i’m so excited i think i might wet my pants.

Thursday today, i’ve a to-do list for my to-do list, i’ve that much stuff to plow through before i take off tomorrow to Singapore to take part in the National Champs there. i missed them last year due to a race somewhere but i won the road race in 2010 and the ITT in 2011, so i have some ‘previous’ on that strange, clean and very rich little rock.

my form though is a bit weird though, as i’ve been training for the Mongolia MTB Challenge (MBC), which will be held from the 30th of August til the 7th of September. this is, i feel, going to be the hardest thing i’ve ever done, with all stages except one over 100km, and one at 175km! and over 2000m of climbing!

as a result i’ve been doing longer rides without the usual pre-road race intensity stuff. will have to see how the legs go this weekend.

the one stage that is under 100 is a 40km ITT. even on a road bike this would be a big tour, but this is MTB. it will hurt. a lot.

all riders must carry a whistle, an aluminum sheet, a head torch and a mirror at all times. the last item is to be used not, i fear, to check the make up before the podium, but to signal rescue planes. awesome.

Mongolia has been on the bucket list for many years, after i saw a documentary about Genghis Kahn on the BBC when i was 14. it wasn;t in truth the history that grabbed me so much, fascinating though that is, but the landscape. it spoke of freedom and possibility to my young, feverish mind, and i knew i had to go.

but what a way to go. my first MTB race in 23 years. and my first month on an MTB in, erm, 23 years…

and so, here i go.

reports will be featuring in several magazines and websites after the race but if you need a crankpunk fix before then, there’ll also be a diary during the race on VeloNews.

wish me luck – i am going to need it, i reckon!