Singletrack Mind Round 4 at Stromlo

Jamie and I early in the pack.

A warmer than expected morning greeted when we arrived at Mt Stomlo for the fourth round of the Singletrack Mind Series and seven hours of race time. The race got underway on time, with a group, self-seated start and deciding to start towards the back of the bunch was not the wisest decision. So after a few track stand comps with my fellowTeam Enduro Pulse members while everyone sorted themselves out, finally we were underway through the single track - although from this moment on, we were already 5 minutes behind the race leaders.

Craig before the course took its toll.

Although I have ridden at Stromlo on a number of occasions, once again, the track we rode used sections I had never ridden before. Due to a large amount of rain recently in Canberra, there was water in places on the track where locals had never seen it before. If there water, than there after a few bikes it was mud! As the day went on, the mud patches began to lengthen, widen and deepen. Another challenging aspect of the Stromlo are the rocks! My Yeti worked well, and the course did max out the suspension, or maybe I just feel like a downhill rider when it points that way. Go the Luge. The track proved to be tricky for many race competitors with there being numerous incidences on the track, throughout the race. Unfortunately, one of those incidences was me. Although it was nothing serious, I misjudged a berm, pushed it to hard, and found myself off the bike, missing skin in numerous places.
Of course, I would not be able to race successfully without my fantastic support crew and supporters. They took care of my nutrition and liquid intake throughout the day, as well as supporting the other Team Enduro Pulse members, one of whom ended up requiring medical attention.
The end of the seven hours saw me with a very muddy bike and a twelfth placing. After my slow start, I had managed to work my way up through the other competitors to this position. The top ten race competitors had been in roughly the same position since the beginning of the race. This shows the importance of getting a good start.

For the Crew page updated too.