Due to the just about complete lack of Adventure Racing in SEQ this year I have found it necessary to branch out and look around for other activities (other than marathons/ultras) to keep me training hard. To that end I have spent most of the last couple of months training for the TRE-X Off road triathlons. I still do 'normal' triathlons however the TRE-X involve a dam swim, mountain bike and trail run. The Long Course race was 350/20/4 x 2 i.e we did everything twice.
As those of you who live in Brisbane would know we have not had a great deal of rain lately, however, overnight we had some fairly decent falls. So a mountain bike track that would have been hardpacked and quick turned in to a bit of a quagmire and very slick. I didn't have the benefit of pre-riding the course which was a mistake as I was only starting to get the course dialed on the 3rd and 4th laps. I also had some serious chain suck (anyone with suggestions how to stop this on a GF Cake let me know...) and had to middle ring some climbs when I would have liked to give the legs a rest for the 4 k trail run.
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Picture of the drive train post race
Anyway it was great day out even though both bikes were filthy and I had to think about drivetrain wear at the moment. The highlight was seeing my wife on the bike course and then finishing just behind her. She has really embraced triathlon and is making great strides forward (excuse the pun) which makes me very proud of her.
The day is really well run by In2Adventure who are running the next event on 8th March at Slickers in Kurwongbah.
Even better on the Saturday they are running a whole heap of events including a 40XC race, Trail running and dirt crits. See here for more info. I'm not sponsored by these people in anyway, however, Simon and Robyn who own the company are 2 of the most genuine people you would ever meet and always interested in feedback and suggestions how they can improve the product.
As those of you who live in Brisbane would know we have not had a great deal of rain lately, however, overnight we had some fairly decent falls. So a mountain bike track that would have been hardpacked and quick turned in to a bit of a quagmire and very slick. I didn't have the benefit of pre-riding the course which was a mistake as I was only starting to get the course dialed on the 3rd and 4th laps. I also had some serious chain suck (anyone with suggestions how to stop this on a GF Cake let me know...) and had to middle ring some climbs when I would have liked to give the legs a rest for the 4 k trail run.
.jpg)
Picture of the drive train post race
Anyway it was great day out even though both bikes were filthy and I had to think about drivetrain wear at the moment. The highlight was seeing my wife on the bike course and then finishing just behind her. She has really embraced triathlon and is making great strides forward (excuse the pun) which makes me very proud of her.
The day is really well run by In2Adventure who are running the next event on 8th March at Slickers in Kurwongbah.
Even better on the Saturday they are running a whole heap of events including a 40XC race, Trail running and dirt crits. See here for more info. I'm not sponsored by these people in anyway, however, Simon and Robyn who own the company are 2 of the most genuine people you would ever meet and always interested in feedback and suggestions how they can improve the product.
2 comments:
Bubble - in those conditions chain suck is probably inevitable. You are probably aware of this aleady but minimise crossing up of the chain ie, big dog up front big cogs at the back or granny up front with small cogs at the back. Also, having someone there to give the drivetrain a quick going over (Spray with a pressure pump sprayer and apply new lube) between laps etc. We can talk more about it tonight. Cheers. Pete
Pete aka anonymous would you believe I actually get chain suck mainly when the chain line is in the granny - I have a theory that being in the granny and the 34/32 at the rear results in the chain being in just the right position to get pushed up when the suspension moves. Don't have the same problem when in the middle ring.
Unfortunately being triathlon outside assistance is not permitted so I would need to clean the chain myself or be DQ. Lesson learnt next time I will make sure I have chain lube and a rag in transition so I can do it between loops.
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