The conditions were horrendous – rain had fallen all night and showed no signs of stopping. The mud in that part of the world isn’t forgiving when wet. It’s peanut butter. A man handed out paint stirrers to scrape the mud out from between wheels and frames, just so riders could keep moving.
The winners were two mountain bikers from the same team: Hannah Finchamp and Payson McElveen. Both battled through the course, dunked their bikes in rivers, and came across the line solo to enthusiastic greetings, fist bumps and elbow-taps from promoter Bobby Wintle.