One thing I like most about racing is the uncertainty. I know every race I ever do will hurt (so much so that I'll promise myself never to do one again), I also know that once I'm racing all I can do is commit to giving as much as I can, and nothing more. But the uncertainty that comes in the details is what makes it so exciting. Next weekend is the Scott 24hr Mountain Bike race in Canberra. This will be the fourth time I have raced this race, and every time I have crossed the start line it has been different. Different courses, people, weather, fitness level and of course different bikes. The weather in Canberra throughout the years I have raced the Scott has ranged from sub zero temperatures to heavy rain and even heavy dust.
I have had great laps in the middle of the night where I have flowed through the single track comfortably. While other races have left me out in the dark and cold with no energy, fading lights and a kilo of mud stuck to my bike, promising I will never ever race a 24hr again. It's funny how the human mind can censor your memories (although it can't censor the fact that in 2005 I couldn't feel my big toes for a month after the race).
Looking back at those moments I laugh, but will I be there, in that state of mind again this weekend? Time will tell and the excitement builds.
