Fitz's Challenge t's on again - Sunday 31 October 2010

[Ross]

http://www.ocf-fitz.com/

Fitz's Challenge is Canberra’s biggest and best known long-distance one-day participation event offering you the choice of four fantastic challenges: It is not for the faint-hearted and includes some of the toughest climbs in the Canberra region.
Test your skills, fitness and endurance by taking on the Brindabella Ranges in one of 4 challenges. 2010 will be its 23nd year.
This challenge is still unique in its combination of terrain, distance and weather!
Four Challenges to Test You

If you are looking for a physical challenge to push yourself and test your capabilities, the Fitz's Challenge is for you. Dare to cycle above your limits and achieve your personal goals. There are four challenges to suit different levels of experience and interest:

1. FITZ'S EPIC 207 km, a hill grinding odyssey
2. FITZ'S CLASSIC 165 km, a daunting challenge with plenty of climbing
3. THARWA 105 km, this one will sneak up on the complacent
4. TIDBINBILLA 50 km, designed specifically to challenge newcomers

These rides are not races or time trials. They are non-competitive long distance tours by bicycle, called 'randonnees' where you ride at your own pace to finish within the time limit. Rides are open to all reasonably fit riders.

Fitz's Epic 207 km has Audax brevet status and is a qualifying ride for those wishing to enter the Audax Alpine Classic ACE 250 km (held at Bright Vic. in January).

READY FOR THE CHALLENGE? Register online now
Form a team for more fun
Camp at Stromlo Forest Park (start/finish)

Make tomorrow a reality for kids with cancer.

Enrich your cycling experience and ride for children with cancer by joining the fundraising team from the Oncology Children’s Foundation. Let the fighting spirit shown by children with cancer inspire you to reach new heights! Become a fundraiser and make tomorrow a reality for kids with cancer through your personal challenge.

Every year around 700 Australian children are diagnosed with cancer. 200 won’t survive.

Get involved! ‘Click here’ to sign up for a unique and rewarding experience that you will never forget.

[Bean]

Is there to be a V-Mobile 'Team' registered for this??

[Bean]

Tomorrow is the last day to register to get a rider pack posted out. Given last year there were quite a few problems associated with this I'm not sure it's necessarily the best thing to do so, but this is a heads up anyway. If people want a team please post here so we can get it organised prior to on-line rego's.

[Steven]

I'd be keen to ride with other Vikings, but I'm not the strongest climber and will stick to the Tharwa course this year.

[Steven]

Bump - this Sunday. From Facebook it looks like there's a fair number of VCC members planning to ride:

JY
Ninja
Lyn
Shridevi
Bean
RobF
Ingrid
The Fantastic Mr Fox
Sam Sautelle
Kate Huckstep

The maybes include ET, GSav, Matty, Sue.

So who's stepping up?

[Andrew]

I'm there now..

[SueP]

I'm not up for to many k's, so who's doing the tharwa (105) and what time are you meeting at SFP?

[Driver]

take your rain coat.

Pedal power are also selling plastic shopping bag (in fluro yellow) overshoes.

[SueP]

I won't be doing it if its raining and just checking the times/cost and even for fundraising, $50 is a bit steep.

[lisak]

I'm in for the 165km. Looks like I'll be getting my b'day pressie of a new raincoat a little early this year (and am secretly hoping that means I'll be getting another pressie on the day!). :-)

[Steven]

I'm in for Tharwa 105. Temperature's expected to stay warm ~24C so I'm just gonna get wet - sweating it out in a jacket ain't fun either.

[Bean]

I'll be getting wet. It's a toss up between getting soaked and then freezing my arse off or sweating in a coat the whole 207k's. I'm sure either way I'll feel like crap at the end of it.

[Steven]

Turned out to be a nice day. Almost fell off my bike laughing at the V-Mob graffiti on the way up the Sisters.

JY RIP :D

[Andrew]

Yup. A fine day indeed. Except that headwind.
Got it as a tailwind up the sisters and back to stromlo, it redeemed itself at that point

[Stevo]

Turned out to be a nice day. Almost fell off my bike laughing at the V-Mob graffiti on the way up the Sisters.

JY RIP :D

Mate, been a while since you did the sisters then, thats been there for yonks!!!

[Steven]

It has - months! You should see what I wrote about Dwyer on the bitumen of Washing Machine Hill...

[lisak]

Great day, except for the forecast (well, not just the forecast, it was bucketing down when I left home / started the 165km!), which led me to serious folly re sunscreen application. Needless to say, I have other pains now distracting me from my sore muscles...

[grumpybug]

yeah it started off a bit wet but I thought it was a good day around. While the head wind was a bit of bugger, having as a tail wind for the last 10k was a great way to finish.

The Epic challenge was awesome. not sure I would rush to do it again but I'm glad did it all the same. After riding home as well I am utterly knackered. It will be interesting tomorrow when I try to ride to work.

Hats off to pedal power for organising the event, I think they have come a long way since I last did it in 2007. The water supply and the food was good.

[Bean]

Great day, except for the forecast (well, not just the forecast, it was bucketing down when I left home / started the 165km!), which led me to serious folly re sunscreen application. Needless to say, I have other pains now distracting me from my sore muscles...

Well done Lisa. It was good to see you girls out there enjoying the fine weather!

For the 205's it was pouring with rain almost until Tharwa I think, so we certainly got our share of the crap weather. The headwind was a bit nasty but thankfully pushed us home after the 3 sisters.

[grumpybug]

My vote for the most awesome ride must go the tandem riders who did the 165k ride. The back rider (well I assume he was) was a vision impaired 64 year man.

Imagine the faith you must have in the front guy as you come steaming down Fitzs. That can be a scary descent when you are in control but sitting on the back, just hanging in there for the ride, wow! not sure I could that.

Then there was the poor sod I saw walking his bike up Honeysuckle, I don't think he knew how far the summit was, he was in for a long day.

My interesting little problem for the day was the morning rain had washed my chain clean of any lubricant. By honeysuckle the grinding noise and squeaking was getting pretty bad. Going up Corin was just embarrassing, it sounded like I was riding a $20 Kmart special (Of course riding a Giant some people would argue that is the same thing). At every CP I had been asking if anyone had any chain lube but with no luck. In desperation at the Corin CP I smothered the chain in sunscreen. I was pretty desperate and was looking for anything that might quieten it down. I'm not saying it was ideal but it did prove to be a good temporary fix to get me home.

[Bean]

Imagine the faith you must have in the front guy as you come steaming down Fitzs.
Imagine not having a clue how much further you had to climb! Having to just keep pedalling under pressure with the guy on the front probably too stuffed to speak would be freakin' hard work!

I like the idea of the sunscreen Grumpy, but can you get it off OK??? It would probably get a bit sticky and gunked up after a while?

[milto]

I used to own a tandem that I did lots of riding with my girlfriend. Before we bought it she would go for the occasional ride with Ian Downing. He has a bit of a quirky style in most things in life but especailly on the tandem. He would track stand it while you got on.

As I would be the pilot on our bike she made me go mtn biking with ian in Majura once. I would come down fitz's with a half sane person anyday over tandem mtn biking with a crazy man.

[Andrew]

I like the idea of the sunscreen Grumpy, but can you get it off OK??? It would probably get a bit sticky and gunked up after a while?

More importantly, did it work?

[RobF]

his chain is not burnt, so yes.

[grumpybug]

add a whole new dimension to protecting your chain.

Introducing grumpybug's patented new chain lube.
"Sure you can protect your chain from wear and tear but what about UV damage? using grumpybug's protectachain (patent pending) will not only protect your chain from wear and tear but with our special blend of sunscreen and moisturizers will make your chain look years younger"

[j_young_80]

You could even throw in a magneto bracelet with every box purchased.

[grumpybug]

hey hey, I like. Tell you what Jamie, I'll cut you in on 10% of the profits for that suggestion.

[Startrek]

Arhhhhh.....what are you two smokin .

[Driver]

Introducing grumpybug's patented new chain lube.
"Sure you can protect your chain from wear and tear but what about UV damage? using grumpybug's protectachain (patent pending) will not only protect your chain from wear and tear but with our special blend of sunscreen and moisturizers will make your chain look years younger"

Protectachain - multiuse product for the savvy cyclist, uses include; high quality sunscreen, super-satisfactory short term chain lube/cutting paste AND in consultation with the ponds institute now suitable as groin wrinkle creme for the discerning V-Mobile gent; rub it on lots of times really fast and voila - no more wrinkles...

[grumpybug]

Yeah I looked into the benefits of protectachain as a groin wrinkle creme but after extensive tests by the TGA using it in the manner you described it was found to cause blindness.

[grumpybug]

After completing Fitzs I'm almost inspired to do this
http://www.pedalpower.org.au/events/details.asp?IntContId=3809

A mere 600k
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Nimmitabel,+New+South+Wales&daddr=Beloka,+New+South+Wales+to:Candelo,+New+Sout h+Wales+to:Wyndham,+New+South+Wales+to:Cathcart,+N ew+South+Wales+to:Bombala,+New+South+Wales+to:Cann +River,+Victoria+to:Genoa,+Victoria+to:Mallacoota, +Victoria+to:Genoa,+Victoria+to:Cann+River,+Victor ia+to:Bombala,+New+South+Wales+to:Bendoc,+Victoria +to:Bombala,+New+South+Wales+to:Nimmitabel,+New+So uth+Wales&hl=en&geocode=Fa_G0v0dqNblCClbzEhCAVI8azHjkRfiOg10jw;FSx 00v0dsrDdCClhvpiUb8A8azEwydd_5wVP-A;FbH5zv0d1CrsCCnxSpRlOCM8azFT-0HPmUCSdw;FfeBzP0dGW3rCCmtr8ubthA8azHexXfAipoPeA;F U3Pzf0dL3znCCkbUgzvZGw8azEnjXtWbPDrQA;FRjOzP0dVkHl CCkxYfKA2Xo8azHc3r4z9h45BQ;FbTQwv0dA-DjCCntdUSVp6s7azGB5qMfsXDvnA;FWgqxP0dDJvqCCkVIDV_Q ME7azF8YP44wthbPQ;FW_mwv0d-RDtCClHYMsSfN47azHxn55ZWoAzAQ;FWgqxP0dDJvqCCkVIDV_ QME7azF8YP44wthbPQ;FbTQwv0dA-DjCCntdUSVp6s7azGB5qMfsXDvnA;FRjOzP0dVkHlCCkxYfKA2 Xo8azHc3r4z9h45BQ;FSovyf0dMMvfCCnNP7n7rW07azEvlkxc HCu5MA;FRjOzP0dVkHlCCkxYfKA2Xo8azHc3r4z9h45BQ;Fa_G 0v0dqNblCClbzEhCAVI8azHjkRfiOg10jw&mra=ls&dirflg=w&sll=-37.03743,149.247765&sspn=1.674992,3.56781&ie=UTF8&z=9

It would be a good warm up for the 24 hour race which is now going to be in January.

[Steven]

Fleche Oppy:

http://audax.org.au/public/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=24&id=88&Itemid=310

[grumpybug]

If you are interested here are some photos from Fitz's http://www.klixus.com/Clubid/16/Clubdetails.aspx