With my wife Kate, confined to a hospital bed for the foreseeable future with a pregnancy complication, I was far from focussed on this year’s Highland Fling 100miler event, held on the 11 November in the Southern Highland region of NSW. Things, however, were under control in hospital and Kate urged me to head down to the Bundanoon race village and take some time out to have a bit of ‘fun’ in the sun and dirt. So after a few short hours sleep in the car, I was lined up, ready for a long, hard day in the saddle.
I was in fairly good shape and being a few kg’s lighter, I was hoping it would equate to an improvement on last year’s performance even though I had not been on my MTB in over 6 months thanks to a new roadie.
At the Fling, the 100milers are sent off together with the non-elite 100km competitors which means the opening sector is pacey but reasonable. The legs felt good but my only issue was my back, not being used to the MTB position, it was already seizing up and at the first transition area I took my full 5mins allowance (given to all competitors to allow for trains, as the route passes over a rail crossing) to stretch the back out and load up the water bottles.
The other guys had flown through the transition zone and I was already isolated as I headed out for the first lap of two of a 53km loop. I had no idea of my position in the 100miler event either as we were all mixed up with 100km competitors but I started to pick up some guys and groups and eventually hooked up with one 100miler competitor, Paul Schroder.
He was going through the single-track sections at a fair old pace and I was just happy to be able to hang on after such a long time off the MTB but as we raced through the twisting single-track I heard fast-approaching traffic from behind, Ed McDonald.
Now this is the strange thing about MTB, I was thinking I was flying when I was hanging onto Paul’s wheel and judging by the speed at which Ed joined us, I thought once he passed us, he would be gone. However, when he did come past, I went for broke and I tried my luck at sticking on his wheel. To my utter surprise I was able to hang on!
Once we got out of the single-track and onto the dirt roads, I felt a bit more comfortable and tried a few turns at the front, however, Ed was so strong and kept on coming around and I was finding it harder and harder to do my turns. We headed up halfway hill and I was determined to hang on to Ed’s pace up the steep 3km climb.
As we went over the top, it was just Ed and I as Paul had dropped off the pace. We soon gathered a few 100km competitors though, who tailed onto us as we drove on to the transition zone for a second time. At transition we caught Mike Blewitt but again I took my time to fuel up and get fresh bottles so I hit the second lap well down on Mike and Ed who had flown through transition and were working together up front.
I could just make them out as we made our way down a dirt road and I pushed hard to catch up to them before hitting the first technical sector. I was still totally in the dark as to my position and a bemused Mike answered my question of how many guys up ahead, with ‘no-one, this is it’. Over halfway and I was in the lead group of the Highland Fling 100miler!
Through the following technical sector, Ed started to open up a gap on Mike and I and as we exited onto the open road again, he was gone. I rode up to Mike and had a quick chat before taking my turn on the front but quickly realised Mike was struggling, so I pushed on and caught back up with Ed on my own.
Ed and I hit a short but steep incline called ‘The Wall’ together but a small error made me lose my balance and I had to hop off and run up most of the climb. I knew it was important to keep with Ed as I would have someone to follow through the next technical section, however, I just could not get up the hill fast enough and in a blink, Ed was into the single-track and gone.
I was on my own now and just had to ride to my abilities and with what I had left in my legs as the cramps and fatigue set in. I was struggling to say the least. Stopping at an aid station to have a few orange pieces, I didn’t even have any energy to reply to words of encouragement from the volunteers (sorry about that and I really do appreciate the support), all I could do was focus on pushing each pedal one at a time.
I was sure I would be swamped by guys as I crawled up ‘Halfway Hill’ for the second time, barely fast enough to stay upright and I literally limped into transition for the third and final time.
I had to take a little time out as I doused myself in ice water, put some oil on my chain and got some food. I was taking such relief that I hardly noticed Paul come in only a minute down on me and in third spot. I was just hoping like hell, he was feeling as bad as me.
As we headed out onto the final sector of the race back to the finish, it was clear Paul wasn’t feeling quite as bad as me. I tried a brief bluff as I ‘hammered’ up the first single-track climb but Paul was having none of it and as we hit an open road section he powered past, the cramps in my legs halting any ideas I had of following.
It was hard seeing a guy ride away like that but I was still on the podium, even though I had no idea how close the 4th placed guy was. The closing 32km turned into a time trial as I drove on as hard as my body would allow, just below the cramp threshold in an effort to guard my third place. If I was caught, I was caught, but I was going to make it as hard as I possibly could for someone to catch me. My breath was short and shallow, my heart-rate had dropped, I was cramping everywhere (even in my hands) and I didn’t feel like drinking or eating. I had well and truly bonked!
Fortunately I had enough to hold my position and I crossed the line absolutely spent for my first podium placing in a MTB event and over 10mins quicker than last year. Have to be happy with that.
Simon F