ACE 2010 - Take 2

This year's Alpine was different from the start. The new ACE250 distance was a bit of a mystery and a challenge. I had a whole different feel.

My preparation was great until about the start of December when suddenly work, life and the whole wind-up of the year started to slow me down. Then right before Christmas I strained my back which didn't completely stop me riding but constrained every movement for nearly four weeks. My planned post-Christmas training never happened, new year came and went. I eventually got out for a couple of half decent rides.

Having failed to book accommodation in Bright, Endurogirl (EG) and I mapped out an elegant yet simple plan for the weekend:

1. Drive to Wangaratta on Saturday
2. EG to compete in Wang Track Carnival (nice work Track Princess)
3. Retire to Wang motel for a couple of hours sleep
4. Nancy to drive to Bright at 2am for 4am start
5. EG to race Wang CBD Crit
6. EG to ride to Bright to meet up after the ride.

This all ticked along beautifully until I drove the car and $15k worth of carbon bikes under a humongous concrete canopy at the motel in Wang. Crap! While both bikes survived relatively well, the saddles on each of them were disintegrated and mine has a suspiciously expensive looking crack in the frame where seat and top tubes meet. This hampered the track meet for the Track Princess as she didn't have a road bike for warmups/warmdowns and instead of looking after her between pushes, I was running around town trying to find a couple of decent saddles in a country town at 5pm on a long weekend Saturday. Thanks heaps to Manon from Rock and Road Cycles who literally ran to his car to get me to the shop and back between his races at the track.

Further the car had a very mangled roof, the racks didn't fit any more and a smashed rear window. Thank goodness for window tinting and gaffer tape. Eventually, emotionally exhausted I dragged myself into bed just before midnight with alarm set to go off in an hour and a half.....

At Bright nice and early, I bumped into Commander Phil at 3am. He did my light check while I sorted out how much food I could fit into my jersey pockets. By the time I rolled onto the start line my head was on fire with worries about the bike, the saddle and my state of mind. Fortunately I rolled right up alongside Matthew R and Peter M who got me thinking about actual riding so I was fairly calm by the time we started.

The ride out to Harrietville was very quiet and I just worked into a rhythm. As soon as we started climbing, Matthew started moving away ahead of me. Man he is strong on these hills. I just worked at finding a nice even pace that wouldn't hurt me for later. Approaching The Meg my bike started to develop a soft squishy feeling. Damn, the frame is failing. No, a slow flat.

At the base of The Meg, I peeled off the tyre, found the tiny piece of glass I'd picked up, and put the whole thing back together with a nice new tube in the dark by the light of the trusty AYUPs. Thank goodness for CO2 cartridges.

Back on the bike I warmed back up - on The Meg. Slowly getting back to a decent rhythm I started cutting a swathe through the riders who'd passed me. Yahoo, now I felt GOOD. Hitting 35kph on the false flat and carrying it on. Was I going too hard? It felt ok. Then within spitting distance of the top the the climb to Hotham - another flat. This one took a lot longer to fix, mainly due to searching in vain for the cause of the puncture and really cold hands. Subsequent inspection reveals that it was a faulty tube.

The decent to Dinner Plain and beyond was a huge trial. Wet with sweat and cold as ice I shivered my way down. The tiredness of lack of sleep was telling too. Wonderfully, I bumped into Michael B as he rolled in to the Dinner Plain stop. Not so wonderfully, in my addled state, I forgot to check in and then took off in chase to ride with Michael for a while. After chasing him for around 5km and not catching sight, I gave up at which point Michael caught up with me!

The decent continued to be a trial of cold and sweat but having Michael there to chat with made it much easier. I can't remember being happier to see a decent hill than I was when we finally reached the base of Jim & Jack and got warmed by the sun.

To be continued.

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