Forrest 6hr

What an action packed weekend.

It all started with a drive to Newcastle to fly to Melbourne. On reaching Melbourne sat morning BMC rider Troy Bailey pick me up and drove me the 2hrs south to Forrest where we arrived at about 2.55pm. The cyclocross race started at 3.00pm so with some crazy bike assembly ( as my bike was still boxed from the flight) I was ready to try out this strange sport.

I think this is the first crosser race that the Forrest club has hosted and the first lap was a little slow as people worked out where the course went. The second lap the speed increase and I somehow managed to make a little lead. I know my running isn't great and this race just showed that. The race involved getting off your bike and jumping over barriers or logs, running through sand and mud before jumping back on the bike and sprinting to the next section. Possible one of the toughest 45min races I have ever done, but I scored a cool fox tail for the fastest lap!

I spent Saturday nigh with Norm and Jess Douglas who did an awesome job of looking after me. They are involved heavily in the Forrest club and it was obvious how passionate they are about their mountain biking.

I wasn't sure how the weather would hold up during the race but Sunday morning looked promising. When we were marshaled to the line I knew I was aiming to see how long I could ride with Beijing Olympic rider Dan McConnell. I think I managed to hang in for about 4 hours and I had a couple of goes where I got away from him briefly. I was never going to stay away for long especially with his support riders!

The track was great fun. It took a few laps to build the confidence to hit the berms hard and I looked forward to heading out each lap. The weather changed constantly during the race from being stinking hot to freezing cold and rainy!

It was really good to have a tough race and I'm stoked with how hard we were racing. A big thanks goes out to Gavin who I recruited Sunday morning to feed me and Dave who got me to the airport early Monday morning. Norm and Jess for looking after everything and Troy for getting me from the airport.