24 Hour MTB Challenge May 22-23, 2004
Day 1
Meeting point was Pauls at 8.00am Saturday. Paul had made all the preparations with bags of pasta, weetbix, eggs and bread. Unfortunately he had to stay in Sydney for work.
It
was just over an hours drive to Dargle Farm out past Windsor near Lower
Portland. We didn't see many bikes on cars but when we turned into the
farm we knew why. They were already there. Hundreds of them.
In fact, just over 600 and some really nice bikes too. Ellsworths, top end
Specs, Turners, heaps of Cannondales and the vast majority soft tails.
After some quick site selection, that ended up being really good, it was off to register.
Up went the tent and before too long the briefing and start of the 12 hour daylight race that ran on the same track.
12:30pm was the start of the 24 hour and the riding order was JohnD, Richard, Phil, JohnO, Yarro, Iain (as substitute for Paul). It was a La Monz start with about 100 riders - or should I say runner. With the track looking dusty and sandy the result was inevitable. Chaos on the first hill climb. You can hardly pick out John in the dust storm created.
About
40 minutes later the crowd had thinned out and it was Richards turn.
Beautiful weather so the rest of us listened to JohnD tell us how dust and sandy
the track was. Plenty of bends, not as sharp as the 12 hour track at
Yarramundi but just as challenging with a hill about 5 minutes from the end that
was a walk for all but the best riders.
Time for some 500 - as it turned out it was the only time we played cards and the books never got open. It's amazing how busy it is between rides even with 6 of us.
It was still daylight when Phil headed off and not too crowded on the track. Made it up the first hill which was a mess with riders (runners) when JohnD went out. Nice dusty, up and down, single track to a switchback that was tough but manageable. Then some nice sets of single tracks without too many bends to a drop on a wire ramp, sharp left turn and sharp right before a run though the overgrowth at the side of the open valley floor. Out onto the valley floor and it was a top gear run on the dirt road to the end of the valley. 4 ks down.
At the end of the valley re-enter the single tracking for some twisting and winding reminiscent of Yarramundi and even more so of the single track near the river in Lane Cove National Park. Not as sandy here so you could get some good speed on the corners.
With about 5.5 ks gone it was back onto the dirt road near where you start
the blast in top gear. A little more single tracking in relatively
straight lines and then a nice little drop off back into open space and four big
mounds. First time around they look a bit daunting but hit them with
enough speed - not too much - and they are easy. Out of them and onto a
bit of meandering around the paddock before getting into some more single
tracking, climbing, dropping, climbing, twisting around some trees and rocks
then out into the open space near the event site.
This is the start of the big climb JohnD had mentioned. Rocky, sandy and with other riders on it a tough ask for anyone to ride. After a short walk it's back in the saddle for some more single tracking on the ridge and a nasty little up narrow section with a rock in the middle. Then back on some smooth single track to a sharp left, off camber turn and a fantastic downhill to the event site. Using the momentum from the down hills it's top gear between "Tent City" and the car pack before a left (see picture on the right) and slight down hill to transition.
JohnO's turn for a daylight run, then Yarro and Iain (who totally blasted up the track setting a record time for the "Short Guys").
With night fast approaching JohnD managed to squeeze in a second daylight ride with a bit of dark at the end. It was dark for Richard and needless to say the times went out by a bit. Phil has his first night ride followed by JohnO and Yarro.
The food provided by the organisers was available and some of us ate it up.
With nightfall we started to settle into a little bit of a rhythm in the camp site now. When you get back to camp wake the rider second after you, eat (there was plenty of pasta), cool down, and get some rest in the communal tent.
