Avanti 6 Hour Classic

Set in the giant Karri forests in the far south of WA the Round-tu-it campsite in Pemberton played host to this 6 hour race with a twist. The first twist was that half of it was at night, the even larger twist was the course which was very twisty indeed.

Sharing a joke with Dan on the start line

Checking my position on the laser display screen

After a race briefing that involved warnings about snakes and kangaroos, a small friendly field set off out of the campsite and into the forest. 5 and a half kilometres the tightest technical singletrack later and we were marking off our first completed lap on the state of the art scoreboard.

Although I wasn’t feeling great I had a rough strategy to rush through as many laps as I could before it got dark and then stay on out there till the end. Lapping at just over 20 minutes per lap I was well into my 9th lap when I felt the need to turn my lights on.

I had been running in 6th or 7th place throughout but I was aware that some of the lead guys were having mechanical problems ie their bikes were making terrible clunking noises as they lapped me. I was also relying on catching a few people late on or at the very least them stopping early.

Again nutrition was an issue. No matter how much I drank I still seemed to be dehydrated. After 4 hours I could no longer stomach any of the array of energy snacks, fruit and sweets that I had with me. The sausages on the BBQ smelt good though.

The last two laps were a real grind but I completed the 6 hours placing 4th. A shower, 2 hot dogs and 3 paracetemol later and the pain was nothing but a distant memory.

The pleasant atmosphere at this event continued with a BBQ afterwards and a complentary breakfast the next day.

Honorable mentions go out to Dan who completed his first solo 6 hour just behind me and Owen and Amy who were not only in their first race but also having their first stab at night riding.