The steed that got me down and home safely with no mechanicals. It’ll always be a very special bike.
The helicopter was filming our heat in the Quali’s.
They’ve posted the vid on the official site. There I am in the starting line sweep through.. white bike, white top. Third in from the front, far right.
Well what can I say? That was the most tiring, crazy, steep, death defying thing I’ve ever done. Snow, glacial traverse’s, sharp rocks, ice, 8ft drops, sand, grass, roots, muddy berms, off camber descents, ladders, climbs, altitude, doubles, triples, quads, all near vertical. The videos even flatten it out. It’s hard to explain. Until you experience it, you’ll will never know. It’s like riding every terrain you’d get in a week abroad, in one day. Nothing can prepare you for it, and when you finally finish in one piece (if you do, of course) you’re so knackered it’s beyond belief. And that’s the qualifier. The main race is three times longer, it’s all about endurance, hanging on, keeping concentration, not letting your mind wonder for a second, it’s punishing, it’s brutal, ridiculously steep, dry and wet, ready to catch you out. No wonder people have lost there lives doing it. I’ve done it, I did well, I’m content. But I know I have to do it again, knowing what i know and having new knowledge of the track and the tactics. But if I never get the chance, 1hr 21mins, 13th in my age group, I’m very happy with that.
Well it’s all over and for me is tinged with disappointment after riding the snow, boulder and glacier sections well I lost too many places on the climbs and then true to form, binned it big style in the lower woods trying to make back places… not once but twice over the bars and landing on my head!
I could barely bring myself to look at the time and placing but ended with a 1hr 23min run leaving me 186th (26th in Master 40 class) in the Mega Amatuers final and came over the finish line with a decent enough amount of alpine foliage still attached to my helmet to give the finish line officials a giggle.
It is difficult to put into words the whole experience but I’m left feeling I have unfinished business here.
Just got today’s race times in:
My time – 1hr 21 mins.
74th in my group of 400. 332 finished.
13th in my age category (master 40’s)
Very pleased with that.
All went smooth today with qualification, both bikes made it home unscathed and un shamed. The famous Megavalanche “La Bomba! Alarma!” start is an experience I’ll never forget. The tension, hovering filming helicopters and bar to bar dicing is like nothing else and now both of us can’t wait for our main events. There is a real sense of camaraderie about the whole event. Well the results were Andy finished 115th in a none too shabby 32 mins and I managed 80th in 28 mins and of course tonight’s discussion is all about what could have been but we’re both pleased with the results and are looking forward to our main runs from the glacier. Andy is away tomorrow at 9.45 and mine is 9.30 on Sunday.
We came to complete the longest downhill mountain bike race in the world and all too soon it will be over.
Wish us luck!
At Registration yesterday I realised I didn’t have a pic for my race licence. No pic, no race! What we did have however was a pair of scissors and a dirt magazine. She never battered an eye lid.
megavablog 