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well once again i was on my own , well apart from the Mont track builder , but it was pretty thin on the ground for my Nobmob friends , i suppose a few of you had a pretty good excuse from not turning up this time , some little ride up north ....pretty soft really ....hmmm . We took of at about 6.30 with lights ablazing and scaring roos all over the place ...oh yeah we were at Sparrow hill , and it was bloody cold too shorts and long sleved merino , jersey and a long sleved jacket to keep me warm .

First of all, a big crongrats to the boys and girl with their awesome times and podium finishes. And of course congrats to everyone who finished.
Thanks to Christine, Nic, Stuart M, Georgie_Andy, Pikey and Jay for the company around the course. Sorry I bailed on the 90km mark but thought I would sneak under 9hrs, alas not to be.

Huge thanks to Christine for the church, certainly makes it alot easier.

Must admit the 100km course is sooo much better than the 50km course to ride.

Evan

Well after months off the bike and pining for the dirt, i finally made it to Dirtworks.

With a little road time under my wheels i felt decidedly underdone prior to Sunday but in good spirits probably due to the great company at the church and a couple of nice Sat arvo beers.
Come Sunday morning an early rise was inevitable due to so many deciding to punish themselves with the 100km.

The first 100Km was tough, after that it got much easier.

It was tough. Tougher than most of the races back in South Africa. Battled to keep cramps under control which slowed me down a bit. Nevertheless, satisfied with my time.

Wow so lucky with the weather was so mild temperature wise that I only needed to add arm warmers to my summer riding kit.Had a good position on the starting grid so got a really safe run up till the first hill which was a mix of riding & a bit of walking.Had lots of fun on the technical ups & downs managed to stay on the bike and no punctures(thanks Stans and RR),felt good till just after the canoe bridge(didn't fall in)then the pain started, the last 25kms where tough most of them were spent alone grinding up hill after hill with my drive-chain making the most terrible noises left me wonderin

I'm getting better at race preparation and now have my breakfast of creamed rice and fruit, 2 calcium/magnesium tablets and 1 ibuprofen. yum.
I'm also learning my shock/fork pressures and tyre pressures. This really helps as i find i can adjust according to how much liquid I'm carrying or what terrain ill be on.
I drink Gatorade mixed with 50 grams maltodextrin powder per litre.

The start of the Elite was interesting, with Gary forgetting to remove the road closed barriers, despite some frantic pointing and yelling from the front row of the grid as the start was counted down. Barriers at the start - perhaps a good omen for the crosser.

Eventually I lined up with Madge at the back of the last start wave with expectations of a very long day out.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2280990&l=...

Woken @ 5am by my 1 year old Tyler (nothing out of the ordinary there) to a classic autumn morning.
I had a goal to beat my 08 time of 5:20 and secretly was going for a sub 5. 08 was my first ever race so
I didn't have a good average to work with but I love a good challenge!

The first 50kms was as good as I remember and I snuck into half way just under 2.30. Dylan arrived
after a minute or so looking fresh and keeping his heart rate in check, I on the other hand was really
working it and wasn't looking forward to the upcoming climb past the temple. We rode together at

Hey everyone!
Sorry I couldn't catch up with you all the night before. Got there past midnight and went straight away to my sleeping bag.
After an overwhelming experience from Angry Doctor, I took it a bit easier. 1st time ever (apart from WED's 1 lap of the dam) clipped in:)
Should improve my paddling skills on a flat road, everyone zoomed past me.