This was my first ever MTB event, and I'm certain I picked the best event to be my first. I never met Willo, but from what I've read and heard, the event would of made him very proud. Thanks to Meg, the two clubs, sponsors, volunteers and the other riders who made it such a great first time experience for me. I got to chat to Dylan Cooper after the event and really enjoyed the chat, his encouragement and advice.
I was particularly impressed with the Elite riders who past me in the singletrack at the back end of the loop. They gave plenty of notice they were coming, and each thanked me for getting out of their way. How they can do that, sound sincere, without puffing and still hammer past me, was amazing! They got a lot of respect from me, and when I spoke to Dylan after the event about this, he said the Elite riders really appreciate us making the effort to get out of the way for them.
This event was impressive for many reasons, but with the role models evident at this event, MTB is definitely a sport I'd love my ten year old son to be a part of. He loved watching his Dad in his first race, and was an important part of my pit crew. He was impressed with what he saw and that's important to me.
One moment that really was a great memory, was with some of the throw away prizes, my son was pipped to a prize that land in front of my son, but another kid was quicker to get to it. Without hesitation, and without being prompted by a parent, he turned to my son and handed him the prize, because he had already scored a few items earlier. The little guy was only about ten like my son, but it pretty much reflected the great vibe all day. Lots of people happy to be riding, looking after other people, who crashed out, or collapsed at the finish, welcoming new comers to the race scene like myself, and happy for the place getters at the presentations.
It was a great day out, and I learnt a lot in my first race. I loved it, and I'll be back at the event next year and doing some more racing before then.