Sadly the last Capital Punishment didn't go to plan at ALL! And even though this isn't really a race report as it was a DNF there is a story behind it.
After a less than ideal January and February and being well behind the 8 ball when It comes to training for a 100k, I made the call to drop back to the 50km events for this year. I have always wanted to do cap p but this was the first year I have actually done it. I didn't really know what to expect going in but assumed there would be a fair bit of climbing (bad assumption).
We made the most of the trip to Canberra and took the family down for the weekend, picking up some accommodation 8km from the start to give me easy access and a warm up.
This being my second MTB Marathon since March 2014 I really had no idea how I would go.
I have been riding a bit so I knew I was going into this with some fitness. I’ve also been paying attention to what I eat and have managed to drop a couple of kilograms which is always nice.
After heading down Friday afternoon with Michael, checking in, picking up a race number we headed out for dinner with Dave and Gary. Besides the restaurant forgetting about our meals everything was going like clockwork.
This was my 3rd race in as many weeks with the Wylde 4hr and Husky 100km having been completed the the previous weeks. This meant I was either going to be on form or knackered.
On Friday afternoon I headed down to Canberra with Dave (doc), got to registration just after 4 then headed out to stromlo for a quick lap in the hope of spotting the shortcuts to use the next day. After that it was off to dinner to meet Michael and Brian and a long wait!
Having unfortunately missed 2 of the 5 rounds and sitting 3rd on series points I knew today was make or break to stay on the podium. My number 1 focus was not to go too hard in the first two hours (like I usually do) and make sure I had plenty left at the end. This started out well as David lead a small group of us up the climb on the first lap at a seemingly friendly pace. Tempted to steam ahead I forced myself to stick to the plan and saved the legs, not punching up any climbs and thinking all the time "4 hour pace not 4 lap pace!"
The Hellfire Cup marked the end of season for myself and my SXC Racing team mate Mike. The Hellfire Cup had mixed reports from the previous year, but I could think of no better way then finishing off a season than doing a mtb roadtrip to unknown trails with a bunch of mates. And I would have to say, it more than lived up to expectations.
I’m not sure really where to start with this write up as I have mixed feelings about this year’s Fling, both of satisfaction on the outcome and the lingering sensations of pain in my legs that caused it.
Last year I finished the race in 5:23 and in 33rd in category (vets), this year I rode about 1 minute quicker and finished 2nd (for the last time in vets), I think this goes to show the toughness of the route changes in 2014 – the race simply felt hard, from beginning to end.
Well that is the Fling for another year, and as is the usual theme it is a massive day. Being the last marathon race of the season the lead up seems much bigger than for other events. Training had been excellent and after putting in a close to best ever ride at the Kowalksi Classic I was looking forward to a strong performance and to achieve some new highs.
Round 4 of the Chocolate Foot STM series and it was time to head to the flat lands surrounding Nowra. All week we had been watching the weather and wondering whether it would really be on. The drive down on Saturday didn't fill us with confidence either but approaching Nowra the roads had dried and we felt a bit more optimistic
