Past 12 hours of Woodhill have been fun events where I have completed more laps than other soloists. Dean and his crew reflected this by giving me the number one race number, all I had to do was live up to expectation. But this year I almost didn’t make it to the event. On the drive to the park an oncoming car took over my lane and I had to almost turn the car off road to avoid a major crash; despite this, my wing mirror was shattered. This behind me, I started up the sandy hills of Woodhill Park for 12, the biggest ride since the beating I gave myself on the Canadian Rockies. The result came to be similar.
This was the first real test for my nearly new Rohloff internal gear box. Although the 30km race in Taupo was a taste, it lacked the distance to see what it was really like to race with no derailleurs. I had also lacked the organisation to arrange a support person. Luckily Andrew from Ay Up lights offered to lend a hand.
Last year had seen me and XC and BMX Bunny Lee battle it out for the overall lead for the first few laps. This time the pace was just as hot but after some place swapping I came in 3rd overall after lap one. In light of this I backed off a little and settled in and turned on my beats machine that I had missed so much in the lonely forest with bears and cougars.
At the four hour mark I tried to find out my position in the solo field. With only six starters I was comfortable that if I had a good race a win would be on. But I had in mind that I had only just got back into training post worlds and had not ridden more than four hours since that ordeal. It was soon confirmed that I was leading the nearest soloist by two laps. No doubt I was now well placed, but I still pushed on with the pace. Nothing is secure with eight hours still to run.
I was surprised at how many people recognised me and cheered me on throughout the event. I even managed to have the occasional chat to the passer by. In general there was an overwhelmingly friendly atmosphere before, during, and post the 12 hours. One team in particular went out of their way to help me. I ate numerous peanut slabs they handed to me. They were also riding the big wheels, there seems to be a camaraderie between 29’er riders.
I knew that I might hit the wall at some stage during the hours due to my lack of training recently. I hit it alright with a great thump. I asked Andrew for a soft drink to bring me out of it and get the lap time back to constancy. Few laps later I had a cold can of coke shot gunned down the hatch, thanks to Dean who sourced it from the Woodhill shop.
As the darkness encroached my lead looked secure. Andrew quickly fitted me out with appropriately coloured Ay Up lights and I began to burn a beam through the forest. I do enjoy the airy spookiness of night riding. It can be a bit too much after 15 hours in the saddle and a myriad of hallucinations. But this being shorter than that, and with a steady margin too, I could just enjoy the tracks and the powerful Ay Ups.
Soon after I started to back off as to not run myself into the ground too much. With just over an hour and a half on the clock I came in for what I decided was my second to last lap. I searched my feed bag for the long anticipated beer. I pulled up alongside the organiser’s tent and chatted and drank my last nutritional beverage. I thought it almost traditional as last year I was two beers down before I stopped riding. I was soon ordered to put in one last flying lap.
So I finished up with a little over an hour to spare. The Rohloff had its first victory and the Ellsworth a flawless race. A perfect record thus far, three for three. Another adventure on the sand with a slice of pain.
This was the first real test for my nearly new Rohloff internal gear box. Although the 30km race in Taupo was a taste, it lacked the distance to see what it was really like to race with no derailleurs. I had also lacked the organisation to arrange a support person. Luckily Andrew from Ay Up lights offered to lend a hand.
Last year had seen me and XC and BMX Bunny Lee battle it out for the overall lead for the first few laps. This time the pace was just as hot but after some place swapping I came in 3rd overall after lap one. In light of this I backed off a little and settled in and turned on my beats machine that I had missed so much in the lonely forest with bears and cougars.
At the four hour mark I tried to find out my position in the solo field. With only six starters I was comfortable that if I had a good race a win would be on. But I had in mind that I had only just got back into training post worlds and had not ridden more than four hours since that ordeal. It was soon confirmed that I was leading the nearest soloist by two laps. No doubt I was now well placed, but I still pushed on with the pace. Nothing is secure with eight hours still to run.
I was surprised at how many people recognised me and cheered me on throughout the event. I even managed to have the occasional chat to the passer by. In general there was an overwhelmingly friendly atmosphere before, during, and post the 12 hours. One team in particular went out of their way to help me. I ate numerous peanut slabs they handed to me. They were also riding the big wheels, there seems to be a camaraderie between 29’er riders.
I knew that I might hit the wall at some stage during the hours due to my lack of training recently. I hit it alright with a great thump. I asked Andrew for a soft drink to bring me out of it and get the lap time back to constancy. Few laps later I had a cold can of coke shot gunned down the hatch, thanks to Dean who sourced it from the Woodhill shop.
As the darkness encroached my lead looked secure. Andrew quickly fitted me out with appropriately coloured Ay Up lights and I began to burn a beam through the forest. I do enjoy the airy spookiness of night riding. It can be a bit too much after 15 hours in the saddle and a myriad of hallucinations. But this being shorter than that, and with a steady margin too, I could just enjoy the tracks and the powerful Ay Ups.
Soon after I started to back off as to not run myself into the ground too much. With just over an hour and a half on the clock I came in for what I decided was my second to last lap. I searched my feed bag for the long anticipated beer. I pulled up alongside the organiser’s tent and chatted and drank my last nutritional beverage. I thought it almost traditional as last year I was two beers down before I stopped riding. I was soon ordered to put in one last flying lap.
So I finished up with a little over an hour to spare. The Rohloff had its first victory and the Ellsworth a flawless race. A perfect record thus far, three for three. Another adventure on the sand with a slice of pain.
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