I have long heard rumours of amazing racing in the Bom Bom State Forest, and last weekend I got to experience it firsthand – thanks to the efforts of Bom Bom Mountain Biking in reinstating the Gbomb 12hr. The rumours proved correct and I had an absolute ball!
Saturday…
Originally intending to “only” ride the 12hr on Sunday, I quickly decided to also enter Saturday’s 32km “GravelX” race as an ideal warm up for Sunday. “Of COURSE I’ll take it easy,” I lied to myself. The race started & I enjoyed a few brief seconds near the front of the pack, until I was promptly dropped by the fast blokes. And boy were they fast! I chased as hard as I could but quickly lost all sight of them before remembering that this was supposed to be an easy warm up ride. Take it easy? Zone 2? Who was I kidding? I didn’t catch sight of the lead pack again, but I had an awful lot of fun TRYING to chase them down!
I definitely didn’t stick to my original race plan, but I’m glad I gave it my best shot: not only did I thoroughly enjoy riding the GravelX course, but I also won my age category, was fastest female overall & had the fastest female lap time on the day. I’m absolutely thrilled with that and, just quietly, a little overwhelmed with the generous prizes donated by Bom Bom Mountain Biking & Grafton City Cycles. I’m still smiling as I type this, days later!
Sunday…
My legs weren’t quite so convinced on Sunday morning, however, and I had no trouble sticking to my “slow and steady” race plan for the 12hr. The first lap was crowded with riders jostling for position, and I briefly enjoyed riding with Michelle Newstead before she disappeared ahead of me in a cloud of dust. The second lap was much calmer, at least until I was waved to a stop by two riders in front of me: a large carpet python was slowly crossing the track and, race or no race, he had right of way. Very cool! By the third lap I was starting to find my rhythm on the twisty-turny course, and by the fourth lap I was grateful for my slow and steady approach. It was HOT! Dousing myself with icy water every second lap offered a brief respite from the heat of a 37’C day, but the cool of dusk couldn’t come quickly enough.
At the shadows lengthened we switched to an alternative night course: my brain enjoyed the change in scenery and my legs enjoyed the break from all those pinch climbs! The reprieve from the afternoon heat was welcome, and the bright pink sunset was incredible. Emblazoned in my memory is a view while riding up a west-facing fire road: pine forest standing tall either side, and up ahead a fellow rider silhouetted against a neon pink sky. Stunning. As the sky slowly darkened the trail was illuminated by beautiful emerald green jewels glittering in my light beam: the eyes of harmless ground-dwelling spiders out hunting for dinner. Others also saw echidnas, but (unfortunately) I only heard them rustling in the leaf litter.
A great thing about endurance racing is having time to appreciate these things, but I WAS still racing! I tried hard to reduce my stopping time in the pits without Dylan Rhymer there, and am grateful for the help of Donna and Wayne – especially as tiredness hit and I had a few rider-induced issues with my helmet light. The support and encouragement from other riders, volunteers and pit-crews also helped to keep me smiling throughout the race. The endurance mountain bike community are such an awesome bunch!
I completed my last lap just after 10pm, coming in second in my age category behind Michelle, and third female overall. Kudos to Michelle Newstead who helped at the event all day on Saturday (plus for many hours before this, I’m sure) and to the super strong Ronel Cook, who was fastest female overall. It was great to catch up with both of them over the weekend and to enjoy a post-race beverage & baked potato together.
Congratulations to Bom Bom Mountain Biking – they sure know how to put on a great weekend of racing. Happy vibes and hard racing for the win every time!