Enjoy the CDU Newsletter
Published: Fri, 05/05/17
542
5th May 2017
Message Bank
After watching Four Corners on Tuesday night about succesful
athletes and how they cope after retirement I'm pretty pleased
that I didn't become a world class athlete. For many the struggle
to cope with life once out of the limelight with no career
path, with no goals and becoming a normal person resulted
in devastating consequences, depression and sometimes suicide.
What do athletes do and how do they cope when they are too
old to compete but still too young to retire? The program
is worth watching should you get a chance.
***************************
Ascot Slalom Video
Check out the Ascot Slalom Video that the Pankhurst's put
together. What a great video to celebrate the AKC slalom group.
Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr7dzlxYPgE
Brodie having fun
2017 Canoe Slalom World Cup Teams
WA Athletes. Brodie Crawford, Benjamin Pope
2017 National Centre of Excellence Squad
WA Athletes Alexandria Choate, Brodie Crawford
***************************
A few years ago Canadian Nathalie Long
was living and competing in WA.
She is now back in Canada but her drive
to compete in endurance races is still extremely strong.
Nathalie is part of Team Canada
Nathalie in the Avon Descent 2012. Championships
Rapid
At 32, Nathalie Long has competed in more
world-class adventure and endurance events than many athletes
can claim over their entire career, with more than her age
worth of firsts to her name. Despite pain, the seduction of
quitting, bills, life and work responsibilities, she’s
not slowing down.
Watch the video interview: https://vimeo.com/164927075
Although she is now living back in Canada
she has many fond memories of WA.
***************************
Avon Descent 2017 Rules
Avon Descent have published the Event Rules
for the Avon Descent 2017 on their website.
https://www.avondescent.com.au/competitors/event-rules/
***************************
The Kayaks Arrived
Yesterday I made a few paddlers happy when
the truck arrived with 5 new kayaks from Grafton Paddle Sports.
Not only are the kayaks extremely well made,
lightweight, strong and reasonably priced, they are made in
Australia.
Steve at Grafton Paddle Sports has been making
kayaks for years. I have paddled the Avenger Wild Water kayak
in 17 Avon Descents and in his high Deck Wizard twice.
Grafton Paddle Sports have a boat for all
disciplines.
Call me for more information 0417 977 330
Avenger WW, Avenger WW, Bettong K1 5.2m, Time
Bandit Multisport and Time Bandit
Avenger WW, Avenger WW, Bettong K1 5.2m, Time
Bandit Multisport and Time Bandit
**********************************
Jason Bingham
C1 paddler Jason Bingham trying out my sprint/marathon
C1 this morning.
Jason's fly in - fly out work life style
has reduced his paddling time. So he doesn't get to many races.
**********************************
Last Sunday was the Pinjarra to Ravenswood
Race. The weather was near perfect. Only 62 paddlers entered
which was down in numbers from other years. Nevertheless it
was still a great race and some records were broken.
Results here: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=99026
**********************************
This Sunday is the AKC John Sims Race
The Ascot Kayak Club John Sims Race has been
one of the most popular club races on the calendar and on
Sunday 130 paddlers will be racing.
**********************************
What's on Next Weekend
WW Race 1 : 13th May, AKC Buoys
Race
Location: Ascot Kayak Club, Garvey Park
Registration between 11:45-12:30pm
Briefing 12:45pm
Race start 1:00pm
There will be a Slalom Race
at the club in the morning
**********************************
Paddle Challenge 14th May (Mother's
Day)
Location AP Hinds Reserve Bayswater
Registration kicks off at 7:00 – 7:45am. Which will be
followed by a race briefing.
First start will be off at 8:15am.
Registrations close midnight (WST) Thursday
11th of May 2017 – No entries after registrations close.
Enter here: http://www.paddlewa.asn.au/eventers/canoeing-wapaddle-challenge/ [ https://www.avondescent.com.au/competitors/event-rules/ ]
Training & Courses
Saturday Morning
Training
7.15am for a 7.30am start
Sandy Beach Reserve, West Road,
Bassendean
Dave Worthy will be there
and giving his paddling tips
*******************
Monday Night
Training
Ascot Kayak Club 5.45pm
Featured Products
Bettong (Grafton
Paddle Sports)
The Bettong kayak is designed to be
the best combination of speed and handling. Using the proven
Alchemist hull but with the sides angled out to leave a slim
hull with a wider beam at the join.
This leaves the Bettong with a slim
fast hull but with better secondary stability in adverse conditions.
Length 5.2 Metres Width
45 cm Cockpit : K1
Standard features:
White gelcoat hull. Deck with one or
two colours sprayed in gelcoat.
All kayaks have outside glass join, Kevlar internal join.
(Except all glass kayaks have glass inside join)
Four bolt adjustable footrest.
Polystyrene foam buoyancy glassed in.
Single bolt pan seat unless platform seat is requested
Handloops
Prices depending on the construction.
*****************************
Epic V10L Surfski
The new Epic V10 has been the most successful all around surf
ski over the past year - getting rave reviews from advanced
level paddlers for its speed, handling, ergonomics and stability.
With the new, redesigned V10L we’ve
taken that winning combination and optimized the hull best
for paddlers 75kg and under.
Length: 6.15m
Width: 44.0cm
Depth:30.0cm
Capacity: 75kg (optimum)
Weight: 14.5 kg*
Infusion grade foam core
Composite hybrid of fiberglass, carbon fiber, and Kevlar
Vacuum infused, heat-cured epoxy
Black bow and stern
V10L Performance: $3,995 SPECIAL
ONE ONLY $2999.00
Stories
Return to Canada
Across Canada
part 2
It's taken a few years
to get back to Canada and finish the trip that I started in
2012. Back then I ran out of time to complete the entire journey
which 1000kms of the 3500kms of it I did with Alaine Davin
and Leonie Cockman.
So in July I return to
Canada with John Breed to finish off what I started. We have
about 2500kms to complete in 63 days. It is difficult to know
exactly how many kilometres we will average as we have several
different sections of water to negotiate. Lake Superior with
it's own weather pattern will probably be our hardest challenge,
being the biggest lake in the world it can become extremely
rough at the drop of a hat. The lake has an average temperature
of 4.4C. Spend 10 minutes in the water and your dead. Severe
weather conditions may ground us for days.
Not only will we be at the mercy of the weather we also have
to paddle up rivers against the current which will be slow
going. We also have to portage several big rapids and several
locks which could take several hours at each portage.
The Route
The first part of our
journey will be in Lake Superior.
Lake Superior is, by
surface area, the world's largest freshwater lake.
The lake is about 350 miles (563 km) in length and 160 miles
(257 km) in width.
Waves of over 40 feet in height have been recorded on Lake
Superior. Maximum Wave Height Recorded: 51 feet near Whitefish
Bay
The average water temperature is 4.4 C
Calmest months: June and July
Stormy Months: October and November
So far I have paddled
19,000kms in the US and Canada.
And I have also backpacked 1200kms and cycled 10,550kms around
the US.
This was the great moment
when we finished our trip Across Canada. To get to this point
I had paddled 3500kms, down rivers, across lakes, and up rivers
to meet Alaine and Leone at Kenora. From there we teamed up
and paddled and portaged 1000kms using lots of different lakes
to reach Lake Superior, eventually stopping at Rossport when
time ran out.
I was expecting to return
to finish the trip the following year but work got in the
way. Now being semi-retired my dream to return to Canada has
been answered so in July John Breed and I will continue our
trip around Lake Superior and beyond.
My Epic kayak is waiting
for me in Thunder Bay whereas John will purchase a kayak.
Within a few days of
starting our trip in Lake Superior we will be paddling through
the world famous Pukaskwa National Park. A few pictures below.
Pukaskwa National Park.
Part of the coastline.
The park covers an area
of 1,878 square kilometres (725 sq mi), and protects part
of the longest undeveloped shoreline anywhere on the Great
Lakes.
Black bears, moose, peregrine
falcons, lynxes and timber wolves are found in the park. There
is also a small population of woodland caribou.
Cascade Falls - Pukaskwa
National Park
Pukaskwa National Park.
It's not all calm seas in the lake.
Race of the Week
Karri Cup 2017
It was school holidays.
In my first week I helped with the Ascot Kayak Club paddling
holiday program, in the second week I headed to Pemberton
to do some fishing and mountain biking. After getting a few
bike miles under my belt I discovered there was a Mountain
Bike Race on called 'The Karri Cup' in neighbouring Northcliffe
that Saturday.
I eventually entered the race so I was glad I'd chosen not
to be lazy leading up to it. I'd spent the whole week brainstorming
excuses why I shan't have to do it. Deep inside me though,
I knew I'd have to give it a go or it'd hang over my head
like a storm cloud every time I was speaking to Terry. I was
very fortunate that Wendy from the Northcliffe Tourist Bureau
was able to arrange a fellow competitor to give me a lift
down there. Mark, the manager of the Pemberton Camp School,
was also competing in the 100km race and was more than happy
to help me out and ferry me around. It was absolutely excellent
and a great example of the friendly atmosphere and mate-ship
which seems to be a fundamental part of any sporting discipline.
Mark and I at the start
The sky looked as if it
could've pelted down with rain at any moment, but thankfully
it held off. The start line made it feel as if I were doing
the Tour de France with bikes coming out of the woodwork.
The main differences were the fact that everyone was on serious
mountain bikes and the start line was in the middle of the
local footy oval, not a stretch of tarmac somewhere in the
French alps. Mark had lent me his spare pair of riding glasses
which made everything seem as if it were in high definition
with light enhancements. Once underway, I also found they
made it seem as if you were a lot taller than you usually
felt when riding a bike which seemed to work in my favour.
Also on the start line, I bumped into Kris Plain. I seem to
bump into him whenever I do a race a little more challenging
and out of the ordinary. We had a quick briefing and were
then led out of the gate by last year's Karri Cup winner.
If you're racing next year, you can be expecting to be led
out by him again because he also won this year I believe.
Beginning to look like the Tour de France!
I must have had the biggest
smile out there at the start. It was such an empowering moment
charging into the forest with what would probably have been
nearly 200 riders surrounding me. I was very thankful for
Mark's glasses as I could taste the dust in my mouth and couldn't
see clearly where I was headed. I sure was glad that I was
able to avoid having all of it end up in my eyes. I looked
down at my watch and was delighted to see that I'd already
completed 3 out of the 100kms. Only 97 to go!
By the 10km mark, the going
was beginning to get really tough. The hills were very steep,
the pack had spread out, the surface was very loose and I
was only a tenth of the way through. By the time I'd done
15kms, I was beginning to question whether I was going to
make it. We hit a hill with very loose brown soil and an incline
plane of 26% indicated on my watch. It was near impossible
to ride up. I selected my very lowest gear and powered up
as best I could. Everyone surrounding me had to get off and
push. I was riding up the near vertical slope at a top speed
of 3kms/hr with a heat rate above 185BPM and it seemed as
if I'd never make it to the top. My legs felt as if they were
actually on fire and I could feel that with every breath my
lungs were at their maximum capacity and could take no more.
Three quarters of the way up I ran out of gears and had to
get off. Sweat was dripping from everywhere, particularly
my arms and helmet. The slope was so steep and the surface
so loose that when I hopped off my bike, I had no footing
and slid several metres back down as if I were wearing snow
skis. After a lot of puffing and pushing, I made it to the
top of the hill where a dangerously steep decline was waiting
for me at the bottom. There was no time to catch my breath
as I wanted to take my time heading down the hill slowly before
the more experienced riders came up from behind and would
force me to go faster than I felt comfortable.
The downhill slope was just as steep
and loose as the incline I'd just conquered. Although almost
everyone in the race would have had the opposite idea, I much
preferred the uphill slope as it was far less dangerous for
a relatively inexperienced mountain biker such as myself.
The drops down the side seemed to just fall straight into
the valley below and the best chance of breaking the fall
would have been probably to crash into one of the massive
Karri Trees towering above everything. I was able to slowly
glide the bike most of the way down the hill until I came
to a sharp bend with loose soil and a near vertical drop.
As soon as I saw it, I thought there was no way I was coming
out of this one cleanly. Of course, I got half way round the
bend and took a tumble in the dirt. Fear of being run over
by the oncoming competitors made me get straight back on and
continue down the hill. Thankfully I made it to the bottom
without further incident.
Kris Plain powering through the trees
And then it was time to begin climbing
again! I was only 16 kilometres into the race and I felt as
if this was going to be the first race I've ever pulled out
of. I was nearly spent, it felt as if there were only a few
of the hundred riders in the race left behind me, the wind
was blowing a cold, stormy breeze through the still relatively
dark forest and I was really beginning to tire. I had told
myself several times leading up to the race how hard it was
going to be, but being slightly inexperienced in the mountain
bike racing field, it never really sunk in until I was out
there. The hills seemed enormous, the terrain was extremely
hostile towards my backside on the hardtail bike and I was
finding it very hard to imagine myself being able to make
it to the end. I desperately didn't want to report to Terry
and the others at the club on Monday that I'd pulled out after
just 15 kilometres. Somehow I found a switch in me to keep
going. I looked down at my watch and noticed that I was averaging
21kms/hr which was very pleasing as I'd expected to do no
more than 19 at the most. This was the spark I needed to start
lifting my spirits. I began thinking of how much faster the
bike was going without my heavy hiking boots and day pack
on which I'd been carrying around all week while travelling
to fishing spots. I made point of noticing the added ease
I was riding with thanks to wearing my proper cycling tights
as opposed to just my usual shorts. I looked up and set a
challenge to hunt down and stay on the tail of the rider in
front of me. My speed was quickening, my spirits were lifting
and before long, I'd clocked up 27.5 kilometres and it was
time for a quick break at the stage finish.
Once pulled up, I was very
pleased to see that there were more riders behind me coming
in than there were in front. Many riders chose not to stop,
however most took the opportunity to have a quick break. I
felt as if I could have kept going, but memories of the massive
hill made me take the opportunity to have a quick recovery.
During my two minute stop, I was able to consider how strong
a driving force the fear of failure and weakness is in a race.
Although I desperately didn't want to, I felt as though I'd
have to pull out at some stage during the race. I was amazed
how l strongly I felt that I could not give in due to the
embarrassment of having to report failure driving me onwards.
I was contemplating how tough of a challenge something would
have to be before I'd willingly give in, knowing I'd have
to report my weakness to my followers back in Perth. I also
wondered if I would either give in mentally first or push
so hard my body physically could not take it anymore. Thankfully,
I didn't quite reach that point in the first stage, but I
was a little worried how much harder things could get for
the remaining 75 kms. After a quick refill of my water bottle
and some food, it was time to pass through the timing tent
again and continue onto stage 2.
I immediately hit troubled waters. I
took off very fast from the gate and was soon faced with a
grassy incline, followed by a dirt decline and a dirt incline.
Foolishly, I'd let my muscles go too cold in the chilly winds
and they were having a very hard time warming up and operating
efficiently again. It didn't take very long to get cold sat
down dripping with sweat in the chilly winds but I was suffering
greatly the consequences of it now! I looked at my watch which
indicated my heart rate was above 205BPM for a speed of only
23kms/hr. This was worrying as it shouldn't have been this
high for the amount of work I was doing and what was worse,
it didn't seem to be going down. My breathing turned into
little pants, compared to the big deep breaths I was used
to. This, coupled with the hardships of the last stage and
the realisation that I still had more than 70kms to go gave
reason for serious concern. Thankfully after a few kilometres,
I managed to find my rhythm and my heart rate dropped back
down to the usual 160BPM.
Mark coming through, thoroughly enjoying
the event
Stage 2 was certainly much
harder and more unpleasant than stage one. The average incline
was steeper, the surface was harder to get speed on and the
bumps were becoming very unpleasant. To make matters worse,
much of the narrow trail, particularly the declines, were
riddled with overhanging bushes and my arms were being scratched
to pieces. Unfortunately this continued for 10 or more kilometres
and combined with my depleting energy levels, made for a very
unpleasant ride. I became very annoyed with anyone who would
ride near me as I was trying to concentrate on putting power
down, avoiding the unpleasant bumps and keeping the bike on
the track and did not have the patience for other riders to
slowly overtake or stick behind me. To make matters worse,
the wind was getting stronger and colder and the treat of
rain was becoming more and more likely. There were a few quite
steep hills and one more gradient of 25%, but I just kept
my head down, shut myself up and rode. It was becoming more
and more unpleasant and my energy levels were continuing to
drop, but I just concentrated on trying to withstand it and
continued on. The good news was that I seemed to be making
much better time than on the first leg, despite the unpleasant
surfaces.
I've finally got some speed up!
The second stage followed the Munda
Biddi trail throughout most of the second half which was a
bit of a challenge to do at high speeds. It also meant that
the thick forest surrounding the trail made it impossible
to tell how far away any sort of civilisation was. You'd be
flying along seemingly in the middle of the forest and then
all of a sudden you'd go round a bend and there would be a
gravel road ahead, two lanes wide. The trail was also littered
with tree roots which made it very unpleasant on my already
aching bum. My energy continued dropping all the way to the
stop at the 50km mark. I finally made it and was very relieved.
I was absolutely delighted to see that
we were offered a lunch spread as part of our race entry.
There were sandwiches and rolls of all kinds, fresh bread,
local fruit, homemade biscuits and cakes, fluid packages and
fresh water. There was more than enough food for everyone
which meant we could eat as much as we liked, or in my case
could, and come back as many times as we wanted to. I made
sure I filled my belly for the remaining 50kms and stocked
up my pockets full of the delicious biscuits to have along
the ride. Unfortunately I couldn't eat too much as I wouldn't
be able to hold it if I had to push very hard along the trails.
This meant I was restricted to only two chicken rolls, several
pieces of fruit, six biscuits and a piece of cake!
Soon it was time to get going again. I hopped back on the
bike and could instantly feel a lift in my spirits. I powered
up the first hill without even noticing the slope and rolled
easily down the other side singing songs to myself, such as
Don Henley's the Boys of Summer and of course my favourite
of all time, Jimmy Barnes' Driving Wheels. It was really good
to be powering up the hills and also have the satisfactions
of knowing I was more than half way. For the first time in
the race, I felt as if I were going to make it to the end!
The kilometres flew by and before I
knew it, I was passing several people including Mark who'd
given me a lift down there and a few of Mark's mates such
as Wade. The hills were quite large, but the surface was relatively
smooth which meant I could put some power down and not worry
about my bum too much. During the briefing, I had been warned
about some massive Karri trees which had fallen over the track
and would require getting off and walking under. I encountered
one of the beasts during stage one, however this was clearly
visible from a long way away and easily dealt with. As I came
flying down one of the descents and around a corner, I was
instantly faced with another huge tree across the track only
a few metres ahead of me. I was travelling at a speed in excess
of 30kms/hr which meant I had little time to react before
I continued straight under the tree and would have likely
had my head taken off. Thankfully I was able to brake heavily
and push with my hands against the tree before I smacked into
it. That moment sure got the heart rate going!
Before I knew it, I'd arrived at the
end of stage three. The last 500 metres before the timing
booth was over a grassy paddock which made it very unpleasant
for my bum on the bouncing and bucking seat. At the stage
end, I met up quickly with Mark who was beginning to struggle
a little. His mate Wade had taken a wrong turn, adding five
kilometres onto his ride and ruining his good time. He was
very disheartened about that, especially as he was making
such good time. I didn't want to hang around forever though
as I just wanted to see the finish and wasn't too keen to
be standing around in the increasing rain. After a couple
of minutes, I was back out there and keen to head home.
A few kilometres into the fourth and
final stage, the track became single track and was littered
with tree roots. By this stage, I was starting to suffer a
little in the bum region and was not at all impressed when
the tree roots continued for several kilometres. Thankfully,
the gradient remained fairly constant and didn't seem to have
any particularly huge inclines. It was relatively smooth going
until I got beyond the 85km mark. For the last 15 kilometres,
I became fed up with the slow going caused by the soft ground.
I had really wanted some nice firm ground so that I could
make some good progress for the last push home, however I
got just the opposite. The sand was irritatingly slow, I was
beginning to fatigue, the rain was setting in a little stronger,
the sky was getting darker and I didn't seem to be getting
any closer to the finish line. It was beginning to feel similar
to the experiences of some of the earlier stages when I was
struggling. Unfortunately there was nothing I could do about
the conditions. I reminded myself that the finish line was
less than fifteen kilometres away, muttered a few swear words
towards the track and just rode. I made a point of not looking
at what speed I was doing on my watch as every time I did,
It only seemed to have bad news to display so I focused on
just getting home. The slow conditions didn't change for the
rest of the race and I was getting slower and slower. What
was really irritating was that for the first time in the race,
it'd been quite a while since I'd had a decent hill, meaning
the ground was nice and flat so I should have been able to
make the best progress so far in the race. Unfortunately,
this wasn't the case as the soft surfaces prevented decent
speed from being achieved. But at least I was nearing the
finish and would soon be off the bike.
After a few deep breaths and a lot of
mindless riding, I finally arrived at the finish line. Riding
through the blow up gate after completing the 100km challenge
I'd spent all week trying to avoid was a very proud moment.
I was filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment that
I'd decided to give it a go and made it to the finish with
a pretty pleasing time. I sure was glad I had decided against
just spending the day lounging about somewhere in the forest
and instead pushed myself harder than ever before. From the
perspective of someone who's not an experienced mt bike racer
and instead a paddler, I found it much tougher than the Avon
Descent. I was very glad that I'd taken part and it goes to
show what is possible with a bit of fitness, a strong mindset
and a lot of determination and hard work. It was the first
time I'd done something which I found really challenging and
was filled with such a great feeling when I came through with
the goods at the end. I sure had earnt my trip to the local
Pemberton bakery the following day!
Happy to be finished!
Mark pulled up a few minutes later,
however I missed his finish as I was doing laps of the car
park, trying to bring the reading on my watch up from 98.8
to the magical 100kms. This weird behaviour turned a few heads,
but I wasn't going home without seeing triple digits on the
watch! Afterwards, we enjoyed a free roll and ice cream courtesy
of the race organisers and after a quick chat, headed home
to Pemberton. It was such a great event and I was very lucky
to have a great community of people such as Mark and Wendy
be able to look after me and make my race possible.
The challenge of the race was surprisingly
like nothing I'd ever experienced before and I was very glad
I'd taken on the challenge and won. Coming through the line
after such an event made me realise how correct Terry is when
saying, "people need to challenge themselves properly
at least once in their lives". It really was hard work
for an inexperienced mt biker and I was very glad to have
taken part.
Luke Dooley
Races
Coming Up
2017 WildWater
Race 1 -
Ascot Buoys Race
The first of 6 races for the 2017 Wild
Water Season, Saturday 13th May.
Location: Ascot Kayak Club, Garvey Park
Registration between 11:45-12:30pm
Briefing 12:45pm
Race start 1:00pm
This is a flat water obstacle course,
designed to test the paddlers ability to manoeuvre the kayak
around floatation buoys and trees. This is a great opportunity
for new paddlers who would like to test their boat handling
ability, before we enter the races with greater water flow.
The race is open to all boats which
have no rudders or alternatively have their rudders tied up
Race Director: Alan Morbey contact details
0411 565 283
*******************************
Get ready for a wild
winter
2017 WW Race
Calendar
Race 1 : 13th May, AKC Buoys Race.
Race 2 : 11th June, Drain Race
Race 3 : 25th June, Upper Swan Race
Race 4 : 9th July, Walyunga to Bells Race
Race 5 : 19th August, Bells Rapids Race
Race 6 : State Championships and Geegelup Cup : 2nd &
3rd September, Bridgetown
*******************************
Paddle Challenge
14th May (Mother's Day)
Date Sunday 14th May
2017. Location AP Hinds Reserve Bayswater
Registration kicks off at 7:00 – 7:45am. Which will be
followed by a race briefing.
First start will be off at 8:15am.
Registrations close midnight
(WST) 11th of May 2017 – No entries after registrations
close.
Enter here: http://www.paddlewa.asn.au/eventers/canoeing-wapaddle-challenge/
*******************************
Kalbarri Canoe & Cray
Kalbarri Murchison River Dash on Sunday 4th June
*******************************
2nd Hand Boats
380 Kayak
A great kayak for whitewater
or as a general kayak for learning all the paddling skills
Very manoeuvrable
Price: $250.00
************************************
415 Kayak
Once the most popular
kayaks in the Avon Descent. 4.15m long, turns well but has
good speed.
Great for white water touring or general paddling.
$350.00 each