Wiggle Enduro Six 26/04/09

Graeme Report:

   Katie and I got up there Friday afternoon and set the tent up next to the track. We cooked up a dinner of Pasta with Kabanos Sausages, Parmesan Pesto and Olives, then sat back with a beer (or maybe a few) and waited for the others to arrive.

   Next morning it was up bright and early for breakfast (sausages, bacon and eggs) and to go and watch Katie in the Thunder Run. The run was round most of the Enduro 6 course so we cheered Katie off the start then went round to various points on the course to cheer her on and get lots of photos.

   We cooked our traditional pre race Spaghetti Bolognaise for dinner that night. Just after I needed a pit stop so rode over to the toilets block on the Epic. When I came out it had gone, after a second or 2 of panic I realised who’d nicked it so gave a laughing Paul a call to ask where it was. Both he a Dave were skulking behind a generator with the Epic laughing. So this is the game? Later that night when Paul went away I swapped his front tyre around so that it was pointing backwards. I was gonna leave it til 30mins before the race to let him know, but someone let the cat out of the bag. It was certainly the fastest tyre change I’d done for a while. After we’d called a truce we sat back for a few beers (to many in hindsight).

   Next morning we woke up to bright sunshine, which was not what the weather forecast had said. Quick power breakfast of noodles and yogurt and it was down to the pits to setup.

   I found Dave on the start line near the front and waited for the gun. This year the run was about a mile which is more than I have done in a while and it wasn’t good. I just went backwards through the field. I’m a mountain biker not a runner! Anyway, Dave got ahead of me on this however after we’d got back on the bikes he’d stopped after less than 1km with a puncture. I made sure he was OK and carried on. There was the usual congestion on the 1^st lap, but that’s to be expected. On the 2^nd lap I felt my rear tyre going a bit flat, then about 2 mile it the lap it rolled off the rim. I gassed it hoping it would stay up til the pits however another mile it it was flat again. I gassed it again and giggled the sealant around, this seemed to work and I managed another lap before heading into the pits after lap 3 which was my fastest lap of the race. Quick refuel of Satay Sticks and Chocolate pudding, but it was at this point that Paul and Dave took me whilst I was in the pits.

   Back out again and this time I managed 2 uneventful laps and another pitstop. I was about 10 mins behind Paul and Dave at this point, but I was shattered. I got back on the bike and slogged round for 2 more laps cramping up a bit. I was getting overtaken a bit but not through the singletrack or at the downhills. Seems there are a lot of people racing who can gun it up the flat open stuff but when it comes to the techy twisty stuff they slow right up. One way to sort that would be to get fitter I guess so don’t get passed on the uphills. Emma shouted from the side that Paul was just behind me, no way were they gonna pass me on the track. So I went for it back to the pits.

   I had been looking forward to enduro 6 for a couple of weeks; Dave and I were doing it as a pair this year so should be a little easier!! We arrived late Friday night to a little worse for wear Graeme and Katie, but after a few beers we were all well on they way to joining

them!

 

   Up Saturday morning for a look around, some breakfast, and a little bit of bike tinkering. The 3 of us set off for our first lap of the course, taking it quite easy, looking at the new bits and trying to remember where it went the year before. This lap took us around 40mins to do, not bad really.Back to the tent for some lunch and Dave cracked open a beer as me and Graeme decided to get in another practise lap, this time we hit it a little harder and I must say the course was definitely more rewarding the harder you hit it! A 34 min lap set the pace, so back to the tent to join Dave with the beers!!!