Mud, Glorious Mud...

After last weekend's realisation that I'd missed riding the mountain bike, it was back to Thursday night Dirt Crits this week. And what a time to return!

For those who don't know, "Dirt Crits" is an off-road version of road cycling's criterium (hence 'crit') races. Basically, it's a short track event lasting several laps or going for a certain time period. The Thursday night crits are held at Westgate Park and consist of 5, 4 or 3 laps (A, B, C or D grade) of a 3-4km course depending on how the organisers set it up each week.

Again, for those not in the know, Melbourne's weather this week has been just plain nasty - cold, rainy and with nice blustery winds!. It may be a nice change from the dry dusty conditions that we've raced in all summer, but you can imagine the state of a series of dirt tracks after such weather.

Anyway, I discovered just how much fitness I'd lost since the accident and the last time I raced on a Thursday night!! And the fun part was that I didn't discover that until my third lap… Laps one and two were fine. A little rusty and off the pace, which is to be expected after a couple of months off from racing, but part way through lap three everything felt very heavy. Now, this could have just been from all the extra mud that I was now carting about with me, but I think it may have had more to do with simple tiredness and having gone out harder than I should have.

There's a bike under there somewhere, and 'Mud Socks' will be all the rage this winter!

All up it was it's usual FUN hit out, with a few hairy moments in the slippery conditions, and along with the ride home should hopefully help in preparing for this weekend's Chase The Sun 6 hour enduro back at Lysterfield!

And now for the really fun part - no not the nice warm shower upon getting home, but cleaning all the mud off the bike so I can re-coat it on Sunday at Lysterfield!!

(And thanks to Erin Francis for the pic at the top of this post)