Stage 3

Stage 3 started out at the Telegraph Station which meant a ride of about 7km to the start line.
The weather today had cleared to a reveal blue skies and cool temperatures so perfect riding conditions.

We were soon massing on the start line and the guns fired. It was a fast start along tarmac, then taking a right turn onto sandy tracks. There were a couple of creek/river crossings to deal with which most riders (including me) were dismounting to cross due to the depth of the sand. After a while the race settled down and I was traveling along in what seemed a fast-ish group and my elevated heart rate confirmed that. I got in behind a couple of good riders on the singletrack with the intention of trying to hold their wheel as long as I could as I knew they were much quicker than I would be riding at my own pace. Unfortunately I didn't hang on for long and soon got dropped, I was finding it hard to eat and drink I started to suffer as a result. I found the singletrack to be quite hard with lots of tight corners which I didn't feel confident on so was also using up energy accelerating having braked too hard.

Towards the end of the stage we dropped out of the singletrack and descended back towards town. The final few kms were on the flat around the back of the golf course and I was simply wishing the end to be around the next corner. I missed one of the signs and went the wrong way at one point so had to turn around and get back on track. I was pleased to see the end and was hoping my legs would improve for the next stage. I made sure that I ate lots as the next day was the longest of the week....