Post by pile on Mar 25, 2009 10:45:10 GMT 10
Sunday was a tough day out. If someone had said to me beforehand that I was going to race a 13 k loop that was 98.8 per cent singletrack without any nasty climbs I would have been stoked at the thought. After looping around the course in the 50 k I was more physically done over than I have been in a long time, and was stoked. With no fire trail or open sections the course asked a lot of the riders. I found it mentally challenging (but that isn't hard for me) - there was no point where I could relax my concentration - I had to be on-the-job the whole time and I found that draining (like having to read a book with no pics).
As an event, I think it has legs - the venue is good and I enjoyed the course. Once you get used to the moto pump sections and work out how to keep a cadence and weight distribution to keep the power down they can be a right buzz. There were some very nice sections where if you worked hard there were real rewards to be had in the rush from hitting a corner sweetly, or popping an obstacle without losing any momentum. Small things for the guy who doesn't aim too high. The less said about the sand the better, but I spose if i was to complain too loudly I should give the game away and buy me something with hand-made italian carbon fibre spoke nipples.
There was a good buzz on the course. Fleming gave me a giddy-up each time he swept past at a billion miles an hour. There was room to pass if you weren't in a hurry and used common-sense. I had no hassles with it all day really - the first lap was a bit congested, but when isn't it?. I rode my entire 2nd lap on my own - had clear single track in front of me for the better part of an hour - that is a memory that will last for a while. The organisation was pretty slick - the rego people were friendly and it all seemed pretty smooth for the average punter.
I heard a lot of mutterings about the course - lots of DNFs and there was some venting going on farkin, but while the toughness of the loop took me by surprise, it was pretty satisfying to do an event that made me ride and manage myself in a different way. For some reason i got the sense from talking to people there on Sun afterwards that lots of people just want to ride the same course in every 100k or enduro race, but just in a different location. I didn't touch the big ring (or the granny for that matter) - a lot of my prep was bashing out a 100k loop through the east and inner west of Sydney on a SS - and so in all honesty the track didn't suit my training. It was an enduro in lots of ways - I'd definitely go back and do it again, and probably enjoy it even more the second time with some idea what I was in for.
As an event, I think it has legs - the venue is good and I enjoyed the course. Once you get used to the moto pump sections and work out how to keep a cadence and weight distribution to keep the power down they can be a right buzz. There were some very nice sections where if you worked hard there were real rewards to be had in the rush from hitting a corner sweetly, or popping an obstacle without losing any momentum. Small things for the guy who doesn't aim too high. The less said about the sand the better, but I spose if i was to complain too loudly I should give the game away and buy me something with hand-made italian carbon fibre spoke nipples.
There was a good buzz on the course. Fleming gave me a giddy-up each time he swept past at a billion miles an hour. There was room to pass if you weren't in a hurry and used common-sense. I had no hassles with it all day really - the first lap was a bit congested, but when isn't it?. I rode my entire 2nd lap on my own - had clear single track in front of me for the better part of an hour - that is a memory that will last for a while. The organisation was pretty slick - the rego people were friendly and it all seemed pretty smooth for the average punter.
I heard a lot of mutterings about the course - lots of DNFs and there was some venting going on farkin, but while the toughness of the loop took me by surprise, it was pretty satisfying to do an event that made me ride and manage myself in a different way. For some reason i got the sense from talking to people there on Sun afterwards that lots of people just want to ride the same course in every 100k or enduro race, but just in a different location. I didn't touch the big ring (or the granny for that matter) - a lot of my prep was bashing out a 100k loop through the east and inner west of Sydney on a SS - and so in all honesty the track didn't suit my training. It was an enduro in lots of ways - I'd definitely go back and do it again, and probably enjoy it even more the second time with some idea what I was in for.
