My Cranky Penguin started with so much promise but ended with a lot of bad luck. 19KM into the 70km race I heard a large bang as I was descending a fast rocky section and shortly after the tubeless rear tyre was squirming all over the pace and I stopped to check it out. I found a large dent in the sidewall of the rim and the tubeless sealant was spewing out and unable to seal the rim any more. The rim also had a large wobble in it now.

2015 Cranky Penguin Course

After putting a tube in I found that it would not hold pressure and I was once again required to change to the second tube I was carrying. Whilst all this was going on Rob King stopped and borrowed my chain breaker multitool as he had snapped a chain in the same section. The second tube held but after all the ginning around 28 minutes was lost and soooo many people road past me.

The sting went out of my race after that but I still managed to push on passing a lot of people on my second lap particularly up the hills where it was relatively easy to power past all the ailing riders in the 70KM race. Coming into the final section just after I passed the 3KM to go board another flat. My rim was stuffed anyway so I road on the tyre and tube for a bit until they came off and wrapped around by gears forcing me to stop again and remove the wheel and the tyre and tube. I rode and mostly walked the last 3KM on the rim as it was stuffed anyway. It was very difficult and slow going but I managed to still  finish with a reasonable time coming in 12th in masters. There were people videoing and photographing me as I rode in on the rim with the tyre on the handle bars. The event MC even interviewed me on the finish line to every ones amusement.

Take out the 28 minutes I stopped and the last 3km I walked and rode on the rim I certainly should have been in the top 5 masters comparing times, what could have been! It was a VERY technical track in places and I had to walk some of the Keddies Creek section as it was to much for me. There were some VERY fast sections as well hitting 80kmh on one descent. One guy went to hospital in an ambulance from this descent after his rear brakes exploded. There were a few other broken people at the end and at least one in hospital.

The presentations went on for ever in the driving sun but I did win a spot prize even if it was the smallest prize on offer. I will be in Super Masters category next time the event is run (aged 50+) so I may have to have another crack at it. My next event is the Scody 3 peaks in 34 days time.

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