NSW State XC Round 1

It was a near frozen morning, an early start from Sydney had me to Fitzroy Falls with plenty of time before Rego. The track is located on a private property and it was a great chance to ride a track not regularly available. Gradually building to be a highly variable track it featured starting sections with narrow fire trail and skinnys over water crossings. Then it was closely followed by sweet flowing single track with off and on camber switchbacks. This lead to a recently created section linking pinch climbs, north shore inspired timber ramps and short, fast technical downhill. All up I believe the track was around six kilometers long and a gem in the falls.
The first race was to start at nine and as we line up for it, the air was still cold. There were many more riders than the previous state round I had competed in and when we left the line the race was already shaping up. The fastest boys were away in a flurry, knowing that the first into the single track sections would have the advantage. The pace was nowhere near what I could manage and I was near the back of the pack into the single track. We passed through the first A line, a water filled ditch, the ditch could turn into a muddy mess over the remaining laps. It was onto the sweet single track and I had made up a place or two. As we worked our way down the hill the conditions turned from dry and dusty to damp and tacky. The track turned back on its self and with a mixture of dirt conditions the eight block tyres I was running were predictable and consistent. When the track turned to the pinch climbs I was reminded of the 140mm fork up front, the same fork then ate the decants with ease. It was about this stage on lap two that I really started to warm up. And around this point on the third lap I had picked off another couple of riders. Once warmed up, I was feeling really good and comfortable. Some of the riders on this technical section were dropping to the granny ring. I maintained a grasp on the middle ring occasionally catching the 32 tooth on the cluster to get me through the pinches. The timber ramps were a good challenge the first one was a very large up and over. It was deceptive in giving you the feeling that it narrowed as you went over. The second was just up with possibly a 45 degree ramp gaining well over a meter and a half of track height. This ramp and following section were lined with spectators for four of my five laps. There would have been plenty to see with short sharp step downs switch backs after the ramp. I had to get right over the rear tyre to complete it, I saw a few riders have some difficulty. On my last lap and very close to finishing there was only a fire trail climb to blast up till you rounded the main homestead and crossed the line. I had felt good for the last three laps and gave it all for the final section coming over the line at top speed.
It was still very cold in the shade and I warmed down in the sun and chatted to the other SCUM riders who had turned up to give this top track a go. They represent in most categories from Elite and Masters, right through to the juniors over the course of the day. Duncan from DIYMTB is supporting the series with X-Fusion shocks and forks and had a variation of the products available. My bike worked well with some fresh parts from Bikes at the Basin over the diverse terrain. I had a quick look at my times and found that there was only thirty seconds between my fastest lap and slowest lap. This was good news and translates to consistent laps, I knew it had taken a couple of laps to warm up and then had a great three remaining laps. A good nutrition plan is essential to ensuring you have the energy when you need in all but the shortest events. I was benefited by including FRS healthy energy in my nutrition plan. With a great ride I placed 6th in Expert Mens.