The Avanti 6-hour MTB Enduro was held last weekend at the Benobble-Canungra race track.
The weather held out, and aside from the excessive amount of cow crap everywhere, it was a really good atmosphere hanging around the foothills to Mount Tambourine in a nice, grassy, shaded paddock with 300 like-minded mountain biking competitors.
I had heard mixed reviews about the track and as I came in from my first lap (having to hustle and bustle past people for half an hour) I had decided that I didn't like it.
However, as the day wore on, the Gels kicked in and the caffeine flowed more freely (by way of Coke in my water bottles) I began to enjoy the track more and more.
It's always going to be a hurt-fest riding solo. Six hours is a long way for me...I definitely prefer the Olympic format XC racing. However, you don't improve if you don't challenge yourself, and I had previously written myself off completely for any form of enduro racing. So I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in front.
For most of the race I didn't want to know where I was in the field, worried that I would psych myself out—I felt it was better just to keep eating and drinking and riding as consistently as possible (as my singlespeed would allow me to—which is surprisingly consistent in a way, 'cos if you can't push that gear up that hill you are walking, and there was NO WAY I was getting off and walking...gritted teeth was the only option).
Partway through the race I lapped the third placed rider, The Enduro queen herself (Meg is a constant source of inspiration, my god she's hard as nails!), and then a few laps later I passed Nic, who I found out later was in second.
By about four and a half hours I had had enough of riding around in circles—I needed to know where I was—and started doing the maths in my head as to how many more laps I needed to do to secure first. I figured two should do it.
On my final lap I passed the girls again, and at 5hr 28 (ish?) I waited near the finish, beer in hand, for six hours to come up. The other girls rode around again, but I was well and truly safe with a lead time of about 50m at that point.
Good fun, lots of pain, but generally good fun (as long as you remember to eat and drink!).
So, who said singlespeeds slow you down? I think they make me faster! Or maybe I would have passed the solo male with gears....errrr...maybe not.
Anyway, I went out to have a good time, and once I had that beer in my hand it was the best feeling ever.
Thanks to my wonderful husband and bottle-bitch Aido (and his aversion to Enduro's, meaning that he was there to feed and water and nurofen me up!), and our business for hooking us up (ummm....self sponsorship is the best?)
AB