My Top 5 from Rockytrail Grand Prix at Awaba

1. While checking out the conditions of the trail and as a bit of a warm up. I climbed up from the transition area and then wound my way back down via the sweet switchbacks before the end of the DH trail. Winding might not be the best description, more like hooking it. Came it to one of the corners to hot, braked to late, ran off the trail and in a spray of bark fair into a sapling.

2. Don't brake on the damp wooden bridges. I just had to make sure and after a couple of close calls, one with a big tree traversing back from the south end of the trail. The other after the infamous concrete block cork screw, there was a two wheel slide across that bridge but no off.

3. Love the trail. The cool thing about Awaba is the flow of the trail. Making best use of all the berms, rollers and downhill sections to keep momentum high.

4. When the GP4 riders finally stopped crowding the track, we really got to stretch our legs as the trail opened up. Most of us became more consistent in our lap times and had a lot more fun.

5. Sidling up to transition 20 minutes before the 7 hour mark, undecided on a last lap or just to call it now. But Martin and the Rockytrail team wouldn't have stop before the 7hr mark, a pep talk, some verbal persuasion and I was pushed back onto the single-track to do it for the last time.