The Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge
Stage 5 – Racing the Dreaded White Flag
Cory Wallace / 24.10.2011
Danmm! The 40 minute short track race in 40 degree Celsius weather might have been the toughest thing Kris and I did all year. The heat was a notch higher than the previous days and was at the ridiculous point as we lined up on the start line at high noon. The 1.9 km figure 8 track around a pancake flat burning hot field looked like a pretty easy course but when you have two of the top 10 riders in the World setting the pace it isn’t easy.In fact I think there was more pain and suffering in the 40 minute short track than there is in a 24 hr solo mountain bike race. There is no pacing and no room for error. You are at full throttle from the word go and you pray your body doesn’t blow a fuse before the 40 minute race is up. If you do you are lapped within a couple of minutes and soon a spectator on the sidelines.
As the two leaders, Burry Standers (Specialized) and Karl Platt (Bulls), pulled away from the field on the first lap it left 9 of us in a chase pack to try and reel them in. My mind was fried from the sun as I spent the first two laps in 3rd place trying to get up to the leaders. I blew a fuse and soon had smoke coming up out of my ears as I self detonated.
The next 34 minutes were spent in survival mode as I slowly slipped out of the top 10 and closer towards the dreaded white flag guy who pulls riders from the race if they are getting in danger of being lapped. The last 3 laps were spent on the rivvet as I emptied my already empty tank in an effort make it to the finish line in time. I was with an Australian rider who I tried to convince to work with me but he was blown and had nothing left. Nonetheless we both managed to both get around the painfully painful 1.9 km course one last time and properly finish off the LIMBC!
Over 5 days at the LIMBC, the winner, Karl Platt biked for a total time of just over 6 hrs. On paper this might look like an easy race but I can testify that the 6 or 7 hrs of racing that you do here at the LIMBC will put you into the hurt locker and still find a way to beat you around a little more once you’re in there. See All Event Posts
