Insanely hot

Loz and I did 8 laps in 6.5 hours. The race was cut short by two hours due to the extreme conditions.

Temps were up around 44. It was ridiculously hard...for me anyway.

Time to go lie down and die now.......will update later

The forecast was for 40+ temps and again I knew this would be bad for me given my previous performance at Mogo in the heat.

Loz volunteered to do the first lap and it was already getting quite warm and it was only 9am. He got back in around 45min due to the traffic and off I went for my first lap. I tried to pace myself as I knew this was going to be a very hard day. First lap was pretty uneventful and did it in around 37-38min. They ran the end of the course via short meadows rather than the long one which takes you up that nasty firetrail climb. I was thankful for that in this heat! Immediately took jersey off and sat in the shade. Poured water all over myself which helped temporarily. It was so so hard to cool down. Others who had just finished a lap were feeling the heat just as bad too. People who had not ridden yet were getting nervous from all the horror stories coming back

My second lap didn't start so well when I clipped a tree in Jurrasic Park. Fortunately the ground was nice and soft and I rode away with no injuries. This lap was a bit slower from memory.....just under 40min I think.

The third lap was in the middle of the day. This was going to be very painful. Bernd had a digital thermometer out and in the shade it read 41 degrees. In the sun it was reading 44! At this point the tubes on the bike were uncomfortable to touch. I took this lap very slowly. Granny gear was called upon. Even the Roller Coaster was taken at a cruisy pace. As I went through transition I saw a sign saying that the race had been cut to 6.25 hours. I went back to camp and told everyone the good news.

I think this was a good decision. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke were a very real possibility in these conditions. Craig came back from a lap and said he was feeling COLD. Sure signs he was in the beginning stages of heat exhaustion. We sprayed him down and told him to drink drink drink. That was his day done.

Lozza then went on his fourth lap. At this stage I was sitting in my chair and was willing to call it a day. However Loz got back 45 min before the cutoff even after doing a 1hr lap.....damn him. So I got back on my bike to bring it home. I did this lap painfully and slowly I stopped at the top of every hill and poured water over myself. The problem was that the bottle of water was around 40 degrees and it wasn't all that pleasant! I stopped at the end of the graveyard to help a person with a broken chain. I gave him a powerlink and told him what to do. Hope you got out alright mate if you're reading this. I had to put a foot down on the rock step up near transition. My left quad immediately cramped. I stood there in pain for a few minutes and then gingerly pedalled off to the finish. Got back in around 55 min I think.

It was the most challenging conditions I have ever ridden in. Everyone had to dig deep for this race. Big respect to people like Gav and Damien doing it Solo SS! Gav sounded almost fresh when he passed me on the last lap. Well done to everyone who participated on this extreme day. It sure hurt but it was fun in a way

I hope it's not so hot next year!