Registration AMULET 24hours MTB & 12hours MTB 2010
 Hello,
My name is Morgan Pilley, I am a mountain biker from Australia (the only Australian) who rode at the Liberec 24hr race. This was not only my first race in the Czech Republic but also my first race in Europe. I had read about the race on the internet and thought “that would be a cool race to do”, so I then emailed the race organizers. I didn’t know what to expect in return. I received a quick response from one of the organizers (Martin Dedas – legend!) saying I would be warmly welcomed at the race and he would arrange a support crew for me. I then found out I would be sharing a support crew with the European Champion: Zdenda Kriz (one of the best riders I have ever seen). The support I received from the crew during the race was amazing, not just professional and but also entertaining!
The race organization and location was excellent. Although I could not understand or read the language, everybody, including other riders, were more than willing to help me. I would have to that Czech people are some of the friendliest in the world.
The race itself was great. The course was not very technical compared to Australian courses but had a lot of climbing! Now just because I am from Australia does not mean I can climb like Cadel Evans! I must say I overtook more riders downhill than uphill!
Standing on the start line with the music blasting in the background, I was quite nervous, not knowing what to expect. After about 6 hours I started to have some stomach problems. After a quick toilet stop, I was back on my bike, feeling a lot better. For me it felt that night time came and went quite fast, as it stays daylight here a lot longer than in Australia. The last few hours at any 24hr race seems to go the longest. I always try to chat to other riders to take my mind off the fact that there is still a few hours to go. All the other riders out on course that I spoke to were friendly and enjoyed having a chat. Although it was still a race, there was a really good ‘vibe’ out on the track.
After finally finishing my last lap, I was informed I came 4th place. I was quite happy with my result, my aim before the race was to finish in the top 10. This result would not have been achieved without the support from the Vig + race team support crew. I would like to thank them and also Zdenda for all their help.
Also a big thank you to the race organizers, especially Martin, for being very accommodating and helpful. I am very grateful and appreciate it. I recommend anyone from any country to come and compete in this race. It was a great experience and cannot wait to come back next year. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with Zdenda a bit better!
Until then, keep riding hard…
Morgan Pilley
Australia
Contact: morgo27 zavináč hotmail.com
 |
Home
Contact
Guestbook
