Training for the event
We all went our separate ways. Brockie and I both signed up with an online coach. It worked for Brockie and he followed the hard, trainer sessions; it didn't work for me so I did my own thing.
The championship course was 105 km, with a flat first 50 km then a series of hills over the remaining 55 km. While individually none of these were particularly taxing, when viewed as a whole it added up to 1,250 metres of climb, ranging from 2.7% to 8%. Brockie had the goal of winning his age group. As a previous world duathlon champion this was a realistic ambition. My age group included former world six-day champion Danny Clark so I thought maybe top ten was a possibility.
We trained hard: hills, trainer sessions, sprints, intervals, a few Vets races, protein powders, weight loss, new bikes (as a friend once said, as you get older you can always buy speed), new wheels, Zwift subscriptions - you name it and if it was legal we did it.
Along the way I learned how to glue tubulars, held the KOM on Zwift for an entrancing 20 minutes or so and caught the flu. Yes, strange how it happens. You have the form of your life then suddenly go down with a bug. Same happened to Brockie and, we found later, same happened to Danny Clark.
Perth
We regrouped in Perth in the Team House on the Swan River. Turned out some broken ribs had inhibited Garry's training and an unhealthy focus on work had limited Tony's. Never mind. We may not have been the fastest team at the event but we were probably the only one to roll up for the start in a Team Bus. Yes, beat that, Frenchies and assorted continentals - where was your Team Bus, huh?
Here's Brian our soigneur and driver, ex sub-mariner and used to plumbing the depths - he was certainly doing that with us.
And here's the team - Garry, Nigel, Brockie and Tony. Apparently our Team Bus' day job is delivering disabled children to school. Some might say "what's changed today?", but we had belief!
The race
The race started in five-year age groups. Garry and Tony left with the earlier age groups and the Brockie and I left with the 65+ / 70+ age groups as a single bunch of about 55 riders at 7.54 am. For the first 50 km we might as well have been in the neutral zone. We had a five-lane highway closed to traffic and meandered along at 30 kph. Every few minutes someone might pick the pace up and go off the front, only to be brought quickly back and the pace settle down again. Garry later reported a big crash in his bunch as they overtook and merged with one of the women's bunches.
It all changed as we approached Ridge Hill Road. The first climb of the day at the 55 km mark is 1 km at 6% followed by a 180 degree turn into the Zig Zag - a narrow, 7 km, 3% climb. Everyone in the bunch wanted to be in the first 10 or so places on the turn so we all maxxed it out on the 6% lead-up climb.
Brockie turned with the first group and stayed with the leaders but I red-lined on the 6% and dropped back into the second group after the turn. This took us up into the Kalamundra township and across the finish line for the first time before a hilly loop back around and up the Zig Zag to the finish for a second and final time.
After Kalamundra the road dropped for a few km, rose for 4 km @ 4%, dropped again to the Mundaring Dam and took in another 4 km climb at 4% to Mundaring. Brockie lost touch with the lead bunch on the second climb and rode the last 30 km solo.
Part-way through the section after Mundaring the route broke up into short, undulating segments separated by 90 degree turns. After our reconnaissance a couple of days earlier I was ready for the steep drop on Mill Road, knew you could take the right-hand sweeper at the foot without braking and clocked 80 kph for a 65+ age group Strava KOM - suck on that, Danny!
Sadly, whatever small gaps I was able to open up were soon closed down and we approached the Zig Zag for the second time as a bunch of about 12. I vented the remaining liquid in my second bidon to keep the weight down and up we went with the finish getting closer and the numbers gradually reducing as the pace wound up. I was on the front with another guy and with 300 metres to go a rider from one of the younger age groups came past us and I jumped onto his wheel. This sparked a mass sprint and I found myself in the small chain ring and on the 11 tooth cog, accidentally clicked onto the big chain ring - and stalled! That was worth around three places on the finish list and a salutary lesson after getting so many small things right in the lead-up - 17th in 65+ across the line. Danny Clark won our age group, out-sprinting a bunch of seven international riders to the line.
Brockie finished with an honourable fourth place in 70+ after being overhauled in the last few hundred metres for third. Garry and Tony both finished in the middle of the field in their bunches.
Elsewhere from Tassie, Dale Woolston competed in 45-49, Katherine Woolston took out 3rd place in her age group and Tim Jamieson won his age group - top performances from them. Apologies if I have omitted any other competitors.
