OK, you think, at least there’s 2 to help each other. But no, each of us is in a different race (C1 and C2). So the awesome foursome becomes 2 solitary souls and only one of these has actually been training for the last month as I’d spent the last 5 weeks swanning around the Northern Territory having a mid-season layoff.

What’s with the weather? The Cunningham is supposed to involve grey skies, sleet and wild westerlies. Instead we got hot ( >20C) and little wind. Very disappointing.

The race, well the C1 race started very pleasantly and gentleman-like. We processed along until we got through the neutral zones (flood damaged road sections). Things then started to heat up. Hitting the final climb to the KOM split the field to pieces and then it was flat-chat to try to rejoin the front runners. Quite a large group managed to get back on by the time we hit Allora so it looked like it was going to be a sprint finish from a large group. However the pace kicked up in the final few kms and only a select few were there in the end (the author not being one of them – I could still see them vaguely in the distance).

Reports from the C2 field suggest this race (supposedly the older C graders) was even harder with the winning time about 10 minutes faster than the C1 field. Our man in C2, Allan, was left chasing for the front runners but stood little hope of catching the 5 escapees.

Bummer… well there’s always next year…

 
Garmin Data