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Day four of the ISDE drew to a close November 17 with clearing skies after a day of showers that made for some testing riding conditions.
Straight out of the start the track through the carpark for riders was rough, just the beginning of worse to come. Having already seen more than a days action a further 600 bikes across the pumice based tracks made for deeper ruts and bike swallowing bog holes. Thus the nightmare for event director, Sean Clarke, was to start right from the get go as he had to adjust tracks all day.
Wendy Robinson and Hazel Rushworth, the only two Kiwi women in the ISDE, both embarked on day four with grit and determination although lacking some of the enthusiasm from day one.
Unfortunately for Robinson, a stomache bug has seen here struggling to hold down any food. Not a great start but she put her head down and went for it, managing to finish ahead of the lead Aussie women, Alison Parker.
Hazel Rushworth got away to a solid start but bike troubles early on put her behind the eight ball. Some quick thinking saw her get through but down too many minutes. Despite believing that she would be houred out (more than one hour past her start minute) she pushed through sheer exhaustion to make it back to the finish – even skipping her fifteen minute work period.
However her fate hangs in the balance – the jury will decide throughout this evening if any sections will be dropped today. One section in particular got very difficult with many riders struggling to get through. So the morning will be a tense time.
Wendy on the other hand, got back with a couple of minutes up her sleeve allowing a sense of triumph after a long hard day of ruts and tree roots.
Day five sees the riders return to the same tracks from today, which will again see riders struggling with achy bodies and tired motorcycles.
For results see http://www.isde06.com/results.asp
