Fitz's Epic

[Chris]

There was a massive V-mobile turn out for the Epic today to make you all proud. I will leave the girls to report their ride. Here is a summary of the Fast Boy ride.

We all rolled out at 6am in a big bunch of around 90 riders. The morning was cool and pleasant so we were able to rollout without taking our warm clothes.

The bunch kept an even pace to Peace's Creek and then a few people got a bit excited and tried to rush up the hill. I am not sure where they ended up, but we didn't see them again after we passed them half way up. The rest of the bunch rolled at an even pace to Fitz's slowly dropping groups of riders. As expected the bunch shattered into smaller groups up Fitz's and didn't regroup again.

The Fast Boys all rolled into Rendezvous Creek within a couple of minutes of each other. Unfortunately we failed miserably at riding back together and ended up being strung out to the top of Honeysuckle Creek. This time around we managed to string it together and we made as strong group that stormed to the base of Corin picking off riders as we went.

Again we broke up on the climb, some of us struggling more than others, but we all made it up with our dignity intact. At this point there was one guy ITTing like not tomorrow in front of us. While we were catching our breath a small group of other riders took off. We followed them maybe 10-20 minutes later. By now we are counting the Kms and looking forward to eating something that had less that 50% sugar content.

I am not sure what was going on at the Cotter but once we passed a big gathering there were a stream of angry cars followed us up Mt Mac and then up the three sisters. At this point I would love to say that the team spirit can conquer all but certain unnamed individuals didn't wait at the top of the three sisters when Dan flatted on the second sister. Mmm but Dan know who are his real friends.

Once over the Three sisters Dan, Simon, Vortex guy (forgotten his name) and I really picked up the pace. The top of Stomlo was a magnet. I was pretty happy to make the SPF turn.

In the end we rolled over the line just on 8 hrs 35 minutes. I think we were the third bunch back so we did pretty well.

After cleaning up we laid back on the grass and waited for the rest of the squad to roll in. Lyn and Erica made it in just under 10 hours. Avi, Shridavi and Andrew rolled in a little later.

Overall a hard day in the saddle but a good one in the end. Thanks Pedal Power for the day. I also have to tip my hat to the V-mobile hard men that raced yesterday and then backed up today. Legendary effort.

Finally, it seems by common consensus that the course was a little long 209km or there abouts. How is that for value for money.

[bluebike]

Here is my race report...blaaghh!

[pm0203]

At Cotter there was the great clan gathering for the GCBBB




Great Canberra Bogan BBQ Bash (GCBBBQB was too long a name)

Membership requires 4wd with fishing boat on rear abusing riders at the rendezvous turn, a Pope mobile that did two turns past us with horn blaring.

4wd 4 door and tray also made two passes with abuse, Hatch car overtaking me going down Pearces creek then slowing down in front of me ....

[Avi]

Hmm I wasn't getting abused by the bogans at all in fact I got a few thumbs ups, does this mean I have been accepted by the pride? Perhaps it was the sunburn on my neck?

All in all that was EPIC, I smashed myself on Fitzs and honeysuckle not knowing what to expect from them, this caught up to me on corin, I was le tired and had to have a sit down a few k's into it, but big thanks to shridevi(who had a broken gear cable and had to do the first bit of corin in her big cog) for not giving up and not letting me give up!

[SueP]

Well done everyone - now that does sound EPIC! Hotham will be a stroll in the park after that effort.

[Shridevi]

And this is my race peport- Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shridevi]

And my butt hurts

[j_young_80]

Good work guys - mucho respectada - specially those that backed up from Sat too.

I had everything packed and ready to step up to the Epic, got up at 4:45 and my body informed me that I could go, but it wasn't coming with me. I think I had mild sunstroke from Sat, and after going back to bed, and waking up at 10 - realising that you poor buggers had been going for 4 hours I was pretty content with my decision.

Lyn and Erica - awesome job on sneaking under the qualification! Race report from you too aswell!

[idol]

Bonus points to Shridevi for completing the EPIC after her gear cable snapped on Corin leaving her with only 1 gear at the back for the remaining 60+ km's!

Excellent effort for everyone who came out to ride yesterday!

[bosworth*]

Well done, guys!

[Bean]

Well done Epic riders. You put my pain into perspective! Awesome effort.

[mikeyc]

It was a great day and awesome effort by all, and no Thunder Showers! Thoroughly enjoyed riding as a team, especially when I saw nearly everyone else wishing they had the same support as we passed them, very cool. Special thanks to Erica for all her advice during the Nutrition Talk, awesome advice thank you!

Sorry for not waiting boys, put me down for a solid lead out in the near future with one of your names on it :) As we reached the top of the Sisters we called a meeting and decided that the combination of a couple nearly broken men, cold cokes, sizzling sausages and a soft place to sit was enough. The SFP magnet proved to be too strong to resist.

Good times.

[Hoops]

Great effort all, especially Shridevi! I would have seriously been flicking through my address book looking for sag-wagon type assitance.

Also a special mention to Andrew an Avi who came into the ride blind folded and managed to survive. Everytime my legs wanted to let go I realised you guys had it about 10 times harder which made me feel like i was whinging about nothing.

[Andrew]

oh yes. 'twas an awesome day. I gave out on the Three sisters. Big Time =[ I'm sunburnt as all hell (I was slathering the cream on all day too)

Can we call the Vasudevas' Team Unbreakable (or something like that?) Avi had heat stroke, wanted to call it quits on Corin, but yet still made it home before I did.. and Shridevi with 3 gears, then 1.. and again, beat me home. And Lyn and Erica.. who just took off up Corin =|

Oh and my bike is a bit shagged..
My cleats won't clip in (I got a bit overzealous cleaning my left shoe after the Rendezvous Creek checkpoint) in and my front wheel is quite off..

[bluebike]

Im still so dehyrated!!! Cant get enough fluid in!

Tempted to go and grab some oral rehydration solution packets to thrwo in my water bottle.

Hot tip for anyone needing to rehydrate in a hurry and not wanting to consume any more gatorade or sugar! Powder saches available at chemist and supermarket.

Especially neccessary for those of you with sunburn as your body temp would be a little higher than normal.

[Bean]

I drank about 6 litres on the ride yesterday but still came home ~1.5 kg underweight. Drank about another 2 litres when I got home and I feel reasonable now. Just my legs that are shagged.

[bluebike]

I dont think the beers I had last night helped!

Yes it takes a lot of fluid to regain the lost fluid. Salt and sugar will help it being absorbed properly rather than just passing through you.

Gastrolye is the quick fix to rehydration!

[SimonD]

What does Gastrolyte have in it? Is it just salt and potassium, like sports drink without sugar?

I was feeling pretty thirsty last night too and drank heaps. And I'm still drinking today. It was probably a shock to our systems riding in the warmth.

[Chris]

I drank at least eight 800ml biddons mostly of yummy Gatorade and still came in a dehydrated. I was over raw sugar by the end of yesterday. I feel a little ripped off that I didn't get any water mellon at the check points.

[bluebike]

http://www.sanofi-aventis.com.au/products/aus_pi_gastrolyteR.pdf

Yes, similiar, but used all over the world for people with gastrintestinal upset. Sometimes where you have gastro, sugar doesnt sit too well.

ORS (oral rehydration solution) is one of the major interventioned in developing countries to help counteract deaths from gastro illness. Designed to get fluid in quick smart and absorbed. Most people who die from gastro die from dehydration.

Sachets are added to 500ml or something I think. I used to use them when I was training for a marathon in darwin and you would lose tonnes of water per hour of running.

Follow the directions when making them up!

[LynV]

Here's my vague recollection of the day:

Our little gang of six stayed together till Rendevous Creek. Getting up Fitz’s wasn’t so bad and I foolishly thought that was the worst of it done! Then some guy at the top of Fitz’s disillusioned us by mentioning that the next bit was 4% steeper! We rode off in silence contemplating that extra 4%. The scenery was very pleasant and each hill we thought “oh that wasn’t too bad”, can’t be much more. Saw the people at the corner with the checkered flags, the end must be near! but they ummed and ahhed and said there was err just a bit of a hill coming, that’s when we knew we were in for it. Somehow we made it to Rendevous Ck, and the attrition began – Chris G developed a headache on Fitz’s and had to pull the plug– big thanks to his flat mate Megan for bringing a picnic along for us. Wished we could of taken more advantage of it and hadn’t already stuffed our faces before we realised she was there.

The remaining 5 of us were quite jolly, we were half way done, 2/3s of the climbing out of the way – how much worse could it be, pffft. Yes reality checked in on the first part of Apollo Rd – the less said the better about the evil Honeysuckle. Regrouped at the top of Honeysuckle, so far so gooooood? The lovely descent – then Avi and Andrew got frisky – foolish boys, Erica and I tried vainly to hold us all together in limbo between the frisky boys and Shridevi saying “I just want to be alone with my IPOD”.

The rest is a blur but somehow Eric and I ended up at the Corin checkpoint, after relaxing (ha ha) for about 20 minutes we got a report from a motor cyclist that Shridevi was sitting on the ground with some guys just below Gibraltar Falls. Down we went to investigate, happily saw Shridevi, Avi and Andrew on their way up, so kept going. Learnt later that Shridevi was going up Corin with her broken gear cable in the hardest gear, ouch and had been sitting on the ground with Avi convincing him to go on!.

Erica and I decided the most efficient way to get back would be to find guys to work with (for) us, so that’s what we did all the way back, just kept sucking up to guys and leaving them behind when they were done. It was mildly reassuring in a sick sort of way, seeing so many of the guys who’d passed us earlier on, fallen by the wayside or going so slow they were of no use to us. Getting to Mt Mac was a wonderful thing, even though we just stood at the pit stop grunting incoherently until somebody filled our water bottles and took our little bits of cardboard.

After our lovely journey up the familiar Mt Mac we caught up to the guy with timetrial bars again, who took us along the whole false flat, then he dropped off on the first sister. The rest of the home run went by in a delerium –faster and faster as we got closer to the end and about 4km out realised we might just make it back under 10 hours so went even faster to get back one minute under 10 hrs! Except, now I don’t know if I even want to do 250km?

Thanks Dan for the Turkish feast on the grass afterwards! And the blisters on the balls of my feet are nearly gone! And thanks Erica, half a power bar every hour really works!

[mikeyc]

I had two 1ltr bottles with me yesterday, one with water and one with gatorade. Including the two I started with I filled them 5 times and it seemed to work well for me. In saying that I really started to feel the heat after Corin and would have gladly jumped in the creek before the descent. I probably drank another 2ltrs of water when I got home and then moved onto the beers. How much water is in 4 beers? Needless to say I still woke up with a headache and sore legs but feeling good overall.

[j_young_80]

It was mildly reassuring in a sick sort of way, seeing so many of the guys who’d passed us earlier on, fallen by the wayside or going so slow they were of no use to us.

Did you mock them as you passed? Mutter a little "What What!?" as you rolled by?

Harsh, this is the future chaplain folks, be afraid, be very afraid.

Awesome effort girls!

[Bean]

i've been drinking Dr Dwyers salt and sugar recipe. I believe it has the right tonicity (similar to gastrolyte, usually ~300-350 mOsmolar) and therefore helps immensely in getting the water into your blood-stream.

My teeth felt like crap after yesterday so the first thing after getting out of the shower yesterday was a good old brush!

[Andrew]

Did you mock them as you passed?

Oh dear... That reminds me..

Coming back over Fitzs' back towards Apollo Rd was about the time that a good chunk of cyclists were headed up for the first pass.. there were a few walking up at that point.. so I yelled out "On yer Bike!"

The glares back said it all....

[DGKP]

[QUOTE=SimonD;2908]What does Gastrolyte have in it? Is it just salt and potassium, like sports drink without sugar? /QUOTE]

GASTROLYTE TABLETS/POWDER
Company Sanofi-Aventis
Primary Section: Nutrition - Oral and parenteral electrolytes
MIMS revision date: 01 Sep 2006
Active. Compound sodium chloride and glucose oral powder and effervescent tablet.
Sachet. Sodium chloride 470 mg, potassium chloride 300 mg, sodium acid citrate 530 mg, glucose 3.56 g.
Tablet. Sodium chloride 117 mg, potassium chloride 186 mg, anhydrous citric acid 384 mg, sodium bicarbonate 336 mg, glucose 1.62 g.
Inactive. Sachet. Silicon dioxide, saccharin sodium or aspartame, orange flavour, pineapple flavour.
Tablet. Saccharin sodium, blackcurrant flavour, lemon/ lime flavour.
Description Sachet. 1 L of made-up solution (5 sachets, 5 x 200 mL) contains sodium (Na+) 60 mmol, potassium (K+) 20 mmol, chloride (Cl-) 60 mmol, citrate 10 mmol and glucose 90 mmol.

Tablet. 1 L of made-up solution (10 tablets, 5 x 200 mL quantities) contains Na+ 60 mmol, K+ 25 mmol, Cl- 45 mmol, citrate 20 mmol and glucose 90 mmol.
Total osmolarity is 240 mOsm/L

Indications Oral correction of fluid and electrolyte loss in infants, children and adults. The product has been formulated to treat fluid and electrolyte loss associated with acute dehydration in infantile diarrhoea, but is also appropriate for the treatment of older children and adults.
Gastrolyte is also indicated for the correction of dehydration due to vigorous and prolonged exercise.

GASTROLYTE-R POWDER
Company Sanofi-Aventis
Primary Section: Nutrition - Oral and parenteral electrolytes
MIMS revision date: 01 May 2001
Active. Per sachet: precooked rice (Coryza sativa) powder 6 g, sodium citrate 580 mg, sodium chloride 350 mg and potassium chloride 300 mg.
Inactive. Hypromellose, apricot flavour, aspartame.
Description Gastrolyte-R is a yellowish, granular powder with a faint odour of apricot. When reconstituted, 1 L of the preparation contains sodium (Na) 60 mmol, chloride (Cl) 50 mmol, potassium (K) 20 mmol and citrate 10 mmol (30 mEq). Osmolarity of electrolytes is 140 mOsmol/L. Total osmolarity of solution is 226 mOsmol/L.
Phenylketonurics should be warned that this product contains phenylalanine ).

Actions Pharmacology: Gastrolyte-R contains a balanced amount of electrolytes, starch and proteins in water. Oral dehydration therapy with Gastrolyte-R enables a dehydrated subject to be rehydrated rapidly. The presence of precooked rice in the formulation enables watery stools to return to normal more rapidly. The functions of each component of Gastrolyte-R are as follows.

Water: the appropriate amount is essential to correct dehydration.
Starch: low osmotic capacity (unlike pure glucose) thus preventing any additional loss of fluid through the stools. Rice starch contains amylose 20% and amylopectin 80%.
Proteins: specific nutritional properties.
Electrolytes: essential for restoring the ionic equilibrium. The role of citrate is to correct the acidosis that occurs as a result of diarrhoea. Citrate also enhances the absorption of sodium and is more stable than bicarbonate.

Indications: Oral correction of fluid and electrolyte loss in infants 3 months of age, children and adults. Treatment of watery diarrhoea of various aetiologies including gastroenteritis in all age groups from 3 months upwards (use in infants less than 3 months of age only under medical supervision).
Gastrolyte-R is particularly recommended in the case of too loose or frequent stools where it enables over-loose stools to revert to normal.

[Shridevi]

I thought it was just me with the gross teeth after yesterday and the head ache this morning.

It was nice going down fitz and corin ( manily corin) and seeing people walking/riding up it made me feel better that they still had ages to go.

My gear cable broke on that road before corin- while i was in the hardest gear, and so i thought how bad could it be going up corin in your hardest gear?? well for those wanting to try it i would advise you not it. half way up i stoped to try fix it (i dont know how i would of fixed it but i was quite delirius at this stage) and a nice man stoped and i had a winge to him so he fixed it- well sort of, he made it so i would at least hav the easiest gear and 3 more which didnt work. so i had my easy gear. I had a cry- yes an actully teary cry on the false flat as it was so hard because my legs were just spining and i was so happy when a little hill would come because i would have a bit of risitance to work with.

[bluebike]

It makes me want to cry just reading that. How could we have abandoned you?

What kind of mother is Lyn?

Give me the tissues!!

[Shridevi]

it was also great to see all you speedy guys comeing down the mountain. it encouraged me to keep going.

Thanks for the lovely sunday ride chris, erica, avi, andrew and mum.

[bosworth*]

It makes me want to cry just reading that. How could we have abandoned you?

What kind of mother is Lyn?

Give me the tissues!!

Tough love - that's my prenting style.

[Bean]

I had a cry- yes an actully teary cry on the false flat ...

I found the false flat a blessed relief. Couldn't have come at a better time. I pretty much just rolled down it until a couple of the Team Pill guys caught up to me and dragged my sorry arse to the crossing. About the only time in since leaving Rendezvous Ck that I had someone to ride with. I can understand you wanted to cry Shridvei!

[Chris]

Tough love - that's my prenting style.

Yup you have to let them stand on their own feet sometime.

[Avi]

I feel bad for not waiting for you Shridevi, i was in auto mode as soon as we started mt mac couldn't look back! I think you win the race that wasn't a race for difficulty level and still finishing with a smile!

[SSSimon]

Well done all! I snuck away at 9am after spending 3 hours on house cleaning duties after my son's 20th birthday bash. I figured I'd ride directly to Tharwa and out to the turnaround and check out all the cyclists going for the big ride. I got to the top of Fitz's on the way out at about 10:30 and saw a big crew of Vikings there including Shedevi, Lyn and Frances among others. My temp gauge said 39 heading up Fitz's so it was hot work! Being a non entrant I didn't want to use any of the ride support, but the hot conditions made me swallow my pride and I had to fill 2 bidons twice, so 6 large biddons for 125ks for me.
I did a couple of reps on the climb just before Rendezvous Ck (I call it 'The Wall') before heading directly back home in time for my daughter's 13th party - thankfully at Zone 3 so a second house/yard clean up avoided.

That ride should set people up well for Bright in just over a months time, but I'd say you still want to be doing some more hill reps within the next 2 weeks, and the Wednesday AM ITT sessions as well.

Yes, and I got abused by the bogan wagon towing the boat - well I think it was abuse something 'GETOOFFFFTHAFUUUC' and then they were gone. Ironic isn't it. They may have got their message out quicker if they leaned how to speak without putting in their 'thinking time' expletives.

[Bean]

39! Is that accurate Simon?

[Chris]

39! Is that accurate Simon?

My watch puts the average temp at only 25 C but it only actually measures the temp when I pressed the lap button. With the reflected heat of the road I could imagine that it got to 39 C for the riders. Remember the BoM measures the air temp in the shade not the temp on a frying pan hot road.

[Shridevi]

Avi and erica dont feel bad at all. Serioulsy i was better off on my own and not having to talk to anyone.

does any one have massive lactate build up in their feet?? my feet are puffy!! i guess that is because i don't have a pair of skins... and i didnt really do much today.

[Frances]

My cankles are delightful. Still.

[Richard]

congrats to the epic people. The 165km was quite enough, though kinda half wishing i did the epic.

on a temperature note, my computer measures it too and came up with: min 17, average 32 and max 48. Not too sure about the 48, though since its a black computer strapped around black handlebars cycling over a black road in damn hot sun, I can sort of believe it.