Brass Monkeys - Round 3

I’d been readying my wetsuit and snorkel in preparation for the race on Sunday. Much of the country is currently knee deep in water and the weather forecast for Sunday was laced with phrases like “severe weather warning” and “flood risk”. Yet I woke up to a crisp, chilly morning which added the prospect of ice into the equation. At the Ash Ranges venue bright and early, the grass was still white with frost and there was an early detour in place to avoid a stretch of sheet ice. 

It was a tough course with little opportunity for respite. I’m not going to say it wasn’t muddy, but the course was amazingly dry considering the amount of rain we have had over the past month. The challenge was finding firmer ground, riders tip toeing along the sides of the trail, or even through the heather, in search of traction. The woodland sections stood up well and remained grippy throughout the race. Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for the open trails, which deteriorated as the race progressed. What had been the best line only a lap before might be impassable just 40 minutes later. In the end, I was finding that due to its firmer base the original track was often the best bet, once your tyres cut through the upper layer of slop.

Plunging through areas of mud and mirk our chains and brakes began to complain more and more. Each turn of the pedal was met by a graunching, grinding noise as sand and grit was ground between chain and chainrings. I’d fitted new brake pads before the race, which was good as I could feel the resistance as the disk forced it’s layer of dirt through the calliper.

I started well and although a lead group slipped away I found myself at the front of a following group with whom I spent much of the race. I tried frequently to escape, but after each effort I’d glance back over my shoulder to see a long line of grimacing faces. Swapping positions as different sections of the course played to our individual strengths we fought the elements, our own bodies and each other up every climb and down the singletrack.

As the laps ticked by the race thinned out, mechanical issues accounted for some and the conditions took their toll on others. Coming into the sixth lap I had a little dig on the first climb, where traction was now quite limited. Despite tyres slipping and spinning I had finally escaped those behind! Keen to maintain my advantage, I was also conscious of keeping something in reserve for the final lap. However, I had miscalculated how much my lap times had slowed in the poor conditions. Counting the seconds on my Garmin I was aware I was getting tight for time. Despite a late effort I crossed the line just a few minutes after the 4 hour cut-off. I was at least saved an additional lap of suffering! 13^th position- my best result of the series so far. One round to go!