I did it, it's done, and that's all she wrote

Well I guess I'll elaborate a little.
Had my 24 hour race this weekend. Really not a whole lot to say to be honest. The only reason I signed up for this event was a burning curiosity I've had for quite a while now. I wanted to get to a point where I thought it was impossible to continue, and continue from there. That alone was my reason and I think it helped me a lot when I was out there.
Now I'm a pretty philosophical guy (though I do still acknowledge that us humans are merely a stones throw away from poo flinging monkeys) and I wanted to get just a small sampling of the pain that some have to endure in less fortunate circumstances than I. I really can't say that I have a better understanding of this but it did help me to keep moving.
The goal for the race was to just keep riding and not stop. I set out at exactly the pace I wanted to ride, and rode that pace until the end. Up until about 8pm I was feeling much better than I thought I should and didn't start to feel uncomfortable until about 1am. Uncomfortable I can say would be the theme of this event for me. Sure 6am rolled around and I got to a point where the hours ahead of me seemed unmanageable but I quickly reminded myself, this moment is what I came here for. I was glad to be able to recognise that and continue.
So all things considered it was a very good experience. I am humbled by the human body which seems to be able to work itself to death provided you have the mental fortitude. Not sure if I will do it again since the experience has been experienced.

Huge appreciation for my brother Joe who stayed up all night in the cold and was the one person I could trust to rely on in the event of a mechanical or mental break down. Thanks to my sister Mary for the support and the awesome memento from this experience (I hope little Joely enjoyed his first camping trip). Thanks to Jason for keeping my brother company in the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to momsie and Doug for their 4 star cheffery and tolerance of my demanding demands. Thanks to Jacob and Tristan for joining me for a lap (Tristan are you ok after that crash dude??).

8pm, waiting for the pain to start

Last 10 feet of the race. Sooo happy.
Tired but happy. Helmet is wet because I rode the plank matey and survived.

Joe made it all happen. Gave him the jersey so he will ride more!

All I can say about this photo is that Sean is putting out the vibe!

The man hands are still soft as a baby, no harm done!

Getting the X-Ben cleaned up. On to the next ride.

I feel awesome today and I am going for a ride tonight.
Benno