2007 Vaude 100 Mile Highland Fling

This event would turn out to be the hardest thing I have ever done, and the most rewarding.

A perfect sunny day greeted us, but I just couldn't stomach breakfast. Was it the creamy pasta at Bundanoon last night, or the double helping of chocolate cake? Maybe just nerves, but I felt plain wrong and had to stuff two pancakes with banana down with force.

A couple of pit stops on the way to the start and my stomach was feeling better, so I jumped the barricade and joined my fellow 100 milers in the 2nd row at the start, I tried to eat a power bar while we waited, but just couldn't face it and stuffed it in my jersey pocket. It was a bad sign.

Right from the gun the pace was hot, way too hot, somehow I managed to stay at my 3 hour racing heart rate for the first stage to Wingello and tried to stay with the field, tacking on the back of anyone I could, we rolled into the Mile High Lounge at transition in 1:25, a good 7 minutes faster than I did it last year, and last year I was in the 100k, not the 100 mile! This pace was 2km/h faster than I had planned, and 5% higher than the target HR.

I quickly lubed my chain with Motorex Wet Lube, as the course had a few wet spots and due to rain for a days leading up to the race, there was no dust. This stuff rocks, my drive line stayed running clean and fuss free the entire race, so it was a good call to give it a try this weekend.

Into Wingello, and we're flying, I had averaged 19.6km/h to the 50km mark, and I started to think very optimistically, maybe I could indeed finish this race, at this average pace, with ease! (I was here to complete this event, not compete it all, I figured I had a 30% chance of making it to be honest). Then Wingello started to dish out the hills, and here's where it all started to go to complete custard...

My average speed started to drop off and I struggled up the hills, at the 3 hour mark, my right quad locked up with cramps every time I stood out of the saddle to climb. I didn't panic like I usually would, I stayed on the bike and pedaled through it, pedaling with my hammies instead and sucking down as much Endura as I could stomach, which wasn't much. I couldn't stand any solid food either, which was not like me so early in a race, but my stomach had been suspect since I got up, so something was up. Not long after, the left quad gave up the ghost too, so the remainder of the race was done sitting down.

Relying mainly on the Endura for energy I somehow kept at thresh hold pace and sat on the back wheel of anyone that would tolerate it (using my 100miler number plate as currency for using people as wind bitches ;)) and rolled into the Mile High Lounge, where I knew Starburst Jelly Babies and Gu were waiting. We were halfway through the race and two other 100milers where stopped there (Chad and Ray). They had beaten me to transition, so were faster than me, especially Chad, who was kicking serious butt pace wise, but his chain had broken 3 times, the poor bugger! They decided to pull out, they thought we were too far off the pace to make the full distance by the time cut off and decided to ride the 100km version of the course instead. They thought I was mad, but I was still prepared to have a go, by my calculations I was going to make it with 15 minutes to spare, no way would I quit now!

I headed out for another lap of Wingello, the first lap was all done with 100kers around me, but they were all done and headed back to Bundanoon now, and with no 100milers around for company, this would turn into a pretty lonely lap...

I had been nursing my cramping quads for a few hours, using the hammies instead, and eventually, the inevitable happened, my hammies started to cramp too. No amount of Endura was saving them either, so I sat on the fine line of pedaling as hard as I could without cramping for the rest of this lap. With no company around, a lack of energy of from being unable to eat, walking up the hills nursing cramps and an average speed indicator dropping well below the required pace to finish in time, I soon found myself in a dark dark place, right to the bottom of my soul.

I started to hear things behind me, voices, but nothing was there, then flashes of things in front me, a bike, or a rider, split second electric shock visions of being tacked back on the peleton during the first Wingello lap, I was mentally loosing it, big time.

I shoveled down 4 gels as quick as could, fought the cramps with my mind and tried to push on, thinking "just keep moving". Half way around this stage marshals were at a Gu stand, and their happy smiling faces were just elating to see, one of the volunteers gave me two Gus, a banana and cup of sports drink, life saving stuff! I skulled the drink and took off, and tried to down the Gus as I rode, stupidly I dropped one on a descent. No going back for it though. I had my mantra that was keeping me alive, "just keep going and never give up".

When I broke out of the mountains I knew it was a 7km high speed flat fire trail to transition, if I hooked in I could make it there with 5 minutes to spare before they closed the gate and would not let me continue, so I plugged the bike in the big ring and dug deep, as deep as I could go. I held 30km/h and flew into transition where my amazing wife was waiting for me, she had finished her 50km race and come down to see me though my final transition. I was in a lot of pain, delirious and emotional, seeing her there was the best thing I had seen for 8 hours!

I had touched the timing mat and figured I was set, I could now ride to the end without being DNF'd mid way, so I tried to talk to Kylie and munch on some more Starburst to recover. Kylie was short with me, pushy even! All I wanted to do was stop for a bit and have a hug, but she handed me some Gu and Opti and said I had to go, now, fast! The gate closure wasn't here, it was at the next timing station, down the road, in 2 minutes!

I jumped back on the bike and flew down there, the marshals guided me through and said I made it by 2 seconds!!

I knew it was 32km back to Bundanoon and the final time cut off was in 90 minutes, there was no way I could make 32km in 90mins as my average pace was showing up as mid 17km/h, but I figured I should try and minimize the amount I was inevitably going to be DNF'd by.

Kylie had handed me 4 Gus, I had only asked for one, the extras proved priceless, I shoved one in every 15 minutes and drank that Opti in less than an hour. I was catching and passing the tail end of the 100kers here and some of them were cheering me on, and it was pretty cool. This final race stage turned out to be mostly fire trail and very fast single track, and after the first hour into it, it started become clear that maybe, just maybe, I might make it by the 5pm cut off. If I kept up the current 20km/h pace, I might make it with a few minutes to spare.

It's at times like these that you dig, deep, down into places you never knew you had, and pull out all the stops. I gave it every single thing I had, even my calves had started to join in the cramping by now, but I didn't care, I yelled "no!" and jiggered with my pedaling technique, fine tuning every stroke to get everything my legs could put out without locking up.

At "your call" I chose the longer (950m compared to 550m) route, figuring the shorter steeper option would cramp me up for sure, and if I got locked up with cramps, the race would be over as a single minute of delay was going to cause a DNF at this point, no way could I let that happen, I was going to bloody make it!!

At the top of "your call" I knew we broke out onto bitchumen and it was a roadie cruise to the finish, my legendary mate Adam (who had escorted Kylie for her entire 50km race, what a gentleman!) had ridden out to join me for the final 2km, I just cannot explain how good seeing his friendly face riding next to me felt, it was elating, just magic.

He was motivating me, to get me to go harder, we knew it was going to be inside the minute by this stage and seconds were starting to count. The final hill was from hell, I had nothing left, Adam was telling me to just hammer over it, but I had nothing, I went back to middle ring and limped over as best I could, but I was starting to break down. At the top I shoved it back in the big ring and we flew for the finish, before the final corner I was already balling my eyes out, but I just pedaled as hard as I could, trying to see through the tears and I slammed my foot down on the final timing mat, hoping I had made it. I collapsed onto Kylie in tears, putting on a macho display of just how manly I really am... NOT! :D haha I didn't care, I had made it, I bloody made it!

That was the hardest thing I have ever done, and today, the day after, I still don't know if I officially finished or not! It doesn't really matter though, I gave that event more than I had ever given any other, I found places in myself I did not know were there and today I just awoke with a huge grin and exclaimed "I can't believe made it!".

Some stats for fun