Getting ready for the Gippsland 3 day tour

Today I have been readying myself for the Gippsland 3 Day Tour. I restrained myself to a vary gentle coffee ride down Beach Rd with a stop at Cafe Racer. This will will be my first multi-day race and racing in B grade will be tough with a total of 190kms over 3 days. 

Stage 1  2 laps (total 51km) with KOM and sprints on laps 1 & 2.
Stage 2  8.77km Individual Time Trial:
Stage 3  4 laps (total 68km) with KOM on laps 2, 3 & 4 and sprints on laps 1, 2 & 3
Stage 4  2 laps (Total 60km) with KOM and sprint on laps 1 & 2.

 Here is my check list:
- Avanti Quantum with a rear cassette suitable for the conditions
- Garmin 500 bike computer fully charged 
- Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer to warm up on for the time trial
- Spares include tyres, tubes, cassette & a few basic tools (pumps, allen keys etc)
- Clean cycling kit (s) including cold/wet weather gear 
- Freshly shaved legs (I feel this is the most important item)
- Food products include sports drinks, gels, muesli bars and protein powders
- Chamois cream provided by Aussie Butt Cream
- And Most importantly the camera to take photos off the race 

My trip to Perth

Well, I thought I might escape for a few days to a warmer climate.  I even hired a bike to get me around and boy what a dream it was to ride. The 9 speed Shimano Sora gear set changed like a manual Holden Commodore being driven without using the clutch. After riding the beach road equivalents in Melbourne, Adelaide and now Perth, the best views were easily in Perth. It is too bad the roads aren't very bike friendly with more glass on the road than after a Saturday night in Frankston and cyclists being few and far between. I unfortunately didn't join one was the big bunch rides, as I had prior commitments drinking in the Swan Valley and spending time catching up with family and friends. Feral Brewery is always good for a quiet ale with some quality brews & bar snacks. The perfect way to unwind after a stressful day tasting wine. By the way, I recommend the Sittella Cab Sav.

 

On visiting the real Little Creatures in Fremantle (my favorite brewery), unfortunately I tripped up the stairs (while I was sober) breaking two toes which meant a weekend off the bike for me. It looked a lot worse than it was as it took me till the next day to realise what I had done.

Now it is time to ready myself for the 3 day Tour (the Gippsland version) over the long Queen's birthday  weekend and brace myself for the sub zero temperatures in Victoria. On a side note, my new ergo training sessions which include 30s intervals at 100% effort almost caused me to throw up at the gym. I was even at the point of looking for an escape route which means I probably had the intensity levels spot on.