The National Solo 24 Champs were held at Majura Pines in Canberra over the Easter long weekend. The battle for the Aussie jersies was one of the most exciting to date, with the top riders in the male and female categories within minutes of each other during the night. 18 year old Mark Tupalski (pictured) put in an impressive 37 laps of the sub 10km course to grab a top 10 finish in his first solo 24.
I raced the shorter 6 + 6 hour event, which meant a sleep on Saturday night and welcome respite from the rain that started to set in come dark. Karen Foat was only a few minutes behind me for the entire race, which made me ride hard enough to force a nose bleed during the closing stages in order to take the win.
The image above is courtesy of Dan de Witte Photography. Head to this site for more stunning photos of from the race and other cool events as they happen. My favourite photo from this one is the resting banana skins.
Thank you to everyone who made this event come together and for creating a vibe that will set a standard for any future solo efforts. I’d like to say a big personal thanks to Gavin Burland, Vanina Vergoz, Anne and Geoff Bicknell, Peter Dowse, Dan de Witte, Sarah O’Callaghan, CORC, Onya Bike Warehouse, Verofit nutrition, Dirt Works and Nzo clothing for making my own race possible. Look out for a longer report in Enduro Issue 12.
Kath Bicknell 