Mountain Run Mach 2.

Wednesday. 180km is the general plan, it is my biggest day of the week. Last week I did 120, this week hopefully I would do the full 180. I set off on a brand new course at 4.20 in the morning. The plan was to ride until my coach finished training the swim team then he would catch up with me at around 7:30 to provide support and drive behind me up any mountains to stop the crazy drives from smashing into me.

I didn’t really have many supplies in my food stockpile at home as I had slowly depleted them through my training. I try to steer clear of GUs etc during my training rides just because they are so expensive, however in reality I just get pretty lazy. So I grabbed two fresh bananas, 4 gel shots, and a powerbar.

The first 60km of my ride where fairly easy, was interesting going through a course I hadn’t done before, however at times it slowed me down not knowing how safe certain areas where etc. I was glad it was 4 in the morning; the road I was on would have been a bit scary at around 8 if the traffic had picked up. Sure there was a little bit of a side strip for me to ride on but 45km in the road became a 100km zone and cars flying past at that speed if not paying attention would not be a very good thing!

I really should have researched the route a little more before leaving. I had a quick glance at the map and tried to remember key roads and turn offs. The aim was to ride out to Beaudesert and ride back home, a ride with continuous rolling hills. What actually happened turned out to be the toughest ride of my life, but when I was done I was over the moon.

At 60km I read a text message from my coast, "Make sure to take the 1st turn off, not the 2nd." As I stood at the foot of Mt Tamborine I realised I had taken the second. I did a quick Google map check and plotted a course. I was at the base, I might as well go over. It took me around 45mins to get to the top then another 30 or so to go along the ridge to the other side. It was a very nice ride up some areas almost seeming like a tropic rainforest in nature.

I started to get fairly frustrated at the top however as it just went on and on. I didn’t realise it was like I ridge, what I had anticipated was going up then quickly shooting back down the other side. I stopped very quickly to take some pics at a lookout to show you guys how high up I was. Riding places like this just make it so much easier, the view was incredible.





The descent was interesting. I had heard about the route I had taken being very dangerous during the day as it has a 14% gradient, at times single lane, and around 34 hairpins all the way down. I made sure to be on the breaks as much as possible but there is only so much you can do on that angle. My descent was relatively safe, some great stretches I peaked at 75km and hour, could have easily gone faster but I was unsure of how quick the turns would come and how safe they where.

I exited at the middle of Canungra, it is only a hill really 2km long or so, and quickly shot down it to the little cafe I stopped at on my first mountain run (one of my first blogs a while back!). I grabbed a Gatorade and chocolate bar and told Dean where I was. He was just leaving, on his way and would just scout the track for me.

Ahead of me lay Canungra, Beechmount and Binna Burra. Last time I did these was a very slow ride, this time however I seemed to eat them up. Canungra was a hill really, not struggle at all. By the time I got to Beechmount I realised I had done everything to this point in big chain, never taking advantage of the easier small chain ring. So with this thought in mind I endeavoured to complete the ride with only big chain.

Beechmount took a while, some parts where very tough averaging on 10kph, but never once did I think of popping down into small chain. I made up for the slow ascent with the flat ridge that runs along to Binna Burra. 50-60kph averages helped to boost my average speed. By the time I got to the base of Binna Burra I was wondering where dean was, he was missing out on all the fun!

Binna Burra is a lot shorter than Beechmount but kicks up a lot at the end making the last km fairly tough. I honestly didn’t know how I was going to make it so I just put my head down and focused on the road not what was ahead. About a km from the top Dean passed. We met at the top after a gruelling climb. I had completed 90km, 4 climbs all in big chain. We talked a little about the next course of action before setting out.

We took a different route home going down a very long descent of around 20mins or so, was amazing for the legs. At the 120km mark I was exhausted, my technique sloppy speeds slowly dropping. Dean checked up on me more often. I wanted to do Tamborine once more finish with that.

I arrived at the base, taking a different route for the ascent this time, at around 134kms. My heart dropped. Average gradient 18%, if you haven’t seen a climb like this you seriously won’t even be able to comprehend. 2.4km long.

Without hesitation I hit it with speed, big chain ring. 4 pedals in I was in small chain ring, big ring on the back. Average speed 5-6kph, this mountain was going to take me at least 30mins probably 40. Dean was unable to sit behind me for the climb so had to meet me up top, as he shot past I slipped into the gravel, my tyres just spun continuously until I had to get off and jump back onto the road. How would I ever complete this?

I put my head down determined; slipping into the gravel once more I quickly pulled myself out of it. I didn’t even dare look ahead. My legs where burning and the pace was horrendously slow, I even saw a mountain goat! 800m in I looked ahead. It got steeper, a lot steeper. And suddenly I was hit with tunnel vision, everything blurred and I shivered. With one last pedal I knew I was spent. I pulled over to the other side of the road defeated.

"If you need me to pick you up let me know," my phone read. "Dear god come get me," I responded. It was only once we drove up that I realised the true feat of what I had tried to attempt. This climb would potentially defeat me fresh. I tried after 135km of 4 climbs all in big chain ring.

What a day. It’s after days like this that you feel like you can accomplish anything. I finished in 5:19:24, average speed of around 25.7km per hour. My toughest ride yet, not 180kms, but I had achieved far more than I would have on a flat road. Many more to come!