As the event was to be held in summer I was not sure how I was going to get in enough training for the race after having some time off the bike due to high working hours at work & injuries. Also I had been training for longer endurance events beforehand & had to focus on building some speed & power in only a few weeks preparation in very limited training hours. I focused on building power using a new program called TrainerRoad when ever I could fit it in & kept most of my outdoor training rides short & higher intensity.
As we traveled over the mountain toward the inland race location I checked the next few days weather & realized I was in for one very hot race with the mercury predicted to rise toward 36 deg C so I planned to ride with a camelbak hydration pack knowing that I would want to keep the fluids coming in.
After arriving at the race camp just after dark & pitching the tent I showered & settled into the tent for a warm nights sleep under the star lit sky. Waking just after first light I frantically ran around trying to prepare myself for the race as well as helping my wife Cindy get sorted after she forgot her shoes. We managed to lend some slip on shoes & change her pedals over to flats during race briefing from one of our children's bikes.
I managed to finish 5th in my age & 8th overall, 2 places behind Ray & Peter in 1st in my age & 2nd overall behind Sam Spokes as the overall winner. I would like to thank my sponsor, Enriched Health Care for supplying me with my new cycling kit made by OnTheGo that is the most practical & comfortable cycling kit I have ever worn. I would also like to thank http://www.centauroutdoorevents.com.au/ for holding such a well organised event.
I would also like to mention that Cindy finished 5th in her field with no training or clip-less pedals that she is use-to, awesome effort :-)