The question I asked myself mid race was, "Who was I racing against?". The start of the Rocky Trail 4 & 8 Hour Grand Prix had been a self seeding bunch affair. We had launched onto the dry 9.7km track immediately forming a tight lead group on the road and buzzed along to the main climb. After a couple of laps I was aware of which were the team and solo riders. The Bernard Riders were hard to miss with their energetic banter between their leading teams, they were also handy to have around for the road section. For the solos, I rode as if they were all doing the eight hour, and it wasn't till my virtual mid race epiphany that the cogs fell inline. I had just been racing the four hour GP riders. Smashing myself to keep up with both the solo and teams. 
The dominos seemed to all fall at once, my extra effort and the heat of the day had me working hard and drinking more than usual. In turn I had not brought enough electrolyte to cover the extra fluid. Then we missed a bottle pickup after I finished a bottle early and I made a bad decision to ride on without fluid for a lap. This pushed my support crew to make unaccustomed decisions re my dietary requirements and a lap later I had to pull in for a full stop. Time to re-gather our focus, work out a plan for the remaining hours and bring it back together, which we did successfully.
Once the clock had ticked over for the four hour the track became unusually quiet. As far as I could see there would be maybe just one or two riders ahead and behind. The main climb, the heart of this track as may riders would seem to gather on its slope, was desolate. The only sound was the crunch of my tyres on the gravel. I commented to one rider, it may have been Nigel riding for Pedal 4 Pierce, “You are the only rider I have seen this lap”, and it was true.
The back end of the race became a little more social, having been told I was second place and a lap up on third I caught up with Marty who was sitting with a small buffer to fourth. I was glad slow a little, chat about riding, points scores and up coming events. Then a bit later Jon Odams who had been tearing the rubber all day caught up with me, for the second time. Turns out Jon does a bit of riding and can give Craig Gordon trouble on the road. So there it was, the podium riders almost riding together in the final laps. A brief and impromptu track stand comp and a hit out on the BMX track as the seconds counted down is how we saw the end of the Rocky Trail 8 Hour GP.
The dominos seemed to all fall at once, my extra effort and the heat of the day had me working hard and drinking more than usual. In turn I had not brought enough electrolyte to cover the extra fluid. Then we missed a bottle pickup after I finished a bottle early and I made a bad decision to ride on without fluid for a lap. This pushed my support crew to make unaccustomed decisions re my dietary requirements and a lap later I had to pull in for a full stop. Time to re-gather our focus, work out a plan for the remaining hours and bring it back together, which we did successfully.
Once the clock had ticked over for the four hour the track became unusually quiet. As far as I could see there would be maybe just one or two riders ahead and behind. The main climb, the heart of this track as may riders would seem to gather on its slope, was desolate. The only sound was the crunch of my tyres on the gravel. I commented to one rider, it may have been Nigel riding for Pedal 4 Pierce, “You are the only rider I have seen this lap”, and it was true.
The back end of the race became a little more social, having been told I was second place and a lap up on third I caught up with Marty who was sitting with a small buffer to fourth. I was glad slow a little, chat about riding, points scores and up coming events. Then a bit later Jon Odams who had been tearing the rubber all day caught up with me, for the second time. Turns out Jon does a bit of riding and can give Craig Gordon trouble on the road. So there it was, the podium riders almost riding together in the final laps. A brief and impromptu track stand comp and a hit out on the BMX track as the seconds counted down is how we saw the end of the Rocky Trail 8 Hour GP.
A big thanks to my supporters for their real food, real advice and keeping me riding. Thanks to Team Enduro Pulse and our team partners who keep us on the trails and racing. Keep an eye on Enduro Pulse for a full report and the next great event.
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