“As one of the last to start”

Since I was at the start of the last pen to open in Leeuwarden, standing quite far back, I cautiously began moving toward the exit. Meanwhile, the clock was edging dangerously close to 11:00 a.m. when suddenly, because I was in the last starting group, the rear gates were opened, and everyone rushed toward the Zwette to begin. That’s how I ended up being the very last to leave the pen, only to reach the finish on the Bonkevaart 12 hours later.