This is it, my first race.
Got up feeling nervous as hell and didn’t know what to expect at all.
Checked all the gear was packed, double checked it and checked it again.
I arrived in plenty of time and got changed and preceded to cart the bike off to get scrutineerd, sign on and get the transponder.
My sister and brother in law and his brother had turned up to give me some support and Marie (my girlfriend) had travelled with me also.
Right then, time to line up, I sat there on the start line and waited for our turn to watch the flag drop.
GO! I kicked her and off I went into the first corner probably about half way, but it didn’t last long as I bloody well forgot to turn the choke off and it came to an abrupt halt after ‘chugging’ along the track for about 100 yds! (twat)
Realising what I’d done I quickly remedied the situation, now I was plum last!
Into the woods we went and I gingerly made my way through the trails until I had my first ‘off’ which was a classic, straight over the front bars and landed in some kind of soft heather bush, I got up and laughed to myself.
As the wooded track meandered on I had a few more ‘offs’ and even more of them as we followed a rocky stream. The marshals helped me a few times to get started again, and without them I would have struggled even more.
At the end of my first lap I rode straight through the transponder timing area and didn’t even stop, I thought that it would time me automatically, I didn’t realise that you had to stop and swipe the wrist band until the light had turned green before you could go (twat). This became apparent when one of the officials flagged me down halfway around the track and told me to go back and get ‘swiped’. I ran back across while he held the bike for me.
The second lap was no different to the first, I came off time and time again and had to stop for about 10 minutes halfway round to rest, the sweat was dripping from me like a tap that had been turned on pouring down from my helmet.
I managed to pit after 2 laps again taking a rest and off I went out of the sunshine and back into the woods.
What happened next has never happened to me in my entire life!
There I am making my way carefully along the trails when all of a sudden I WOKE UP.
As I looked around I could see was my bike leant against a tree, what the f*ck is this all about I thought. I then remember a marshal bent over saying ‘you ok, would you like a drink?’ I asked him what had happened and why was I lying on the floor, he explained that I had hit a tree full on and knocked myself unconscious. Apparently I had been out for quite a while and the paramedics were on their way.
I got checked over by them and asked if I could carry on but I knew what the answer was going to be, NO WAY! My race was over!
I then made my way back with a marshal to the ambulance for more checks.
Everyone that had travelled to see me were now getting worried as I hadn’t come back round to complete another lap and the race had finished by some time. They finally got sight of me in the back of the ambulance. Marie was not impressed; the look on her face said it all!
The paramedics said that I should go to hospital to get checked as I’d been knocked out and I might have to have an overnight stay just for a precaution.
I satisfied them that Marie would drive me home and I’d go straight to Bodmin hospital as it’s nearer to home.
Now bearing I mind that my other half hasn’t driven a van before or pulled a trailer she done remarkably well and we went straight to Bodmin to get checked.
After getting seen by the doctor they then advised me that I had to go to Treliske hospital in Truro to get a full examination, so off we went down there after dropping the bike back home first.
This turned out to be a nightmare, I was dirty, smelly, hungry, dizzy and knackerd, I waited about 6 hours to get seen! It was like Piccadilly circus in the place, how many people can get injured all at the same time on a Sunday night?
My collarbone was killing as well and I feared the worse as there was a huge lump on it right in the middle, if this is broken then I’m up the creek without a paddle as I’m a guitarist and there’s no way you can play a guitar with your arm in a sling.
Anyway, got x rayed and had my head checked and to my relief everything was ok, Phew!
We finally got home at 4.30am.
Welcome to the world of enduro’s!
Finishing position: DNF
Bike status: Broken clutch lever
Injuries: Concussion, Bruised collarbone.
Got up feeling nervous as hell and didn’t know what to expect at all.
Checked all the gear was packed, double checked it and checked it again.
I arrived in plenty of time and got changed and preceded to cart the bike off to get scrutineerd, sign on and get the transponder.
My sister and brother in law and his brother had turned up to give me some support and Marie (my girlfriend) had travelled with me also.
Right then, time to line up, I sat there on the start line and waited for our turn to watch the flag drop.
GO! I kicked her and off I went into the first corner probably about half way, but it didn’t last long as I bloody well forgot to turn the choke off and it came to an abrupt halt after ‘chugging’ along the track for about 100 yds! (twat)
Realising what I’d done I quickly remedied the situation, now I was plum last!
Into the woods we went and I gingerly made my way through the trails until I had my first ‘off’ which was a classic, straight over the front bars and landed in some kind of soft heather bush, I got up and laughed to myself.
As the wooded track meandered on I had a few more ‘offs’ and even more of them as we followed a rocky stream. The marshals helped me a few times to get started again, and without them I would have struggled even more.
At the end of my first lap I rode straight through the transponder timing area and didn’t even stop, I thought that it would time me automatically, I didn’t realise that you had to stop and swipe the wrist band until the light had turned green before you could go (twat). This became apparent when one of the officials flagged me down halfway around the track and told me to go back and get ‘swiped’. I ran back across while he held the bike for me.
The second lap was no different to the first, I came off time and time again and had to stop for about 10 minutes halfway round to rest, the sweat was dripping from me like a tap that had been turned on pouring down from my helmet.
I managed to pit after 2 laps again taking a rest and off I went out of the sunshine and back into the woods.
What happened next has never happened to me in my entire life!
There I am making my way carefully along the trails when all of a sudden I WOKE UP.
As I looked around I could see was my bike leant against a tree, what the f*ck is this all about I thought. I then remember a marshal bent over saying ‘you ok, would you like a drink?’ I asked him what had happened and why was I lying on the floor, he explained that I had hit a tree full on and knocked myself unconscious. Apparently I had been out for quite a while and the paramedics were on their way.
I got checked over by them and asked if I could carry on but I knew what the answer was going to be, NO WAY! My race was over!
I then made my way back with a marshal to the ambulance for more checks.
Everyone that had travelled to see me were now getting worried as I hadn’t come back round to complete another lap and the race had finished by some time. They finally got sight of me in the back of the ambulance. Marie was not impressed; the look on her face said it all!
The paramedics said that I should go to hospital to get checked as I’d been knocked out and I might have to have an overnight stay just for a precaution.
I satisfied them that Marie would drive me home and I’d go straight to Bodmin hospital as it’s nearer to home.
Now bearing I mind that my other half hasn’t driven a van before or pulled a trailer she done remarkably well and we went straight to Bodmin to get checked.
After getting seen by the doctor they then advised me that I had to go to Treliske hospital in Truro to get a full examination, so off we went down there after dropping the bike back home first.
This turned out to be a nightmare, I was dirty, smelly, hungry, dizzy and knackerd, I waited about 6 hours to get seen! It was like Piccadilly circus in the place, how many people can get injured all at the same time on a Sunday night?
My collarbone was killing as well and I feared the worse as there was a huge lump on it right in the middle, if this is broken then I’m up the creek without a paddle as I’m a guitarist and there’s no way you can play a guitar with your arm in a sling.
Anyway, got x rayed and had my head checked and to my relief everything was ok, Phew!
We finally got home at 4.30am.
Welcome to the world of enduro’s!
Finishing position: DNF
Bike status: Broken clutch lever
Injuries: Concussion, Bruised collarbone.
