“How the hell did Jess Gardiner change tyres at the 2017 French ISDE event with a dislocated finger and with a time limit of only 15 minutes?”
These are the words going through my mind on the eve of rounds nine and 10 of the Australian Off-Road Championships as I fumble my way through changing the tyres on my loaned Beta RR430 racing machine. It's been 40 minutes and my hands are in perfect condition, like WTF! I'm about to ride my first ever AORC event and I'm already struggling to get my act together before I even throw a leg over the bike. Am I up for this, I question myself? I've still got air filters to clean, bags to pack, goggles to clean; a little underprepared is an understatement.
I arrive at the round location in Kyogle at 6:15am sharp on Saturday morning after a nervous night's sleep. It helps that I only live 20 minutes away. I unload my bike and gear and set up with a few of the locals who have more experience at these events than I do. I'm surprised to see so many people jammed into every
