I was racing with my brother-in-law Gareth and his circle of friends so at 10.30 we were already lining up at the front of the pack. Although it was fine for him as he was likely to end up in the top 20, I felt a little out of my league especially as I had the likes of Matt Page, Dan Evans and Huw Thomas behind me! Any concerns soon vanished as the hoards soon passed on the lead out so it was a fight from the off to retain my position in the pack.
The initial climb strings out the riders before the first singletrack section, given the bottle necking that occurred in 2007 I didn't want to get held up this time so pushed a little harder than normal and I wasn't disappointed.
The new bike felt great, I loved the old hardtail but the epic provides the acceleration capabilities of a hardtail whilst providing the much needed comfort on the downhill sections. It's a welcome change to be the one overtaking people on the downhills as well as the uphills. I had major concerns over tyre choice and pressures but luckily it held out for me. The same couldn't be said for everyone and the trail side were littered with people fixing their punctures.
The course as seen on Strava, is only 30miles but it's by no means easy. Every uphill section is a long difficult drag with the rewards at the top being a difficult but fun downhill section which is just as tiring. With the exception of one section, the course remained dry and quick which made the day more enjoyable.
After the World Cup descent I came out onto the fire road to have a marshall shout 74 at me. Having come midfield last time I was a bit stunned but was now determined to get a top 100 place which would be achievable if I could maintain the pace. This wasn't an issue until I hit the feed station where the worst cramp I've ever had struck. Spurred on by my niece and nephew I managed somehow push through it [lets not mention the whimpering] and it eventually disappeared just leaving my with muscle pain.
It's not advertised as a race for insurance reasons but being such a tough event it's hard not to treat it as one. That said you can take your time around the course and have some fun, it caters for all riders tastes. That together with the atmosphere and you can see why it's such a popular event.
There was a couple of moments where I was convinced I was hallucinating, a Stars Wars reenactment and a man walking his pet lamb... strange but entertaining on the climbs!
Finishing with a time of 3:28 put me in 80th position overall and 47th in category. Not a bad start to the season.
Many thanks to the organisers and all others involved. See you next year!
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