Having raced mountain bikes for just over four years, it often comes as a surprise that so much can be learnt from a single race. Weeks earlier, Pete Selkrig had convinced me to ride with him and his long-time friend, Ray Griffin, in the Baiocchi Griffin JT Fossey team of three. Now, the adage is that 'you are never too old to learn' and with my two team mates both on the wrong side of fifty, these words of wisdom would surely come under a prodigious amount of scrutiny. On the other hand, both Pete and Ray come armed with an impressive resume that would put many elite riders to shame. Pete has won State and National titles across several disciplines encompassing track, mountain biking, road and cyclocross, while Ray won the state criterium and time trail and was second in the Australian Nationals criterium in 2013. Nevertheless, the transition from road to mountain bike is not an easy one, with different energy systems utilised, tactics and strategies vary significantly, and markedly different bike handling skills are required. 

Ray had only recently purchased a mountain bike and was about to embark on only his second MTB race. His first had been on a track ideal for a road rider. Tamworth was an altogether different proposition. Tight and twisty pinch climbs with a plethora of rocks and hairpin turns, making the track a technical challenge for even some of the more experienced riders. The adrenaline charged downhills with a scattering of jumps and steep-sided berms would surely test tired riders later in the night.  

Drought-breaking rain had been forecast for the Tamworth area, and the expectation was for a mud-fest and a bike-breaking ordeal. It was therefore a delight to ride a practice lap on a tacky course with the sprinkling of rain almost completely eliminating the choking, bright red dust. It quickly became apparent that excursions off the main track should be avoided with cactus, thorns and prickly pears abundant. 

The event organizers had attracted some of the biggest names of endurance mountain-biking to their inaugural event. Multiple World Champion, Jason English, would be pushed all the way by an ever-improving Andrew Lloyd, while dual 24 hour under 30, WEMBO champion, Sean Bekkers, and Michael Crummy would be sure to set a lightning, quick pace from the outset. Meanwhile, child prodigy, Guy Frail, aged just 16, from the TBSM team, had assembled a formidable team consisting of Brett Holl and Stefan Merriman (former four time World Enduro Champion) both of whom would be much more accustomed to winning races on a Yamaha.

Guy Frail was to set the early pace, posting the fastest lap from the gun and our attempts to stay with them were clearly in vain. By the time I had finished the second lap, the night had closed in on the event centre and our hopes of beating TBSM had vanished with the setting sun. Ray returned from his first lap and admitted he had found the course troublesome. He had hit his arm on a tree, had struggled to negotiate a series of switchbacks and was voicing the fact that this would be a very long night. His next lap was a minute and half slower and I concurred with his earlier insight. The top three teams, and solo riders, Jason English and Andrew Lloyd, had now started to cut through the rest of the field. We were placed fifth for the first six hours, but we had our sights set on Crummy and Bekkers team of two. If Ray could maintain his lap times, we would eventually grind them down.

Pete and I were posting consistent times, around the 35 to 37 minute mark, but Ray was to go one better. He was actually getting faster with each passing lap. It is testament to his skill and determination to learn a new bike art. He was now successfully riding a section of track he had previously struggled with, and was clearly learning how to ride effeciently under the impressively bright lights we had been supplied by sponsors Xeccon Lights. At 11 pm, we were fourteen minutes behind Bekkers and Crummy. By 12 pm it was just over three minutes. Bekkers was now doing double laps and, by 3 am, we were 30 seconds ahead. 
I was now being chased by Sean, and I was able to hold him off for the majority of a lap before finally succumbing to his superior pace. He now started his second lap with Ray following. Only days earlier, he had given Ray some lessons on mountain bike skills. As Sean came through, to hand over to Crummy, he retorted on the fact Ray was only just behind. Ray had tracked him all the way and it was now all too clear that we would win this particular battle. As Crummy left for his double lap I joked that he was the hare and the old greyhound, Selkrig, was about to chase him down. On being caught on the first climb, Crummy jumped on Pete's wheel. The old pro came to the fore and some suspect lines through the rock gardens left our poor rival in a heap and the game was up for Team Ay Up.

Meanwhile, Jason English had managed to crack Andrew Lloyd to win Solo honours. Utilising Lloydy's light, Jase had patiently sat behind his closest competitior, and when he came in for more batteries, Jase continued on, still with enough battery power for another lap. 

Relaxing from the regime of drinking and eating after each lap, I went out at 5 am without enough sustenance. I began to feel faint and lost three minutes of time. I felt unable to continue and even asked Pete to do a double lap to finish the race. A quick nap, a plate of pasta, a caffeine and sugar hit, and I found myself on the start line, six minutes before the 7 am finish itching to make the most of the morning light, the heart rocking to a melody of legal stimulants.