I got a very late call-up into a 6-man team on Thursday evening. I initially knocked it back 'cos I was already doing the Gazebo 3-hr, but through Friday at work my mad brain started having second thoughts.... Messaged back to see if the spot was still open, and with only 18 hours before start time I was in for two races for the weekend....
Our whole team was taking this pretty casually; most of the guys did a spin, while I held off as long as possible to allow some recovery from the morning's effort. I didn't voice any objection when the suggestion was made to nick into Woodend for dinner before I had set wheel to dirt on this course.
By the time I saddled up for my first (and ultimately only) lap for the race soon after 10pm, the track was by the sound of it at its best for the entire race. Only problem was the fog meant I was riding virtually blind, on a track unseen! Careful aiming of the lights slightly off to either side and turning them down a notch helped with visibility a bit, as the more diffused light didn't flare so badly in the fog but it was still pretty shithouse.
A bit before halfway around I picked up a solo rider whose lights had died; my somewhat leisurely pace suited him to latch onto without forcing him to push too hard to stay with me, and he was able to tell me what to expect coming up, so we both benefitted. :smile:
A few drips of rain began to return towards the end of my lap. A couple of our other guys strung some laps in, but as the rain got heavier during the night the last rider decided not to wake the next one up. By daylight & seeing the filthy state of the riders still out there our collective enthusiasm washed away, and we packed up & shot through.