This was to be my first 5 lap XC race and it was really going to be a tough one, especially on the very tough and fast course with the humidity that was going to take some getting used to. I was entered in the A batch and we were only scheduled to start at 10h30. The race was off on time and it was not long before the humidity and the heat, especially in the cane sections, began to make their presence felt, as it pelted down on the course.
Off the start Travis Walker and myself were able to get into a break, but it did not last long. On the one climb I tried to sip on my bottle, but then a big rock flicked up into my front wheel and I hit the deck hard, but tried to get back up and going as soon as possible which was the case as soon as I had got both the bike and myself out of the sugar cane.
I had lost a couple of positions at this early stage but I was able to put my head down and work my way back up to 2nd place by the end of the first lap.
After the initial crash and in my haste to try and get Trav back into my sights, I obviously lost some focus and concentration, causing me to crash on every single lap and at times I was crashing for the silliest reasons and this in turn saw me dropping positions to riders I know I should have beaten.
Nevertheless I fought hard to try catch up again and despite respectable lap times it was to no avail and I finished in 4th place overall and 2nd in the youth category for the day albeit with a huge time gap between myself and Travis.
The course was absolutely awesome! I made the comment on the day and will repeat it again by saying it was the most awesome and best XC coarse we have ridden this season. It was well marked and had great flowing single track, with a lot of technical sections thrown in for good measure. The coarse also had nice long big climbs making for a coarse the organizers could be proud of.
Well done to Charles Stander and his team for a most memorable event!
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