“I reckon the secret to riding well at something like this is all in the preparation,” I wrote to my teammate, ACT Merida team rider Shane Taylor, before the race. “You’re right,” he replied and we started emailing race prep ideas back and forth as we became increasingly excited during the lead-up to the race weekend.
As the third race of the SRAM Singletrack Mind Series got underway, Tails’ preparation couldn’t have been more perfect. He was there early, set up trackside under a big pop-up with everything he needed lain out on a table next to the start straight and rode faster, with more trademark Tails happiness, than any teammate anyone could ever ask for. Unfortunately for both of us, I began to sabotage his prep right from my first lap – where I realised toward the end of the fun singletrack loop that I’d left transition without my number plate or transponder. Riding in the cold morning with numb hands and a double set of gloves, it also appeared that I’d left my bike handling skills in the port-a-loo along with my brain.
We rode hard all day and were excited to finish in second place behind Michael and Nicola Hogan who have dominated the mixed pairs category since the first race of the series. As the day wore on I felt pretty good out on the track, but was disappointed to see that my lap times were creeping compared to my expectations. I’ve been off the bike as much as on it the last three months with a series of pre-winter bugs, so it’s back to the drawing board for me to work out how to manage work, study and training without getting so run down. The quest for perfect prep continues!…
Kath Bicknell 