Twentyfour12

I think I've recovered sufficiently enough to write about the 2412 now. Not that I was particularly broken (OK, a bit broken), more that I just haven't got round to it.

So...

1. The course. Brilliant. Obviously helped that it was hot and dry, but it's the first enduro I've done where some of the sections are so much fun that you want to do them again. The bombholes followed by Cottage Return...mmm, swoopy.

2. The crash. There had to be one (one and an eighth really). First lap too, washed out on a shaley track and removed 25sq cm of skin from my left hip. Ouch. By the time I took my shorts off, they were a bit stuck to the wound. I blame the fact that my tyres hadn't warmed up. That's what an F1 driver would claim anyway.

3. The eating. I reckon 10 litres of Torq Orange, plus one Torq bar, a few Cheddar biscuits and about a litre of Elete-dosed water (electrolye mix). Felt OK actually, my carbo loading strategy much have been about right. Oddly didn't feel that hungry imediately after, but at 6am the next morning I was raiding my food box in the tent for the free Clif Bar we'd been given.

4. The result. 29th out of 57 I think. I basically started riding at midday, and stopped at 9.17pm. I paused for about a minute every two laps to take on more drink, and it took me about three minutes to fit my lights. I'd been on the edge of cramp for about 5 hours, but the main reason I stopped was that I was starting to lose concentration on the technical stuff. I'd been getting faster on those sections each lap, so when I started to make silly mistakes on lap 10 I thought it was probably a bit risky to carry on. I was probably about 11th at this point...

5. The learns. Remember that you've bought caffiene laced energy gels and use them when your concentration is going. Try and have someone telling you where you are in the field. Don't wipe out on lap one and have to spend 9 hours sprinkled in blood.

Will I do another one...? Wait and see.