I had my alarm set for 4:30am, yes you heard right, I was up at that ungodly hour. Anyway, we were in the car around 5am driving from Forrest to Woodend for the BMC classic.
I had entered the 50km event due to training at DISC indoor velodrome at 2pm that day. I was aiming (or hoping) that I would be finished the race by 12noon so that this could all fall into place nicely!
Christy, Darren, Stu, Lorenzo were all there, so it was good to relieve some pre race nerves with them around. The morning was cold but we all agreed that we would not need vests or sleeves. Glad to have made that decision! Lorenzo, Ian and I went for a warm up for about 10 minutes, which was great for me, as I was feeling much better about myself after this.
You see, I have not been travelling well for some time now, since the Otway Odyssey back in Feb to be precise. Mentally and physically down in the dumps and acually got sick for about 2 weeks with a 5 week build up again to get to 1/2 decent form. I had no idea what today would bring. Absolutely NO idea! Christy, Darren, Lorenzo, Ian and I sought out a front position. I then saw Darren Davis right up the front, local trail blazer extrodenaire. He was asking why I wasnt right up the front line, so I sheepishly went to the very front row. Unsure of my suitability for such a position, I tried to not worry of the 50kms of pain and suffering that was to come.
When we finally started I found myself in the lead pack and huffing and puffing madly, but sustaining the power in my pedal stroke no problem at all. I took the lead in the bunch on a fireroad at one stage and missed the left turn, this put me to the back of the bunch and behind a rider that was a bit slower than I would have liked. Darren took an opportunity to pass him and so did I. We then both passed Niki Fisher and to my surprise she did not grab my wheel. There she was, gone. I could see her every now and again through the twisting single track, but eventually we hit the next bit of fireroad and she was gone, and I made sure of it. At this stage I passed another 3 or so riders and caught 3rd place I think. He pulled away in the single track, only slightly, but enough to lose sight on the turns.
Forrest MTB has started to make moves on the local trails. Strong contingent of young men in the first race, no girls to be seen. However, race 2 at Barwon Dam saw Fiona and daughters, Stef and Rach, Jeanine and Amber, Katherine and of course my petal, Saskia. That's 7 chicks! woo hoo GIRL POWER.
10 gents as well with even Matt the Master Smoothie Peddler entering and not doing too bad if we can mention that! 4th to be precise, however the Masters Category is seeing Norm continue to give Jake and the young men a healthy scare.
Jake is proving to be a force, coming in with the fastest overall time 2 weeks running.
Week 1 saw him come in 1 second faster than Norm. Week 2 he nailed it, coming in 35 seconds quicker than Normie Boy. Oscar rode his XC bike this week and now needs a new handicap, a bit of tightening up needed as he came in first overall, followed by Cody and Jos.
Rainer is doing an awesome job, even if he is suspectable to flats pre race and mid race, he still turns up with a smile and is doing great with the posters for the events.
We are having a meeting on Wednesday 23rd April to discuss finances, where to from here etc...at Forrest Hall. Race 3 is Saturday 19th April, meet at Yaugher Trail Head Car Park, get there at 3pm as we would like to start around 3:30...lack of daylight these days.
On Sunday 5th April, I travelled up to Bright to stay the whole week and do Level 2 MTB tour guide course with Wodonga Tafe(thanks Liz for finding this for me.) We stayed at The Outdoor Inn http://www.brightbackpackers.com.au/ and life was good.
It was me and 9 other students ranging from 19 to 22 years of age. All studying Adventure Eco Toursim and this was just a module for them.
A typical day consisted of waking up at 6:30am, doing some stretching(only me in my cabin) and then making brekky, ready to start first lecture at 8am. Chilly mornings of around 5 degrees. By 10am, we went on our ride for the day taking in various single track and trails around the Bright area. Ride normally lasting around 3 hours. Get back to base, lunch for an hour. Afternoon lecture normally was a bike mechanics session often spent at CyclePath in Bright. We would then have an afternoon lecture for another hour and then break for dinner, 5-7pm. Last but not least there would be an evening session from 7-8pm. A nice hot shower and I was in bed asleep by 10pm. This was me for 5 days.
Day 6 was spent riding from Mt Hotham back to Bright where we got to put our guiding skills to practice in a real world environment. I met some great people and had a wonderful time. Now I am back in the real world and cant wait to put what I learnt into practice with www.mtbskills.com.au
