Post by Megs on Feb 15, 2010 11:35:18 GMT 10
Wow, what a weekend!
The course at Thredbo was the biggest mudfest I have ever seen. Thankfully I didn't race, but even spectating was tough.
SCUM was well represented with Zoe once again winning the Under 17 womens XC, this time by almost 9 minutes over 2 laps. The girls attacked the course at 8:30 in solid rain and the course went from bad to worse. Massive sections had to be walked/run as even the best of mud tyres struggled to find any traction in the thick sludge. Glasses were useless, so everybody just squinted but keeping the eyes mud free was a challenge in its own right. The track looked like it would be just OK in the dry but in the wet it was a nightmare. It looked like survival of the toughest, as it took lots of nerve to hold any speed through the corners. Zoe was one of the only girls still smiling by the end!
Even the elite men finished with an average speed less than 12km/hr which is a pretty average running pace, so that gives you an idea of just how tough it was. Josh got tangled up near the start of the elite mens race but made his way back through the pack to finish in a very respectable 7th place. He looked like a black man by the time he finished!
Then at 2:00 it was the boys turn. The rain was less heavy but the mud was worse. Isaac finished his 2 laps in 10th place, dreaming of Skittles and finger buns and promptly demolished a sausage roll in record time. Then the under 19s started to roll in from their 3 laps, most of them looking completely spent. Kurt did well for 8th, Jake came in 11th and Matt 12th. Plenty of bike washing to be had today!
The course at Thredbo was the biggest mudfest I have ever seen. Thankfully I didn't race, but even spectating was tough.
SCUM was well represented with Zoe once again winning the Under 17 womens XC, this time by almost 9 minutes over 2 laps. The girls attacked the course at 8:30 in solid rain and the course went from bad to worse. Massive sections had to be walked/run as even the best of mud tyres struggled to find any traction in the thick sludge. Glasses were useless, so everybody just squinted but keeping the eyes mud free was a challenge in its own right. The track looked like it would be just OK in the dry but in the wet it was a nightmare. It looked like survival of the toughest, as it took lots of nerve to hold any speed through the corners. Zoe was one of the only girls still smiling by the end!
Even the elite men finished with an average speed less than 12km/hr which is a pretty average running pace, so that gives you an idea of just how tough it was. Josh got tangled up near the start of the elite mens race but made his way back through the pack to finish in a very respectable 7th place. He looked like a black man by the time he finished!
Then at 2:00 it was the boys turn. The rain was less heavy but the mud was worse. Isaac finished his 2 laps in 10th place, dreaming of Skittles and finger buns and promptly demolished a sausage roll in record time. Then the under 19s started to roll in from their 3 laps, most of them looking completely spent. Kurt did well for 8th, Jake came in 11th and Matt 12th. Plenty of bike washing to be had today!
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