6th is an improvement..

So Saturday evening was the final round of the Camelbak WSMTB 4 hour, despite the rains the organisers were on the ball and communicating early to notify that the event was going ahead as planned.
Thanks again to all the volunteers, WSMTB really seem to have the organisation well oiled and ran perfectly.
I'd arrived early to have a practice lap based on advise from some riding friends. I'm glad that I did, just to know how to ride the rocky sections and get a feel for the high number of switchbacks.
I lined up on the 2nd row of a very wide first row of 12-15 riders, a quick sprint on the grass and then a right hander onto a dirt road, I deliberately went on the high side as I expected at least one faller on the corner but it seems that everyone got through safely.
From there it was a bit processional through the first singletrack where I managed to pass a couple of guys but the riders seemed to thin out pretty quickly. I managed to pass a couple of solo riders and felt comfortable riding the remainder of the first lap and through onto the 2nd. It was another tough course to find time to eat and drink, I'd set out with the intention of having a gel at the end of lap 1 and then every 2 laps after that and having a drink at the faster fire trail section and through transition.
Entering an early singletrack section on my third lap I caught an embedded sharp root that tore a 4mm hole in my rear tyre sending sealant everywhere. There was no option but to replace with a tube, watching all the solo riders come by at this point was quite disheartening, especially as I'd also punctured during rd 2. I got the tube in and inflated with a co2 but not to anywhere near enough pressure so I had to nurse the bike round the remaining 7kms of the lap before I could inflate properly.
Having reinflated and had another gel i set about trying to regain some lost postions. before long the dark had set in and the lights were on, not being the most confident singletrack rider darkness just amplified my lack of skill and I was was concentrating hard just to get through a lot of sections.
By lap 7 I was finding my back was getting sore, I put this down to riding too high a gear out of all the switchbacks rather than getting in a small gear and spinning through them, another learning point. I considered quitting at the end of lap 7 but there was about 12 minutes left before the end so pushed on to lap 8, this is where the lack of fluids started to take it's toll as I felt pretty empty by this point. The final lap seemed to go on forever and I was overjoyed to pass through the ponds knowing that the end was in sight. In the end I finished 6th and considering the time lost to the puncture I have no real complaints.
Well done to all that finished, I thought it was a tough race.
Thanks WSMTB for a great event. Look forward to the next club comp.