Mt Perry

http://andy-fellows.blogspot.com/2010/06/mt-perry-6hr.html

http://bozzablog-bozz.blogspot.com/2010/06/mt-perry-6hr.html

Check out Andy's and Bozz's write-ups from the 6hr.


Mt Perry, out the back of Gin Gin plays the host every year to the Grindin Gearz 6hr Gold Rush. This event has been gaining popularity and Andy Fellows, who managed to out climb the rest of the competitors last year, was back again hopeful to triumph on the mountain again. Joining him in the elite field were names like Bekkers and Toohey and in the female elite, Winett and Hansen.

To kick off the weekends fun proceedings were kids races, then as the sun disappeared behind the mountain, the track was lit up by the older riders vying for their night time dash for cash, elimination style. The track was to be short with a small climb followed by a series of open switchbacks, to be completed three times per elimination. The elimination style was to start with a large field and progressively cut the last four or so riders to cross the line. An added layer was the two minutes between elimination races, the two minutes started when the first rider crossed the line.

I had illusions of lining up with the sport group but the organisers had other ideas and I was relegated to elite group. The racing was short and fairly fast, the biggest moves had be done before the start of the switchbacks. It didn’t go bad though making the third elimination placing 6th missing out on the top five race against Fellows and Lefmann.

But we where all here for the main event, to conquer the mountain for six hours. It was to be a mass start on what is possibly the toughest Enduro track in this part of the country. The track itself is a good mix of challenging climbs and open single-track. Then there is the more technical single-track, back to back switchbacks and DH inspired trail all spread over the eleven kilometer track.

My race was off to a good start, maintaining a solid rhythm though the climbs and having a ball on the descents. My pace was a minute or two off the top elite boys who were forging out the front on 30 minute laps. For close to three hours Fellows and young gun Benson fought head to head, while the rest of us were just happy not to get off the bike and push, in a few places. It was about this mid race time when I spotted Bozz Bekkers just coming out of the pit area as I was entering. We exchanged a customary verbal greeting, I knew that the race was on for real now, game on. It turns out we had been within two minutes of each other up to this stage.

The climbs were brutal and were wearing me thin, punishing steep pinch climbs, they took their toll and I downgraded to spinning in granny gear. Still the gravity fed trail was making up for it all and I was pulling back some of the time lost during climbing. Bozz and my other close competitors were adding some time on me now and the gap blew out, 10 minutes to Bozz, 4 minutes to my closest competitor in the final hour of racing.

I crossed the line after more than six hours on the bike, clocking ten laps, around 106km in total with about 2500m of climbing. This placed me in 3rd for the 30-44 age group, Bozz finished on 10 laps too and paced 5th in Elite. Fellows pushed young Benson into an extra lap, in Elite Benson won with 12 laps, Fellows 11 laps in just over six hours with the climbing machine Jeff Toohey 11 laps 30 minutes back. In the Elite woman Jodie Willett rode consistently to gap Naomi Hansen and Anna Beck, they stood on the podium in that order.

Thanks to Carman’s Fine Food and Wealth Creation Accountants for their support. My bike worked flawlessly thanks to Bikes at the Basin and DIY MTB. My support crew, Kiri and Al kept me moving on track, thanks again for all your help.