Paired racing can conjure up images of Mountain Bike Stage Races like the ABSA Cape Epic, Craft Bike TransAlp, Terra Australis, BC Bike Race or many more. And although some Stage Race teams choose to race a marathon together in training, it is rarely a category. Saturday 14th saw the running of the Duo Classic in Kowen Forest, ACT, Australia. As a lap based event, typical pairs were racing with one another, as opposed to relay style which is typical at lap based Australian Enduro’s.
With 2012 being an Olympic year, many elite athletes will be doing their best to secure a spot on their countries team. Bec Henderson is aiming to get to a number of World Cups and qualify for the Olympics. That takes a lot of funding, and the race at Kowen was a way for the greater Mountain Bike community to support Bec. I think the turnout of 320 racers was a good sign.
The starts were in waves, to account for the Open Men, Juniors, Mixed, Womens and variety of other categories. The race had four laps, or two laps – for either a 50km or 25km event.
Heading out of Sydney towards the ACT required a barely human wake-up time to meet my Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Team mate Graeme ‘Biscuit’ Arnott. It is safe to say that driving south in about 14 degrees Celsius isn’t normal summer weather. But at least it is a good temperature to race in – especially in fresh Linebreak undershirts. On the line, the start was a little more exciting than normal as Dan McConnell tore the chain off his bike. Small groups were made as we hit the singletrack and soon enough Biscuit and I were sharing wheels and making good headway. Not stomping, but not creeping either.
Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Team rider Graeme Arnott - ready to roll
Although we both struggled to find a rhythm, the paired racing really gives a great motivating factor, plus the feeling of riding hard with your mates. Unfortunately that was short lived, as hitting a section of singletrack, five teams flatted – including my front wheel.
What? I haven’t flatted in a race for ages. In fact, I think it was 2010 TransAlp coming down the Val Mora the last time I flatted while pedaling in anger. There was little to do except throw a tube in and hit it with a CO2, and off we went – chasing! A rhythm started to come back, and so it was easy to neglect a ‘top up’ of air at transition. Or grabbing another tube or CO2. Cue a pinch flat and a walk back later on. I’d already used Graeme’s CO2 first up, so it was a real case of the Five P’s.
The Duo Classic was a great format. It was a break from the standard lap based enduro, and certainly less toil than a big point to point or loop marathon. A good day out, if not a bit short lived for myself.