Peaks challenge sub 9Hrs strategy

[P!N20]

I got 10:04 and happy I finished it given the conditions.

Well done, I wouldn’t have got past the first climb in that heat. Kudos to you.

[Imwit]

I got 10:04 and happy I finished it given the conditions.

It was hot in the valley and baking up BoF with bodies literally strewn at the steepest section!

Need to add heat acclimatization to the training for 2025.

Nice work.

I did a baking hot 130km alpine audax years ago and haven’t been back since.

[ComradeSpear]

Here's my trip report

Absolutely amazing temperature at the start line. It was a sold out event at 2000 participants and the village was buzzing before I rolled off at 645am (8-9hr group).

There were Lots of warnings about the descent given the road conditions after the last land slide. Work is still underway, with a couple of single lanes and a few sketchy areas.

Made it safely to Mt beauty and joined the 9h leaders. Up Tawonga for 29:23 and then a massive nervous but fast peleton to Harrietville for a 5 min break I filled up and left without the group up mt Hotham.

Stuck to my w/kg, legs and nutrition were fine. Slowed it down to reconnect with the group. It was starting to warm up and I was getting excited. Reconnected with group to the top 1:42ish before heading for dinner plain.

The peloton has thinned half way and surprisingly, it was organised chaos, water aplenty, valet service was fast, and after a 15 mins break on the dot, we departed to omeo.

The descent into omeo was super fast and we were ahead by 5 mins. The captain announced that we'll be stopping at omeo for water given the heat for 5mins, which for some reason, I heard as 15. At the omeo stop, it was bedlam. Not enough water taps for the sudden convergence of so many riders like a pack of seagulls on a mini bag of chips. The water taps were running like a dribble. 5 mins wasn't enough for everyone to fill their bottles including yours truly, which by the time it was my turn the peloton had already departed.

After my refill, I started my 3-4km chase, stupidly, up the omeo exit climb and basically wasted my matches catching the group which I reached but then I didn't feel so good. I pulled over first time for 15 mins and rejoined another group to Anglers rest - in hindsight, I should've joined another group out of omeo.

Faking my self by feeling good at the AR rest,I took off again solo with my elapsed time being 7:01. Another solo effort to Say What AND goodness gracious, the grind was on. About 4ks in, my eyes were starting to close. Pulled over for 5mins, and restated but I started feeling dizzy and I really wanted to sleep!

Pulled over third time and conqued out with dribble running down my mouth. 45mins later, The Marshall came past and poured a couple of water bottles on me and he told me I'll get picked up. As soon as he said that, In my head, there was no way I'm saggin'. I spent too many hours training, eating fkn !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! carbs to pull the pin, and so many ppl aware of my participation... Heck,I even posted it on this forum! I don't know what he had in that water, but I said fk it, in gonna make trapyard and faint there, at least there's a pit stop with water.

I took off and I can tell you, the sides of BoF looked like the Gaza strip, with casualties everywhere. ppl laying, walking, and there was one guy being helped completely unconscious.

I felt good after reaching trapyard and kept going after a brief stop now aiming for sub 10. It was 40-60 chance.

Emptied the tank up to mt cope, and then the cramps started, as in, I couldn't straighten my legs on the down strokes. A few shut up legs, and thigh upper cuts and jabs to keep them going and I eventually made it in 10:04.

I was a bit crushed not making sub9 and then missing out on sub10, but it was what it was and there's a few good lessons learnt. I'm glad I finished given the conditions and overcame the inner quitting voice.

[davehirst]

Good for you, internal fortitude front and centre.

[g-boaf]

From the report above it sounds like the organisers should have better support such as provided water and electrolyte tabs in planned refreshment zones (not relying on just taps, have people with water, Coca Cola, Fanta, food etc).

[warthog1]

, and then the cramps started, as in, I couldn't straighten my legs on the down strokes. A few shut up legs, and thigh upper cuts and jabs to keep them going and I eventually made it in 10:04

I liked that.
Well done!

[Imwit]

Here's my trip report

Absolutely amazing temperature at the start line. It was a sold out event at 2000 participants and the village was buzzing before I rolled off at 645am (8-9hr group).

There were Lots of warnings about the descent given the road conditions after the last land slide. Work is still underway, with a couple of single lanes and a few sketchy areas.

Made it safely to Mt beauty and joined the 9h leaders. Up Tawonga for 29:23 and then a massive nervous but fast peleton to Harrietville for a 5 min break I filled up and left without the group up mt Hotham.

Stuck to my w/kg, legs and nutrition were fine. Slowed it down to reconnect with the group. It was starting to warm up and I was getting excited. Reconnected with group to the top 1:42ish before heading for dinner plain.

The peloton has thinned half way and surprisingly, it was organised chaos, water aplenty, valet service was fast, and after a 15 mins break on the dot, we departed to omeo.

The descent into omeo was super fast and we were ahead by 5 mins. The captain announced that we'll be stopping at omeo for water given the heat for 5mins, which for some reason, I heard as 15. At the omeo stop, it was bedlam. Not enough water taps for the sudden convergence of so many riders like a pack of seagulls on a mini bag of chips. The water taps were running like a dribble. 5 mins wasn't enough for everyone to fill their bottles including yours truly, which by the time it was my turn the peloton had already departed.

After my refill, I started my 3-4km chase, stupidly, up the omeo exit climb and basically wasted my matches catching the group which I reached but then I didn't feel so good. I pulled over first time for 15 mins and rejoined another group to Anglers rest - in hindsight, I should've joined another group out of omeo.

Faking my self by feeling good at the AR rest,I took off again solo with my elapsed time being 7:01. Another solo effort to Say What AND goodness gracious, the grind was on. About 4ks in, my eyes were starting to close. Pulled over for 5mins, and restated but I started feeling dizzy and I really wanted to sleep!

Pulled over third time and conqued out with dribble running down my mouth. 45mins later, The Marshall came past and poured a couple of water bottles on me and he told me I'll get picked up. As soon as he said that, In my head, there was no way I'm saggin'. I spent too many hours training, eating fkn !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! carbs to pull the pin, and so many ppl aware of my participation... Heck,I even posted it on this forum! I don't know what he had in that water, but I said fk it, in gonna make trapyard and faint there, at least there's a pit stop with water.

I took off and I can tell you, the sides of BoF looked like the Gaza strip, with casualties everywhere. ppl laying, walking, and there was one guy being helped completely unconscious.

I felt good after reaching trapyard and kept going after a brief stop now aiming for sub 10. It was 40-60 chance.

Emptied the tank up to mt cope, and then the cramps started, as in, I couldn't straighten my legs on the down strokes. A few shut up legs, and thigh upper cuts and jabs to keep them going and I eventually made it in 10:04.

I was a bit crushed not making sub9 and then missing out on sub10, but it was what it was and there's a few good lessons learnt. I'm glad I finished given the conditions and overcame the inner quitting voice.

Great work getting it done.

Great trip report. Brings back some PTSD for me.
I got off my bike at the top of Falls and told my mate the joke that had been stuck in my head up the climb. The one about the bloke who walks into the doctor wearing only cling film shorts..

[ComradeSpear]

From the report above it sounds like the organisers should have better support such as provided water and electrolyte tabs in planned refreshment zones (not relying on just taps, have people with water, Coca Cola, Fanta, food etc).

The pit stops were well stocked, the issue was the taps at omeo having low pressure and took ages to refill when our peloton converged at the same time.

[g-boaf]

The flagging of the ride does seem ridiculous
Had another look at it today, yep times are still "excluded".

Flagging of the ride is still BS. he was riding a bicycle. it was not a motorbike. it was not an ebike. it was not done in a car.

Sometimes it's just better to not have strava at all. Following, unfollowing, flagged rides etc. Cheaper as well.

[vbplease]

Emptied the tank up to mt cope, and then the cramps started, as in, I couldn't straighten my legs on the down strokes. A few shut up legs, and thigh upper cuts and jabs to keep them going and I eventually made it in 10:04.

I was a bit crushed not making sub9 and then missing out on sub10, but it was what it was and there's a few good lessons learnt. I'm glad I finished given the conditions and overcame the inner quitting voice.

What an effort! that sounds pretty brutal.. but very rewarding! Well done!

[Mr Purple]

Epic effort, well done!

Not a patch on that but it reminds me of my BVRT E2E race, where I was completely out of my depth the whole time but stuck with a lead group until the 130km mark.

It's amazing how emotional you get with no blood sugar and sheer exhaustion. I teared up crossing the line, and I'm by no means an emotional person.

[ComradeSpear]

Thanks everyone for your comments. It was definitely character building.

[vbplease]

I joined two training sessions (90ishkm): 8Hr and 9Hr. The 8Hr ride was brutal whilst the 9Hr ride was manageable.

Just wondering what rides these were? group rides in Vic? or something organised on Zwift?

[ComradeSpear]

I joined two training sessions (90ishkm): 8Hr and 9Hr. The 8Hr ride was brutal whilst the 9Hr ride was manageable.

Just wondering what rides these were? group rides in Vic? or something organised on Zwift?

I joined the group rides in VIC. I think they had a couple of interstate and Zwift rides too. All the training ride details were published on the 2024 Peaks webpage.

[am50em]

[am50em]

[vbplease]

I've fallen down a big rabbit hole watching/reading about the peaks challenge.. I'm pretty keen to have a crack next year..

Just daydreaming at the moment, but thinking about which bike to bring, sub 7kg rim brake bike vs 8kg disc bike. I'd be a lot more comfortable travelling with the rim bike i.e. not as expensive if it gets damaged in transit, and easier for me to disassemble/rebuild. But not sure how it would fair on the descents if wet, or dry and overheating latex inner tubes.. how much braking is on the descents for a reasonably confident descender?

[warthog1]

I've fallen down a big rabbit hole watching/reading about the peaks challenge.. I'm pretty keen to have a crack next year..

Just daydreaming at the moment, but thinking about which bike to bring, sub 7kg rim brake bike vs 8kg disc bike. I'd be a lot more comfortable travelling with the rim bike i.e. not as expensive if it gets damaged in transit, and easier for me to disassemble/rebuild. But not sure how it would fair on the descents if wet, or dry and overheating latex inner tubes.. how much braking is on the descents for a reasonably confident descender?

Done the alpine classic and alpine classic extreme on rim brakes with carbon wheels and aluminium. No probs but I dont drag the brakes. Maybe run butyl tubes if you are worried about brake heat

[g-boaf]

I've fallen down a big rabbit hole watching/reading about the peaks challenge.. I'm pretty keen to have a crack next year..

Just daydreaming at the moment, but thinking about which bike to bring, sub 7kg rim brake bike vs 8kg disc bike. I'd be a lot more comfortable travelling with the rim bike i.e. not as expensive if it gets damaged in transit, and easier for me to disassemble/rebuild. But not sure how it would fair on the descents if wet, or dry and overheating latex inner tubes.. how much braking is on the descents for a reasonably confident descender?

Are the descents very technical or fairly open? That’s what determines what you’d take.

I’m more used to the narrow and very technical descents you find overseas with rubbish road surfaces.

Done those with alloy wheels and carbon wheels (deep ones) on rim brakes and disc brakes.

It’s only a one day event so you should be okay I think. Not like doing 3000-4000m for multiple days.

I would suggest avoiding the lightest tubes.

[CmdrBiggles]

I've fallen down a big rabbit hole watching/reading about the peaks challenge.. I'm pretty keen to have a crack next year..

Just daydreaming at the moment, but thinking about which bike to bring, sub 7kg rim brake bike vs 8kg disc bike. I'd be a lot more comfortable travelling with the rim bike i.e. not as expensive if it gets damaged in transit, and easier for me to disassemble/rebuild. But not sure how it would fair on the descents if wet, or dry and overheating latex inner tubes.. how much braking is on the descents for a reasonably confident descender?

Do at least Falls Creek ascent and the Hotham ascent on both bikes, before the actual event. This will familiarise you with the terrain variation, which is quite extreme from the airy drop off Tawonga Gap to the oft-sheltered grind up to Falls to the out-there and very exposed Hotham climb. The descent into Omeo can catch people out because of road camber and shadowed areas on the road which can conceal all manner of imperfections on the road. Gravel, fallen branches, cats-eyes...many other run-of-the-mill hazards found on just about all roads can also be found on these, despite the best of precautions.

If taking rim brake bike, use pulse braking at moderate (not break-neck!!) speed on long, twisting descents, letting rip when the bends are behind you e.g. coming off Tawonga and Hotham. A loss of control on any of those, through misjudging the bends to brake fade won't be fun. I wouldn't ever go back to rim-brakes after the precision and feel of disc, but they're not the sort of things you want to pounce on in a moment of misjudgement. I do not know what you are concerned about with "damage in transit (?), dissemble/rebuilt" etc.

[vbplease]

I
do not know what you are concerned about with "damage in transit (?), dissemble/rebuilt" etc.

I’d be travelling from Brisbane, so very much a fly in/out trip, maybe over 3/4 days, with one bike. I’d probably only ride around the area once, a day or two before the event.
If packing either bike, I’d find it easier to rebuild and tinker with the rim brake, and be less distraught if it gets damaged in transit, but they're minor considerations.

Thanks for the advices above

[jasonc]

I
do not know what you are concerned about with "damage in transit (?), dissemble/rebuilt" etc.

I’d be travelling from Brisbane, so very much a fly in/out trip, maybe over 3/4 days, with one bike. I’d probably only ride around the area once, a day or two before the event.
If packing either bike, I’d find it easier to rebuild and tinker with the rim brake, and be less distraught if it gets damaged in transit, but they're minor considerations.

Thanks for the advices above

Look at cams cycle coaching. They do packages that will get you ands your bike down there and accommodation

[g-boaf]

I do not know what you are concerned about with "damage in transit (?), dissemble/rebuilt" etc.

Hydraulic disc brake bikes are more complicated to travel with, you need a bike bag to accommodate that type of bike (I have two different Scicons, one for rim brake, the other for disc), then if something goes wrong what if the brakes need bleeding, etc. Depending on how the bike is setup disassembly (if required) might also be tricky.

Rim brakes are simple to maintain to be sure and if they are setup okay they can stop okay, but just not at the level of disc brakes.

I've used all sorts on the big climbs:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-jc3 ... qj2-X2.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-T9c ... RbZ-X2.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-ShD ... vQL-X2.jpg

The disc brake bike is better certainly. The yellow Canyon was okay but luckily it was very dry and somewhat cool on the two days I had it. With the S5 disc it was stinking scorching hot and dry.

[Dodgy-Knee]

I
do not know what you are concerned about with "damage in transit (?), dissemble/rebuilt" etc.

I’d be travelling from Brisbane, so very much a fly in/out trip, maybe over 3/4 days, with one bike. I’d probably only ride around the area once, a day or two before the event.
If packing either bike, I’d find it easier to rebuild and tinker with the rim brake, and be less distraught if it gets damaged in transit, but they're minor considerations.

Thanks for the advices above

If you’re concerned about braking on carbon rims, swap out your front carbon wheel for a lightweight aluminum rim wheel and use your rim brake bike. I have rim carbon Zipp 202s which are great but if the weather is raining and I’m doing lots of hills, I’ll swap out the front for my old aluminum Ksyrium front… no worries about controlled stopping… I’ve never done the 3 Peaks (tho it’s on my wishlist) and I think I’d use my aluminum rim if I was riding it even if the weather was dry… aluminum wheels and rim brakes were certainly good enough for the pro peloton for decades.

[CmdrBiggles]

I
do not know what you are concerned about with "damage in transit (?), dissemble/rebuilt" etc.

I’d be travelling from Brisbane, so very much a fly in/out trip, maybe over 3/4 days, with one bike. I’d probably only ride around the area once, a day or two before the event.
If packing either bike, I’d find it easier to rebuild and tinker with the rim brake, and be less distraught if it gets damaged in transit, but they're minor considerations.

Thanks for the advices above

I can identify with your reasoning from a touring cyclist perspective, and as a newly-minted roadie I'm inclined to stay away from the SRAM Force disc brakes which can be a bit brutal if I pounce on them. I have been given several plastic "stoppers" to put between the pads in the off-chance I should experience something of wonder called a "puncture" — what's that?? Haven't had one on MTB for more than a decade!

Meanwhile, above and beyond bike packing and travel matters, your physical conditioning and readiness for the Peaks Challenge will take overall precedence right up to the tightest timeline you can manage for the actual packing and leaving for the event. As you can see from the finishers stats, the 20- and 30-somethings did the best timing; not so swank with timing were the 40-and 50-somethings — a gentle reminder that you don't get better and faster over the decades, but a slower and possibly more apathetic!

Once you're in Bright or Mount Beauty, you'll need to do one of the higher ASL rides e.g. up Mount Buffalo, or from Mt Beauty, up Tawonga Gap or again, up to Falls Creek. Failing that, head out on the Bright-Wangaratta Rail Trail for as long as you want — it is flat, but very exposed in places, but riding that is better than riding around the streets. This pre-ride stuff will put you on a readiness footing for what to expect, likely much different to what you can find locally in Brisbane (because you are effectively riding in the higher, stressful alpine environment, nowhere near sea level...). I would rate the climb to Falls Creek as very testing; something I wouldn't want to do too often (only three times so far, and all on MTB with a very low granny gear!!) Conversely, Hotham's climbs are more spread out (the airy views will pop your eyes, if your lungs haven't done so already...) swearing and snot-shooting is openly permitted on the attack of the undeniably awful The Meg aka "Bust-Me-Gall Hill" to the local Bright roadies!