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| Packed start |
Hamish and I raced the Mt Annan round of the Rocky Trail series last year and finished up in 4th place. One place shy of walking home with a photo of us on a podium and some Belgium beer. We had talked about the race in detail, what we would try and do better given the opportunity and just how much fun racing around the western Sydney botanical gardens can be. So when the entries for the 2014 round at Mt Annan came around, it only took one short message to get Hamish on board. To which he simply replied “I’m down!”
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| Botanical Garden trail comes with a variety of challenges |
The day kicked off with 0430 start and a 2hr 30min drive to the western suburbs of Sydney. When we arrived at Mt Annan just before 8am the atmosphere was already building. Riders and supporters were all buzzing around carting feed stations and getting bikes and gear prepped and ready. The all familiar sounding Martin Wisatawas on the MC duties and sure enough he announced loud and proud in his thick accent that “Sheee Man Ooooo” was the main sponsor. Hamish and I had agreed that I would do the start lap so I was on my bike early to get the stiffness of car travel out of my legs.
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| Hamish at warp speed |
Thanks to Hamish picking up the slack in doing 2 extra laps, we ended up with a great result, but I actually had a shocker when it came to execution of a well laid out plan. Firstly I got a great spot on the front row of the start pack, then I gave it up for the 2nd row when I saw fellow Canberra ride Callum McNamara slotting into the main pack. The gun went off and I found myself on the right side of the fire trail and it was the slow lane. In hindsight I should have known the first 4 corners are left handers so I should have planted myself straight on the left for the sneaky line up the inside. I punched out the first lap, came in somewhere in the Top 10 and sent Hamish off, a smooth transition everything going well. Quick check of the results and we are in top spot by 2mins. We went through the motions, tagging in after about .25mins on each lap, Hamish was feeling good but each lap my legs were starting to scream louder and louder. By my 4th lap I felt like I was losing time fast and told Hamish that I was in strife and for him to think about a double lap. I prepared to go out again but Hamish came in still feeling good and actually stomped out 3 laps in a row to ensure we won by 10mins. So I ended up with 4 laps under my belt and Hamish managed 6 lightening laps only dropping a 1 minute or so between his best and his worst.
Here’s where I think I went wrong:
- Busted myself a little too hard on the first lap
- Stood up out of the saddle way too much on the short pinchy climbs
- Did not drink enough water
- Did not keep up electrolyte or carb intake to what was required
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| Hurting |
We came away with the win which is fantastic; the other good news is that because Hamish pulled through I was able to learn a bunch of lessons without impacting our result. So at the next team race I will be ready, prepared, and I will have reminders to keep me on track. Hopefully I will be there and ready to pull through for my team mates if required.
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| Hamish riding like he was being lead by a divine light |
Driving home, talking about the crazy dusty, chopped up, technical track and the future of our racing was golden. These racing memories are ones that I will hold dearly forever. Another day racing with my brother (from another mother) Hamish gets locked away in the treasure chest. Let this day be a taste of Belgium beer to come.
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| 2nd place were not happy to be there. We were happy to have put them there |
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