The course was a fast and overall a good amount of technicle trails. Throughout the practice days it cut up and rutted and there were quite a few roots to look out for.. It had a couple of exciting spectator sections over rock obstacles and one section called the Gigantic drop which was actually easily ridable on the big 29er wheels!
The night before the race there was rain forcasted.. This started to make me a bit nervous as with all the roots and ruts it would have got rather dicey but the rain was short lasted and my Kenda Karmas were almost perfect for the job.
After a good warm up I was called up to the line in 58th and was still rather happy with my start position considering I didnt get to secure my 3rd place in the Oceanias which the UCI points help with starting positions.
Before I had a moment to relax we were off and boy was it fast! I was stuck right in the middle of the bunch and started to loose my nerve a little bit when a couple riders beside me collided so she was all go as you would expect!
The start loop was fast, hard and intense. I went good up the first climb but the legs were a bit shy to give out serious power so it was a slow first downhill amongst the caos and cluster of riders.
First proper lap and I started to fall behind the main group of riders in the field. I kept trying to smack it but after just coming out of a cold New Zealand Winter the intensity was a huge shock to the body.
Second lap came around and I ended up crashing after getting off-line through a rock garden. After this I had lost quite a bit of time but I kept moving on until I got pulled 65 out of 86 starters.
So now it is time to refresh and refocus and get motivated to complete a successful race in Italy next weekend to get a solid result.
On the positive side of things well done to Anton for a awesome race winning the Under 19's and to Mat for finishing a fantastic 13th!
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