24.10.06 - Sprint Finish at National XC 1:
It's been a long winter with not enough racing, so I was really eager to get out there and test my form against the interstate 'hitters' and get some race fitness. But it seemed everyone was keen to hit up this first round of the national series at Yellowmundie in Sydney's West. It's a classic XC track with a bit of everything - rock gardens, open firetrail, tight singletrack, dead sandy sections, steep climbs, bridges, jumps, and more. Overall it was fast, but tough on the body.
Punctures were going to be hard to avoid. A lot of riders in the eariler races were double-flatting and the course would only get more chopped up throughout the day. So riding smoothly would be critical. There was a good atmosphere at the races, with a great setup, plenty of spectators and media, and perfect racing weather. The turnout was also solid, especially with the elite women's field being bigger than the men's. It was great to see.
From the gun the race was fast, but after a quality warm up I felt good. So I let the field up the main firetrail climb, which was one of few climbs in the race. After pushing the pace I settled into a lighter rhythm for the rest of the lap, trying to conserve energy for the long race ahead. It's the type of track where you can rest but still go fast, as it's so flat and flowing. After leading into the second lap, Matt Flemming and I established a small lead, with Matt looking strong. After he slipped on a technical section I got away from him. But late in the second lap I slipped up and he retured the favour. Looking back on the race, the key seemed to be not making any mistakes, as it was difficult to make the time back up.
With little confidence in my endurance at this time of year, I was happy to let Matt go and keep him at 20-30 seconds. But another slip up on a sandy climb allowed Sid, Shaun, and Aiden to pass me while I ran along trying to fix my chain up. I tagged along with them for a while until the next lap's firetrail climb, where Nick Both and I attacked and got away and went after Aiden and Matt. With two laps to go the constant steep pinches and rocky sections were starting to take their toll, so I rode at tempo and hoped the guys up front would fatigue. I gradually picked up the pace after a sugar hit and could see Matt and Aido in sight, so I went 100% to catch them. Matt, who took guts to go hard early, paid the price and I passed him before the river section. Aiden was only a few seconds in front. I had to keep it going to get there before the end.
With only 1km to go I caught Aido. We was tired, but had sat up and spun his legs, almost knowing I was coming. I had to decide to either sit on him, rest a bit like him, then attack. Or keep the pace high and ensure we stayed away from Matt, who wasn't far behind. I did the latter and Aido focussed on my wheel while saying "Looks like it's just you and me mate". Just as we approached the finish straight I knew I'd used all my energy chasing so late, so I just went hard early to try and surprise Aido. He was onto me though and had more strength up the last rise, stomping around me and taking the win by half a bike length. A sprint finish in a XC race is rare, so it felt strange. But, as in the women's race, it was good to see a close race (which was apparently exciting to watch).
In the end Matt came in 3rd, not far behind, then two Canberrans Shaun Lewis and Ben Henderson. It was a good weekend of racing and a good sign that this season will be very competitive. MTBA are turning it up this year, so domestic mountain bike racing is looking good. Everyone's now fired up for the next round in Hobart. It's going to be a very different type of track, so it'll be interesting to see who's going to gain form for that. While I didn't feel exceptionally good I'm happy with my form for this stage of the season. Plenty more to work on and hopefully improve.
Results and photos on www.nationalseries.com.au and www.cyclingnews.com