Attack!

Team manager and rider Craig Baylis and I catch some warm rays before the race kicked off.

The team that brought you the Shack Attack 6hr had thought of everything. With overnight camping, the Tour live, there was plenty of parking close to the track. There was also loads of track to set-up near transition, transition was the hub of the event with a coffee van and hot food all day, especially appreciated with the cool weather. Rego was a snap, just a simple sign on as most entries were carried out online.
There were giveaways before the race even started and by all accounts these giveaways carried on throughout the day. All the riders headed from the rider briefing to the race start, like last year the start was bi-directional, with the solo riders heading north along the fire-trail and shortcutting the first section of single-track. It might have been a bit confusing for a small number of riders for a couple of moments but then there were six hours to sort it out.
The track was a mix of familiar, the fast single-track that Coondoo is well know for and open fire-trail to link the different sections. A few sections were reused from last years Enduro, twisting grassed trail and rock gardens. Then there was the new sections, which included a few challenging log roll-overs, a rock garden and a small amount of bar end trimming trees.
The racing was competitive in most fields, with the highlights being the in Solo Men and Men's Pairs. Over the course of the day there only was seconds between the leading riders of the categories and their closest rivals. Last years youngest solo rider, who featured in Enduro Magazine wearing a yellow jersey, was teamed up this year with another great result.
My race went well with a casual start, from there I kept my laps as consistent as I could, not feeling pressured to keep up with passing team riders. The track over the course of the day held up nicely and I enjoyed not having to feather the brakes into corners, liking the berms and some of the tacky conditions. Once again the 39 tooth chain-ring was perfect for the course, it is almost tempting to run a 1x9 setup. Finishing 7th for Solo Men I was happy to keep within a lap of the super fast guys.
Another great grass roots enduro from The Bike Shack, DIY MTB and SCUM. Keep an eye out for SCUM’s next big event the Coolendel Weekend. A big thanks to my support crew for looking after me, Team Enduro Pulse and our team partners who keep us on the trails.

　 Local riders David and Jason represented the blog in the hotly contested Pair Male.