Marysville Challenge or "The Meat Tenderiser"

Saturday produced one of those "cycling navana" days.  Clear and cool to start off with, next to no wind and the promise of a warm but not too hot afternoon.  I had roped in Rob and Tony to be my ride companions on the 2011 Marysville Lake Mountain Challenge. 

Toy and Rob at the start

The 80 minute drive from Montmorency, through Healsville and the Black Spur arriving in almost daylight at Marysville.  Time for coffee, nature stop and registration (not in order of priority).  A quick unpack and ready for the 8am start.  Marysville of course 2 years after Black Saturday has an atmosphere of loss and sadness.  Most of the main street levelled but much rebuilding is going on.  The start of the ride was paused as we waited in silence remembering those who were lost.

Tony and Rod at the start

 

 

 

The 160km ride is set up a bit like this.  The first 120kms is a bit like marrinating steak.  Lets say a nice Teriyaki sauce with some rump steak sitting in it for 4 hours, tenderising before turning the heat up on the BBQ.  The last 40kms of this ride is the heat.  It is a 20km climb up Lake Mountain.  This is where the ride really started but not before 4 hours of touring the beauty of Lake Eildon and surrounds.

Rob climbing Skyline Road near Lake Eildon

Rod climbing Skyline Road

Lake Eildon views.

Tony sucking in the views!

 Rob and Tony were particularly good company as we picked up bunches of various speeds, trying to conserve energy were we could and not getting tempted to do big efforts at the front.  The "Banditos" were one group averaging 36-39km per hour.  A good speed but not keen on us interupting their pace line.  More than once I was hung out the front to dry after doing an effort.  Then there was "Team Beligum" with national colours in a big group holding a respectable 33kph.  But these guys always wanted to stop.  So Rob and I agreed that these big groups were basically good for nothing and we had to pick up smaller groups of 6-8 riders.  These groups were harder to get to work together and eventually disinergrated 20kms from Marysville even before the last big climb.  Therefore we had to do a bit more work at a slower speed that we would have liked.  But Rob in his wisdom wanted to save something in the back pocket for Lake Mountain.  As it turned out we would need every bit of that.

Rob & I started the climb out of Marysville together.  With 4hrs 20mins on the clock and arrival in 6hrs at the summit seemed like the plan.  The first 10kms is probably the toughst 10km of road I have encountered.  600metres elevation in 10km (6% average).  The first 5km has 400metres of elevation (that's 8%).  I was bonking at 8kms.  The GU I had at Marysville with extra caffine had not kicked in and I was reaching for another.  Rob got 400km metres ahead but was stopping a the refreshment station at 10km mark.  I caught him there and with two big chucks of fruit cake and more Endura and I was back in the game.  The last 10km of climbing was a hoot.  Rob and I were moving well.  Different gradients suit different people better.  I was lovin' this.  Now Rob is uncategorically a better climber than me.  All those European blood lines working for him.  But a 2km from the top his quads were cramping.  I was in a bag at 10kms.  Now Rob was in a world of hurt at 18kms.  

Rob suffering with a cramp...but at the top.

Thanks Rob - awesome climbing!

 With 5hrs 56mins on the clock we get to the top is pretty good shaped.  Rob had blown a gasket but it was all down hill from here, all 20kms to the finish.  Rob and I were back to Marysville in 6hrs 26mins.  Tony had done an awesome ride with much of the last 40kms by himself.  All in all a good day out and one of our best rides together.   This ride makes the Thursday night Tour de Suburbs look like a pancake.