Dalby Forest NPS 2

There will always be a few certainties at Dalby Forst. The sat nav will be incredibly off, there will be massive queues in practice for the technical sections and it will take an eternity to get there.
So where the hell did the hail come from when I was practicing!!

I had (naturally) cleared all the technical sections first try on the demanding course in practice as I have done in all of the three time I have ridden it. However, the three/four years it has been in use is really beginning to show now with lines really being carved out.
The added moisture didn’t really help proceedings after a bit of deliberation I sat in the campervan Saturday evening putting a Bonty Mud X tyre on the front and moving my Schwalbe Rocket Ron to the back in place of the Racing Ralph.
I opted to ride my S-Works Stumpjumper Hardtail 26” due to the big hills in Dalby; plus my 29er Epic was at the menders getting a new front brake.

The shoe change seemed to be a great move as I watched the morning race and my Mum take the win in the Grand Vet race, annihilating the other rider with the winner of the previous round taking a look on Saturday and deciding against it.
It was insanely muddy!

12 Noon came and I was gridded on the back row due to my bike exploding at the last race. The Elite racers had a start loop to complete before completing 5 full laps. We had the same minus the start loop, in honesty I was hoping that we would be knocked down to 4 laps.
Our time came, the start gun went and I powered away; a gap opened up in front of me and I took full advantage and gained a ton of positions as riders tiptoed around the muddy corners.
Into the climb in the first bit of singletrack I gained two position by taking a high and most importantly hardpacked line. Coming back into the field I was in about 8th position but lost a couple of places, with fellow local rider Steve Hodge coming back through the pack after a timid start.

It was plain sailing until I got to the rocky steps where I binned it quite badly, I’m really not sure what happened but I seem to come unclipped and rode about two steps on the handlebars before coming gracefully to rest on the side.
I jumped back on only to find my front brake lever wasn’t there but thankfully it had just twisted round. I lost a load more places sorting that out and just set about composing my self and getting to the climbs to make up some places.

Worry Gil was up next and I almost came off! I blew both feet off the pedal but recovered it nicely, the first sign it wasn't to be my day. I got to the technical climb to  the tune of the marshall shouting that nobody had ridden it so get ready to jump off. He wasn’t wrong. The first slope of it was a mud slide and had to be run. That was half of my 26” advantage out of the window.
Coming into the Medussa drop I was a bit pissed off at how things were going but committed myself only to slide out right near the bottom in the insanely thick mud.

First Lap Crash

We got onto the big long climb and I told myself, right time to unleash the kraken and take back some places. My brain relayed the message to my legs only to get a reply of (in your best Scotty impersonation), we’re giving it all she’s got cap’in.
I had been feeling strangely tired all week (ask my housemate, I barely mention it!)after doing a road race the previous Sunday. But I had purposely rested myself for the race but I did feel sluggish on my practice lap.
I slogged my way up the hill with the mud not helping whatsoever, taking back two positions but I soon lost them on the flat and finished out the rest of the lap feeling incredibly lethargic.

I told myself just to re-group, get a gel and energy drink on board, just tap out a rhythm and get some places back. Unfortunately it didn’t work like that and although I cleared all of the lap with no crashes I didn’t feel and better and was getting slower. Before I knew it I had the lead juniors coming past and more of them than usual.

I continued to plod on round with even the top of the Sport race coming through me, I just told myself to get to the finish and hope that riders in front of me withdrew or crashed out. I just couldn’t afford two retirements in two national races.

I came across the line, second last in the whole of race 2 with a result of 19th in the Expert category. 20th is okay considering I was targeting a top 15 result but I don’t want to think about what could have been if I was on form.
However much I want to blame the bike, although it didn’t help me in any way; I just wasn’t on song at all and I need to move quickly to rectify the problem.
I have no doubt I will sort it out.
The last time I had a drop in form like this was when I was sailing with my sister; people started to doubt us and thought we had lost it.

We came 5th at the World Championships that year...