Today’s stage started with a ski tube trip to the top of Perisher Blue resort. It was a chilly 6 degrees on arrival as we huddled together on the start line trying to keep warm. A very light rain was falling and a strong wind was blowing, soon to be our friend as it turned into a tail wind.
The first section was uphill to Blue Cow Mountain. I surprised myself and rode all the way to the top, despite most of my fellow riders walking the steep parts. Then we hit some grassy trails. These were hard work as they were very boggy in parts, then a quick descent into Guthega. The rest of the day was punctuated by numerous climbs (assisted by the tail wind) and some fast gravel and fire road descends, littered with branches and foliage. A few times I nearly lost it but managed to pull off some awesome skids and recover before going off the side of a mountain!
The climbs were relentless today. I shared lots of cursing with other riders as we tried to take our minds off the pain and not look at the km’s. No point really- you get there when you get there I say!
Even the last 1km to the finish line wound uphill through grassy trails, making a seemingly easy finish just that little bit tougher.
I crossed the line in 5:15 and was pretty happy with my ride. My mate Meg was there to cheer me on, having finished in 4:24 and grabbing first place.
Jo and scoot2 🙂