We protect what we love

FRIDAY 05.05.2023.

Good morning wonderful humans!

We hope you've had a brilliant week. We certainly have! It's been another busy week as we've been locking in the amazing slew of mentors we'll be welcoming to Camp FWP in June. In addition to who we've announced on Instagram, we are stoked to also have longtime friend of FWP Lou Clifton joining us, as well as leadership and adventure guru Richard Bowles and non-binary climber, paddler and The North Face Council member, Coz Fleming. If you'd like to join these excellent humans up at Mt Hotham from June 1st - 4th, register for Camp FWP today!

Hilary has also been busy sewing trail running trash bags for this weekend's event in the Grampians/Gariwerd. If you're in the area, it's not too late to register for tomorrow's TRACTION event, kicking off from Halls Gap Picnic Reserve at 10am.

I journeyed back from Mudgee on Monday and, after having one day of annual leave, had to then fit 5 days of work into 4 days. Lauren has also been keeping busy with a new puppy, taking her tally of fur babies to 3.

We also had our second Pilliga Ultra meeting, and I'm very excited to say that event registrations will be opening next week - Tuesday for members and Friday for everyone else. We hope to see you there. I'll also be including updates as we go, so you know what goes into planning a community running event (especially in such a remote area).

In this week's newsletter, I summarise my experience at the Mudgee Classic, which took place over the weekend on Wiradjuri country. I not only give a race recap but also detail my impressions of cycling race culture and highlight some key differences between my experience of ultra-trail running and endurance cycling events. There's also a summary of Aubri's trail chat and a link to the video. Finally, we introduce our Trail Chat #13 guest.

We hope you enjoy today's read.

🚴🏽‍♀️ 🍇 🚴🏽‍♀️

RACE RECAP: THE MUDGEE MAXI CLASSIC

First impressions of a cycling race in Wiradjuri country

Last Sunday, I swapped my shoes for a bike and participated in my first-ever endurance cycle race - the Mudgee Maxi Classic. I cycled 175kms along back-country roads, through vineyards and towns steeped with gold mining history. Whilst I really miss running, I find the sport of road cycling to be very intriguing, so decided to write about my experience, including a race report, the culture of cycling and some similarities and differences.

Race recap

I travelled to Mudgee/Wiradjuri early Saturday morning with some mates that I occasionally cycle with. There was expected to be about 200mm of rain over the weekend, and it was absolutely pouring and relentless. After seeing the weather report, I used my Friday lunch break to duck to Woolys Wheels and purchase a Rapha rain jacket and some waterproof overshoes (which will also be amazing during the winter in keeping my feet warm).

In darug country, en route to Mudgee/wiradjuri. From left to right: Mitch, Will, me, James and Tim.

After arriving in Mudgee, I needed to prep my bike (much like I would prep my hydration pack). Pump up my tyres, lube my chain, attach my race numbers and timing tag to my bike, fill my water bottles, and decide what (and how much) food to stuff in the back pockets of my cycling jersey. I decided I wanted to race and avoid the aid stations as much as possible, so started with 2 bananas, a stroopwafel, a CLIF bar, a muesli bar and a glad bag stuffed with several ANZAC cookies and some lollies.

Very much to my surprise, I woke early Sunday morning and the rain had stopped. Not only that, the roads were dry. And that’s how it remained for the day - perfect riding conditions. With cycling, it’s very easy to cool down too much - particularly on the downhills - so it’s imperative to pack enough layers to prevent this from happening. The event was self-seeded, so I moved my way to [almost] the front. I was in the second start group. My race strategy was to start up front, and if I got dropped by a peloton, then latch onto the next that comes through. I figured this was more effective than starting closer to the back and playing catch-up all day.

On the start line, feeling that usual mix of nerves and excitement.

Throughout the race, I got dropped from two pelotons (when travelling uphill - something I need to work on), and then managed to find a group that was travelling at a perfect pace - I was working hard, but it was doable. I also used two aid stations to stock up on bananas. The race was a bit of a blur, and I crossed the finish line with an official time of 5:42. I also came 3rd in my category and 5th female overall. That was sweet, but the thought of beating all the guys that I came with was even sweeter.

I found the culture to be very similar to that of trail running - some elites, but most people were quite supportive. I was able to chat with riders along the way, connect with some females (there were few of us) and have a really great time.

I’m now going to do a mini-deep dive into some key differences between trail running and cycling.

Stunning scenery of Mudgee/Wiradjuri from the event video.

Fuelling

Fuelling is much, much harder in cycling than trail running. I actually got dropped by a peloton because I was trying to eat an ANZAC cookie. I need to remember that I need to keep pedalling whilst eating. I was so excited to eat a Stroopwafel (I hear Corrine, Hilary and Keely talk about how good they are all the time on The Trail Society podcast). I made the mistake of putting my stroopwafel in the same back pocket as a banana. Rookie error - as I pulled my banana out, it also slid my stroopwafel up and out. At one stage I peeled a banana, and was just about to take a bite when I came across a gravel section of road. I gripped my handlebars, and the flesh of the banana disappeared.

The nature of teamwork

In an ultra-trail race, teamwork generally comes in the form of an epic support crew. In cycling, however, it is way more advantageous to work together with your competitors than to race as an individual, as drafting behind other riders helps to conserve energy, reduce wind resistance and significantly increase your average speed. It’s also so important to signal and communicate with each other. You need to let others know of that massive pothole in the road, or the water bottle that fell out of someone’s cage! If not, riders can get seriously injured. Whilst communication is also important in trail running, from my experience, the stakes aren’t quite as high!

Stress levels

I’m not sure what I found more stressful - travelling at 45kms/hr with my back tyre 2 inches away from the rider in front, the rider 20cm to my left or right, the backcountry road pot-holes that seemingly coming out of nowhere, the oversized trucks coming up the rear or knowing that I should have fuelled about 20 minutes ago! I’ve never experienced this amount of stress in trail running. It’s just you and the trail.

Riding in a peloton. Source.

Significant gender imbalance

There were very few females on the start line of the 175km race. I’m quite used to this - as an ultra runner who enjoys 100km distances, it’s not unusual for the longer events to be dominated by males. But not this dominant.

I was curious about the male : female ratio - not just in my event, but in the cycling event more generally. Here is a table that depicts the percentage of male and female participation across different events, in comparison to UTA.

Comparing cis male/female participation as a percentage between the Mudgee Classic and Ultra-Trail Australia events

Whilst there are general trends (female participation decreases and the event distance increases), I was surprised by just how prevalent this was in cycling.

I’ve done a bit of reading into why, and here are some key themes:

History: Cycling as a sport has been dominated by men since its inception. In the early days of cycling, women were discouraged from participating in the sport due to societal norms and prejudices - much like in running, it was thought that our uteruses would fall out!

Lack of support: Women's cycling has historically received less funding, sponsorship, and media coverage compared to men's cycling. This is definitely prevalent with the Tour De France and Giro - two annual reminders of the impact that visibility and support, or lack thereof, can have.

Infrastructure and design: Cycling infrastructure is designed primarily for men. The shrink-it and pink-it mentality has been prevalent for a very long time (but is changing) and bikes have been designed for male bodies, overlooking the fact that females have a very different pelvic structure. I also find it very hard to change a tyre, because so much strength is involved. I also find it very hard to learn about bikes myself - bike shops don’t willingly help you out with this, there are usually always males behind the counter, and all of my mates have young children, so I don’t want to take up their time in helping me learn about my bike.

How many bananas can a cyclist fit in their back pockets?

Gender pay gap: cycling is expensive. Much more so than running. You can get a decent pair of runners for $100, but to be competitive in cycling, you need a decent bike. A decent bike starts at about $3500k - think carbon fibre frame, hydraulic brakes and a decent gear set. And bikes don’t come with pedals. Nope! You’d think they are default, but they cost another couple of hundred, plus cleats, cycling shoes, a helmet, jersey, bib shorts, tyre puncture kit and lights. You’re looking at about $5000 set-up costs. Oh yeah, and annual maintenance! And that the gender pay gap continues. Women are paid less than men and are also more likely to have carer responsibilities - it’s no wonder that there are more males in the sport.

Whilst I really enjoyed the race, and find the culture of cycling to be rather friendly, it remains a sport designed for men. Although some progress is being made, it’s not quick enough and is far behind trail running and many other sports.

🚴🏽‍♀️ 🍇 🚴🏽‍♀️

TRAIL CHAT #12: AUBRI DRAKE

A brief summary

Aubri works in Medical research and uses all of their paid time off to hike as fast as they can. They are currently completing the Pacific Crest Trail in stages. Last summer they did a 28-day stint, covering 750 miles (which includes having two days off). This summer they plan to finish the final stage of 450 miles.

Aubri has earned their spot at the start line of the Leadville 100, taking place this August. They started their big training block last Tuesday. A usual week consists of running during the week and clocking up some big hiking days over the weekend. However, things will look a bit different in the lead-up to Leadville, including more targeted training sessions during the week (speed work and hill reps), and achieving running distance and elevation goals over the weekend.

Aubri also shared their experience of discovering the term non-binary in 2011, and how life-changing this was. In Aubri’s words “what was so powerful in that moment in time to find a word to describe my experience, it told me that I wasn’t the only one. It wasn’t just me… and part of finding a word for myself was also really powerful in finding a history that comes with it. There have been people before.” Aubri continues to talk about how important it is to connect with others who share a similar experience and the feeling of no longer needing to shove yourself into a box.

If you're keen to hear more about Aubri's experience and engage in the experience of a non-binary person in the hiking/trail running/outdoor space, then you can watch the trail chat here.

TRAIL CHAT #13: MELISSA ROBERTSON

18 May 2023

Melissa is a Central Coast trail and ultra runner who likes running... a lot. The further the better, really! This year, Melissa ran the renowned, rough and relentless Barkley Marathon. On home soil, she's won the Delirious West, Unreasonable East and Irrational South 200 milers.  

We are stoked to be welcoming Melissa to our May Trail Chat, so we can talk about her Barkley experience and what preparation, both mental and physical, goes into preparing for a 200 mile, 321-kilometer race. Melissa runs locally with the @terrigaltrotters and @wootersrunners when in Newcastle 🏃‍♀️🙌🏽

If you'd like to join Will in conversation with Melissa, RSVP now via this link. If you can't make it, RSVP anyway and we'll conveniently land the recording in your inbox post-chat! 📫

🧭 🧭 🧭

Have a rad weekend out there folks, and as always, thank you for taking the time, for wild places!

Elanor (she/her) & the For Wild Places team

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UPCOMING EVENTS

06/05 TRACTION: Gariwerd | RSVP

13/05 TRACTION: Yarra River | RSVP

18/05 Trail Chat #13: Melissa Robertson | RSVP

01/06 Camp FWP: Mt Hotham | Register

03/06 TRACTION: Plenty River | RSVP

15/06 Trail Chat #14: Jake Fedorowski | RSVP

17/06 TRACTION: Darebin Creek | RSVP

We acknowledge the the First Nations people who have been custodians of land, waters and culture for tens of thousands of years. We pay respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.

This email was compiled on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.