F2: Khancoban to Cooma (ouch)

What a massive, massive day. We made it!!

The stats are as follows:

Distance: 182.2km
Vertical metres: 4,267 (that's half of Mt Everest)
Time in the saddle: 7h01m
Average Speed: 26 km/h
Max Speed: 81.4 km/h
..and the profile is below!

See the ride here.

This morning, Greg, the absolute champion, got up early, went down to the local Khancoban café and got us roomies a coffee. So by 6.07am, we were just waking up to savour the aroma and flavour of freshly brewed flat whites IN BED - GOLD!! That's the kind of camaraderie we love about a trip like this. Town limits and KOMs it's every man and woman for themselves, but at all other times it's about looking after the team.

Due to a rock fall the advertised climb from Khancoban through Tom Groggins and up to Dead Horse Gap to Thredbo and Jindabyne could not happen. We were really looking forward to the reverse of last year's epic stage - but it wasn't to be.

So, instead we took the much longer, much more epic, much more vert, but very pretty route through Cabramurra (Australia's highest town), Adaminaby and into Cooma. Very pretty in so far as beautiful lush green countryside and cattle country to start, followed by alpine bush climbing through masses of snow gums, sunny, warm, no wind, and finally up out of the trees into the leafless ghost gums...and beyond that into the treeless highland grass plains with views across to the remaining now. Just as we crested the first climb, a deer stag ran across the road - that was a first for all of us.

Now let's just say this route busted more than one little F2er - in fact, way more than one...the sag wagon was playing veritable leap frog through the burgs!!

Personally it was probably the 2nd hardest ride I've done after the Marmotte earlier this year. It was only 15k and 800m of climbing less than that French monster of an event.

Gerard rode very well all day, despite having some mechanical issues with his front derailleur. He is no friend of the large hills but there is no doubt that his devotion to Sufferfest training videos has paid dividends with his strength. And he rolled nicely to help get about 4 others home for the last 50k. Big heart and strong.

I was pretty comfortable today...taking all KOMs, Cabramurra and then soloing 30k to take Adaminaby.

Mitch was hurting!! His rear D would not kick into the 25, so he ground out those massive hills and pinches in the 23. Awesome effort and no doubt, he'll be VERY strong as he heads into his next Ironman - his 10th the crazy kid!

Adaminaby came up after about 130k and everyone was pretty tired - so we pulled in to the Bake House and between three of us had:

• 4 coffees
• 2 rock cakes with jam
• 2 sausage rolls
• 2 bananas
• 1 potato scallop
• 1 tuna sandwich
• a packet of snakes
• an apple pie, and
• 5 cokes

It was a good rest up and refuel, then back out on the road for the final 50k. The wind had picked up a lot but by and large it was a big tail wind and that carried some tired legs home to Cooma.

Cooma is my parents-in-law home town. So Greg, GT and I decided that a catch up, combined with a big protein hit were in order...and hence we ducked into town for a steak and sticky date. A couple having dinner at the next table overheard us talking about the ride and Future2 - she donated $20 cash on their way out. Thank you Lyn of Cooma - awesome stuff. Good times.

Bed now - it's looking ugly for the push home to Canberra with a 40-60km/h block head wind and the legs will be sore...

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