Gravel Grind and Sand Slide, Caloundra to Beerburrum

Text from Jenny. I laughed for a while.

Last Saturday didn't go to plan. So this Saturday I didn't have one. Other than ride my bike for a while and get on a train when I felt like it.

I didn't look at maps or timetables before I left, I reckon I saw enough of the whole area last weekend to be able to get through the forests. And it worked pretty well. I left Caloundra at around 10am, after helping Jenny pack the car and kids. I still struggled a bit to get around a large road works where Bell's Creek Rd crosses the highway, but by following forest trails in a generally southerly direction and hooking up with tracks I used on the way up I was able to make my way to Beerburrum. The majority of the ride was gravel forestry road but there were some beaut trail bike tracks that had loamy bits, woops, jumps, berms and lots of mud.

Give myself a tat.

 There was a minimum of bitumen. I clocked 47km, and had time in Beerburrum for a toasted sandwich and coffee before I got on the train.

Here is the link:


http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/599679281

When a 32km explore becomes a 83km dnf.

 

I had fun today. But the day certainly didn't all go to plan. I had mapped out a route that would take me through forestry roads from Beerburrum to Caloundra. Online cycle maps indicated tracks that would get me through and I was hopeful of a good start to our family holiday with a moderately adventurous morning spin on the Funstar.

The first adaption to the day's plan happened last night. When checking the Translink website to work out what time to get on a train to Beerburrum, I noticed some red alerts on the timetable. Track work, buses running instead. I didn't like the sound of that so I decided I would ride into Roma St and get on there. Another 20kms, a nice warm up.

I left at a good time. I had a good spin in, and made it to Roma St with 20 minutes before departure time. I asked some friendly Translink staff where I cold get a good coffee. They recommended a hole in the wall place across the road from the station, and I ordered a coffee and toasted sandwich. The friendly lady who served me assured me it would be ready in time for me to make my train. So I started waiting. And waiting. I knew it was an hour between trains and I was eager to get to Caloundra at about the same time as Jenny, to help her unload the car and to get the bikes off the roof.

Eventually the couple 3 orders in front of me collected their order. About 12 coffees! I picked my sandwich up off the counter and left, no coffee :(

Another friendly Translink staff member helped me get into the station, as I was finding it fairly futile trying to swipe my go card on a painted logo and not the actual card reader. I scanned the fancy timetable and started to get a bit (more) unsettled. (Really needed that coffee) platform 7 Caboolture @  8:04 platform 9 Nambour, Caboolture  express 8:00. It was 7:58. I carried the (not) featherweight Funstar up to platform 7, and then realised that Caboolture is before Beerburrum. And I watched my train depart from platform 9.

New plan. Ride from Caboolture to Caloundra. (Had plenty of time to think about this as the train stopped at all 22 stations). Only another 15km and I'm feeling fine. (Except for the no coffee headache).

Get to Beerburrum only an hour behind schedule. First foray into the forest didn't end well. Lots of ominous signs and machinery, before a guy in a D9 catapillar blocks my passage and tells me to go away. I futilely tried to ask if I could please just ride through the quarry, it's not like I could carry many of their precious rocks in my pockets.

I had better luck turning off Steve Irwin Way a bit further up, and for the next hour or so I was having a ball. Coochin Creek is a real hidden treasure, just off the motorway. The Funstar was absolutely eating the gravel and sandy roads. But then my first oh dear moment. The track I was riding had a dirty big fence and locked gate across it, with blah blah blah trespassers prosecuted blah blah blah. This could go badly, I thought. I had no idea how badly. Time to check some online maps. I found another forest road that cyclist had mapped. So I backed up a bit and headed east. When I got to the turnoff there was another gate and the same sign. These plantations are privately owned?

Advice dads should give, rule 29: always make the decision that makes for the best story.

So instead of giving up trying to get through to Caloundra on the east side of the highway, I made a cunning plan. Bells Creek Rd, which I was on, runs very close to Bells Creek in one spot. The Pelican Waters subdivision is just on the other side. As a little tacker I remember wading across Bells a Creek with my Uncle Lyn. We were pumping Yabbies.

But when I got to the Creek I found quite a wide, ominous watercourse. I thought I'd try and wade

across. Within 5 metres it was over my head. I swum across. Couldn't touch the bottom till almost the other side. I was in Caloundra, but the Funstar wasn't. And it had a flat tyre.

I swum back and rang Jenny. To ride from where I was, back to the highway, across the highway, through the a forestry and then up the Steve Irwin Way to Caloundra would be several more hours riding. We made a loose plan, she would unpack and then ring me to see where I was and then we'd work it out from there.

With my tyre pumped up and a great tailwind I flew back to the highway.  I had to backtrack to Roy's Road, and headed back into the forest trails from there. It started to rain. I'd had enough. Jenny and I arranged to meet at servo at the Mooloolah Valley Turnoff. We arrived at about the same time. The hot box chips that the kids and I shared sure filled a hole. 15km drive back to Calondra, defeated this time but very educated on how to actually gravel grind to Calounda. Pushing the Funstar with the big tyres wasn't much fun on the bitumen but the old girl was really at home on the forest roads. I rode past countless side trails that looked like future adventures.

August, a good month for riding a bike.

It’s been a while since I had anything much to say on this blog, and I still don’t. But I think I might jot down a quick recap of my rides during August. There is a fair bit of variety creeping into my cycling life and this month was particularly diverse. (I’ve been back on the bike since mid June after 12 weeks resting my wrist post surgery). 851km for the month.
 

1/08/2013, Thursday, Toohey Forrest, 15km, A spin around Toohey and a lap of Mt Gravatt on the funstar. This is a bike that I featured in an earlier bog (http://brucewez.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/a-day-spent-mucking-around-with-bikes.html) that got another make over for beginner CX/fun dirt road and commuter duties.
 

2/08/2013, Friday, Into City, 20km, On the funstar, for our anniversary weekend away.

  3/08/2013, Saturday, Redcliffe, 88km, On the funstar, great ride, able to stay with the bunch, went to Bicycle Revolution afterwards for new brakes and good advice.
 

4/08/2013, Sunday, New Farm Park, 22km, With Jenny! Had a picnic, great day. Beautiful weather.
 

7/08/2013, Wednesday, River Loop, 30km, Drove in, stayed for Brekky.

9/08/2013, Friday, River Loop, 30km, Jenny at Mater for small surgery, I went in with her and had a ride. Took the funstar again. A near miss with a car gave me a big fright and caused some serious thinking about how blessed I am to have this life.

10/08/2013, Saturday, Cleveland, 107km, With group 3, a bit steady, I had a fun sprint.

11/08/2013, Sunday, 20km, Samford Pony Express.

 

14/08/2013, Wednesday, Gravel Grinder, 77km back of Boonah, all day ride, lots of hills, I was pretty slow, the funstar is heavy for lots of climbing, Had a fantastic day.

 

 

 

16/08/2013, Friday, Stretton, 25km, Karawatha Commute

17/08/2013, Saturday, Sanctuary Cove, 143km, Rode in, had a great spin with quite a large bunch. 20 riders in all, Les met us there, a few took the train option on the return. I felt strong for the whole ride. It was a sensible pace, 25.4 avg overall, a light headwind to resist our trip home. Beautiful day.

 

21/08/2013, Wednesday, River Loop, 54km, Rode in, very small group on a freezing morning.

24/08/2013, Saturday, Moggill Ferry Loop, 117km, nice bunch of 7 for the extension, I was slow on the hills after Moggill

28/08/2013, Wednesday, River Loop, 28km, good spin on the funstar

29/08/2013, Thursday, Palara gravel road exploration20km, riding in upper Oxley Creek region, some good trails.

31/08/2013, Saturday, O'Reilly's, 55km, up to the Alpaca farm, rode with Les. Did a portion of a second lap, nice big group.

 

 

 

Hope I can keep this lifestyle going! Such good people.

Had a spin on the road bike this arvo. Only a couple of k's but enough to know that I'm pretty well ready for riding again.

Wrist is ok on the top bar and on the drops, I can even sprint in the drops, but the hoods (my most common riding position) puts a lot of weight through the heel of my hand. This is still uncomfortable, particularly as my wrist brace has a metal insert that runs into the palm of the hand. I have good strength for changing gears and braking. I have had a spin without the brace and it is more comfortable to grip the hood but I feel vulnerable to damage from vibration or a fall.

So I am good for a ride. Now to convince the powers that be. I'm back to my specialist on the 17th, hoping for a conditional ok then.

Grafton to Inverell 2013

Did not happen.

A massive weather event did, and a bike ride was the last thing that was going to occur in Northern NSW this weekend. Wisely the organisers of the event made use of weather watching technology and advice from relevant authorities and kept the registered riders up to date during the days prior to the event.

So when word came through on Friday morning that the ride was cancelled, it was no surprise. But it still gave me a strange feeling. I had planned and prepared, trained and shown uncharacteristic discipline in getting myself into physical shape capable of completing the ride. I felt ready in mind and body. 4 months of training, 18kg of weight loss. I could still be lighter, fitter, but I'd done what I'd set out to do, and now the culmination was taken from me. No doubt the other riders felt the same.

So.... as a riding friend put it, we made lemonade out of lemons. (Thanks Susie). Andrew Demack had done precise logistics planning for the event, with accommodation, transport and support all organised. Within 5 hours of the event being cancelled there was a new format, with loop rides from Noosa. 7 of the 8 GTI riders were still available, and the support vehicle would no longer be required. Which was a shame as the company of those good men would be missed.

We headed north from Brisbane to the hot and clear land of the eternal roundabout which is Noosaville. And food was eaten, bikes were ridden, more food was eaten and there was an abundance of craic.

Headding down for dinner, Noosaville

Andrew's Odyssey for the first day took us to Gympie and back via some little used country roads, some of which were dirt. We had more flats than Manhattan. This gave us plenty of opportunity to catch a breath (there were plenty of hills) and have a laugh. It took us most of the day to complete the 140km, and there were certainly some stiff bodies that made their way down to dinner on the river that evening. I found the ride very doable and was pleased to find myself mid-pack for most of the ride. My goal for GTI was to finish with the Southbank Bunch Group, and it seems I would have been capable of this.

Off we go, adventure calls

For Sunday's ride there was some threat of bad weather, but the 80km loop out to Belli Creek district (towards Kenilworth) remained fairly dry and the bunch enjoyed some great views from the numerous ridges that were ridden. A lazy morning tea was enjoyed at Eumundi and fish and chips on the Noosa River was a splendid way to finish up the time away.

Thanks to all the bunch for a really enjoyable weekend. Particularly to Andrew for his work in sorting accommodation and finances, planning rides, and then navigating them. Thanks also to the well-wishers who were cheering us on from the electronic sidelines.

Tonight as I try to reflect on what has happened, I have a mixture of feelings. I most strongly feel blessed to be part of the community that is the Soutbank Bunch. I feel content that we made the absolute best of unfortunate weather timing. And I feel uncertain of how I can keep my personal development of fitness and health going in the right direction. It seems I will soon have a lengthy period off the bike following surgery to my right wrist. In recent times I have seen some colleagues deal with this in noble fashion and I take inspiration from them.

When does registration for 2014 GTI open?

 

GTI Preparation

Why I am hopeful that I can finish the GTI with the SBB in 2013

I don't really care abut statistics but...

I have done marginally more km's but a fair few more hills. I am still a slug on hills but have found that I am finishing the longer rides quite strongly. The SSB team have also trained well and started from a higher fitness base than me, so it is still a pretty big task to stay with them. But I feel like I have really done all I could training wise this time, so I will have to just give it my best shot.

Statistical Comparison of GTI Preparation, 2009 vs 2013 (data for 15 weeks prior to event)
	2009	2013
Age	47	51
Mass	94	90
Km's in 15 weeks prior	2658	3245
Hill Rides
Mt Gravatt loops	3	7
Kenmore Hills Ride	0	7
Nebo	1	0
Cootha	1	1
Maleny	1	0
Tamborine	1	3
Mt Mee	1	1
O'Reilly's	0	2
Thighburner	1	1
Total Hill Rides	9	22
best avg for 3 laps Mt G	10:28	9:21

12 Month Review

On this blog a year ago I wrote:  Plenty of people have been writing about the uselessness of resolutions. Here is why I probably need to find some lifestyle change in 2012. (a graph was  included at this point, same as below but not including 2012 data). If I can keep the km going up, the mass will come down.

As can be seen from the new chart there has been a modest increase in the number of k’s, but a significant move in mass.

To drop 10kg in a year means that I must have found some lifestyle change. And I did. But I don’t think this chart tells the real story. I’ll zoom in on the last year, on a monthly basis. It looks like this:

 

I think this more accurately shows what has happened. Since the end of July I have not consumed alcohol. I was tired of feeling overweight and underpowered, and knew that I had to change something to make a difference. (Teachers say that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different answer). Everyone is different and there are different triggers to starting renewal in life, but for me, at this time, this is what worked.

 

For fitness and weight loss there is an obvious reciprocal benefit, weight loss = feeling like and being able to exercise more. For a time there is a compounding effect and it is a fun wave to ride. Motivation is high as benefits are tangible. People notice the change and I feel like I have more self-respect. Part of the compounding effect is that achieving small goals gives motivation to set larger ones. As cycling is my exercise of choice (more to do with who I do it with than what it is) I decided to put my name down for the Grafton to Inverell Cycle Sportif this coming February. It is a long hard ride. I did it once before and although I had trained for it, I found it a real killer and I could not keep up with my group. My goal is to complete the ride with the bunch in 2013. As the monthly graph above shows, I am clocking up some k’s looking for fitness and strength. At 93kg I am still a slow climber. I’m not sure if this is just physics, a mental problem, or that I need to wait longer for the benefits of my increased efforts to kick in (yes, it is probably all three).

The Grafton to Inverell ride is in late February, about 6 weeks away. Some time ago I set the goal of riding it at 85kg. Still heavy for a person my height but realistic in terms of what I believe I am capable of. I do not want to do the ride at 90kg+.

There will be readers of this who know how I can achieve this goal. There are obvious changes to the balance of products that I eat that would help, but this must be embedded in the ecosystem of our household and my ingrained attitude towards eating. For now, what I am doing is working and for the next 6 weeks I will be maintaining current habits.

I don’t believe in resolutions but occasionally we need a revolution. I seem to be having one now. It is difficult to conjure and sometimes it requires the perfect storm of events in our life to set us on the path. This may sound fatalistic but it’s not meant to.  Specific outcomes are achieved only by having a realistic goal, having a strategy to get there, and finding the determination to implement that strategy. Support of my wife and friends has been vital to me in this. So thanks!

I’m not there, I don’t know if I’ll ever get there, but I’m enjoying this ride. Life is about the journey, isn’t it?