Icy winds, rain and low visibility quickly turned ideal conditions into an ordeal for two Navy elite age group mountain bikers during the GWM Mountain Bike National Championships at Mount Buller, Victoria, from March 12 to 16.
Commander Rowan Walker and Chief Petty Officer Cameron Schmid competed in the Cross Country Criterium and Cross Country Olympic events, in the 55-60 and 40-45 age categories, respectively.
The criterium, held on Friday under perfect conditions, was designed to be short, less technical and fast, with Commander Walker finishing second and Chief Petty Officer Schmid falling just eight seconds short of a podium finish.
Sunday began with hope for the longer and more technical Olympic race, which featured a mix of ascents and descents, fire roads, bitumen sections, narrow single-bike paths and more technical tracks.
However, when the riders arrived, the organisers halted the race because of a severe weather warning.
"The weather blew in really bad and the organisers had to unfortunately shorten the course dramatically," Commander Walker said.
Due to a high-wind warning, the organisers didn't want anyone riding beneath the trees. As a result, they shortened the track, which resembled a longer version of the criterium track, but in reverse.
Both riders were disappointed, given it is the more technical races they train for.
But it wasn't without its challenges.
"There were a couple of grass slopes to descend, like ski slopes, which you could normally see all the way. However, visibility was about 15 metres and it was as slippery as ice," Chief Petty Officer Schmid said.
"I've been riding 25 to 30 years, and those conditions were probably the worst I've experienced."
Commander Walker said because of the sudden temperature drop of about 10 degrees, plus the rain, he was near hypothermic for the race, calling it "bleak".
"Even with the physical exertion, I struggled to get my heart rate up to warm my body," he said.
"But you fight on and do the best you can."
His best was second.
Chief Petty Officer Schmid competed against the current world champion in his category, who finished a lap ahead.
Eight seconds separated 3rd, 4th and 5th, with Chief Petty Officer Schmid finishing 6th one minute later.
