There was plenty happening in March for Tri Adventure….amongst other things, our fabulous junior star Brigitte Fischer won the National Schools Triathlon Championships…for the second year running – there’s no stopping this amazing young talent! Here’s a wrap of month of March…
FRIDAY PADDLE
We try to paddle at our paddle sessions…really….sometimes we do other things, by fluke….like fishing…well, prawning, to be precise. On our Friday paddle recently we were paddling against the tide (but with the wind) on the inside of Goat Island , when Aunty Jan got an unexpected visitor in her boat – between her legs!!! Something kamikazed out of the water to find refuge in the crotch of Aunt Jan and she was quite a bit disturbed…..Ah, Ah, AHHHHHH (and more girly shrieks…) had Kim and George thinking she’d seen a shark or something….What could be wrong??? SOMETHING JUST JUMPED INTO MY BOAT…At this stage all attempts at keeping on paddling were completely ‘out the window’…in fact the paddle was floating away with the tide and Aunty Jan was trying her best to get out of the boat to escape the monster in there….without falling in….What is it??…THERE’S A BIG PRAWN IN MY BOAT…IN BETWEEN MY LEGS…was the reply as she eased herself up on a ridge between the seat and the pedals…AND I DON’T WANT TO SIT ON IT, IT HAS GREAT BIG LONG FEELERS MOVING AROUND….AHHHHHH …Between fits of laughter Aunty Kim rescued the abandoned paddle and buddied up beside Aunty Jan, (more laughter) had a look in the boat and picked up the poor little innocent prawn and saved it from a fate worse than death…(being squashed by Aunty Jan’s bottom) and set it free on it’s journey down the river….. George was beside herself in the other boat….and we dithered about talking about prawns and our ability to do things when we least expect it….what clever Aunties we are……So, you never know what can happen on an outing with the Aunties….sometimes we paddle….sometimes we do other things…..The prawn incident is just one of many…. J J
RIDE, CLIMB, CATERPILLARS & STRANGE MAGNETIC DEVIATIONS…
We went on a climb up Mt Cooroy recently…..5 of us set off on bikes at 7.00am for a little blast out on bike paths, through the forest and up to Sunrise Rd, where we followed our route to the base of the famous mountain… George and Duncan turned around here and headed back home due to afternoon commitments but Hayley was keen to experience some punishment from the Aunties and was in for the long haul…. Taking our bikes though the private property and up to the point where we change shoes and continue on foot was a bit of an experience on how to keep the cow poo from flinging up into our mouths….Keeping mouths shut is a good idea here – we do have another orifice for breathing you know….Sitting under the tree we had a snack and changed into our ‘runners’ for a leisurely walk up the beautiful local mountain that was once a volcano…(yes, we’re getting into the volcano theme lately, I know…) The climb was slippery and a bit technical because of the wet season we have been having…but it was lovely and cooler than normal…yes really Hayley…Finally reaching the top after having many sightings of the Tri Adventure caterpillar (will explain later in this bulletin)…we rested and had a snack and then moved over to the eastern side where we let Hayley write in the visitors book while we played around with our compasses…as we do… Aunty Jan was looking at the north needle on her compass which was somehow facing east….Hmmm….that’s a bit strange….so Aunty Kim got hers out and it was indicating correctly….Then Aunty Kim took Aunty Jan’s compass and it pointed in the right direction too….Ok, it was looking like Aunty Jan had some weird magnetic voodoo or something here…..So then we got up and walked around and the compass went crazy on one certain spot on the rock ledge we were sitting on….It was pointing east and then south and then only when we moved over a bit (to where Aunty Kim was sitting originally) did it point to true direction….Wow, this was amazing…..What was happening??? We have since found out that sometimes the underlying rock can cause magnetic deviations…and are glad we weren’t trying to find a CP on the top as would have been totally confused! The trip down the mountain was a bit slippery but we all made it in tact…and spied more of those caterpillars…We noted their beautiful colours (black, blue, orange and white) were the same as our Tri Adventure logo… so now we have our own brand of caterpillar….doesn’t everyone need one of these????Riding out of the farm we shut our mouths to avoid the cow-poo once again…and enjoyed the ride back to Noosa Cooroy Rd…found a secret way of avoiding most of the main road….Yes, Audrey, it does go through…and by then we had the scent of food and coffee in our noses… We had a quick blast down Turn 10 track then straight to Raw Energy for a large dose of brekky (at lunchtime) and coffee before heading home. Then we cleaned the bikes….Another great day in the life of Tri Adventure and the Aunties….NATIONAL BIKE COUNT
Being member of Bicycle Qld, Aunty Jan answered their call for volunteers on Super-Tuesday to take part in a national bike count…..Her designated spot for 2 hours 7-9am was the Eenie Creek Roundabout in Noosaville …Her mission was to observe and count the bike activity in these 2 hours and note down bike movements at the intersection as well…..Hmmmm….Does anyone remember the weather that Tuesday?? The forecast was ‘heavy rain’ and for once the forecasters where dead accurate….most bikes were safely stored in garages that day and bike commuters took the dry/sensible option of going in the car…..After 5 minutes standing at the intersection in the pelting rain, Aunty Jan knew there wasn’t going to be much bike activity today….Ok, so maybe wait ½ an hour at least, just in case….. Half and hour goes by…no bikes yet…what to do, maybe change positions and go to the other side of the roundabout….Ok, set up with bike leaning on a retaining wall, umbrella up….much road rage and extremely bad driving was observed…but not one bike… yet! After 55 mins a bit of a walk around was required – and a drink (no, not from the water coming out of the sky, but it could have been done..) – and just when deciding that this was a ridiculous activity and no-one in their right mind would be cycling today….A BIKE WHIZZED BY…oh, oh, oh, a bike….where was the sheet?...what was the movement?...better note it down….wow, some serious bike commuter was braving the elements…maybe there’ll be more….Settling back down to position at the intersection…another long wait till 8.30am saw no bike activity at all….A plan to go at 8.30 was scrapped when the time actually said 8.35 on the watch when checked…Still no more bikes….Packing up at 8.45 was a good idea then….8.45 came and went – what’s another 10 minutes?? 8.55am – still at the roundabout, soaking wet, cold and feeling stupid to have stayed there this long….No more bikes, ok…so packed up and left (on a bike) at 9.00am sharp…wondering if anyone else did their time counting and observing – or just went home and stayed dry like a sensible person would….Wondered if I should have noted my own bike commute…and I know Kim rode to school that day too, but unfortunately she didn’t go past my intersection….Oh well, I think the bike commute figures for Qld will be a little under expectations….which is a shame…but I am so proud of that ONE SOLO COMMUTER… Mmmm…maybe he just doesn’t have a car?????
BRIBIE MULTISPORT TRAINING WEEKEND 2010 - THE WRAP
With our weather here in Noosa still in the precipitation phase, we were wondering how the weekend would be for our guests who were coming up for an adventure training weekend in ‘sunny’ Noosa…Then, on Saturday morning, the weather seemed the least of our worries when we found we were sharing the Noosa Spit with about a thousand outrigger paddlers – and they were holding their event right in the very spot we were meet our adventurers ….we couldn’t even get into the car-park we had nominated! So quick thinking took Aunty Kim up to the 2nd car-park and luckily marked out a few parking spaces with yellow cones (my – these cones come in handy for everything…) Meanwhile yours truly (Aunty Jan) stood on the corner to scan for cars with skis on top – rather than the monster outrigger trailers that were streaming through in droves…. Luckily Karen B called us to find out where we were… It wasn’t hard to spot the Coffs girls (with their NSW number plates…) phew, lucky they spotted me as well… and I directed them up to the 2nd car-park where Kim was waiting…. Then there was Alex from Brisbane…I had no idea what he looked like and didn’t have his mobile number handy…He also spotted me…. in my Tri Adventure t-shirt (lucky)….He moved his car to the reserved spot and we had a quick ‘meet and greet’ before heading off for our first activity…a run through trails in the National Park with the Noosa Hill Circuit included. We then donned our goggles and practiced a couple of ins and outs (one only for Aunty Jan) in the Noosa surf. A jog back to the cars…then we headed off for a well deserved coffee and muffin at one of our favourite eateries, Café Sierra…
Joining us for the paddle session were Tri Adventure regulars Gail and Georgann. We braved the elements and paddled up to Weyba Creek where we spotted our regular eagles and gave everyone some tips on how to tackle the long Bribie paddles….Alex did really well to paddle his ‘esky lid’ and Karen enjoyed having a test paddle of the Epic Sport with a good paddle!
After breaking for lunch we met for a ride on bike paths out towards Tewantin forest and we were joined by Wayne for a ride on some of our less technical trails….even though the weather conditions (wet!) made it very technical, we all survived the ride and raced back for a scrub-up in hot showers and high-tailed it up to Noosa Reef Hotel where we ate, drank and shared knowledge about the ins and outs of multisport. We all hit the sack quite early as Sunday was going to be a big, big day, and we were already tired thinking about it!!
Luckily the bad weather had eased slightly and we fronted up on Sunday morning at Noosa Woods ready to put it all together – that would be swim-run-paddle-mtb-run-mtb-paddle….a huge day in the Noosa Hinterland….
Braving the surf conditions on Noosa beach, Aunty Kim took everyone (except Aunty Jan and Alex) through a swim session around the flagged area and then we all regrouped for a short beach run back to the waiting boats. Off on the paddle, we made our way up Noosa River – very happy to have the tide and the wind in our favour, we were dreading the paddle back going against this! Because of the favourable conditions, we made very quick time to our TA at Cooroibah and faced a down-wind paddle and very choppy lake as we headed over to the shoreline – well done Alex for staying positive! Met by George and Duncan for the Mtb ride to Pomona we headed off with renewed vigour. The weather was surprisingly good….we were even feeling like we might get a little sunburnt! The route took us out to Ringtail Creek Rd where we climbed up the range towards Forest Acres….a few riders took advantage of the towing system attached to Aunty Kim’s pack….might as well…as that’s what is there for! All regrouped at the top we posed for a quick photo at the site of the old Ringtail School…and then were about to see what the forest was really like! We rode down Trail 4, and had intended to cross the what we call the mud-hole (which is the site of the old Ringtail Creek Rd bridge) but on arrival found it was now a very deep lake…and when Aunty Kim went in to test how deep she was up to her neck and still not touching bottom….. Mmmmm…lucky there was an alternative and we continued on Trail 4 which was rather muddy, but still rideable… We then reached another obstacle….another swollen creek blocking our path. This time the depth was thigh-waist deep so we hoicked the bikes on our shoulders and make the crossing a little tentatively…. All safely back on dry land, we continued the ride….wet, muddy, tired….but still smiling, and liking the adventure! Finally we hit town at Pomona, and quickly made the transition for a short run around the base of Mt Cooroora…George and Duncan very generously decided to stay at the café to watch over our muddy bikes….and when we got back we had a very quick snack before heading back to Lake Cooroibah on the MTB’s....having a time limit now (it always takes longer than originally planned…) and after plenty of adventure on the ride out, we opted for a swift road ride on the way back, and were very proud of everyone toughing it out and going beyond the comfort zone to extend themselves after a very long day of activities….
We bade farewell to the lovely Alex (who had been joined by the lovely Taryn…) and four of us set off for the final paddle back to Noosa….Thanks to George and Duncan, Lee and Carolyn were able to drive our vehicle (with trailer!) to the designated pick-up area and despite having a few steering problems on the double Fenn, we made it back in record time (Shona and Kaz showing fantastic strength and ingenuity by adopting outrigger techniques to keep the boat going in the right direction!) Duncan had read our minds and knew we were craving a salt/fat/carb fix and produced a tray of steaming hot chips which we devoured with gusto….Then we raced home for a quick shower and flew back down to Hastings Stto reward ourselves with a lovely meal, few obligatory drinks and a big chat...
We laughed as we shared memories of the weekend….We Aunties were sure our group of adventurers had gained some very valuable knowledge on tackling the Bribie Multisport in 5 weeks time…..they all got this and more…..we saw plenty of guts and determination, and know they will now be ready to take on the world!.... well, definitely if there’s an adventure involved...
Thanks to all of you who came along and made our weekend so enjoyable too!!
We laughed as we shared memories of the weekend….We Aunties were sure our group of adventurers had gained some very valuable knowledge on tackling the Bribie Multisport in 5 weeks time…..they all got this and more…..we saw plenty of guts and determination, and know they will now be ready to take on the world!.... well, definitely if there’s an adventure involved...
Thanks to all of you who came along and made our weekend so enjoyable too!!
KATHMANDU ADVENTURE RACE…
We had a great time at the Kathmandu Adventure Race on 20th March – with 180 teams of 2 entered it was a huge event. Aunty Jan teamed up with Hayley in the all female category and came home with the GOLD medal! After a slow start we made our way through the field and took the lead on the Mtb rogaine….The nav in these events is very basic – but good course planning always helps – well it seemed to help us, anyway! We were first out of 24 female teams and 27th overall….not bad for your first event Hayley! Aunty Kim teamed up with Scott in the mixed category and after some major bike mechanicals, came in a very credible 4th place and 26th overall…they just got in ahead of us…..it was a great fun race with lots of mud and some interesting creek crossings…..See pic of us all at the finish line….
MOOLOOLABA TRI WEEKEND
We had a very exhausting weekend at the Mooloolaba Triathlon! I swear, spectating an event is often more tiring than competing in it…..however, the great results we witnessed – especially from our Juniors – was worth all the sitting around and frying ourselves in the sun…..The twilight 5km run was on the Friday night and we saw Tom, Tim & Brigitte all put in exceptional performances….Brigitte winning her age-group and coming in 4th overall (just behind the winner Emma Moffat and some other noted runners!) Tom & Tim both clocked up ‘personal bests’ and were excited with their results. Saturday morning saw the swimmers lining up to tackle the 1km ocean swim….Jules was not happy with the flat conditions….however she still managed a 4th in the hotly contested 50-59 age-group where the amazing Gina took the GOLD medal….great results in the female 60-69 category as well with Jan & Bardie going 1-2….Brigitte, once again, was a stand-out performer with a win in her age-group and 4th overall, again!
In the triathlon it was golden girl Gina Lynch winning her 50-54 age-group with a sprint finish and our amazing junior team of Seb, Brigitte and Robyn won their Junior mixed category in an amazing time of 2.06! Well done, also to Jules Drysdale, for a podium finish (2nd!)in her age-group at the Australian Ironman which was held on Sunday in Port Macquarie ….so much happening last weekend…
So that’s about it for March….We have a huge 4-6 weeks ahead with Bribie Multisport, Anaconda NZ, Anaconda Forster & Red Centre Mtb Enduro in the space of a month…..but before that we have our Easter 2010 Adventure this weekend…
Don’t wait too long for your next adventure….
See you out there!
Jan & Kim
