Auckland Endura Series - Slater Road (race 3 out of 3)

Christmas came early! mum and dad decided to pay half for a new Giant XTC 29'er.

I has been riding a Scott Scale 50 (2011) but like all teens we rapidly seem to out-grow our bikes and I have to say, the Scott was definitely getting too small for me. But when we had to go into R&R to get a spare chain, there was no way I thought I'd be coming out with a whole new bike. The gods were smiling.

For months I had been waiting to see what the new Giant XTC 29er composite for 2013 would be like.  When Doug Wester ran through the improvements with Mum and Dad over previous years it, combined with R&R's sponsorship support (plus trading and selling everything I owned) - I struck a deal with Mum and Dad.  Its not the most highly spec'd machine, but the overall package was great.

But... my size wasn't in store.  Want to know the definition of pain for a mountain biker?  waiting a week for your new bike to arrive and be assembled.

However 1 week before Slater Road, and with Gunnar building it with me in the shop on his day off. I had my babyand life was looking good.

With only 1 week until Slater Road I knew there wasn't much time to get used to it. With a decent Wednesday night ride with Jafakids plus my own training in the local reserves every other night, I started to feel more relaxed about the race.

But one thing didn't cross my mind - even though I had a new bike and had worked out its strengths and weaknesses, I still had to plan out my race. In my enthusiasm, all I had planned was kill it for the whole race, not for a moment acknowledging that Slater Road was all about hills - and lots of them. I was unprepared.

As the family and I get out of the car to unpack the JAFAKIDs BBQ gear all I could think about was what the race was going to be like on a brand new bike. After about and hour of warming up it was time to get to race briefing then slowly everyone started to make there way off to the start line. A short 1 minute call then suddenly it was GO!!!!!

I had a great start and was able to sprint away from the bunch. After seconds we entered the forest and all I could tell was that I was in the top bunch.  My plan was to "stick with Robin (fellow sponsored rider for R&R)" but not even half way through the first lap I could feel myself starting to push way past my limit,  which can be good until you burn out, which sadly happened to me.

Whats even more painful is watching riders race you - one by one, slowly. Aaaagh!!!!

 

 

 

Into the last lap and I had recovered some of my energy and had picked up the pace again.  Even though there was no chance of me catching the top guys up,  I still knew that every placing I regained, counted.  So setting my own race pace I started to embrace the numerous many gnarly hills and slowly I started to pass burnt-out people who now started to litter the track.

When I had reached the finish I discovered I'd made about 4 placings in my category, with placed me into 6th - and I was pleased with this, especially with having just moving up a group, from being in under 14's to under 17.

At prize giving 3 jafakids had claimed top 3 for under 17 overall which had fellow R&R rider Robin page claiming 2nd overall.

   

So bike 10/10 - rider 7/10.

Lessons for next time?  Set my own race pace (like I did with my old bike) and let others take the early knocks.  I'll still go hard and you never know, even in this group, with my new bike, I could soon win. 

Auckland Endura MTB series race 2 (Hunua)

For weeks I have been thinking over and over about my last race start at Woodhill where I had decided to take off and after 100 meters later, had burnt out.  This had made me realise what I should be doing with my starts, aiming for a high steady pace, rather than trying to be 1st the whole way.

It had been a beautiful week until the day before the race when it had hosed down. I could just imagine how muddy and slippery the Hunua's would be. As my family and I packed the car with all the JAFAKIDs BBQ gear all I could think of was "stick on someones tail that is quick" and "please god, no gear failure today".

When we arrived at the Hunuas after 9 o'clock, it was clear the tracks would be in reasonably good condition, with not a lot of surface water. In fact, it was looking like a half decent day.

For me, warming up before a race is crucial.   While I did this I checked out who looked like they were on form to be my chase partner - bad news, all my fellow racers were looking fit and sharp. A few minutes later as everyone were lining up at the start line I found my man - fellow Jafa Kim Wright.  Now Kim is always super fast even when he is having a bad day, plus he pushes hard at the starts every time, so sticking behind him was going to be a real challenge - but hey, you only live once right!

At the 2 minute call from the race organisers, the excitement amongst racers was obvious. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO....! In the big mass start everyone just jumped off the start line with real pace. And sadly my plan started to go wrong. With a heap of riders all aiming for the same narrow turn point, at pace, it was almost impossible to even see Kim, let alone stay on his tail.  As we came back out on to the gravel road after the first section of single track, Kim was out of my view and my race plan was in tatters.  Now it was all up to me pacing myself for the rest of the race.

As I reached half way through the 1st lap, I was being chased by fellow JAFAs Charlotte Rayner and Aaron Carr, both real rockets and tough competitors. Aaron and I managed pull away from Charlotte on another long section of gravel road, but the pace with Aaron up a small hill section was intense, and I managed to get a small gain on him just before we got into the next single trail. After about 5 minutes I knew that I had got well ahead of Aaron. Suddenly a person was on the side of the track that had caught my attention - it was Kim who had blown his rear tyre and foolishly hadn't brought a spear tube - ah, the lessons learned.

The rest of the race was fast but quiet, with me virtually on my own the whole time. I was doing ok but wasn't in the top bunch - I'd lost that opportunity with the start. As the end approached, I saw my dad on the side of the track, who informed me that Jake (a fellow Jafa and tough competitor) was only a short way ahead.  I tried desperately to pick it up a notch but truthfully, I had nothing left in the tank. I knew I'd have to settle for following Jake in.

At the finish line, all of my friends from Jafas look muddy, wet and tired  - but all happy - and having enjoyed the various battles that had occurred.  In fact, it was a really neat feeling at the race camp all round.  the best feeling after a race. Everyone cheered the last competitors as they came into the finish.

In short, for me personally, it wasn't a great placing (9th) but I wasn't unhappy. Completing the race at the pace set was reward enough. Great placings for all JAFAs and fellow R&R rider Robin Page, good job guys.





      

   

Endura auckland series race 1 (woodhill)

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear. A refreshing change after a week of rain and miserable weather. A good omen.

After a long rugby season this felt like my first proper race in quite a while. Not strictly true because I had done the Jamis Day-Night Thriller the weekend before, but I wanted to make an impact and do well.

Arriving at Woodhill's old car park with the trailer laden down with Jafakids BBQ gear and the whole families bikes, conditions couldn't have been better - overcast but warm, tracks firm packed and in nice condition.After helping set up the Jafakids camp I had a chance to warm up with the rest of the Jafa crew including fellow R&R sponsered rider, Robin Page.

Race briefing saw a much larger crowd than I had been expecting, and a really nice positive atmosphere. The Auckland MTB Club crew had set the race around tracks I knew well, but quite a number of them would be ridden backwards.

Putting some serious effort into a sprint from the mass start up the forestry road saw me with a good lead into the first corner, but even at full pace some of the elite racers managed to slip past me before we hit the first single track. My ego-driven novice sprint start was giving me a good lesson in race prep and training - boy was I hurting!

The 12km lap, which I thought was going to be easy, turned out to be a real challenge. Corners I thought I knew well felt completely different at the pace we were all going, the hills felt longer and steeper, and the competition was intense.

By the end of the first lap I had dropped to ninth place in my category (under 17) and both my reputation and pride were on the line. Memo to self: training does matter.

The second 12km was just mind over matter - legs screaming, lungs burning and watery eyes. Boy, was I glad to cross the line! I had managed to hold ninth place and was really happy with that. Robin had done brilliantly well to secure 3rd place. The best thing was every single under 17 racer, male and female, was a Jafakid - well done crew.

All in all an awesome day and heaps of fun. Just need to do some serious training. Next stop Hunua.

     


  




  


 Thanks Barry Page and Jemma Manchester for the photos.

Taupo Jamis Day-Night Thriller 12 Hour

I always knew that this race was going to be a challenge. Taupo, September, end of winter - always knew it was going to be tough weather wise, and i wasn't disappointed.

This was a last minute opportunity for me. Another sporting commitment had meant that I hadn't been able to register with a team, in fact i hadn't been to any Jafakids trainings for a month. So when i turned up on Wednesday night for training, and my mates ( Alex, Liam, Finn and Peter) were down a rider for their team, I knew the stars were aligning.

But... Two days to go, my family couldn't go down so, no transport, no accommodation - a bit of stress! Yet again the awesome Jafakids families came to the rescue. The Beaven family would get me down there and house me the first night, then back with The Page family (thanks heaps Tony Beaven, Meg and Barry Page).

After 'military-style' coordination and an eventful journey down (great driving Harriet) involving lost wallets, we arrived at Taupo Friday evening, and the weather was nowhere as cold or wet as i was expecting. We all chilled out in front of TV at the motel and psyched ourselves for the day ahead.

Arriving at the event grounds an hour before the race start we found a really impressive set up by the Jafakids and DoC crew. Jeff Webb and the Avanti Waitakere team had set up their mobile workshop, which made me feel relaxed about coping with any mechanicals. Now it was just down to my latent fitness and team work.

Numbers were obviously well down on previous years which is real shame. The track was a lot shorter and less challenging than previously, mostly due to the fact that the area had been heavily forested. This would make for fast lap times and short breaks between riders.

The 10am mass start in warm, clear conditions saw Liam charge off in the leading bunch. Unfortunately in the 'pressure cooker' of the first lap he had a wipe out and limped into our first transistion down in the field, and a little bit sore. Such is mountain bike racing.

 
 Liam off to do his first lap.


 The mass start.

After 3 hours of intense racing from the boys, we were confident that we were once again doing well. When we went to check our results we found our times hadn't been recorded. In fact, we were sharing our times with the NZ Army boys (so much for our earlier  'military-style' organisation). This was quickly sorted by Murry and the Event Promotions crew.


Liam preparing for a lap

As the weather deteriorated, and the temperature plummeted, my team got faster and faster. After 6 hours of racing we were clearly in 3rd and hunting down the second place team. Our fellow Jafa riders, the Jafakids Gangnam Style crew (led by fellow R&R rider Robin Page), were well in the lead for our division.

By the end of the race it was hammering down and freezing cold, with the track basicly being a bog. we had managed to secure 3rd place, which we were all happy with. Back at the Pages motel and having thawed out in a hot shower, I was more then ready for  a good sleep.
 
My team up on podium with fellow R&R rider Robin Page dancing.

All in all a fantastic event. A huge thank you to my team, Tony Beaven, Meg and Barry Page for making this happen for me, and to the Jafakids DoC crew for making a great environment. 

Auckland Grammar Secondary School, race 4, finals (Woodhill)

Out at Woodhill at 8.15am and straight into warming up before the 9.30am race start. I'm leading the points board just but one wrong move could change everything. Slowly all the race organisers and competitors start to arrive. I was sick since last weekend and I thought that I was over the flu but think again Kalen!

9.15am and it is time for race briefing and the course doesn't sound to tricky. Actually it sounded pretty fun.

The course was starting from the overflow car park then up trough the main gate into Powerball and on to Thai Massage. this was to be followed by Big Mama, Cry Baby and Book-A-Bach, with a drop down the side back to the start line. A 10km full lap. I would be doing one and a half laps.

9.30 and all the competitors are on the the start line, first off were the senior boys with a flying start, followed by the intermediate girls and boys who were just rockets, and lastly, the junior boys and girls together.

5 seconds 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!!!!!!! off we go.  After the first hill I realised I wasn't feeling 100%. Very quickly I had slipped back into second place and had a bit of a headache. I knew now that it was going to be a tough race.

Half way through the first lap I had dropped to 3rd, but luckily I had a bit of distance between 4th. By now I was feeling terrible and had to quickly jump off my bike and run into the bushes for a vomit (let me tell you first hand it is not easy getting back on your bike after a vomit).

                             

                             

                             

                            

After being sick it was all just a mind game. I knew that I would be lucky to even hold 3rd place. It was a really tough lesson in hanging in there and not giving in. BY the time i cross the finish line I just had nothing left in me. I had been able to hold 3rd place but i was wrecked. Jake Cragg (1st) and Owen Chang (2nd) had been going like rockets the whole race and had got in well ahead of me.

I was now sure that this poor result would mean that I had probably lost my 1st place in the series. At prize giving i discovered I had 1st equal with Jake Cragg, but because he was not yet at secondary school was ineligible for a medal. It had been a really tough season of racing between the two of us, and it was nice to see him get acknowledged anyway.

At the end of the day we all had fun (see below, having a great time up on the podium). Thanks R&R for the great clothing I got to race with.

                               

                               

 

                                

                             

   

                            

                                                                                                          

Thanks to all of you for a great series of races.

Auckland Grammar Secondary School Seires Race 3 (Whitford)

From past experiences I knew Whitford was going to be a tough race. I wasn't disappointed. The combination of another Jon Hasler (Race Organiser) course with recent rain, led to a 5km circuit capable of unsettling any rider.

I knew this race was going to have some tough competition. From the start Jake Craggs, Owen Chang and Hayden Schuurman put me under alot of pressure with a 1km sprint up the forestry road. By the time I hit the single track into the forest my legs were already burning, with Jake hot on my tail. And he did not let up. I just could not shake him.

Half-way through the second lap I'd managed to get a slight lead. Taking a slippery downhill corner with too much speed resulted in a "close encounter" with a tree - and I came off second best. While I picked myself up off the track, Jake flew past. Now the chase was on!

I rapidly discovered that Jake is one determined young man! As hard as I tried, I just could not reel him in - leaving 18 seconds between us at the end. Awesome effort Jake - great racing. Even more impressive considering that he is not at secondary school yet.

 Big thanks to Jon Hasler and his crew for another great racing event.

PS. Thanks to the ambulance crew for tending to my bruised body and ego. 

PRODUCT REVIEW: Shimano XT Shadow Plus rear derailleur

One thing that has always annoyed me in Mountain Biking is the derailleur and chain rattling around. So I was pretty excited when I heard that Shimano had brought out a derailleur with a clutch that would eliminate this. The Shimano XT Shadow Plus rear derailleur is one of the newest products that shimano has brought out, and follows the release XTR version earlier this year.

The big plus (excuse the pun!) was the cost. In the end it was not alot more then the standard XT replacement i was looking at, and a fraction of the cost of the XTR version.

 My experience so far (2 months) on the full range of trails and in a number of races, has been fantastic. Even on very bumpy trails when you expect your derailleur and chain to bounce around, the XT Shadow it is super smooth and quiet. In a race I can now sneak up on an opponent, even on a gnarly Downhill.

The other cool thing is that it has a release leaver on the top, that when activated, makes it just as easy to take the rear wheel on and off.

Improvements? If I was being really picky, then it would be that you still get a teeny, teeny bit of chain-slap still, so a bit more tension within the mechanism would be great - but it's still a huge upgrade for any rider as is.

Rating out of 10: 7.5/10

I reckon it's worth the investment, cheers Kalen

Sunday, 8th of July was race 1 of the winter N-Duro series and I decided to go and try the 45km race. This was the longest race that I have ever done. I wanted to see how hard it was to keep going over a long distance.

5am wake up, out the door, a 2 1/2 hour long drive with the family to the Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua. Temperature was -1 and everyone was in their leggings and arm warmers (boy was it lucky I had the warm R&R clothing).

9.45am was race briefing and straight away everyone looked pumped. 10am at the start line ready to do the 45km race and there were some big names doing the race including NZ Representative Karen Hanlen who will be going to the Olympics.

 But back to the start line 5 seconds left 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!!!!! and off I go trying to stick with Robin Page (sponsored rider for R&R sport too) and the pace was really intense. By 10km into the race I could already feel the burn with huge gravel roads to climb up.

At 20km I was still going hard but had fallen behind Robin.

Hitting the 30km and I was getting very tired. My goal now had reduced to just keep going and finish the race. As I reached the 40km mark I'd caught up to my Dad. He was doing the 30km race but didn't look very well. He just told me to go on but by that time I could feel cramps starting and wasn't feeling that confident about finishing the race either. But there were alot of encouraging riders on the trails who helped me push through this race.

At the end of the race I was absolutely pooped but very happy that I'd finished.

At the end of the day my family were all happy with the results, and all my friends had done well. But what made me really happy was that I had achieved my goal of finishing my first 45km race in a respectable time because I'd followed exactly what Sadie (Jafakids coach) said for me to do.    

Welcome

HI! I'm Kalen and I'd like to welcome you to "Just Plain Weird". Here you can follow my Journey as a Mountain Biker as I travel around New Zealand doing what I love.