Yet another oxygen scarce Ski Resort town greeted the athletes for the 7th leg of the NORBA series. A fierce tarmac pass shook the field up from the gun, a few mild attacks ensued and a selection group of about 20 riders formed. Tarmac faded into gravel road taking us up from 9500ft to over 11500ft. After 20 minutes of climbing, we hit the first singletack and it was well worth the wait. Now that all of the snow has melted the 'high country' is open for action.
Even at this altitude you get pretty big pine trees, its bizarre - in Lesotho or at the top of the Drakensberg, virtually nothing above knee height survives the climate but here the plants must just be tougher. The same goes for us humans! Some of the riders who usually blast their way around the top 10 positions at sea level NORBA races battle to make it into the top 20 up at altitude whilst some of the more mortal athletes just come into their own up at cloud base.
Trails criss cross the patches of woodland and open plains of the high country. Stream crossings and gnarly 'rock garden' sections of volcanic rock slashed tyres, weeding out some the less fortunate (or less technical !) riders. Four days of wet weather prior to the race had turned the lower forested sections of the course into muddy mushes of roots and rock, again challenging the technical abilities of the pack.
The last 5 miles of the course put the hurt back into the legs. Open forestry road allowed riders to regroup and chase each other down, fighting it out to the line.
Results...
