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Mont 24 Hours of Canberra - NE

Canberra, Australia, October 13-14, 2002

A lot can happen in 24 hours

by Paul Mirtschin

Twenty four hours was all it took to take last year's course from pristine singletrack to a smouldering wreck at the start of this year. But after ten months of magic from the singletrack fairies, what has been said to be the hardest 24 Hour course yet was put to the test.

1402 riders, including 46 solo male and 11 solo female, started the Mont Australian 24 hour race in sunny Canberra on a very dry and dusty 17.9km course. With some sections of last year's course and an entirely new section on Mt. Stromlo, the race saw some of the best (and worst) mountain bikers in Australia take on pain, tiredness and in some instances hangovers to see who was the best.

And the title went to "Yeti and the Bunnymen", a team consisting of Paul Rowney, Trent Lowe, Rob Eva and Perren Delacour. And with a line-up like that, it's no wonder they were the best. "Yeti and the Bunnymen" managed 30 laps in 24:08:00, an average of just over 48 minutes per lap. They also took out the fastest lap time of 42.14.

Solo winners were Joshua Street with a total of 23 laps in 24.22.15 and Rosmary King with 18 laps in 24.34.25, both amazing results considering the dusty conditions they both endured.

Slowest lap award goes to Melissa Crawfors (Riding Miss Daisy) who took 16.06.45 to complete her lap. I'm guessing she either had a bit of a rest in there, or rode into town for a movie and a meal.

The "What A Goose" award goes to the guy who crossed the line at the 23:59:59 mark and had to complete another lap for his team to finish, while the runner up goes to an unnamed rider who decided to start a fast lap from inside the transition tent (a no-ride zone) and ended up in a big pile when he clipped a pedal on the wheel of another rider who was waiting to transition. The no ride rule applies for that very reason I think.

The number crunchers at Canberra Off Road Cyclists tell us that the total distance ridden over the event was 114,200km, just under three times the circumference of the earth, with a total lap count of 6,380 laps.

The solo perspective

By Mel Venn

Well, what a weekend!

I've got to say I was skeptical when I heard it would be so big. Having been at all 4 races now, I initially wondered how different it was going to be from the first year and 300 riders total. Apart from the post-race gridlock in the carpark, I think it all went brilliantly.

My race went a lot better than I expected, given my very poor preparation. Changing job situations, moving house and general slackness all contributed to my not doing any regular riding or rides over 50km for the last four months or so, but obviously the somewhat sporadic commuting has helped me keep my base fitness up a bit. Seems to be one case where being stubborn and really hard on myself pays off.

The pre-ride of the course on Friday afternoon had me a little worried, mainly because I had heaps of trouble keeping my heart rate down on the long climb. I decided before the race to make a concerted effort to keep my HR under 80 percent, to spin up the longer climbs in granny, and to keep my cadence over 80 when I wasn't in the sniggly bits (I figured if it works for Lance, maybe it'd work for me!). I think this strategy paid off, and I ended up having decent endurance even if I didn't have the speed to go with it. I think I probably saw pretty much all of the competitors at some stage or other, when they overtook me going at snail-pace. It was great to see smiles on so many people's faces when I pulled over to let them through. Most people were very courteous, although there were a few dodgy overtaking moves that nearly saw both of us off the track. I don't begrudge them though - the speedy whippets were in it for a different reason than me. I figured I'd just go out there and ride at a comfortable (?) pace for as long as I could.

And yes, Tyno (Anthony Hawke) did laugh at me when I said I was going to do 12 laps - but he later explained that he thought I was going to wuss out on the night laps again... It was bloody awful watching him bomb out after all the effort he'd put into training - that was probably the only lowlight of the entire weekend.

As well as the HR and cadence, I paid a lot more attention to food and water this year. I carbo loaded for the four days before the event, and had heaps of water, gatorade, carbo drink and glucose polymers during the race, as well as pasta for dinner. I think this probably made all the difference - I managed not to bonk or go seriously lactic or crampy for the whole event, which surprised me a lot.

That said, the braking ruts were hell on the knees and lower back, and by Sunday morning I'd started scoffing ibuprofen and dreading the bumpy downhill sections. Definitely glad for the Rocket's suspension - nice and light for the climbs, no bobbing, and took out the worst of it. The pain from riding the first two years on a HT is unfortunately unforgettable.

I loved the course (although perhaps not as much as the previous one), especially Dirty Dick and Backtrack. Barrelling down (by my definition, anyway!) Kuhmo walls was a blast! Didn't love Skyline, the first singletrack or the final bit of singletrack, mainly because of the bumps and my inability to maintain a decent rhythm - talk about snail pace.

Thanks heaps to Pauly for being a great support crew, flashing ear and all, and to all the other mtb-oz listees who made the weekend such a fun one. I'll be back soloing next year, hopefully with better preparation to add some speed to the endurance.

I'm totally in awe of Rosemary, Mel McIntyre and the other female soloists - definitely inspires me to push harder.

Again, thanks to the organisers and all involved - another fantastic event.

Highlights

  • All the smiles and encouragement from other riders and spectators the general good-naturedness of the whole event
  • Watching a bunch of MTB almost-newbies get a team together and get out there (go Hahn Wit Chix chicks!)
  • The people I chatted to on the climb who made it seem shorter
  • Having a unicyclist keep up with me on the singletrack on Friday - bloody amazing!

Stats

  • Riding time: a bit under 20h
  • Laps: 12
  • Mechanicals: none, other than some chain-slip when it got clogged with dust
  • Stacks: 2 (once giving way to Marti, when I put my foot in a hole and went over sideways; once going down Kuhmo walls)
  • Gu/glucose polymer: averaged one per lap
  • Gatorade: 5x 750mL
  • Carbo drink: 4x 750mL
  • Water: almost 1L/lap
  • Fastest lap: 1:13 (second one - I told you I was a slowcoach!)
  • Slowest actual riding lap: 1:45 (including a mix-up with battery changes and three false starts)

Video

Video of the 2002 Mont 24 Hours of Canberra was kindly provided by Joe Ward, cyclist, cameraman and film editor. It was originally shown on SBS just after the race, but since most competitors would have been either travelling or sleeping, here it is to view at your pleasure. A 30 minute special on the race is in development as we speak, so look out for it in the coming months.

Click here for the video

Photos

Images by Paul Mirtschin/Cyclingnews

Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au

Results

Solo Male                                            Laps       Time
 
1 Joshua Street                                        23   24.22.15
2 Saul Britton                                         21   24.21.11
3 Paul Eccleston                                       21   25.00.51
4 Nat Anglem                                           20   24.09.28
5 Patrick Jones                                        19   24.05.09
6 Chrisopher Smith                                     18   24.01.59
7 Ian Wright                                           17   24.00.22
8 Tom McKinnon                                         17   24.00.46
9 Nicholas Crisp                                       17   24.24.42
10 Brendan Den                                         16   24.13.43
11 Mikhail Chai                                        16   25.06.40
12 Duncan Watt                                         14   24.00.19
13 Andrew Rowe                                         13   24.03.11
14 Richard Davis                                       13   24.03.26
15 Michael Howes                                       13   25.10.14
16 Brad Adams                                          13   25.11.54
17 Joseph Schifano                                     12   24.06.18
18 Benjamin O'Keeffe                                   12   24.17.49
19 Andrew  Crawley                                     12   24.46.07
20 Rodney Watts                                        11   24.00.56
21 Steve Peddle                                        11   24.07.40
22 Jamie Green                                         11   24.12.28
23 Adam McGrath                                        10   24.02.33
24 Ben Damyon                                          10   24.03.57
25 Tony Winterbottom                                   10   24.07.37
26 Robert Somerville                                   10   24.23.42
27 Darryl Leonard                                      10   24.36.56
28 Roger Simionato                                      8   24.01.40
29 Gareth Paton                                         8   24.11.44
30 Anthony Hawke                                        8   24.19.04
31 Brad Leeson                                          7   24.02.47
32 Steve Tattam                                         7   24.20.16
33 Alan Anderson                                        5   24.00.53
DNF Hugh Flower                                        12   17.09.44
DNF Adrian Laing                                        9   10.20.24
DNF Shane Paton                                         9   11.02.41
DNF Oliver Pringle                                      9   16.38.39
DNF Chris Fox                                           8    9.53.48
DNF Brenden Hargraves                                   8   16.48.21
DNF Martin Mullin                                       7    9.12.59
DNF Steve Donaghue                                      6    7.23.57
DNF Kim Christensen                                     4    6.06.23
DNF Michael Brice                                       3   10.51.16
DNF Adam Hogan                                          1    1.29.01
 
Solo Female
 
1 Rosmary King                                         18   24.34.25
2 Melanie McIntyre                                     17   24.18.28
3 Jodie Street                                         15   24.04.46
4 Catherine Toet                                       15   24.11.10
5 Kay Haarsma                                          14   25.08.59
6 Kate Maslen                                          13   24.00.04
7 Melinda Venn                                         12   24.23.05
8 Belinda Green                                        10   24.16.28
9 Belinda McIntyre                                      9   24.03.33
10 Katherine Hill                                       4   24.03.53
DNF Jaime Fox                                           4    5.17.31
 
Marathon Pairs Male
 
1 Lead Nuts                                            28   24.57.03
2 Park Tools                                           25   24.42.16
3 TREK                                                 24   24.11.34
4 Crusty Bangers                                       22   24.35.30
5 Road Kill                                            21   24.46.49
6 Stair Way to Heaven                                  20   24.09.14
7 Creekwalkers Social Club                             20   24.22.54
8 Polaris Plodders                                     19   24.01.23
9 And then there were two                              18   24.07.45
10 Crusty Arse’s of Dirt                               18   24.10.33
11 The hopefuls                                        18   24.16.54
12 Team Tortoises                                      17   24.00.24
13 ACT Jeeptraction                                    16   24.43.43
14 Hogans Heroes                                       14   24.00.31
15 Bodyscience                                         14   24.05.42
16 Matt & Andy                                         14   24.51.42
17 Team Clipsal                                        13   24.10.36
18 The omegos                                          10   25.02.22
19 Eval                                                 8   24.10.54
20 The Water Barrs                                      7   24.29.51
DNF 2 Dumb 4 Gears                                     13   21.32.05
 
Marathon Pairs Female
 
1 Riding Miss Daisy                                     7   24.29.30

Marathon Pairs Mixed
 
1 Singletrack Mind                                     17   24.31.33
 
Musketeers 3 Male
 
1 Mummy - Wanting Wall - Hitters                       27   24.35.16
2 Nuthouse escape Team                                 26   24.32.23
3 Onya Bike Warehouse                                  25   24.01.32
4 Secret Squirrels                                     25   24.13.39
5 WTB                                                  25   24.57.16
6 Spinning Aliens                                      24   24.41.38
7 Team Howlong                                         23   24.20.18
8 One crash, two crash, three                          23   24.29.05
9 2 Men & a Roadie                                     23   25.01.53
10 Carpe Noctem                                        21   24.32.02
11 Quality Roadie Scum                                 18   24.00.51
12 Bendigoers                                          18   24.13.48
13 Marty’s Mob of Marvellous Moonlight Mechanics       16   24.19.14
14 Team Cracknell                                      15   24.22.22
15 Darryl Grant Cycles                                 11   24.06.28
DNF Bendigo Babe Magnets                               17   20.35.57
 
Musketeers 3 Female
 
1 Fembots                                              18   24.25.00
2 KBL                                                  13   24.26.46
3 Mac-Chicks                                           11   24.09.53
 
Musketeers 3 Mixed
 
1 Ramjets (Roger for Short)                            19   24.06.43
DNF Millie's in a Hurry                                14   20.28.22
 
Team of 4 Male
 
1 Yeti and the Bunnymen                                30   24.08.00
2 Legend Cycles                                        29   24.27.28
3 NFI                                                  28   24.43.26
4 Crusty Ring Quartet                                  28   24.47.18
5 Walrus Brothers Racing                               26   24.03.24
6 Fast & The Furious (Team A)                          26   24.36.48
7 Meat and Three Veg                                   25   24.00.35
8 Golden Shower                                        25   24.05.29
9 The Dark in the Lightness                            25   24.08.56
10 Highly Strung Quartet                               25   24.27.48
11 Thor Thyclists                                      25   24.49.51
12 CC111                                               24   24.02.41
13 Los Machina                                         24   24.07.57
14 Furry Oysters                                       24   24.14.00
15 4 Sore Cracks                                       24   24.18.20
16 The Lakers                                          24   24.19.46
17 3 Walrus’s & a Penguin                              24   24.20.24
18 Dirty Men with a Filthy Habit                       24   24.25.03
19 Troy invades A Veranda                              24   24.25.24
20 Team Vicious Cycle                                  24   25.06.01
21 Bruised Buttocks                                    23   24.00.49
22 Tortoises & the Hare                                23   24.00.59
23 The F. F. F. Firies                                 23   24.05.04
24 Powerhouse                                          23   24.09.25
25 Hatley’s Heroes                                     23   24.14.40
26 Not Now Honey                                       23   24.20.22
27 Team Reg                                            23   24.24.07
28 Maddogs                                             23   24.28.55
29 The Soggy Bottoms                                   23   24.30.37
30 DTAC2002                                            23   24.31.05
31 Team Colortron                                      23   24.41.49
32 Tool Squeezers                                      23   24.48.04
33 Hardcore Cyclotics                                  23   25.08.53
34 Gerry-at-Tricks                                     22   24.03.08
35 Mountain Maniacs                                    22   24.04.11
36 Lamo Project                                        22   24.05.49
37 LeftOvers                                           22   24.09.31
38 Thrilled to Bits                                    22   24.14.16
39 Basket Case                                         22   24.18.16
40 Team Dirty Sanchez                                  22   24.23.25
41 Team Klickski                                       22   24.30.50
42 Computer Quest                                      22   24.36.44
43 UNSW (we all love it)                               22   24.37.06
44 Loose Unit 1                                        22   24.38.07
45 Day of Pain                                         22   24.42.09
46 Team Amber                                          22   24.42.28
47 Things that go bump in the night                    22   24.46.18
48 Phat Boy Slim (II)                                  21   24.01.02
49 Team Windsor Cycles                                 21   24.02.05
50 Lank                                                21   24.02.23
51 Numb Noodle                                         21   24.04.03
52 Team Fafooma                                        21   24.07.50
53 Legless Pedalers                                    21   24.12.35
54 Team Steamtrain MK II                               21   24.33.19
55 GESTANK                                             21   24.39.19
56 Ya Mother Loves It!                                 21   24.50.51
57 Flying Pigs                                         20   24.02.13
58 Team Bucket                                         20   24.05.58
59 Acidental Stuntmen                                  20   24.06.35
60 Faulty Tyres                                        20   24.07.53
61 Corryong Fellas                                     20   24.09.00
62 FUBAR                                               20   24.10.19
63 Blazing Entrails                                    20   24.12.15
64 Team Pants                                          20   24.19.00
65 Second Wind                                         20   24.26.10
66 The Trolls                                          20   24.27.52
67 Loose Unit 2                                        20   25.27.11
68 The bombers                                         19   24.01.21
69 QUAD-ruplicity                                      19   24.03.21
70 Wooly Mammoth                                       19   24.05.52
71 Eight Wheels of Justice                             19   24.22.59
72 Team Posse                                          19   24.52.10
73 Fourzaparty                                         18   24.02.08
74 Mudgutters                                          18   24.05.39
75 Odd Socks                                           18   25.00.35
76 Lab Rats                                            17   24.02.19
77 Mal-Adjusted & his Merry Wrench Men                 17   24.05.55
78 Team Turkey Slap                                    17   24.06.08
79 Vegie Patch                                         17   24.11.04
80 Plague of Frogs                                     17   24.14.49
81 Lizards                                             17   24.24.14
82 G.R.T.-                                             17   24.53.59
83 Team F.A.K.M                                        16   24.09.22
84 The Maybes                                          16   24.43.36
85 Two Heads                                           16   25.07.34
86 Lost and all Stromlonesome                          15   24.05.00
87 Three Plus One                                      15   24.06.31
88 Has Beans                                           15   24.16.48
89 Genuine Southside Mafia                              8   24.08.37
DNF Team Viagra                                        20   21.13.39
DNF The Kreb Cyclists                                  18   23.44.09
DNF The Haemorrhoids                                   15   23.12.05
DNF Training Starts Today                              12   16.25.01
DNF The bogans                                         11   20.09.11
DNF Dont Let Me Ride                                   10   13.36.32
 
Team of 4 Female
 
1 Morticia's Sisters                                   20   24.51.07
2 Dirty Dassies                                        19   24.33.09
3 Stealth                                              16   24.04.21
4 Chicks, Bikes & 8 Smokin’ Wheels                     10   24.26.02
 
Team of 4 Mixed
 
1 Nuts & Spanna                                        22   24.18.33
2 Team Kingswood                                       21   24.20.10
3 Are We There Yet                                     20   24.04.51
4 Bugalugs                                             20   24.15.52
5 Gurus                                                20   24.30.30
6 Vikings Blinders                                     19   24.03.19
7 Three Skips & a Kiwi                                 19   24.27.04
8 Last Ditch Effort                                    18   24.06.16
9 Dirt Spinners                                        18   24.17.33
10 Team Jessie                                         18   24.34.06
11 Lionheart Muscat Trailers                           17   24.16.22
12 Riding Shotgun                                      14   24.10.16
13 The Pissweak Kids                                   10   24.25.10
DNF Team Evolution                                     14   22.38.13
 
Team of 6 Male
 
1 Trekers                                              28   24.21.52
2 No Idea Team                                         28   24.45.44
3 Team Glow                                            27   24.02.38
4 Team Fankles Racing                                  27   24.04.31
5 Kilkenny Killers                                     26   24.05.21
6 Fatslow                                              26   24.32.55
7 Burgh Boys                                           26   24.40.37
8 Team Cucumber                                        25   24.04.38
9 Team Camelbak                                        25   24.20.55
10 F.C.C.                                              25   24.25.58
11 STUMPF KONIGE                                       25   24.30.42
12 Team Euro + two                                     25   24.31.54
13 Benigo’s Little Devils                              25   24.45.10
14 Team OAF                                            25   24.49.48
15 Barrons Rouge                                       25   24.51.01
16 Freddy got Fingered                                 24   24.00.15
17 Team six Pack                                       24   24.15.03
18 Team AC                                             24   24.18.25
19 Freewheel Magazine                                  24   24.22.50
20 Singletrack minded                                  24   24.32.12
21 Team Kruddler                                       24   24.34.21
22 Sexual Chocolate                                    23   24.06.21
23 Knobbies                                            23   24.08.47
24 Screaming Knees                                     23   24.12.58
25 Wanted Sixth Rider                                  23   24.15.57
26 The Slow and the Curious                            23   24.18.11
27 Feel The Quality                                    23   24.33.05
28 Legends in our Own Mind                             23   24.33.12
29 Yahoos (serious)                                    23   24.33.40
30 King O’Malley’s Nights                              23   24.36.14
31 Team Cabbage                                        23   24.45.48
32 WOWM                                                23   24.51.33
33 CHC                                                 23   24.51.47
34 Gnorty Gnomes                                       23   24.53.41
35 Tyred Rims                                          23   24.59.43
36 Unknown8                                            23   25.04.09
37 Porn Stars                                          22   24.00.44
38 Team Kombi                                          22   24.05.15
39 Fast and the Furious (Team B)                       22   24.13.33
40 Axles of Evil                                       22   24.29.54
41 Scalded Monkeys                                     22   24.42.23
42 The Three Eyed Fish                                 22   24.47.26
43 Snail Trail                                         22   24.49.04
44 Hammer n Cycle Bruisers                             22   24.49.18
45 Team Jerky                                          22   24.54.35
46 El Camino                                           21   24.06.02
47 Sugar Dogs                                          21   24.15.37
48 Odd Number of Gears                                 21   24.26.34
49 Remote Controlled Cows                              21   24.39.14
50 Sprocket Rockets                                    21   24.40.13
51 Rollmops                                            21   24.48.27
52 668                                                 21   24.50.55
53 Viagra Vets                                         21   25.06.31
54 Snail Blazers                                       20   24.02.11
55 Xstream upstream                                    20   24.04.06
56 Agunga La Gunga                                     20   24.05.46
57 Helgas Horny Husbands                               20   24.08.04
58 Six Sore by 24                                      20   24.11.16
59 The Dirty Half Dozen                                20   24.28.33
60 The Beligerent Wanderer                             20   24.35.45
61 Fat Ferrets                                         20   24.51.22
62 Dirty Half Dozen (Version 2)                        20   24.57.07
63 4 Poms & a Pair of Clogs                            20   25.07.51
64 Yahoo Mixed                                         20   25.09.45
65 State Forests Marketing                             20   25.12.17
66 Team D.O.A                                          19   24.02.16
67 Team Bilby                                          19   24.22.32
68 Lithgow Phantoms                                    19   24.22.46
69 The Weak Legged Knee Knockers                       19   24.33.44
70 Los Cojones Grandes                                 19   24.54.13
71 Tooheys Old Fellas                                  18   24.22.29
72 Team Caffeine                                       18   24.42.04
73 Southside Brown Shirts                              17   24.36.22
74 There Goes my Gonads                                15   24.04.16
75 Anti-pro                                            14   24.15.40
76 Team LearSport                                      14   24.20.12
 
Team of 6 Female
 
1 Cycle Cooma ACTAS                                    23   24.04.42
2 Who’s afraid of the dark                             22   24.11.39
3 Punnani’s comin’ atchya                              22   24.44.53
4 Twelve Jugs                                          21   24.18.56
5 Blazing Buttocks                                     21   24.44.39
6 Fat Bottom Girls                                     20   24.46.03
7 Team Wow 1                                           20   24.50.22
8 Slick Chicks                                         18   24.02.51
9 Hammered n Cycled                                    18   24.22.41
10 Helga's Hooters                                     18   24.40.57
11 Quick Shift Chicks                                  17   24.50.44
12 Cheeky Chicks                                       16   24.28.37
13 Hahn wit Chix                                       16   24.57.44
 
Team of 6 Mixed
 
1 DJ Slab Sans Dryslaw Outlaw                          28   24.31.58
2 Topbike Tours                                        26   24.18.01
3 Circuit Brakers                                      24   24.10.46
4 Morrell Adventures                                   24   24.37.43
5 Data Flow Racing                                     24   24.45.59
6 Dirt Crawlers                                        23   24.07.21
7 Frasers Spitfires                                    23   24.14.09
8 Spankalicious                                        23   24.35.08
9 ANU Mountaineering Club Team B                       23   24.39.24
10 Weekend at Bernies II                               23   24.39.57
11 ANU Mountaineering Club Team A                      22   24.26.32
12 Axis of Evil Knevil                                 21   24.04.09
13 Too Many Chiefs Not Enough Indians                  21   24.06.11
14 Crusty Demons of Bert                               21   24.24.27
15 Dodgy Brothers inc                                  21   24.34.03
16 I spent my last $10 on birth control and beer       21   24.40.41
17 Yahoos (social)                                     21   24.50.38
18 You Only Ride Twice                                 20   25.06.16
19 HB’s (Hair Brain Scheme)                            19   24.04.34
20 The Jill Berwick Fan Club                           19   24.18.40
21 Bushwackers                                         18   24.21.31
22 J Plus Three                                        17   24.10.42
23 Cycloramas                                          17   24.31.24
24 Sugardogs Two                                       16   24.05.33
25 Lord of the Chainrings                              15   25.10.22
 
Corporate Team of 10
 
1 Jurkiewicz Blitz                                     25   24.02.55
2 Ethos Bikes                                          25   25.02.19
3 Stirred...not shaken                                 20   24.29.00
4 Black Ops                                            20   25.10.27
5 AFFA GO                                              19   24.14.45
6 Fawlty Tyres                                         19   24.24.57
7 The Gumbys                                           18   24.09.36
8 Weston Wheely Goods                                  18   24.19.26
9 SSA Race Condition                                   17   25.01.32
10 Frock Shocks                                        16   24.37.55 
 
Fastest lap: Paul Rowney (Yeti and the Bunnymen)               42.14
Slowest lap: Melissa Crawfors (Riding Miss Daisy)           16.06.45