After a disastrous first Marin Dusk 'til Dawn (www.thetfordmtbracing.com/) in 2005, when we suffered punctures, broken bikes and broken riders, we're having another go at the fast-growing 12hr overnight race this weekend. The event has grown a lot in the last 2 years, is sold out this year, and has attracted some strong riders such as Jenn O'Connor who raced for NZ at the 2007 World Championships, Kate Potter the BMBS Marathon series winner, and some fast men's team such as Whyte Racing. The course has grown too, at around 11.5 miles per lap, but with roughly 400 riders on course at any time, it's going to be busy. The organisers believe it will be around 68 riders per mile - that's a lot of overtaking.
Our team is the same as in 2005, with Andrew and Roger Wesson and myself, plus Steve Chadwick who joined us for the 24hr Sleepless In The Saddle (www.konasits.co.uk/) this summer. With the experience we gained over 24 hours at SITS, plus the lights failures and mechanical issues we suffered, a mere 12 hours at Thetford should be relatively easy. The weather forecast is good for October, from around 8 degrees Celsius at night to 16 degrees during the day, and little chance of rain, so the mud tyres can stay at home and I'll be on my favourite Maxxis Flyweight 490s. Last time we raced here, both Andrew and I were on fully rigid bikes, and Roger was on a supermarket special so-called MTB, so some serious bike upgrades and front supension should help.
We won't be anywhere near the top 20 men's teams, but are aiming to finish higher in % terms than at SITS, and certainly higher than we did at D2D in 2005, which shouldn't be difficult! It's only Steve's second ever race, and Roger and Andrew's third ever, so we're still learning as a team.
The only concern at this point is that after having his bike stolen recently, Roger hasn't found time to buy a new one yet. He is going shopping today, but I'm not sure buying a new bike the day before a 12 hour race is ideal preparation! Oh well... I also broke my saddle last weekend, and am looking forwards to trying my new Selle Italia SLR XC (www.selleitalia.com/eng/index.html), but am not exactly used to it yet. On the plus side, Andrew has just invested in an Exposure Joystick helmet light (www.use1.com/exposure/products/exposure_joystick/index.php) which, combined with his 10W/15W Cateyes, should provide plenty of clarity in the dark.
We're team number 458 - keep an eye out for us if you are at the race.
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