Mad Kows at The Mont

Rich, Joe and myself as team 'Mad Kow racing' just competed in the Mont 24 hour mountain bike race at Kowen Forest. We were able to do really well finishing about 36th out of 160 four man teams, not bad for only having 3! We each completed 7 laps for a total of 21 team laps and rode 140 km each for a total of 420 team km's. Big big day (and night) of riding on a physically demanding trail.

There were times out there when those thoughts pop into your head (like in the middle of the night doing a double lap) of 'What the hell am I doing this for?', 'Get me off this bloody bike my back and ass are on fire!' and 'This is definitely the last mountain bike race I'm ever doing!' in amongst a variety of expletives. Overall it was awesome, I had an absolute ball on the saddle with two mates for 24 hours and would do it again for sure. The atmosphere was electric from go to woe and the sportsmanship and camaraderie showed by all the competitors is unique for a race with a massive 3500 mountain bikers.

If your trying to find out what you're physically and mentally capable of, a 24 hour bike race will definitely let you know. Thanks guys for an unforgettable weekend!

Recovery day today, back on the saddle tomorrow!

 The set up

Rich ready for the first lap with a nice clean bike

An excited and nervous crowd of thousands gathered in pit lane just before the race briefing

 The front runners off and racing!

 Rich (blue with white stripe) not far behind on the teams first lap

Joe off for the first night lap

2am on Sunday morning, warming next to the heater, staring at the lap times white board and trying to work out when Joe will be due in to transition. Simple math is really hard when your exhausted! 

 The 20 km course turned out to be quite a demanding one

The sweet sight of the sun coming up puts a smile on everyones face as it signals the end of a long cold night in the forest.

 
The Mad Kows