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Two weeks to go before our local race of the year and the Titus UK Team seems to be coming back together again, Phil although in pain from his broken color bone is riding, Chris seems to over his illness, so there seems to be no need to split the team. Lights seem to be the major issue this year, with the race being later in the year all riders need to be capable of riding for 3 hours in the dark.

Teams have been released, Team Titus are 406. Having a few problems getting my new lights to fit on my bike, better sort it for tomorrow final night ride

It seems that I spoke to soon about the fitness of the team, Woody is suffering with a knee injury and is unsure how much he can really on him for next weekend. He's going to be riding today in order to see

Woody is all systems go for the race, his knee is still hurting but he is sure that with another weeks rest he will be ok.

Ride the course with Tim and Steve, seems to be the same course as last year with a couple of minor alterations, it appears that we go through the bomb hole at the end, which is a bit risky as it is well sandy in the bottom, which caught me out big time when I test rode it, didn't get a accurate call on the distance in the lap due to me computer being set wrong.

Paul and Fergus arrived when we finished the lap, to set the Titus Gazebo up. People had already starting camping on Mayday so it looks like we could have a lot of teams up and running. Went food shopping in the evening .. loads of food, bet I don't get to eat it all.

Wake up after an ok nights sleep, feeling as nervous as hell, not good, the race being so late in the day compared to other endurance events is a bit of a mare really as you have an entire day .. to take it easy. Go to the cash and carry in the morning and get enough Red Bull to make a small elephant buzz .. it was cheap ok.

Try to get a little sleep in the afternoon as I ain 't feeling at my best, get about an hours kip and finish my book whilst trying to rest.

Tim turns up with the mighty van to pick me up at 5, I am running late which is to be expected. We get down to the race course about 6 and find that everybody is nearly ready to run. The bomb hole has been playing on my mind so I wonder over to it with my sister and find much to my relief that they have changed the sign post and it now no longer goes through the bomb hole but goes past it like last year, although I like going through bomb holes and the like .. it did strike me as particularly safe for a 12hr night race.

I get back to my pits and set my bike up, and then wait around for the start, we have decided to run the same format as last year Phil, Chris, Paul and the Woody. Phil being first has to do the run the bikes which seems to be the fashion with this sort of races.

Dead on 8pm the run to the bikes starts, Phil seems to be exceptional at this running start thing as the ride that he put in afterwards was his best of the night, also placing the team in a phenomenal SECOND place in the men's team event. The first change over went smoothly to Chris and he set out on his first lap, now holding what is probably the record for the most amount of light on a rider in a event like this (94 Watt's in total) finding that even though I had ridden the course the day before, a few things had changed, making a slightly safer lap. The photographer on the beast caught me out big time though and I only just managed to avoid a hugh stack. Progress on this lap seemed a bit backwards though Phil had placed us amongst the fastest riders in the events and even though my lap time was 'fairly dam handy' there seemed to be a lot more being passed than passing, but at the end of lap 2 according to the TimeLaps people we were forth, so the other riders must have been in a different category or something,. What did amuse me was the final corner after heading away from the camp site before heading back (did that make sense), I've done this corner hundreds of times, but because because they had cut the bracon down around this corner I completely over shot the corner .. I was glad when talking to Phil to find that I wasn't the only person to make this mistake. Change over's to Paul and then Woody seemed to follow in quick succession, with minor incidents (apart from Woody being a bit busy looking good at the end of his first lap)

My second lap, well the first half of my second lap seemed to to turn into a overtaking frenzy, on just about every piece of single track and fire road I seemed to over take at least one rider, on the final two pieces of fireroad before coming through the camp site at the half way mark I passed 9 riders, and on the single track at the camp site, I passed two with my team mates watching.

Nothing really happened then (to our team) until the last laps, our team just seemed to to run, all putting in respectable times and getting on with the project, nobody crashed, or damaged their bikes, I might have missed some of the excitement though after my second and third lap I just wanted to rest, didn't get any sleep though just sat in the car and closed my eyes.

It was a little different for out two sister teams who were in the same pit area as us, one team suffered with the riders out on the course being to quick and the riders in the pits not being ready for them when they returned. Michael Weeks had his chain snap on a lap, which gave a heavy penalty on time.

I head out on my last lap at roughly 6am, knowing that the light is lifting I have removed the head lamp and just for the the Stadium on the frame, it's needed for the first 3rd of the lap but after this the light is so good that I could in fact run with out it, but as I have started the lap I have no option but to run with it, knowing that I have only this lap to do I really dig as deep as I can, although the race has been running for 10 hours plus, riders are more than awake and make passing a breeze .. thanks people. Swap over the Paul and he heads out, the first rider of our riders to be able to head out with any lights.

7am and the commentators come back online and announce (finally) the running positions, we are third but only by 2mins !!!!! Paul being out on the track is not aware of the situation, but when he comes through the half way point is made aware, Paul digs deep and does his best lap of the race, BUT Team Flow have overhauled us, and infact have a 1.5 min lead on us, fortunately for us Woody is aware of the gap .. they aint. Tim and myself head over to where my sister is camped as this is about 1/4 way round the lap, Team Flow come through but Woody has cut the cap to 45 seconds, then head back to the pit area as the riders come through the half way point here, we all stand expectantly, team Flow included, nerves are high and a lot of pacing and clock looking is done, the 12hr bell goes and the finishing gate is shut. the next ten minutes involves a lot of 'is that woody .. no' or 'is that him .. no', Team flow come through first (sorry mate I don't know your name) and yells to his team "I'm ok", he's on course for his best lap of the race, Woody comes past, the gap is now down to 20 seconds, we yell the gap to him and he seems to take heart from this seems to speed up even more if that is possible. Repeat of Woody's words for the next bit as we didn't see it happen. Woody then catches and passes the rider on the next bit of fire road, and goes into the next bit of singletrack first, but experienced in these things (I am glad it wasn't me) and not knowing how strong his opposition is backs off, knowing that he can catch and if the chap wants to take the lead he will, he doesn't and they 'cruise' round together for the next 4 miles, heading into the sandy section along the road Woody is still in the lead with Team Flow right on his heals. Back at the start finish line nerves are breaking. Back at the riders Woody hears the team Flow rider slip on the sand and decides that it is now or never, and digs deep, Jon and Paul who have run out to spot the action say that the sight of Woody cutting through the back markers, elbows wide,.digging deep, was intense. Back at the pits the crowd has swelled, but nobody knows what has developed out on the track, Woody comes into sight, closely followed by another rider,is that the team flow rider .. no, Woody has pulled out a massive margin in the last mile, as he cuts through the final twist and turns the watching crowd let out a might cheer that can be hear a half mile away (information source ... Paul Hore running back from spotting) We got third ... WE GOT THIRD

Dusk Till Dawn 2003 27th/28th September 2003

Chris's Face You would have though that he could work a Camelback by now.
Team Pits Team pits before the racing began.
Three of Four Three of the four Titus team riders, waiting to see if we got third.