Merida 24Hr Race from Hidden Vale

Goldcross was represented by 2 teams in the Merida 24hr Enduro on the weekend. One consisted of team members from our support office riding under the Team Goldcross Cycles banner & Team Wolfpack consisting of retail team members from our Fortitude Valley QLD store.

The challenging track included dust, rocks, mud, rocky climbs, even rockier descents, man made structures, narrow wooden bridges and even a crashed air plane to make sure everyone was kept on their toes throughout the 14km lap. The 12pm start meant that most of us were able to get a lap in before nightfall to familiarise ourselves with the challenging and demanding course. Both teams remained in close contact throughout the afternoon laps trading places on many occasions in friendly rivalry.

The night then brought its own challenges with decreased visibility and VERY cold temperatures (-3 in the pits) that saw the lap times slow a little (better to be safe than sorry). It also included reports of huge bush rats, kangaroos, scary red eyed faces peering around from behind trees, a freaky man in a top hat and even penguins on the course (Yes Penguins). It also included musical entertainment in the pit area around 12am in the morning with the Wiggles & the Lion King sound track being played over the loud speaker (don’t ask... we had no idea either). A huge dedication award has to go to Chris Wilesmith who didn’t even arrive at the race site till 3am in the morning and without even having ridden the course during the day proceeded to do 3 laps in a row at night without so much as a second thought. Well Done and Fantastic Effort.

The next morning saw a 6am wakeup call for all those who had stopped during the evening and managed to catch a few hours sleep with the Play School theme again being played over the loud speakers. The tired and battered bodies got back on their bikes for the final push to the finish and even after all the mud, dust, crashes & penguins not one person could wipe the huge smiles off their faces after finishing and we're eagerly discussing the next event.

Awesome effort to Merida and the organisers!