The ‘Outpost Project’ arts festival in their words is: “the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, demonstrating Australia’s leading role in the Street Art movement.” and situated in the middle of Sydney harbour’s “Cockatoo Island’s vast abandoned factories and intriguing forgotten alleyways are the perfect backdrop for projects showcasing the energy and diversity of Street Art. With OUTPOST PROJECT, visitors will be able to see a huge range of Street Art in one location. And because of its dynamic and live nature, the art will change and evolve, giving visitors something different to see throughout the course of the festival.

Here’s a collection of pics from a lazy Saturday spent poking around… The last pics show the Sea Shepherd ship that’s been docked in the ‘back harbour’ for several months now. I noticed on a ride one day as it’s been painted in WWI nautical ‘dazzle’ camouflage – yes it was hard to see from a distance, even though is was docked! As everyone in Australia knows, these guys do solid work and should be supported.

The Deus Ex Machina machine has been steam rolling through Sydney for a few years now, hard not to when you consider one of the guys at the helm is Dare Jennings, one of the Mambo originals. But it’s hard to figure out if Deus is the real deal or just a quasi, two wheel based ‘trend factory’. Certainly as a brand a Deus T-shirt seems to be the domain of the 30 something that feels silly wearing the surf brand he did in his 20′s.

Still there is a cool factor to what the guys at Deus are doing, because they do it with two wheels.

Most would associate Deus with Japanese-esque custom and restored motos, and kudos to them; what they are doing in this area is pretty damn unique. What many don’t know, at least if you’re not in Sydney, is that Deus is also one of the instigators of the whole SS/Fixie urban trend. Not the core set, like the SSSS or the SYDBMA, but those guys you see in skinny pants trying to push that fresh looking SS/Fixie through traffic up a slight incline, usually looking like a tool doing it.

As a side note, while I am a bit of a Nazi when it comes to this sort of thing, I don’t like fads and those that lap them up, I do wish what’s happening in this area would happen a bit more in the MTB world, which seems to have become so big box ‘oatmeal’ here in Oz….

Anyway, Deus does some pretty neat restorations and conversions and their site is showing some of them off; if the prices are any indication, I would say regardless of the ‘neatness’ of the bikes, they seem to be aimed squarely at the fad chasers.

If you’re so inclined, check it out [here].

I was thinking about the post “Mountain Bikers Care About Wild Places” in conjunction with the recent “….tap, tap, tap …..” forum post regarding the aging mountain biking demographics as I rode along yesterday.

I mountain bike because its fun, challenging and it puts me out in the bush in differing conditions regularly (and my family like me better if I have got out and thought and spun).

My appreciation of the sport grows as I get older. I think it is one of the few sports that a person can do for life and that the people who enjoy mountain biking average in their 30’s is not surprising as to enjoy the sport is not generally a cheap one nor is it one that can be learned overnight.

I then got to thinking that I read the other day that the average age in Sydney is 37 for males; I thought about the faces in the last Highland Fling where everyone seemed about my age and concluded that for the sport, the manufacturers and the retailers an aging demographic is not necessarily a bad thing.

For the sport, the older demographic should have more persuasive power with both their societal standing and experience to work to influence the release and improvement of riding areas (an area where I add none of my time or effort apart from the odd e-mail he says guiltily). Collectively this needs to be leveraged and currently depends on the energies of small groups of exceptional people. I think most of us treat our trails as the commons and take a free rider principle, figuring someone else would do something to improve them or secure access.

For the manufacturers and retailers it is the older biker who will have (eventually) the free cash to invest in nice bikes and parts they need and for the event organisers with great, distinctive events people will travel, fill beds and restaurants and pay fees for a great day.

Mountain biking is a slow sport, like slow food. Some people will come and go into downhilling, the few will continue to push the limits beyond mortal expectations. The rest of us will watch in awe. The great majority of riders will continue to ride up hill and down dale, find a few local trails and ride them daily or weekly and put their bikes on the car or plane from time to time for some grander epic adventures, Moab, Whistler, the Chilcotins or the Blue Mountains. Most of us pedal along enjoying the scenery, the company, the seasons in the places we love to go. Mountain Biking takes time and effort to get to great places.

Event organisers need to be able to conjure gatherings of these like minded but eclectic souls.

We need investment in trails both in areas of population and destination. The investment should be in parks with loops and challenges, but also importantly it should also pay attention to the harder to reach places. Areas where large point to point rides or loops can be completed which take people out of their everyday to appreciate what wilderness means and the challenges that it can present. For it is with people exerting themselves to access the places that they get them in their soul and learn more about the places and themselves and put a value on the wilder world.

All of us riders need to find and foster converts (our non-riding mates if there is such a thing) and introduce our children to the cause.

We need not to worry about younger converts but to ensure that each of us continues to ride as often as we can and commit time to developing and preserving places to ride as with these new riders will come.

I dream daily of sweet singletrack and the long fireroads to nowhere special and look for the perfect place to retire so that daily riding is possible( as long as I can still turn a pedal) and hope that if more people do the same the sport will continue to grow organically as it will have a place to exist and loyal participants..

I’ve been riding since about 2001 and really started to get into racing in 2005 – my first race was the 2005 NZo 12hr. A mate and I foolishly decided to race as a pair (how hard could it be?) of course he subsequently fell off and broke his hand on his first lap and I decided to continue on as a solo. After a world of pain for the next 9 hours or so I was hooked on this silly sport of endurance racing.

Since then I’ve managed to get a little team of regulars together (Team Fake Rolex) and we now race most of the endurance stuff around Sydney but recently, I’ve been getting more into the solo thing. I did the 24hr solo champs at Easter 2007 and loved it. Solo endurance racing is a hard thing to get your head around but really (for me) it’s almost the perfect combination of mental and physical activity. Am I physically strong enough just to do this… can I convince my legs to go around for just one more lap (of course when you’re thinking this at hour 2 it can be a problem!).

Lately however, the racing is getting easier but I’ve come to notice a sad fact… I’m not getting faster. Sure I’m fitter now than I have been since I was a kid but its not translating to making me a faster rider. Now, I’m realistic and a Craig Gordon / Andy Bell / etc I’m not (nor will ever be!) but I figure I spend about 13 hours a week on the bike, spend most of my day thinking about the bike so dammit, I’d like to be quicker than I am

So, time to get serious about training. Based on a recommendation from my local bike shop (www.citybikedepot.com.au) As a first step I went to see Radek Valenta from Zoom In Zones (http://www.zoominzones.com.au/) to get some scientific information about just how fit I was (or wasn’t). The testing process was pretty simple, pedal on a stationary bike where the resistance is being upped by about 30watts every 3 minutes until you can’t pedal anymore. Every three minutes, Radek takes a pinprick of blood and analyses it for lactic acid build-up. This process took about 35 minutes for me to hit HR max and being ready to curl into a small ball and die.

Results wise, what came out was that my base fitness was actually pretty good – I can comfortably maintain a 70 / 80% max HR pace for ages without significant lactic acid build-up i.e. at this pace, I dissipate the acid pretty much as quick as its produced. This gels pretty well with how I feel out and about – I can potter on the bike for hours without significantly feeling any ill effects. However the story changed dramatically at about 85% max HR

At this point, lactic acid built up exponentially which eats into the power I had to go quicker. Also, my ability to deal with the ‘burn’ that goes along with this was not good. Basically, when the going gets tough, I descend into a world of pain and performance starts to suffer. This isn’t good for mountain bikers as all those short pinches push you into this zone. Luckily this is something you can train for… unluckily… interval training is the main way to do this

The other somewhat sensitive topic that Radek discussed was my errrr weight. When he divided my power output by weight it basically equated to the expected output for an average B-Grade club road racer. If was to gain another 30Watts of power (only 1 more step up and three more minutes) and loose 10kg (hmmm) then that would put my power to weight in the upper band of A grade road racers. The message being that hauling my 92kg self around wasn’t doing anything for my performances

So, what’s next

I’ve changed my training regime to include regular indoor sessions (spin) to focus on intervals, both upping my lactic threshold and ability to recover. I’ve also started seeing a sports dietician to see about how I shift that 10kgs. Over the coming weeks I’ll write more stuff on the ins and outs of the training programme and share the journey. In the meantime, feel free to drop me a note and let me know your thoughts – suggestions etc are always welcome.

Ok, firstly power to weight… this is the ‘simple’ bit. Two things I can do here, (a) increase power or (b) decrease weight. Now both of these are going to be good but I thought that I’d get serious about tackling the weight thing and see someone about what I should be doing (who’da thunk that learning to eat would be so difficult?).

Based on a recommendation from my cycling club I went to see Dr Naras Lapsys (http://www.thebodydoctor.com.au/) who is a sports dietician – what this means is that he specialises in not only helping in working out what to eat but makes sure that this is in line with the sort of training that you’re doing. For me, I need / want to loose about 10kg (currently 176cm and 90kg, want to hit 80kg ish) but I want to do it in a way that enables me to still have the energy to train.

So, this is what an ‘average’ training week looks like for me:

· Monday AM: easy ride, approx 30km, focus on cadence HR <85%

· Monday PM: Ride home, ANZAC bridge evening race J, approx 15-20 min hard

· Tuesday AM: Easy ride (5km), spin class 50min, ride to work (5km)

· Tuesday PM: Ride home, ANZAC bridge evening race, approx 15-20 min easy

· Wednesday AM: easy ride, approx 30km, focus on cadence HR <85%

· Wednesday PM: longer ride home, approx 18km, varied terrain

· Thursday AM: Hill repeats – New South Head road * 3, Cranbrook Rd * 3 (big chain ring – Heartbreak hill in 50*11 – ouch!!!!)

· Thursday PM: Straight home

· Friday AM: Easy ride (5km), spin class 50min, ride home (5km)

· Saturday / Sunday: One long MTB ride – 3-4 hours or hard road session with club, other day off.

All up this works out to be about 12 hours or so.

The analysis of my nutrition actually showed that my basic eating habits weren’t too bad but there was some unpleasant news L. We were doing quite well until the discussion of booze came up… did you know that having the odd alcohol free day is counterproductive to weight-loss (and fitness training in general)? So, mid week drinking is to be severely curtailed. Apart from that, it was mostly tinkering and putting something together that reflected the emphasis that I have on doing longer endurance work on the weekends.

So, roughly the eating plan is:

• Get up, have piece of fruit to kick-start metabolism (nothing you eat now is going to fuel the ride but it will trick your brain into metabolising food from the night before)
• Once at work, wholegrain bread, cream cheese & jam or baked beans on toast – good carbs and protein to aid recovery of muscles.
• Lunch, alternate between a carb and non-carb lunch – for me this is either a tuna sandwich or some sort of packaged salad (coles or woollies – Sumo etc are chockas in fat and a bit of a rip off!) and add some form of protein on top
• Afternoon snack – some sort of yogurt or protein drink
• Dinner – pretty much anything I want but making an effort to reduce the amount of carbs – i.e. if we have spag bol then more mince, less pasta. This is what is going to fuel the ride the next morning.
• Weekends… anything goes (my favourite quote was ‘if you feel you need a burger and chips after a big ride then go for it’)

There are some other principles as well, firstly eat at home 5 nights a week. This one is TOUGH – you know how it is, working in the city, late nights, can’t be arsed cooking, Glebe Point rd less than 5 mins walk away… not doing so well on this so far. Other big one was mid-week alcohol, this is allowed but no more opening a bottle with my wife and then finishing it off – one glass of wine or one beer only. Again, a tough one – how long was it that you got home after a long crappy day and were happy with _a_ beer?!?!?!

Well, been following the plan for about two weeks now and it seems to be working. I feel like I’ve got enough energy to ride strongly which initially I was worried about as it’s a lot less calories than I have been eating and my guess would be that I’ve dropped a kg or so.

Next time, more on the actual bike training bit!

Below and attached are some details on a very important chance to gain more equitable access for cycling on land managed by the Sydney Catchment Authority. Some of you are already aware of this and some have put submissions in already.

Please, if you are a cyclist living in the Sydney Region (read anywhere within 200km of Sydney) or if you have a general interest in cycling access, read the documents, put in your own submission (as an individual or perhaps representing a cycling club or organisation). Also please pass on these details to any of your friends, contacts, who you feel may have an interest in pushing for change to these regulations. After many years of high level meetings and correspondence with the SCA I should tell you that there is NO point in to arguing for access for XC trail loops, trail building, events etc etc. What we are trying to open up to cyclists is permission to ride existing roads and management trails within SCA managed Special Areas. To achieve such would be a substantial victory over an organization that sees exclusion as the easiest form of management.

The article from Mountain Biking Australia magazine [here] will give some background for those who do not have it already.

Best regards,

Huw Kingston

A ONCE IN A DECADE CHANCE TO OBTAIN BETTER CYCLING ACCESS TO SYDNEY CATCHMENT AUTHORITY MANAGED LANDS.

The Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) is carrying out a review of its General Regulations, the rules that govern what can and can’t be done in the huge tracts of land they manage or jointly manage to protect Sydney’s water supply. This is a once in a decade opportunity to argue for cycling access to roads and management trails that is currently banned. Whilst over the years the cycling community had been promised consultation on the new regulations, the SCA has drafted new regulations without prior consultation and then made these available on May 2 for public comment. The Draft Regulations are even more draconian than the ones they replace and it is vitally important that any riders with an interest in riding classic routes such as Katoomba to Mittagong, make submission on these regulations. A joint submission has been prepared by MTBA and Bicycle NSW and this is attached. You can also read the Draft Sydney Water Catchment Management Regulation 2008 and associated Regulatory Impact Statement [here] by close of business on 6 June 2008.

Whilst a date of 30 May 2008 is given for Submissions we have been given an extension of one week. So please make submission to [regulations@sca.nsw.gov.au] by close of business on 6 June 2008.

For any further information contact Huw Kingston on 0418 977609 or email: huw [at] wildhorizons.com.au

Download Submission to SCA on Draft Regulations.doc [here]

Discuss [here]

I am on Narrowneck peninsula on a crisp autumn day, spinning away on the treadlie at an altitude of just over 1200 metres above sea level (around 3600 pre metric feet). As I burn up my body’s fuel and air supply, that age old question comes flying back into my head – how come some days you can ride hills, while some days you just can’t?!

Matt is in front of me, not even looking like he needs a rest – the whippet! Keith follows him eagerly to the top of the next rise as I curse the dickheads who arrange the placement of waterbars right at the summit – you know, just where the track starts to level out. It’s all too much on this particular ascent and I give up in frustration with the pointy end of the seat jabbing me in the arse and too much suspension bob from the steep, loose surface – they can have the heart attack, not me; I’m walking this one!

So while I take the duallie for “walkie’s” and curse those who actually seem to *enjoy* riding *up* hills, I conjure up some of the maybe-not-so-profound reasons for my seemingly lacklustre performance. Getting older might be a factor but it isn’t necessarily at the top of the list. How many younger dudes do you remember whipping past that really made you think should be doing a hell of a lot better than you?

Last time I checked, my biorhythm chart looked fine. No energy cycles flowing low and out the window here. Hmm, maybe it’s all the stress from the day job just dragging me down – naaah, that’s one thing I *know* for sure that melts away when I am out on the bike in the bush!

Crap diets and poor hydration might be one of the gremlins that lurk at the start of any climb, jumping onto your daypack like a leach that sucks out energy instead of blood. A week of skipped lunches, missed dinner on a couple of nights, followed up by beer and pizza the night before riding just might not help cut it here. Whatever happened to the carbohydrate loading, the bananas, the power bars (mmmm, used to like those Clif Bars), gels and sports drinks?? Most sane riders know that their treadlies just won’t run without the right octane intake to fire those nerve impulses controlling leg muscles. And a litre of water an hour – pffft, I’d be lucky to have consumed a cup!

And what about fitness, I ask myself as I amble up over the next water bar. Fitness seems to have a direct relationship to ride expectations. Pick a ride that’s too long, too hard (or in summer – too hot) and if your fitness doesn’t cross match, then you’ve got troubles. After allowing life to denude us of riding at times, it’s easy for riders to forget that you can’t always pick up where you left off. Regular riding and training are the obvious answers here, but sometimes life has other plans. A growing number of dirt riders are turning to road schmoad hacks to increase endurance and strength training, but be buggered if that particular sacrifice is something that suits every mtb’er!

As the afternoon sun bounces back off the top tube paintwork, I spare a thought for the condition of the bike and how it contributes to the flow of the ride. Chains refusing to jump off the middle ring to granny, or rear clusters spitting the chain up and down like an automatic 1963 Valiant just wont lead to everlasting hill climbing bliss. My rig is reasonably well maintained and serviced, but every now and again the drive train nasties still come out to play. It pays dividends not to be a scrooge when it comes to replacing worn rings, cassettes, front and rear mech’s, chains, cables and shifters *before* they become a reason to pick the bike up and throw it off the track in disgust.

Like good bike service habits, good gear shifting takes a little time to master. Nodding off in la-la land just as you cruise into the start of a monster climb in 27th cog may not be the best place to then start thinking about crunching down through the straining gears. How sweet it is when the pre-emptive ability to read the right gear for the terrain ahead just seems to help lift you and the bike over a rise at a synergistic cadence! None of this is my particular problem now though, as my Shimano shoes get a little more of the metal worn away from the cleats as I step on crunchy sandstone and my Achilles tendon stretches more than it should.

At least my tyres seem to suit the track conditions today. The 2.6-inch Moto raptors with around 35 psi have adhered to the dirt as I get back on the saddle. One of my mates likes to run skinnier xc tyres with up to 65 psi and for the life of me I don’t know how he manages to stop the tyres ricocheting from corner to corner – or better still, keep traction when he slaps the bike upwards. It can be such a personal thing to choose the right rubber, but it can make such a difference to your chances of getting it up (…the bike, uphill, that is).

So as my heart rate starts to level out like the falling gauges at a hydro-electricity plant after the floodgates are closed, my musings about the art of hill climbing become startlingly clear. Of course! This *has* to be it!! First, God made cross-country riders, then he made down hillers. But then, saving the best for last, he made another category of riders just for people like me – “phree” riding, for totally phat Extreme Free Riding Dudes who don’t really have a clue what this uphill caper is all about!!! It makes you laugh your head off really, as all I want to do is ride and yet sometimes, we can over analyse and categorise things to bits.

Another long hill looms in the near distance. I shrug my shoulders and know its gonna hurt. But then, a really sweet smile of satisfaction comes to my face as I knuckle down, spin like mad, slide forward on the seat, start attacking the hill and do it all over again.

Do your thing!
Hodgie