Mont 2012

With every 24hr race there is always going to be plenty of stories. My story goes along the line of being a late ring-in to a socially competitive mens team of four. My previous 24hr team of four effort was the catalyst to solo 24, I remember clearly as if it was yesterday. We completed laps as fast as we could, had our 5W on the front lighting up the trail during the night, in the end we were spent, exhausted (our efforts had placed us about 50th) and all vowed never to do that again. But there I was, six years on, filling a spot with a familiar bunch of faces, team of four, back at Kowen and with 24hrs to fill.

Our triathlete received the run duties, rode well and set me up for a great clear lap, we were now chasing the front teams. Our laps were consistent, all the guys putting in massive efforts and made flowing transitions to the next rider. There was a great vibe on the trail, courteous, cheerful and chatty. The event hub was always busy with transitioning riders, the tempting smell of coffee and pizza, plenty of bling and such from event supporters. As darkness hinted it wasn’t just camp sites that were lit up in spectacular fashion, riders and their bikes were expressions of art as they glided and weaved through the pines.

Photo: Nigel Jefferys

Some time through the night laps one of our riders had a minor fall, putting him out for further laps with suspected digit damage. We had now become three, but it all didn’t seem that hard. The trail was flowing and there wasn’t a serious hill in sight. Singletrack was punctuated with short sections of fire trail. Only a couple of corners built braking ruts and the damp sections remained limited, testament to the trail building team.

I managed to get the dawn lap and as the night faded through the cloud filled sky, more riders seemed to return, along with the buoyant energy to the trail. We polished off our 24hr effort in faultless style, with just a few minutes before the cut-off transitioning to the final lap. It was our triathlete who notched up the last lap.

I could go on for quite a while with my two wheel drift exploits and the colourful characters I met on the trail (should have used an alias Brooke). But the Mont 2012 was some serious fun in a team of four, and I am glad my mates gave me the call. This was my story from the Mont 24.