Early Christmas (50km)

I'd never been to Kowan before this race, so I spent the ride feeling like a kid on Christmas Day - every turn was like opening a new present, but instead of toys I got an endless supply of singletrack. I spent the first 30kms grinning my head off, riding and occasionally chatting with a great bunch of guys. It really didn't feel like a race, just like a fun day out with a bunch of mates. My training for this event was rudely interrupted by a couple of weeks off the bike with flu, so I didn't have great expectations of a particularly fast time. But in a way that was nice... No pressure, just enjoy it. That's not to say I wasn't pushing myself, and around the 30km mark the grin faded a bit as I started to feel pretty smashed. So I backed off for 5kms or so, then with 15km to go picked up the pace and planned to empty the tank by the finish line. I was alone at this stage so spent 20 mins or so riding solo, just occasionally catching 90km tail-end riders. I was on a Giant XTC 29er carbon hardtail, and there were plenty of times I wished I had rear suspension. I was getting pretty fatigued in my arms and shoulders, but the fun trails eased the pain. With 5km to go the group I had caught picked up the pace, and after 1 or 2 riders passed me I decided that was it - no one else was going to catch me. So I picked up the pace and eventually sprinted the last km or so to the line. I guess I still had a bit left in the tank and probably should have gone faster earlier on! Post race atmosphere was fantastic. Saw Tristan cross the line very soon after the main elite field (and ahead of a couple of them!), then enjoyed meeting a few nobmobbers, catching up with friends and having a couple of beers. I'll definitely be back next year - this was a sensational event.