And ….. Motel wall
1 Greg Sutherland
0
"We came about 239th but need to confirm - we did however all finish together which is great seeing so many dropped out..epic walk though! We did 28hours 45mins...was hard but manageable...best part was eating loads...worst part was that last hill climb at the end but all worth it...and I didn't do any damage to myself either which is just a minor miracle!" Zoe
The Big Canoes 2 are still pretty overwhelmed by the time we manage to do. The trailwalker is an incredibly tough day and night out and nothing really prepares you for how bad your legs, stomach and head feel at various points during the day. The whole thing is an exercise in steady pacing on the trail and in the checkpoints, when you are trying to refuel as quickly as possible, while also choosing from a selection of salt tablets, nurofen and panadol.
We managed to start fast at 7am with a few hundred others - straight up a hill. We didn't realise at the time that Stu was trying to lead a race for the first time in his life. We let him have his fun, but then settled into 3rd place. Our first water crossing was ON Epping Rd where the construction workers ushered us through a torrent from a burst water main. At the first checkpoint we saw a few teams roll in and roll out with barely a stop for a drink, while we were powdering our noses. The next couple of stages we settled into about 3rd, until we saw a team scream down a hill in front of us (shortcut)- like they were taking the cross-city tunnel while we were stuck on William St! So we were now 4th and then the team (Striders) behind us surged through the checkpoint leaving us in 5th. Johnny Massa who had been running with us stopped with a sore foot so we lost our on trail supporter. In the long stage from Crosslands over the Berowra Mountain and back down to Appletree Bay, we caught the Striders team in front but sat on for a bit as our pace wasn't much different to theirs. At the checkpoint they once again barely stopped and we didn't see them again. John joined us again all fired up for the run home and provided a big boost to us all. The race was getting tougher and tougher, but we still kept running on the open track and didn't slow too much. Just before dark we were surprised by 2 runners behind us - they had missed a turn and were trying to catch their team (Kiwis) in front. We were still 5th, but happy to keep running at our own pace. The final checkpoint was one of our shortest stops as we were keen to finish up, but Stu still managed to eat 2 pieces of pizza, while Murph would have been happier to leave some food behind. Bianca led us out for the final run home in the dark and every landmark seemed to come pretty quickly, but talk of finishing times was not what I wanted to hear - I just wanted to finish at my own shuffling pace. It was getting possible to break 13 hours so that was exciting, but anything can happen - within 3 kms from the end we passed the Kiwi team who were stopped because of cramps - now we were 4th. In the final run into the finish we were cheered with "Go Kiwis", but we were happy to yell back that they were a few minutes behind. Finishing was awesome and in under 13 hours was unbelievable. The support crew of Kathryn, Phil, Joe and Lisa were there to help us to our chairs, fetch us cup'o'soup and tea and finally we could smile and relax. An ACT team won the race in under 12 hours, the Cosmo Boys team from Hong Kong came second and the Striders team 3rd (including the lengendary ironman Paul Every). I think we beat the next mixed team by an hour or two.
Rob
Bowral Weekend
report
There were a few lessons learned on
the weekend by all – the most important one being that one should always wear
one’s helmet when getting up to answer a call of nature in the middle of the
night and the second one being that if one imbibes too much alcohol the night
before, there is inevitably a rather bad headache the next
day.
Some great riding went on at the
weekend on what was another sensational Steam trip to Bowral. Once
again, thanks to Rod Knutson our indefatigable (thanks for that word
The ride down was uneventful and
conducted in glorious sunshine – many pies were consumed at the Robertson pie
shop especially by those (and I can’t believe there are still riders out there)
who hadn’t done
The group naturally found its way to
the pub for rugby and dinner and more drinks and had a great 3 course meal and
lots (I mean lots) of local red and white wine. There are certain
members of the party (who shall remain nameless) who can’t really remember what
they ate or were talking about – or who kept piping up every now and then “I’m
pissed” (as if we couldn’t already tell and then ran over their own foot with a
shopping trolley the next day). The bus was a riot
on the way back – as the windows fogged up and the RBT police car loitered
menacingly by the side of the road – various screams came from the back “Rod,
he’s gaining on us – we’re all going to get done.” Or in
Then to bed. I, myself, had a
marvellous night’s sleep – must have been all that fresh country air. We
were woken in the morning by Kerry informing us that one of our party (and if
you want to know who you have to guess- not hard if you’ve read the rest of this
email) had arisen in the night to relieve himself (yes it was a him) and passed
out in the shower and knocked himself out good and proper – at the same time
causing rather a large hole to appear in the shower recess. I have to add in here to make sure
that his reputation is not completely and utterly sullied - that this person had
the flu as well and had not been a well boy so this was not drunk and disorderly
conduct. His roommate immediately called on Anthony who recommended that that
ambulance be called. Rod accompanied the ambulance and was offered a
cup of tea as the hapless victim’s “father” !!! He still hasn’t recovered
from the insult. At the end of the day, all is well (apart from the
shower recess) but valuable lessons can be learned here about nocturnal
activities, bike helmets (and Kerry recommends sitting down for a wee in the
middle of the night) etc etc.
The tour ended with a warm and sunny
breakfast at Bundanoon and uneventful trip back in the minibus. A
few people admitted to having headaches the next day – and most of them were not
caused by a hole in the wall.
AM
Next weekend away
for the diary
Your tireless committee are already
organising the next Steam weekend away. We are looking at running a
Shoalhaven/Kangaroo Valley weekend based out of the
As this is heading in for the peak
summer season, we need to know numbers now and to secure a deposit from
interested parties of $50. This is because the
The cabins sleep up to 6 adults and
have a spa for those weary after a day’s riding.
If you are interested in joining us
for this weekend please email Anna on ciclismo@tpg.com.au in the next couple of
days and bring along your $50 deposit to secure your spot by Thursday
8th September. First come first served. We
will book cabins based on the number of people who express interest and pay up –
so look at your diaries and make a commitment now.
Included in weekend:
2 nights accommodation.
Snacks, BBQ dinner and 2 breakfasts.
Support car for ride.
BYO
grog
Weekend riding
Saturday : 6:45am
from the coffee van for approx 50-60kms ride to Botany container
terminals. There will be two groups going out – first group for Criterium
experience and a second steady ride round the Eastern suburbs with Rod as ride
captain. Check with the racing team to see if there is going to be a
significant Steam presence at Heffron in the
afternoon.
Sunday : 6:15am
from the coffee van. Two groups going to Waterfall 90km return trip to get
all the weekend warriors back in good time for Father’s
Day.
Please remember that at York Rd we are across the road from people sleeping in their houses. Try to keep talking and noise to a minimum. Importantly, DO NOT dispose of banana skins or other rubbish by throwing them over the park fence as you get ready in the morning. Park side residents and other park users do not appreciate this attempt at composting. One complaint of this kind is one too many, and doesn't reflect too well on the club.
Note from
Treasurer
Of a possible 150 active members of
STEAM Sports Inc, only 71 members have now paid their membership fees for June
2005 - end May 2006. Membership allows you to ride with
our coaches on Tuesday, Thursday and both days of the weekend and gives you
access to weekends away and other cycling trips.
It gives you updates on STEAM matters and current cycling and
triathlon news via the weekly newsletter. Membership gives you
access to insurance while riding with STEAM
coaches. Importantly, most triathlon races will not
accept entries unless the triathlete is a financial member of an affiliated
triathlon club (which Steam is) – eg Port Macquarie Ironman
2006.
This year all renewals (and future
new members) will be given a free T-shirt, designed by the committee in
conjunction with Leonard Greis (one of our active members).
Can all financial members please
email me at kerry@randcard.com.au with
their T-shirt size. You know who you are !!!
A guideline is small (ladies cut)
fits Kerry Freeman - so Anna Murray would be a
X-Small. In the mens cut Daniele would be a
small, Leonard medium and Rod Knutson would be
large.
Please let me know ASAP. Just a simple name and size is enough.
I will also send out a reminder to those who haven't paid in case you can't remember.