Not sure where the bridges were but I found Bargo about an hour south west of Sydney, nice pub on the railway. An all women’s event and not a bad turn out for this first time show, three grades and the largest prize money pool of the year which doesn’t make sense after flogging my guts last week for 6 hours in horrific conditions and barely win enough prize money to pay for my energy bars; I guess there is more prestige attached to Grafton and killing yourself over 160km.
However the community at Bargo is determined to get their race up and going as an annual event and $800 first place, paying down to tenth is not a bad start. 3.4km hot dog and ten of the state’s fastest women including the hot juniors, Amanda Spratt and Sky-Lee Armstrong, both medallists at the world junior track championships.
The attacks started on the first lap, as expected and continued for the entire 50 minutes, there is never an easy race. I did my turn like everyone else, open up a break of 50m and have a go or chase down someone else to bring it all back.
All together on the final lap and my Grafton legs were telling me to have a drinks with the boys at the pub who wee giving us some kind of shirts up belly cheer every lap, but one final dig and it’s over. Erin Chamberlain played her card with 500m to go with no response. I set out after her off the front at 200m and opened up lead of several bike lengths as I started pulling her in, but oh the legs and at 50m I was washed away by the bunch, Sky-Lee 1st Amanda 2nd Leonie Aisbett 3rd.
Time for a break, get my head and body back in shape and take aim at the Australian Champs in SA come January.
