Race Report:
Jeep Apparel Mutlisport Series #2 – Shongweni Dam
5km trail run, 20km mtb, 5km paddle
15th – Long long way behind brilliant winner Andrew Birkett
Was surprised at the top end I could (had to: Andy’s class today) rev to this morning taking me to a max heart rate of 181; craziness I can usually only get to once ingrained into quality work, and not when settling into some base. Cant say it was comfortable there, but I loved the heat, and had to really turn it on to pull back the 1min I gave to Andrew Birkett and Lance Kime on the techincal run descent. Me ankle’s still nigglin, and tried to play it safe. But the lads, like most there, are out paddling my lack of boat form, so needed to much more than close over a fast 20km hill/sand fest. Good fun.
I mis-shifted late in the 2nd lap, now leading, and heard the high pitch gun shot sinking hopes of getting it right for a change. I could nurse the chain another few hundred metres, but under pressure of the next incline, it uncoiled and lay stretched in the dust like sand art. No chain breaker, no master link. Such a fool as usual. Eventually with a chain breaker in hand, now cussing at my incompetence, I self-taught a chain fix in race scenario – never happened before. Alas.
Again in awe of the families getting out and about including multisport as a natural part of their lifetstyle. The way forward.
