Posted on August 16 2017
It's been a couple of weeks since the Hairy Mary 3hr Enduro, in Gympie. We had an awesome crew of ladies head up including Kylie, Jaine, Jo R and Tracy, rocking our super rad kit.
There were over 70 starters, pretty amazing for a women's only race in Gympie!
Personally, it was a great way to get back into the swing of racing, though the course was deceptively tough. The lack of balance and life in my 'work life balance' saw me coming off a hectic week at work. Of course, no biggie as it meant I couldn't ride very much in the lead up to the event.
It also meant that as I was waiting on the start line all I wanted to do was have a good old nap!
Not to worry, the gun went off s we all had to chase 'Hairy Mary', who started 30 sec prior to us.
Kylie and myself had a good lap early, with Jaine not too far behind. The course flowed and whooped in the hot Queensland bush, indeed the mercury cracked over 30 degrees adding an extra element of pain to the day.
We rode together for an hour and a bit then Kylie turned the motor on during the only climb of the day and I didn't have the leggies to follow. Ce la vie, she dangled just in front for a few more laps until I was in never never land for the last couple.
Having had such a significant break from racing, I knew the day was going to dish out the pain, regardless of the lack of elevation, and it surely did. I definitely had to use some mental toughness reserves and some head-talk to get me through, the last couple of laps were brutal!
Finishing a scrape after 3hrs (thank goodness!) Kylie had finished just ahead of me, and she looked awful. So did I, we truly turned ourselves inside out.
With minimal elevation and a friendly 'come and try vibe', the race was achievable by women of all sizes, ages, racing history and background. It was great to see a few teenage girls, a couple of septogenerians and everyone in between tackle the challenge.
You can check out a video of the event here, which shows some wicked Sol-Cyclinic ladies carving it up!
We can't wait for next years' event. In the meantime check out the Sol Breads-Cyclinic Women's MTB team page for our upcoming social rides and events. Huge ups to Sol Breads, Cyclinic, Yakima Racks and Torq Nutrition for getting us to the race!
Love the ride! AB.
Kylie, just rockin' (pic thanks to Michael Page)
Jaine rides her way to 4th, pretty good with some tough ladies there. Big things to come! (pic thanks to Michael Page)
AB demo-ing a good old fashioned mono-hoop (pic thanks to Michael Page)
Kylie and Anna feeling pretty second hand at the end!
And we're off!