SRAM Chocolate Foot Series round 2: Coondoo road, Nowra

Choc-o-late. Noun. 

1. A food preparation in the form of a paste or solid block made from roasted and ground cacao seeds, typically sweetened.

Foot. Noun.

1. The lower extremity of leg below the ankle, on which a person stands or walks.

Choc-o-late Foot. Noun

1. The foot a rider prefers to have in the forward position.

2. Associated with a series of 7 hour events across NSW with a high emphasis on single-track racing.

3. A treat found in the rego bag of afore-mentioned series.

The Chinese philosopher (that was not Confucious) Laozi once wrote: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". While the weekend just gone was not strictly the beginning of a journey, it was an important step. The previous week had seen the confirmation of my inclusion in the Ollo/Cox-Blackshaw team: a mainly road with a touch of MTB squad who are going to help with my entry fees and support at WEMBO in exchange for my attendance at their Thursday morning 'panda run' road ride and racing in the summer crits. Not bad for a punter like me. The week had also seen some nerves in anticipation for Round 2 of the Chocolate Foot series (apologies to those within my grump blast radius). There were some good, fast girls signed up to the 7 hour solo category and I wanted to have a real chance to 'race' rather than the past events where I have headed out and rolled around at my own pace. I wanted to take the next step... Or five.

Step 1: Start high up in the field.

These events have a mass, self-seeded start format, with racer-boys and girls aligning themselves behind Gumby on a fire-trail, several hundred meters downhill from the entry to the first section of single-track. Rolling down to the start I muscled in about 3-4 rows in, just ahead of where Liz Smith had set her tyres down. Perhaps a little cheeky, but from past experience I was also fairly confident that not many would pass me riding up-hill here so I was within my rights. Step one complete.

Step 2. Go out hard, take self into the red zone.

The race start was a good one for me: charging up the fire-trail, I spotted Cath Kelaher sneaking up on the left, so I jumped across and stuck to her wheel. Several laps in it was clear she was a good bike handler, but was conserving herself on the uphills. Coming around to an A-line and B-line section, she took the B and I was able to jump in front of her via the A. Keeping the pace up, half a lap later it seemed like a good idea to 'make an attack' (how #pro of me) up the fire-road into transition. Out the other side I kept the pace up, hearing somebody behind me, assuming it was Cath. Towards the end of the lap I realised it was one of the teams racers from On the Go. The acceleration had given me a decent lead and a stepped up HR.

Step 3. Recover whilst maintaining pace.

The other interpretation for the "journey of a thousand steps" quote is "thousand miles to be travelled, start with foot (placed) down" or when adapted for the minds of cyclists: "thousand miles to be travelled, keep rubber side down". At four hours in it was touch and go for how I was fairing, physiologically with the decision to keep the pace up once I knew I was ahead. Even when feeling somewhat ok, riding single-track can let you know if your concentration is wavering. Lap 8 saw some rolling in the dirt and some hugging of trees: time to back off the pace by a step.

Step 4. Practice nutrition strategies for WEMBO.

Every endurance athlete knows that keeping up adequate hydration and nutrition is step one for keeping fatigue under control and avoiding the dreaded Bonk. This race was the first time I'd used Hammer Perpetuem: I was after something that would fuel me, but wouldn't make me sick with too much of the sweet stuff. It seemed to do the trick, supplemented by electrolyte drink and a couple of gels. Step 4: tick.

Step 5. Only get lapped once by Ed.

Rolling into transition just before completing the 13th lap I thought I had almost gotten away with it... And then a familiar voice for the second time that day: "Eliza!!" Damn. 

There were 2 minutes left on the race clock, so I followed Ed out again for a 14th lap to seal the deal on first place. I'm happy to say it was a great weekend on a great course: flowing and fun and not too technical, some chocolate steps taken and some more lessons learned. And now looking towards a week of good recovery.