Hinchinbrook ‘05

Hinchinbrook is booked; from the 10th to the 15th of July 2005.

Mountain access for Mt Bowen has been approved in writing. Sweet.

The aim of this page is to serve as a web hub for the walking team.

Feel free to leave comments - particularly those relating to great acts of fitness and outdoor prowess, internet sites selling gear, trip info or bushwalking tips.

The current team consists of tom, timtim, lach, cath and zoe. However, it is likely that zoe won’t be able to make it, due to her bum-knee. So there’s essentially two free spaces on the trip at the moment.

137 Responses to “Hinchinbrook ‘05”

  1. tom says:

    I’ll start with this:

    http://www.hikelight.com.au/

  2. lock says:

    And another essential resource…

    https://www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks/iaparks/gds/IAGDS020.do?parkId=211

  3. timtim says:

    just toughen up i say!!

  4. tom says:

    easy for you to say, you already are light weight, small man

  5. timtim says:

    all except my big that is..

  6. lock says:

    I hear Dave has pulled out! He’ll be sorry…

  7. timtim says:

    oh no

  8. tom says:

    yeah, there’s now a place free. i have two guys up here who have expressed interest, but nothing more solid as of yet.

    i’m thinking about getting some trekking poles. there’s some on ebay for about $50/pair with suspension - they look ok.

    http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2020&item=5166784223&rd=1

  9. lock says:

    My mum bought one for the South Coast Track (which they just got back from last week) but she still fell over and broke her wrist. Bugger. Lucky it was on the second last day of 7.

  10. tom says:

    ow! obviously she should’ve bought two.

  11. timtim says:

    and suspension for her wrist

  12. timtim says:

    forgive my neglect of this page

  13. lock says:

    We’ve got to buy tickets soon Timtim. Are you still thinking of going up on the friday night and coming back the following sunday arvo? Does that suit you Tomo/ Zo?

  14. timtim says:

    yes we do, all these specials with vigin etc are for dates before when we want to go. but any time you see something tell me or i’ll tell you. it’s just the 3 sydneysiders flying up yes?

  15. lock says:

    That’s right Timtim.

    I watched Touching The Void last night: Hinchinbrook is going to be a piece of piss. That’s it, if that guy can climb down that glacier with no knee cap then I’m quitting excercise and eating crap from hear on in. We’re all soft.

  16. lock says:

    … of course that should be ‘here’ not ‘hear’. Duh. Also, what’s with this censorship business? A good, free-thinking leftist like yourself should be sanctioning such f*$%ing bulls$&*.

  17. tom says:

    censorship? i think it must be the spam filter - otherwise we end up with adds for drugs and card games…

    those times sound fine lock.

  18. timtim says:

    lach how about some training for that block ride in bogan-ville. going to canberra this sunday and monday to carve up some fully sick trails a mujura and sparrow hill. Interested?

  19. tom says:

    I’m going to walk to work on Thursday morning. 12km. Should take about 2hours.

  20. lock says:

    Can’t ride this weekend TimTim as Kath and I are going to Orange to ride around the countryside for a couple of days. Should be good if this damn rain stops. We’ll be cranking out the road miles.

  21. tom says:

    home to uni
    dist: 12.556km
    av speed: 22.5km/h
    max speed: 32.2km/h
    time 34 mins.

  22. Lock 'n Kath says:

    Orange via Forrest Reefs and Millthorp to Orange
    dist: 60.82km
    av speed: 16.8km/h (touring pace into a henious head wind)
    max speed: 57.6km/h
    riding time: 3h 20mins
    elapsed time: 8h (includes time to eat a beef and guiness pie with beer battered chips for lunch. mmm.)

  23. tom says:

    headwinds are gay! nice max speed -

    i think i need a higher gear for the flat/downhill sections

  24. lock says:

    Did i tell you about my max speed of 70.8km/h the other day? It was down a really steep hill in the back blocks of Hornsby. I’m sure I can get to 75, maybe 80 with my pads on…

    Stay tuned, you’ll either read about it here or in the obituaries section of the paper.

  25. lock says:

    TimTim, you’re a hero. I think there is a picture of you on page 30 of FreeWheel mag (latest issue) leading the run start to the bikes at the Mont 24h. It’s a small pic but I’m sure it’s of someone wearing a Cheaky Monkey jersey. Check it, racer boy.

  26. tom says:

    70.8?!? you’re crazy. i don’t know how the hell you go that fast, i need some higher gears and some big hills (and maybe a better helmet!)

  27. timtim says:

    or a heart tin man

  28. timtim says:

    the pic is not me, but i was watching the start there thinking it was my team mate. what you can also see if you look really closely is a guy up the top of the hill who is already riding his bike (you are meant to walk/run with it past a mounting point) and will very shortly go right past streaking runner man ( along with a whole lot more not so tired people after a more leisurely run). also not 24hr race not won from the 800m run..

  29. timtim says:

    i can’t compete with you two i don’t have a clock on my bike
    bobbin head loop 26km approx 45min? avg 33 i think

  30. tom says:

    ooooooo “or a heart tin man”…

    it’s on now biatch!

  31. lock says:

    There will be no alternative but to battle it out in the innaugural TSV prologue time trial on Saturday 9th of July. This will decide the seedings for Le Tour du Hinchinbrook. The mountain stage should be an interesting one…

  32. tom says:

    here’s the jersey



  33. tom says:

    and check out this photo:

    http://www.bucka-lassen.dk/flacroz/pictures/0715_3_Hinchinbrook_Island.JPG

  34. timtim says:

    you had better make sure the jersey is in my size..

  35. timtim says:

    sweet photo from the plane

  36. tom says:

    sorry timtim, the only size is ‘big’ and you’re a ’small’!

  37. timtim says:

    so how are you going to fit it then

  38. lock says:

    Max speed 71.9 km/h on The Hill as part of the Bobbin Head loop. I was however feeling a bit vulnerable riding in a singlet in the semi-dark (6:30ish) and threw out the anchors when I started wobbling around like a jellyfish.
    I can’t match TimTim’s overall stats though:
    Distance: 25km
    Time: 55mins
    Average: 27.3km/h

    then again… I don’t ride a roadie and shave my legs, hombre!

  39. tom says:




  40. lock says:

    Nice team work.

    Duncs - midgit
    Kath - Sprinter
    Lock - Overall Mac Daddy
    TimTim - Mountain Man
    Tomo - Junior Winner (>25yo)

  41. timtim says:

    very nice, i am sorry i have missed the banter but i have been off-line for a few days. nice legs Kath! and that is a very nice faux-hawk you have there tom.

  42. lock says:

    Check it…

    http://www.ginini.com.au/wilderness/bushwalking/hinch/

    Crap scans but hey, it’s Bowen.

  43. timtim says:

    NZO Sydney 24hr race, 11 laps at 10.5km a lap in 24hrs, team total 38 laps, 10th place, better make sure the jersey comes in man size

  44. tom says:

    nice, those peaks are fat, and timtim, you’re now too fit.

  45. lock says:

    timtim, nice work, hero. At least we now have someone to carry us all up the hill.

  46. lock says:

    I went canyoning with Adrian yesterday. Serendipity canyon starts at Mt Wilson and finishes on the Wollongambie. 6 abseils (I’m getting better - slowly), freezing pool swims, waterfalls, very nice. After we did that we mtb’d around Mt Banks for a couple of hours. We then returned to Sydney and ate Dutch pancakes and drank beer while looking at Adrian’s photos of the NZ alps. A well rounded day really. How’d the 8h race go TimTim?

  47. timtim says:

    sounds like a great day except for the cold bit. The race ran smoothly until lance got a flat and lost about 10 or 15 mins then i got a flat the very next lap in the smae spot and lost about 20 or 25 mins (i don’t carry spares when i race short course stuff) so we went from about 9th to 15th or 16th i think. next one in 5 weeks up near newcastle!!

  48. timtim says:

    plus my good mate with terminal cancer (ripe old age of 32 and was a machine on the mtb) managed to get up the energy to come and watch for a few hours which i was stoked about. Jason has been my team mate in alot of these endurance races for a few years now so again i was really happy that he mustered up the courage. this was the best part of the weekend for me actually!!

  49. lock says:

    Machines all ’round. Good work on the race, next time all you need is 1 tube, tyre levers, and a CO2 cartridge and you’ll romp home. Great to hear Jason was able to go and check it out too.

  50. tom says:

    Want to hear about machines? On the field trip we owned Walsh’s Pyramid (photos of which will follow) in a 3hr round trip to its 922m conical peak. However, we were bitch-slapped by this guy who was running up it. He does return times of 1hr 27mins, including a 4km warmup run from the nearby town. What a force!

  51. tom says:

    This is Hinchinbrook’s profile from the west.

  52. tom says:

    Just got back from the gym, owned my legs and won’t be able to walk tommorrow. But, i will be able to walk on the 10th to 15th ahahah!!!

  53. lock says:

    The only thing you’ll be owning, Tom, is your pathetic, crumpled body struggling to move at the foot of Bowen.

  54. lock says:

    I’ve just been wasting the company’s resources by copying the NATMAP 1:50000 ‘Hillock Point’ (Hinchinbrook), but, I doubled the scale so that it is a more readable 1:25000. Now I have a map that is about 1m x 2m.
    Just like Bowen… it’s Huuuuge.

  55. timtim says:

    perhaps i can use my company’s resources and make a scale relief map out of soil and clay then use lego men to dominate!!

  56. tom says:

    Well, I can hardly walk. It feels like my legs are stiched to my body for show rather than anything actually useful.

    Maybe I can use the university’s microscopes to get a better look at you small men!

  57. lock says:

    I went for a jog last night to Turramurra Station and back, that’s around 6-7 km. On the way, I lept tall buildings in a single bound. Grrrr.

  58. timtim says:

    and for the jealous types we have a training mission to the wangs this weekend!!

  59. lock says:

    The Wangs! Hahaha! The Castle! Hahaha! Mt Owen! Hahaha!
    In 4 days time! Hahahahahahahahaha!

    Ok, enough gloating.

    TimTim and I are now fully booked (/ sick) and fly at 10am on Saturday the 9th getting in around 1 to TSV. We then mack it up all week and fly back at 4.40pm on Sunday the 17th arriving back into our respective sad realities around 9pm that night. It’s going to be sweet.

  60. lock says:

    Oh and Kath will be doing the ‘pay peanuts and fly business, staff travel thing’ around the same times.

  61. tom says:

    coolio would be proud of how cool that is.

  62. lock says:

    Well… where to start?
    Should it be the virtuosic vistas, the cool canyons, the sweet scrambles or the awesome adventure? Or maybe the Castle summit, Monolith Valley, the circumnavigation of Mt Cole or the never-before climbed (by us at least) Shrouded Gods Mountain? The Wangs 05/05 was so much cooler than coolio.
    All of the usual stunners were there but the last-minute scramble up the chimney to reach the summit of Shrouded Gods will not be forgotten. As you come up onto the narrow peak the vista over the Monoliths, Mt Nibelung, past the Castle to Byangee walls, Pigeon House and the ocean will make it a definite destination on any future trips.
    Photos to follow soon…

  63. tom says:

    Just bought some trekking poles, i’m so Euro.

  64. lock says:

    I’ve just been talking to Adrian about another Wangs mission over the Queen’s birthday long weekend in 2 weeks. God save the Queen.

  65. Anonymous says:

    hmm another adventure worthy of consideration…

  66. timtim says:

    i think that anonymous was actually me but it didn’t show up. Ride sunday, really cool single track section of the 6 foot track? good training for le tour

  67. tom says:

    My damn hiking poles aren’t here yet damit!

  68. The Wanga Himself says:

    I’m heading to the Nth Wangs tonight with Adrian and Rob (deJong) for a 3 day mission around to Folly pt, Sluice Box falls, Sturgiss Mtn, The Hidden Valley etc, etc. The only thing is, the carpark used to be deep in the park, making all of that quite achievable in 3 days, however now they’ve put a gate at the head of the road adding and extra 2 days walking to and from the head of the track. So, we’re just going to own it and do a 5 day walk in 3. We hope. I’ll report back on Tuesday… or maybe Wednesday… but definitely by Thursday.

  69. timtim says:

    And i am going to own Canberra over the weekend. Ripping up trails in Majura, Kowen and Penrose forests!! look out i am psyched!! Oh and by the way Lach and I are booked in for a 24hr race in Canberra in October!! The 24hr race that is!! sweet.

  70. lock says:

    I’m in training.

    The weekend began with an absolute dumping of rain while walking along the most Hakea-overgrown (read really fkn scratchy) track out to Folly Point. The view from the point was marred by thick cloud and the cold drops of water running down my forehead into my eyes but we did see some dramatic mist swirling around The Castle a few kilometres away. We didn’t stay in the wind and rain for long and plunged down into the valley below towards Camping Rock Creek. Here we found the sweetest camping cave ever, complete with fireplace, stash of dry wood and the bottle of Shiraz Cab I had tucked away in my pack.

    Next morning we’re off into the wide green yonder, ploughing through more Banksia and Hakea and other barbed-wire plants of the Australian bush. There may have been a track through the area in 1982 when the track notes were written but there is definitely nothing now so the bashing continued throughout the day until after dark when we crashed into another cave under the Pagoda Rocks of Mt Sturgiss that was welcome respite from the torturous scrub all around. Panang Curry and another bottle of red later we were asleep on the dry bracken of caves floor.

    Monday morning we awoke and decided to forget our route past Dark Brothers Cave and into the Hidden Valley and make a B-line for the only track through the area, across the other side of Styles Creek Swamp. The swamp was completely frosted over and the tussocks of grass sliced through our legs as we stepped up and down between their tops and the muddy bog two feet below. Eventually we arrived on the old loggers trail and celebrated with a late breakfast of cereal, fruit, hot tea and Danish chocolate cake.

    We could have completed what we’d come for by following the track back into the Hidden Valley, but we decided that it was best to leave it out of this trip, forcing us to return in the near future once our scratched and grazed legs, arms and egos had repaired. The walk out was through pristine stands of rainforest in deep gullies, opening into tall eucalypt forest and then coastal heathland on the plateau across which the final trudge takes place back to the car.

    It was up there with the toughest three days walking I’ve ever done but now I can safely say:

    Bring on Bowen!

  71. timtim says:

    and i spent 3 days ripping about the awesome trails of Kowen Forest, the staging place for lacho’s debut 24hr in october, Sparrow Hill, only some of the very best single track riding I have EVER done, Majura pines which is like a playground for boys (and girls) with two wheeled toys and finally Penrose state forest on the way home. FANTASTIC i want to go back!!

  72. timtim says:

    Oh and BRING ON BOWEN!!

  73. tom says:

    I took Kiki, the possible 5th member of our team up the local (and very handy) peak. Castle Hill is a measly 285m, but packs a bit of punch up the last steep section of stairs.

    Kiki made some meatballs the day before we heaed up the Castle, from mince that had been out of the fridge all day, so her stomach was a bit gurgly. So, we get to the top after many stops and Kiki has a good-ol-spew. Yummo.

  74. timtim says:

    lach, you up for the race this weekend? 8hours of power at killingsworth? we should enter if we are going to do it. this sunday it is, i guess about an 8am start but i am not sure.

  75. caroline says:

    hiyo tom, just wondering if final registrations of interest for Team Hinchinbrook (or base camp anyway) have closed?…

  76. lock says:

    TimTim - we’re all payed-up for Sunday. 8am kick off and 6:30 - 7:20 rego. If we get there later than 7:20 we can’t register until 9 so I think it would be good to get there around 6:30 to relax before - not like your late arrival story at the Gravity in Beechworth! A 5 - 5:15 departure is the go.
    We’re going to roost!

  77. timtim says:

    caroline, this is a new character. do we have a dark horse entering late in the piece?

  78. tom says:

    caroline, i’m not sure exactly what the go is. Kiki is coming along, and has invited Ellen to join us too. however, i’m not sure if Ellen has committed yet. If not, you’d be welcome to come along. i’ll talk to ellen and find out.

    guys, kiki, ellen and caroline are girls from uni who are sharking for the two spots left on the trip. do we want these additional walkers, or would you guys rather just have 4 on the trip? it is unlikely that they would be attempting the mt bowen summit, due to their fitness levels (although caroline may be pretty fit??)

  79. timtim says:

    well we can see who qualifies to come at Stage 1 of Le Tour, the criterium circuit of TSV!!

  80. tom says:

    or the run up castle hill

  81. timtim says:

    both if it is a tight contest

  82. caroline says:

    haha, no, I’m just a very occasional character…

    at a guess I would fall into the ‘moderately fit’ category (ok with castle hill and swimming and cycling to uni etc) - but the last thing I’d want to become is the whingeing walker. I suspect your trip will be much better with just the core players.

    just keep me posted guys!..

  83. timtim says:

    by core i hope that you mean hard core!! and if so then you’re in.

  84. lock says:

    Tomo, don’t turn anyone away just yet because the sad fact is that Kath might not be able to come at all! As it stands, she’s been working on contract with the Department of Local Government until August and I think the vibe is that when you’re contracted for several months work there is no real hope of taking a week off, especially when it happens to be a couple of weeks from the end when her report needs to be finished. She’s going to talk to her boss again now that it’s closer to the time to see if the program of work will allow for it but she’s not sure. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s finalised.

  85. timtim says:

    but don’t worry tom, lach and i will be owning bowen before you can say “i am thinking that we will be owning bowen” in kikinese

  86. timtim says:

    oh and kath if this is the second time today you have checked T&Z today and not made a comment that is not very dominant. It’s not too late to gloat about The Wangs since you only just saw the photos last night..

    We’re waiting for a virgin comment Kath, you can do it!!

  87. tom says:

    yeah come on kath.

    i think it would be “directly climb bowen we summit” or something.

  88. Kath says:

    oh the pressure….

    I’m going to try to speak with my boss today (if he comes in), if not it will be sometime tomorrow.

    However, after yesterday’s epic display of fitness on the bikes from my team (the boys did a solid 170km in 8 hours of power Tom), I think I’ll be camping on the beach instead of owning Bowen. But then again, pain is temporary and quitting is forever so who knows….

    I’ll keep you posted.

  89. Kath says:

    … and I DOMINATED the castle.

  90. timtim says:

    that’s the spirit kath!! not so hard is it

  91. timtim says:

    by the way tom what sort of gear are we going to need to bring. the tent i have but in terms of warm stuff etc what do you recommend?

  92. tom says:

    ok 1. are you guys having trouble loading this page, i.e. would it be worth me removing all the posts up to now. we could start on post 95 or whatever ;)

    timtim. in terms of warm stuff, i’m taking:

    one t-shirt (a tech wiking one)
    one pair shorts
    broad brimmed hat
    two pr socks
    two long sleeve thermal tops
    one long leg thermal bottoms
    gortex shell
    thermal balaclava (just in case)

    it’s not going to be cold. I think i’m going to get a 3 season, 900g synthetic sleeping bag instead of my 4 season mountain equipment one

    see here: http://www.kitbag.com.au/prod537.htm

    check out this sweet hammock too:

    http://www.kitbag.com.au/prod435.htm

    i thought we could split our stove (i think we’ll only need one gas canister - unless you have an MSR or something)

    take a small billy each and split our dinners. coscous etc…

    and have our own breakfasts and lunches…

    do you think I should get a new cartridge and bother bringing my water purifier?

  93. tom says:

    oh, and for tents… we can share, what sort of tent do you have?
    i only have a cheapy from go-lo or somewhere…

  94. tom says:

    bowen is going to be a piece of piss. steep, but we’re so there!

  95. tom says:

    i’ve been dominating 80kg squats recently. love it - might even take an 80kg pack ;)

  96. tom says:

    oh, and kath - you OWN!

  97. YLD says:

    Only 19 more sleeps. If you’re not fit now you’re not going to be!

  98. tom says:

    wow, only that many?
    we def. need to finalise number so i can order ferries etc….
    i might need to get some cash off you guys in order to do this. the ferries are about $100 per person. i know!
    i’ll see if I can get as a lift in someone’s boat or something…

  99. Kath says:

    It looks like I’ll have to put Bowen on hold… unfortunately I can’t take the week off work as we’re going to be really busy then which is gay, but unavoidable. Sorry to let the team down boys.

    I’m sure you’ll be an indefatigable force when you’re conquering Bowen - especially now that you don’t have to carry me!

    That said… I’m taking a flex day on Friday the 15th and have booked a flight direct to TSV for that morning so I can at least help celebrate your dominance and admire the photos!

    Looking forward to coming up to Townsville anyway – will be awesome to see you T&Z!

  100. lock says:

    Comment number 100! A t&z first - the three digit comment. We” done to all concerned, I’d like to thank my mum…

    So, there we have it Team. Another one bites the dust. It’ll be good to have Kath up there for the weekend to party after our dominance but maybe you should give up before we get there Tomo so you don’t slow Timtim and I down.

    … smooth-as-butter segue…

    Timtim and I spent last Sunday dominating the third round of the Working Week Series of 8h Mountain Bike races, held in Killingworth, out of Newcastle. We both hammered out 8 laps each before Timtim shot out for a 9th just before the 8h cut off time. You can start a lap right up until 8h is up so we ended up with 17 laps or 170km total in 8h of sweet riding. Timtim was on a single speed too, the animal! I think we ended up 15th out of 52 teams in the men’s pairs which is quite dominant, considering I’ve never done a race before. You can see a few pics of us by going to http://www.pixelpics.com.au and following the link to ‘events’ on the left, then hitting ‘Working Week Series #3′ then searching for riders 151 and 152. Check it…

    Back to Bowen… You do ferries tomo, just send us the bill. Adrian told me they’re expensive and there’s no options but if we can overload one of your mates tinnys then that would be sweet.
    I think the average minimum temp for July is 13 and the average max is 27 or something obscene! And the average rainfall in July is only 30ml or so with 6 rain days - we should be pretty sweet. I was thinking of not taking anything warm but the saddle is at 600m above sea level and Bowen, well we all know how high bowen is, it’s damn high so it might be chilly on top, especially if the fog comes in while we’re up there and we have to sleep out on the summit overnight cuddling each other for warmth. Lets just think about that for a moment. Hmmmm. No.

    More later…

  101. timtim says:

    you snatched it lach man. the only time we are likely to get cold is at night i guess and then it is just a matter of wrapping ourselves up in a toasty sleeping bag and think warm thoughts.
    next race is with gears and dual suspension for sure and majura is going to see me ripping out some QUICK laps, i can feel it already!!

  102. tom says:

    Sounds like you hombres are already cuddling up to each other, give me a break!

  103. lock says:

    Your jealousy can’t be concealed behind that veil of flippant aloofness.

  104. tom says:

    it’s a ‘facade’, if you don’t mind…

  105. tom says:

    Ok, Kiki and Ellen are in, they’re going to swap Mt Bowen for Nina Peak - which i think is a wise move.

    On the main track we may all walk together, or may split up. I don’t think it’ll be a problem either way, we’ll just see how things go.

    The ferry off the nthn end of the island is booked. Everyone is to take $60 cash with them on the walk to pay the guy at the end. Although, if you’re trying to save weight you may like to pay on credit card. To do so, call them on (07) 4066 8270 and pay off your share of the Rayner party ($59).

    The south end is a slightly different story as shallow bars on the journey over and the crossing of Mulligan Creek on the walk itself are tide dependent. On the 10th the boat leaves Lucinda at 2pm, if we want to do that. The cost is $46/pp. I’m going to talk to Paul about him doing two trips in his tinny. We could then just chip in $10 each to cover fuel etc… It would take about 20mins each way in his boat.

    I just ordered an aarn pack, which is fat!
    http://aarnpacks.com/products/featherlite_freedom.html

  106. tom says:

    Check this out:

    On average for the whole protocol, the oxygen consumption associated with the AARN rucksack was 5% lower than that associated with the traditional rucksack. The findings of the present study suggest that a load carriage system that allows the load to be distributed between the back and font of the trunk is more appropriate for carrying relatively heavy loads than a system that loads the back only.

    Ref:

    Lloyd and Cooke (2000). The oxygen consumption associated with unloaded walking and load carriage using two different backpack designs. European Journal of Applied Physiology 81(6):486-92. link.

    and from their second paper:

    Lloyd and Cooke (2000). Kinetic changes associated with load carriage using two rucksack designs. Ergonomics 43(9):1331-41. link

    These findings indicate that there may be some advantage in terms of propulsive force production for the front/back system.

  107. lock says:

    The pack looks nice but I’m sceptical about the front loading system - doesn’t it make it harder to breath? You’ll need to be sucking as much oxygen as your little lungs can take on the way up Bowen, Tomo.

  108. lock says:

    While all of you softies have ‘gone fishin’, I went in the 25km Oaks Classic MTB race yesterday. In the ‘fun men’ class I came in 7th after a crash left my elbow open and my crankset shifter bent and inoperable 2/3 into the race. I stopped for about a minute to try to bend it back into shape and managed to jamb it in top gear for the remainder of the ride, but by then I was passed by 4 riders. Out of the licenced racers category (the long sock brigade included, Timtim) there were only 10 people with faster times than me so that put me 17th overall out of 500-odd. It sounds good but I think the bottom 300 didn’t know which way round to point the bike. It’s still a sweet piece of trail and more good training for Bowen.

  109. tom says:

    Nice one lock.

    I don’t think the pack will impeed your breathing too much, I mean, the science doesn’t seem to think so.

    I was wondering if it might get really hot under there, esp. in the tropics - but apparently the ventilation is good.

    In any case it’ll be good to have my camera up front with me - and the front packs can be removed if you don’t need them.

  110. timtim says:

    what were you crashing for, don’t you know that a. hurts and b. slows you down. sounds like it would have been a frenzied dash for cash at HR 220. and i wear short socks thankyou very much!! good job though, you can race in my team in october!

  111. lock says:

    The results are up on http://www.careflight.org.

    It would have been a splash-and-dash if I had someone pacing me but I spent the majority of the race in 2nd place with the winner about 100m out front and nobody in sight behind, Then I lost the no 1 and it was just lonely me for about 15mins before my crash. The guys who came through did so in a tight bunch of 4 all with dualies - unbeatable on the 10km long downhill that leads to the finish line. Time 52mins 30 sec. Next year, Timtim, next year.

  112. lock says:

    Bowen training has taken a setback, not by the dumping of rain, but by me getting some henious virus over the last few days. I’ll be fine in a few days but then I’ll be time to taper in preparation for the main event. Flowers can be sent to my home.

  113. tom says:

    I’m putting a tissue in the post right now!

  114. timtim says:

    and riding sat at yarramundi?

  115. tom says:

    timtim, despite what you’ve heard, this isn’t a dating service ;)

  116. lock says:

    tomandzoe.com, connecting like-minded individuals across the nation…

    Tomorrow at yarramundi may be a goer but I’m still pretty ruined so I’ll call you tonight.

  117. timtim says:

    why am i villified and ostracised for my use of the site to arrange meetings of the extra curricular variety? hmm?

  118. timtim says:

    oh by the way there seems to be some confusion as to which saturday is the day of the party, is it the 9th or the 16th?

  119. tom says:

    16th

    pack

  120. lock says:

    Is that Tomo The Rock behind that pack? God, you’ve beefed-up pretty well since Christmas.

  121. timtim says:

    i am hoping that you will be wearing your sandals with that kit.

  122. lock says:

    So, this is it. 1 day to go ’till take-off. Any last requests for things to bring up?

    Maybe some real muscles, Tomo?

  123. tom says:

    some puri-tabs, if you have any…

  124. timtim says:

    are you up to it now lach after your bout of pancreatitis/flu?

  125. YLD says:

    Good luck to the team from your major sponsor :)

  126. tom says:

    Who, Musashi?

  127. lock says:

    I’m still all conjested but feeling fine now, I think all I need is to get into the warm tropical heat and blast it all away.

  128. lock says:

    Musashi? Did someone say Musashi?

    Got ‘em packed already.

  129. lock says:

    You better get some Musashi bars, Tomo, or you won’t even be able to lift those trekking poles.

  130. tom says:

    ahaah “tropical heat”, you wish. It’s only 24 today!

    i bought a 700g 1 season sleeping bag yesterday for $15!
    I slept in it last night in our bed, it worked nicely with a chilly breeze coming through the doors. my shoulders got a bit cold though…

  131. timtim says:

    your “massive” shoulders hey!? you should have got a man size bag mate, i could probably lend you one..

  132. tom says:

    Even that would be too small!

  133. lock says:

    Tomo, listen here, son… after all this talk of GUNS, CANONS and BOXES OF DOOM you’d better be bloody ‘uge, because if your not, by the time Timtim and I get up there tomorrow midday you’re going to get beat down.

    Well, nipple crippled maybe…

  134. YLD says:

    Well? What happened?
    Full report and piccies please.

  135. tom says:

    timtim, i bought a Tikka Plus today. It’s sweet. “Plus” I can claim it back against my research account - I bought it for field work of course ;)

  136. timtim says:

    sweet that is a plus

  137. kslqtcsoqh says:

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