Club Supporters
The atmosphere was great, the air was fresh, and it was getting close to the start of the 2nd Vaude Highland Fling… I made my way to the front of the pack, sitting nervously on the line, next to the likes of Josh Fleming and Shaun Lewis, and an array of other elite riders, who would be competing in the 100km event. Behind me were hundreds of riders, who like me, would be competing in the 58km event.
The race started in the least preferred way possible… with me on the ground! I was knocked off my bike by an over enthusiastic rider, who was equally keen to hit the trails and possibly take a surprise lead. But…The only problem was that he was lying on the ground next to me, trying to dodge hundreds of wheels and feet! After having an arm ridden over, I jumped up quickly enough to have only lost about 85 places, and rode like hell, to try catch up to the leading bunch of Elite riders. My tactic was to blend in with the Elite 100km riders, so that none of my fellow competitors in the 58km event would chase me down, or even be aware of the fact that I was ahead of them. My plan worked, and soon enough I was back to the front, getting very comfortable in the pack, as we flew along some fast singletrack and firetrails.
I eventually felt satisfied with my leading margin, which meant that I was no longer visible to the chasing pack of competitors. This allowed me to drop off the back of the Elite pack, and bring down my heart rate, so that I could sustain my effort over the distance. I rode at my own pace, and eventually reeled in an Elite rider, with whom I could work with. It didn’t surprise me that he was tired from the relentless pace of the leading elite riders, so I let him draft behind me for about 7km of firetrail, until we neared the split point, where I would turn off to do the 58km loop, and he would follow the Elites, to complete the 100km loop.
When we reached the split point, my legs were burning, and I had forgotten to drink or have any gels, so I hit emergency mode! I brought my heart rate down from about 185bpm, to around 160bpm, and drank a lot, and had a gel. Once this had all settled, I hit the gas, and tried to extend my lead. I was worried that I would fade as the race went on, but surprisingly I felt consistently strong, especially on the rough climbs. This was very reassuring, as I neared the halfway mark of my event.
It was at this point that strange thoughts popped into my mind. I wasn’t too sure about the crazed supporter yelling from the top of the next climb. Was I dreaming? Was I hallucinating? Or was it… Yes! It was Dad, yelling his lungs out! If you have ever heard my Dad yell and cheer, then you know what I mean!!
I crested the climb and hit some singletrack, and it wasn’t the smoothest riding I’d ever done. My arms were tired, and my legs kept asking me what I was trying to do to them! I started to seriously lose concentration, as I hit rocks, overshot turns, and generally rode worse than the fateful day I had my training wheels taken off my bike… My back ached, and my neck was stiff too, but I was still having a blast! There were times where I had a close call or two, so I forced myself to refocus. But for the rest of the time, I just looked forward to river crossings, to sooth my aching legs, and the ‘10km to go’ sign. It seemed like eternity, as rocks and grooves began to feel like boulders and chasms… I was getting very tired, and it was showing in my riding. I was making stupid mistakes.
Finally, I hit some hard pack firetrail, and I gave it my all, as I flew past the ‘5km to go’ sign. It felt like I had switched to autopilot, as my legs suggested bringing on a little cramp to spice things up. I wasn’t too keen on the cramp, but I also wanted to ride harder, so I kept my head down and pedaled!!! Throughout the race, I was never sure of my margin, so I never really slowed down at any point, simply because I imagined a swarm of rider’s only seconds behind me. But once I reached the final descent, into the finish, I felt a tad more relaxed.
Overall, winning the event was not my goal, and was not necessarily the most enjoyable part of the race. In fact, my goal was just to have fun! But riding along with over 600 riders at any one time was a buzz of its own. Once again, the event was run to perfection by the Wild Horizons team, and it was great to see small improvements in the sport itself, and more specifically in the Highland Fling. The introduction of GU bins was a smart move, to discourage littering along the race route.
Thanks go to all the enthusiastic sponsors of the event itself, and the ever present ‘Dark Side’ of volunteers, including the Rural Fire Service, and Volunteer Rescue Association. Even greater thanks go to my Dad and Mum for their ongoing support, especially as I trudged through the final yards of my HSC. Also to Greengrocer on Clifford bike shop in Goulburn, for their never ending support, and their endless desire to help me out in any way possible. And finally, thanks go to the people behind me; the WSMTB committee, for always being there to help me out, and for being willing to promote the sport we all love…