Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro, May 19th – 23rd, 2014, Alice Springs, Central Australia.

For single track junkies the ICME is your dream race. Short, fast, technical stages with lots of flowing track and short sharp pinch climbs to sap your energy. The 2014 ICME consisted of 7 stages over 5 days in Australia’s “red centre”. It was a very well organised event where the organisers had thought of everything with a real mix up of short stages, night racing, time trial, a long stage and a hill climb. Right from the start the Rapid Ascent team were on the ball with spot prizes during the briefings and presentations, social media prizes for the best pictures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, drinks vouchers under your seat whilst attending presentations, and well thought out stage starts and finishes that meant you were never more than 15 minutes ride from the hotels. Staying in a hotel every night during a stage race may seem a bit over the top, but having done other stage races where you sleep in tents and move camp most days made this race so much more enjoyable. I found the breakfast buffet was a struggle, on one hand I really wanted to make full use of the bacon, eggs, hash browns and beans but the sensible side took over so I settled for muesli and pancakes. If you have ever raced on a tummy full of cooked breakfast you will understand why I chose the muesli.

Day 1

Stage 1 – 38km was a 3 race through mostly technical single track, over a hill called Blair’s Stairs (a get-off-and-push hill), and a lap of the local velodrome to finish off. 164 riders started the stage, 144 finished. Broken collarbones, dislocated shoulders, legs stabbed with poisoned trees (everything in Australia is poisonous) etc saw a lot of carnage in the field. I had a few mechanical issues but when I look back now I’m just thankful I got through without a visit to the hospital. After the stage I called into a local bike shop to pick up a new derailleur hanger, get the full range of gears working again, and repair the headset and chain catcher. It was then back to the hotel to recover and prepare for Stage 2.

Cervo Rosso -the best kit on the course.

Stage 2 was a 300m sprint up Anzac Hill at dusk. After getting my bike repaired from the morning’s damage, stuffing in some lunch, recovery drinks, and cooling the muscles in the hotel pool to rid them of lactic acid I changed my wheels and put on a set of road slicks – yes road tyres on a MTB!!. It makes for an odd looking bike but gees she goes like the clappers when you put the hammer down. Riders were set off at 30 sec intervals to climb the hill, most went with knobby MTB tires whilst some of us pretenders went with slicks. As the stage was so short (less than a minute for the top 20 on GC) the time gains weren’t going to be significant, a carnival atmosphere became apparent. Some riders raced in fancy dress, baggy shorts – gasp, and some blokes even wore dresses (with underwear thankfully). I turned up in a fresh set of Cervo Rosso Test Team kit thinking I was The Man but ended up feeling a little out of place! There were spectators with cow bells, whistles, clapping, yelling etc, the atmosphere was electric. In the end it was the knobby tire riders that got the first couple of places. I came in 12th on GC on this stage, my second best result for the race.

Ugly bike, cool threads.

Day 2

Stage 3 – 51km. The stage was less technical than the first and I managed to work my way through the field after some hiccups in a sandy section near the start. The local MTB clubs and trail builders have done a superb job building the singletrack, one section was even decorated with and old sink and toilet. All went well until I did the first of my 4 x superman impressions of the week going over the handlebars. I recovered well and finished the stage with limbs attached, albeit a little bloody.

Day 3

Stage 4 – 22km ITT. The ITT and Night Race would cover the same track on day 3. The stage started at the Alice Springs golf club and headed quickly into technical single track. There was plenty of technical stuff with just enough well-spaced double track to allow over taking. I caught and overtook the two guys in front of me after the first few km and then dropped the ball. I had a few more mechanical issues with the bike and lost about 5 minutes on my GC rivals, which I was determined to get back in the night stage. The highlight of the stage for me was my best superman impression of the week right in front of a photographer. After all the effort I put into the flight trajectory and landing he didn’t get a picture of me mid flight! Nevermind, I’m sure there would more opportunities.

Stage 5 – 22km Night Race – what a doozy. This was my first ever night race; sitting on the start line I was sh!tt!ng my pants. A mass start, lots of dust, sand and people getting lost wasn't all what I expected. The lead guy on GC fell off in the sand right next to me after the first few kms, caught the lead group again and then took a wrong and lost heaps of time. I got a puncture about two thirds of the way through, smacked in a tube, and all pumped up, stormed past several small groups. I thought all was going well when I got past the point at which I fell off in the morning stage and thought yes I’m home…..but the celebration was too early, 50m further on down the track I did superman impression #2 over the bars for the day – and there was no one there with a camera. I limped home in 32nd place a little sore and dejected but thankful that the ambulance wasn't required and my bike was still in one piece.

Night racing is fun, fast and terrifying all at once

Day 4

Stage 6 – 81km. If there was to be any stage in my favour this was it. Having spent the last 7 months training solely on the road bike my single track skills left something to be desired. This stage had 45km of concrete and bitumen, I could hear the MTB purists dreading “the queen stage”, and secretly I couldn’t wait. The stage started with 25km or so of single and 4WD track. Early on a tree jumped out and grabbed the end of my handle bars and superman impression #4 for the week was completed. The Simpsons Gap Bike Path was 17km of beautifully laid twisty concrete. The first drinks stop was at the end of the dirt and start of the bike path. There were two other guys close to me on GC so I wanted to get some time on them. By the time everyone got their drinks onboard we had a group of about 12. I got on the front, put the hammer down and immediately blew 3 riders off and a 4th got a puncture. Unfortunately I also blew Imogen Smith off the back, I felt pretty bad as she had helped me get back onto the group after my superman impression. At one point I managed to split the remaining group of 8 but they managed to get back on again. After all the attacks we decided at the end of the bike path to be friends again and tackle the 30km of bitumen road as a group. We picked up a couple of loners riding the road by themselves and got to the last bit of dirt before the home run. The track over the ranges was very steep, so steep that we had to get off and push. Descending the other side was awesome, negotiating boulders the size basketballs and the photographers 4WD which had taken the A line. A final flat piece of double track, a lap around the local BMX track and I was home in 11th place overall. My best result of the race.

Day 4 was “wear your ICME jersey” day, those with big sponsorships did the right thing by their sponsors. 

Day 5

Stage 7 – 46km. The final stage was one of my favourites. The local MTB club riders not competing in the stage race were able to ride this last stage. The stage covered some of the tracks we went over earlier in the week – but in the reverse direction. The local guys that raced turned out to be a sensation. I was overtaken at about the half way mark by three of these guys; one was wearing sand shoes! I was embarrassed at first, I mean here I am with a flash bike, CR kit, Supplest shoes, and looking like a real poser when this local guy wizzes past wearing baggy shorts, sandshoes and a t-shirt.! These guys knew the tracks like the back of their hand and they showed no mercy. I was lucky enough to catch the back wheel of the third guy and followed him. His bike handling skills were amazing. I was just able to keep with him on the single track but when it came to the open stuff he would slow up. We took turns, I towed him on the open track and when we got to the single track I would give him a flick of the elbow and a quick “do your stuff mate” comment. We caught and overtook the other locals and rolled across the line in 16th place. Afterwards I caught up with the young guy that helped me out – turns out he is only 14!!. 114 riders were left once stage 7 finished, the attrition rate shows just how tough the race was on bodies and equipment.

Pack up time

All in all the ICME was a great event, I had so much fun that I didn’t want it to end. The one little comfort that made the end of racing feel ok was the knowledge that I was going to blitz the breakfast buffet in the morning. The camaraderie amongst the riders was awesome. If you got a puncture or had a mechanical everyone passing would ask if you were ok or needed help. The Rapid Ascent team and volunteers did a fantastic job as did the local MTB club, support organisations and bike shops. Overall I finished 5th in my category and 17th in the General Classification. Besides the mechanical issues I had I loved every minute of it – even the superman impressions. To come away relatively unscathed I think was a miracle – or I just wasn’t going hard enough! 

The 2013 Crocodile Trophy

The Crocodile Trophy instills fear into many people when asked if they will compete. Others see it as a challenge, adventure, and some haven’t heard of it. This year was the 19th running of “The Croc”, a 9 day MTB stage race over 900km from Cairns to Cooktown in North Queensland, Australia. In the past it was known as a roadie smash fest; in recent years it has been transformed into a  shorter, more technical race, where it is near impossible for a roadie to win. The field this year was 80 riders ranging from MTB and road pros through to average Dad’s like myself. I decided to take on the Croc after turning 40 as I needed to find something more challenging than the 1 day European races such as the Etape du Tour and touring races such as the 5 day Raid Pyreneen I had done in the past. I had known about the Croc for many years and with a MTB and BMX background from my youth, I thought it would be a challenge worthy of my “Flat Out Forty” ethos. 

I flew into Cairns 5 days before the race and met my Dad there, my essential support crewman. My Dad has been taking me to bike races since I was 4 years old and I thought this would be a great way for us to spend some time together away from the rest of the family. After picking up all the necessary supplies like spare tubes, CO2, nutrition and some camping luxuries we attended the pre-event photo shoot downtown Cairns. This was a great opportunity to meet other riders, organisers and get a general feel for the mood of the peloton. Later that day we had the race briefing and our body statistics taken. We were weighed and our fat percentages taken, the process would then be repeated at the end of the race and you would be told your initial assessment.  

The race is fully supported making you feel like a pro for the week. There were full time mechanics, massage therapists, catering crew, tent crew, luggage transport, film crew, photographers, and media liaison. In total there were 61 support crew for the 80 riders, a well run organisation. Each day the tent crew would take down the tents, kitchen and mess area and set it all up again at the next stage finish. The photographers and film crew would work late into the night uploading photos, editing video and sending it off to the various broadcasters. The kitchen worked from 5am to 9pm preparing all the meals, a great all round logistical feat. 

  
 

There were two other Kiwi’s in the race besides myself, Bevan Spratt and Hamish Morrin. I hadn’t met either of them before but we got on like a house on fire. Bevan brought his lovely wife along, Ester, a mountain biker herself, and she shared a support 4WD with my Dad. Whilst we were out racing all day they would be off searching the outback for cafes, taking photos of us, cheering us on and setting up camp for us each night. Between the 3 Kiwis, having 2 support crew and a 4WD for our little Team New Zealand made things a lot easier. Out on the track we helped each other out where we could. One stage I had to pull Bevan for 2 hours when he was bonking, only for him to recover and then leave me behind as he chased the other GC riders! He did admit to “feeling stink” later in the day that he had dropped me.

The Croc is recognised as one of the toughest MTB races in the world. My personal experience was that it was tough, but never did I think I wouldn’t be able to finish it. I was interviewed by Mike Tomalaris from Cycling Central, a program on the Australian SBS channel, around my thoughts on this. My comment to him was that it was a “piece of cake”. The look on his face was one of disbelief when I said that. I wasn’t being facetious, just honest. Yes it was hard, especially Stage 5 which was 163km, 3500m of altitude gain and at times in 45 degree heat. It took me 9-1/2 hours to complete that stage but I learnt a lot about my body and how soft I had ridden that stage. Before the start of the stage I was a little anxious about the heat forecast so I hung back and rode with a group of 5 others. I didn’t push my body that day at the end of the stage I was very annoyed at myself. Sure I had made some good friends and seen some spectacular scenery that day, but it was a lost opportunity to really see what I was capable of. Every stage after that I absolutely rode as hard as I could, I wasn’t going to leave anything in the tank. 

The bunch of riders was an interesting mix. At the pointy end were the MTB and road professionals, followed by the semi professionals. Behind them were the fit MTB and road amateurs followed by a group of what I would term “Other Elites”. The Other Elites consisted of a former world champion kayaker, an adventure racer, an Olympic rower, and a 1000cc superbike racer. Following them were the “Survivors”, riders whose goal it was to finish, and maybe be the Lanterne Rouge. One memorable day riding at the pointy end of the peloton on a relatively flat stage the experience levels of the peloton really came to light. Once we had shaken off the Other Elites and Survivors it got really interesting. At the first aid station everyone stopped – except for one guy (a fit amateur), he kept riding at the same pace. Once people realised what had happened, they thought he had attacked, there was a mass panic and nearly everyone regrouped and began the chase. About 10 riders out of the 30 managed to get water onboard, the rest of us didn’t. Once we caught him we looked around and couldn’t see Mark Frendo or Cory Wallace, the guys number first and second on GC. It took Cory and Mark about 10km to catch the peloton. One guy who they towed back wasn’t happy and made it clear that it wasn’t to happen again “attacking the peloton at the aid station is amateur stuff”. At the next aid station he put his bike across the road so nobody could take off or attack!

There aren’t many races in the world where you can mix it with professional riders – and even beat them on occasions. The atmosphere at the Croc was awesome. With only 80 riders it gave everyone the opportunity to meet and socialise. A lot of friendships were formed and I’m sure I will see many of the riders at other races around the world in future. Next year might see the race given UCI status so it will be interesting to see if this happens and if more professionals decide to make the trek downunder. If it all happens, it will be an even better reason to go – there will be more professionals to beat!

Summary of the stages:

Stage 1, 35km. A fast 2 hour single track that tested fitness, technical skills and was a great early yardstick of who to watch out for over the next 8 stages.

Stage 2, 89km. This was at the time only my second MTB race over 5 hours this year. Three big climbs and scary high speed descents through rainforest with a stage finish at Lake Tinaroo.

Stage 3, 80km. The stage started with 18km of neutralized road section before hitting 30km of single track trails at Atherton, some 25km of difficult fire trail and 25km of gravel road to the finish in Irvinebank. A great stage that unfortunately saw Wolfgang Krenn withdraw through injury and Sander Cordeel from Lotto Belisol crash and get helicoptered out with a dislocated shoulder (he did come back to the race the next day and help around the camp – what a champ!)

Stage 4, 118km. A fast ride through some extremely rough roads that saw a lot of the road pros getting multiple punctures as they learnt how not to ride fast through stream beds with sharp rocks. A beautiful finish at Mt Mulligan Station where we camped by a lake shared with wallabies (small kangaroos).

Stage 5, 163km was the longest and hottest day. A 60km section along dirt road before heading high up into the hills. Long hot endless climbs with brief downhills to cool the body. The last 50km was the hardest dirt road section for many with 3 steep climbs and downhills per kilometer for the rest of the ride to the finish.

Stage 6, 116km. A great stage with a lot of technical  trail that finished with a 30km flat ride into a headwind. I got my only puncture along this last stretch of road with only 16km to go.

Stage 7, 38km time trial that was relatively flat across corrugated roads, long grass (watch out for the snakes) and sand. This was the stage for the big guys and time trial specialists, and the podium reflected this. Most people welcomed the short sharp stage and treated it as a recovery day.

Stage 8; 113km. This was pretty much a road race on a combination of asphalt and dirt road with a few hills in there to mix it up. Not too many people liked it. The best part was the swimming pool at the end in Hope Vale and the SBS television crew to make yourself a larrikin in front of.

Stage 9, 50km. The final stage was a doozy. There were more crashes than any other stage and multiple punctures. One poor guy even broke his arm with only 25km from the end of the race! Nearly every rider that had fallen off in a stage previously fell off again. At 25km it was carnage and people crashed in the sand, got punctures in the river beds and bikes began to fall apart. The final climb up Grassy Hill was a challenge for some – requiring some zig zagging.

All in all the Crocodile Trophy was a great experience and one I will never forget. It has given me back the racing bug and I'm keen to do more marathon stage races like this. As always the training is the hard part trying to juggle family and work commitments with enough training to warrant turning up. Fingers crossed I can find a balance that satisfies all three. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cervo Rosso for their support before and during the race. I had many comments from the peloton about the kit I was sporting and of course I was able to tell them all about the quality and how comfortable it is. Interestingly I don't need to wear chamois creme with Cervo Rosso kit like I do with most other brands.