Not sure what to do with yourself this coming Sunday?
Well, you could always try a spot of Hard Enduro. It's fun for the whole family.
Though I'm quite certain Grandpa Ian would disagree! He is of the opinion that Son-in-Law, Javier, should focus on supporting his boys.
But clearly Javier felt that, at 48, he had enough youth left in the tank to tackle one of the most challenging Hard Enduro events on the calender: The Wildwood Rock Extreme! And it's a fair guess that his boys didn't do much to dissuade him.
But when Javier hit the dirt on the lee-side of the last obstacle before the finish, I am almost certain that he was wishing he'd take the sage advice of the old man.
Be that as it may, I have to say the guy has got heart.
I can imagine that, being the last rider around prologue, the last line of obstacle to the finish flag would have looked interminable.
"I'm sure I passed riders? Or at least I did in my head. The next thing I know I am being passed by a guy carrying a tripod"
He would have felt like he was moving at a glacial pace as he hit log after tyre wall after log. But he got there in the end, and I sure hope we see him on the start line come Sunday.
Though the carnage in the Bronze prologue was epic, I can't say that I ever would have expected to have my heart melted at a Hard Enduro event - but today I did.
Watching lil' Lorna lock battle it out among the big boys in the Junior round on an 85 small wheel was just a little left field for me.
She is 10! And she muscled that bike around two full laps of the circuit to secure the Junior Girls Victorian Hard Enduro Championship.
Having said all that if you are not in the family way, Hard Enduro is also very much a sport for the individual.
Hard Enduro is not so much a race against others, but a race against yourself. An event to test what you are truly capable of on a bike. Even in the five minutes that was the prologue you could see the riders suffering arm pump and gasping for any air they could get in their lungs. For spectators this makes it quite the spectacle.
So...what to expect from tomorrow you ask? Never one to assume I am in the know, I asked Billy McCulloch who is a serious contender in Gold.
Though he is a local, Billy is thinking that the conditions could work more in favour of the top riders coming down from the north - those that are used to racing in drier conditions.
But is that going to give them much of an advantage when the Vics know the track so well? Though they've lost the advantage of mucking in the slop, they at least know where they are going!
One thing is for sure and that is that Tim Coleman is looking on point this year.
Having run third in 2017 - 2019 ('20 and 21 got covid'd all over), he stormed to pointy end of the pack in 2022, before mechanical issues took him out of the race.
A Hard Enduro rider with a Trial pedigree on a dry and familiar track - I'm thinking it is going to be one hell of a race come Sunday.
So, I am guessing that, by now, you have locked this into the schedule for Sunday?
If so, know that there is a ton of food trucks, coffee and juice at the track - so you won't suffer out there like the riders most certainly will.
If you want to see the event in all of its glory, there is some walking to be done. Make sure you bring bulk water.
Coming off the back of a pretty warm week a lot of spectators could find themselves doing a Hard Enduro event of their own if they wander off unprepared.
Dress smart too!
Boots and jeans will win the battle against the thistles and cow turds. There is easy access to all the iconic obstacles around the circuit, but it's a lot of time on the hoof.
Gates open at 7am. Then the action kicks off at 9am, with the Prologue for Silver and Gold.
You DON'T want to miss this!
Racing starts at 10:30 with Gold carving up the landscape first, followed not long after by Silver and Bronze.
Tickets are $20 each for adults and they can be purchased at the gate.
No doubt it will be all over socials so tune in if you are not over this side of the paddock on Sunday.
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