It seems that owning a bike shop, even a Bicycle Superstore that is servicing at the race, doesn’t mean that your bike is always in tip top condition! At dinner last night Nigel (legend!) recounted his own back brake epic. Rather nonchalantly given what happened….

With the late start he had decided to change the pads in the morning. But as it had been so wet the day before the mechanics couldn’t get to his bike – paying customers go first you
see. So he tightened up the pad contact adjustment to give a bit more bite – and
stared in surprise as it came off in his hand and started to spew bake fluid! Jamming it back on he now had two issues – no pads and no pressure! Front brake only from here on in!

It was the descent into Beechworth with it’s huge water bars – jumps to Nigel – where things got, well, interesting. As he flew down the hill expecting to get some air over a one of the water bars, a huge black butterfly flapped into frame  – and plastered itself somewhat inconveniently across both eyes! 50kph, water bar jump ahead completely
unsighted! Clearly more experienced than I he lived to make us laugh at dinner. Legend!

This morning we started another brilliant stage with loads of single track and decent linking roads. About 8km of twisty path in Beechworth Mountain Bike Park, some dodgy stuff alongside a link road and then fast loops on and off the Rail Trail to finish.  I need to blow my own trumpet here – you will never believe the stuff I flew over today. Especially if you know how  gingerly I normally approach anything vaguely technical. Jayson is of course quite at home in this terrain and inspires confidence. He even has time to call
back with tips on the line, any hazards to watch out for and make a general health checkup! And I certainly owed my health to his advice at more than one point. Flowing track with the occasion big step, technical rock traps and really tight trees all taken at pace certainly required all my concentration and was probably some of the best technical riding I have ever done. FIG JAM indeed! But really,  all thanks to Jayson!

Exiting the MTB park, we flew past the waterpoint, slowing only to have our derriere’s dusted off by the French maids who were there to service us (their words not mine!). No jokes – the ladies had all donned French maid outfits complete with blue fluffy dusters! Who could refuse a light dusting?!

And in the end, with a bit if effort, we held off the three chasing teams and managed to
finish the stage ahead of Team TopGear, Spanish Beef and Falls Creek to clinch first for the stage and the overall Masters category!

What a journey. By the numbers – 13000km by airplane in 14 hours, 550km by car in 6 hours and then 500km across Alpine Australia on a mountain bike. 30h52m in the saddle.

In the seven days of the race in the I rode with a fantastic partner, met some amazing people and was hosted by a passionate team. Thanks to Ian, Clayton, Kylie and all the crew at Finish Line Events.  And let me not forget my family for allowing me the privilege of getting onto to the bike in the first place and then spending 10 days chasing a dream. Thanks Laura, Ashley-Jane and Michael. Love you guys.

Terra Australis 2011.