A whimsical look at my life in words & photos – The world according to Chad
With the blessing and assistance of SOLDIER ON I went and procured a set of one-of-kind SOLDIER ON cycling jerseys to wear before and during this year’s The Battle Of The Beasts. These great jerseys were made by local Canberra business ON THE GO SPORTS.
At some point before the Battle Of The Beasts I will be holding a raffle for the opportunity to own one of these jerseys!
Once again Recovery Week didn’t go to plan. Week #4 saw my chest cold take hold and a day off work. Some ordinary weather kept me off the bike and I finally got to go for a ride on Friday afternoon. This week I rode total of 14.7km; well below my average of 200-250km a week. I was planning to put another 20-30km on the tally today but due some ordinary weather Round 2 of the CORC XC Series was postponed.
But the week itself wasn’t a complete bust. I have been looking at acquiring N+1 for a couple of months now. It was my plan to buy the new steed in Victoria before the end of June as my preferred bike was a lot cheaper interstate. I have been holding out hoping for a local bike shop to have a sale or negotiate a good deal. As luck would have it I was able to abide by Rule #58.
I’ve had really good service at Onya Bike in Civic since I bought Zooey last year. I was able to pick her up at a mid year sale and was impressed by the service I received. I had heard mixed reviews from over riders in Canberra, but to date I can’t fault them. It was them who told me about The Berm which ultimately changed my life in Canberra and planted the seed that grew into an obsession with mountain biking and complete change of lifestyle.
So when I went into Onya Bike on Saturday afternoon after looking for Wedding suits around the corner I was surprised to see the bike I’d been lusting over on sale. I spoke to the staff member (whom shall not be named) and I was promptly taking a medium sized Giant XTC Composite 29er 1 for a spin around the wet Canberra CBD. After a few seatpost adjustments I was parting with some hard earned cash for a deposit on what will soon be my new XC racing bike.
For what was supposed to be a quick trip to buy some new bike tubes I ended up getting a great deal on a new bike and even negotiated some component swap outs to suit my needs and riding style. My Father, Brother-In-Law and Girly were in attendance and I don’t think any of them expected me to buy a bike. But a great deal coupled with the chance to support my LBS couldn’t be passed up; so my plans of N+1 have been brought forward by about a month. This time there was no buyers remorse, just excitement over the impending acquisition of N+1.
I haven’t been on the bike for ten long days. I’ve been sick and nursing my injury; so getting better has been my priority. In the interim I have been aggressively fundraising for Soldier On and acquiring new parts for N+1 (which is a few weeks away at best).
Today didn’t start off too well; cycling-wise. While driving to work I heard a rattle on my windscreen which I assumed to be the missing plastic tyre lever I most likely placed on my bonnet while fitting my tubeless tyres the night before. Oh how I was wrong. When I turned on my wipers I saw a black object fly across my windscreen and onto the car next to me on Northbourne Ave.
It did not dawn on me until I was at Sparrow Hill this afternoon that the black object was in fact the 15mm thru-axle that secures my front wheel to my forks; Rookie_Error indeed! Three bike shops later and quite a few phone calls I tracked one down at Bike Culture at O’Conner.
Two hours after I left work, I finally arrived back at Sparrow Hill for my first ride in ten days. I intended to ride a couple of laps of the course for this Sunday’s CORC XC Race; but after one lap I headed across the highway into Kowen Forest. I was not disappointed. The free-flowing trails spoke to me as daylight quickly faded and night-time set in. I switched on my lights and had the entire forest to myself for a brief moment in time. Just me, my bike and the trails. All of my troubles disappeared into the pine trees.
Today I was reminded why I started riding mountain bikes… Because it’s fun to ride.
My plan for Week #3 got thrown out of the window early in the week. After spending the previous weekend in Melbourne I developed a nice little chest cold. My old friends coughing, wheezing and migraines came to visit; and stayed.
I managed to get on the bike a few times and instead of my projected 150-200km’s for the week I accumulated a disappointing 62.6km. However my time off the bike wasn’t for nought; I have noticed a definite improvement in my injury while I’ve been off the bike. The chest feels stronger (I can feel the scar tissue under the skin) and my shoulder and neck aren’t as tender.
But I am a little perturbed. I have Round 2 of the CORC XC Series this coming Sunday and it’s at my favourite location; Sparrow Hill. I’ll try and get out there before this weekend for a few recce laps to dial in my bike and legs.
I dare say come late Sunday morning I’ll be finishing my race heaving and dry reaching; but with a big smile on my face knowing I’ve finished and got some points back on the board!
My SOLDIER ON / Battle Of The Beasts Donation Page
Later this year I will race in the 2013 Battle of the Beasts MTB enduro & try to top last
year’s amazing $5’702 raised to help wounded servicemen & servicemen.
Blogged Down By Life 