DNF!..........

Travelled out to Yellomundee on Sunday to race in Round 6 of WSMTB XC series. It was with MUCH trepidation that I registered for D grade again. I have not been on a bike for 5 weeks, since we left to go to Fiji. The first week in Fiji I went to the gym every day and belted out a hard hour on the stationary bike each day keeping miles in my legs and lungs, but a bad belly bug stopped all that and then too many Fiji Bitter undid any good that I had done. Since I have arrived back home I have just felt flat.....

So I enter the race with a sole intention of not coming last. I even had a race strategy this week of grabbing the rear wheel of a fellow D grader and seeing how long I could hold on. The race starts and I start my first lap, and the first time I have ridden the big lap at Yellomundee. I was successful in holding on to the back markers in D grade but as the early technical climbs piled on one after another, I thought I was going to bust a lung.

Sneaking past two D graders on a climb I rolled onto the first bit of flowing singletrack. It's at this point that I realise that I had it in granny ring which would not have helped my burning lungs. Smiling at the fact that I was finally not climbing and had it in a proper gear, I looked forward to getting some recovery happening to push on, but it just wasnt my day. Ripping around a corner on the flowing section of single track I briefly hear a weird dragging noise and then as I push pedals out of the corner, the give I felt and the loud "WOAH!" I hear from the rider behind me didnt sound good. My rear derailleur snapped off at the hanger. Nice day for a walk.

All in all not my day, but what it did do is reignite a flame to get back into training properly and continue this MTB journey. It was also great to meet some guys from www.bikesmoveus.com.au. There is definitely a great fraternity in mountain biking that includes all riders of all abilities. Just wish I discovered this sport when I was younger and fitter.