We all woke up to the sound of rain – what a contrast to yesterday. After a leisurely breakfast with fellow riders, we decided to head out and brave the cold, 10 degrees, yes that’s cold, no matter where you’re from!
Jo and scoot2, virtual tour guides for the morning, took six other riders for their first trip up the mountain. A light rain fell as we ascended the gravel path and crossed into some long grass before heading down a muddy but fast bit of single track. All we could hear was Simon (from Brisbane) yelling with delight as he tore down the mountain, carving up the track. Meg (another Brisbanite) and I were a little more cautious. With the ride totalling 12 kms all up, it proved just enough to warm the legs and dirty the bikes.
We headed back to the hotel, cleaned the bikes with the fire hose (who said mountain bikers weren’t industrious) and after a warm shower headed into town to register. That took all of 10 minutes and then we were off on a coffee shop crawl of Thredbo village and a lazy lunch chatting to some down hillers.
“Any tips” I asked? ( Hopeful of some last minute wisdom to tackle the down hill stage tomorrow).
“Yeah, it’s easy, just don’t use the breaks!” Ok, note to self and scoot2 🙂
Race briefing tonight was filled with much excitement and trepidation as we listened to the week’s race plan and realized that there were going to be some challenges for all of us. River crossings, rocky descents, switchbacks, flowing single track, heart starting climbs.
Bring it on! Jo and scoot2.