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Having been chosen as part of the team relay Mountain mayhem was finally here and I was really excited.
The morning of mayhem arrived. Off I went to sign on then pre rode the course. It had rained a bit at night so changing my tyres may have been a possibility. The course was great; good climbs, fast single track, open fire track and a few techy sections. After completing one lap I decided to change my front tyre to Kenda Nevegal and leave the rear one Small block eight.
A quick stroll around the arena, we met a few of our sponsors, Kenda tyres and Osprey hydraulics and had a quick chat before the race started.
Before starting we had a team meeting to discuss the break down of laps and how many we were doing etc. Once this was finalised it was time to race! I was chosen to start, which included a half-mile run!!
I was on the start line 30mins early with teammate Ricky who was competing in the 24hour solo!! I was getting more and more excited and had a huge adrenaline rush. Thousands of competitors were at the start ready to race.
The horn went and off we ran. The route was pretty basic but quite difficult running in mountain bike shoes! In to the transition area, I grabbed my bike, ran to the mount line and off I rode. He first lap was really fun-there were ques entering parts of the single track in the woods because there were so many riders! It was quite amusing in a way as well.
It took me just over an hour to complete an 8.8mile lap including the run. My teammate Rachel was ready in the transition area as I was riding into the arena. I passed the baton to her, and then off she went to complete her lap.
I had a couple hours break before I was next to go so went back to the team tent to relax. The atmosphere was great and we were already leading the Open Women’s team category, which was great. But we had another 23hours of racing yet to be done!!
It was very close the first few laps into the race, but we were slowly, gradually increasing the time between 2nd place and us.
The morning of mayhem arrived. Off I went to sign on then pre rode the course. It had rained a bit at night so changing my tyres may have been a possibility. The course was great; good climbs, fast single track, open fire track and a few techy sections. After completing one lap I decided to change my front tyre to Kenda Nevegal and leave the rear one Small block eight.
A quick stroll around the arena, we met a few of our sponsors, Kenda tyres and Osprey hydraulics and had a quick chat before the race started.
Before starting we had a team meeting to discuss the break down of laps and how many we were doing etc. Once this was finalised it was time to race! I was chosen to start, which included a half-mile run!!
I was on the start line 30mins early with teammate Ricky who was competing in the 24hour solo!! I was getting more and more excited and had a huge adrenaline rush. Thousands of competitors were at the start ready to race.
The horn went and off we ran. The route was pretty basic but quite difficult running in mountain bike shoes! In to the transition area, I grabbed my bike, ran to the mount line and off I rode. He first lap was really fun-there were ques entering parts of the single track in the woods because there were so many riders! It was quite amusing in a way as well.
It took me just over an hour to complete an 8.8mile lap including the run. My teammate Rachel was ready in the transition area as I was riding into the arena. I passed the baton to her, and then off she went to complete her lap.
I had a couple hours break before I was next to go so went back to the team tent to relax. The atmosphere was great and we were already leading the Open Women’s team category, which was great. But we had another 23hours of racing yet to be done!!
It was very close the first few laps into the race, but we were slowly, gradually increasing the time between 2nd place and us.
Preparation for events like these is a priority. Taking on as much fuel as possible through out the day and night was essential to keep energy levels up. Spare kit in case the weather/temp changes especially at nighttime is key.
Riding at night time/early morning was great fun. Some marshals had music playing in their tents and were so encouraging through the tough parts of the race. Riders had Christmas lights wrapped around their bikes, others had bells and even some were on Uni cycles!!!
Three quarters into the race I was up and ready to rock on and get some laps under my belt and gain some more time on the other team. At this point we were leading by 28 minutes. The sun was shining, music was playing, we were winning what more could you want in a race. I stayed as focussed as possible and tried not to let lack of sleep take over me. That lap was completed in a reasonable time and we were still in the lead by quite a way.
The team were so encouraging I wanted to go out and do more laps, but I did have to wait my turn.
With an hour until 24hours of racing was complete, I was able to get in another lap and finish it for the team. Team mate Rickie was also winning and leading by 2 laps which was amazing! I caught her on the final part of the course so we decided to finish together. As we rode in to the arena everyone was lined up along the barriers cheering and clapping. I was so proud at that moment and pleased that we were in one piece and had two wins.
We collected medals at the finish line a rode back to the team tent and handed them out.
Out of the whole 24hours the team only had 2 mechanicals, which is very good going! We couldn’t have asked for better weather, dry and sunny by day chilly but clear sky at night!
Thank you to Weldtite for their support through out the whole weekend and also to the best team, WXC Mountain Bike Team UK for all their hard work and effort.
Bring on Mayhem 2011!!
Riding at night time/early morning was great fun. Some marshals had music playing in their tents and were so encouraging through the tough parts of the race. Riders had Christmas lights wrapped around their bikes, others had bells and even some were on Uni cycles!!!
Three quarters into the race I was up and ready to rock on and get some laps under my belt and gain some more time on the other team. At this point we were leading by 28 minutes. The sun was shining, music was playing, we were winning what more could you want in a race. I stayed as focussed as possible and tried not to let lack of sleep take over me. That lap was completed in a reasonable time and we were still in the lead by quite a way.
The team were so encouraging I wanted to go out and do more laps, but I did have to wait my turn.
With an hour until 24hours of racing was complete, I was able to get in another lap and finish it for the team. Team mate Rickie was also winning and leading by 2 laps which was amazing! I caught her on the final part of the course so we decided to finish together. As we rode in to the arena everyone was lined up along the barriers cheering and clapping. I was so proud at that moment and pleased that we were in one piece and had two wins.
We collected medals at the finish line a rode back to the team tent and handed them out.
Out of the whole 24hours the team only had 2 mechanicals, which is very good going! We couldn’t have asked for better weather, dry and sunny by day chilly but clear sky at night!
Thank you to Weldtite for their support through out the whole weekend and also to the best team, WXC Mountain Bike Team UK for all their hard work and effort.
Bring on Mayhem 2011!!
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