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Long Day in The Office

SleepMonsters Australia / 23.08.2005

Firstly, we want to wish a speedy recovery to those folk who came down on the bike leg and were wisked of to hospital, our thoughts are with you and your families.

So for most the day started early, even for the city folk before 5am, and for those out of town before 4am. When the day did dawn Ku Ring Gai Chase turned the weather on, no wind, clear skies, and glassy conditions on the water.

The Elite start was away first with a small pack of riders forming, the initial climb sorted a few out before the road turned north and headed for west head, this road is not flat, actually not much of the bike course was, you were either climbing or descending, with one nasty little pinch, which i am sure most people felt only a couple of Ks from the turn around, once negotiating the descent to the turn around and the hairpin climb which proved nasty for several riders in later starts, the bike leg returned to the calm of Akuna Bay Anchorage. The quickest bike leg of the day going to Warren Burgess with a sub 56 min ride.

The Paddle leg took paddlers from the sheltered waters of the Akuna Bay Anchorage out around the coastal hamlet of Cottage Point(not even the leaders would have missed Reg Grundys small cruiser Bodaicea moored of cottage point) and then down to Apple Tree Bay, the water was pretty much glass all the way, but even this proved a bit to tricky for a couple of folk who thought the water deserved a closer inspection. The Fastest individual paddle going to Jarad Kohlar with 58min 02sec and Jody Zerbst not far behind. Leading the Females in were Christie Sym and Zoe King separated by a few minutes.

The course then threw a curve ball at those unfamiliar with the area and took the competitors over 1 ridge to Bobbin Head. It was this point at which we spotted the leaders sprinting for the last climb shortly followed thereafter by Stu Adams who warned us of another climb coming up, the run then followed a main creek line for what seemed like an eternity, before climbing out to a fire trail and descending back to Bobbin Head and then the last set of stairs up to the final ridge and descent to the finish.

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