Re: Sunday March 25th.. 4 Peaks Ride?

Four Peaks – or was it Seven!

I was not woken by the alarm clock. 4am came and went unnoticed because I was already up and preparing breakfast! As usual before a big ride I had slept fitfully being in an out of consciousness all the night long. Into the Barmix bowl went a banana, some ginger, two scoops of Uncle Toby’s Oats, some peanuts, pumpkin and chia seeds followed by a drizzle of Manuka honey and the secret ingredient – A2 full-cream milk! AAhhhh. Just like a good cold beer on a hot day! A fast whiz in the Barmix and down the hatch and I’m off to Nundah War Memorial – the new jump-off place for Ascot Catering rides. The temperature was comfortable – 20 deg. – the sky still dark and not yet touched by the light of the world. This is a great place to start a ride. No neighbours to disturb and at this time of day certainly no traffic. Thirteen riders eventually formed up for this the inaugural AC Four Peaks Ride. It was such a success there will be repeats.
The Four Peaks in question being Clear Mountain from Wynn Rd; Mt Glorious (Goat Track); Mt Nebo; Mt Coot-tha. (There were to be others but at this stage I was unaware of them).
Some statistics first:
Min. Temp. 20 Max. 30.
Ride Time: 5hr 42min.
Distance: 133.9km
Ave Speed: 23.5; Max: 75+kph
Calories: 2152
2268m+ of climbing
7 climbs over 100m – 8 for Andrew and Mark but more on that later!
With lights ablaze we headed off for the cool, dark traffic-free ride out to Wynn Rd. I’m glad it was dark because nobody noticed I was carrying a pair of thongs in my back pockets! This was in response to GraemeW’s experience at the top of Mt Glorious where a mechanical forced him to walk 6km barefoot and blistered!
On approaching the left hander from Wynn Rd up Clear Mountain I got my first glimpse of the so-called road to hell. I say road to hell because whenever I hear riders speak about Clear Mountain it is as though it is the ultimate challenge. They always speak either in hushed and reserved tones as though to attempt it is enough to give you a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Or they raise their voice and express their achievement in such a gung-ho fashion I stand there in awe believing they must have been mentioned in the said book! I could say that my first look at the road up provoked my usual response when faced with a climb of any significance. i.e. cool, calm, detached and controlled. Anyone who knows me will know that that is pure bunkum. But I have to say that faced with the unavoidable, I settled down quite quickly into a state of blind resignation. I had taken the precaution of changing my cassette from 11/25 to 11/28. This in combination with my compact chainrings and 170mm cranks eased me into a steady rhythm which I’m relieved to say got me to the top without the need for those thongs! And what a beautiful ride up. The view over the dam was the equal of any you could see in Scotland with their beautiful hills and lochs. With dawn broken, the silver/gold sky and ever-present dark grey clouds added a very atmospheric touch to the scene. We regrouped at the conference centre at the top. Once over the top we scooted down (75+) to Samford garage where we topped up our water bottles. The next intended peak was to be Mt Glorious but because of a recent rock-slide the road was closed. We decided to test the resolve of those manning the barricade thinking that they may let cyclists through. On the way we suddenly turned off onto Mt O’Reilly Road. PhilM had a surprise for us. And there would be prizes. And he outlined the challenge as we rode along. And I heard nothing. And all I could do was mutter the f word over and over again! And this was Mt O’Reilly Road. And I thought Mt O’Reilly Rd must be an alternate road up to Mt Glorious. And I continued muttering the f word. And then I heard that we were to climb Mayfield Road and that this was the challenge for which we could win a cup of coffee! And I continued muttering the f word! Fancy hanging out an effing coffee carrot to get ME to climb a mountain! Omg! So we continued with me dropping back to the rear of the group with a sense of foreboding and deepening gloom! Suddenly it was there in front of us. There was no further need to panic. Mayfield Road is not a challenge, it is all but perpendicular! I wondered how they got a steam roller up such a track! So we attacked with some riders reaching as high as 100m before abruptly stopping. I climbed as hard and as high as I could. I reached 50m and jerked to a stop. But others forged on. The elite amongst us (Andrew and Mark) just rode up the thing! As I believed this to be an alternative route up to Mt Glorious, once dismounted I continued walking dragging my bike with me. Fortunately I looked round and saw everybody gathered in a group at the bottom so I thought something was up and returned to them. While on my descent they called to me to clear the road as Andrew and Mark were on their way down. I pulled over to the side and these two whooshed past at 90+. Honestly it was like water over a waterfall! We then headed off to Mt Glorious where at the road barricade the police turned us back so we headed up the Goat Track instead. We all achieved this climb without incident although this was the beginning of Tina’s mechanicals. It is my opinion though that the Track is no longer suitable for road bikes and after another rainy season it is doubtful if mountain bikes or walkers will be able to use it either. The washouts are now quite narrow and rock strewn with clear evidence of landslip that I for one will not climb it again. Some will no doubt disagree with me but that’s just my opinion. The road in places is completely overgrown and not recognisable as a road. Having said that, not having this track as an alternative up Mt Glorious is a real disappointment as it is not a hard climb at all. But climb it we did and Phil (POM) had some mountain bikers take a group picture of us. After regrouping we headed to the café for coffee and whatever. It was here that Joel had a flat and Tina had to leave the group with mechanical problems. Tina is a very strong rider and shows just how strong women can be. By now it was evident that there were two kinds of rider in the group. The strong riders who were always there waiting for us at each regrouping place. It was roughly 50-50 or 70-30 perhaps. The café was fantastic and very welcoming to cyclists. We sat on the back verandah overlooking the bush and kookaburras. Andrew and Mark each received their rewards while PhilM and PeterH treated themselves to a “bucket’’ of coffee each. The “cup’’ is the size of a child’s bucket and has five shots of coffee in it! Say no more!
The ride down Nebo was really fantastic. Fast and faster! I picked PhilM’s wheel as I knew he was a good descender and I wanted him to get the right line for me to follow. It was over before it started or so it seemed.
We regrouped at Settlement Road (where we said goodbye to Thomas and Francois(?) and continued to Coopers Camp Road where Matt bid us farewell. The group now comprised Andrew and Mark, PhilM and Joel, Phil (POM), PeterH, BruceG and me. Mt Coot-tha was ascended at individual pace and this being PeterH’s first attempt, well done Peter. An experienced mountain biker, it could not have been easy to push a roadie with its different gearing up this icon having just completed the other climbs. Another great achiever award should go to POM (who is a big man) for the workout he gave his new bike. I know he can climb but this effort deserves special mention. Then there was BruceG and me. We, being very experienced and mature riders did the sensible thing and road at our own pace avoiding the red line wherever possible. Well done Bruce and Paul. Hey, but it’s not over yet. We still have to get down Coot-tha (fantastic! I got on PhilM’s wheel again and absolutely flew). Andrew and Joel left us at South Brisbane while we headed for the Gateway Bridge and had an easy climb and a fast descent and a leisurely ride back to coffee at Nundah where we found Kate at C-word still open. She supplied us with the best coffee of the day. It is interesting to note that not one rider pulled out because of fatigue. Those who left the ride early had prior commitments or mechanicals and were left with little alternative. So . . . a great ride. Thanks everyone!

Paul.

Hey, great write up Paul. Although I think you're talking up my descending skills quite a lot, especially when I see Andrew and Mark disappearing in the distance, OFTEN, and I've got a couple of kilos on them!!
It was good to hear that Kate was still open, that surprised me. I say good, because it means we can schedule in lots more hilly, 130+km rides on a Sunday KNOWING she'll be open when we get back!! How good is that Paul?

Anyway, if you're not a time trialler, come along for a nice little 'country jaunt' this Saturday and keep the climbing thing happening folks. See attached link...

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=367205

180

Well written Paul. Though quixotic. I for one wonder where your cycling heart lies. Is it Mountain or Mist for young Paul?
But hark....what does it matter....you are now the complete rider..

And PhilM.....I've always wanted to pedal Tamborine et al. But my current physiological incarnation is if anything, a TTer....meaning anything more than 3% puts me on at least 34:21.

edit:
bloody ell Phil..... 280k, 4000+ meters.... you're an alien.

PhilM er 180, are you fairdinkum? Bruce, alien is hardly the word for it! In fact I have no word for it! Unbelievable. Just don't mention it to Andrew or Mark, they would think it awesome! I think I will take some time to digest our recent effort and live off its kudos for a while. But it was a great ride wasn't it? Nobody is more surprised than me at how good it was. And PhilM don't downplay your descending abilities. You always pick the perfect line. You always remind me of the guy in the video you sent me of the descent of the col de blah blah. The only time I got into trouble was when I lost sight of you and misjudged my line completely. Like coming down Nebo approaching the two corners where the road divides with a barrier between the up and down lanes. Both of these corners required some hard brake work! Excepting those two problems, I had the best descents ever. Even Mt Coot-tha was fantastic (not the climb, the descent). Climbing now holds far less fear for me although I soon lose it if the planned route changes - like Mayfield Rd. What a laugh that turned out to be with riders exploding all over the place. My local Everton Park hills are now too tame for me. They were great to get me started but now they are too short. I should increase - not the gradient - but the length of my climbs. I would love to live close to Clear Mountain as the Wynn Rd side climb is just long enough to feel you are working hard but it is very forgiving with that false flat for recovery before the final effort. I would like to do it once a week. Give me three months on that program and I think I might be able to call myself a climber! It is certainly much easier than Mt Coot-tha which was still the hardest climb of the day for me. There were some really good climbers in that group. Quite apart from Andrew and Mark there was Tina, Thomas and his mate - I think his name is Francois? Whatever, he is a great climber and how old is he? And BruceG, I thought you took the wisest approach just pacing yourself all day. Better to work within yourself than cook yourself too early. PhilM, with your cramping - and somebody said they cramped a couple of hours after the end of the ride - can't think who but that didn't happen to me this time. It may be because I drank two tetra packs of coconut water spread out over the whole day. Don't know but something worked. And Phil (POM) if you read this I had my car at Nundah and was looking for you to give you a lift home (I have two bike racks). It must have been a real let-down to have to ride to Bald Hills by yourself. Never mind. See you all at the track,

Paul.

Sorry, I forgot to include this in my last post. My Garmin lists seven climbs of over 100m. That is why I posed the seven climbs question.

Paul.

100 metres is NOT a climb Paul.
The sooner you 'raise the bar', the better off you will be.

edit to say, unless we're talking about Mayfield Rd..

Dahlpad wrote: And Phil (POM) if you read this I had my car at Nundah and was looking for you to give you a lift home (I have two bike racks). It must have been a real let-down to have to ride to Bald Hills by yourself. Never mind. See you all at the track,

Paul.

All good, it was a leisurely cool down. I did contemplate bringing the car in, but it's really not that far. Did I look THAT buggered?

Appreciate the thought though.