Mark Woolard's 2010 Bicycle Victoria's 3 Peaks Challenge Ride Report

This just arrived from Mark Woolard. I've just started coaching him and this is his report from his first main event - The Three Peaks Challenge.

If there is anone there that has a three peaks challange story they would like to share please send it through or comment below

3 Peaks Challenge

Written by Mark Woolard

Hi David,

All the training in the heat over the past many months was to be diametrically opposed to what was about to unfold.

Started off in fine weather (about 17 deg.) although overnight rain caused roads to be damp and there was a lot of braking going downhill, as we had started from the top of Falls Creek.
I was wearing a coolmax vest under a normal jersey, a polyester clear wind vest (no arms) over the top, full finger gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers, socks, “booties” over shoes & hat under helmet.

By the time I got to the base, the temp. was 20 deg. so I stripped of the wind vest, rolled down the arm & leg warmers, changed to normal fingerless gloves, took off the hat under the helmet.

At the top of the first climb, the rain came in for the day, so all the above items went back on except for the hat under the helmet.
Down Tawonga Gap then up Mt. Hotham… was going slowly but I was feeling pretty good.

• I was feeling a little sluggish going into Hotham, early on there is a steep climb of 18% for only 200 metres, my Heart rate went to 174bpm (98%), I felt really good and was able to surprisingly hold 174bpm comfortably to the end of the small 200metre climb, thereafter I felt very good, don’t know what happened but I felt much better after that short climb, for the rest of the climb.
• Slowly made way to top of Hotham, the weather that went through Melbourne on the Saturday, hit the top of Hotham as we made our way over the final 5 klms of Mt.Hotham but this just made me more determined & as people walked their bikes up nearly as quickly as I was riding, I managed to ride the whole way. I was feeling pretty good and looking forward to the second half (115klms).
• By the top of Hotham I was drenched through, head to foot, even under the Shoe booties, but I was feeling relatively warm, well hydrated and I estimated that by now I consumed about 2500 calories with lunch to come at Dinner Plains. I was eating often, bars & gels.
  

The Next 14 klms is where it went all haywire:

• Almost all downhill from Hotham to Dinner Plains, from here the wind was moderate and the rain was coming down. Speed of ride here was about 45kph, wind was from the side
• 7 klms from Dinner Plains my feet felt like they were freezing over, so I stopped for a minute, had a pee, walked a little and drank / ate some more (a bar & a gel) even though lunch was only 7 klms away.
• The top of me felt fine but my feet were very numb & cold.
• Rode into Dinner Plains, feet now very cold, then I started to shiver all over.
• Lined up for a hot coffee and started shaking like a leaf, now all of me was getting cold.
• Drank coffee, got some food, but by now could hardly eat.
• The organisers were handing out thick plastic garbage type bags, so I took two, wrapped one around my body & got inside the other.
• Over the next hour I couldn’t get warm regardless, the shaking got worse.
• The organisers said that from Dinner Plains to Omeo was 40klms all downhill, fast & easy but if you don’t have the correct wet weather gear reconsider, as it was cold & there was another cold front coming in. (60% of riders reconsidered, it was a mass exodus).

I put my tail between my legs, rang my “pit crew” for a lift back to Falls Creek and after waiting for two hours under shelter, thawed out in the car on the way back.

3 hours after arriving at Dinner Plains (1 hour in the car), the shakes stopped. Another hour after, I could feel my feet but they were still very cold.

Got into the hot spa and all was much better.

I don’t know what other wet weather gear I could have taken, I’ve ridden in the wind and rain before (even at 3am mid winter) and never experienced this.

I have done Triathlons, getting out after 30 mins in 8 deg water (admittedly in a no arm wet suit.), got on to the bike for a 40klm ride in nothing more than a Tri-suit (basically a singlet and bike short in one), bike shoes, no socks, air temp of about 12 deg and windy as hell … And never felt as cold as I did after going downhill to Dinner Plains in the 3 peaks challenge.

I went from warm to freezing cold in 20 mins.

Yes I’m going back for more.

Thanks
Mark