Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro

Southern Cross Television Stage 5

It was time again to go against the clock, Southern Cross Television Stage 5 was a time trial. Riders were spaced at 30 second intervals from the steady, to blistering fast, based on your overall time (General Classification) up to this point. Starting at the Alice Springs Golf Club the trail headed along cart trail before crossing onto rough double track. From there we would head down the road a little and onto single track, which flowed nicely. The lightly graveled trail wound around and over the rolling hills making the most of natural rock formations and scratchy shrubs that littered the area. It was exciting to chase the riders in front as you would occasionally grab a glimpse of them on the next rise. Then there was the pressure of the rides chasing, attempting to hold them off as long as possible. The second half of the course was a little more technical with pinching climbs and rocky descents. With riders spaced out there was plenty of room to make the most of this new trail and enjoy the great riding environment the Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro had to offer.
As for my ride I gave it one hundred percent and caught up to a couple of riders in front of me. But with plenty of quick and experienced riders starting just a couple of minutes behind I was caught in the later half of the course and they went on racing up the trail. When I reached the flat nearing the golf course I attempted to gain as much speed as possible with a time trail position and sprint to the line. With a lap time of one hour and four minutes I held steady in my category, not giving up any time but not making any either.