Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro

Ingkerreke Commercial Stage 3

Later after Subway Mt Gillan Stage 2 the competitors in the Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro, their friends, family and other spectators gathered on the slope Anzac Hill close to the centre of Alice Springs. It was time to put the foot to the floor in the ultimate test of power, time trial hill climb. It was simple, get to the top using the same frame and fork you had been utilising throughout the race. The distance was a mere three hundred meters so I walked the incline prior to the start of the event. Turns out the further you rose the more the gradient became, it flattened off briefly (a car-park) then in a small sweep rose the final four meters to reach the summit.
There is not much I remember after the count down and go. I knew I had to put in max effort for a good time as a rider before me had clocked an early fifty second run and others were close to the minute mark. The moment I do remember is hitting the final pitch up before the car-park and struggling to turn the wheels over, then an instant later gasping for breath after crossing the finish line, my heart almost bursting from my chest. Once capable of breathing again I headed down the hill and was in owe of the crowd that lined the bitumen road, there were cowbells, shouts of encouragement and cheers for all the riders. There was real spirit on Anzac Hill of our hill climb effort.
Turns out I managed a fifty eight second climb and it immediately put me the top three times so far. But it wasn't long before seconds were being carved off my time with a row of fifty sevens and fifty fives. Of course there was plenty of anticipation for those final top ten riders with plenty of cross country pedigree among the riders. So it was that junior rider Ryan Standish out sprinted Aiden Lefmann who was then followed by Andrew Blair. Anna Beck climbed the fastest in the Open female division but was closely
followed by Anna Antrecht and Jess Douglas.