Friday October 11th
The event is really starting to take shape
now, pretty much everyone has arrived. There are 280 riders along with teams of
helpers for each, and of course the organisers, marshals, medics, journalists,
photographers, spectators, etc, etc, there is a real buzz about the place.
The morning was taken up with signing-on
and general admin stuff. I was seeded at number 23, and accordingly given
number 123, the 1 signifying the Elite riders and distinguishing us from the
age-group categories. It was a good number, the marshals and spectators loved
it, it got a lot of cheers. Anyway, more of that later.
I had to briefly leave the venue to head
over to the airport to meet my helper. When you are racing against the best in
the world everything must be top-notch, especially the pit crew, a good pit
helper can make or break a race. I am lucky enough to have Carole Armstrong on
my side. She has pitted for the likes of Liam Kileen and the legendary Ned
Overend, and more recently the Cotic/AQR team. I wonder what she will make of
me...
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| Canberra Airport, view from Mount Ainslie |
I have been allocated a pit about 20 yards
before the start/finish line. This is ideal as we are close not only to the big
screen with the live timing information but also to the kitchens, water and
power supplies. If only we could get the tent to stay put in the wind.
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