I used to live in Brighton so I love returning for Brighton Big Dog every year, this is the 3rd visit to the trails of Stamner, I've done well here, 5th the first year, 6th last year, but checking the entry list before the race shows that Big Dog is going Big time, most of the top marathon and endurance racers in the country were racing solo!
A practice lap on friday was slippery due to the early morning rain, but the course was familiar and the extra hills suited me, it also caused my guide to dislocate his finger in a crash!
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| Strada Wheels Race team, with some extra's |
Race day was bright and sunny, the course had dried out really well and I was now keen to race. I got a good start, cleared the steep climb and early singletrack to avoid all the first lap carnage.
I settled into a maintainable pace, slower than the front runners but I always try to keep my lap times consistent for the whole race, instead of blowing up mid race.
The laps were great, hilly but enjoyable with fun, twisty single track, passing slower riders took patience but I try to be polite.
Laps were ticking up and I moved from 11th up to 8/9th, near the end of the race I lost a bottle on some single track, lucky the laps were short and it didn't effect me too badly.
I started what I thought was my penultimate lap, feeling good I rode safe, heading back into the arena I managed to pass a solo rider, moving me up to 8th, checking the time I wouldn't manage another lap, which was a shame but I was happy to finish 8th in such a strong field.
Thanks for the help from the Strada Wheels and Brighton MTB crew, always nice to get cheers along the way. I'm now 5th overall in the Endurance Series, with one more round I've changed from 6 to 12hours at Torq 12:12, a good race might see me grab a podium in the series!
