Grade: L-XXX
Distance: 150km
Road Conditions: Fairly quiet, mostly rural roads. Lots of steep hills along the way, especially into and out of the Murrumbidgee River valley. The dreaded Fitz's Hill is at the halfway point.
Route: An out and back ride starting at the corner of Cotter Rd and Eucumbene Dr. The route follows Cotter Rd, Paddys River Road to Tharwa, then Naas Road south into the Namadgi National Park to Fitz's Hill. Then all the way back.
Map: Canberra Cycleways Map and 1:100 000 Topographic Map of the Australian Capital Territory.
Starting Point:Corner Cotter Road and Eucumbene Drive. Ride it any time or do the 'Challenge' every November.
Description (from two of the 1997 Fitz Challenge participants):
Fitz's Challenge is a supported 150km ride, not officially a race, that runs in early November each year from Duffy, a suburb of Canberra, around the Tidbinbilla Road to Tharwa, then south along the Naas Road over the dreaded Fitz's Hill and on into Namadgi National Park to the turnaround at Rendezvous Creek. The word best describing the ride is 'hilly', although many participants would liberally embellish this! The event is often sponsored by Canberra Cycles.
Saturday in Canberra was blustery and overcast, however by the evening the skies had cleared and a fine calm day seemed to be in the offing. I was at a wedding dance that night so didn't get to bed until after midnight, somewhat par for the course unfortunately. I set my alarm for 5:40 with the intention of riding the 15km or so to get to the start by 6:45am.
My radio blared into life and roused me from my torpor. Peering blearily out my window I saw a dreary fog enveloping the streets. I pulled on my bike longs and put on a long sleeved thermal top under my jersey. Since I'd posted a description of what I'd be wearing I couldn't risk not being recognized by others from the bike-oz list! I ploughed my way through a trough off Vita-brits and muesli, then finally managed to drag myself out into the cool morning at about 6:30 - I was going to have to move along pretty smartly to get to the start in time. With banana consumption running at about 5-6/day in the house and the supermarket being understocked at the last visit, the most I could rustle up for food was a handful of Powerbars but it would do.
As I detoured through Duffy to avoid my nemesis, the magpies on the Cotter Rd, I passed another cyclist also heading to the start. He too was avoiding an avian encounter... We rolled down to the registration tent just in time to watch the main pack head off into the morning mist. Fortunately for me two friends from Bilbys triathlon club were also running late, so after entering and stripping off the longs we all headed off towards the Murrumbigee.
The mist was already thinning as we crested the hill and rode along the avenue of poplars descending to the river. The pace was fairly sedate and I was riding the brakes a bit on the hill into Casuarina Sands past the pumping station. There was the usual trepidation on the plank bridge across the river as we each tried to avoid the largest and most obvious cracks and bolt heads - I'm always afraid I'll drop into a slot and buckle a rim, especially with the 700x20C types I run on my CXP30s. Nature was calling urgently so I turned off at the campground and ducked into the toilets, hoping desperately that the others wouldn't ride off too quickly. When I emerged there was noone in sight, so I set off in hot pursuit. Unfortunately the first big hill was just around the corner - - about a 1km climb just past the Cotter Reserve, climbing into the Pierces Creek pine forest. Aaaack!
A couple was stopped about halfway up the hill fiddling with the gears on one of their bikes, and as I crested the hill there was a bunch of a dozen or so waiting by the road. Maybe they were all waiting for the other two to catch up - we'd barely covered 10km so far... Some rollers followed and I gleefully hopped onto my tri bars and hammered over them, flying past riders who didn't have the momentum to carry them through. A whizzing descent into Murrays Corner then I passed more small packs as I attacked the next long steady climb. Another bunch of rolling hills and I caught up with a guy riding the strangest contraption I've seen for a while - not a recumbent, maybe it was a folding bike, but it looked like a child's scooter with 12" wheels and a windshield! If this guy was doing the full ride he was certainly going to be doing it tough. Maybe the gearing would be OK for the flats and climbs, but the descents would surely be terrifying with such small wheels, and who knows how good the brakes were!
As I approached the gates of Tidbinbilla Reserve I finally saw Gary and Robert ahead - about a 10km chase to reach them all up. I was pretty fired up by this time, not really thinking about the distance or hills ahead, and I surged through the next hills then time-trialled away on the tri-bars into Tharwa. Gary just sat back behind with a knowing look - he'd done this ride before! After a 10 minute break we were on our way again. The skies had cleared by now and I'd taken off the thermal top.
Undulating farmland passed by for a while, and I was still leading our small pack of three. As we passed through Naas I nervously looked around for magpies, knowing that there was a pair somewhere nearby with a bit of a reputation. None appeared, but soon the toe of the spur leading up to Fitz's itself did. As we started to climb we shortly passed a yellow mark on the road "KOM 2km" - as the speed dropped it was clear this might take some time... There was a bunch of juniors riding just ahead, and as a support truck ground its way past up the hill one of them tried to grab onto the back. His bike leaned at a precarious angle, then lurched to one side and his foot came unclipped. He let go and lunged wildly, just managing to stay upright. Not a clever trick. We ground onwards and eventually crested the hill. The grade was steady and unrelenting, but not too desperate. Gary's smallest gear was a 39-21 and he managed it, but I was very glad to have changed my corncob for a 13-26 the day before.
At the top I didn't stop long, preferring instead to spin my legs over a bit and recover from the climb. A whistling descent past the turnoff to Orroral and the some stiff rollers to the grid at the entrance of Namadgi. The views were fantastic with granite tors looming on the high ridges across the valley. Passing Glendale Crossing we headed up the hill into bush country. A short dip across a creek, then the most brutal climb of the day was in front of us. It was too much for some people and they were getting off and walking! We pushed on and fortunately it soon relented and we were over the hill and cruising down to the turnaround.
We stopped for about 10 minutes, then headed back up the hill. As we rounded a corner my rear tyre hissed dramatically and flatted. Gary and Robert stopped and held my bike while I prised the tyre off the rim. Pulling out the tube and pumping it up I found a classic snake bite puncture. Examining the tyre a nick in the side wall was evident, so I whacked a glueless patch inside the tyre and put in a fresh tube. On our way again I was starting to feel pretty wasted. As we passed Glendale Crossing again the guy on the wee bike came by, asking how far to the turnaround. Gary and Robert started moving ahead as we climbed through the rollers back to the top of Fitz's. I was looking forward to the descent, and got down on the hoods and off the back of the saddle as I swooped through the wide radius corners, only occasionally touching the brakes. The computer was reading over 70kph most of the way down with my max being 79.
Back on the flat I was starting to feel really wasted. I started on my third Powerbar for the day, but being nearly 4 hours into the ride now realized I hadn't been eating nearly enough. Through Naas I crawled up the hill and as I approached the Honeysuckle Creek turnoff was roused from my stupor by a whoosh of wings and the angry snap of a beak. One of my feathered friends was out for some fun. I roared at it and it glided along for a while before heading off into a tree. Over the hill and onto the straight I could feel that a nasty little headwind had sprung up. What a bonus! I was just settling into new depths of depression and fatigue, when another bolt of black and white launched itself at me from behind - this time I saw its shadow converging on mine. Again I roared at it and it retreated to a tree before having another half-hearted attempt at sending me on my way.
I hung on into the headwind and over the spur of Mt Tennant before a welcome descent past the model aircraft field, its windsock streaming in the breeze. I scoffed the rest of my powerbar as I finally rolled back into Tharwa. Gary and Robert were waiting patiently and I refilled my water bottles and stocked up at the food stall run by the local primary school. A honey and oat slice went down well, along with a cool cup of lemonade and I grabbed a banana for the road. As I stood around munching on my food I noticed a guy in a jersey with a southern cross motif on it. He looked back at me then came over and introduced himeself as a fellow bike-oz poster. Another guy in a white jersey with a cropped head also introduced himself, recognizing me from my post - the list does work!
Gary and Robert were keen to be off, so stuffing the banana into my jersey I hopped onto my bike and started up the hill. Gary soon moved ahead and Robert joined him for a while, then I slowly caught up to him as Gary pulled away from us both. Here was a man who really knew how to pace the day. We didn't see him again until the finish, and we see-sawed for a while with me pulling away on the climbs and descents and Robert coming back on the flats. Back past the turnoff to the space tracking station I passed Robert for the last time before the long hill down into Murrays Corner. I caught up to a guy on a hybrid and thought I'd lost him through Cotter, but after a wait at the traffic light on the bridge he caught up. He moved ahead up the hill, before the sight of more riders ahead fired me up. The banana and another half powerbar had refueled me sufficiently that I felt strong enough to chase. Reeling in the first pair of riders and the guy on the hybrid on the first climb, I got down onto the tri-bars and hammered away on the flat section along past the poplars, reaching speeds of nearly 50kph in places. I passed another pair of riders on the final climb, with two more in sight ahead. The finish was not too far away and they were working together so I didn't catch them before I crossed the line.
My ride time was a bit under 6 hours all up, with about another 30 minutes of breaks thrown in, and my HRM showed a solid effort with over 3 hours at 60% effort or more. I sat on the grass in the sun and stretched as other riders finished, and eventually managed to score a lift home, not really wanting to face the ride. It was a tough ride, but definitely worth the effort. I was glad I'd swapped my cluster over for the day. My hammies are still a bit sore, but that will soon pass. A solid day's training with only 3 weeks to go until the big one - the Sri Chinmoy Triple Tri... Maybe I'll see a few of you then!
David Baldwin mailto:David.Baldwin@anu.edu.au
Canberra on Sunday at 6:00am. It's cool, foggy, and barely light. Mal, Warren and I set off to ride the 5km from my place to the Fitz's challenge start-finish area, with fog forming droplets on our glasses and rendering us half blind. For a change, we're early for the 7:00am start and we're able to register and fit numbers to our bikes with time to spare. A last check of full water bottles, 5 bananas and 2 powerbars each, and we're away right on 7:00 o'clock.
The big lead bunch enjoys a fast, chilly downhill run into the Cotter valley and across the Murrumbidgee river. So ends the easy bit.
Rounding the bend at the Cotter pub, we all take a deep breath and dig in for the climb of Pearce's hill, a 1km, steep, heart starter. By the top, all thoughts of cold are gone and jackets are removed to be stuffed into overfilled jersey pockets. Smaller bunches are forming, so we roll through the undulations of the Paddy's river road swapping turns of pace with a variety of riders - including one enthusiastic guy on a mountain bike.
Warm sunshine has burned away all traces of fog, and the forecast strong winds haven't materialised - great! Kangaroos bounce alongside in the open grasslands of Tidbinbilla, giving us something more interesting to look at than bitumen. Some of us are quicker uphill, and some quicker down, but we've formed a fairly constant group of about a dozen for the long, fast, mostly downhill run into the first checkpoint at Tharwa.
Get route card stamped, eat banana, fill water, quick trip to the toilet, and we're off again. From Tharwa we ride south up and over the edge of Mt Tennant and on up the valley commanded by the dreaded Fitz's hill. Two riders are off their bikes near the base of the climb taking a leak "to lighten the load" they explain. Well, the hill hasn't become any shorter or less steep as far as I can tell. I must apologise to those poor sods I saw struggling up in their 39/21 gears, while I twirled along in my 28/34 cliff climbing gear. No gear's too low when you're doing 9km/h. The KOM line at the summit is a very welcome sight, as is the steep plunge down the back of the hill, but the climbing isn't over yet.
Our bike 'freight train' is down to four riders now; Jim, Mal, Warren and me. We zip down through some bends at about 70km/h and try to use the momentum to carry us up the hill to the Namadgi National Park entrance. Over the cattle grid and into the park, we enjoy the downhill to Glendale crossing where the serious climbs begin.
Grinding up a steep hill about 5km out from the 75km turn around, we glimpse the lead riders as they fly back the other way tucked into a full aero position. Fiiinally, the last climb and a fast downhill to the turn around checkpoint. Almost too fast in fact, and it's BIG brakes to slow down and pull off the road for a brief break. Everyone's legs are feeling the strain, so various odd contortions are being practised by all sorts of cyclists in an effort to stretch out the kinks.
Stamp, water, power bar, banana, let's go. My legs are less than impressed with the uphill restart, but riding through native alpine bush in the Spring is pretty special, so even these tough bits aren't hard to take. Some of the grinding climb we endured half an hour earlier is paid back now with a 90km/h plus descent which rockets us up and over the next climb. Wheee! On the long, gradual climb back out of the National Park, I mention that all of our cheery conversation seems to have dried up. All I get in reply is a couple of grunts.
The back of Fitz's is much shorter than the front of Fitz's, but it's still a serious climb. Mal leads off strongly with some good out of the saddle technique, but cramps suddenly and is off the bike for a short walk. We can't stop here for him, so we continue over the hill and onto the fast descent. The road surface is far from perfectly smooth, and with the number of bends, makes a no-brakes descent pretty scary. I'll confess to dabbing the brakes. Back out into the valley, the wind has finally arrived, and of course it's a headwind. We pull up to wait for Mal, and let him know that we've waited so that he can lead us into the wind. He declines, and slots into fourth place in the line. Taking turns of pace, we chew up the road to Tharwa, collecting a couple of solo riders along the way.
The smells of a family barbeque in the park behind the checkpoint have me looking in distaste at my powerbar, but I chew it anyway. A cake stall from the local primary school is stacked with an assortment of high carb yummies, so we treat ourselves to big chunks of banana cake.
Just after midday with only 46km to go. How hard can it be? Another uphill restart to challenge the legs and we're soon in astern again. Miraculously, the 'strong winds' have only been light and gusty, so a steady pace back along the Paddy's river road isn't too much to handle. Mal's cramping legs take a hammering on some of the steep pinches, but we make good time through Tidbinbilla and up into the forests atop the range. We're all looking for the top of Pearce's hill and the run back down is awesome at over 80km/h, launching us up and around the bend at the Cotter pub.
We're a group of four across the Murrumbidgee bridge for the second time. The long climb out of the valley is the last for the day. I'm feeling good, so I ride steadily off the front and top the first rise alone. I'm soon joined by Jim, and we lead each other through the last few km of quick downhill to the slight incline of the finishing straight. Wow. I'm happy to finish 20min faster than my previous best, and Jim's had a great ride on his first go at the challenge. The others are only a minute or so behind, and we join the group of happy-tired cyclists relaxing around the finish line. Great weather. Great scenery. Great company. Great ride. Y'know, I might even be back next year...
MICHAELC@panasonic.com.au (MICHAEL CARDEN)
More information about the Murrumbidgee River in the ACT
More information about the Fitz Challenge