Stop at two

To Sentosa, 54 km. Once upon a time, Singapore's population planners had a slogan: "stop at two". They didn't have the Subaru Mountain Bike Championships in mind, but it's an apt slogan for me. One practice ride around the race course is bad enough for me, not to mention two. If I didn't stop at two, Singapore might have one less person - me. Ling the Merciless isn't kidding when she writes that the route is "world class" and "technical". I mistakenly think it's manageable. So after cycling one hour to Sentosa, I go on round 1. The Indonesian team flies through the trail. I fly too, twice out of the course and once into a tree. I'm so tired and breathless, I bash into it and later on gash my legs too. The ground is so rough my pedals gouge into it in places. Each lap is 3.7 km. I sweat so much, I'm almost out of water (whereas, on the road, I've covered 20 times that distance on one bottle). I take a break after round 1. Flanker looks at me and gives me a drink. He's signed up for two races! I wonder if I'm going to be the only fella on a rigid bike ...