Last Thursday I publically on this forum put my own primary goals for the forthcoming year on the line for others to see. Therein I specifically noted that with such publication there is a certain amount of accountability for having made it so public. Not surprisingly therefore, having spoken of the devil, the devil did in fact appear the very next day in the form of a personal tweet from Bicycle Victoria advising me (taunting me?) with the confirmed date for the 2012 “3 Peaks Challenge”; Sunday 11 March 2012.
Consequently, whilst obsessively premature (given registrations only officially open on 1 September), once tweeted, I confirmed in my mind my intent to attend, locked the date in my diary, ensured competing logistics of attending both the 3 Peaks and the Melb F1 GP (the following weekend) could be met, and (as at 9:05am this morning) put my money where my mouth is and booked (cheapish) flights for both myself as grimpeur and my father as chauffeur and sole cheer squad member.
To comfortably complete the 3 Peaks Challenge has been my primary driver for a while now. Whilst I truly love cycling for the beauty and the cathartic fulfilment I get from being a mountain goat in the hills, I will not lie and say that I am not obsessed. I am goal driven, and having made up my mind in March of this year that 2012 would be my year, every gradient-calorie-heart beat, that I have climbed-consumed-beaten since March past (and between now and March next) has had this as a considerable prize in mind.
To be honest, the Victorian Alps are always there and it need not be a special event such as the “3 Peaks” to make me tackle these mountains - it would probably be cheaper to do it self-supported too - but this is different. For reasons that I cannot easily express presently, I want to do this as part of this organised ride. I want to be able to share the experience with others from around the country who, whilst strangers, are like me; ie equally driven/obsessed. I want the sense of competition that riding with strangers naturally brings, and I want to feel the comradery on completion that can only be shared with those others who have similarly completed this gruelling event. I WANT THAT FINISHERS JERSEY!!
The 3 Peaks has been described as possibly Australia’s toughest amateur single day cycling event, and to have DD in his own 3 Peaks blog earlier this year (upon completion of the 2011 event) describe (if I remember correctly) the final 50 kms as being the toughest he’s ever ridden, it really makes me realise that the 3 Peaks cannot be underestimated! I am assuming that it will be one MthrFcknBtch of a ride, and preparation (physical/mental) is indeed paramount, and to this end I hope to periodically blog such preparation; both the highs and the lows. Not so much for anyone else’s benefit, but more for my own. To this end, I advance warn that depending on my state of mind at the time, my Blogs may be open or closed for view, and/or open or closed for comment.
I am uncertain as to my base and whether I can indeed achieve my goal of “comfortably” completing the ride; only those better than I with whom I regularly ride will be able to judge this. Though, if will power, dedication and obsessiveness counts for anything I hope that this is indeed possible. As to what I mean by “comfortably”, I will not at this time publicly set myself up for too great a fall by being too ambitious in a finishing time, but rest assured I do have a time in my mind and as the months progress that time I will change both forwards and backwards. But of course, finishing is paramount and I will not allow myself to become at all complacent in this regard.
Family and work commitments no doubt have an impact on my training and preparation; though these can be worked around and, certainly with respect to the former, are not a crutch to that preparation. It is partly for my Boys and their own enthusiasm (dare I say actual encouragement and excitement) that I am doing this; it fuels me further.
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I have locked it in, and whether the weather tomorrow morning is dry, wet, cold, windy and/or foggy, the fact that I have done so will make it easier for me to get up at sparrows fart for tomorrow’s pre-dawn Lofty run.
