2008 WORLD SOLO 24hr MTB CHAMPIONSHIPS
CANMORE, ALBERTA, CANADA.

Yes this is a bit late but the visions of this tough event are still etched in my head.

While packing my S-Works carbon Stumpy 120 Thursday night before flying out of Melbourne on the w/e, I noticed an issue with the rear seat stay. The guys from "The Freedom Machine" (Prahran) had a new seat stay delivered, from Specialized, installed and ready to go by lunchtime Friday. Sensational support from the team at TFM Prahran as always!

Upon arrival in Calgary, on Sunday, I started a 6-day program of hydration/ magnesium loading. This gave me 6 days prior to the race to acclimatize to the altitude (approx 1400mts at the Canmore Nordic centre) As it turned out this was NOT enough time to acclimatize as I could not get my heart rate up to within 15 beats of normal for the exertion.

Put my Carbon S-Works Stumpy 120 race weapon and alloy Stumpy 120 bikes together Monday morning and went for a light spin to check them both over. First impressions of the trails along the bow river in Banff (20mins west of Canmore) were "bloody hell it's so rough and ROOTY", not like back home.

Tuesday went to the race venue to do my first sighting lap of the course. On the fence around the start/ finish area was a heap of bright yellow signs with "CAUTION: BEAR IN AREA". Definitely gets you thinking of "what do ya do when encountering a bear on the track". In the days leading up to the race some of the other Aussies did have bear encounters while doing practice laps.

So headed onto the track and within 200mts came up along side the reigning female 24hr world champ, Rebecca Rusch, Specialized pro rider. Who happened to be riding a Specialized 2009 prototype S-Works EPIC that she had only had for a couple of days. This was the same weapon that has had rave reviews since Christopher Sauser won a world cup XC race on the prototype early in July.

My first thoughts were that dam this course is so tough. It deserved to be deciding the World Champs. To complete a 20km lap there was about 600meters of climbing, a lot of which was RRR.  (Rough, Rocky and ROOTY) The constant effort riding these technical climbs was relentless. Definitely by far the most scenic and toughest course I have ever ridden. And did I mention the most Rooty?

Thursday evening it bucketed down for hours so a lot of the course was soft and moist. Our pit area on sat morning was still a muddy slop with heaps of straw on the ground to soak up the water (I was thinking "I'm glad I will be out riding and not standing around in mud like my support crew"- little did I know what was in store for us all)

The start was well sorted as the 200 odd solo nutters were individually introduced to the large and very vocal crowd (the noise was deafening) and the atmosphere was electric. We were starting 15 minutes before the teams event (1500 riders). The gun went off, we ran a 1km loop (damm I hate that bit) and onto the bikes and off down into the town of Canmore for the prologue. Everyone seemed in good spirits, as it was mild, sunny and no one was trying to knock anyone else off before the 1st bit of single track like usual.

"Take it easy", "take it easy this will be about enduring this course" was what I was telling myself as I held back and settled into a steady pace. Just after the first rooty single track climb and someone fired a shotgun right behind me. No, my mistake, it was my front tire exploding completely off the rim. I pulled over to fix it as 1 long line of riders just kept going past. No sealant left, put tire on, hit it with Co2 cartridge and took off again (with heart rate to high) and was very paranoid of another blowout on the RRR decents. As time went on I forgot about the tire and thankfully had no other issues. All was good for about 5hrs till the "1st" of about 4 thunderstorms dumped a massive amount of water on us all in only about 20min. The next time through transition and my team and pit area was flooded. Yes I was wet through as well but at least I was still warm from exertion.

The rain made the RRR climbs super challenging. Put everything into it until you lost traction, then walk the rest of the climb was how it started. Then after more torrential storms the walking would begin at the bottom of most of the climbs. This is normal but it was very frustrating once I started walking some very muddy RRR level and even some downhill sections. There was just absolutely no control and when riders crashed constantly in front of you and you couldn't avoid piling into them it became more sensible to walk. It was a constant battle to stay on the track as slipping on the roots kept launching the bike off the track. The bottomless bogs were also getting longer and wider. I can recall stopping in the pits about midnight to put strapping on my ankles and long studs in my shoes as I was slipping and struggling to walk some of the steep hills. And did a 2hr night stint with a damaged non shifting rear derailleur (this just meant even more walking on this lap) Was feeling for my mechanic as I would give him an unrecognizable 20kg pile of mud and say "after you find the bike change the rear derailleur please" and then ride off on my momentarily clean other bike.

From about 11pm (riding next to the eventual winner of my age group) till 6am I slipped from 2nd to 5th place. Obviously I wasn't walking fast enough! Once dawn broke we could see a less energy sucking race line starting to form and by the time I completed my 12th lap the whole course was rideable again (except for the mandatory "hike a bike" new 300m section of single-track) It was a awesome blast to still be pumping solid and to actually "ride" that last lap. I put this down to the complete range of TORQ products that we were using and also the plush but efficient suspension set-up we achieved on the Specialized Stumpy120's. (the "Brain" fork/ shock valving works so seamlessly from solid pedaling platform to plush comfort for 24hrs)

From about 11pm (riding next to the eventual winner of my age group) till 6am I slipped from 2nd to 5th place. Obviously I wasn't walking fast enough! Once dawn broke we could see a less energy sucking race line starting to form and by the time I completed my 12th lap the whole course was rideable again (except for the mandatory "hike a bike" new 300m section of single-track) It was a awesome blast to still be pumping solid and to actually "ride" that last lap. I put this down to the complete range of TORQ products that we were using and also the plush but efficient suspension set-up we achieved on the Specialized Stumpy120's. (the "Brain" fork/ shock valving works so seamlessly from solid pedaling platform to plush comfort for 24hrs)

In past races we have used lots of different energy products and a mix and match approach to my energy needs. With the TORQ products it was very easy to work to our predetermined energy requirements for each lap. I found it very stomach friendly getting almost half of the carbs from the Energy product in my water bottles and not having to eat as much solid food as in the past. (great for after 12hrs in when your knackered and don't feel like eating anything at all) Post race I had my favorite TORQ product, the "Recovery" formula (banana flavor). In the days after the race it was very evident that I had in fact recovered far better than after any other 24hr solo race. Even went out mixing it up on the "locals" wed night ride in Jasper.

After the joy of being able to stop riding and put on some dry clothes (without a chamois) i was able to watch some of the other Aussies finish as age group and elite world champs and share in their elation at the end of a horrendously tough event.

After the mud dried the "Team Maroney" crew of myself, supportive wife Angela, Dean and Cate the sensational support staff, headed up to Jasper for a relaxing and well earned 2wk holiday.

I am patiently waiting for the arrival of the "full bling" Specialized 09 Sworks Epic. Now my focus is on the last race for this season, being the Kona 24hr, in Forrest at the end of November. Then I shall get a few nagging injuries sorted while giving Angela a rest from the race scene (until early next year)

Cheers
Carl

Lowan Otway Odyssey, 23rd of February, 2008

Perhaps Australia's Best 100km Mountain Bike Marathon.
Jeremy Dyson

 
To start on the Great Ocean Road in Apollo Bay was great. Hundreds of riders, bling bikes everywhere and a top 20 cyclists as good as I've seen in any Victorian MTB race. It had rained heavily the night before and it was still on and off at the start line. It wasn't cold, but there was a sense among the riders that it could be a long day out there.

Everyone enjoyed the first couple of kilometres, which was the flattest part of the entire race.  It wasn't long before the hills began and this year the riders were looking forward to the fact that the initial climb was on sealed road. Surely this year's course would be easie and for the initial half hour it probably was!
 
After a steep 10km we entered "private property" and that's where the mud bath began. There were creek crossings and steep hills, it rained a bit - but the main feature was simply mud! The ankle deep mud covered everyone.  Many back wheels simply would not spin because of amount of mud on them. Derailers were clogging up and trying to clip your shoe back into the pedals was an impossible waste of time, particularly because you'd be back off the rig off so soon. Ascents were often followed by steep descents on trails covered by ruts and leaf litter, where stopping or turning was near impossible and walking down was the only option for many.  
 

It's hard to know how long we were on and off our bikes up the mudslides. Some say three kilometre's, others say about an hour. Whatever the number it was long and by the 30 km mark every rider was covered from head to toe in mud, wanted a new bike and was asking the question "who's idea was this?" I hadn't trained extensively or specifically for the event, but if I had, I would have spent far too much training on my bike rather than pushing it up hills in the mud. Chris Jongewaard announced from the winner's podium that he too could not ride up those hills!  

As with the 2007 Odyssey, once it had broken you, it showed you what a mountain bike marathon was all about. From about forty kilometres the good stuff began. Great for most of us, though my mate Simon lost his derailer to a stick on the red carpet descent and his race was over, just as it was about to begin. One of about 200 victims for the day.
 
The new trails that had been included around Lake Victoria were awesome, lots of jumps and berms and a real addition to the course. Right at the time when your body was feeling a bit flat, the trails were there to keep you interested.
 

Getting in at 65km to the first transition was an awesome feeling. There was a sense that it was achievable now, despite the rough start to the day.
 

The Yaugher Loop, from 65km to 87km was superb! It was quite a long climb to get into the heart of the bush, but once in there, the trails were sublime! There were a few technical sections to keep the riders awake and with sweet flowing fast corners that made for a 'racers high'. Again this year, the Yaugher Forrest was the highlight of the race and a must for any weekend visitor to the area.
 
With the last transition at 87km, the end was in sight, albeit following a 7km climb. The 13km Thompson loop was also much improved on the previous year. Let's face it, 5km of solid downhill to finish is about the best way to get punters back for the following year!
 
How did I go? I managed to complete the course with a big smile on my muddy face after 7:49hours. This may seem like a long time, but 3 quarters of the competitors were still out there at that point. As for as the guy in the freedom machine kit who pipped me at the line, I'll see you next year!
 
I had thought the '07 Odyssey was tough! But in 2008, the rain replaced the scorching heat and the muddy climbs tested the endurance of competitors long before the mountain biking had even begun. I'm sure the 2009 Odyssey will hold many challenges, not the least of which will be living up to its reputation as Australia's best 100km MTB marathon.