Brutal but Fair 300 2014 Ride Report

Wow, that proved to be a real battle against the mind!

The Brutal but Fair is one of the more popular 600's on Sydney's Audax calendar, and for good reason. The scenery on the Great North Road on the way up to the Hunter Valley is stunning and then the journey through the Hunter itself is fantastic. 14 riders showed up to have a crack at the 600 and there were 4 of us on the 300.

I have been dealing with some sciatic pain in my left leg for the last few months but fortunately up until now its really only affected the range on motion in my left hamstring. I awoke at 4:30am and for the first time had a burning pain in my right hamstring, it was far worse than anything I had experienced to date. The long ride I did two weeks prior had provided some relief for my sciatica so I (Probably Stupidly) decided to go ahead and attempt the ride. Once on the bike the movement appeared to provide some relief but once I arrived in Hornsby for the start and hopped off the bike the pain came back with a vengeance. For some reason I decided to still go ahead and we rolled out at 6:05am.

The Great North Road in the Wollombi Valley

The rollout was surprisingly fast, especially considering most of the riders were doing the 600. On the first set of rollers I discovered that riding out of the saddle was out of the question as a jolt of nerve pain resulted. I managed to sit in the group for the first 70 kilometres to Kulnura as most of the climbs were long and gradual and could be climbed in the saddle. The shorter steeper rollers that follow shortly after soon saw me sliding out the back of the group and riding solo. I dropped down into the Wollombi Valley and was really enjoying the scenery. The valley is filled with small farming fields and lined by forested hills on either side, simply stunning. 

I arrived in Wollombi with 127km in the bag and was instantly in agony as soon as I got off the bike. I had tweaked the back even further swinging my leg to get off the bike and I couldn't even stand up straight! I sculled a coke and then ate my ice cream on the bike just so I could get moving again as quickly as possible. I was more or less at the point of no return now and figured there was no point turning back. I also fired up some Metallica on the iPod as the pain was starting to get to me and metal always helps when pushing through pain!

Could this be the greatest bakery of all time?

The run though to Cessnock was quite enjoyable. The road is reasonably flat so I was able to maintain a decent pace and just enjoy the scenery. Eventually I arrived safely and met up with Paul who was planning to wait for me there. Unfortunately I didn't stop for lunch at the greatest bakery ever but still was able to order some hot chips from the cafe where the rest of the group had stopped which really hit the spot. The back was sore here but a definite improvement on how it was at Wollombi.

Leaving Cessnock it seemed that the movement of the riding was finally starting to loosen up the lower back. I was now able to ride out of the saddle without pain although it did feel awkward as the pinched nerve had rendered my right hamstring numb. As a result it wasn't firing correctly so the glute and calf muscles were having to pick up the slack. It was also great to have Paul for company again as the companionship really helps when the going is tough. We were making our way south through beautiful farmlands towards the Watagan Mountains. The roads were also extremely quiet so it made for very pleasant riding. I was also really looking forward to the climb up Sandy Creek Road which I had remembered from two previous rides. Its a nice thin road that winds its way up through the forest, its a pretty ideal distraction from pain and fatigue. About 10 kilometers or so after this section we reached the climb up to Watagan Gap which was a real brute and much tougher than I had remembered with a few long stretches around 10%. We stopped here for a stretch and the back was feeling heaps better. I could now stand and walk without the nerve pinching which was a big improvement.

Climbing Sandy Creek Road with Paul

The Lower slopes of the Sandy Creek Road Climb

Almost at the top

Climbing Sandy Creek Road with Paul

Leaving the Gap with 186 kilometres covered we were treated to some flatter roads with the downside being that we now faced up to higher traffic volumes which was a bit of a bummer. Eventually we passed a sign that said only 10 kilometres to Wyong which was pretty exciting, we would be on much more familiar roads once we reached Wyong and the time always seems to go quicker when the roads are familiar. We passed by the edge of the Yarramalong Valley and then blasted down the motorway into Ourimbah which was to be our final planned rest stop with 240kms covered. It was time for the old staple salt and vinegar chips paired with a coke, plenty of sugar from the coke but also a nice salt hit from the chips which is nice after eating so much sugar on the bike.

From here it was straight onto Dog Trap Road. This was certainly one of the highlights of the whole day. The light was starting to fade and the rainforest was looking stunning as it was damp from the sprinkles of rain that we experienced earlier in the day. We were even lucky enough to have the lyrebirds singing as we went by. Unfortunately its quite a tough climb so it certainly took a fair bit of energy out of me and by the time we reached the top it was really starting to get dark. The road continued to drag slowly upwards to Peats Ridge but once we got there it felt like a real milestone as the following 35 kilometers was going to be a long gradual downhill!

The final stop at Road Warriors Cafe, Mount White

It was now completely dark and these first few hours of the night are always some of my favorite on an Audax ride. I don't often get to ride at night which is fun in itself but more importantly I simply love to look at the stars and you have a fantastic viewpoint on a pitch black country road. Once we got to Mount White we were extremely surprised to see the Road Warriors Cafe open and decided to take an impromptu stop for one last breather with 282kms in the bag. After 10 minutes or so we were off and descending down to the Hawkesbury River. Fortunately the temperature was quite pleasant once we were moving. The climb up to Pie in the Sky was a toughy and I couldn't really get out of the saddle anymore as my right glute and calf were really paying the price for the inactive hamstring. Pauls tail light slowly but surely disappeared into the distance. I was pretty well physically and mentally exhausted from everything and was relying on my last bit of emotional strength to get me home to the finish line. Paul was waiting for me in Berorwa and we slogged out the final 10 kilometres of rolling hills together, reaching the finish in Hornsby in 14 hours and 31 minutes.

The police there always have a good chuckle when we roll in there completely shattered at the end of a tough day. We ended up chatting to one of them for 10 minutes or so out the front who was a bit of a rider himself. After about 25 minutes we finally worked up the motivation to get back onto the bike for the final run home. I was extremely glad to reach the front door and finally shut down the garmin with a total of 336 kilometres for the day.

Strava GPS Data:

Garmin stats at the end of the day.

The recovery has been a bit of a struggle and walking extremely difficult. My right calf muscle is absolutely shredded after having to compensate for the hamstring all day. It is with deep regret that I have decided for the time being not to enter the Great North Walk 100 Mile Endurance Run. I had also planned to ride a few more big Audax rides over the coming weeks but I will play those by ear depending on how things go after seeing the chiro. The nerve pain that I have been dealing with over the last few months hasn't been much more than a nuisance but this new pain in the right leg is very debilitating. Its certainly a big wake up call that the body is not indestructible and for the moment I think my priority needs to be to get healthy and injury free before tackling any more significant increases in training volume.