I didn't think I would have the go for 99km of the You Yangs Yowie but
there I was on the start line.
It had been a long time between marathon events so my main concerns were
going out too hard and not feeding enough fuel back into the system
through the duration, so I started at the tail of the main bunch,
keeping sight of the field as we took off down the initial fire road
section. Within a kilometre or so a few bods hit the deck, one rider had
clipped a traffic cone that lined the course which then caused some
erratic changes in direction that didn't fare well for those drafting
each other in the immediate vicinity. I was a little way behind all the
action so was able to get through easily enough, but timed it perfectly to
get the full impact of the frustration and colourful language as riders
picked themselves, their bikes, and bottles up and hurriedly tried to
get back on the move.
Although cool, it was a dry track, slightly dusty in places and more
like fine marbles in others. The field elongated as the gradient of the
fire road increased, cresting by about the 5km point for a fast approach
to the first single track. With the technical characteristic of the
Stockyard's climbs and descents the first hour seemed to tick over
pretty quickly. Gaps were opening up as some were more effective on the
down hill sections and others were more efficient on the up. I was
keeping a level head and putting my energy into some text book MTB as
the previous time I had ridden these trails, only a few weeks prior, I
had a terrible day that felt like I was trying to do everything for the
first time and with the unco-ordination similar to a right-handed person doing
everything left handed. As I climbed away from the Stockyards and
dropped down through the rocky track that bottoms out on the Kurrajong
side of the You Yangs I felt that everything was back in its natural
order, but the marbly track still demanded respect.
The tail end of the first of the 33km laps had me feeling a lot better
than my start line pessimism suggested. With fresh bottles I continued
forth on the road that would once again steepen in the final few hundred
metres as it lead me over the ridge back to the Stockyards.
The dust started to settle from a combination of traffic and a light
shower that had drifted through. Corners had become firmer and faster with
only one area of mud that held any water. One of the descents had two
fantastic timber berms a few corners apart and then some rhythm sapping
cobbled sections to keep anyone on their toes. There were a couple of
climbs that were headed up trails that most would prefer to use in a
downward direction which as a result called for some big digs at the
pedals.
By the third lap I had well-and-truly settled into a good tempo and was
feeling pretty good, a few signs of fatigue were making their presence
known but in general terms I was firing on all cylinders. The weather
had darkened a little further and rain was a better description than the
previous lap's light shower. Granite boulders were now becoming slippery
and it paid to take note of and potentially avoid the silty tyre lines
over them. I noticed the bike twitch downwards and regain traction as I
traversed one section of dampened, angled rock face. With the change in weather came the need for a new element of commitment, as any touch of braking with the bike
at the wrong angle would bring you down. The timber berms were only a
few more corners away. Letting the bike rail the first one I popped out
cleanly and continued on using gravity to pick my way through the rocky
mish-mash of trail that approached the second. With the second berm
cleared there were a couple of off-camber boulder faces to traverse
before reaching the bottom of the last of the long, nuggetty climbs out
of the Stockyards.
Upon reaching the endlessly winding trails on the Kurrajong side my next
plan was to drive hard through the last 12 to 15 kilometres. The area is
only very slightly undulating, making it perfect for a time trial type
of approach. Unfortunately, time trialling is where my legs suffer,
sustaining the big gear grind is one tough gig that blows me out of the
water, so I put my head down and worked the cassette in the best way to
keep a high cadence. I noticed a group ahead. It took me about 10km but
I eventually caught up to the group, Jen leading it as we approached the last corner to the finish straight. I hadn't seen Jen since the start line. My work was a result of her coaching, so I didn't want to let her down!
I had imagined the 99km would take me about 5 hours, maybe 5hr15min. I
got across the line in 4hr45min, unscathed, and with my mind back in XC
marathon mode.
I highly recommended the event, and with 33km, 66km and 99km options that start at different times it makes a great event for anyone. Thanks to GMBC for organising and hosting another well-run You Yangs Yowie.
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