Here's an update from a proper MTB outing. The Hill2hill.
The rain started on Thursday evening and didn't let up until Saturday evening. We were in for a wet ride.
A mix of excitement and nerves started kicking in on Friday evening.
Saturday saw Brandon and I take a look at the course in the pouring rain, an easy 1hr30 ride from the start and down into town.
A nice early start for the 105km mud bath. 6am sharp. A call was made to cut out the loop at the top of Worlds View and go straight into town, skipping out a section along the river. From there we were back on the normal route. This meant that looking the course didn't help and Brandon's plan to force the pace on the descent was somewhat nullified.
Anyway, we set off and the ride down was solid fun. Was pleased to only take one fall, many fell a lot more. By the time we got into town, I was a bit off the back but a little dig and I was back in the front group. About 20 riders strong. Tapping out a steady tempo on the front meant that Brandon could sit on and save some energy. As we hit the Friesland climb things got a little hard and I paid for me effort. From there, it was a relatively lonely ride but a good one nonetheless. A 3rd overall from Brandon was welcome news when I crossed the line.
My first big outing for Fedgroup-ITEC Connect was a memorable one. A lot of positive to take from it and room for improvement as always. The legs are getting better and better. For now, it's time to cleat in and enjoy the experience, learning the tricks and putting in the hard graft along the way.
Next up is the Hilton 50 Miler, another big day, another exciting first.
Until next time,
Brad
