnoff onto Murray’s Run. It was a cracking descent down into the valley losing virtually all of the attitude that we has just gained. Once on the valley floor we were treated to a spectacular road that winds its way through farmlands down towards Wollombi and Laguna. This valley really was one of the highlights of the course with a mixture of sealed and unsealed roads, the odd cattle grid and beautiful scenery. It of course eventually had to come to an end when we reached The Great North Road and swung south again. The climb here is long and steep and proved to be a real challenge with almost 200km covered now and the legs starting to feel some real fatigue. Tim disappeared up the road as I tried to maintain a steady rhythm and save the legs for the remaining 400km!

Shortly after cresting the beast we hit the biggest section of dirt of the whole ride along Settlers Road. We stopped at the start to get a few photos but were anxious to get underway quickly in the fading light. This section between Bucketty and St Albans is a true dirt extravaganza with climbs, descents, corrugations, cows, bridges and potholes.... yes I did say cows! Slowly but surely day made the transition into night as we continued along. Despite the fading light and rough road we made surprisingly good time along this section averaging just over 21km/h. In fact, I was quite surprised when St Albans materialized out of the darkness thinking that we still had quite a ways to go. All of the 200km riders successfully traversed this section many hours before us along with Howard, Hugh, Cam and Andy also making a successful passage. It did however claim its one and only victim several hours after we had passed through. Jon Daniels was making the passage down towards St Albans when one of the eyelets in his seat cracked. The bungee cord then proceeded to tear through the seat which meant he was virtually sitting on the frame. He was forced to slow dramatically as the rough surface and corrugations were jarring and uncomfortable to say the least. He was lucky enough to pass by one of the remote houses along the road whilst they were having a late night party. They were kind enough to donate him a pillow so he could continue with a little more comfort. Unfortunately however the damage was done and he missed the time cut at Wisemans Ferry. He abandoned his attempt there and made his way back to Hornsby via Old Northern Rd and Galston Gorge. Despite the disappointment of not finishing, it was still a huge effort covering over 300km of rugged terrain and riding for almost 24 hours!

Cows on Settlers Road just before dusk

Waiting for Webb's Creek Ferry
Just after we passed through St Albans we stopped for a brief photo op and then had a quick chat with a guy who was passing by in his car. He said that he was off for a quick beer at the pub after having spent a hard day working on a church restoration. He also had some good news for us in that he’d seen two cyclists pass by 10 minutes before. Tim was keen to lift the pace so we could try and catch up to them before the ferry crossing. A few kilometres down the road we passed by the drivers church which looked truly spectacular as the beautiful sandstone exterior was lit up by floodlights. Pressing on we made solid progress and eventually arrived at the Webbs Creek Ferry, pleased to see Cam and Andy waiting. A short ferry ride later we arrived at the third checkpoint Wisemans Ferry with 259km covered. Hugh and Howard were just preparing to leave and make their final run into the finish. We bid them farewell as we stopped for a quick breather and a food top up. Some salt and vinegar chips and bottle of coke later we were off into the darkness along Singleton Road, leaving only a few minutes after Cam and Andy.

We just cruised initially letting our stomachs settle after the food and letting our minds come to terms with the task that was still at hand. After 5kms or so we swung onto Laughtondale Gully Road for the climb up to the ridge. As the asphalt turned to dirt Tim began to chuckle. We were both starting to get a little loopy but I wasn't quite sure what he was laughing about. He was quick to explain, “Mate, that sign back there said narrow and windy gravel road with steep gradient. Use Caution... Its dark and we’re riding road bikes... This is stupidity at its finest”. We both burst into laughter as we started the climb and continued to laugh on an off virtually the whole way up to the summit. After a 25km slog along the Old Northern Road we turned off onto the short and steep climb of Wylds Rd before cranking our lights up to full blast for the high speed descent down to the Berowra Waters Ferry. After a quick trip over on the ferry we rode a steady tempo up the climb and enjoyed the run down the Old Pacific Highway into Hornsby.

Andy & I enjoying a late night Maccas Feast

The first loop was completed with 325km covered in just on 17 hours. On our way down the checkpoint at the McDonalds we stopped off at the start line where Tim’s car was parked. Hugh was waiting there, he and Howard had finished about 30 minutes before we arrived. We both restocked our jerseys with countless muesli bars and gels while sharing some stories of the last 100km or so since we had split up. He wished us luck as we left to head off to get some dinner from McDonalds. Tim and I were both extremely keen to try and get a decent meal in here but even more so, to get it done quickly and get back onto the road. It was a tough checkpoint mentally as all logical thoughts tell you to go home to bed rather than jump back onto the machine and head out for another 280km. We figured the longer we spent at the checkpoint, the longer we would have to talk ourselves into stopping. Some hot chips, more coke and a burger (if you could call it that) later we were on our way again, rolling out at 23:45.



Tim lovin a 2:30am Mrs Mac's Servo Pie
The four of us were finally in a group and the cruised along together through Pennant Hills, Cherrybrook and Dural before reaching Annangrove Road and heading out into the countryside once more. It felt good to be past the point of no return as there were now no real options for stopping even if we wanted to. Every now and then we would crest a hill and be treated to nice views of Sydney as a whole with street lights stretching out as far as the eye could see. Passing through Windsor we made our way onto the always enjoyable Cornwallis Loop. It’s normally quiet through here but it was completely silent in the wee hours and an extremely enjoyable section. Slowly but surely we entered the outskirts of Richmond and made our way towards the 24 hour McDonalds. There was a rather large group of unpleasant looking people lurking around so we decided we might be better off heading over to the petrol station instead, arriving at 2:27am. We had now made a decent start on the second loop with 380km covered. I decided to go with what was becoming my usual salt and vinegar chips and coke while Tim was extremely brave and went for the 2:30am Mrs Mac’s Servo Pie! As was becoming the norm, Andy and Cam left a few minutes before us so once we rolled out Tim hit the gas and I tucked in behind.

We hammered along Castlereagh Rd trying to catch them and were completely amazed that we didn’t seem to be making any ground up on them. Even on long straight stretches we couldn’t see them up ahead in the distance. It wasn’t until a few days later that we found out they had taken a wrong turn almost immediately after the checkpoint and we had passed them straight away. That would unfortunately be the last that we would see of Cam and Andy for the rest of the ride. We cruised through Penrith and Emu Plains and eventually made our way onto the freeway for the climb up to Lapstone. As most riders would know the shoulder at the top section of this climb is ridiculously narrow and I didn't want to send anyone that was silly enough to ride without a sleep break up it in the dark. As such we turned off halfway up the climb at the Lapstone exit and made our way through the backstreets up to Glenbrook. Wow! It was a much harder route than the freeway with ups and downs, the ups being in excess of 15% on many occasions. We slowly ground our way to the top and hopped on the Great Western Highway out towards the next Checkpoint at Springwood. We arrived at the 24 hour BP at approximately 4:58am with 425km under the belt. I decided to mix it up here and opted for an iced coffee as well as dropping my one and only caffeine pill. Despite hoping for a quick stop here we were both fatigued and it ended up taking us just shy of 30 minutes to get underway again (It also possibly had something to do with the fact that it was 4 degrees outside and toasty warm inside).
Andy & Cam's bikes at Glenbrook

Tim crossing the weir at Wheeny Wheeny Creek
The next hour and half or so were by far the toughest mentally. Fatigue was really starting to set in and concentration levels were dropping quickly. Even our sense of humour was starting to wane. The road seemed to pass by underneath us in an almost hypnotic fashion. The only real highlight was the truly epic view of Sydney’s lights from the Hawkesbury Lookout. We plunged down the steep switchbacks of Hawkesbury Road and onto the banks of the Nepean River and crawled our way to North Richmond and started the climb up to Kurrajong. As we started the climb at long last the sun began to crest over the horizon. Light began to flood the valley and we both began to feel instantly refreshed. Cresting the climb we stopped at the bakery that had only just opened its doors. We indulged in a coffee and quiche and although both very very far from gourmet they certainly warmed our insides and gave us a fresh burst of energy to carry on. Departing Kurrajong we made our way onto Comleroy Road for what was to be a pretty epic section of dirt.

The climb out of the Wheeny Creek Valley
As we entered the Wollemi National Park we hit the dirt at last and plunged down a huge descent into the Wheeny Creek Valley. There is a beautiful picnic area at the bottom by the creek which we passed through. Shortly after the picnic area we crossed over the creek at the ford and began the category three climb out of the valley that is entirely dirt. We were having a total blast heading up the climb and got pretty carried away with our photography managing to get some pretty cool shots. Virtually as soon as you crest the climb you commence the super rough descent down to the Colo River which we took pretty easy. At the bottom of the descent my Garmin died which was a bit of a pain as we lost the cues for the rest of the ride. Whilst I knew most of the route off by heart there were a few sections between there and the finish where it gets a little complicated. The ride along the river is always enjoyable and it passes by Camp Somerset which I remember well from my days as a scout. Passing under The Putty Road we commenced the final 10km stretch of dirt. It winds its way along the banks of the Colo River before one final dirt climb up to Lower Portland Road. Once over the climb we turned on the gas and absolutely hammered it down to the checkpoint at Sackville. 517km in the bag and it was time for one final rest stop. We had both been craving some chocolate so grabbed a coke and a chocolate bar. After about 15 minutes or so we were on our way. As we left I grabbed an ice cream to eat on the ferry which is only 1 kilometre down the road.

Charging on the final section of dirt
After our third and final ferry crossing on the Sackville Ferry we climbed away from the river only briefly before making the turn onto many people’s favourite, The River Road. As always it was an enjoyable run through the countryside until we reached Cliftonville Road. Tim stopped at the bottom and said “mate, you have to be kidding me”. I just laughed as it was the only emotion that I could manage at that point. We started grinding our way up the brutally steep gradient. All I could do was laugh at the steepness of the climb and how buggered we both were. Tim was quick to point out that there was nothing funny about the situation whatsoever but nonetheless we pressed on. A few outbursts of laughter later we crested the beast and made the turn towards Pitt Town. This section was an absolute nightmare with the Garmin out of action as there are just roads going everywhere in every direction. We stopped briefly at just about every intersection to check the map and even managed to stuff up on one occasion heading almost 5km in the wrong direction before realising what had happened. We were both well and truly in a low patch at just wanted to get this thing over and done with. Finally we made it to Kenthurst Road for the long, slow, never-ending, 14km drag up to Dural. After what seemed like hours we passed through Dural and really started to increase the pace with the finish line within our grasp!

The home stretch

We cruised through Galston and started the final descent into the depths of the Gorge. This was a moment I had been looking forward to for 10-15 hours. It is the final climb for so many of our rides and holds many good memories. Once I hit the bottom of the climb I settled into a steady rhythm and began to reflect on what had transpired over the last 30+ hours. It literally felt like a week had passed since we rolled out the morning before. So many tough moments had occurred where the task at hand seemed impossible. This was coupled with so many awesome moments of laughter with mates, beautiful scenery and the ultimate high of pushing through those low patches and coming out the other side. Feelings and experiences that for me sum up the true spirit of Audax! Cresting the climb I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as we cruised along the final few kilometres into Hornsby. We reached the Hornsby Police Station and stopped the clock at exactly 4:00pm. 613.3km, with 80+ km’s of dirt and a monster 10,811 metres of vertical ascent covered in 33 hours and 52 minutes.

Andy and Cam would also go on to successfully complete the 600km at 8:33pm after having stopped for a brief sleep break in Glenbrook. I am extremely happy with the success of the ride and would like to thank each and every rider that took part. I am glad that everyone had such a good time and I can't wait to see everyone again next year.

Happy Birthday Eddie Merckx! The Festival will return next year so we can once again pay homage to the great man and our Prophet:

Saturday the 14th and Sunday 15th of June, 2014