Megavalanche qualifier 2008

I looked around and saw that 200 riders had been assembled. Plastic tape fluttered in front of me and I was concentrating on breathing deeply and regularly. An MC with an indistinct Northern European accent was attempting to motivate the crowd. "IS EVERYBODY GAY?" he called. "Yeah!" I responded automatically, not processing what he had just said.

I looked ahead at the narrow track running downhill and thought of the riders who had crashed out on the previous heats. "Don't shit yourself now" continued the MC. "Save that for the race down the glacier tomorrow". A helicopter emerged in front of me and an air-raid siren wailed. A techno song came to a crescendo over the loudspeakers and the tape in front of me was lifted: it was time to pedal.



Pic related: it's me