Kyle Rickard, latest addition to our “Team” had a busy couple of weeks. Here is his summary of his first race on the electric shift MootoX RSL. As they say on Little Britain – “Dust anyone, Dust…?”

“Dusty tracks were the daily special for the Bicycle Superstore Bright  12 hour with over 250 teams coming from around the nation to take part in the classic bike race. The race took place just outside the centre of town with a 16.5km track testing everyones technical and mental strength.  With fast pine decents and some of the most free flowing track I’ve ever ridden – the race had it all and the Le Mans start certainly didn’t disappoint. The 200m sprint for the bikes left most riders clutching their hamstrings while others struggled once on the bike.  A brutal start to a challenging race.

With the boys from Torq quickly setting the pace I felt like I only had to follow – tailing the wheel of world series rider Jack Haig for a lap, only to be out done on the final climb by a slight mechanical problem. The Moots MOOTO X RSL seemed to catch the eye of all riders as the customised Di2 shifted flawlessly – even in the rockiest bits of track.

Team Cycling edge (Elite male pairs) got off to a bright start with the Moots mastering a 45 minute first lap – the third fastest lap in Male pairs. My partner and I then took it in turns until lap four when the competitive instinct took over and pushed the Moots out for back to back laps – a hard ask for the sweltering conditions.  With the sun bearing down on the second lap and sapping the life out of me, I made a crucial mistake, miss judging a berm and peeling the tyre off the Easton Haven carbon rim, a small price to pay when compared to the advantages of running  tubeless with low Psi for exceptional rolling grip from the Pair of Maxxis tyres.

By lap six the Titanium established a rhythm, punching out consistent 53 to 54 minute laps of the 16.5km mountain circuit. Nearing the final hours of the completion I was pushing hard using the swift shifting derailleur to my advantage through the undulating terrain, riding Cycling edge home in 8th (out of 28) position in Male pairs.

On the bright side, a brilliant first race on the Moots – despite the loss of a few inches of skin.”

A few days earlier Kyle took the bike out for a run and set a new record on Strava for the Wombat Loop. You can follow the link here.

The Otway Odyssey is next.