An Odyssey: the quest for perfect flowing singletrack
Where to begin with the Otway Odyssey?
Perhaps it began just after the 2009 Epic back in August, when I was looking around for my next challenge? Or perhaps it really began after a friend did the 50km version of the Otway in February 2009, and told me stories about how hard the hills were and how beautiful was the scenery and forest.
Whenever it began, I’ve spent quite a few months physically and mentally preparing myself for this event, which happened last Saturday. If you want to know more stats about how I went than I have ever seen for any other event, then here they are.
The stats do tell a revealing story. They show that I started reasonably well, and had a really tough time in the middle of the event, and finished strong (or to be more accurate, I finished more strongly than many of those around me).
But the emotions I experienced throughout the event are what will stay with me as a lasting memory. Early on the voice in my head was saying stuff like ‘stay calm’, ‘get your race face on’ and ‘work hard’. But it wasn’t long before my internal conversations were getting pretty down.
We had made it over the top of the biggest hills, but the fire roads which followed had lots of short sharp hills that were just killing my legs. I was well short of halfway through the event and wondering how I could get through to the end. The first singletrack section had a long long descent (which was great fun) followed by a long long long climb (not so much fun).
By the time I reached the halfway mark I was occasionally contemplating pulling out before the finish. I knew that the race would go through the finish arena (Forrest football oval) twice (at 67km and 87km) before the 100km mark. And I was thinking that this race was simply too hard for me.
So the first time through the finish I filled up my hydration pack, ate some food, and didn’t give myself any time to think. I just got back on the bike and rode on. Only a couple of km later I was once again having a bad time, and I was off the bike walking up a hill that I would usually ride without a second thought.
But then over the next few kilometres something changed. It must have been a long flowing section of singletrack that did it. I got into the flow and I enjoyed it. I found that somehow I could ride up hills again. I could ride fast again. I could stand up and power over little rises, and not have to change into my lowest gear. Mountain biking became fun again. I started to pass other riders.
I got back into the transition area for the second time in a totally different mind-set. ‘Let’s get on and finish this thing’ was what I heard myself say.
And I did. The last hills still hurt like hell. When you’ve been riding your mountain bike for seven hours, every extra effort just means more suffering. But by that stage of the event I knew I was going to finish, and that’s what got me to the end.
A km or so from the end on a smooth dirt road, a fellow competitor passed me. I didn’t feel like chasing, but when we turned the corner into the football field, I rode up beside him. “Feel like a sprint finish?” I said. And so we smashed it into the finish, getting a good cheer from the crowd.
The overwhelming feeling that I have at the end of a mountain bike enduro is always relief at having finished. I always know that it is very far from being a certainty that just because I’ve trained hard and prepared well that I’m going to finish.
On my mental list of events I’ve done, the Otway Odyssey gets the tag of hard but beautiful. I reached my personal limit when it comes to hill-climbing. But on the same day I reached a new state of being “in the flow” on singletrack that I don’t think I’ve had before.
It’s an on-going adventure, this mountain biking stuff. The combination of how much fun it is and how hard it is, is what keeps me interested. I don’t know what’s next in mountain biking for me, but I’m sure those two components will be part of it.
My result:
| Total Time | 7:57:19 |
| Overall Plc. | 389 / 704 |
| Category Placing | 82 / 179 |
| Gender Placing | 366 / 656 |
| Average Pace: | 12.57 km/hr (100.00 km) |