Race 1, of three... and I've entered the whole series. What have I done?!!
That's what I was thinking on Saturday night before the first N-Duro race. Then I soon forgot about all my non-training and lack of activity, by getting buzzed on a couple of beers and eating a huge plate of pasta. I had been granted a leave-pass to spend a night and a day remembering just how much fun road trips and mountain biking weekends are. It also reminded me of how much riding can hurt.
Saturday night was great. I won't bore you with the details here, except to say that it involved plenty of friendly people, lots of food, beers, hotpools, bike maintenance, and a 'sleep' on a not-very-comfy bunk bed.
Sunday morning was cold, and unfortunately it didn't take long before it also became wet. Nagem dashed out for a mercy coffee (to take mercy on her poor head that was craving caffeine) and we suited up into our riding duds to head into town for breakky. Zippy Central provided the fuel for the upcoming exercise and I finally felt somewhat human. None of us wanted to get on our bikes in the cold and rain, but we did. I attempted to ride around and warm up, but found that the cold wind prevented me from getting very warm at all. A good dowsing of rain confirmed that I would be riding in my rain jacket.
After a ten minute delay we rolled off the start line and up the first hill. I rode the whole thing, which I wasn't expecting to do. I could have walked, but Orangecruz was there in front of me so I just had to try to keep up. We were the only two women on singlespeeds doing the short course race... so for once I was actually racing. Well, kind of. I was in no sort of state to be racing, so I was very much in the mode of "push it a bit and see what happens".
I swapped the lead with Orangecruz a couple of times (confusing both of us!), and got in front just before Tahi. Singletrack, at last. A nice bit of swoopy flat stuff to try to find my groove on. We rolled through Creek, Mad If You Don't, and Ball And Chain, then onto Yellow Brick Road. I finally felt settled, and followed a couple of young guns at a modest pace although I felt as though I was being slightly held up. I could hear Orangecruz coming up behind us (talking and laughing?!!), so when I hit Sandy Skid Road, I knew I had to give it heaps. By the top of the hill, I was ragged and hot. I stopped to take off my jacket and get some food into my gob. And what did I see behind me? Orangecruz, just a few metres back, climbing comfortably whilst holding conversation with the rider beside her! Ugh.
She stopped with me, ate some food, conversed and then we were off again. Me in 2nd place. Pretty soon I caught up with 1st place again and we decided it would be better if I went in front on the downhills. Orangecruz blames her loss of mojo through multiple broken bones, but I reckon I'd be shit scared riding a 26" wheeled cross country singlespeed with v-brakes! (She assures me the brakes are great though...!). I do prefer the downhills, and the big 29er hoops on my bike just eat it all up.
We rolled, trudged, and bombed through Pondy New and Rollercoaster, then swung into Old Chevy. Here things became a little more pedestrian - in both the mood and the fact I had to walk a lot of the pinch climbs. I battled through, expecting to be overtaken by my one competitor, but it didn't happen - I'd managed to drop her somewhere on the previous bit of singletrack. After Old Chevy I grovelled and walked up Larch Road and got another couple of bites to eat before finally getting back into some rideable singletrack on that bottom backwards bit of Be Rude Not To. Then we were spat out onto Pig Track. Horrible, ugly, nasty, Pig Track (with a couple of little bits that are nice). Legs of jelly and arms that had no push left were all I had to get me and the bike up that hill. Someone rode past me - yes rode - at the top of Pig Track making all sorts of inhuman noises with the strain and effort it took.
Finally I was on the home straight. Soakhole/Turkish Delight, then New Exit Trail. Slip, slide, skid, pedal, slide... all the way down the hill. I walked a nasty looking bit after the guy in front of me messed it up and scared me off trying it. Then the next ugly bit I saw, I thought, "Oooh, better walk this one", then I saw the photographer at the bottom and decided I had to ride it! I would rather have a photograph of me crashing, than of me walking!!
And at that, I was finished. The end came rather abruptly after such a long slog through the forest. I finished in 2 hours 6 minutes something - pretty slow, but respectable given my build up to this race. Orangecruz rolled in behind me just a minute later with tales of woe and clogged up SPD pedals requiring sticks to push the mud through. Phew!
So that's how I ended up with another 1st placing in the bag. I have to thank Charlotte for the front tyre that saved my life and gave me grippage and steerage. Thanks to my road trip companions Nagem and Michelle for all the fun and good times - they too battled their way through the course with little or no training under their belts. And huge thanks to Andrew and the kids for letting Mum go for a night and a day to pretend she is still a biker chick.
I was so busy having fun I didn't take any photos, except for one of a rainbow over Countdown. Is it a sign??
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