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After being without a mtb for 6 months my new trek arrived the week before the convict, so what better place for a first ride then a race. I've been keeping fit on the road bike while the mtb was on order, however after the bobbin head classic I came down with shingles which kept me off the bike for 4 weeks.

The Convict is always a race I look forward to. It was my first 100km race in 2012 and one I have done every year since. For me it’s a benchmark of my progression, and one of the few races where I know my race times off my head!
With a new bike this year I started putting the pressure on myself a couple of months out. Had I made the right decision changing bikes? Would I be quicker? Was I as fit as last year? Each year I feel I am at my peak for this race, so the pressure to repeat the performance seems higher each time.

Last year was the first Convict I missed in its 11yr history due to injury so this year was my first attempt in the reverse direction – we did climb Jacks Track in the first year of the event but it was a different course then (harder!). I estimated this direction would be 20-25mins slower so my aim was sub 5:30.

The weather forecast was for 10-20mm rain so I added some weatherproofing to the bike and decided to carry more weight in the Camelbak rather than on the bike but when I arrived it was light rain and warm so I didn’t wear any of the wet gear I brought along.

Three years since my last marathon race so I went with the 68k option. In hindsight it was the right choice for my current form.

Other than a couple of days in NZ in February I had only ridden the MTB once in the last year so went for a recce 4 weeks ago. I was that bad on the GNR section that I came back the following week and rode it twice searching for a bit more rhythm through the rough stuff.

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. That surrender, even the smallest act of giving up, stays with me. So when I feel like quitting, I ask myself, which would I rather live with?”
- Lance Armstrong... um... er... Anonymous

I’ve been riding / training pretty consistently for the last few months, but not as seriously as I have in the past. And with most of my rides being pretty short, I wasn’t very confident about the Convict 68. But after pre-riding the course a week before the race I felt OK, and decided to give it a go. I figured I should be able to average a bit over 19km/h and ride it in about 3.5 hours - so I had a goal.

I think I must have been born a year too late…..

I missed last year’s initial reverse Convict due to a prior travel commitment. I had given up doing the 50km version a few years before due to it feeling a bit boring so I knew I had to give the new 68km version a go this year. I would have been a few months too young for the “Grand” masters last year, but after looking at last year’s results in the 68km version, I thought that if I could get in under 5 hrs I’d be reasonably competitive in my new age category. But that was last year’s results….

My first 4 hour endurance event....didn't stop going on my singlespeed....no cramping and really enjoyed it. Great to meet some NobMobbers briefly. Well done everyone!

I entered my first lap race after an invite from @sikllama to do the 7 hour singleton round of the shimano gp. At the start of my day at 4:15am I was questioning my decision to do the race as that seemed an rather ungodly hour to get up on a Saturday morning. But I got myself into the car and picked up @hawkeye on the way. We arrived at around 7:30 and found the perfect spot to set up right amongst the big guys of the race, which is where we belonged .

So, with a truly last minute leave pass granted at 3pm on Friday (thanks you Mrs. Pyrate!!), I quickly registered on-line for the 4 Hour Solo and started thinking about the logistics of getting ready for the race - what kit was clean? How many gels have I got? Hydration pack or bidons?

I was keen to give this race a go both as a solid training hit out but also to get a feel for lap based events, which I had never done before, as I have an eye on the Chocolate Foot Single-track Mind series later this year.