Riding has resumed to a reasonable extent in the Southeast corner of the state with increased ride options for most weekends with both traditional BRM lengths and the lighter BA options being run at the moment. Whilst the conditions are not quite right for Far North Queensland to restart events, hopefully it will not be too long before the team start planning the large events we see in the north.
Our capability to run Audax events is still goverened by the Government directives in place at the time we run the events and we have seen starting groups change from 10 to 20 at a time, and even with start times being consolidated where the registrations are less than the maximum grouping size. These conditions are about to relax more and hopefully we will see these conditions improve to allow events to commence statewide in the near future.
I have certainly appreciated the variation in ride lengths as we restart the season as it has given me more flexibility as a RO and also as a rider to complete rides.
Some of us have started to look at how newsletters can be improved for our members. Whilst some of the ideas are about how the newsletters are created (this will save me a lot of time) others are all about the stories you can share with readers. The Queensland Newsletter has evolved over time to include ideas that riders have talked about and some are based on our website capabilities we have the opportunity to look at more ideas to see what we can incorporate into our newsletters.
Drop me a line at qld.communications@audax.org.au if you have any likes, dislikes or ideas for something you would like to see. Don’t forget that rider contributions such as ride reports and photo albums are important so please keep them coming. Tiffany Winchester (National Committee) has also put out a call for assistance with the new newsletter format. You can contact Tiffany at Tiffany.Winchester@audax.org.au to offer help.
The Calendar Planning Meeting is being held on Sunday July 12th at a location yet to be organised. This is an excellent opportunity to assist in the ride planning for the season and put your hand up to be a RO. This year we several new ROs planning and running new rides which has helped us provide a wider range of rides to suit different rider capabilities.
Feel free to participate in this year’s meeting which will be held both at a venue complemented by a zoom meeting. Registration will open soon for the meeting so please keep an eye on the registration page.
We haven’t had any new ride reports on the website but I am happy to provide a bit of a recollection on the BVRT ‘The long haul’ 100KM BD. I had thought after riding the 70km a couple of months ago that the 100km shouldn’t be that much harder because the ‘extra bit’ was relatively flat (Fernvale to Lowood with an added southerly bit). It was pretty easy up til the Esk control – a nice foggy start, cooler weather, some freshly graded sections of track and the trail north of Coominya wasn’t as bumpy as I remember on my first ride. The return leg was very tough – heavy rain started just as I left Esk which made riding in a strong side wind and slushy trail heavy going. Even the horses I encountered at Mt Hallen had called for a ride home – they looked very soggy. The downhill section to Coominya wasn’t too bad but after that the trail was a soaked mess where even the firmest looking sections were hard going and when I hit the freshly graded section it was very tough – the only reprieve was the road crossings and path at Lowood. The Fernvale ‘flat and somewhat downhill’ stretch had me at amazing high speeds like 10kmh. I will add that I had forgotten to change the bike from flat to MTB pedals and was riding with MTB shoes on. Perhaps that made it tougher – I did finish with a couple of hours up my sleeve though.
Bike Report
Keith was kind enough to send me an article he wrote about his rides (bikes, not routes) which shows Keith’s passion for getting a cool bike that suited his riding style in line with his level of physical capability at the time. Have a read of Old School Cool
Favourite Rides
Don’t forget to send me your favourite rides or even better – create a ride report. Send them to qld.communications@audax.org.au
Peachy Mee (20th June 2020)51km, 107km BA and 200Km BRM. Three riders completed the 51Km Brevet between just under 2 1/4 and 2 3/4 hours, five riders completed the 107km between 4 1/2 and 6 hours and five riders completed the 200 between 7 hours and just under 13 hours.
BVRT ‘The Long Haul’ (14th June 2020) 102km BD. A tough ride in the wet and boggy return leg. 15 riders finished between 5 1/4 and 8 1/4 hours.
Freedom Ride 300 (13th June 2020) 300Km BRM. A very quick 300 by the two riders in just under 14 hours.
Every Which Way (13th June 2020) 151km BA and 207km BRM. Three riders completed the 150 in about 7 3/4 hours and the solo 200km rider in just over 8 hours.
Goat Track Gambol (27th June 2020) 206Km BRM. A quite hilly start to the ride with six riders completing in times between 10 1/2 and 12 1/4 hours.
Yeronga Medley (27th June 2020) 109Km BA and 201Km BRM. 5 riders finishedthe 109km in times between 5 and 6 1/2 hours and 7 riders completed the 200km in times from 8 1/2 to just over 10 1/4 hours.
Last edition I asked for reader suggestions regarding leg cramps after my last serious episode. Keith provided me with a link to an article about magnesium helping with the caveat that trials and studies found treatments were of some benefit only in specific instances which is below but Keith also shared his experience:
If you are out for hours on a hot day, electrolytes and fluid levels can diminish to the point the body does some crazy things. Always good to maintain fluids and use an electrolyte supplement that works for you as a priority. I’ve been heat stressed as a result of dehydration, and its not a thing you want to do twice. As you know I’m now hyper sensitive to heat now anyway which is a proper nuisance.
I ensure one bottle of water followed by one of electrolytes, one bottle an hour on hot days as a minimum. Too much electrolyte is also not good.
My method is slightly different to Keith with about 500ml of electrolytes per 100km but definitely keep the water up – I now use a camelback on the longer and hotter rides for water.
https://www.nps.org.au/news/magnesium-a-treatment-for-leg-cramps
The effectiveness and safety of magnesium has been established for eclampsia and pre-eclampsia, arrhythmia, severe asthma, and migraine.11 There is some evidence for efficacy of magnesium supplementation in treatment of leg cramps in pregnant women but not for other people.2,12
A recent systematic review evaluated the effect of magnesium versus placebo for the treatment of nocturnal leg cramps and found the overall effect of magnesium to be insignificant.2 Seven trials were included, one assessed magnesium infusion versus placebo and the rest assessed oral magnesium therapy but dose and frequency of therapy varied between all studies.
If you are out for hours on a hot day, electrolytes and fluid levels can diminish to the point the body does some crazy things. Always good to maintain fluids and use an electrolyte supplement that works for you as a priority. I’ve been heat stressed as a result of dehydration, and its not a thing you want to do twice. As you know I’m now hyper sensitive to heat now anyway which is a proper nuisance.
I ensure one bottle of water followed by one of electrolytes, one bottle an hour on hot days as a minimum. Too much electrolyte is also not good.
To view the full calendar, head to https://www.audax.org.au/portal/rides/calendar
6:00am start at 45 Rhyndarra St Yeronga. Reasonably flat 400. We start with part of the river loop, and then head west, taking in the Scenic Rim and the Brisbane & Lockyer Valleys.
6am start for the 400km, 6:30am start for the 300km at Illowra St The Gap. A scenic ride including Yamanto, Peak Crossing, Rosewood, Laidley, Kilcoy and Peachester
5:30am start on the Bicentennial Bikeway opposite the Regatta Hotel in Toowong. The 100km does a loop of Mt Coottha and a run to Wacol after breakfast.
6:30am start at Lowood. A rural ride on relatively quiet roads roving around the Brisbane and Lockyer Valleys. The Full Moose has a break at Ma Ma Creek store before rolling into Mulgowie for a lunch stop and the Half Moose stops at Forest Hill before returning to Lowood.
11am start. This is the 2020-2021 season calendar planning meeting. The location is still being sorted but will consist of both a meeting room somewhere in Brisbane in conjunction with a Zoom meeting. An email will be sent to members once the location has been established.
5:30am start on the Bicentennial Bikeway opposite the Regatta Hotel in Toowong. A social ride around the iconic Brisbane River Loop, ending with coffee at West End. No registration necessary; just turn up ready for a 5:30AM start.
6:30am start at the Ferny Grove Train Station. Rides head over Mt Nebo to Samford with options to Ferny Grove, via Clear Mountain, Dayboro and Redcliffe
5:30am start on the Bicentennial Bikeway opposite the Regatta Hotel in Toowong. A social ride around the iconic Brisbane River Loop, ending with coffee at West End. No registration necessary; just turn up ready for a 5:30AM start.
7am start in Westlake. Medium 300, Long 400 or partially supported Longer 600 ride options. Westlake to Ma Ma Creek, Toowoomba or Dalby on Darling Downs and return. An extra cost for accommodation in Dalby for the 600Km riders.
6:30am (150km) 7am (111Km) and 7:30am (56Km) starting times from Dugandan Park in Boonah. Bag drop available to the 49km point for the longer rides with a minimum of 50% gravel roads.
5:30am start on the Bicentennial Bikeway opposite the Regatta Hotel in Toowong. A social ride around the iconic Brisbane River Loop, ending with coffee at West End. No registration necessary; just turn up ready for a 5:30AM start.
That is a wrap up for the this edition of the newsletter. If you have any articles, please send them to qld.communications@audax.org.au. If you have any ride reports, please enter them on the website.