Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro Stage 1 - how it all unfolded
Stage 1 of the Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro (ICME)was greatly anticipated by all competitors and got off to a rolling start at 8:50am from the Chifley Resort under a neutralised police escort.
Stage 1 of the Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro (ICME)was greatly anticipated by all competitors and got off to a rolling start at 8:50am from the Chifley Resort under a neutralised police escort. Due to a fear of dehydration, I made the start with 10 seconds to go amidst the general amusement of others around me.
The rolling escort was a pretty relaxed affair, as the car barely nudged 25km/hr. As we approached the last formal corner of the neutral rollout, something totally unexpected occurred….the police driver slammed the brakes on. Ben Mather was the worst affected by this and slammed straight into the back of the vehicle. A quick call was made by the front runners to just stop the race right then and there and allow Ben to sort himself out. As he rejoined the bunch he remarked “now I’m really angry”….fantastic! Nothing like a shot of adrenaline to get fired up! Let’s see what the Tasmanian Devil has then!
The pace started in earnest as people were position fighting to hold wheels, claim position, or just simply see in front. My plan was to be near the front because the Sunday recce showed me that there was a super long stretch of deep sand coming up early on. So, I went to the front and ramped it as we hit the dirt. Just as we hit the sand, Ryan Standish and Ben Mather went to the front on either side of the track and drag raced
Behind me Magellan rider, Paris Basson was holding my wheel and came up beside me and said that everyone behind him had stopped because someone had binned it. That was my main fear of the sand. If you stalled, you just wouldn’t be able to get going through it again. By the KOM, Standish and Mather had a good 15 seconds lead and Standish flew up the hill to take out $200 and continued to pass go with Mather in hot pursuit.
Stage 1 has some of the most beautiful singletrack in the whole country and the riders were treated to a technical delight that required nothing less than 100% concentration. The trails were dry, sketchy and rewarded those who could ride with technical efficiency or handle the prized two wheel drift.
Mather and Standish extended their lead to 30 seconds on me, with Basson and Hanson right behind me. Basson had some loose handlebar issues soon thereafter and had to take the bitter pill and stop and sort the issue. This was a shame as he was on fire effortlessly railing the singletrack with ease. At about the 1 hour mark, I was able to get a good ramp going and managed to ride across to Mather and Standish and get on the wheels. We went through the feedzone and Standish stopped. Mather and I sat up and waited….and waited (gentleman’s agreement)….where the hell was he? A couple of minutes later he reappeared and it was back on. Apparently he had stopped to sort a soft tyre.
He soon came through on the next open section and ramped the pace putting Mather and I under pressure. As we crossed the railway line, he gapped us and used his dual suspension Lapierre to his advantage up Blair’s stairs, keeping the power to the rear wheel to gain a small, yet decisive gap that he was able to hold until the finish. Alice Springs velodrome was the end point and we did a lap of the banked track to close out stage 1.
Racing was super tight in both the men’s and women’s categories with mere seconds separating the major placings. This will obviously result in some great tactical battles over the next few days as the race pans out. As the event offers time bonuses some of the gaps will change and this will change the dynamics of the racing even further.
At the finish, Rapid Ascent had a fully catered food bar with fruit and Subway rolls on offer for all riders to kickstart their recovery prior to the evening’s lactic acid bath which, consists of a 300m time trial up Anzac Hill – starting at 4 pm.
