This article was first published here, on the MarathonMTB.com Race Team website. Sam Moorhouse is a member of the team and will debut this weekend. But he can tell you all about that…
As I sit at my desk, I realise I should be doing some work but I can’t get the apprehension and excitement out of my mind as I look ahead to the weekend and what will be my debut ride for MarathonMTB.com Race Team at the Otway Odyssey.
Arguably the toughest marathon Australia can serve up, my apprehension comes following the belting I copped at the Highland Fling a few months back. After a blinding start and holding the Top-12 until the 85km mark, I chewed my stem to 1/3rd of its original length before finally hunger flatting worse than I can ever imagine, sighting my Top-20 finish as a worthy achievement.
I have raced a number of good seasons on the Australian National Road Series but the suffering I endured in the last 15km of the Highland Fling eclipsed my shivers and blackouts from dehydration holding the lead A grade bunch over Gibraltar Range in the ’09 Grafton to Inverell. Having a Director Sportif screaming in your ear adds that extra little bit but marathon racing DOES NOT offer this!
It’s entirely up to me now and with 3000m of climbing booked in for Saturday, I am a lot better prepared mentally and physically than before The Fling. The training’s going well and my office job is creating the motivation needed to “just get out there” and train no matter what the conditions. Sunday was my last big hit out before Otway consisting of Northern Sydney Cycling Club’s infamous Beauie Worlds 50min criterium followed up by a triathlon style transition in the garage at home to swap the slicks for knobs and hit another 2hrs on the dirt.
This “time poor” factor of life is now real and making me extract every last opportunity for riding out of my day. With the rigid scheduling I now adhere to it may even prove a better approach to training and racing in 2011. I’ll know by lunch time Saturday.
From Sydney, its a 13 hour drive to Apollo Bay and this is where Linebreak Performance Sportswear have come to the party. I have worn Linebreak’s compression tights through my own investment for the past 2 years mainly for traveling to and from races. I was a bit of a non-believer at first but its not until you try these garments that you understand what its all about and to have Linebreak supporting us in 2011 is BRILLIANT!