Photo credit: Gary Perkin.
No matter how many Epics you’ve ridden, every rider shares a common emotion ahead of the Prologue. Butterflies.
As your team number is called and you shuffle into line waiting for your turn to step up and into the start hut, your swarm of butterflies relentlessly up their tempo, swirling around your stomach like a whirlwind.
Butterflies. Photo credit: Gary Perkin.
Over the years, what I’ve learnt is that experience teaches us how to hide the nerves. And some of us are better than others at keeping them at bay
Launching down the start ramp, the time for nerves is over. Zone (my partner who I rode with in 2017) and I have spent months preparing for this moment. The time has come to pull the trigger, a hail of watts is on the menu!
Rolling down the ramp. Photo credit: Gary Perkin.
Thinking back, the Prologue was a blur … we nailed it (safely!!) in under an hour and I even managed to snatch an ice cold ammie (read Castle Lite) from an unsuspecting spectator on the gruelling Dead Man’s Tree climb … quite possibly one of the top 5 moments of my 8 Epics.
There’s always time for a beer. Photo credit: Nick Allen.
Dead Man’s Tree. Photo credit: Lise Bryer.
If our Prologue is anything to go by, Zone and I are in for a lekker vibe this week! Stay tuned for our journey through the pain cave.
High Fives,
Oli
