RUST magazine: Rust#7

ace, I was left with little time to make my
final preparations for the main race.
Ultimately I lined up on the start 10 minutes
after everyone else, which operating in a
first-come first-serve basis meant my starting
position wasn’t ideal. I managed to get a
good start considering and was in fifth place
by turn one, I passed another rider for fourth
on the long second straight but by this time I
was well and truly roosted.
“I’m not raging against the machine
(any more). I simply love rolling my
bike out of the van, pouring in
some gas, kicking it into life, and
going riding...”
Racing is coloured by many challenges.
After the start I struggled to get settled
initially and arm pump took its toll on me,
but I felt my speed was good. In fact I
managed to get the lead on lap two and
pulled a 15-20 second gap, but I was getting
roosted by back markers the whole way
round – maybe with a bit more race practice
I’d have steered clear of them – so I kept
stopping for fresh goggles which each time
dropped me down to third.
By half way through the race I managed to