At the last minute I decided to make the trip down to Penrose for the last round the NSW XC championship. With the Surly geared up
for the enduro races I knew I was going to have trouble holding on with all the long gentle fire road climbs.
Arrived nice & early, get coffee, then register and find some sun to defrost in before wandering off into the forest to take photos
of the juniors & women going around. Donna Hamlin (Team Mongoose) took out the elite women race and the overall series.
We were starting just after 12pm behind the Elite Men, Expert Men & Vets Men and were to complete 2 laps of the 10km track. The
starter waves us away & we're off - a gentle fire road climb, I'm spinning stupidly fast and still I'm dropping back, by the end of
the short straight I'm already 30m back. Into the first section of singletrack & I catch the last rider, he's built like and
anorexic Rasmussen and looks like he'd be fast on the road but has no off-road skills. Finally I'm able to get past him just as we
come out to cross a fire road and start to chase down the rest of the field who are now disappearing into the distance. I almost
close the gap but then the singletrack comes out onto another long gentle fireroad climb. A short single track section and another
gentle fire road climb which was the last I saw of the field.
Oh well, I settle in to ride my own race - it's hard to chase something you can't see. Before I know it lap one is gone. About
2/3rds through the second lap the first group of the Elite guys come through to lap me I try and jump on the train but had no chance
of holding onto them up the fire road.
Finished in just over an hour, probably 3rd last, but knowing there wasn't any way I could have ridden any faster.
Lots of photos here
http://singlespeed.smugmug.com/gallery/817760
Parbs