The beast has been preparing for all kinds of long distance events and in his spare time he's created a blog that you may want to check out...
http://posterous.com/people/4SDvxWkHQNwd
Well done to Trev on his 2nd place overall for the 2011 Desert Dash!
Here's Trev's race report:
Ok, so it's done and dusted for another year and in short, came 2nd to an Italian pro marathon biker from Specialized called Albassini.
The race started in 36 degrees in Windhoek and with a stiff breeze blowing it was always going to be tough.
The first 20 km were quite hard as it climbed 800 meters quickly and watching my Polar it guided me nicely to ensure I was fresh as a daisy come the top!
Surprisingly I was not drinking enough and at 170 km was told to drink by my seconds who noted that they were not replacing empty bottles! I was ensuring I had Power Bar Endurance and Recovery in either bottle replaced at each stop while Jason oiled my chain etc, very nb in the dry dusty conditions!
We happened to be well ahead of schedule so no need to worry about my new sponsored Hope lights but they sure came in handy come 8pm when the sun was down and I had had enough of riding in the dusk and dust of passing vehicles.
Out stops were very quick and the entire race only stopped for a total of 16 minutes over 8 stops including potential battery changes.
Riding with my mate Andrew was great and he soon, at about 220km told me to get cracking as I was feeling great and he was not feeling great but new we did not want to lose 2 or 3 rd place as a gift to guys passing so put the hammer down.
I managed to get enough energy drinks down my gullet to remain well hydrated and watching the Polar pressed on to get to the Italian who was the leading the race but also to not be caught by a merry band of guys chasing me. I was not about to let that happen.
Be as it may, the Hope District lights needed no battery replacement after even 8 hours, caught the winning 2 man team with 10 km to go, just short of catching the elusive Italian and then secured a second place which is great!
I managed to swap glasses twice but both times stuck to reliable clear to black Oakley lenses and they were great.
Obviously prize giving was the high hr after a heady day of recovery as the cut off is at 24 hours , so it was great to get a bit of rest, chat to the best family in the world, gain some strength and have some humor.
All in all a great race with my mate Andrew coming in 4th overall and although he did not feel great a good effort despite and for not giving up!
Already looking at entering the 2012 event and keen to give it hell again but will wait to see if I be an entry or not.
Great prize giving, world class organizing, lots of intrepid riders and enormous of fun.
I will continue to post hits as stories come to mind so be sure to read as they come along!