Wylie Adventures; There and Back (Finke Desert Race 4)

The last time we did this race (2 years ago as the 2020 race was cancelled for Covid19), the focus was on rider fitness: bicycle riding, swimming, hiking etc but the one thing we didn't get enough of was dirt bike riding.  At a minimum Rider Roy needs to be out on a serious ride every week to get toughened up. Race bike loaded up on the Ranger  ready to go out riding in the local hills. Race manager testing out the strength of the bike rack. That doesn't mean that the rest of the fitness program is ignored however. Canberra is lucky to have terrific bicycle tracks, and the 28km ride around Lake Burley Griffin plus a few mountain challenges along the way, is a great way to build up fitness. A brief rest stop to build up protein stores Building up bicycle muscle. The rest of motor biking life doesn't wait while Finke training is in place though. A quick dash down to Winton Victoria for the first Australian Super Bike race for the year was a necessary diversion - even if we we...

Rider Roy and manager Fiona started the aquatic phase of fitness training today. Why have the Australian Institute of Sport in town if you can't take advantage of their facilities for a National race campaign? Roy at the AIS ready to start swimming. One km of laps each today, not a bad start for the fitness campaign. The count down is well and truly underway for the race https://finkedesertrace.com.au/.  Just 3 months 'til the Queen's birthday weekend in June 2021.

 Wylie Adventures returns for a fourth tilt at the Finke crown. Or at the least a 4th finish of the great race in the desert. The team's lead (and only) racer Roy Chamberlain at 62 seeks to be the oldest rider in the pack to finish. After racing the orange devil in 2019 the team has returned to its historical blue roots with a new bike and a new race number, #895. Watch this number! Race numbers on! Now the race numbers are on the bike its all getting very real. Accommodation for the trip to Alice is booked and the fitness program has begun. Team manager, and Roy's wife, Fiona is cracking the whip on the fitness program and withholding cookies from coffee breaks. Other team members will include cousin Linda (and expert masseur during race break), now a veteran of the last two race challenges, and cousin Joan with partner Andrew, newbies on the team. Open heart surgery has got in the way of veteran team members Ian and Rhonda joining this challenge. I'm sure we are all looki...