Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club

The Mudgee Road Opens are coming up on us quickly, with entries closing on June 27th.

The races are excellent, and not too short or long, perfect for a first road open or even a 100th. Saturday is a 90km handicap, with Sunday following with graded scratch races or varying distances dependant on grade.

I'll be going, so let me know if you need me to organise some accommodation or transport.

Where are you staying? Interested in getting a rough idea of costs. I wasn't going to do it, but I feel my arm could be twisted.

Hey James,

Me and Mark have both entered for both days at Mudgee. So we will need the accommodation organised.
Ill get a lift with Mark.

Thanks.

I'm keen too! I'll have to check my calendar though.

I'm out of this one. The training I have been doing for the Grafton has strained all my muscles.

Last time I went out there is was very cold too.

I think G should give this one a go as he doesn't feel the cold.

Tempted

I'm thinking i'm likely too. I just have to get my weekend pass signed.

I'd like to do Mt Annan the weekend before too. Entries close for both next Sunday.

im almost certainly doing this one. Ill enter today so i dont forget.

i've already registered for both races. i'm fine for accom & travel.

just entered the Sunday race.

If I decide before Sunday that I want to do it and I can't twist Christian's arm into doing it to, does anyone have space in their car for me?

So long as your bike isnt bigger than Wallman's i can fit you in Vic. Though first point of call is certainly to bully christian into racing.

Entered. Yay!

Extremely Jealous. I had Mudgee very firmly pencilled it but it turns out I'll be at farm. I won't even be able to do any secret training because the roads will be covered in snow, black ice, cars and drunken ski hooligans!

Ride well everyone. And I can recommend the Lawson Park Hotel for accommodation. Very bicycle friendly staff, good location, fantastic balcony, $35 per person per night. Sleeps about 12 all up but some of those spots are in doubles.

That's a shame Camilla. I heard you were the one to help me find post-race cream buns

ok im entered.

I've had my arm twisted, so I've entered. How much is the accommodation?

I've entered too...How do we sort out accommodation?

Just let me know what you need (single or double) and i'll do some ringing around.

Is it possible to get an individual room with a double bed for yarna and I?

I'm a single

Awwww you can have Christian if you like.

are u pimping out christian? If so ill have a post race massage please.

Fine, but there won't be any happy endings.

Just to confirm the people needing accommodation:

Me
Mark
Amy
Victoria + Christian
John
Alex + Yarna

If i've missed you let me know. Should have accommodation sorted out tomorrow.

Can we go somewhere else for dinner on Saturday Night

I've entered

I'm in too. We'll find a motel.

The cabins at Riverside Caravan Park are good.

Accommodation was getting pretty low in Mudgee, but i did find some eventually. We are staying at Mudgee Tourist and Van Resort. Cost is $29.50 each, but you will need to bring your own linen (sheets and pillow case) otherwise it's $15 extra per bed. Let me know about the linen, but i'm happy enough to take my own.

l'll take linen too, thanks James.

Thanks for organising that James.

I just realised this is on this coming weekend. We're staying a few minutes up the road from the race start at the father in-law's farm, so I'll endeavour to head down to race start sat or sun & take some snaps.

Handicaps are up

http://www.nsw.cycling.org.au/cy_nsw/ra ... #Handicaps

Now to decide if racing on Friday night is a good idea or not...

You can't get a better handicap than that

Handicaps are up

http://www.nsw.cycling.org.au/cy_nsw/ra ... #Handicaps

Is there a course map online somewhere? I'm guessing start ulan rd than onto wollar rd...

If that's the course I'll take some photos on the hill up wollar rd which should slow people up and make it easier to capture on the compact camera.

I think it continues up Ulan Road. Someone who has done is previous years should be able to confirm.

The grades for Sunday are up. http://nsw.cycling.org.au/cy_nsw/races/ ... htm#Grades. Div 4 is going to be a messy bunch. I'm putting my money on Chidgey.

Yah !!! only 40k for me

My handicap and division are what I was expecting. Don't know if Chidgey should be in Div 4. I'm sick at the moment and pumped full of antibiotics so I can't guarantee I'll be there at the end of either of my races.

Bummer Christian, those bugs luv you this year.

I guess I must of been borderline for 3 this year. Last year Div 4 was pretty hot and I was dropped early on in a split on a hill. Rode myself back on 5k later and was immediately dropped again as there was an attack just as got back on, before I had a chance to rest. Alex R took 2nd I think. As Chidgey isn't racing on Saturday, we can expect a result out of him

Having said that, the Sunday course is more suited to a riders like Christian and Lacey.

Is it that the bugs love Christian or that Christian was sick and decided to ride a TTT and the bug made a nice home for itself as a result?

Full back page spread in today's local rage: http://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/news/l ... 81017.aspx

Full back page spread in today's local rage: http://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/news/l ... 81017.aspx

And that's Mikesbytes in the lead photo. You're famous now Mike!

That was the Sunday scratch race

i'll be driving up after rugby on Saturday, good luck in the handicap guys. i should be there around 7'ish for dinner.

On Sunday we'll expect to see a "Chidgey" Cavendish. Who knows you might find a "Mike" Mark Renshaw to suck.

Assuming the Michaels ain't blown away on the hills

The road warriors return

how did we go today? I was a DNS as my cough & the rain got the better of me.

Results are up.

Sat:
http://www.nsw.cycling.org.au/cy_nsw/ra ... tm#Results
Two DHBC riders in the top 10!

Sun:
http://www.nsw.cycling.org.au/cy_nsw/ra ... tm#Results

Sunday Div 4 race report.

Woke up at 6.30 to a cold rainy Mudgee morning. We drove out the start area and assembled the bikes and started putting more warm gear on. We rode a good 10 -12k warm up and arrived back at the start area to see the Div 1 start. Milled around for a while till the Div 3 guys lined up (John, Christian, James, Alex) and went for a short roll around the parking lot to keep from freezing solid.

Once the Div 3 guys started they called Div 4 (Amy, Victoria, Mike, Me, Mark) up and people swarmed from all over the place. We ended up with around 50 starters and I was about mid pack at the start. We rolled out and started fairly slow, the DH girls were up the front while the three DH men where all in the back 3rd. I noticed the girls on the front and decided to move up after a chat with Mike. About 10k's in we came to the first real hill and one of the elite women attacks of the front I was in the front 10 and take up chase. we crest hill and from a working group of about 7 or 8 for the long downhill. The three M's were all in this group and kept the pace around 50 - 55 till it flattened out again.

Nothing really happened after this till we made the 90' lefty and started the KOM climb. Once we rounded the corner i see Mark make a move towards the front, we start the climb at a sedate pace which Mark decides is a perfect time to bid for KOM ($50 and wine) so he jumps out of the saddle and gets a good 30m on the pack. He is in a massive gear and is stamping out a great pace and the pack decides that they want the $50 and start chasing. We are now practically sprinting up the hill and i can hear Mike the steam train behind me. The gap is slowly closing a Mark is running out of enthusiasm, we are about 50 metres out from the line and two tiny girls from the pack jump out and eventually beat mark to the line by no less than a bike length.

On the downhill things get a bit spicy with people trying to make a bid for freedom but things stay together but with 1/3 the pack shed. The next few K's are uneventful except for a few turns and slight hills. On one of the last major hills Mike Clem is on the front and is working real hard to split the pack. He gets to the top first and is about 20m of the front again the tiny girls decide they want the fresh air and chase Mike down.

We turn left and I can see some sort of sign up in the distance i ask Mike what it is and says it’s the 500m to go sign. Might explain why we are nearly going 50k along a flat. So the sprint comes and the Bathurst guys are on the front and to the right of us. As the peel off they come to the left and i'm boxed in, so it’s wet I’m frozen and boxed in. So i called it a day and sat up.

Congrats to the Div 3 boys 80k in that weather would of been retarded.
Bigger Congrats to Mark a 10th in the handicap, 3rd in the KOM and top 20 finish in the scratch.

The races from my perspective.

Saturday handicap. I wasn't expecting anything amazing here as I had been sick all week and hadn't ridden since Sunday. I started in the 19 minute munch with James. By the time we reached the 10km mark there were only 7 of us left, I'm not sure what happened to everyone else. The seven of us were working well then I got a flat at 25kms. I did a quick change and managed to get on two bunches behind. I couldn't bring myself to just sit on so I was doing turns with the bunch, I even towed them up a hill for which I was actually thanked. Just after we reached the 40km mark we were caught by another bunch, by 50km I was starting to suffer. The bunch was traveling at 60km/h along the flats and it was taking its toll on me. At the 60km mark we rounded a corner at Gulgong and this was the end of me. From here I just bunch hopped all the way to the finish.

Sunday was a bit better for me. I started in Div 3 with Alex, James and John. The conditions were not all that good for racing. We didn't start out all that fast and I think we may have been down to 22km/h at one point. My plan was to stay off the front as much as possible, I only did two turns on the front in the entire race. I'm sure there were a lot of people that never saw the front. The race really didn't get interesting until the second lap on the biggest climb. The bunch splintered, this is where James died after deciding to ride off the front. There where a few guys off the front and this is where they got caught. The splintering of the bunch meant there was a big gap to the new leaders. This gap was closed by going 60+ km/h down a hill in the wet. I looked at my speedo at the end of the race and we hit 69km/h. There were a few more attacks before then end but no one got away. In the end it came down to a sprint. In all I'm pretty happy with my 9th place. The top DHBC rider was Alex in 5th.

Well I wasn't so sure about road racing after the Dinnerville, but I can now confirm that it is indeed fun!

Saturday I started in limit with Ian Carswell. It took a few km's for the bunch to get sorted. There ended up being about 10 or so of us that were rolling through with the rest hanging off the back, and those hanging off the back were the ones that got shed pretty early on. It seemed to be the girls in the group doing all the work.

The next bunch caught us sometime after 25km's, which I had hoped for as this was after the hillier part of the course. I rolled through pretty comfortably with that group and was enjoying the pace, and it was good to see some fellow DHBC riders - Simon and Mark. When the bunch after that came through I saw a gap and jumped in there and rolled through with them for a bit. I was pretty comfortable in that group until we came around a corner and I saw a hill, while I was near the back of the pack and had a gel hanging half out my mouth. Uh oh! I was screwed. I chased to get back on after making it over the crest but no dice.

I worked with a few guys for a while, but they seemed to be more spent than me so we weren't getting anywhere very fast and I was doing more work than I wanted to. I was happy to see the next bunch come along which included John and some of the fast girls, so I jumped in there and rolled through with them. I should have sat off the back but I think I stupidly wanted to prove I had it in me to work, which was ultimately my down fall. I got dropped at some turn off, maybe the one Christian was talking about but my speedo wasn't working so I had no idea of time, distance, or heart rate (which was probably for the best).

Another bunch came through and I think I jumped on there for a while, or I might have just given up. It gets hazy. I saw Caitlin come flying past in a bunch and said hello, which she took as a chance to give up too and we rolled along having a chat in touring mode for the rest of it. That seemed to be what everyone else was doing too, and it was quite a pleasant end to it all. We happened upon James in the final km's who had given up as well and cruised in to the finish line.

Sunday I was in Div 4. The field was freakin massive and I knew the pace was going to be hot from the start. Amy and I figured if we stayed near the front we would have less chance of getting dropped on the first hill. Up the front was interesting as you got to see the girls making their little attacks and then the bunch reeling them back in. We weren't going very fast at all, which made it quite dangerous as there was lots of braking going on. At one point we started pacelining so I did a turn on the front but then realised it was bad news, as I got pushed further back in the pack. When we hit the hill 10km in I a was further back than I would like and my legs were dead, so I got dropped.

Three other guys were around me as we reached the top and I got them together to start chasing the main bunch. When the turn off for the KOM came we weren't far behind at all and I was sure we could catch, but I guess the pace of the main bunch picked up and before long they were out of sight. We rode along and picked up some more stragglers as we went, but everyone was pretty tired so we were going relatively easy. I was feeling good and did some big turns on the front but I lost it in the final 5km's and just sat on behind a Mudgee rider who towed all of us home. At the finish line all the guys he had been towing sprinted around him for 30th place or whatever it was, which I thought was a bit mean.



I was happy with my racing. If it wasn't for the hills I would have been able to hang in there for a lot longer, so I need to work on that. The best thing about Saturday was that I beat Christian over the line, something that will take a LONG time for me to forget and all of the flat tyre/sick/whatever else excuses he can come up with will never put a damper on

All up it was a fun weekend away with great company, a good pub meal and some quality racing thrown in there too. Thanks James for organising our accomodation and John for the lift all the way there and back!

I've got the long version over on my bike racing thread Tour de Mike

Saturday
I'm on Bunch 9, 27 mins by myself apart from the new guy who we have never met. Like last year I suffer in the early part of the race and fail to hold onto the 10 riders who break off the front of my bunch. We quickly form a bunch of 5 and we are working really well gathering more and more riders and by the time John's bunch catchs us we had a decent size bunch working. In John's bunch I'm feeling good and working well, but just after the turn for the home run, I suffer a lapse of rhythm and I'm off the back.

After a few K's solo, I suck the bunch of Alex C and James F and loose it on a hill and so does James F. I help a limit rider who's trying for his PB and we pick up some of the other riders including some with numbers less than 050. Then we cruise back to the finish like we are heading for the coffee shop on a Sunday ride. The guy from bunch 2 said he did 2h5m which puts me at about 2h30m 36kph average speed, a lot slower than Ken Dinnerval where I did 39.5kph average.

Sunday
Div4 - 40k. More my distance. The pace is ridiculously slow going out. Good news for me, as I'm able to hold myself on the early hills where I got dropped last year. Lacy had a crack at KOM and pulls away well, but runs out of steam and gets reelled in. Then the race starts properly.

I've never seen females ride so aggressively before, every so often one of them would go off the front, which would send alarm bells going in the other females, while the males simply i gore it. At no point did I see it as an issue, we could simply up the pace and steamroller them if necessary. Was this race part of some sort of female championship or something? Why did the females react to each other so much. About this point I did a hard turn on the front to try and reduce the number of riders. I didn't see what happened but Chidgey said I had spat some.

Then one of the females went off the front when I knew there was a big hill around the corner. Up the hill and she wasn't getting away at all even though we weren't going that fast up the hill. With 500mtr to go, I knew there was a big downhill coming. So I attacked, taking the pace to 32kph uphill, going past the poor girl who had worked so hard to get off the front. I thought I had got away but I reeled in, by the girls according to Chidgey's post. But then I played my card pushing hard down the hill, they stayed on but when I hit a small flat half way down I powered thru it and dropped the bunch, built a small lead up on the final downhill and then tried to pull away. However I must of sent alarm bells in the bunch as they worked real hard to reel me in. I see this as also a mistake of mine as I should of worked harder to stay away, I was thinking too much about the remaining distance and not on building a break.

Had to bunny hop that really bad pot hole, a quick reaction probably saved me from a pinch flat. Then the guy in front of me has his chain break and wrap around his derailleur. Luckily it doesn't lock up his rear wheel otherwise he would of taken me out easily.

In the final straight and two bathurst guys roll off right in front of Chidgey and me, stuffing our ability to get into the sprint, by the time we get around them it's too late the entire road is blocked, no where to sprint. Cheekily I ride past Lacey and Chidgey so I can be the first DHBC rider over the line in about 15th. The sprint didn't look that fast, if there had been a hole, Lacey Chidgey or I would of been in it and a serious contender for the money. In hindsight we should of attacked from the corner and given ourselves some free air, but that's racing. Average speed was 35kph, which reflects how seriously slow we were going at the beginning of the race upto the first hills.

It was worth points for the road woman of the year championship. That's why they were all going for it.

It was crazy slow on the way out wasn't it? If only there hadn't been an attack on that first hill I might have made it a bit further.

It was worth points for the road woman of the year championship. That's why they were all going for it.

It was crazy slow on the way out wasn't it? If only there hadn't been an attack on that first hill I might have made it a bit further.

Ah, that explains why there was so much female aggression. Funny how the boys didn't respond to their attacks.

Yeh the pace was hot up the first hill, last year I was dropped on that hill and rode myself back on about 5k later, arriving and riding thru a long line of cars stuck behind the bunch like the motorcade on TDF, only to rejoin as they attacked on the next hill before I had a chance to recover from the effort of getting back on.

Results are up

Saturday: http://www.nsw.cycling.org.au/cy_nsw/ra ... tm#Results

Sunday: http://www.nsw.cycling.org.au/cy_nsw/ra ... tm#Results

Interesting to see that all the Saturday placings were from Mark's handicap and my handicap. Joshua LESTER taking 6th in is first ever road race, Mark LACEY taking 9th

Alexander CHUBB taking 5th on Sunday

Would be nice if the published everyones results.

I'm pretty sure that Joshua Lester will be getting re-handicapped. He was my nemesis at RAW last year, which would mean he should have been closer to my handicap then he was.

I'm pretty sure that Joshua Lester will be getting re-handicapped. He was my nemesis at RAW last year, which would mean he should have been closer to my handicap then he was.

It was his first road race so James didn't have much to go on. There were about 10 riders in my handicap who should of gone back one bunch.

..Mike, nice to meet you saturday, if only briefly.. I received a call on friday from Lindsay asking how i felt about the handicap i was rolling with, and mentioned it was my first open road race and wasnt sure what to expect, and that I could probably be a bit closer to scratch, his advise was to work with the bunch, and accelerate with riders as/if they passed us, if i could. So I jumped in the paceline straight up and rolled through. After the climb that dropped a bunch of guys there where about six or seven of us just working together.. rolling through. To be honest it was pretty uneventful, the same six or seven of us did the majority of the work with a few guys who had jumped on popping through in the line every now and then. At about 75k the pace had significantly dropped and i expected a bunch was close to catching us, but, some dudes friends race pass in a car yelling out where still 6 minutes in front, so with that it seemed to rejuvenate the vibe and the pace picked up. Coming into the finish straight, not to take anything away from the other riders, I decided I didnt want to contest for the win in case I might potentially embarrass the club by being the burglar.. so I rolled over with the same guys who I had worked the whole way with for a minor place.. Im looking forward to the next one, and expect most of the riders in the top ten will move on handicap, however, or whoever decides hasnt got an easy job..

Anyways.. hey to you all, and I look forward to meeting up at a race sometime..

Hi Joshua, well done mate, that's a fantastic result for a first ever road race.

Come and join the party again at the Kurrajong Classic Sunday 08 August 2010

Well done Joshua, a great effort for your first open. You should have gone for the win, as with 15 riders together no one can really get the blame.

Anyway, your handicap will change a little, but it will just help make you stronger.

Good work Joshua, and welcome to the club

Thanks for organising accomodation btw James, the cabins reminded me of the ones in Tassie wherever we were that day I cracked and you guys did the BBQ. Good memories! I still owe you money for it, which I'll give you on the weekend assuming I'll see you.

Results are up

Would be nice if the published everyones results.

they are up now
Full Results

they are up now
Full Results

LOL 101st out of 201 recorded finishes (252 riders all up). Looks like my handicap was exactly correct. I had estimated my time at 2H30m and the actual time was 2H30m1s, pretty good estimating ah!

Full Sunday results are up http://www.nsw.cycling.org.au/cy_nsw/ra ... tm#Results

I finished first out of my group....I'm pretty happy with that

I have uploaded some photos of Mudgee to http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff31 ... er/mudgee/

Got stuck behind the last group & couldn't get any more interesting action shots.



Cheers,
Alan