(long list of ramblings ...)
So 3 enduro virgins decide to sign up as part of a 4 person team for the
12 hour option of the Sydney 24 hour held on April Fool's weekend. We
couldn't get a 4th rider in the team so we decided to participate as a trio.
The Track
- the event was held at Dargle Farm in Sydney's North West
- there were only 2 hard climbs on the track. The first was a sandy
climb right at the start and was a constant gradient that was sandy. As
soon as my front wheel got bogged in the sand, I decided to walk it.
Which I did for the rest of the event. The second was towards the end
and was harder as it was sandy, rocky and uneven. Not surprisingly, I
walked that one as well.
- the only hard downhill bit was towards the end, called "The Chute".
There was at least one major stack there ...
- there were 2 bits of single track, with the second bit being easier
than the first (I thought it flowed better).
- did I mention the track was sandy?
How I Went
- I had the misfortune of starting my first lap just a few minutes
before the rest of the 24 hour people did (the 12 hour event kicked off
at noon and the 24 hour event kicked off at 1pm, due to daylight
savings). I had just hit the first bit of single track and was really
stuffing it up when I see 3 fast riders approaching from behind. I
decided to unclip and move to the side to let them through. As I was
about to get back on the track, the rest of the 24 hour train steams
past. I reckon I waited for a good 5 - 7 minutes before I could get back
on the track.
- I also did the first lap at 6am for my team on the next day (the 12
hour version was broken into 2 six hour blocks over the weekend). I got
up with a hangover and looked at the time and sky and said ... "there is
no way they are going to start at 6am ... way too dark"😉. Wrong. As I
was munching on a muesli bar, the announcement came that the 12 hour
race was about to restart in 5 minutes. I put on my cycling gear as fast
as I can and raced to the start line.
- I don't think I have ever been as cold on a bike as I have this
morning at 6am. All I had were short fingered gloves, knicks, a jersey
and arm warmers. I had absolutely no feeling in my fingers and toes. I
pretty much stumbled my way through the first bit of single track and
did not gain control of my bike until the first flat bit where I could
warmed up by spinning.
Aggro on the Track
- none really, every one was courteous and polite. Actually, change
every none to "one female". I had a brief conversation with someone I
pulled up alongside, and when she stopped at an obstacle, she asked me
to go ahead as she said I was faster than her. I replied "I'm sure we'll
be passing each other again as I'm not that fast". She then said "you
are full of [censored]". WTF?
Minor stacks
- yeah, so I had a few incidents with my Eggbeater Candy pedals. The
first was when I misjudged the angle of a turn and got wedged between 2
rocks. I was stuck and couldn't unclip myself. I had to wait for the
next rider to come along and get me out of my pedals. The guys said
"mate, how long have you been stuck here?"
- I also came a cropper when I noticed my seat wasn't aligned with my
top tube and decided in my infinite wisdom to realign it while I was on
the move. Bad mistake. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground on my
side and couldn't move until the next rider came along to help me out (I
see a trend developing here ...)
The major stack
- I was waiting for a quite a while in the transition area for my team
mate so I could start my last lap. After being uncharacteristcally slow,
he turns up, sans bike, and hands me the transition card so I could head
off for my next lap. I ask, "where's your bike?" and then notice one of
the event organisers wheeling his bike behind him. I would like to say
he taco'ed his front wheel but it really looked more like a pretzel (he
had just picked up his new Specialized Epic on Friday) . I ask him if he
was fine, he said he had a sore shoulder and was going to see first aid.
- I decided to accompany him to first aid to see if he needed further
help. Initial diagnosis was a broken collar bone. It turns out he was
going fast down the last downhill ("The Chute"😉 when his front wheel got
stuck in deep sand and he got thrown off his bike and bounced around a bit.
- X-rays revealed a broken collar bone and broken bone in the wrist.
What a bummer of a way to end the weekend.
Whinge
- I had always realised I had a heavy bike but I didn't realise how
heavy it was until the weekend. A friend who has a Santa Cruz Heckler
picked my bike up and said "it is not much lighter than my Heckler"
(FYI, I have a Kona Cinder Cone).
Other stuff
- what was the deal with the lady who did an entire lap with nothing but
a helmet, shoes, gloves, a bra and a g-string?
Thank you for your attention ...