Another couple of weeks have flown by and the Mont came and went with a bang. In the lead up the weather was threatening to make it a mud slinging festival, but the track dried out for about a week and we were blessed with perfect conditions.
Preparation for the event went quite well, it was good to get a couple of races and hard rides in before hand. In the lead up I managed to be consistent, with about 3 training sessions a week. The team was thrown together with a bunch of friends and combined with the track conditions made for one of the best Mont 24hr I've ever competed in. We called ourselves The Flaming Chains. I'd like to say a massive thankyou to Pete, Josh, Stotty, Jodie and Sam for joining me in the Mont and making it such a great weekend. Everyone was super relaxed (off the track) and put in a massive effort on the track.
Huge thanks to TLC Cycles for their ongoing support, especially the lads in the workshop for fixing my fork lock out problems in the weeks leading up to the race.
My goal for this Mont was to be consistent, to resist the temptation to punch out that one hot lap (only to blow up and be lactic for the next 3 laps), and to last the entire event without losing too much speed by the final lap. I feel like I met my goals OK
Lap 1 - 1:30pm - 1:01:34 18.28km/h
Sam set the Flaming Chains up with a solid first lap. Typically the Mont is a Le Mans start, so after a good 500m jog to his bike Sam turned some good pace and then followed up with great sportsmanship in helping out a fellow dirt monkey with changing a tyre. I was up for the 2nd lap so after the delay this had me starting well back in the field. With the GoPro fired up, I tagged Sam and set out. All those pre race nerves and expectations fly out the window when the first pro jumps over your head and whistles at you as he goes by. All jokes a side it is just plain awesome being able to race with everyone from total new comers to highly trained Olympians, and to see the speed difference first hand is most definitely humbling.
I was feeling good out of the saddle and stomping it up the pinchey climbs, a few times I consciously backed it off and kept patient behind the slower riders. Still I think I must have passed 30+ riders on that lap, and only a few of them had me riding up and over rock gardens and hopping logs to stay on the bike. Managed to get a clear run for the downhill section into transition, 1st lap down and the Mont was in full motion.
Highs - Clean lap considering the amount of overtaking going down
Lows - Starting so far down the order held me a little.
Lap 2 - 10:30pm - 1:03:21 17.77km/h
Lights on and the first of two night laps for me. It was cool with the temps down to about 10 degrees by this time. I had a nice warm up in the tent with our gas heater and a bit of old school disco dancing, that's how the pros do it, right???
Highs - Nice open lap with hardly any hold ups
Lows - I knee'd the socket for my bar light and had to stop to fix it
Lap 3 - 3:45am - 1:06:52 16.83km/h
This was a tough one to wake up for, but once the legs got moving it is MTBing bless out on the track, minimal dust, clean crisp air and great attitudes. The odd guitarist and drummer playing in the forest did huge things for the spirit and motivation.
Highs - Had fun at 4am in the dark without being at the pub
Lows - None really
Lap 4 - 10:20am -1:03:32 17.72km/h
Back into the daylight, the track had changed a bit, a few corners had blown out and and some sections were now bypassed. The ground was starting to sink away in some patches, leaving axle deep ruts and speed sapping squashiness. My legs were sore now, every climb was a massive effort to keep cranking out any decent speed. There was time for another lap, I was hoping someone from the team would have been keen but no dice. I rode back to the tent and lure of a shower and beer was too much to handle.
Highs - Beautiful clear runs in the descents, track felt quicker, massive buzz
Lows - Not going for a double lap that would have bumped the team up about 10 places
Team Lap Times
Lap Split Speed Name
17 1:03:32 17.72 Dave Roberts
16 1:15:39 14.88 Peter Boreham
15 1:49:35 10.27 Jodie Stevenson
14 1:22:32 13.64 Joshua Lindenthaler
13 1:06:52 16.83 Dave Roberts
12 1:13:21 15.35 Peter Boreham
11 1:57:17 9.60 Peter Stott
10 1:37:53 11.50 Jodie Stevenson
9 1:18:30 14.34 Joshua Lindenthaler
8 1:03:21 17.77 Dave Roberts
7 1:35:24 11.80 Sam Beattie
6 1:06:52 16.83 Peter Boreham
5 1:35:26 11.79 Peter Stott
4 1:23:44 13.44 Jodie Stevenson
3 1:07:25 16.70 Joshua Lindenthaler
2 1:01:34 18.28 Dave Roberts
1 1:38:06 11.47 Sam Beattie
