But how was my race you ask? I sat in with Bozz on the second row not wanting to hassle the guys who considered themselves fast on the front row. It ended up being a good start with the fast team and solos flying off the front and the grass section giving plenty of room to space out over the first two kilometres. It was dark from the get-go and I didn’t pre-ride the track making the first fast lap interesting. By the end of lap three I was warmed up and finding what I believed was the fastest/smoothest line on the track. Once again my light was so bright and the conditions being 98% dry the dust was catching the light making the track look too smooth.
I had managed to keep pace with Bozz for some of the night and even passed him for a while. I believe we were fighting out 5th and 6th position. It got to about the six hour mark and I was starting to wear, it was probably my body wanting to stop or sleep. It wasn’t long before I starting wishing the sun to come up again. The pinch switchback climbs began to take their toll, similar to Stromlo these climbs were steeper and some time before sunrise I flipped back to the granny gear for a couple of laps to rest my legs.
Bozz had found his second wind and turned up the pressure, lapping me for the first time. Only a few hours later he did it again and at this stage I was getting worried, Andy had passed me two or three times as well. Thankfully our pit crew kept me positive with talk of a possible top 5 position still. These hours were the quietest on the track with large chunks of empty track.
I was caught by an Ay-up rider some time during the early morning, he passed me only to come in close contact with a fast rocky decent further down the track. This was the only incident I came across with a few people already giving a helping hand. The vibe during the race was one of the most relaxed I have raced at this level.
Finally the sun started peaking over the hill and my night haze was starting clear. This is where I wanted to focus and I purposely stopped once the light was enough to ride without a light. I stretched, fuelled and the bike was serviced. I removed my light and with about two hours or so of time left I could possibly fit five or six more laps.
I felt good for those last two hours on course, grinding up the climbs and spotting the fast lines I didn’t see in the dark. I hope my last four or so lap times show this. It was getting close to 0700 and the check-point crews were cheering us on for our final lap and I stopped at the pit-crew. Told I had a minute and a half left and possibly 4th position passed another water bottle and raced to the start/finish to pass onto my 28th lap. With no time to spare and a hot lap to complete, I smashed down a gel and got to the task at hand. I crossed the line after twelve hours and twenty four minutes of racing.
One of the fun moments was after passing through the start/finish I caught up to a small bunch of possibly casual solo or casual team members. I asked for room to pass on the right and they commented "that will be on of those fast solo riders, lets keep with him and he can show us a few fast lines". I knew the fast grass section fairly well and left them for dead on its sweeping corners. They probably caught me on the grass hill climb, that’s fun racing.
My support crew was made up of Bozz’s partner, Pearso’s partner and a couple that were friends of Bozz. They did a great job keeping me hydrated and fed, the bike was effortlessly serviced if I stopped for a moment to stretch. Big thanks to the crew for looking after us all, all night.
I had a good time during my 24hrs in QLD, thanks to Bozz and Kiri for their support in getting me to and from the Airport. Congratulations to Pearso and Kel, Pearso placed 24th. My Canaan from Bikes at the Basin worked flawlessly and FRS worked like a charm. I placed 4th behind Bozz, two laps down and one lap over 5th.
I had managed to keep pace with Bozz for some of the night and even passed him for a while. I believe we were fighting out 5th and 6th position. It got to about the six hour mark and I was starting to wear, it was probably my body wanting to stop or sleep. It wasn’t long before I starting wishing the sun to come up again. The pinch switchback climbs began to take their toll, similar to Stromlo these climbs were steeper and some time before sunrise I flipped back to the granny gear for a couple of laps to rest my legs.
Bozz had found his second wind and turned up the pressure, lapping me for the first time. Only a few hours later he did it again and at this stage I was getting worried, Andy had passed me two or three times as well. Thankfully our pit crew kept me positive with talk of a possible top 5 position still. These hours were the quietest on the track with large chunks of empty track.
I was caught by an Ay-up rider some time during the early morning, he passed me only to come in close contact with a fast rocky decent further down the track. This was the only incident I came across with a few people already giving a helping hand. The vibe during the race was one of the most relaxed I have raced at this level.
Finally the sun started peaking over the hill and my night haze was starting clear. This is where I wanted to focus and I purposely stopped once the light was enough to ride without a light. I stretched, fuelled and the bike was serviced. I removed my light and with about two hours or so of time left I could possibly fit five or six more laps.
I felt good for those last two hours on course, grinding up the climbs and spotting the fast lines I didn’t see in the dark. I hope my last four or so lap times show this. It was getting close to 0700 and the check-point crews were cheering us on for our final lap and I stopped at the pit-crew. Told I had a minute and a half left and possibly 4th position passed another water bottle and raced to the start/finish to pass onto my 28th lap. With no time to spare and a hot lap to complete, I smashed down a gel and got to the task at hand. I crossed the line after twelve hours and twenty four minutes of racing.
One of the fun moments was after passing through the start/finish I caught up to a small bunch of possibly casual solo or casual team members. I asked for room to pass on the right and they commented "that will be on of those fast solo riders, lets keep with him and he can show us a few fast lines". I knew the fast grass section fairly well and left them for dead on its sweeping corners. They probably caught me on the grass hill climb, that’s fun racing.
My support crew was made up of Bozz’s partner, Pearso’s partner and a couple that were friends of Bozz. They did a great job keeping me hydrated and fed, the bike was effortlessly serviced if I stopped for a moment to stretch. Big thanks to the crew for looking after us all, all night.
I had a good time during my 24hrs in QLD, thanks to Bozz and Kiri for their support in getting me to and from the Airport. Congratulations to Pearso and Kel, Pearso placed 24th. My Canaan from Bikes at the Basin worked flawlessly and FRS worked like a charm. I placed 4th behind Bozz, two laps down and one lap over 5th.
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