So, due to peer pressure, I’ve now got a blog. Expect to see cycling ridiculousness, design and font nerdery, and pics of Max the kitty. Probably some other stuff too, I guess it depends on how much work I should be doing! 
Craig has been hassling me for more info re my bike riding lately.
Recently team SecretTraining (me, Cousin Andy and Ben) did the Holden High Country Cycling Challenge:. Basically, 230km over two days and climbing Mount Buller thrown in for good measure. My ride report from that day and my profiles follow 
It was a large and arse breaking ride, but the free endorphins were well worth the effort.
Since then, Ben and I have somehow become committed to riding the 8 most difficult mountains in Victoria (in response to this thread on Bicycle Victoria). So far we have done 2 on the list (Mt Buller and Mt Donna Buang), and we’re attempting Baw Baw tomorrow. Someone send an ambulance just in case!!
Tip for new players, avoid any ride with “Mount” or “Gap” or “Challenge” included in the name.
So here, have some profiles (for other cycling geeks out there), and my ride report from the Buller ride.
Hope everyone has a killer weekend, I know I will (thanks Ben).
Waffle mode on.
Congrats to everyone who did this ride - I think it’s a big thing to even sign up for something this scary LOL. I saw a few HHCCC jerseys out this morning, and I made sure I said hi (was a cracking pace for a “recovery” ride!!).
This was surely the most well organised ride I have been on: lots of water stations (”swap and go”, what a great idea!!), fantastic quality kit, good signage, lots of support at the end of each of the stages, and showers on Sunday! Fantastic!!
Thanks and hello also to fellow spokes girls too - a great jersey, and good to have someone saying hi/someone to say hi to along the way.
The weekend started out well - my mum had sent flowers to our team’s hotel, team SecretTraining (all 3 of us), which was such a lovely surprise, and our hotel had all you can eat pasta (we’re pretty sure they made a loss).
Well I had a lot of fun riding this event. I tried to keep a lid on it during stage 1, as I didn’t want to burn out and was very anxious still about getting up the hill in the afternoon. I was so nervous leading up to it that I felt sick sometimes LOL. Managed to get around for the nasty second loop in the morning, and back into Mansfield for a good lunch.
During stage 2 I was just trying to tell myself “it’s only 45km”, but boy was it a long 45 km. Felt good for a lot of the ride to the base of the mountain, still trying to keep a lid on it so I had enough energy to get up. My cousin was having really bad trouble with cramps in his legs (if I was him I would have stopped altogether!!!), but pushed on anyway which is just amazing. We were well into the climb when he was hit again, and had to stop (my brother in law (BIL) also pausing for a rest). I knew that if I stopped I wouldn’t start up again, and they told me to keep going so I made the hard decision to split our little team Sad
The little blue signs hindered as much as they helped (what do you mean still 12km to go!!! LOL), but after a while I felt I got into a steady rhythm and was almost enjoying myself. I guess I was sitting on 10-12kmph, with little bursts a bit faster on those two flat parts - I remember them well LOL there were only two. I was so happy to see the 2km to go sign, but I also knew this meant the hardest part was ahead. I was following about 10m behind another rider when I heard him groan as he rounded the corner, and I thought “Cmon, you can do it we’re nearly there!!”, willing him on. As soon as I completed the thought I rounded the corner myself and saw exactly what he was groaning at. Talk about adding insult to injury, the last bit was a real killer!
I’m not sure where I pulled it from, but I managed to get up that last bit and under the finish line. I was so filled with emotion and relief that I was sure I was hallucinating when the guy with the microphone said my name as I finished LOL (My hubby told him, was very sweet!). My brother in law finished not long after me, and my cousin came in (during the rain, poor guy) while I was having my massage - what a massive effort.
We made full use of the spa, pool and sauna at our hotel on Saturday night, and felt pretty good for the ride on Sunday morning. BIL opted out of the Sunday ride, he said that for him the main challenge was making it up the mountain which is fair enough. Myself and my cousin set out at a leisurely 8.30 for the descent and Jamieson ride.
The descent was a gas - I really felt like we’d earned that bit of fun. We got a bit of a tow to the Jamieson turn off from a guy who was going straight to Mansfield (a clever man indeed). I felt the Sunday ride was almost as tough as Saturday. I’d spent so much energy focussing on the climb that I barely thought about the 120km on Sunday, and the hills to Jamieson were a lot more than I was expecting - I DON’T remember seeing them in the brochure LOL. I remember looking at the profile and thinking “Roll down big hill, flat stuff, bit of a bump then Jamieson”. I guess decent climbs look little in comparison to Buller, but they certainly didn’t feel small. My cousin especially had a hard time as he didn’t pull up very well after his cramps. It was very tough mentally but we got there in the end. “Stuff Martin and his gap”.
So it felt great to do this ride - certainly my biggest challenge yet - and meet the goals I set out to meet. Got up the mountain without stopping, swearing or crying, and resisted the temptation to get wasted (1 pot screamer) on Saturday because “it” was over Wink This is a jersey we should all feel we really earned, just for being silly enough to try!! Again congratulations to everyone who participated and made it such a great, friendly weekend.
