hard

After having an amazing time with Gav's friend Ian on Saturday (we saw a fluffy goat, spoon bird, a snake with no teeth and fish) We took the train with our bike and big bags direction to the house of MTB 24h soloist mentor John alias Carlgroover. When the boys were talking, I was working on finishing a really important part of the ARC grant application as I had a big dead line ...Gav called me to have dinner and I had gluten free pasta and supa salty cheese and pasta sauce (no beer).

Then John gave us advise about food when racing and then at 11pm we decided to watch the favorite movie of John 24 h solo with Greg Gordon!

at midnight I ate a Banana and then jumped the bed I was dead tired I slept like a log.
Then 4am something the alarm went off and all started..........

When we arrived Darren and his friend have saved a great place for the Nomobers.

I watched the boys putting the camp up (hehe that is the beauty of doing solo races as you don't need to do that much but just ride your bike and eat hehe so thanks guys for that ....mind you I did not really use the camp......)

At the start line I saw other solo women and I said to Gav it is going to be a hard race (as she is good and she has done 24 hr races before)....I started wit a nice pace that suited me really well until I had a puncture during my 2nd lap, Gazza pumped up the tyre (no tube) for me but it went down again 300 meter down the road then Gazza and Darren put a tube in my rear tyre, pupped it up and off we went on the trails again (then I felt the bike was responding better to the trail and I reckon I have been riding with a going down flat tyre for my 1.5 lap...I flet relieved as I though: "woman you can not ride this bloody fancy bike!!!!"

When fixing the tyre thingy, I saw people passing me like another solo woman and then Gav and John said that I was 5min down her .......Booo

Anyway I have done a lap, then another one, and another one, I stopped to get new bottles and food and pee and have more water on the trail ...I also crashed once

I rode until I saw her having a break at the transition point and then here she was in my tail !!! When I saw her face and her position on her bike ....I knew that she was not going to last so I carried on until I couldn't see her ....and then when Gav and John said I was first I dropped the pace as it is no point of adding more suffering for nothing (my back started to be supa sore).

after 7.56hr on the bike I crossed the transition line, people told me that I could go for another lap .....................no way I was hurting to much to even contemplate this option and it was no point of doing it ....

I had another energy drink kindly given by Darren and then stretched my back I had another Banana .....Gav arrived, his team finished 2nd !!

Beth did really well too I saw her passing me like a goat up the hill so as Alex and Rob

It was hard but I enjoyed it

Gav and I took the train back to Sydney.....I was a Zombi
after a shower, a big steak and two eggs I was sleeping........
CHeers guys for the great time!!! you guys rock !!!!!!!