This Sunday was race 3 of the PMBC XC series and we had a small showing of riders across a variety of categories. Mike B showed up for the old fellas and at the other end of the spectrum Lorraine’s son Nick was there for the younger generation. In between was myself and Juddy. The alleged appearance of the Flying Fynn was to be nothing but a rumour.
After Saturday’s chilly morning we were expecting more of the same for Sunday but thankfully the sun came to the party. So we all arrived fairly rugged up but soon sheaded down to race kit. I got there early and found a nice spot for the team tent, that was trailside and near the finish line. Following a quick warmup on the kids course it was race time.
The first wave saw Mike B heading out followed by young Nick and then myself with 2mins between each. Apparently Mike got in 1 lap before realizing he was a bit out of his skills league when hitting the downhill rock garden and deciding to not risk injury and call it a day. Nick in his first race managed a good lap but found the endurance factor a bit much. Both did well for their first efforts at MTB racing. With a bit more time on the dirt and some skills training they will be flying. I managed to break my curse at the Goat Farm and finished a race with no crashes or mechanicals, which was nice for a change(and lucky since i did the 1st lap with a road tube spare). This course was a bit shorter than previous races but more technical, with some punishing climbs and gnarly downhills to test, but still enjoyable.
Once our groups had finished it was time for Juddy and the more elite riders to head off. within metres of the start Juddy realised he may have chosen the wrong category, the field just blitz off ahead of him. None the less he stepped up and got back in it. Unfortunately he only got thru 2 laps before pulling out with a mechanical. Somewhere along the line he hit a rock and buckled his big ring severely killing any chance of changing gears, not good at a course like the Goat Farm where the elevation changes greatly.
All in all a good day with no injuries and fun was had by all. SPR are definitely getting some good coverage around Perth and PMBC have said they are happy to see us on the dirt as well. So lets make a big appearance at the next event, which will be the 6hr Enduro down at Jarrahdale on May 30th.
A few pics, with more to follow when Lorraine gets them to me.
Yes, apologies for a no show. I stayed up Saturday night to watch the Giro (damn fox delayed it so it only started past 12:30am and finished going up to 3am). The race only started at 10:30am but I would of had to be out there for rego at 8am and it was not going to happen.. I will get my act together for the next one (maybe).
Well done getting out there.. X country can be great fun, shame Judd did not hang in. I think they take off at a rate of knots as if you do not, you will get caught behind others (therefore the start is super important in x-country..).. Quick off the line then hold others up 🙂
Lifes little leasons. (for your first mountain bike race)
1: Expert men may be one grade down from elite but it is not, repeat not, the equivalent of B-Grade.
2. Despite what they call the bike, if you can’t climb hills on a roady, using a mountain bike will not to you into a hell climbing machine.
3. When warming up and reconning the course, do not flog the novice and sports categories in thier race for being frustratingly slow. It is bad Karma.
4. The start in expert men is fast. Being 50m into a race and 30m behind is embarrassing. Karma comes full circle.
5. Being 95kg and brave will not help you make up for your lack of climbing ability on the downhill.
6. If there are suddenly many more trees than you remember on the track, you are probably not on the track anymore and;
7. Falling off is to be expected.
8. Again, despite the name and suggested ruggedness, big rocks are stronger than most if not all mountain bike parts.
I completely concur, Juddy, particularly with leas[i]ons 6 – 8 and especially lesson 7. Well done for giving it a go and lasting twice as long as I did, though my bike was still intact when discretion overcame my rather limited valour.
Elite and Expert are both silly quick. If you haven’t been riding a mountain bike much, forget them. Vets/Masters/Sport are all reasonable groups if you havent been on the mountain at all. Ability is not inversely proportional to age. There are strong riders in Vets/Masters. Sport is the place to start if you are a novice.
Would like to have joined you for the upcoming 6hr, but am out of the country ATM.
Good luck to those who ride and …more cowbell!