Bling Day Out 5th July

What a weekend, best weekend if a long time!! It started on saturday, rushing around in fact but turned out very good. Orginally I was going to ride out to Old Hidden Vale for the Bling Day Out (98.2km) on my merida but plans changed and another rider who was going to come pulled the pin because I didn't want to ride my road bike out. Anyways I don't have a GPS nor particularly keen to ride nearly 100kms without a clue where I am going! So I gave Ky a quick call asking if he'd ride out. He was afraid of being to slow and didn't want to be screwed for the shortcourse race. He said I could stay the night and we'll leave early and get WoodyJnr on the way out. I managed to miss two trains after my rushing around and got to see and experience many strange things on the train there. Ky and Woody got me from the train statiob and we went back to Ky's for dinner. We watched foxtel and ate a very yummy spaghetti with diet coke! mmmmm. After a good nights sleep under the warm air con we were off to smash some good Old Hidden Vale trails.

Kaji, Woody, Ky, Me and Hungry Stu

Met some 29er riders from mtbdirt.

The 3 of us entered B grade in the short course for a bit of fun before hitting the trails, I wasn't taking the race seriously just entered for the elbow knocking, knee banging and hooning! The race started with a 20m run, I jogged to my bike and was around 6th the start was pretty quick but I passed most people at the first short climb, than on the main climb I managed a 200m gap on 2nd place.

The bottom of the main climb.

I stopped at the top where the spectors were and had a chat until the others came rode by. I left around half the field go before leaving again. I purposely cut infront of Woody only to be passed by a 4X move around a switchback. Must say I was impressed and started talking and saying how cool it looked. Woody than said you could still win this. At this stage I couldn't even see 1st place but I gave it crack. Again the main climb came around and I was first up again. For the rest of the race I kept looking back, chatted to riders I overlapped, talked to the spectors and finished with 6 laps. I told Haydz I wasn't being serious and that 2nd place should claim first prize. I was busting to go to the toilet and rode off to the loo, came back to race Elite but there weren't many starters and they combined them with Open. So I missed the start, The racing wasn't serious but was very fun for a 30min race.

After we rode some trails which as normal were awesome, I was lucky enough to take a 9.5kg 140mm travel carbon ibis mojo for a trashing. It felt like a moto bike and having so much travel made it very comfortable. Putting the bike sideways was easy and very easy to control. I was flying down the trails (well it felt like it). Unfortunately the day had to end but I can't wait to get out to Old Hidden Vale again and spend some more time with Ky and WoodyJnr, they are the maddest mates, I really appreciate all there help and I always have a ball when i'm around them! It was good catching up with Kaji and all the other new and not so new mtbdirters. Thanks to Haydz and Peter for the very well organised event.

Till next time. TK