Graeme Arnott, Mike Blewitt, Tate Dogan, Naomi Hansen and myself will be racing for the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com team in 2012. Not only does the experience and enthusiasm of fellow team members make me want to ride better, smarter and harder, but the team has excellent support from some highly sought-after sponsors as well.  Linebreak are supporting the team with compression wear to keep the legs and torso (re)covered. Camelbak packs will take the hassle out of hydration on long rides and carrying equipment to the start line. Adidas Eyewear means the only squinting we will see is from other riders as we overtake them. Netti will be taking care of custom kit while Science in Sport (SIS) nutrition will keep energy levels firing and our thinking clear during long, tough days in the saddle. Support from Subaru makes it possible to get to a broader number of races including some high profile interstate or overseas ones that most people dream to enter, including me.

New jerseys are on their way.

The team will also be using Scott bikes, fitted out with Fox forks, Stans wheels and Shimano XTR componentry. I’ll be a little different in this respect sticking with my Merida Carbon 96 as I want to continue to ride a brand that my local shop, Bicycle Garage, sell. Having a shop like Bicycle Garage so close to home has such a big impact on training, equipment maintenance and general biking excitement. At a time when so many shops are struggling to reinvent themselves in the face of internet shopping, supporting a shop that fosters the growth of cycling in my local community is as important as it’s ever been, potentially more so.  I’m also really lucky to have continued support from Radical Lights and DIY MTB this year to light up the trails at night and to have smoothly functioning suspension whenever I head outside to play.

Warning: Super fun adventures ahead!

The only downer of this fairy tale beginning to the year is that the clothing and hydration support from new team sponsors clashes with the generous support I’ve received from Vaude Australia over the last four years.  I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Vaude for the excellent shellwear, packs, knicks and gloves that I’ve been able to race and train with during this time. I love the functional simplicity of this gear and how difficult it is to wear out. The catch is while I certainly don’t need any new gear, the extensive collection of racing, training and traveling equipment from the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com team sponsors puts me in a pretty mind-blowing position to come to terms with.

I am excited about the chance to continue to use and learn about a range of high-performing, constantly evolving breadth of products in the market. Product reports on this site attract constant traffic from around the world, so I hope that writing about the race and ride specificity of outdoor equipment is beneficial to many.  I for one am blown away by the women’s specific designs of the new team gear that’s rolling in and think back in amazement to when I first began riding and there wasn’t a single women’s product to be seen in most shops. It’s pretty extraordinary how far things have come and it’s exciting to be swept up in the momentum that the growth of the sport creates. If you’re reading this, I hope you’re enjoying every bit of the ride as well. What a great time to be a biker!

Holiday views

Chillin' at Catani

I felt tall in Buller

Week one was predominantly spent at locations that have names beginning with Mount – Beauty, Buller, Buffalo, McLeod.  While ‘Mount’ places typically feature some super sweet descents, they also feature a heap of climbing, thin air and some stunning alpine plant life.  Basing ourselves at the Lake Catani campground for a few days with some good mates from Canberra, we were also able to participate in an impromptu campsite triathlon.  We tried hard not to look like we were taking it too seriously, but our team photographer proved otherwise.

Team Tricycle and Team X-Treme II

Not serious at all

Following a couple of days of apocalyptic looking Melbourne weather we headed south to Forrest.  Arriving in time for Thursday’s weekly Brew Crew social ride we had our legs ripped off by a huge bunch of frighteningly fit locals before sampling some fine ales and excellent fish and chips at the Forrest Brewery. The following couple of days were spent riding every track we could find on the trail map. Some new friends we’d made on route from Wangaratta – or Wang if you speak Vic – joined us in Forrest to keep us honest and push our ‘must ride every trail’ enthusiasm to new highs – literally – turns out this place is fairly hilly. Another highlight of this week was a ride with the Wang boys through a collection of flowy trails in Anglesea that eventually dropped us at Bells Beach.  After getting lost in the maze of singletrack on the way back the day got even better when a local rider showed us the ‘fun, downhill way back’.  Score!

Upper body hammering

Forrest fisherman

By the final week we’d pushed through fatigue for so long that slow was the new fast.  We’d run out of time to take the coast route back home so spent a day recovering our legs and eating Frosty Fruits at the Australian Open tennis fest instead.  Oddly, off all the sporting adventures we had, this one – spectating – was the most exhausting. Rides got shorter, swims in the river got longer, and we even camped by a billabong just like in the song.  The beautifully built and well looked after trails at the You Yangs topped off the list of favourite rides for January. More singletracks in Beechworth and Bright meant the wheels kept turning even if our legs hardly were, while the local bakeries and ice creameries filled up hungry holiday stomachs.

Cafe de Campsite

It seems like every small town in Victoria has it’s own trail network and an enthusiastic crew of local riders to go with it.  The number of riders on all types of bikes everywhere we went was quite astounding too – Rail Trail-ers looking forward to devonshire tea, roadies having Tour de France moments on long sustained climbs, commuters of all types on the road or path to work, and lots of parents getting into biking alongside their teenage kids.  It’s such a thrill to see how big this sport is becoming in Australia and such a boost to meet so many people who enjoy riding beyond simply racing.  At the same time, it’s exciting to return home to Sydney with a new appreciation for the range of trails we have here and the number of days on the calendar where scarves and beanies aren’t required. Meanwhile, if you ever get the chance to spend three weeks on your bike checking out this amazing country…do it!  It’ll have you smiling for a long time after.

Thank you to Gayes and Pat for some great holiday images and to many, many others for fun rides and welcoming hospitality.

If you’re still planning what races to get excited about this year, it’s well worth adding some of these ones to your wish list. With options to go hard as a solo, harder as a pair, or take more time off the bike to eat, chat and get excited in a three, the day is what you make it.  The great race atmosphere at these events then just adds to the experience. Juniors have the option to race in a four as well.  Surely that’s why some of them are so quick!

The Vaude Alpin Aeroflex 30 + 5 pack screams adventure. It holds everything you need for exciting outdoor adventures and has also been known to fit all I need for a week of play, games and more professional looking attire away from home.  It’s small enough to ride with all day on the bike, or throw in the carry on locker on board a plane.  The possibilities for where to take the Alpin are as endless as your imagination and desire.

With a claimed weight of 1200 grams, and enough harness and adjustment features to suit someone even smaller – or much larger – than me, the Alpin is light, secure and comfortable to wear.  Several pockets, an optional horizontal divider for the middle section of the pack and easy access to gear from top and bottom entry points make organising your goods (and reaching things in a flash) easier than deciding what to have for dinner.

At 164cm tall, and with a fairly narrow build, I often find most unisex backpacks fairly difficult to comfortably fit.  What I like about the Alpin is the additional adjustability that extends the range of body shapes this pack is suited to.  The Aeorflex back section means the pack sits neatly no matter how broad or narrow your back (goodbye to padding that falls off my sides instead of protecting my spine), and beneath this is a long, velcro tab that shortens or lengthens the shoulder straps.  This means that short folk don’t have to max out the strap adjustment at the hip, or have problems with the top of the pack smashing them in the head on the bike.  The pack is also expandable, as the numerals in the name suggest, and comes with a rain coat for protecting your gear and your sanity when the skies open up.

While some people tend to want more detailed information about the intended uses of any specific pack, I’m attracted to the versatility of this intermediate model depending on where you’re traveling, how you’re getting there and what your aims are along the way.  As such, the Alpin is well suited to weekends of racing, tight luggage limits during overseas travel and those occasional days at work when more equipment is needed than fits in my regular pack, Vaude’s women’s specific Roomy.  Load it up for a solid weekend walk, or go light for a shorter journey, have a picnic, and go even lighter on the way back home.  Personally, I’m looking forward to being able to take my race bike on some touring adventures without having to buy additional racks and packs or – heaven forbid – a whole new set of wheels. I look forward to seeing what adventures that Alpin and I are yet to have.

Thank you yet again to Vaude Australia for their generous support. It really is amazing to have such a wealth of well made, practical products to chose from for exciting days on the bike, and all the adventures in between rides as well.

"How to..mtb in the dark." Outer Edge magazine, Jun-Jul 2011.

I was first attracted to the above article for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, I thought the chick in the top right corner looked like a bit of a pinner and secondly, having been spoiled by a double set of Radical Lights to race with recently, I was curious to see how other people were describing the night riding experience. Upon reading it I had two conclusions, either the author hadn’t had the chance to ride with a set of Radicals yet, or they didn’t want to raise people’s expectations if they’d just forked out a swag of cash for some lesser beams.

Despite the frequent references to tunnel vision and how different the trails look at night compared to in the day mentioned above, night riding doesn’t have to be like that at all.  A Podda on the bars and a Chutta on the noggin eliminate both these niggles with a relaxing, edgeless beam, excellent depth perception and trail definition, and the ability to see as far as you need to ride like the wind.  While I have become accustomed in recent years to my night laps at 24 hour events being roughly 5-10 minutes slower than my day laps, support from Radical Lights has seen this gap reduce to one minute.  Impressive stuff.  I also like the way there are inbuilt warning systems for when the batteries have reached 50% capacity, or are nearly drained. Obviously a great option for solo riders who don’t want to leave anything to chance, or to anyone who wants to ride faster than their mates.

The other thrill that’s come from riding with Radicals is the way they’ve transformed inner city riding on the road.  I wrote about this when I first started using these beams.  Cars treat you like other cars, and shoulder tension drops as a result.  On road bunch rides I have to lower the brightness down to level one or two out of five so as not to drown out the rest of the group. The joke among Radical users however is that the lights are so bright, it’s not uncommon to get extra fit charging along the road at the front of the bunch as a result.

The limiting factor of Radical Lights to most intending users appears to be the cost.  They don’t feel they ride enough to justify the cash, or they’re happy to settle for something that requires a bit more compromise to use.  The good news here is that, like some other lights on the market now, once purchased, the lights can be upgraded as new technology becomes available.  That, and night riding becomes such a pleasure you might just find you’re hitting the trails more after work than you ever did before.

Thank you to Radical Lights for the opportunity to use such high end gear.  Riding with a crew of similarly enlightened mates at the Mont 24 was definitely one of the highs of the year.  Can’t wait to do it all again in 2012!

The frame shape and good lens quality mean the Avignons are also very functional.  The high and wide lens shape provides excellent coverage and prevents overhead light from giving you the squints. The blue/grey lens colour is also well suited to everyday use.  It’s not too bright, not too dark, and comfortably limits any urban summer glare. The case is almost as trendy as the shades and comes with a glasses bag/lens cloth to keep your goods clean and protected when not in use.

The Avignons also encourage some spectacular holiday portraiture and helped me to channel Willy Wonka while building a gingerbread house over Christmas.  They’ll also mean my Supernova Pros will take less of a hammering off the bike allowing them to rest up between rides without any danger of getting scratched or showing premature signs of overuse.

Thank you again to Adidas Eyewear for their support and for encouraging great times off the bike as well as on it. Give the website a click for a full range of frames or follow Adidas Eyewear Austraila on Facebook to read about the large number of other Aussie riders this company are supporting.

The arms, lenses and nose pieces are compatible with the standard Supernovas and can be ordered separately if you have an unfortunate glasses destroying mishap or simply want to extend your collection.  Fortunately for me, as I’ve been wearing Adidas Eyewear for about five years now, my collection has become quite extensive indeed. It’s great to be able to continue to use my orange, clear and LST light lenses with this new set of petrol and white arms.

The case that comes with the Pros features a new section for clipping in spare arms and nose pieces. This reduces race bag bulk when carrying a variety of frame and lens options to the next big event. A head strap is also available to transform these shades into your new best friend for other sports like BASE jumping or cross-country skiing.  I was chatting with fellow Aussie XC racer, Rosie Barnes, just the other day about giving XC skiing a crack next winter.  Looks like I just found another reason to give it a go!

Thank you to Adidas Eyewear for their continued support heading into 2012.  My vision is not the best even with contact lenses, making it difficult to tell what’s a rut and what’s a rock, or if course markers are pointing left or right. The compatibility of these shades with corrective lenses is second to none and the heightened trail contrast from the LST Active lenses removes any effort associated with picking a smooth line in all singletrack conditions. The new frame shape keeps air flow from disrupting contact lens stability and the sweat band, in addition to channeling any salty signs of hard efforts sideways, prevents mud and other debris from catapulting through the top of the frame.  Speed, clearly, is about more than just your legs!

Issue 20 of Enduro satisfies the 2011 reflecting and the 2012 planning with some entertaining writing from well known Aussie riders and some stunning photography to bring those stories and dreams to life. Dig in and enjoy it like a good sized bowl of your mum’s Christmas pudding!

One of the things I rate most highly about the MarathonMTB.com team is the impact experience has on performance. This comes through in the riders’ attitudes at races, and in the equipment they choose to do so. The SUGOI team jerseys are no exception.

The short sleeve RS jersey is as racey as they come. It’s light weight and breezy to the max, its Euro tight and it has a small hole sewn into the middle, rear pocket for your race radio or iPod. I’ve found it exceptional on hot days and I like the way the waist area doesn’t move around on techo trails.

The long sleeve ‘Evolution’ jersey is made from a nice fleece that adds warmth without bulk.  Team Manager, Mike Blewitt, describes it as your best friend in cold weather.  He’s right.  While Sydney has been experiencing winter in summer recently, this jersey has been getting quite a flogging.  This one also comes in women’s sizing and is quite possibly the best fitting women’s winter jersey I’ve owned.

If you’re stuck for Christmas presents, consider jumping onto the MarathonMTB.com site and look for the small ‘shop’ link near the top right corner to place an order.  The prices are quite reasonable as the jerseys were custom made, and it’s satisfying to support an Aussie company who are doing good things for biking.  The sizes are on the small side, which means there are a lot of smaller sizes hoping to find some bodies to cling to.  Knicks are available too.

Photo: Bill Hatcher

Team Bixbery.

My teammate from previous rounds, Shane Taylor, had his own birthday to attend in Canberra, so Rob Parbery stepped in to jockey for the teammate of the year award and to help Tails and I nab a series pode.  Riding his new fully rigid Niner for the first time, Parbs got faster with each lap until his arms were so pumped that holding the bars or holding the brakes were mutually exclusive options.  I admire his stamina and hope to channel more of that, and less of sleeping horses, in years to come.

Thank you to the series sponsors for supporting events as good as this one.

Gayes and Laura share the podium glow.

Also keen to soak up a bunch of new experiences was Laura Stone. Having only ridden six times previously, Laura joined us at “Camp Awesome” where we enjoyed showing her the ropes and feeding off her first-time-racing excitement. She rode like a champion, ate when we told her to, learned a lot about SPDs and was pretty chuffed to reach second in the women’s pairs with Gaye “chatting at transition is a non-negotiable” Camm.

Presentations were a family affair.

The series trophies have class written all over them.

There’s something really satisfying about reaching the end of the year completely knackered from such a great collection of experiences and such inspiring people to share them with. I’d like to extend an enormous thanks to my sponsors, teammates and to the organisers of bike events like this one for laying the ground work for so many great days to fill the year with and fond memories to look back on at the end of it.  2011 has been pretty special indeed.

Photos: Kath Bicknell and Gaye Camm.