Bikers embrace 24-hour endurance event Forrest thrill ride

JO Hand gets her adrenaline rush on two wheels.The 28-year-old Warrnambool travel consultant races trail bikes and mountain bikes, which provide contrasting power output but similar thrills.Hand explains the speed rush of enduro dirt bike racing can be matched by the satisfaction of finishing a mountain race or the buzz of a downhill section.This weekend her endurance qualities will be tested in a 24-hour mountain bike race at Forrest. She will combine with fellow Warrnambool Mountain Bike Club members Evan Sheppard and Gary Opperman in a four-member team, meaning they share the challenge relay style.Hand, Sheppard and Opperman contested the Forrest enduro last year in a six-member team, which hooked her on the format."It's a great event," she said."You can do it as a social thing, make it as fun as you like or be serious and competitive."I enjoy the night riding the most. It's great fun." Hand followed her brothers Matt, 29, and Paul, 36, into dirt bikes three years ago and she has never looked back."I've been around dirt bikes since I was a kid," she explained."I was looking for something extra so I went and bought myself a mountain bike and here I am in a 24-hour race."That was two years ago and Hand has found a successful balance between her two-wheel pursuits.She said the competitive level this weekend would be decided collectively."We'll talk about it in the next few days." WMBC members Peter Furphy, Martin Hartwich and Tim McDonald are also racing at Forrest as part of a six-member composite team.Warrnambool Mountain Bike Club president Darren Shiell said the Forrest enduro was one of the biggest races of the season for local riders."This one and the Otway Odyssey are the two major events that you build up to," Shiell said."The challenge is the endurance side of it. You can basically push your body to the limits."If you've done it last year it's nice to do an extra lap." The Forrest 24-hour event is run on three 10km circuits, with team and solo categories, beginning at midday on Saturday.Shiell said riders had to come well prepared physically and bring the right equipment."There's a night riding aspect of it as well, which is different," he said."It's pretty important to practice that too. "It really is a different sort of lighting experience."Even your bike has to be able to last a little longer than usual."