English wins solo category at Jet Black 24-hour race

Despite Sydney suffering the hottest overnight temperature ever recorded, 350 mountain bike riders lined up at the start of the JetBlack 24 hour race at Wisemans Ferry over the weekend. Organizers added extra water stations with ice and sprays to keep the riders hydrated as temperatures rose over the 42 degrees Celsius mark.

The extremely hot conditions were not enough to stop two time World Champion solo rider, Jason English, from claiming his third consecutive 24-hr JetBlack title. English, from Port Macquarie, recorded 44 laps of the 9.8 km circuit at the Del Rio Resort. This race marked English's first 24-hour race after claiming the 2010 world title in Canberra in October.

This race turned into a a different sort of challenge to survive the searing heat. The Merida rider said he had never experienced such conditions and found himself changing his race plans.

"At one stage, I was drinking four bottles in an hour," said English, who was in second place overall after the first lap, but the four-man team of Czech riders, named "Bernard", was proving too strong.

"I was trying to race them for the first five hours," said English. "It was then I realized I had no chance.I thought I better be sensible."

A close race developed for the overall win. Four Czech riders Ondrej Slezak, Michal Kafka, Victor Svacek and Michal Burda were up against a team of two Canberra riders, Andrew Hall and Ed McDonald. The Canberra duo eventually finished one lap down and with 57 laps, putting them second overall.

The other solo men's podium places were decided in the early hours of the morning when Joe Johnston made a move which eventually gave him second. The Bowral rider recorded 40 laps, a remarkable result considering it was his first 24-hour race. Chris Mohen from Willoughby completed a respectable 38 laps and claimed third place.

The solo women's winner was Jac Kennett from Glenfield.

Full results