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Return to Racing
It’s been a couple of months since my last blog but I can assure you plenty has been happening. I got the all clear from my arm surgeon on the 5th of March to start riding again. His only condition was ‘don’t crash’. I’ve managed to stick to this request so far.
With just over 6 months off the bike, it was important that I didn’t try and do too much too early. Through the guidance of Anthony Shippard, I have managed to progressively increase the miles and intensity over the past two months to a level that is now acceptable to me. I think one of the hardest things about getting back on the bike was coming to terms with the fact that I’m not as quick as I use to be… yet! If it took me 14minutes to climb Bobbo, then so be it. It’s just another step in the journey.
Last week it was time to step up and complete two function threshold power tests. A 5 minute test and a 20 minute test. Unsure of what to expect, the goal was to push out some consistent watts and set a new base figure in which to improve on. I am pleased to report that both tests are approximately 75% of my old FTP test results. Not bad given the recent events.
A couple of months ago I set a goal with Joe from Chocolate Foot, that I would be making my comeback at round 1 of the Sram Singletrack Mind Series. It may have seemed a bit farfetched at the time but without aspirations, there can be no direction in life.
On Sunday in Orange, that goal was achieved. I rode in a team of 3 with my good mates Simon and Mark O. The whole aim of the weekend was to just get out there, ride our bikes and have plenty of laughs along the way. As always Joe and the Chocolate Foot crew put on a fantastic event. Having not ridden in Orange before, and only hearing great things about the track, I was keen to sample what the trail fairies had built for us all.
What a great track! Set amongst the pine trees, this track had it all, fast flowing berms, rocky outcrops, doubles and a sweet downhill to the transition area. I was aboard a borrowed Specialized Epic Evo R and I have to say this rig rocked! I was able to hit some respectable laps times on the day and thoroughly enjoyed my time back in the saddle. We ended up 5th in our category.
Thanks Chocolate Foot for the photo!
As I write this blog, I have just had another date with the operating table. Yesterday my tibial nail was taken out, everything went smoothly and I should hopefully be back on the bike in a week or 2.
Tibial Nail - Your work here is done!
So it’s onwards and upwards from here. I plan to race the newly formed Real Insurance NSW state series, the last 3 rounds of the XCM series and the Sram Singletrack Mind series. It’s been just over 8 months since the accident but things are all coming together now. So many thank you’s to convey to my girlfriend, my family, my great friends, supporters and sponsors. The cycling community is one big family and one I am proud to be involved with.
Until next time, get out there on your bikes and have fun, stay true to your word and do what makes you happy!
Accident, Rehab and Future
So this blog has been a long time coming. As you will all know, on the 25th of August 2011, I was involved in an accident whilst riding in France. I can’t go into the details of the accident as we still have our insurance pending. I will however try to document the road to recovery.
The accident happened on the Col de la Bonnette in the French Alps. I was air lifted to Gap hospital where Fiona and I spent the next 5 weeks. My list of injuries included a compound fracture of my tibia and fibula, smashed ulna, broken back, broken ribs, puncture lung, severe road rash, minor head trauma and damage to the nerves in my neck, arm and leg. I underwent 3 operations within 36 hours of arriving at the hospital. The first was to fix my leg. They inserted a tibial rod and left the fibula to fuse together as it was. The next was repairing the broken arm with plates and screws and the final operation was again on my leg where they had to perform a fasciotomy. A fasciotomy is a limb-saving procedure used to treat acute compartment syndrome.
On a positive note, I remember very little from the accident and the first few weeks in hospital. Unfortunately for Fiona, she had to live through the whole process and try to interpret the issues through broken English and the university of Google. The doctors and nurses at Gap hospital were very kind; however the language barrier was very challenging at times. A special mention and thank you must also go to Francoise. Francoise is a doctor from Switzerland, who was riding his motorbike that day and arrived on the scene not long after the accident occurred. He went to work stabilising me, calling for the helicopter and comforting Fiona.
Fast forward a few weeks and we were finally home. The trip was quite long but it was such a relief to be finally back. People could finally understand what we were saying and I was just looking forward to seeing some doctors who could fully explain what’s happening. Within the first 3 days of being home, I had seen all the best specialists thanks to Mark and Scott Newman. At first glance my arm appeared fine and my leg had been fixed well but the nerve damage had caused ‘Foot drop’. I started physio pretty much straight away. The main focus was to try and correct the foot drop otherwise more surgery would be required.
Tibial Rod
After a good number of weeks I got the all clear to stop wearing my back brace. Following all the CT’s, MRI’s and X-Rays, it now felt worthwhile to be free of that brace.
During November, my schedule was pretty full attending physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and hand therapy. Unfortunately the intensive physio had not improved my foot drop and it was time to go under the knife once again. The procedure was to lengthen the tendons to my toes and also to cut and lengthen my Achilles tendon. The operation went well and my foot and toes were now back in the neutral position.
Things kept ticking along slowly. Unfortunately there is no fast tracking this rehabilitation caper. In early December my arm still wasn’t feeling quite right. We booked in to see the specialist and he sent me for another CT. Case confirmed, I had a non union in my arm which required further surgery. With Christmas looming; I asked if he could fit me in before the festive season. I was lucky enough to be squeezed in on the Monday before Christmas. The operation went well; the doc took a four centimetre bone graft from my hip and placed it in my arm. I spent two nights hanging out with the very multicultural nurses at The San and then it was home to recuperate. I’m still in my cast at the moment and will find out on the 23rd of this month, how the bone growth is progressing.
Arm take 2
The journey has been a testing time in my life and for those surrounding me. Amongst all the rehab one thing has made the definitive difference, that’s accepting the present moment for what it is and acknowledging what lies ahead. It has been great to know that I have the support of my family and great friends. A special mention and thank you to Fiona who has given up most things (except chocolate) to look after me. I can’t see the end of the tunnel quite yet but there is definitely a shimmer of light. I am looking forward to the day of jumping on my bike and feeling the wind in my face again, sooner rather than later I hope.
Euro Tripping
Living it up here in Europe…so much to tell, so little time with all these bergs to climb! I’ll give you a few of the highlights below.
School boy error #1 – jumped into the right hand side of the car to find there was no steering wheel!
Verona – Our first stop…seriously what’s this attraction to all this old stuff? First there was some crumbly old amphitheatre and then Romeo and Juliette’s balcony; personally I preferred to sample the local delicacies…Pizza and Gelato!
Nigra Passo – The first few kilometres where a pretty rude introduction to riding in Italy. Fiona happily drove past me, later saying she was worried I wasn’t going to make it…not that she stopped to make sure I would get to the top. At 1700m elevation, I stumbled across a golf course..what the? Fiona parked in Canazei and then rode back until we met and then we rode back to Canazei together. We checked out the local bike shops, deli’s and patisseries. Then we headed down to the local park…it’s interesting what happens when a resort town embraces the cycling community and the summer season. Canazei has MTB Skills Park, kilometre after kilometre of MTB and road rides as well as heaps of activities…did somebody say downhill grass scooters?
Fiona: Sella Ronda – To say I was a little bit nervous was an understatement, my first BIG ride…31kms of climbing…and once you start the only way to stop is to ride out of there. The first climb was 12kms, the first 6kms were ok, the next 6kms the gradient kicked up and held steady. Garry came flying past me at about the 8.5km mark (he started 15 mins later to give me a head start!) It was a good feeling to reach the top, we descended and then started the climbing the Gardena, the easiest of the 4 climbs, only 6km and not super steep. The Campolongo was another nice 6km, this is where Garry headed off to the Fedaia and I was left to tackle the Pordoi, the longest 9kms of my life! I was quite tired by this stage but I just kept ticking over the legs willing for the top, trying to take my mind off it by looking at the gorgeous scenery! Finally I got there and started the 12km decent into Canazei…tired but quite proud to have completed the Sella Ronda!
Garry: Sella Ronda (minus Pordoi) plus Fedaia – Just like Sydney’s 4 gorges ride…only much more awesome, I mean who wouldn’t want to descend for 20kms? And then there is the scenery – OUT OF CONTROL! Wherever you look there is towering limestone rock faces and rolling green hills. One of the highlights was riding tempo up the Gardena when I passed a random euro and then he attacked me. I was like WTF…? I think he muttered something like “I’m not taking that from an Aussie!” Naturally I attacked him back and he sucked my wheel all the way to the top… I asked him if his name was Jon Leighton?
The descent to the bottom of the Fedaia was sick! Although the memory was soon erased as I started climbing the Fedaia, the start was kind of tame, before Mr Fedaia unleashed 5kms of 12%. I then heard a murmur “Is that all you got?” when it then kicked up to 14%, then had a little break with 10% before the final kicker at 16% to really finish the legs off. The decent back down into Canazei was again just like Berowra Waters…just 100 times better! The ride finished with the obligatory Pizza and Gelato.
Euro drivers – It seems that road rules don’t apply here, you can chop someone, be on the wrong side of the road, speed, yet everyone is super courteous…especially to bike riders!!
Tomorrow we are looking forward to riding the famous Passo Stelvio and then a couple of days mountain bike riding in Livigno before heading down to Como.
Husky 50K’er
I was feeling pumped for this event for many reasons. It was the event I had been training towards and my final event before I jet set over to Europe for a month for riding/holidaying.
Saturday night left me pondering if I should change tyres after the constant rain for a few hours. With a little reassurance from the boys, I kept the Kenda’s rolling.
I usually give you a brief rundown of how the race went but the video below sums things up pretty well.
I will however touch on a brief discrepancy. The race timing is conducted by timing mats. Basically you clock in and clock out of the race. I rode with Andrew for 99% of the race and consequently won in a sprint finish. On reflection the times show that Andrew had a covered the race distance 3 seconds quicker than I did. It seems that it does pay to roll out at the back of the bunch.
I look forward to a break now from the day in, day out training I have become accustomed to. I am hanging in there for some warmer weather and upon my return will be ready to knuckle down and get set for the National Series.
Thanks to my sponsors and supporters as always, Cannondale, Turramurra Cyclery and ELOAD Sports Nutrition!
3 Ring Circus
Clowns, unicycles, fierce racing and ‘The Wall’, the 3 Ring Circus hosted by Wild Horizons had it all.
With a week to go before the Husky Enduro and coming off a solid block of training, the 3 Ring Circus was great to see where the legs were at. A crisp and clear morning in the NSW Southern Highlands greeted the riders as they arrived at Wingello state forest.
The chilly start was soon a distant memory as the racing hotted up only 900 meters in, when Matt Fleming launched the first attack. A few half hearted moves, some chaos through the wide open fire road corners but Matt was still up the road. As we dropped into the first piece of single track there was still quite a big bunch which was soon diminished when we hit the famous climb, ‘The Wall’. Once we crested the top, the chase group of Dylan Cooper, Andy Blair, Shaun Lewis and myself set out in search of Matt Fleming. We flowed through the single track and once we hit the open fire road, Troy Glennan motored back onto the group.
Coops rode away in the final single track of the second loop, perhaps it was his ability to smash the terrain and not think about changing gears?
I headed through the start/finish line and took on a fresh bottle of ELOAD and an ELOAD Gel. Not much happened until we hit the deciding climb with 8km to go. Blairy and Lewie put some time into me over the top and I put some time into Troy. With 5km to go I could see all the riders ahead on the long fire road through the fields. I put my head down and gave it everything to try and catch the boys in front. I don’t know whether it was the 29’er, the extra 12 inches of legs or the face paint, but Big Troy steamed past me like a tiger hunting his prey.
I came across the line with 6th place overall and 2nd in Open Male, man these old guys know how to ride. Overall, I’m very pleased to be riding in the front bunch once again!
A big thanks to Wild Horizons for a great event. Also to Cannondale, Turramurra Cyclery and ELOAD Sports Nutrition for all support. And last, but definitely not least to Fiona for her support.
In other news, I recently attended a community trail clean up for the new tracks at Hornsby. Get behind these trails and we can hopefully have another cool riding spot in Sydney!
This weekend is the Husky Enduro and once again I’ll be racing in the 50km category and hope to bring you great results next week!
Rocky Trail GP 4 – Awaba
Rocky Trail GP 4 – Awaba
It’s been a little while since I last unleashed the trusty Cannondale in anger. My last race was the Dirtworks Classic back in May, so I was fired up to get amongst it once again at the Rocky Trail GP 4 hour at Awaba on the weekend. I have been a little conservative with my racing this winter as my goals are set on the National Series. With my trip to Europe only four weeks away now, I am going to pack in as much racing as time allows.
An early start was on the cards for the trip to Awaba and the van was packed with everything but the kitchen sink. The weather was looking unkind as I headed off to pick up ‘The Lopper’ but the clouds soon parted as we arrived at the fast and flowy Awaba track. The ground was a little damp but this made for optimal traction.
I was riding in the ‘4 hour pairs’ event with True Swain. We had some hot competition in the form of Trenton Day and Cameron Ivory, who have recently returned from a stint in Europe with the Australian U23 team. I was first up and made a great start for us. Trenton was on my wheel as we picked our way courteously through the slower 8 hour riders. The track was a little slippery over the back but there’s nothing more I like than getting my drift on!
I completed my lap and sent True out to sample the delights Awaba has to offer. I took the chance to chill out and down some ELOAD to ensure I was pumped for my next lap. As the laps went on we lost a little time to Trenton and Cam but the biggest blow was True scoring a flat tyre on his second lap, unfortunately that’s racing. We soldiered on to ensure we locked in 2nd place for the day.
Many thanks to Rocky Trail Entertainment and associated sponsors, for putting on a great event once again. To True for stepping up to the challenge and of course the guys at Cannondale, Turramurra Cyclery and ELOAD Sports Nutrition who always keep me on the track hassle free!
Here is also a short vid of the start, thanks to my new Contour+
http://contour.com/stories/rt-gp4-opening/embed?map=false&width=600px&height=337px
World Trail’s in my backyard!
Glen Jacobs from World Trail is building a new MTB park in Wahroonga. Check out this vid! Yeow!!
Welcome aboard ELOAD Sports Nutrition
Well it’s the long weekend here in Sydney and those plans of epic rides under the winter sun have been washed away with the constant rain. Why is it that all out holidays seemed to have been wet this year?
On the plus side, I managed to get in some training and prep my bike ready for next weekend’s Husky enduro. The weather is supposed to be quite wet all week, so time will tell if the event will actually go ahead.
The other agenda item for me this weekend, is to announce that I am now being supported by ‘e Load Sports Nutrition’. E Load is an excellent source of energy while out on the bike and with other products in the range such as ‘e Load Fly’, the energy source is infinitely customisable. It doesn’t stop there however, once your exercise is done, it’s time to knock back an ‘e mend’ to start that road to recovery.
Stay tuned for an update after the Husky enduro. Lets hope the weather holds out and i can get another solid race under my belt.
Don’t forget to check the E LOAD products at endurancestore.com.au
Dirtworks Classic NSW
After a week of solid rain, the Dirtworks Classic for 2011 was set to be fought out in the mud of St Albans and surrounding areas. Race morning greeted all competitors with a little fog at first but this soon made way for a great sunny day.
I was entered in the 50km event and keen to see how the legs would shape up after a couple of weeks off the bike to rest and recuperate.
After a good warm up, I went to the line settled in next to Perren Delacour. Pez was going to be the main competition for this race, so it was best to get tabs on him early. The roll out down the bitumen for the first 10 km was pretty sedate. I think most riders knew what was to come. The first climb was steep and wet but still in good condition after all the rain and the 100km competitors. I got in my rhythm and tapped out the pedal strokes in search of the top. The once large peloton had now diminished to just 3 riders. We worked together along the top of the ridgeline to stay away from the chasing riders and increase our lead. At about the 25km mark Pez and I were pushing the pace along and soon it was down to two. We worked together, having a chat in places and were soon at the final descent. We let loose on the descent catching some big air, like the moto days! The descent really made all that climbing worthwhile.
We hit the road into St Albans and still had a clear lead from the chasing riders. We knew we had to swap off in order to maintain our advantage. I thought to myself how am I going to roll a man with ‘such experience’. Pez and I have raced and travelled together many times, so he already knew all the tricks in my bag. In the closing stages, it was evident that it was going to come down to a sprint. Pez made a small attack with 500m to go, but I wasn’t letting him get away that easily. I covered the inside line and was setting up to take the final corner, when out of nowhere a car appeared on the course. After a little yelling from Pez and I , I slotted just in front of Pez as we passed the car with 100 m to go. I rounded the final corner and opened up the legs in search for the line. I crossed the line nudging out Pez for the win.
It was great to come away with a win, aboard my Cannondale Flash Carbon Ultimate. The event was a great success in every respect from the organisers, to the competitors and the event sponsors.
I would like to thank my sponsors, Cannondale, Turramurra Cyclery and Hammer Nutrition. Also a big thanks to my coach, Pete, my girlfriend Fiona, and the Shippard-Fay family for their hospitality!
