Wilson's Adventure Racing, Multisport & Triathlon Sanctuary

Team Melbourne Adventure on the chairlift!

Just finished the Keen Adventure Race the past Saturday! Over 5 days, we had four stages of off-road multisport activities, including a 4 hour prologue; 15+ hour Stage Two; a biggie 40+ hour Stage 3; and a 10 hour last day.



See the complete results here

Here's the link to Brendan's Flickr album. Enjoy!

Stage 1 was a taster of things to come. Had a play around the Falls Creek Lake, ski slopes, and alpine roads, orineteering via paddling and on foot, plus quick connections with the MTB.





Del and Luke going uphill on Stage 1.


Teams getting strung out on the bike course.


Supposed to take 1.5 hours for the fastest teams ,but this stretched out to almost three hours. Some teams took well above six hours, and came back in the dark and gathering cold. Our support crew Jan is waiting for us, and we bundle into the local pizza place for food and more planning.


Jan the (wo)man with Brendan's Subaru Lancaster in rally mode.

Stage 2 was a day of two-wheeled fun, coupled with a run up to Mt. Bogong, the highest point in Victoria. In the mad rush out of the starting chute, one guy breaks his leg in three places on the first section of this stage. It is not good news too for my badly-behaving bike - a broken spoke on a shrub-lined descent meant having to ride with a wonky wheel for the rest of the race. Come dusk, we have a heck of a fun time on a high element section at Bogong Village.


Look down!


Jan waiting for us at the bike/orienteering transition at Bogong Village.

Some good stuff into the night, riding the Mt. Beauty singletrack by the light of our HID and LED systems. Jan is at the finish once more, and shuttles us back to Falls Creek before cooking up a simple but sumptious meal of indian rice and curry.


Cold comfort - a wet start to Stage 3.

Stage 3 was the big one. A day-long celebration of all things AR. Tough navigation, pitch-black night (spent bush whacking and whitewater kayaking, no less), daunting uphills and white-knuckle downhills, and sore feet aplenty. WE navigate around the lake at Falls, then leave the high country for Omeo, our ultimate destination. My bike's rear tire got slashed on one particularly rocky, nasty descent (700m altitude loss in two km!) where we could actually smell the brake pads.


Riding with gusto into transition... seeking a feed.


Darkness falls on the start of the Mitta Mitta river section. Post-paddle, a concave dent on the hull between the two cockpits was testament to how friendly our boat was with the riverbed!

Also, my HID and LED lights failed to fire on this stage as night fell - a disappointing development at this most crucial of junctures. Murphy's Law and the disappointment of having see teams we passed shoot by us aside, we did the damage control thing and kept on truckin'. Not only equipment but bodies as well are pushed to their limits: We run dangerously low on water before finding a stagnant puddle to rehydrate ourselves mid-trek; Brendan's knee plays up and has to take the downhills easy; i slow considerably and start stumbling like a drunk once the cold water hits me while searching for CPs along a boulder-strewn river at dusk on the second day. The "What day is it?" test was administered, and i am happy to report that, judging by Brendan's response (or lack thereof), we were truly in the thick of what the sport we love is all about: losing ourselves in plain, unadulterated, hardcore adventure. Seeing Jan is like seeing an angel: we keep moving towards each transition knowing that she is there to feed, clothe, and send us back out into the bush once more.


Sunset over the Victorian high country.


Planning our orienteering map at the start of Stage 4.


Action in transition!

Stage 4, and we can smell the finish line. We navigate steadily through the opening orienteering course, then a short but fun caving section, before clipping off the kms on the final MTB ride to the coast.


When in a cave, it is certainly hard to dance by the light of an LED headlamp while wearing MTB shoes.

We surprise Jan with a faster-than-expected bike split into the final transition. Not mucking around, we launch the Prijon and set off to make the sand bar cut-off time. Then it's out on the salty brine, keeping one eye on an encroaching southerly storm and another on the shoreline for the lifesaving tower that marks the end of our journey.


Brendan and the boat just before we push off from the last CP... next stop, finish line!

We surf in with a small group of spectators appraising our performance, and before we know it we are hurtling to the finish chute on sand-crusted, rock-battered, seawater-soaked feet that are absolutely begging for mercy.


Woohoo!


Here is our team at the finish line. Notice that i'm being attacked by the hydration hose on my PFD.


FINISH!!

Here's the attrition on my side. The bike-related damages were justifiable, given the roughness of the terrain and the fact that i had a three year-old derailler and wheelset:

- Trail shoe with a torn lace eyelet
- More holes in the good ol' Macpac AMP20 pack
- Gaiters even more furry now
- Rear rerailler replacement
- Total rear wheel re-build: new rim+spokes and tire needed

Still, the mechanicals cost us about 30 minutes of race time. Something to keep in mind for future big events!

Once more, pictures with detailed captions akan datang!

P.S: Just had a chat with Del. Apparently the bike damage on her side is more extensive. Her bike is under renovation for three weeks, with both shocks needing overhauls (including a service stint in Sydney).

Akan datang (coming soon): "Keen Reflections"