Alarm set for 5 am, after rolling down yesterday to check out the start, work out how far and how long from my parents house in Broadbeach. Collected kit , and prepped the bike, then spent the evening reviewing course and watching the weather.
Carbo loading compete, early to bed with the sound of boom crash opera ( not the band) in the background.
Up at 5 am to the sound of thunder, and a quick review of radar showed it was going to be one hell of a ride.
Today was about survival, very wet track, very hard climbs , and break neck descents. Ride to pace not ride to race my motto of the day…
The roll out was staggered, I started in the third pack at about 6:20am.
Into a driving rain we set off.
It was clear quickly I lucked out in terms of riders ready to ride, so I bridged across to the group in front, noting 3 Orica Greenedge guys on the side of the road with a flat/ mechanical. I thought I might see them shortly, and sure enough they came flying past to really burst my bubble! The first 30 km was annoyingly rolling hills, it was hard to settle into any sort of rhythm. Then there was a horrible 30 degree climb which went for over a km, before rolling down the other side before the start of the first of two miserable climbs, Mt Tambourine. This thing started with 3-5 degrees, then steepened to 30 degrees, at which point I nearly fell two or three times as every time I stood in the saddle, the wet track caused me to loose traction forcing me back into the saddle. After 5 km I reached the KOM 1 but then looked up to find another 150m of vertical before finally reaching Mount Tambourine proper.
Once on the top it was Hard rolling hills ( down 10 degrees, up 20 degrees) before finally being directed for a descent, at which time it was raining again and storm debris was everywhere. There was a traffic light on the back of the mountain because the road was so narrow only one direction could go, I sat there and it was Pis#%ng down, a motor bike cop came up from the other way and looked at me and said’, just go mate , there is no-one behind me’, so I gingerly started the first major descent , with 30 degree drops, slippery roads, and if you came off you were looking at up to a 1500 feet drop in some parts. There was one spot where the road was one lane and either side was a huge drop.
The descent was dangerous, a guy on carbon wheels punctured in front of me and somehow saved it…
Finally we descended all the way down to canungra, but not before getting belted by hail!
A slippery left turn , turning from down to up 30 degrees and again back wheel spin, before composing before a brief reprieve before the start of major climb 2 KOM Beechmont. This one started politely at 5-10 degrees before stepping up to 25-30 degrees before softening to 5-10 degrees, a 5 km climb.
Once reaching the ‘top’ once again looked up to see nearly 100 m of vertical to go…
More hail before rolling hills again along the top of Beechmont before a screaming descent … There further I descended the dryer the track so some speed was enjoyed on the bottom half of the 600m descent.
Was tricked again with more rolling hills in the valley before one more climb, a 15-25 degree wall over 500m with only 5km to go.
Arrived in one piece, last Fondo for the year!
Aimed for 4 hours , was a few minutes slower, but given the challenging conditions , was happy, and KOM’d the 95kg plus Beechmont climb, a bit of a surprise.
The finish was great, real festival feel, and i got a $20 massage, the best cycling one I’ve ever had!
See you on the OTP next week! And well done to the guys on the PS Fondo today !
Van Diemen.