The home of the big Golden Guitar and country music was totally booked out last weekend. Not only were the horse auctions on (with real cowboys), but there was also a regional baseball event filling the town. It was a struggle to find accommodation.
After much searching for motels and cabins, I managed to book some rooms at a pub – picked at random. Initially, there was some country confusion over the phone about Simon and I – the "two Dads". As tactfully as she could, the woman at the end of the phone offered the use of a double bed. Quite romantic perhaps, but not really what we were after…
On the other hand, Simon and I had worked out a drive-sharing arrangement to get both Taku and Tom up to the races. We almost didn't get to the start when Tom woke up with a sore throat Friday morning. Fortunately he came good by lunchtime, and we left Sydney at about 6pm. It was a pretty quick run out of town. Simon didn't mention that he was suffering a man-sized cold as well, but after a restorative, award-winning curry at Cessnock, it was a mercifully quick trip up to our more-than-half-way stop at Musswellbrook.
We did our best impression of fly-in/fly-out workers in a little Musswellbrook cabin, which featured a three-high bunk – like a lo-fi version of a Japanese capsule hotel. It had the strong smell of a couple of freshly exhaled Gitanes, but it was quiet, which was something we were to wish for later in the weekend.
The tour was based at Loomberah, just south of Tamworth. After some precision calculating the night before (not really), we arrived in time, probably only because we resisted the temptation of the "best coffee outside of Italy" at Wallabadah.
After a bit of contradictory advice from the commissaires about where the race numbers were supposed to be pinned, the boys were ready for Stage 1, which was a short road race. As a reward, Simon and I enjoyed a big cup of freshly-stirred instant coffee. Each, that is. We didn't share.
I'll leave the race details up to them, but Tom was put into the U17A (up from B) and Taku was in an all-in U15 group. It was quite a step up for both of them, and they held their own admirably (they are both amongst the youngest in their age groups). After the Tour of Goulburn and the camp at Bathurst, Taku's racing style has changed appreciably – although I am ever-so slightly prejudiced.
The size of the U15 women's group was impressive as well. Lots of familiar faces in both the men's and women's groups.
There was a second road race about two hours later. I think everyone found their legs for this one, and it seemed to be a bit harder, and a bit faster than the morning effort.
Racing done for the day, we made our way to the lovely Tudor Hotel in central Tamworth. After more wrangling about the rooms – and the seemingly strong desire by the hotel staff to put Simon and I into some sort of bed-sharing arrangement – we all eventually ended up with our own bed each and two rooms. We dropped our packs and bikes in the rooms, and left for mid-afternoon food and supplies.
On returning, Simon and Tom discovered another fellow had moved into their room. I'm not sure if the bikes and other bags might have made him think that the room was already occupied, but possibly not (he was a baseballer, after all). More room allocation hijinks followed, and our baseball friend was eventually given the double bed that they had been so keen to give to us. We saw him later in the bar. He seemed pleased, inebriated, and was making amorous suggestions to (at?) a barmaid. His chances seemed very, very slim.
Dinner downstairs was the only option, as the one reasonable restaurant up the road was already booked out. We ate well, but quickly. The bistro was packed, and the bar was beginning to swell… so we did what all men do in a pub where the beer is flowing – we went to bed.
I must have been asleep by about 8:30pm because it is tiring watching racing. A loud bang on our door woke me up at about 1am. The halls thudded with drunken missteps and slurred shouting until 2:30am or so. It was loud – really loud. I was wide awake. A fair few bundy and cokes would have been downed by that stage. Clearly the baseballers weren't going to leave Tamworth without giving it a good nudge. At 3am the street cleaning trucks started…
We had an early start, and after that night, I was not surprised to see a rather scantily pyjama'd woman emerge from the men's bathroom at 6am. Given the time, I accept that she had simply blindly walked through the wrong door…
A fairly cruel uphill time-trial was first up. Taku was one of the few without aerobars. Simon and I had pedalled up to a better position on the course, and he looked strong as he passed us.
Regretfully, my camera had a conniption as Tom thundered past. We had moved our paparazzi position further up the hill – clearly Tom wasn't suffering as much as some of the other guys.
The last road race, Stage 4, was a long one. U15 did 33km, and U17 did 68km taking in a number of lung-busting climbs. There was no such thing as a flat section out there, it was either up or down. Simon and I rode part of the course and cheered whoever passed us. It was good to see Taku working with other cyclists, and Tom sitting comfortably within the main bunch.
Results for Day 1 and Day 2
Everything wrapped up at about 2pm, and we headed back to Sydney… the last rays of light underscoring a thick layer of smog hanging over the vineyards of the Hunter Valley... made us wonder about the wine...
It was a great trip, and thankfully Simon amiably listened to my contradictory opinions on just about everything during the long drive. I know Taku learnt a lot about racing, and I think Tom was pretty happy with his performance in the U17As. Of course, none of us will forget the Tudor Hotel.
Looking forward to the next one.
