chrischris's blog

Mixed Doubles.

I had originally planned to enter this event as my first solo event, and crack 100km with some breaks in between laps. But due to some other events (including the weather forecast) I entered the Tuesday beforehand with a friend from work.

This year is a huge learning curve for me. I still have to slow down a little at the start and pace myself.

Started off in 3rd at the end of the first lap & then slowly dropped to 7th. I felt terrible during the 2nd lap. Slow down Chris!

Going for a fun Sunday ride is one thing, the psychology of racing is entirely new to me. Always amazing to see the A graders race. Also amazing to finish a ride with a clean bike!

Great to back on the MTB. I'm quite bored of the road...

I can't figure out why, but I just felt shocking today. I have been training well & feeling well in general - but on the track today I just couldn't 'warm up'. I'd slept half okay (considering I have 2 young'uns) & eaten normally. I didn't start out too hard. I just don't know. I still find it really hard to know who is in my grade. Is a coloured arm band system silly?

In any case, great to be back on my fave bike! A little slippery, and muddy in spots. I hope the good weather keeps up.

*I have entered this blog entry under last years event... as I cannot figure out how to log a new ride for an event that has already been run...*

A last minute spot was available for this event, & with the wife's blessing, I grabbed the chance. The 6 man team was a 'social' ride. We were here to ride, but not push ourselves silly. I had only just (1 day earlier) semi-recovered from the manflu. I had to borrow some LED lights & throw the mattress in the back of the X-Trail. I was looking at buying a good LED, but hadn't purchased one yet.

What a great day! The camping, weather, company, track, it was all great.

This is the first time that I've properly watched my diet & fluids leading up to an endurance event. It really paid off. I thought that my 4th & 5th lap would be slower, but, all 5 laps were within 41 seconds of each other. My last lap wasn't even my slowest! I was keen for a 6th, but the 8 hrs had already expired.

Many thanks to all the fellow riders who checked on me after my OTB incident on my first lap. No damage done, except for a whopping bruise.

A lesson in preparation.

As I ran out the door at 8am, I grabbed my gear & threw it in the car. I'd never been to Singleton before, but I was guessing it was 90 min away. As I put my bike on the roof, I noticed that the back tyre was flat. I'd ridden it just yesterday for 20 min and it was fine... No time to fix the tubeless system now.

As I arrived at Singleton, I quickly registered, and upacked my gear. As I put on my sunglasses, the frame broke. (Thanks to Andy for the loan of his 2nd pair) I quickly threw a tube into the rear tyre & raced back to the start.

This was my first local club race - & a great learning experience. Having come out of a recent cold & minor ankle surgery, I signed up for D grade. I found it easier than I thought... I'll be in C grade next time.

My ankle held up fine. I'm getting the stitches out today. The new parts of the track look great! I'm really looking forward to seeing the pros power around in a few weeks.

I did find it a little hard to figure out who was racing who... maybe there should be a coloured arm band system? Red = A Grade, Blue = B Grade etc.

Great fun. Great intro to meeting the wider mtb community. Mark & I tried to find a 3rd team member, but only started with 2. Had a little spill on the 4th lap due to finger strength giving way. Yes- you read that correctly. Changing gears & braking became quite hard during the 4th lap. Will definitely sign up for more future events.