Sleepless in the Saddle 2006 started nice and dry, with some fast laps to be had. I was using my 2.2in Bonty tyres, which are the widest tyres I’ve used in years, but were a requirement for such a bumpy course on the hardtail.

After my third night lap (6th in total) it started tipping it down with rain, making the course slightly less fun. I went to sleep for a few hours, and when I woke up it was pretty much me on my own. Steven had done his fifth lap and was now complaining of a sore back (A perennial excuse). Eddy had gone out for his 4th lap only to have one gear due to a snapped gear cable (Poor bike maintenance). Despite having this fixed, his enthusiasm for the now horribly muddy course was gone. Ally went out for another two laps, but ended up running most of the second lap due to a snapped chain.

By this point it was around 6am. I went out for another lap, then came back to try and gauge enthusiasm and eat some breakfast. The guys considered going back out, but by the time I had completed my 8th lap I was knackered and a bit disappointed I was the only one left doing laps. I decided to pack it in at this point, as me doing a few extra laps was just going to destroy my legs for the rest of the weak, and not really make much impact on our placings.

On the up side, Ally’s ‘F_CK IT’ note on our lap timings did make the Howies Blog. The Howies guys were camped next to us, and seemed to have a similar opinion on the two contrasting courses with and without the rain.

I doubt I will be making the trip down next year, not unless the course organisers get their finger out and make a weatherproof course. If 10 Under The Ben can survive 10 hours of rain and still be rideable, why can’t other courses?