Can't see the Forest for the trees.

Jim had been planning his 2nd 3 man 24 hour race for some time, in fact it had been spot on a year ago that he'd come 2nd at the Kona 24 in a 3man. I on the other hand became an independent sub contractor for the My Mountain 6 man team, something (a 6 man) that I hadn't done for years.

The Kona 24 is a bit special in that it has 3 separate tracks used through out the course of the race (no pun intended). While this can have an occasional hiccup during change over between loops, it provides entrants with an opportunity to ride on much more trail than they'd normally see in a race. All 3 loops were accessed up a short steep switch back climb that got pretty dusty by the end of the race, but the rest of the course(s) consisted mostly of flowing single track and minor fire road uphills (climbs is too strong a word).



The forecast was iffy, but thankfully only a drizzle visited the race and it departed soon after smelling 600 unwashed mountain bikers riding around in circles.



Like all 24 hour races, the real crux of the experience is laps starting anywhere from around 1am to 5am. It's dark, it's cold and normal sane people are in bed already. Most riders with an early bunch ride the next day would have retired to the warmth of bed hours earlier.



In his three man team Jim struggled through his trials, I think the lowest point in the race was when trying to open a gel packet with his teeth, he tore the entire packet open instead of just the top. The low lasted only a short time, the sugar gained from licking his gloves soon had him back in moderate spirits.

Come morning Jim used the same cup he had used for noodle soups, to make a coffee. As the sun slowly rose in the east he decided that coffee with little green floaty bits wasn't enough, and added a packet of instant hot chocolate to his coffee. I'm still unsure how good it went down, but from experience I know everything tastes fantastic on the morning of a 24.



I was the last rider of my 6 man team, so when the race started I just wandered around chatting to riders and soaking in the atmosphere. What I should have been doing was stretching and warming up. My first lap hurt me, my legs were tight, I wasn't feeling the flow of the trail and consequently it was my slowest lap. Being the last rider I was scheduled for a 3:00am lap, I got up from my quick nap and headed to transition. Standing in the 1º morning air, I had no idea that my team mate had been delayed in starting, so I waited... and waited... and waited. The lap itself was good, my legs were starting to feel good and though the light from my HID (helmet mounted) was often blocked by waist height shrubs or head height trees I felt I was hitting the trails with good speed. And that was the worst of my race. The next lap was dawn, I managed to catch up to Erin Baxter (racing in a 4 man) and then worked together to push out a good fast lap.

The highlight of the race for me was my final lap, I wanted to ensure that another rider got out, and I'd heard that "Mariners Run", a trail with big fast berms, was included in the loop. I donned a long sleeve skin suit consumed and a bucket load of caffeine and gave everything. Just before the feature climb at the start of the lap I was passed by Paul Van Der Ploeg, and spent the rest of the lap making motor bike noises as I tried to catch him. Anyone who's seen Paul ride would already know that I never caught him, but I was proud to say that after catching me he only gained 45 seconds. Being in a 6 man meant I was fresh for Mariners Run and no other section of trail elicited more BRAAAPs than those great big flowing berms.

So, the next 24 is up in Canberra early next year. I think Jim is looking to take it easy in a 4 man, while I'm looking for more of a challenge... maybe something like a 4 man.