Yep, it was another hot day, but more wind which made it a bit more bearable.
We simply rode from the Uni accomodation to the Start (about 6km) when it suited our respective start times. No need to drive anywhere today. Start times were spaced all through the day.
My own 1st leg was marred by the fact I had no idea where I was for a while. Carolyn J and Murray W also experienced difficulties, but seems I was most caught out. It was only afterwards that Peter C mentioned to me that the start triangle on the map wasn’t located where we were started that I could figure out how I’d got it all so wrong. Anyway, 10 minutes wasted, which is unrecoverable really in this sort of world competition. Still, I gave the rest (which was a lot, over 30km on my GPS) a good shot. Nearly did my trick of missing controls again, but recovered OK losing only a few more minutes.
There were large areas of grassland to pedal over. Some there simply wasn’t a track option; the control was out in an old tank hidey-hole or something. The ground was somewhat bumpy. Murray came a cropper on one of the linear ditches.
There were also 2 maps issued at the start, which was novel. You had to pull the other one out when the 1st one ‘stopped’ at a control. There was yet a 3rd map issued at the 2nd tunnel under a railway line which took you back through Veszprem town (with police supervised crossings) to the finish, after a cruel very steep uphill penultimate leg (pictured), in the city centre.
I ended up 36th (out of 45 in M40), so not disgraced at the bottom. Best result was Carolyn J, dissappointed in her 2nd place. Chris F 12th in the juniors. Peter C also a very credible Top 20 finish at 19th in M50.
Unfortunately Tom G was out of luck again with a puncture at the 2nd map change,so he had to run the section through town. He couldn’t undo the valve stem screw to put a new tube in.
It barely seems like any time has passed, but tonight is the last night, with Banquet, in Veszprem. Tomorrow Murray and I head off towards Bükkszentkereszt, the other side of Budapest, where Gyuri is competing in the Hungarian ARDF championships this weekend. I don’t know what my internet access might be over the next week or so.
Previous blog: https://ardf.org.au/WordPress/2012/wmmtbo-bk-relay-team-podium-finish/
Murray had my camera today, so these photos are courtesy of him:
PS: Let me know if you are reading these blogs !! Thanks to those who have sent me feedback. (Only 1 view of the 2nd part of the sprint ? You’re not even trying 🙂)
Cheers, Bruce