Jet Black 12hr - Dargal Farm
Posted: 14 Aug 2011, 11:34
This is where my Mountain Biking career begins.
I decided to buy a mountain bike a few weeks back, and then had an opportunity to do the Jet Black 12hr, so i thought why not jump straight in. With only 1 previous MTB ride, and having never ridden the new bike, it seemed like a reasonable idea to do a race.
So yesterday, Me, Alex, Alan, and Alison headed out to Dargal Farm for a little bit of riding. We were racing as the Bernard Riders Mixed team, with a nice little setup in their tent, and a supply of beer when required. Luckily the weather decided to stay clear although although the trail was still a bit damp and slick in spots.
Onto the racing. My first lap i spent learning to ride, finishing with a nice trail of dried blood down my leg. The next too laps i seemed to get the hang of it a bit more, getting faster each time, though it did help that the course wasn't all technical, so i could pick up the speed on the nice fast smooth sections. With the light fading, my next lap got a bit slower as the rocks became a bit harder to see, but there would still be one more lap to be done. With the darkness set in along with the cold, i was waiting for Alan to return, unexpectedly he was early returning with a broken chain. So after quickly getting ready, i set off for a nice ride in the dark with Glenn joining me for a bit of company. Riding in the dark was another new experience, and as i expected, it slowed me down as i seemed to get held up on every rock that decided to get in my way, but i got through relatively unscathed.
In the end we finished 5th in the mixed 4 rider teams. The other Bernard riders did a great job too, taking out 2nd and 3rd in the Male 4rider teams.
I think the next step from a 12hr is a 24hr, though maybe with a little bit of training first.
I decided to buy a mountain bike a few weeks back, and then had an opportunity to do the Jet Black 12hr, so i thought why not jump straight in. With only 1 previous MTB ride, and having never ridden the new bike, it seemed like a reasonable idea to do a race.
So yesterday, Me, Alex, Alan, and Alison headed out to Dargal Farm for a little bit of riding. We were racing as the Bernard Riders Mixed team, with a nice little setup in their tent, and a supply of beer when required. Luckily the weather decided to stay clear although although the trail was still a bit damp and slick in spots.
Onto the racing. My first lap i spent learning to ride, finishing with a nice trail of dried blood down my leg. The next too laps i seemed to get the hang of it a bit more, getting faster each time, though it did help that the course wasn't all technical, so i could pick up the speed on the nice fast smooth sections. With the light fading, my next lap got a bit slower as the rocks became a bit harder to see, but there would still be one more lap to be done. With the darkness set in along with the cold, i was waiting for Alan to return, unexpectedly he was early returning with a broken chain. So after quickly getting ready, i set off for a nice ride in the dark with Glenn joining me for a bit of company. Riding in the dark was another new experience, and as i expected, it slowed me down as i seemed to get held up on every rock that decided to get in my way, but i got through relatively unscathed.
In the end we finished 5th in the mixed 4 rider teams. The other Bernard riders did a great job too, taking out 2nd and 3rd in the Male 4rider teams.
I think the next step from a 12hr is a 24hr, though maybe with a little bit of training first.