From there it was a hairy tarmac descent and into Water Point 2 for the biggest climb of the day. This was a tough one. Shaun set a solid tempo on the front and I did my best to keep up. This was the hardest point of the race for me and I was begining to wonder what I was getting myself into!

But soon enough we were into some rocky double-track and I felt a little better again. It was a long stage though. At about the 110km mark, over 4 1/2 hours in, we hit a 7km section of rough railway track with sharp rocks and railway sleepers every half-metre. Our bikes bounced around as we grimaced our way through it and hoped it’d be over soon. It wasn’t, it dragged out like nothing else and was damn tough, seeing the smooth road after that hellish section was pure bliss.

So we got through that one and were able to enjoy a short downhill before the finish. What a massive day: 117km and a shade over 5hrs on the bike, bring on day 2!

The perfect way to start the day...

So we got in a good sleep that night and woke up to some ‘Jungle Muesli’ to kick off an awesome day. Did a ride in the morning on some local trails and along the beach and then went up  Table Mountain in the afternoon in a cable car. It was crazy and the views of the city and coastline from the top are amazing, especially in the afternoon sun. That was followed by a BBQ put on by the Cape Epic. So yeah, all up it was damn fun.

The Cable Car

Today we went for another easy spin on the beach and then checked out the race village on the V and A Waterfront in Cape Town and now we’ve got a few hours of downtime before pre-race dinner this arvo.

The race starts on Sunday, bring it on!

Ocean, sweet ocean

Can't get enough really

The Otway Odyssey is a classic 100km race on the Aussie calendar and this year it pulled the strongest field of elite racers for a 100km race in Australia ever. It was always going to be a tough day, but with over 2600 metres of climbing and an eager field keen to snap up the $3000 prize money on offer, I had a feeling this year’s Otway was going to take ‘tough’ to a whole new level.

With this sort of pre-race build-up and having never ridden the course, my imagination was going wild before the race. There was no doubt about it, I was nervous.

The alarm woke us at 530am and we shoved down as much breakfast as we could before assembling on the startline for a 7:15am start. The sun was only just rising on Apollo Bay as the wind ripped though the main street, muffling the standard pre-race banter and giving us a solid head wind to ride into off the gun.

Without too long we were off and after a few minutes of flat tarmac we were on the first climb of the day and my legs started telling me they’d rather still be in bed. “If my legs aren’t keen to go hard today my head will just have to push twice as hard”, I said to myself as I re-joined the lead group on the 2nd climb.

The first few sections of this climb weren’t too tough but soon we hit a super-steep section where a lead group of riders separated from the rest of us. This section was extremely tough with steep climb after steep climb but finally we crested the incessant granny-gear sections and hit a section of tarmac. At this point there was a group of about six of us but that soon dwindled to four over the next few sections with myself, Shaun Lewis, Peter Hatton and Jason English riding together.

The climbs kept coming though and I was really hanging by this point. One gradual climb saw me dangling off the back of the group, puffing hard and hoping with every bend in the road, that I’d see the top. I finally did and at this point the three others were about 50 metres ahead up the road. I pushed hard to try to re-join the group on the next descent and was making up some ground when Shaun and Pete crashed into each other, giving Jason a gap ahead to us three.

Not long after we were into the first section of downhill singletrack. It was a lot of fun although I was starting to cramp and we were only about half way through the race! Ouch! I slammed down some more electrolyte, grimaced and kept pedalling. In a weird sort of way, this was fun.

Singletrack kept things interesting for the next 20km or so but it was far from flat with plenty of tough little climbs to remind me how much my legs hurt. Pete lead most of these sections and held a decent pace to try to reel in English.

I ran out of water at about the 55km mark. I’d got through two bidons on my bike and one in my back pocket! It was over 30 degrees though and I was sweating hard. I knew the feed zone was at the 67km mark and tried to ignore the cramps as I counted down the kilometres and tried to hold onto Pete’s back wheel.

The feed came surprisingly quickly though and I grabbed two new bottles and some more food with glee. The next stage gave us 20km of singletrack before hitting the feedzone again and heading out for the final 13km.

This section is where our trio really started to slow down. We still wanted to close the gap to English but it seemed like none of us had much energy left. Shaun did most of the singletrack duties for at least the first half of the 20km and, while I felt like we weren’t going particularly fast, I also didn’t feel like I could go any faster. I led for most of the second half and tried really hard to keep the pace high. I actually felt quite good at this point and hoped in the back of my mind that my legs might finally be coming good.

I sucked my next two bottles dry by the time we got to the feedzone again, took on another two bottles for the final leg, and hoped this final climb on fireroad wasn’t as bad as people had described. It didn’t take long of pedalling on this fireroad climb to know that my body had well and truly had enough of this crazy race. I tried to take some turns with the other two boys but just couldn’t summon up the power to even get around them!

With about 10km to go Pete put in an attack on us which neither Shaun nor myself could respond to. We pedalled stubbornly on, tried to get up the climbs as best we could before hitting up a long singletrack descent. Shaun had a crash in one of the early mud bogs so I got around him. I knew this descent would be a good spot to make up some time but I just couldn’t do it. I tried to descend hard and fast but my whole body was in pain by now —  it was more a case of getting down the hill than descending with any sort of style.

The second last steep climb of the day is called the ‘Sledgehammer’ because it’s very steep. It wasn’t too bad though. It was steep but short. Shaun got a small gap on me at this point but I pedalled hard to get back on his wheel over the top. From here it was more singletrack — which I descended with similarly tired vagueness — and up a short and steep sandy climb. I lost traction here and had to get off and walk a few metres. Shaun made it up clean and got a slight gap on me which he managed to hold over the last few kilometres to the finish.

We crossed the line 4hours and 54 minutes after we had started having climbed some super-challenging climbs. It felt like a lifetime out there with the hardship of the race and the concentration required in the singletrack. I was happy to have finished such an epic event and it was great doing the race with buddies Shaun and Pete. In the end Pete grabbed 6th, Shaun 7th and myself 8th.

That afternoon we sat at an Apollo Bay fish and chips shop eating all we could and chatting about the day’s adventure. After the morning’s hardship, my mind felt completely flushed and I was already forgetting the pain and working out how I can go faster next year!

Thanks to Giant for my awesome new carbon hardtail and to all my sponsors for their great support. Thanks also to Sarah (and Murray) for feeding me and Dwight for some last minute accommodation and carrying our bags around the countryside. Thanks also to Rapid Ascent for the photo.

The race started and it was game on! With a short descent, riders flew everywhere — some even hit the dirt — trying to secure a strong position for the upcoming rough and rocky fireroad. Within 15 minutes our lead group had dwindled to about eight of us and the pace on! As we smashed through creek crossings, wrestled our bikes down unknown rocky descents and climbed loose and rocky fireroad climbs I could hardly keep the smile from my face (although it probably looked like a grimace). Racing over new countryside, with every section offering new and un-seen challenges, it was exhilarating. The Cradle Mountain air helped keep things fresh too.

Our lead group fragmented over the final sections of the first stage with Sid Taberlay and Dan McConnell going off the front and the rest of us trying to hold on. With lactic-filled legs and plenty of bumpy terrain, the final few kilometres were tough but with the stage done in under an hour, there thankfully wasn’t too much time to think about the pain.

Wildside takes riders from the heights of Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain to the seaside town of Strahan over four days. The race is made up of competitive stages, linked by cruise stages allowing you to spin out the legs and take in the scenery between sucking up the hard work over the race stages. Each day was broken into two stages, generally about an hour in length while the final day saw just one race stage in the morning and a BBQ, some beers and overall presentation held in the afternoon.

But back to the first day. After that lung-blasting first stage we hit up the cruise stage over the tarmac — which was an effort in itself with one sizeable climb — and then pulled in for some much-needed lunch.

The support at Wildside is incredible. Each lunch stop offered a huge selection of salad rolls, a range of fruit (grapes, apples, nectarines, peaches, apricots), chocolate bars, bags of lollies, electrolyte drink, pastries, tea, coffee and to my absolute delight, Milo. All this was set up and ready to go when we rolled in so we simply had to walk up, fill our arms (and pockets) and start eating!

In not too much time at all it was time for stage two. This started with some singletrack which immediately spread the bunch out. With me about 8th into the singletrack, I had my work cut out for me over those first sections to maintain contact with the front but after a good ten minutes of leg-pain the roads opened up and I was able to sit in the bunch relatively comfortably. Again our lead group had dwindled to about eight of us (setting the trend for the week) and it was over the last few nasty and steep pinch climbs that Sid and Dan managed to get away from the rest, but not before we all had to tackle a waist-deep creek-crossing complete with guide rope to keep us above water!

I was struggling in the later sections as the hills and day’s effort started to add up. Andy Blair and I worked together to try to bring back a group of four ahead of us and managed to almost catch them by the finish line. It was another great stage, very tough with a bunch of steep climbs, but rewarding and a great day on the bike for me.

From there it was a downhill cruise to Tullah, our stop-over town for the night, a swim in the lake and a buffet dinner.

Stage 3 was simply up, then down. Sid Taberlay got a flat tyre within the first 5km and with that the pace was on with contenders trying to maximise the time over Sid.  Whether it was because I didn’t warm up very well, or because the pace was just too high for me, I’m not sure but stage three was a forgettable one for me from a performance perspective. I lost contact with the front group on the climb, struggled down the technical descent, and lost chunks of time to the leaders. From a scenic perspective though, the stage was amazing. Riders climbed through the rainforest on singletrack, hopping the odd log and negotiating creek crossings and rocky sections, to arrive at the summit and hit the descent almost immediately. The descent started with a rocky fireroad but soon riders ducked into very technical singetrack with boulders everywhere, a very deep mud bog which saw plenty of riders come unstuck, and yet more creek crossings. It was a short stage, about 40 minutes, but what it lacked in length, it made up for in quality.

We had a good few hours to chill out in Rosebery, eat our lunches and lie on the grass on a day that was uncharacteristically hot for this part of Tassie. The second stage of the day — the Montezuma Falls stage — is the longest of the event at 38km and is also lauded by Wildside regulars as one of the most memorable. The stage started with about a 4km climb up tarmac before hitting the dirt.

I was nervous before this stage, I wanted to make up for my disappointing stage in the morning but was also aware that if the pace started too ‘hot’ I might struggle to recover and maintain contact with the front guys. The initial tarmac climb proved not too taxing and soon enough we were hitting up the dirt and I was in a good position in the top 5. Sid Taberlay, having lost close to 15 minutes in the morning stage with mechanical problems, decided to make a move on this next section — a gentle climb up to the suspension bridge of Montezuma Falls. The bunch strung out and I hung tight. It was tough but I was feeling good.

At the bridge crossing I was told to wait because only a few riders are allowed on the bridge at one time. I waited patiently, hoping the guys ahead would abide by the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ and wait on the other side. They didn’t! There was daylight ahead of me as I pedalled up the gradual climb and hoped they would soon be in sight. Dan McConnell came around me, also in chase of the leaders and I managed to hold his wheel for a while before my legs told me enough was enough. I cursed, thinking my stage was over, but then Mark Fenner came around me and set a fast but steady tempo. Gradually, and with much grimacing, he dragged me back up to the leaders.

Just as we were about to make contact, Fenner’s legs told him enough was enough too and it was left to me to make the final move to the group. With the consistent climb, it was more a case of measuring your effort, then sprinting all-out, but gradually I got back to the leaders (with Sid still off the front) and managed to hang on the back for the descent. This was awesome! It was fast, gradual and long, very long. Some sections required you to think quick as we dodged mud bogs, puddles and logs. It was a hoot though, I was completely loving it.

We hit some rough singeltrack after this for the final main climb of the day. I started feeling good in the legs here and gradually worked my way through the dwindling group. Paul van der Ploeg and myself managed to get a gap on the bunch in the final descent and, with Paul trying to make up time on his U/23 challenger Steele van Hoff, he pushed the pace hard on the final fireroad section. I  helped out where I could but it was Paul who was the motor in our duo. Coming into the last 500m Paul punctured which gave me 2nd place for the stage behind Sid, I was stoked! It was super-fun stage and to finish it off strong was the icing on the cake.

The final cruise stage of the day took us to Zeehan, a very quiet town feeling the effects of reduced mining in the area. After discovering our booking had not been taken at the local pub (complete with a dirt-floor office), we caught the bus to Strahan for a night’s sleep.

The morning’s stage was the shortest of the tour, followed immediately by the longest cruise stage of the event. The 6km time trial was basically all up hill with a motorcross tack thrown in, some tight singletrack and a long and dark tunnel. We were paired off for this event and I was with Ben Mather, only about a 1min30sec behind me on overall time. If I wanted to secure a top three in Open Men I had to keep him behind me. So we started together and got about half way before Ben put down some serious hammer time and I could do nothing but puff hard and grimace ever-harder in response. I got dropped but kept calm and maintained a solid tempo to only lose about 20sec to him over the 6km.

From there it was about five minutes of ‘rolling out’ with some serious leg-pain and gasping lungs before a cruise and some lunch!

Trial Harbour was our lunch venue and offered balmy seaside air — in contrast to fresh and chilly Cradle Mountain air a few days earlier — and a lush grass to lounge around on. I was happy to have a lie-down after the morning’s intensity and almost fell asleep under the shade of the lunch tent!

But there was no time to sleep, we had a stage to race. Heralded as one of the toughest of the race, the stage to Granville Harbour started with a solid climb out of Trial Harbour before heading along the coastline, with barely a flat piece of road and plenty of rough and technical descents.

Sid Taberlay was again on the attack on this stage and he soon forced a gap on the rest with Paul and Steele in hot pursuit. Adrian Jackson, Andy and myself were a bit further back and maintained a steady tempo. After about 10 minutes Andy’s ‘steady’ tempo got to the point of being a bit too much for myself and AJ, especially me, and I clung to AJ’s wheel as Andy rode away from us. The trails were wild with some super-steep and techo climbs matched to equally steep but more techo descents. It was fun but sometimes hairy as we descended fast without really knowing what was over the next rock.

With about 3km remaining in the stage, Ben and Dan joined our little duo and AJ and I had a collision at the base of a big descent, giving Ben and Dan a gap ahead of us. Wanting to maintain my lead over Ben, I rode my heart out over the last stages and lost only about 20 seconds again to him. It was a tough stage with no real chance for rest with steep climbs and attention-grabbing descents but again, Wildside impressed with its awesome variety.

From there it was a long bus trip to Strahan. Strahan is a great place to base a race in. It’s quiet enough to be accommodating to 450+ smelly and dirty mountain bikers, offers a relaxed and cruisy seaside vibe and some great pubs and eateries.

It was very easy to relax that night as we threw down some pizza and pasta and enjoyed the outside dining with the water only a stone’s throw away.

The final stage is one of the longest at 36km but is also one of the flattest and hence, one of the fastest. About 10km of the stage is raced on the open beach — with the sand about as hard as concrete — while the rest of the stage is held on fast fireroad or soft and slow desert dune trails. With only about a minute between Ben and myself, and with the top three riders on GC separated by about 30 seconds, it was going to be a fast stage!

I help a good position in the early sections and managed to get onto the beach on Ben’s wheel in 2nd place. From there it was like a road race with riders attacking and other chasing. Nothing managed to stick until Ben put in a strong attack, gaining a gap on the bunch and riding off into the distance. With still over half the stage to go though, I was confident we could bring him back.

After exiting the beach the stage got hard with about 20 minutes of sand dune trails. This section offered no momentum and plenty of mental resolve to keep punishing tired legs. I almost lost contact with the group but managed to grovel my way back up to them and firmly position myself just in time for the open fire road.

By the time I made it back to the group, Sid had again taken off up the road and Dan and Ben were working together between our group and the lone leader. Paul, AJ, Andy, Ross Farell and I swapped off hard to catch Ben and Dan. Steele was also in the bunch but with his team mate up the road, refused to work with us. Paul put in a strong attack to try to dislodge Steele, which had me well and truly on the ropes, but in the end we all finished together with Ben only slightly up the road, meaning I was able to maintain my lead margin over him. Luke Fetch was also only 2sec ahead of me at the start of the stage but lost some time in the sand so I managed to get ahead of him overall and Josh Carlson experienced some mechanical problems, meaning I jumped him also.

So after four days and seven stages of hard racing I finished up 2nd in Open Men and 5th outright. I was stoked.

Wildside is truly an amazing event. It combines a very strong social side with some great racing, awesome variety of trails and stunning scenery. Throw in slick organization and support and you have an unforgettable four days away.

Thanks to my generous sponsors for another awesome time on the bike and thanks to Mick Ross and Rick Eaves the pics. You can check out all the images from the race at www.rickeaves.com

I barely had a chance to wipe the dust off my face (and wash the blood from my legs) after the National Champs before we were in a van heading north from Adelaide to check out the Mawson Trail which is to be used in the upcoming Kona Mawson MTB Marathon.

Michael Bridge from Bike SA was our host for the trip and I was joined by Mick Ross from AMB and Kona rider Andy Bell. Our first stop on this trail tasting expedition was the rapidly-developing mountain bike meca of Melrose. We were lucky enough to have Rich from the local bike shop Over the Edge Sports with us for this part of the journey and, once we’d arrived in Melrose and thrown down a cuppa, we were in our bike kit and hitting up the local trail network.

After a few hours of fun on trails like ‘Kiss the Sky’ and ‘Dodging Bullets’, I felt like I’d ridden enough of the trails to say that they’re damn awesome fun! Having ridden only about 15km of the 60km + of trail out there though, I’m pretty sure there are plenty more smiles to be had. And better still, these spectacular trails are all a very easy spin from the local pub (and bike shop).

We filled up on the biggest steak ever that night (this is Australia after all) and then got another quick spin in on the trails the next day before our journey north continued to the remote Rawnsley Park Station (it’s so remote we had to drive to the nearby caravan park and stand on a specific rock — with me contorting my body in a specific manner — to get mobile reception, and even then I only got one bar’s worth…)

Here we again saddled up to check out some of the Mawson Trail which will be ridden in the event. The Flinders Ranges are spectacular and the Mawson Trail is about the best way to see them. Our ‘ride’ that afternoon was more a case of pedalling for five minutes, stopping for ten; the scenery was just to damn stunning to ride on past.

That night saw us eating under the stars at the local restaurant before a scenic flight the next day to see the Flinders from a different viewpoint, then a long trip back to Adeliade Airport.

What an amazing few days! If you have some time to travel in June, check out the Kona Mawson MTB Marathon, it’ll be unforgettable. If long distances aren’t your thing, at least check out the Melrose Fat Tyre Festival, on the same weekend with far less arduous pedalling required.

Thanks to Michael from Bike SA for the trip and to Rich at Over the Edge Sports for the local knowledge, hospitality and good laughs. Thanks also to my sponsors for another great few days of pedalling.

With a bit more of a warm up I was on the start line, the gun went and I immediately knew it was going to be a long day. I just couldn’t fire. My legs felt terrible but I tried to suck it up and convince myself that I’d be able to ‘ride into’ the race.

The laps ticked by and I worked hard to get into a good rhythm. I was struggling but kept trying to convince myself that I might be able to get into the race. I used people ahead of me as motivation and tried to catch them as quickly as I could. It was working for me on the descents but my legs were like jelly on the climb; there was no doubt about it, I wasn’t going fast. It was hard to feel strong when my legs certainly weren’t playing the game.

Then, on the final lap, I had a big crash and that was basically it for me. I’d been working hard to stay positive during the race but now I felt like I was at rock bottom. I pedalled around the last sections of the course, crashed a few more times, and rolled over the line having had a forgettable day in Adelaide.

It was difficult to be positive immediately after the race, with blood and dust all over me and feeling very disappointed with myself, but after a few hours I was over it, ready to move on getting excited about riding a lot better in future races.

Thanks, as always to my sponsors, particularly Giant bikes for their awesome support.

The Blue Dragon is in its second year and this year attracted over 250 competitors from all over Tassie and the mainland. The racing was great: Niki and I teamed up together and were having a ball on the first day until she punctured and had to walk the last 10km…but the swim in the river post-stage was a great way to freshen up. The free lunch, watermelon and lollies were also a welcome treat. The town of Derby (host to the start/finish on the day) put on a great show too with some bustling cafes and a few pubs – the perfect way to unwind after a big day.

Day two was based in the very small town of Weldborough, about 30km up the road. The pub grounds served as the start/finish and the pub was the only place you could buy anything in the town. It was a great setting though. Unfortunately, Niki was sick the second day so I rode by myself with the front guys so I could watch the race unfold. It was exciting stuff and the trails were superb. We started with a long climb, hit a descent, hit another long climb, then were treated to about 15km of flowing descent. Some of it was super-technical too. It was awesome stuff.

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face after that 2nd stage, it was pure fun mountain biking.

So, if you’ve got some free time in January next year, check out the Blue Dragon, I’ll be there with a big smile on!

Thanks to all my great sponsors for another great weekend and thanks to Andrew Harris for the pics.

Own a piece of Australian mountain biking history and support Trekky’s cancer treatment.  Up for auction on ebay (item 150397647262) is an official Australian national team jersey signed by members of the Australian mountain bike team that raced the world championships at Mt Stromlo in September 2009.  The shirt is a brand new medium sized Santini jersey with MTBA logo as worn by our national team.  Most of the team has signed the jersey including Beijing Olympian Dan McConnell, national champions Rowena Fry and Lachlan Norris and many more including Katherine O’Shea and Paul Van Der Ploeg.  All proceeds from this auction will go to assist Brendan “Trekky” Johnston in his fight against cancer.  Brendan was diagnosed with cancer just before the World Championships this year; he had urgent surgery to remove the cancer and amazingly was able to get back on the bike to race the championships and finish 50th.  He is now at the start of a long road of chemotherapy. You can read more on Trekky’s website.  So help us help Trekky and score yourself some unique Aussie sporting memorabilia.  Bid now here.

The first round of the Victorian state XC series was held at Bendigo. And it was wet, “the most miserable conditions for a mountain bike race in Bendigo ever”, according to the organisers.

But we didn’t need the organisers to tell us it was miserable conditions, we just needed to get out of our cars. We started our practice lap in dry but muddy conditions but soon were getting bucketed on with rain. “This must be the random flash flooding they mentioned on the internet forecast”, I thought to myself as I struggled to see through my glasses for the mud and slipped my way around the course.

We managed to get back to the car after that practice lap, grabbed some extra layers of wet weather gear, and shivered around waiting for the start of the race. “We could always take our race numbers off and go home.” I said. But Niki wasn’t having any of it, “nah Jimi, this is fun!” While I didn’t agree, I appreciated her enthusiasm.

We lined up on the start line and I decided that I’d go as hard as I could and if that meant I ‘blew up’, I’d pull out of the race. I certainly didn’t want to be dawdling around in these conditions, I had to be amongst the race to finish.

So we sped off in the direction of the puddles and soon a bunch of five of us had gained a lead margin on the rest. We rode together for about a lap and a half until the three front guys – Adrian Jackson (Merida) Murray Spink (Giant) and Scott Liston (Felt) – forced a gap on the main climb. Neil van der Ploeg (Felt) and I worked together to bring them back and half way through the 3rd lap we did. At the half way point we were still basically together give or take a few seconds but then Scott attacked and AJ followed, and then attacked harder to ride away from the rest of us.

Scott was feeling the effort of his attack and drifted back to Neil and myself with Murray a bit further up the course. We stayed like this – Neil and I together and Murray a bit ahead – until the final lap where Neil made a break on me which I was able to close, but then forced another break which I had no response to.

In the end I finished 4th, with Neil 3rd, Murray 2nd and AJ a fair way ahead in 1st. It was a crazy race given the conditions but, despite my pre-race apathy, a really fun day. The trails at Bendigo really are a treat to ride, no matter the conditions.

Thanks to Giant for my awesome bike that still managed to perform like a dream despite the elements being against it. Thanks also to Adidas eyewear, JetBlack products, CrankBrothers, Ritchey, Squirt Lube and PowerBar.  Thanks also to Stephen Rowe for the pics.

The race attracted a strong field and lining up on the start line I got a definite sense that the pace was going to be on from the moment the start gun fired. Nerves were high and, before too long, the race was on!

The race is broken into three ‘stages’ with a transition point in between which allows you five minutes to get between two check points (about two minutes’ riding apart) and gives you a chance to have a quick stop, fill up your bottles and grab some food etc. This rather complex (from an organisational perspective) system is put in place because there is a train line which riders must cross and, in the unlikely event of a train coming by, the system ensures that it won’t have an effect on the race results.

So the first ‘stage’ took us about 1hr and 20mins. We started in a huge pack of riders but once the pace lifted, the group quickly whittled down to about thirteen at the front. The first stage featured some singletrack, a number of short climbs and some deep creek crossings. The terrain wasn’t particularly taxing but I was aware of saving energy for later in the race so tried to stay in little gears and keep eating and drinking. It was a solid pace though and I was certainly feeling the pinch at certain points!

We arrived at the first transition point, loaded up on bottles and headed out for the 2nd stage, the longest of the three. With countless long and steep climbs, it’s touted as the ‘race defining’ stage. Usually the person that exits this stage in the lead, wins the race.

The stage started with some smooth fireroad before hitting up some fireroad descents and then some short singletrack and then the much-talked-about section; The Wall. This is a short but very steep climb that then leads into a long section of singletrack. While the climb itself isn’t super challenging, it’s important to hold a good position at the top of the climb to hit the singletrack in the top group of riders.

A few kilometres before this section, Matt Fleming launched an attack and was soon joined by Hamish Elliot. So, leading into The Wall, there were two riders off the front of the group. I hit the base of the wall at the front of our group and managed to get into the singletrack in 5th position which I was happy with. The singletrack proved harder than I expected though (probably because I was still in energy debt from climbing up The Wall) and by the end of the section I was feeling like I was digging very deep, far deeper than I would have hoped for.

I quickly realised that I was struggling to maintain contact with the now-dwindling front bunch and after a few more kilometres, and some steep climbs, I had lost contact. It was a strange feeling – half an hour previously I’d been feeling great and now, riding on my own and watching the group ride off ahead, I was on the verge of blowing up. I was a little disappointed but tried to stay positive.

I eased up on the pedals a bit, had a drink and something to eat, and tried to convince myself that I might be able to ride back into a good position if I just stayed focused. It was a tough few kilometres though, I felt like I was creeping along and my morale was very low.

After a few more climbs I came to another long section of singletrack and I noticed Josh Carlson, another member of the splintering front group, up ahead. Spurred on, I found some more energy and caught up to him. We rode together for a few kilometres until he pulled aside and gave me the lead, “I’m flogged mate, you seem to have a bit more in the tank than me.” Feeling like I had nothing in the tank, I tried to look strong as I rode past and muttered something about how hard the race was.

I got a bit of a gap on Josh over the next few sections and then we hit the long, steep fireroad sections which, I later found, shattered what was left of the front group. I tried to hold a good tempo here but it was super-hard mentally riding so slowly! Josh maintained a similar distance behind me and I wondered whether it would be better to wait for him so we might be able to work together. I decided to ride at a solid pace and, if he came across to me, we’d be able to work together.

A few more torturously slow ascents later I noticed Andy Blair, another rider from the front group, just ahead. Thinking we were near the end of the hills, and wanting some companionship on the flat terrain, I put it in to catch him. He seemed pretty spent so I set the pace on the front but, unfortunately for both of us, the hills were far from over. Just when I was seriously ready to lie on the track and cry into my dirty gloves, the terrain eased and we were into the last sections of ‘stage 2’.

Andy still seemed pretty flogged so I sat on the front for most of this section, but it was great to have some companionship out there!

I finally made it to the finish of this stage and, just as we arrived, I saw another two riders from thenow-shattered front group – Brent Millar and Marc Williams – just ahead. “Great”, I thought. “Some people to work with on the final ‘stage’!”

We re-fuelled, grabbed some lube for our chains and headed out for the final, gruelling ‘stage’. I was told it was mostly flat and was feeling a bit better by this point so I forced the pace on one of the early climbs and Millar and I got away from the rest. Thinking there couldn’t be too many more climbs left, I put it in as we swapped off turns and headed to the finish. Problem was, there were more climbs, and lots of them. The two of us worked together well but there were a few points where I was at my absolute limit. I threw down another PowerGel and drank more but I was at the point now where not much could help me – I was nearly completely spent.

I was told that once you get to the ‘Your Call’ section (a fork in the trail where you can take the short and steep option, or long and gradual option) you are only 5km from home. So once I saw the sign I was damn happy. We had to get up the steep climb first but it proved rideable despite my exhaustion. Millar and I worked together over the last section and Millar rolled in for 6th, me 7th. Seeing the finish banner was a pretty rewarding feeling and made all that hardship seem like it was almost fun.

The Highland Fling was an experience. From fun, to exhaustion, to desperation, to elation; I experienced it all in the four and a half hours of racing. It was a great day and I’m looking forward to heading back.

Thanks to Giant for my awesome carbon hardtail. Also thanks to Adidas Eyewear, PowerBar, Crank Brothers, JetBlack Products, Ritchey and Squirt Lube. Time for some rest before the next one!