Tall tales
2011 - Otway Odyssey ( Shorty 50km) |
| Posted by Badmin (badmin) on Mar 14 2011 |
| Tall tales >> ENDURO |
As the rain pelted my very cheap tent the night before the race I was glad of two things - 1. I had signed up for the 50km not the 100km and 2. The inflatable mattress I lay on was fairly high.
Adelaide to Forrest is a long way to go, to not enjoy yourself. With this wisdom in mind I signed up for the 50km option, not the 100km version, of this year's Otway Odyssey race. The decision had nothing to do with my woeful fitness, nothing.
50kms of sweet singletrack, race start/finish in the same place and dubious weather all cemented the 50km option as the thinking man's crumpet. It did not disappoint. Sure it rained overnight but the trails held up well and with being out there less than 3hrs, it wasnt as much of a concern.
Jeff, Dan, Dan ( the other) and I lined up on the Saturday morning, 1km from our base at a civilised 7.15am, clicked in and started riding. It was beneficial to have Jeff pushing me on up the first climb, a climb that lasted quite a while, but always manageable. After that..all I can remember is singletrack. Brilliant.
The 50km is now locked in as the standard participation. In addition to the race itself, the other benefit of doing only 50km was the ability to really enjoy the DH shuttles at Apollo Bay on the Sunday ( and a few too many beers on the saturday night). This was time and money well spent and thanks to Nick for convincing us of its worthiness. Jeff rocked the 50km race and the DH day on the same bike, his trusty Yeti 575, with only a shock pump required to change the beasts personality. Dan displayed his pluck by also DHing the SC Superlight, albeit declining a few of the rougher DH trails.
Top stuff and fully recommended. The 7hr drive there and back isnt too bad, but even better when you get to deplete the fuel in Dan's GTI for a bit.
Last changed: Mar 21 2011 at 2:05 PM
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