AT THE CIRCUS

A 50km race in the southern highlands starting and finishing at wingello forest.
We arrived just before sunset after reading all the latest mtb mags over coffee at the ye old bike shoppe, nestled under the big pines of the forrest the waiting game started and so did the cold weather, it was quite an unsettled sleep i never excpect much when in a tent but some nights are worse/better then others.
With the a wake up call to loud music straight from huw's collection any dream was soon switched to a nightmare, with no choice but now crawl out of the tent and face the onslaught of alll the arriving performers some wearing not enough clothing the day had begun, the oats were cooking teeth chattering and huw blabbering, but thats wat i come to his events for his bad/dry sense of humour (it later paid off)

Once i got up the courage to slip into my lyrca with the added dummy spit over putting on my girlfriends 2xu tights and not my own (which were soon found amongst the clothes i used for my pillow) any pre race yoga stretching was all taken care off in that tent, i headed out on course to check out the water bar that nearly claimed me last year..

The gun goes off and the circus starts with a roar, with a flurry of madness we all fight for a wheel..a long chain of elite of the elite riders leading us out, not fast enough for my mate anthony shippard (3rd) so i step it up and move up to the front to see wat the show was like and was then swallowed by the bunch, still in touch as we complete the first loop of 6km but it then throws us to the water bar i dont like, i ride it like a panzy and the bunch is gone, hmmm but here comes the hills but my legs just would not go, my heart rate wasnt going as high as i know i can push it, i felt slow.. smack bang into THE WALL... and i was reduced to a walk, righto singletrack time, i was missing corners bouncing off everything, i just was not with it..
i come thru transition and pick up another bottle to take on the final ring of the circus i started it with a big frown, i could see my team mate matt reekie far in the distant looking bright green, my legs still would not follow orders..
i was riding very safe as i did not wana flick myself off on a water bar like so many riders did just not worth it, i rode the brakes down the hill to a lil creek crossing i looked up and went nope no way my legs today will ride this hill in the dog.
Left click....still in the big ring.grrr fiddle... Left click.... still would not drop down.. sigh....
40-32 it is then, its just a training ride now chops i thought to myself, so i grinded away n grinded and grinded n grinded, pretty big hill that one, i soon see 10km to go sign hmmm, for some reason my legs finally turned up to play the game and for as far as the road stretched or the eye could see, matt reekie was at the end of it, the hunt was on, i pulled back 98% of that gap, he got me by 20sec..
i felt like i had a bad ride, i felt i had more, i knew i had more, but it wasnt to be.
my time was 2hrs 2min barely 3min off 3rd place and 14min quicker then last year, so i look at the numbers to cheer me up on this performance..

The most fun was had at the event centre catching up with everyone and congratulating close friends on winning performances.
At the presentation which we all stayed for to either get free wine or see how huw would give away stuff, he played the name game, picking on peoples name that related to the event or mountain biking, he gave away a ticket to race in NZ which is were his sponsor ground effect is based "any kiwis"???? so he gave them a stir so with my last name being LAMB i had myself a free tire all very funny..

thanks for reading.

chops :)