Day night Thriller 12 hour race

Stayed the night at Nici’s family’s bach in Kinloch as we are down in Taupo for the annual Day night Thriller 12 hour team race. I am in single speed team riding under the Essence Bicycle banner again. My normal event buddies Miles, Nici and Graham are riding in geared teams. This is the 6th time I have been down for this race, though it is my first year on the single speed.

Had my usual pre-race really bad nights sleep so got up when I heard noises coming from the kitchen about 6.15. Had breakfast and a couple of coffees with Miles and then we drive to race site meeting some of Miles team mates on the way. Their teams had sites in block A but I was way the heck up in block C. So after helping put the tent up I humped my ten tons of crap over to my team. We had 2 teams of 4 single speeders racing in the open mens 4/5 person class. All the usual suspects were there plus a couple of guys I have not raced with before but had met at previous rides. We had riders from all over the north island riding with us which was pretty cool.

The race itself started at 10.30 AM and our first rider completed the first lap in the chaos of 400+ riders on a fixed gear bike – the nutter came past in 38th place, setting a big challenge for the rest of us. Apart from some screw ups with the timing system that saw us, plus others lose laps the race went well. We were not overly serious about it all, but every dug it in for their laps and we ended up 22nd out of our class of about 120 teams with the other teams not far behind in 27th place. We completed 28 of the 8.2km laps with only 1 lap over 30 minutes long, my longest lap was 27 and something minutes so I was very pleased. I have never done 7 laps before and never have all my laps been under 30 minutes, I am getting fitter and faster !

From our site the course was flat on a dusty/sandy path for about 100 meters then it shot down a grass hill with a tasty off camber corner at the bottom that was sure to see some carnage if it rained. After a further 200 metres of open riding the track started a gradual climb into an open pine forest. The single track of previous years had been widened the whole way to double track to allow for easier passing it had also been extended by quite a bit as well which was cool. It was not in any way a technical course, but it do have some small pinch climbs, some down bits and some flat bits so it was fun in the forest. After the forest there were 2 nasty little pinch climbs that I managed to ride up very time, though it was close a couple of times and then there was a kilometre or so of riding through the camp sites and over the timing line back to the site were you changed rider.

Not sure where we came out of the whole event as the results and timing was a bit screwed this year, normally it is fine so not going to whinge too much.

I left my team as the last rider crossed the finish line and made my way back over to Miles car and he drove us home. I had to be home as my youngest did not organise himself somewhere to be on Sunday when my wife went to work and I believe it is unfair if I tell where to go just so as I can go off and have fun. Miles was happy to drive home as well so we did. My wife decided not to work and went with the youngest and stayed the night at a friends place – oh well. I Got home at 2:30 AM, had a shower and went to bed. Slept till 6.30 and work up starving and 1 year older. I am 44 today. I got up at 9.00 and made myself eggs and baked beans on toast, as that was kinda all there was.

Went and picked my wife and youngest up and had lunch with friends got a couple of good books for my birthday so spent most of the afternoon reading and dozing.

3 rides in 3 different locations in 1 week - Awesome !