Middleton Court- November 19th 2006

For the first time I’m racing 2 weeks in a row, bike fixed, off we go to the venue.
Got there a little bit late and because of the tight parking had to push the bike a little distance to get signed on and scrutineerd, should have got there earlier!

It had been raining so the course was going to be damp and soggy and with a trails tyre on the back this was going to be interesting.

Race started, off we went, excellent enduro course this I thought, loads of tree routes, tight wooded sections, slippery downhills, boggy bits, steep slimey uphills and a few fast fire roads thrown in for good measure.
The steep uphill half way round was a test for anyone wanting have a go at it, me being less experienced took the long easier way round, but, on my 3rd lap i had a go, got halfway up and very predictably came to a halt! Oh well, back down I went and went round it. (the hill was later cut out)
There was a lovely little boggy section just before the transponders, if this didn’t catch you out, the small slippery climb straight after it leading up to the timing area might, it certainly got me once or twice. I have to say yet again, the marshals were really doing a great job keeping everyone going.
I made my pit stop at halfway feeling knackerd already, but carried on.
I’d had a few little ‘offs’ and had another one just as I came out of the pits, I thought nothing of it, got back on the bike and carried on. Then I went to change gear, what the f*ck? I couldn’t, what’s happened here then I thought, looked down to find out that I’d just busted my gear lever! I could change down but couldn’t change up as my boot had nothing grip on. I was determined yet again to get a finish, so I leant down over the bike and changed gear with my hand each time I wanted to change up a gear. There was no way I was going to travel all this way, race for so long, and let a little thing like that give a DNF. Circulating at about 20 mins a lap before, I was now doing 30 mins a lap, I certainly was learning today how to ‘slip’ the clutch out of corners and up the little climbs.
Made it back to finish, and yet again I’m pleased, because for 2nd race in a row things haven’t gone right but I’ve completed the race to get a result.

Finishing position: 11/24
Bike status: new gear lever
Injuries: none