Mud, glorious mud

We knew it was going to be tough going, but boy, it really was tough going.

The organiser of Dawn to Dusk said it was the worst weather they'd had in 22 years, and puddles had turned into lakes and lakes had turned into rivers.

Rain is bearable when it's vertical, but the rain we had yesterday was horizontal. Wind felt like gale force, and the pit area was strewn with crumpled gazebos. Sign-on on the Friday was delayed because the main marquee blew away the previous evening (and it was a big and heavy duty marquee).

So, it was going to be tough.

Kate battled on. An 'extreme' section sign had blown away, so Kate found herself doing a hill climb that she hadn't intended. She failed, and a marshal had to ride her bike back down the hill. Minutes lost, and Kate finished the first lap in P4, minus a hand guard, and unrecognisable covered head to toe in mud.

Lap two, and Kate moved into P3 when a competitor dropped out. Lap times improved, and with a speedy pit stop for fuel and a change of gloves and top (which meant Kate was recognisable for a few more minutes), Kate battled on to finish third overall in class. A podium was what she was after, and that's what she got!

Kate Broadbent finishing Dawn to Dusk 2024