Riding the Town Bike all night long.
Life and bike racing teach you about optimism and self belief. They Etch it into your being. You learn to suck eggs until they turn to chocolates. So early 2010 when a couple of house mates bailed and left me with significant debts I felt tension in the jaw, anger in the guts, but optimism in the dice roll of life.
My favourite tool for release of such stress the old Scott spark (named Paris!) was falling to pieces, ridden into the ground by a fat bastard with a penchant for relentless racing and Torquay winters. No matter how much love I pumped into Paris it became clear it was unrequited. I had to dump Paris like a bag of shit and find a new love! I had 24hour worlds coming, in Australia!
What was I going to ride? How could I possibly afford a new bike?
When Lorenzo from TCF (Torquay Cycling Factory) said he was keen for a chat I readied myself for another bad dice roll. With a rising BSD (bike shop debt) on top of the FFHD (fairly (or another F word) huge housing debt) I was pretty sure that my worlds dream was over before I had even done an ergo session in anger!
Operating a bike shop in its mundane sense involves opening the doors and servicing machines - brakes, chains, gears and crapping on all day to tyre kickers who then go and buy online. Lorenzo from TCF is different. He understands that bicycles facilitate Dreams. Lorenzo's trade is dream machines.
My failing was to dream small. I thought to compete at worlds I needed a bike. Lorenzo dreamt bigger. He thought I needed a town. So he told me that Torquay was going to buy me a bike. Twenty four people would donate $70 dollars for every hour I rode at worlds. This money would pay for my bike. I reeled. Then I cried. Then I reeled some more. ( I may have cried some more but I am not going to tell you that...) The dice rolled. The result was good! Niner Hardtail, Glows in the dark, Fox forks, splashes of carbon, one gear. Woooooooooooooooooooooooo! Better start doing those ergo sessions J
So to race day.The dream is here. World Solo Champs. The solo part is bullshit. I have the best pit crew in the biz. Jules and Missiles (Miss Hayles) looking after nutrition and mental well being and Lorenzo(Monkey wrench, lights and Mental HTF!!!!!!) Every moment I ride I am with them, and they are with me. That is why I smiled for twenty four hours.
Single speed division. Goal is to podium. My race plan is to look after myself for twelve hours. Then sneak up on everyone in the dark.
Oh and the secret weapon. On my top tube are twenty four names. The peeps who payed for the Town bike. Every time I reach down to get a sip from my water bottle, there they are, and I smile even more!
Heres a highlights package of the worlds race.
12 midday – and they are off. 300 metre run, to start a bike race? Ridiculous! I proceed to ralk. (run/walk)
4pm – I come into the pits. The last section of the course is downhill for 8km. Its labelled skyline and Luge. Its sick. Fully. The big 29er wheels crush the track like mini’s under monster trucks “I need to calm down, i am using to much energy having to much fun!!!!!!!!!!” I exclaim to my pit crew. They are stoked. I am stoked. Team stoked!
7pm – Lights on and a big feed of pasta to get me through the night. The pit crew have been instructed to not ask feelings based questions. I can tell they want to but they don’t. Good work Pit crew (The Best!). The first lap in the dark feels not so hot until I realise the lights are on the dullest setting. Der!
12pm – Half way there. Pizza time scheduled. “you can have pizza on your next lap” “at 1:30?” “yep” “geez”
1:30 – PIZZA.
4am – Things are on track. I am strong on the ups and smashing the downs. Nutrition is perfect. My sneaking up on people plan is working and I am in ninth position. Feeling comfortable when I hit "porkbarrel” a one metre steep roll over rock section and burp my tyre. Ppppsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! Flat Tyre. I am super slow and deliberate in putting in my spare. But it goes flat too! Roll of the dice. Bad! That lap takes three and a half hours as I have to run back to the pits on the track. Stopping constantly to let other riders by. My race, results wise, is over.
12:30 Done. Super stoked with my efforts. Disappointed with the result. Ended up 14th. Thanks to all who were involved in getting me to Worlds.
Miss Hayles – The Rock! You Rock!
Jules – Amazing!
TCF – thanks for being sooooooooooooo amazingly patient as I fussed about gear ratio’s and knicks and blah blah blah. Then coming up to Canberra and keeping my bikes feeling brand new on every lap.
Eliza Jenkins – The core workouts were bombproof and had my upper body fatigue free until the very last lap.
24 Legends! – All the crew who donated to the town bike. Without you there was no worlds.
Thanks
BRYTON