Gibraltar Range Climb

Another Grafton to Inverell came and went and it was another satisfying weekend with lots of nervous energy, social chats, windburned lips and tired riders (and helpers). I'm not going to write about the race, nor will I sing praise to the tireless helpers but I will rather self-indulgently write about the best part of the entire weekend: How I got to ride the Gibraltar Range myself.

Twice I had driven up this beautiful 17 km steady climb and both times I thought to myself that I will probably never get to ride the Gibraltar Range. It's the feature climb of 'Grafton to Inverell' race and with 68 km from the start and still over 100 km from the finish; whichever way you go, it's too far to return after an exhausting weekend.

So when Alberto suggested to leave Inverell early on Sunday morning and drive to the top of the range, park the car and ride down and up the range before heading home, he didn't need to ask twice:

Quite liberating!

Doing away with a training program was a real liberation for me. I can't describe how relieved I felt at the end.

I must have dutyfully completed the full cycle of acceptance, not skipping denial, anger, depression nor bargaining (oh the bargaining - that went on for weeks!), and now it is OK to just ride for fun for a while. No pressure! Time to enjoy.

The real beauty of not having a training plan is the complete freedom of not having to adhere to one. I'm kinda stating the obvious here but when training for a certain event, riding wasn't exactly fun.

Every training session has it's objective, goal, volume and intensity. Low intensity the day before an interval session, low intensity during recovery week, low intensity during base training and if Alberto would suggest to head out for a Sunday afternoon ride to ... let's say Mt Nebo ... on any of those days, chances were I protested "It's not fitting into my training schedule. It's too high intensity for where I'm at..." You get the picture.

When Alberto suggested yesterday afternoon to head to Mt Nebo and set a nice pace right from the start (not for 'Grafton to Inverell ready' him but for poor unfit me) I hung on and had fun. When it got too hard, I simply dropped off, and by the time I caught my breath again, he had backed off for me to catch on.

No thoughts or worries whether I was going too hard or too easy for my scheduled training ride. I just rode as I felt like riding.

Quite liberating indeed!

Now, there is a catch! There must be because otherwise we would all just ride for fun all the time.
Cycling, like pretty much any other sport or recreational activity, is really only enjoyable with a certain degree of mastery. Just as the enjoyment of cooking comes from the ability to create wonderful tasting dishes, the enjoyment of cycling increases with a good amount of fitness and strength.

With my current lack of both, the pleasure of riding up Mt Nebo - let's say it was limited - and in order to maximise my level of enjoyment I will have to ride a little bit more. Just for fun! And maybe do a few Swiss ball crunches here and there for the core, too, just to make sure that riding up Mt Nebo will be as delightful and enjoyable as tonight's Thai Green Curry.

Weekend Warrior

I’m one of them these days, a weekend warrior, a fair weather rider. And not just with regards to cycling but blogging as well, if there is such a thing as a weekend warrior blogger. I guess, I could show up at the coffee shop on a Sunday morning with a super expensive laptop, pretending I had been up since pre-dawn morning hours in creative agony... I could.

Weekend warrior! Come on. Say it with that condescending sneer. How does it make me feel? It makes me feel fantastic. Honestly. Just last weekend, when it poured rain all weekend and Alberto had to get out to train for Grafton to Inverell, my head sank back deep into my pillow and I wished him a great ride while reaching for the newest edition cycling magazine to choose a (very) expensive bike to match my new status.

It's Friday and the skies have cleared. It looks like it's going to be a fair weather weekend begging for a ride. I can't wait!

Rides in Phuket

We returned home five days ago and while we both struggle to settle back into our everyday routine, the holiday seems a mere distant memory. Did it really happen? Like a wonderful dream, I don't want to let go and squeeze my eyes shut in the hope I can make the dream last a little longer.

It doesn't really help that it is grey, wet and miserable weather in Brisbane. So I'm sitting here, looking at photographs and reminisce about our rides last week. If you ever plan to ride your bike in Phuket, these are two routes that I consider 'a must' and I highly recommend:

The Big Buddha Loop

Distance: 30 km
Difficulty: Moderate to Hard

Don't be deceived by the shortness of this loop. It's packed with tough climbs (if you know Brisbane's climbs then think of Clear Mountain and Mt Glorious Road - just steeper and longer!) and I highly recommend a compact group set or at least a 27 cog cassette. Otherwise there is a good chance you will do some walking (I did!). But the effort is worth the view from the top.

We started all our rides in Kata Noi. The section from Kata Beach to Chalong is on reasonably busy roads but most of this section has double lanes and motorised traffic passes with courtesy and enough space. The descent into Chalong is smooth and fast. Be careful at the big roundabout in Chalong. Once off that main road between Chalong and Phuket town, you find yourself on very quiet, narrow and picturesque village roads. The climb is about 4.5 km with very steep sections of up to 23% gradient. The average gradient for the entire climb is over 9%, which includes short flat sections in the middle part of the climb.

Big Buddha towering shiny white in the background

Expect to see elephants by the side of the road but beware. It may not look this steep but it's 17% gradient right there and kicks up to 23% immediately after that right-hander.

The view from the top

The Nai Thon Beach Ride 

Distance: 100 km
Difficulty: Moderate

This was my favourite ride, probably because it was the only day where I did not have to walk.

 

We headed north along the coast. Through Kata and Karong Beach it's all flat road, which provides a rare opportunity for a warm up before hitting hills. Kata Noi to Patong is a short 25 minute ride. I enjoyed riding through Patong with its noise, crazy traffic and massage girls sitting outside the massage salons, bored while waiting for customers and waiving and singing and sometimes even dancing as we rode pass.

Traffic lights everywhere show the time remaining till the next change of lights. A great way to time your track stand.

A long climb that hits 13% gradient took us across the headland to Kamala Beach. From there rolling hills alternate with flat stretches as the road follows the contours of the coast line, the hills short(ish) and sharp (all hitting double figure gradients), the flat parts fast and scenic along beaches and modern holiday resorts, all the way to Nai Thon Beach.

In sleepy Nai Thon Beach we searched for a refreshing coconut but unfortunately only super sweet tinned coconut drinks were available from the tiny grocery store. The pretty beach restaurants were still closed. They were only starting to set up for the busy season and it was still very early in the day. Nothing much happens in Phuket before 10 am.

After our brief stop we headed a little further north and inland. This area is rural, the roads are quiet, narrow and flat and we past through most picturesque local villages.

We reached Thalang in no time and decided to take the little detour to a waterfall that was marked in our map but didn't get to see the waterfall. It's apparently very small.

With time to spare and lunch time approaching, we decided to stop for a bite to eat in Thalang. We took our chances at a local place that looked busy. The ever smiling Thai ladies behind the counter lifted the pot lids and we were handed a spoon when we couldn't decide, which of the curries were Vegetarian and safe for our Western guts to handle. The food was good and the fish curry, fried fish, soups, rice and two Coke set us back 125 Baht (approximately AU$4.25 for the two of us)

My energy had been waning before lunch and the heat and humidity was getting to me. I knew there was no shame in taking the Tuk Tuk option back to the hotel if I wanted. And back in Kamala Beach and with several steep long climbs looming, I almost gave in but I'm proud to say that I rode all the way, not only out of pride but because I genuinely enjoyed riding my bike in Phuket. I knew that a big cold coconut, a Thai massage and an afternoon by the beach was awaiting me.

 

Island life

Another set of waves rolled in and crushed against the rocks below the hotel terrace where we had been snorkeling the day before. The cocktail lulled my lazy mind, or was it the sound of the ocean and warmth of a slow afternoon by the pool side? My body felt relaxed after the morning ride and a Thai massage. My thoughts were wandering, my brain trying to digest all the impressions of the past few days.

I had to smile when I thought back of the arrival day when the Thai staff in the hotel immediately lifted our bikes and assessed that they must be "big money". They knew that light meant expensive. I suspect we are the talk of the hotel (Mom Tri's Villa Royale in Kata Noi - highly recommended by the way) because of our constant request at the bar to have the water bottles filled with iced water.

And how impressed was I when we were served a special Seafood Pad Thai for breakfast after our brisk morning ride up Phuket's steep hill to the Big Bhudda a few days ago? Pad Thai at ten in the morning? Never mind, it was the perfect recovery food.

My mouth started watering, even though I was still full from the coconut we drank straight after the ride by the beach. Coconut, fresh from the tree, sweet and cold, must be the most superior recovery drink of the them all. I don't think any Gatorade or Enduro product will rehydrate your body as well as this delicious natural drink.

My lazy eyes drifted over to were Alberto had put his legs up in the shade. I pushed away the thought of the fitness room scale. No need to worry right now about how much weight the coconut drinks had put on my hips. I'm praying it's less than three kilos but my jeans skirt felt mighty tight at dinner the night before.

I finally, slowly, turned my thoughts to a little more activity before dinner. A walk on the beach and a quick swim was on my mind and there was no need to ask AMR twice to join me.