What a great way to finish the week!
I'm so glad I had a successful day to end on a high note after a week of ups and downs.
My support crew of my Dad, Mark and my Sister, Laura have been just tremendous and I'm so thankful that they've come here for me this week. Dad hasn't been feeling well for the last day and a half so for him to bear the 40deg heat to watch me race today was beyond the call of duty I think.
With about 8hrs all up of riding over 5 varying stages through all weather and all trail conditions to not have one mechanical is almost a miracle...but it's not. It's because I have a great bike, built up exceptionally welland with the proper set-up and for that near miracle I have to thank Ross from iRide and Simon from Adventure Brands for supplying my Vertex 70 RSL.
So Stage 5: A 2km short course cross country criterium. Now I'm glad I did those CX races! It also took me back to Westgate Dirt Crits in Melbourne, something I miss very much about the big smoke!
Of course it was ON from the gun and all I saw from the leaders was the slight puff of dust left from their smoking fast rear wheels. After a surprisingly calm first lap (I was convinced there would be a crash with a couple of tight, skinny corners on the course) the pace was held high. I'd drift from the back of one pack to the front of another, get a spurt of energy, sprint in front of the gap I'd just fallen off but struggled to get any useful work done for anything more than a lap with any one group. A bit of an energy wasting style but from reports that's how it played out for a lot of us. Finally Andrew Mock caught me and we did some work together (him more than I initially!) and once we caught fellows and the pressure came off us a little, the pace dropped slightly and I could pull my weight with some turns on the front to get us around the last three laps of the crit without being caught (by anyone but the race leaders who had already lapped us once!).
Just before the finish on the last lap the leaders came around to lap us twice. I looked back and recognising our race was over if they lapped us again before the finish, tried to outsprint them to the line..hahahha..what was I thinking! They passed me like I was standing still and I was giving it my absolute all! Seriously fast!
Slight downer about today is that Dan McConnel and Paul VDP weren't allowed to race due to issues with them missing the first stage with food poisoning. I would have paid money to watch Paul tear up that course today!
Thanks for everyone for reading these posts thus far! Sometimes it's been a chore to write them but I always enjoy it once I've finished and hope you've had some entertainment from them.
We have the 'Jamboree Ride' tomorrow which is a social/casual loop around the island similar to the first day that I think I'll do for some extra k's so I might do a nice wrap up sometime after that and before I head home on the 26th.
Till then, more HR data from the last stage HERE and see/speak to you all soon!
Zigga
Game face: ON
The freight train of pain!
No comments:
Post a Comment