THEY’RE at it again! This time Fiona and Heath Boundy headed to Forrest in Victoria on April 27 for the Giant Odyssey and they had some friends in tow.
Joining the couple, were Kylie and Jason Peel, Anthony Carroll and Lucindale’s Alistair Watson.
The Giant Odyssey is a mountain bike marathon with challenging scenic, fun and flowing mountain bike courses.
There are three courses in the event, which is centred around the mountain biking mecca of Forrest in the Great Otway National Park.
The races include a 100km Giant Odssey, 50km Giant Shorty and a 15km Giant Pioneer.
Fiona, Heath, Kylie, Anthony and Alistair took on the 50km Giant Shorty, which starts and finishes in Forrest and includes a lot of single track riding.
Jason took part in the 15km Giant Pioneer, the perfect track for those starting out.
“It was a lot different than Buller,” Fiona said.
“The atmosphere was different, a lot more competitive.
“I’m happy I made it.”
It was the second time Heath took on the Giant course, which he did in a time of 3 hours 53 minutes.
“I didn’t go as well as I wanted to go,” Heath said. “I got the same time as I did the year before.
“We did it, and we survived.”
Fiona completed the race in 4.33.20, and was happy to finish in under five hours.
It was a first time race for Kylie and Jason, who took the challenge head on.
“I absolutely loved it,” Kylie said.
“I felt quite daunted at the thought of the first 10km, as it was a nasty hill climb and yes it was tough, but I
found my groove and got stuck into it.”
As for Jason, he was thrown in the deep end by his wife.
“My main goal was to finish the 15km without stopping, which I did,” he said. “It was a hard race.”
Kylie’s goal was to finish the race in under four hours, which she managed to do with a time of 3.36.25.
“My highlight was definitely seeing the finish line – 50km is a long way through the mountains,” she said.
Jason finished the Pioneer in 48 minutes, with no training.
“I wasn’t exactly sharp for the event,” Jason said.
His highlight was “surviving and not needing the paramedics after the race.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the amber beverage at the end of the race.”
For Anthony Carroll it’s fun, fitness and the social aspect of the race he enjoys.
Anthony finished the Shorty with a time of 4.13.02.
“It was enjoyable and a good experience,” he said. “A few of us cycle tracks around Robe, it’s an interest we all have and we are working together to form an mountain biking association.”
Kylie added: “With a bit of hard work, and the new group we want to form, we could possibly hold an event like this in our area one day.”
Lucindale’s Alistair Watson headed to Forrest for the second time, with the hope to improve on his time from the year before.
“It was a pretty good day and I was happy with how I went,” he said.
“I was pretty green the year before, so this year I half knew what to expect.
“I had an injured back, so wasn’t sure how I was going to go, but I managed to do the whole lot.”
Alistair finished the race in 3.34.23.
Overall the Odyssey was a great experience for all the riders.
“It was a good experience,” Heath said, who was happy to tick that race off the list.
Following the Odyssey Alistair and Kylie took part in the six hour Duo Adult Mixed Team at Fox Creek in the Adelaide Hills.
The pair took part in a 10km loop, which Kylie said showcased the “amazing” camber pine forests, single tracks and rocky mountain slopes.
The idea is for each team to complete the most laps within the six hours.
However the pair had to pull out when Alistair’s bike frame cracked.
Up next for some of the riders is the Gravity Enduro this weekend at Fox Creek, a downhill race against the clock.