Auckland Endura series race 3 (Slater rd) 2013

For weeks I have felt that I have been slowly improving with lots of things in my mountain biking like my breathing, control of speed from start to finish and when to attack.  I was planning on putting all these skills together for this race.

Slater Road is the 3rd and final race of the Auckland Endura series. It is a private farm on Auckland's South Kaipara Head that people hardly ever get to use. So when you get the opportunity to experience this awesome venue, make the most of it.

My dad, younger sister (Paige) and I arrived at the race venue ( a paddock area higher up in the middle of the farm with a stunning view over the Kaipara Harbour) at around 9am.  After unpacking the bikes and registering we had some time to pre-ride the course.  It was looking great - almost entirely single track in the pine forest with some great climbs and technical sections.

Briefing only took 5minutes before the the big bunch of riders gathered at the start line. I admit I was definitely a little nervous that I might burn-out or do something stupid.

The gun went off and so did the group start across the paddock- it was fast and intense.  The organisers had set up a taped 'chicane style' section and at the first corner we were all bunched up at speed - chaos. Just as I thought things were going to get really messy someone took out the flag on the corner causing the main bunch to push out wider.  By some pure luck I was able to get through on the inside and ended up being in the clear with the front group.

Entering the first track the pace was furious with people starting to burn out within the first couple of uphill sections.  Not long after the start there is an awesome downhill switchback section that saw more mistakes and riders dropping.

The whole course was pretty much relentless climbing and descending with limited overtaking opportunities - and trust me it is not easy at all. My plan had been to keep up with the top group for the first lap but even by the quarter mark I knew if I maintained the pace I would blow out so I eased back and decided to try a more patient approach.  Its quite hard watching your fellow riders pass you, but you have to have your own race plan and stick to it.

At the bottom of a downhill I saw a fellow JAFAKIDS rider on the side of the track obviously in trouble.  No one was stopping to help her (actually no one was even asking if she needed help - they were having enough difficulty breathing I think) so I pulled over even though I knew that it was potentially going to cost me a good position.  Sometimes you have to make sure people are ok.

The problem ended up being a destroyed derailleur (the cost of the intense start) which would mean a walk back to the race area.  Even in that short time I was pretty much last place in the whole race. 1 and a half laps to work my way back to the top - tough ask!

Surpising the short stop had helped the adrenalin wear off and the muscles relax a little.  Gradually I started working my way past people, and at a huge climb midway through the lap I managed to pass quite a few.  Entering the second lap I was back to mid-field - there was still hope!.

Even though I was already super tired, I hit the gas to see how much further in the field I could get. Any further position improvements were hard fought and approaching the finish I knew I had made the gains I needed.

Talking to the other riders in my section afterwards, it was clear there had been some stunning results and quite a few DNF's.   I thought I might have made it back into the top 10 - not bad all things considered. 

We stayed for the prize giving, but given it was also the race series final, there was no timing results available.  Heading back home I was totally wrecked.  Paige likewise had found it draining and was fast asleep a few minutes down the road.  Good day all round.

That is it for the Endura series for this year. 7th Place overall for the series.  Plenty of room for improvement.

Thank you R&R for keeping my bike running and supporting me.  A big thanks also to Jesse Voza (JAFAKIDS head coach) for helping and inspiring all of us.

Giant 2w Rotorua oct 2013

The Giant 2W, for those who don't know about it, is a one- day enduro style Super D race that stitches together the best trails of Rotorua into 5 runs or stages.  Team and individuals have to complete all 5 runs within 5 hours which you can do in any order.  Shuttle are provided so there is no up-hill unless you want to.

There had been months of planning for this by my team - myself, Andrew and Robin.   Robin and I were especially excited because, as R&R Sport riders, we both had new all-mountain bikes to race and test.

When my family and I got to Rotorua the day before, we decided to leave our gear at the hotel and go for a quick burn -hoping to see the lads,plus pre-ride some of the trails.  We manged to do both.  The trails were riding amazingly - RotoVegas at its best.

Later that evening everyone met for dinner (Leonardo's - best italian I've ever had!)  We were all excited and ready! 

The next morning I got changed and rode over to meet the others at the start at the Holiday Inn, shortly before briefing.  Once formalities were completed, 5 people at a time 'tagged on' their electronic scanners and rode off to which ever Stage they wanted to start with. We waited around 10minutes before it was our turn to tag on and go.
 
After a short ride uphill to the first shuttle stop.  Luckily it didn't take to long for the shuttle to arrive to go to the first Stage at Gunna Gotta.

Stage 1: Gunna Gotta + A Trail.
We were all nervous for this one because we didn't know what to expect.   We were each given 30 seconds space and then raced down - Robin, Andrew then me. This stage was quite tricky but not super long. I ended up over-taking Andrew and got close to Robin.

Stage 2: Huckleberry Hound + Little Red Riding Huck
We had to ride for quite a while before we came to the next shuttle pick up area, but luckily only a short wait for the shuttle.  In my opinion, this is probably one of the best parts of the forest. Robin went before me again, so I gave him a 20seocnd head start then Andrew went after me. This trail is mainly a downhill with table tops and big fast burmed corners. I was having a blast on this course and near the end I had gotten really close to Robin. Robin couldn't believe me that I gave him 20seconds so he told me that the next stage he was going to go after me and see if he could catch me, game on!

Stage 3: Billy T + G Rock + Roller Coaster
This is the longest stage of them all and with the challenge being laid,  I wasn't going to let Robin catch - I wanted to prove my speed.  As agreed, I was the first to go and had the pressure of everyone watching but I was all good with that. I felt good on this track until about half way where I thought I had a flatty - it felt like the back wheel was skidding out.   With the pressure on to beat Robin I decided not to stop until I was 100% sure that it was flat.   Surprisingly I got all the way to the bottom without stopping or even slowing down either.  Robin wasn't far behind.   Neither of us knew who had won that stage (it wasn't back until base at race HQ that evening we found out I managed to hold him off).

Stage 4: Corridor
Robin, Andrew and I slowly made our way to back the shuttle pick up was but this time we were heading back to the other side.  By now the shuttle queues were getting fairly large and Robin and I were fed up with waiting so long, so we decided ride up and meet Andrew up at the top. It was a quick up hill ride that we easily bet the shuttle.   Corridors was the shortest track which we blasted down - all pretty close to each other.   After our last 'shuttle beating' effort, Robin and I decided to ride back up again for the last stage.

Stage 5: Tokorangi + Soakhole + Challenge
This time Andrew was already at the top when we arrived - faster shuttle + tired legs.  This time we closed the gap at starting,  giving each other couple seconds gap. The first trail wasn't too difficult but at the end was a 10m vertical climb over 200m.  Even though that doesn't sound bad, trust me it was especially hard on the legs after doing a full days worth of riding. The road sprint to the Challenge Trail reminded me of Stage 2 but (in my opinion) was far better.  Challenge is awesome!!!  I was quite sad when I had finished.

Meeting back at the shuttle pickup, even though we were all knackered, we decided that we had enought time to redo one more stage.  I did Stage 4 again and found out later after the race I did it a whole lot more quick the second time.   Andrew also did Stage 4 while Robin elected to do Stage 5.

We rode individually back to the start/finish - fizzing about the great tracks.  Individually and collectively we had done well - comparing well to some of the serious downhill types.

We met later for a 'good old fashioned' pub dinner in town with all the families and riders.  I was buggered but Robin still had enough energy to tackle some of the extreme rides at the carnival in town that night.  It was the right way to finish off a great event.

Man I love Rotorua can't wait to get back again!

Thank you R&R sport for allowing Robin and I to trail those full sus-bikes for that weekend!

Auckland Endura series 2013 race 2 (Hunua)

Hunua races and I have a love-hate relationship.  It's where I had my first reality check with not coming first all the time as a junior, then being disqualified in the nationals because I was put in the wrong category through to consistently really never doing as well there as I hope. But...  I love riding there! go figure.

This time I'd decided things had to change.  I was out there have fun.  If I did well then all good, but I was placing no pressure on myself.

At the previous Auckland Endura Series race in Woodhill  I had gotten a 6th against a tough field, following a similar mental approach.  Not only had I had fun, but I felt great after that race -and it really makes you realise why you're doing it.   I wanted that same 'high' again.

This time the field seemed bigger and included more top riders from around the country.  It had been raining during the week and with the clay base, the course was extremely slippery in parts.  In combination with a challenging course, this race was going to be a tough one.

The plan was to race with a mate of mine, Hayden from JAFAKIDS, because we had a similar speed and syle meaning we would be able to tag team and draft behind each other on the road sections. 

As everyone had lined up ready for start after briefing, we found ourselves in the middle of the bunch  - not my favoured position and I felt the tension rising.  It's quite bizarre having to remind yourself to "chill out", "relax and smile" at the start of the race - but it works.

After the horn went off, everyone immediately started to bunch in together before the first sharp corner across the field section.  Seeing the inevitable pile-up looming, Hayden and I manged to get out to the side, clear of the bunch.   As we rounded the corner I could hear screaming and shouting of frustration behind us as those who has been 'in the zone' tangled.

There was a little pinch climb after the corner and more field before entering entering the single-track.  As I cranked it up, Hayden had already manged to get a leap on me.  I tried catching him but it was no use as the field once again compressed.  You just had to slot in and hold your position.

If you haven't ridden the Hunuas before, they are basically a series of tight gravel tracks that snake along a valley floor.  There's very few opportunities to overtake other riders and when they appear, everyone goes for it (a bit like the overtaking lanes on the open road).
 
When I finally got clear of the bunch about half way through the first lap, I had no idea of where I sat in the field.   I remained on my own until midway through the last lap when one of the JAFAKIDS coaches overtook me.  Knowing it was faster to draft off someone rather then ride alone, I stuck behind her but even with the extra help, she was setting a fierce-some pace which I couldn't sustain. Luckily I was really close to finishing and the last little bit on my own was ok.

Having a bit of space I was able to hit the last track with speed and didn't have to sprint to the end.  Even with my 'relaxed' approach and plan I was certainly very, very tired.  Ironically, later that evening when I got home I found out I came 6th again so I was really happy with that.   Hayden had maintained his placing and had come in 5th. 

So it looks like the Hunua's and I now have an understanding - I don't take them for-granted and enjoy the riding, and they'll reward me.

2 races down 1 to go.

Trek Fuel ex 8 29er 2013

At the recently held Giant 2W, my sponsor R&R Sport arranged for me to ride the newly released Trek Fuel ex8 29er which is about to grace the 2014 range. Before I go on I must say a huge thanks to R&R Sport for this: (a) I wasn't looking forward to a downhill relay race on my hardtail, and (b) I really, really wanted to put one of these flash new all-mountain bikes through their paces.

First impressions -the Fuel ex8 is a beasty-looking machine with the big wheels, vertical shock set-up and the charcoal paint job on the alloy frame making it look heavy-duty industrial.  All this made the drive-train seem smaller and discrete.  It made you feel like you were going out there to slay some trails and take no prisoners.  Quite funny really, considering I don't think of downhill as being a strength of mine.

Components.  The ex8 had all Shimano components with SLX brakes (which in my opinion, are just as good as XT), M552 cranks, XT Shadow rear derailleur, SLX front derailleur and shifters. I am personally a great fan of Shimano gear so I was quite pleased with this solid package.

On the front was the FOX Evolution series float 32 forks with 120mm travel and manual lock-out.  To the rear was FOX Evolution series float with 120mm travel as well.  Built to take some big knocks but still having the capability to get up hills.

The Bontager Duster 29er hubs, rim and tyre package felt solid and surprisingly fast rolling with little, if any flex.

While the Fuel ex8 didn't come with a dropper seat post as standard like most all-mountain bikes these days, it didn't feel like it was missing it either.  My overall impression was this bike felt bullet proof  - if it wasn't necessary, it wasn't there - no gimmicks.

But the real test of a bike is on the trails, and the 2W is RotoVegas endurance Super-D at its best - all of the top trails stitched together into 5 brilliant hard-out runs over a single day.  You can read my other post about the race but the Fuel handled everything I threw at it with ease.

The thing that surprised me most was how solid the Fuel felt for a 29er.  I would forget I was on the bigger wheels completely (until I was passing someone).  It was easy to 'pop' the bike over roots and drop-offs, making me confident at tackling some of the more knarly sections that I quite often avoid. 
The back shock took all the impacts with apparent ease  - I genuinely felt nothing, allowing me to race through those technical sections at pace.

Because the shuttle queues could be large I sometimes elected to ride the road back up.  The manual lockout was easy to locate and operate, eliminating the 'bob' and making these climbs quite managable.

As expected the Shimano package performed flawlessly - powerful braking, smooth gear changes and responsive shifting.


Overall impression?  While the Fuel ex8 is the spec below the top alloy 29er Fuel (the ex9), never the less it was still a great ride. The bike felt like the complete package - nothing was missing. At around $NZ 4,400 has to be up there on some-ones shopping list.

At the end of the day, I really didn't want to give it back  - and I guess that's the ultimate test.

Auckland Endura series race 1 (Woodhill) 2013

I've been really busy lately finishing off the rugby season and since it finished only a few weeks before this race I decided that I would just do it to see how I compared to other riders at the start of this race season.

After 2weeks of waiting I was keen to get going (the break had reinvigorated me more than I knew) and was finally going to see how I would do against others. Surprisingly I was not scared/nervous at all - in fact I felt really relaxed about it.

Arriving at Woodhill, it only took a few minutes to get my gear ready (only the bare basics for a puncture, etc). Then I was off to get registered, meeting up with friends that I haven't seen for months and seeing all the other eager racers. It didn't take too long before everyone was lining up at the start line. As the start bell was rung, all the racers jumped off quickly except for me. I was just happy to slowly weave my way through past the slower people, conserving energy and getting a feel for the pace.

I was doing that for almost half of the race until I had found the perfect speed until around the 14km mark as I caught up to fellow Jafa rider Jess.  She was going at a brilliant speed so I decided to hook in behind her.  This allowed me to gain some energy back and preserve that for later.  At one point she tried breaking away from me but I told her "just save your energy, you will need it for the end". Thankfully she eased back and carried on with her great pace.  I could tell she was already very tired and I didn't want her to burn out to early - she was already well ahead of her competition.
 jess getting a lil ahead of me

Jess and I got to the 2nd to last trail (which was about 3km from the finish) still together, and I was feeling really good.  I decided that I would make my move now and see if I could get further in the field.   As I was passing I could sense that Jess wouldn't stay with me - she was too tired. I felt really bad that I had pushed her that hard but I wanted to finish the race as best I could.

 

As was coming down the last hill of the race, only about 300meters ahead was Harriet Beaven (Endura sponsored racer and fellow Jafakid).  This was a challenge! Harriet's one quick lady.

Beginning to sprint I thought I could catch her. After about 30seconds of sprinting I was 5meters from the finish line and was only a bike length from her, and she knew I was there!  Crossing the finish line I was so close to beating the under 19 girls winner. It was awesome.

Laying my bike on the ground we all began sharing stories with each other.  It was great hearing what others had thought of the race track and other things. Not long after Jess crossed the finish line looking really pleased and winning the under 17 girls category.  Massive congrats Jess and Harriet.

At prize giving there was lots of laughter and smiles everywhere. Great atmosphere, great race. I really really enjoyed getting back on my bike and going hard and finishing with a solid 6th place in the under 17s.

My next race will be down in Rotorua doing the Giant 2W - a fun race with some mates which I can not wait for. 

Thanks R&R sport for still supporting me while I had that break for rugby, it's good to be back on the bike.

Auckland secondary school race 3 (woodhill)

7am I'm starting to get up and have breakfast.  Another race day.

I realised that usually I would be all nervous by now, but not this time.  After the recent not-so-great races, I had no pressure on me to achieve a top result.  I decided that this would be a great opportunity to test some ideas I'd had and learn.  The only question was would the learning step be through "brawn or brain" -  injury, mechanical or just my fitness.

Arriving at Woodhill Forest about 8:30am,  I requested dad to stop at the Bike Park so that I could ride to the event venue deep in the forest through the trails as a warm up.  Really wanted to ride the brand new trails (and damn, they are so good - well done Haydz and crew).

Anyway, it took me only 15 minutes to get to the venue and as I lined up to get my number I met a few mates who wanted to go for a slow ride around the track.   Once we had finished that it was already race briefing - phew a bit too close for comfort.

The intermediate boys group was the largest with about 25 riders, and I managed to get close to the front of the bunch.  After a good start with a sprint up the forestry road,  I had manged to get into a good position and was feeling that I could do well.
 

Entering the 2nd lap, as I started to climb the single track, my gears started to slip which allowed the two racers behind my to get past - damn!!!  Should have visited the team and R&R before hand.

When I finally got back on pace, I was close to the half way mark.   But the effort to catch up in a hurry had taken its toll.   My right leg wasn't feeling right and after about 10 seconds it completely seized up - OMG!!!  the pain.  I had never had cramps come on that fast, or that bad.

I had no choice but to sit down and stretch.  5 minutes later and it still wouldn't go away. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get my spot back, let another cacth theleaders - my race was over.

Thinking I was probably close to last now, I decided to continue but go slow and stretch out my leg. It took me the balance of the second lap to get rid of the pain.  Going into the last lap I decided that I couldn't just give up on the race and to "harden up".   I could stretch out the last of the cramps at the finish.   Well, it was a lesson I was after, and it was a lesson I got.

As I sat through prize giving all I could think about was what I needed to do next time - particularly making sure I have a magnesium drinks for the week before a race so that I don't cramp ever again!

Its been a painful entry into the intermediate boys category this year - and I would like to thank R&R sport for supporting me even though the results weren't what I wanted.

The positive thing is I feel really motivated to train hard for the results and want next year to be my 'year of glory'.  Ah! mountain biking - the drug of choice.

Auckland Secondary School race 2 (rivierhead)

The Secondary Schools Race Series is something I really wanted to do well in this year.  I was sure that for that for this race I could achieve outstanding performance after the not so great result in the previous one.  I was fit, relaxed and feeling good.

With all my thoughts on the race, I knew Riverhead wouldn't be easy, but I was well prepped. Arriving at the event, it was obvious a lot of competitors from the previous race had been spooked by the thought of Riverhead (particularly after recent rain) and the numbers were well down.

As I was about to go for a warm up, I caught up with some fellow riders/ friends who were fully coated in mud - not good.  Now I started to get nervous about the race. 

Race briefing finished and as everyone headed to the start, I could see a lot of serious faces. My confidence started to go down as I realised that this was going to be alot tougher than I had imagined. First the seniors raced off, with my group, the intermediate boys next.  Even with a furious race start I seemed to be in the top 5 or 6 racers - I was feeling great.

After about 30 minutes into the race I was coated in mud from top to bottom. Not only did my bike (and everyone elses) sound like they were about to snap, but it was twice the weight!

I was able to keep up the pace up the top riders heading into the 2nd lap but was really starting to hurt.  I had dropped about 20 seconds behind 6th and my speed felt as though it was getting slower. Just to make it worse,  I hit a huge mud puddle which sprayed mud into my eye and caused me to be unable to see for a few seconds.   My confidence had left me, the mind games began - could this race get any worse?

By the time I reached the last lap my eye sight was getting worse, I was making poor decisions on lines and my speed was now really slow.  I must have dropped about 3 places and my mental toughness had deserted me.

Sadly I was just glad to even finish.

Both me and my bike would need the MEGA clean (what a fun job to do after you've freezed your @$$ off and have no energy left).

After prize giving as we headed home, surprisingly I was not disappointed in my race because I had actually finished and survived the race.  Yes, I might not have gotten the placing I wanted but the race was extremely hard in those conditions, and even with eveything that had happened, I held my place again some really good older riders.

Yet another huge learning step before next year.  Bring on race three!

Moonride 2013

The Moonride is one of few races that my family plan months before it happens but this year it was a whole lot different.

The race had been planned to be at the previous years venue up in the Kaimai Ranges.  It had had great facilities but very few people liked the course- we had been thinking maybe it wasn't worth doing this year and from what we had heard, heaps of others were thinking the same thing.

About 8 weeks out from the start the race organisers announced that because of not enough entry's they would be moving the race back to the original venue in the Redwood's (Rotorua). Suddenly we got interested again.

A lot of rush organisation in the Jafakids forming teams saw a number of teams being formed and entered.  A good mate of mine formed a team more social than serious, but all good riders.

As the weekend approached alot of people decided to get to Rotorua on the Friday evening and watch the start of the 24hr race. To save money, my parents decided to just head down Saturday morning early.  A good decision in hindsight.

After a 4.30am wake up,  a drive down in pouring rain, we finally get Rotorua around 9am for breakfast.  The rain had eased by then and when we get to the race area we were all expecting to see muddy riders throughout the tent city.  Instead we see half the event area flooded and only about 300 people with no-one racing - it had rained so hard that night the 24 hours was canceled!

A lot of the 24hr team had elected to stay and complete in the 12hr event instead, so it was going to still be a reasonable crowd.   As the teams warmed, minutes before race start my guys decided that I would be starting, causing a wee bit of panic to get my gear on and warmed up.

My nerves were kicking as the start approached, but I did not want to let my team down because of a slow start.  It was a messy start with people going over the handle bars, people smacking into each other and going off-course, but somehow I was able to get around all of it and found myself in top 20.
 

It was a fast lap - 15 minutes later and I was back at the transition, not to tired and happy with the track.  About 2hours into the race it started to hose down again and when our rider came back he told us the course was deteriorating and getting really hard to ride.  I didn't believe him until I went out for my next lap and man! was it bad!!!

The worst thing was that we had about9 hours left, and with the number of riders going over each section and the weather not improving, it was looking sad.

At the halfway mark and the 6 hrs teams finished,  things became a little easier with not as many people on the trail. Having said that, the race organiser were constantly on the track reparing sections, shiftng others and slowing riders as necessary.   Very interesting - they did an awesome job.

As we come to the last 2 hours, no one wanted to ride anymore - the track was really, really hard work.  People who had started with 15-16 minute laps were now doing 25-30 minutes for the same distance, and hurting.    The only thing keeping us going was that we were in 3rd place.

At that point the race organisers announced they decided that the tracks were almost unrideable that they are goings to finish the race 1 hour earlier - you could hear is the sigh of relief from every tent!

With only about 20 minutes left and we had sent our last rider out with plenty of time, so we all sat back and started to relax, hopeful that we could keep 3rd. 

At prize giving, we had no idea of the final result.   Everyone was shattered, no one could walk very well and had nothing left in the tank - thank got we hadn't had to ride for another hour.  It was worth staying for prize-giving because not only did we see our friends go up to get medals but our team had secured the bronze medal - yeah baby!. 

I have to say two huge thanks to my sponsor R&R sport and also mum and dad thank you so much.  Cost a fortune in fixing the bike but the guys at R&R really helped - brilliant.

Auckland Secondary School MTB series race 1 of 3 (sanders reserve)

Time as been flying so fast for me after the Christmas holidays. Since school started again, NZ Nationals and now the Auckland Secondary School race series have come in quick succession.

The first Auckland Secondary Schools race is being held at Sanders Reserve, close to Aucklands maximum security jail in Pareparemo. It is a relatively small venue but has awesome facilities, including free hot showers (yeahhh baby!!).

Approximately 5 hours before race start (5am) and I was twisting and turning in bed, surprisingly not thinking about the race, but suffering from a sore ear and a really bad headache - not good.

A few hours later when the alarm went off and the family finally woke up, I managed to get out of bed and get myself ready. I didn't tell the family how I was feeling because I was so keen to race - silly male!  In fairness, my little sister who is only 10 years old (last year of primary school), had got permission to race unofficially and she was really excited, so I couldn't let her down.

At around 9am we arrived to Sanders Reserve, unpacked the car and got the bikes all race ready.

I decided to go have a quick test ride around the trails and they were running so mint.  The course was great - a few technical hills and a lot of technical cornering, but great fun at the same time. Even though I was started to feel a little better I knew that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park, partcilalrly geven the guys I was up against.

As everyone crowded around for race briefing,  I saw old faces who have been racing these secondary school races for almost 5 years plus heaps of new ones that have never ridden a bike before - awesome turnout.   My direct competitors were looking amped and ready to take out the series.

By 10am everyone was down at the bottom of the hill ready for a nice hard sprint to the top of a reasonable gravel road,  before a quick turn into the single track.

One by one the groups started until it was the intermediate boys (years 10,11 and some year 12's) turn.  Like I said in my other blogs because it is my first year in the intermediates I am treating the races as a learning curve before next year,  where I plan to take it all out :)

3, 2, 1 Go!   A loud racket as the 25 riders clip in and start to sprint off.  There was no surprise to see the top 3 which included fellow R&R rider Robin Page make the single track first.

Around 20 minutes into the race and the top 5 racers were about 30-40 seconds in front of me.  At the speed they were going I knew I would need a miracle to catch them.  Half way through the first lap, and after a few people had withdrawn with with broken chains and blown tires,  I had manged to climb to 5th place, still feeling ok.

 Suddenly a friend of mine, Jason, made a move on me and manged to get past.  He started to get further and further ahead of me, and at the same time things started to get worse for me.  My back started to hurt (this was caused by lack of core muscle and me not keeping a straight back) and I wasn't feeling so flash again.

Getting dizzy and wobbly I realised that even though I was only 1 1/2 laps from finishing I was going to be luck just to finish.

Somehow I manged to keep going, but I was feeling horrible.  Just to make it worse I started to get the sharp stabbing pain in my ear.  This race was looming as a disaster for me, but I just told myself keep going, get to the end and it won't matter what you come  -  it was all about finishing the race now.

20 minutes later  I finally reached the finish line feeling totally wrecked!

While I was happy just to have finished, I was annoyed with myself that my core was weak and even in my decision to race. 

I wasn't overly disappointed that I didn't get a placing, and in fairness to me, everyone looked tired with heaps of people having a bad race just like me. It seemed more like a battle of attrition.

My little sister had a great race, even surprising heaps of secondary school students after she got 3rd place (only being 10minutes off 1st) - watch out New Zealand!   I believe we have the next world champ in the making.

 little sis on the left.

Next race will be good for me - I know it.  All I have to do is train hard and prepare for the unexpected. This race was definitely another learning curve.

Product Review: Giant XTC 29er composite 1 2013

 

Giant is a very popular brand and make wide range of bikes. What I've noticed with lots of bike brands they either give you a heavy frame with bad components - which is good for first time riders but when it comes to racing, all you want is a reasonably light bike and good components.  Of course you hope it doesn't cost too much.

The Giant XTC range For Mountain Biking is brilliant, starting with aluminum frames for beginners through to the carbon frame for the more full on racer type.

I was really lucky to get an XTC Composite 1, and have not had a single regret. It was definitely worth the money.

Firstly the frame. The Composite frame is quite chunky looking, but surprisingly light. It holds up very well in all conditions and handles the bumpy stuff easily. I was expecting alot more flex out of carbon but it's actually quite stiff, meaning you can get more power to the pedals. I also like the paint scheme, very blokey and simple. 

Components. The bike comes with a mix of both Shimano XT and SLX which I thought was down spec. I was wrong. I really can't fault anything on it (given the price). My only complaint is that the wheels are quite heavy but normally when you buy a bike it always has bad wheels unless you are willing to pay heaps.

I love the Fox forks - they pump so well on a rough downhill, and when it come to uphills the lock out button allows you to easily climb without the pumping.

This bike has lasted me for almost 1 year now nothing has gone wrong with it. I have made little adjustments with the bike just to save weight and noise. These included narrower 600mm wide carbon handle bars (more preferable for the trails I do).

Also, because I sold my old bike to my little sister, it also meant giving my Shimano XT Shadow Plus so I ended up buying another for the XTC. The standard XT derailleur is alot louder when it comes to bumpy sections (If you want to find out more about the Shimano XT derailleur check this link out:  http://kalenweir.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/product-review-shimano-xt-shadow-plus.html )  and is slightly more expensive.

The Giant XTC 29er Composite is a great bike I give it a 4 1/2 stars. The only reason I left out 1/2 a star was because of the heavy wheels. It has proven to be a robust and capable MTB for racing and everyday use. Prices range from $3000 to $4000 nz. Weight is between 10.5kg to 11kg.

I reckon that if you added a good wheelset at around $1000 you could drop it below 10kg. That is good value for money in my opinion.

Mototapu/ Rangitoto Dual 50km 2013

The family and I had been planning this race for quite a few weeks. Dad and I had decided that we have to do the 50km since we found the 30km race easy the year before. Mum and Paige (little sis) decided to do the 30km because they thought the bigger distance would be too much for them.

Mum had been worrying about her fitness and had decided that she really wanted to do well in the race so for the weeks ahead she'd made Paige and I her trainers.  We set up a training regime of long and hard rides and runs, which of course helped yus as well.  Quite a lot of fun actually.

Race day, becuase we were catching the ferry, a 5:30am wake up - aagh! Arriving in the city to meet the ferry we ran into our neighbours that live down the road from us and we also caught up with fellow R&R rider Robin page who was planning on doing the race as a fun event with his mate.  in fact it was quite a big crowd in downtown Auckland at 6.30am.

The ferry ride to Mototapu (which is an island linked to Rangitoto - famous old volcano in the Hauraki Gulf) took about about 40min.  Arriving into Home Bay we could see quite a large set up (over 200 competitors across 8 events) with the international off road triathlon competitors already warming up to go.  Even by 8am it was starting to warm up and I could tell it was going to be hot ride.

As we headed over to the Fletchers tent site (this is the team that we got to go with thanks to my Grandpa who we all call Pop) the triathlon started, and a few minutes later the 50km mtb racers were called up for briefing.  It was all go.

At this point I admit I was starting to have my doubts about the race - nervous that if I got cramp and I wouldn't finish the race. After briefing was done they got all of the 50km racers (about 300) to get ready for the start on the long gravel road that extends the length of Home Bay. Given the crowd size I decided that it the smartest option would be to start in the front instead of being crushed and slowed by all the slower hill climbers. An incredibly short count down before the horn went off, before a mad flurry of MTB riders all trying to clip in against cheering from the crowd of spectators and other competitors.

After a frantic sprint I managed to be the first person up the long tiring first hill.  I was able to keep the lead up for about 100-200meters before all the pro endurance racers started to pass me. Luckily only around 7 people passed me while the rest of the 50km pack were slowly falling back.

The race is largely gravel roads or farm tracks and quite high speed for mountain biking. About 3km into the race as we started to go down a steep gravel road section, I was practically all by myself and could only just see a couple of the elite men ahead of me.  My coach from Jafas had kept up a fierce pace and was out of sight.

We crossed over the bridge which separates Mototapu and Rangitoto and as we started up the hill trail of Rangitoto the 1st place triathlete runner went past with heaps of speed - amazing! A couple of minutes later the rest of the top 10 went past.

Up and over Rangitoto with seriously high-speed gravel down-hill (with ambulance waiting at the bottom!) had taken 1hour and I was feeling good.  As we started to head back to Mototapu around the base of Rangitoto, I started to worry if dad was getting closer.  I was determined not to lose to him (because I find that he is way better then me at long endurance races) so I upped the pace a little - still on my own.

As I started to head back down towards the bridge again on a 2-way stretch, all the 30km riders started to go up the hill. As i passed them going the opposite way I kept an eye out for mum and Paige. Sure enough, there they were, ripping up the hill not to far from each other followed closely by Robin and his friend (who was struggling on his down-hill stead).

The round continued around Motutapu and back through Home Bay on gravel roads for about another 10km before we hit farm land. Everyone had been going on about how hard it was and they weren't wrong - it was one of the hardest 20km on grass I have ever done! Not technical - just tough.

As I approached the the last hill of the race, we combined the 30km racers and I suddenly saw Paige and mum racing together ahead of me. As I passed I tried saying encouraging things to keep them going for the last 5km of the race, but it was getting pretty hard to breathe (heat and exhuastion) let alone speak.

I few minutes later I could hear the music in the event camp, and felt relief knowing that I was soon to be successfully finishing 50km.   The last section to the finish line was one large, bumpy down hill on which you could hardy see straight and that sucked all the breath out of you. Going down the hill my hands started to hurt and I want toasted -  It was tragic - I was just hanging out for all the food and refreshments at the finish line.

Less than 5min after I finished, mum and Paige crossed the line having the exact same time of 2:05 hours (not bad for 30km) then around 12min later dad comes back with doing a 2:58 hour race which was also great.

Placings and time:
Paige: 30km overall 4th + 1st in under 20's (amazing for an 10 year old!) time 2:05hours
Mum: 30km 32nd overall  and 14th in masters (40-49 years) - time was 2:05hours
Dad: overall 28th and 15th in masters -time 2:51min
Me: 7th overall  (3 places behind my coach from JAFAKIDS, Jesse Voza) + 1st under20's  - time 2:29hours.

The event didn't finish until about 3pm and we were all shattered.  I was very pleased with my family's results and especially my Grandpa pop who is 70 and successfully finished the 10km walk and with a 5th in the legends.
 
Once we got home, we all crashed on to the couches completely exhausted but happy - great day, great results, great event.

N-Duro Higlander

Friday night after dinner, with nothing planned for the weekend, I got a call from my friend Kim who  asked if I felt like doing the 40km mountain bike as a fun race in Rotorua the next day with him. Duhh!! in Milli-seconds I replied "yes"!!!

Early morning wake up to get my gear ready for the 6am pickup from Kim and his dad.
After a fun drive down together we arrived at Rotorua at 9:30. Quick reregistration then we met fellow R&R rider Robin Page who was getting ready for the 80km national title race.

After a quick warm up Kim and I couldn't wait to get on to the trails. At 10am we watched Robin sprint off with the sight of glory in his eyes on his 80km epic. By 10:30am  Kim and I were at the start/Finish ready to go.  We had decided to make this a fun ride and have a good time, particularly because the promised rain hadn't turned up.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO!!! Kim and I set off with the bunch. We felt great, nice and relaxed. 10km into the race we had managed to catch up to a guy who seemed to be serious about the race but wasn't very quick on the uphill so Kim suggested that we stick with him up the hill.


                                                             


After 20km we reached the highest point in the race and were ready for the time of our life, going down the Billy T track (If you ever go riding in Rotorua, I definitely recommend it). The guy that we had been sticking with finally earn't our respect with whipping down the hill super fast. Kim and I managed to real him in again a few km later.

Approaching the 30km mark Kim and I didn't feel to tired.  Kim suggested that for the last 5km we should sprint, to not only look professional but also to see who was quicker out of each other.
A couple of minutes later as we're on the gravel road, as I reached down to grab a drink, Kim who was at that time a little further up ahead, started to scream at me and suddenly burst off.  I couldn't understand what he was saying - I thought he said look behind so I take a look behind me, nothing? Then suddenly I figured out that we must be at the 5km mark already!
















I started to sprint off after him. About 200m up the road was the entry to the next trail, but I entered it I had too much speed into the corner and just went over the handlebars. As I picked myself up off the ground, the guy that Kim and I had passed earlier wizzed past. I did not want to lose to him so I got back on my bike quickly and gave it some gas.

2km left and the poor man had stopped on the side of the track because of his seat - bummer, that's mountain bike racing for you.

As I entered the 2nd to last trail I could see Kim in the distance. I thought that I could catch him, only problem was that there were a lot of technical corners to get through to. As I reach the open grass area the rain had finally started and I could see Kim crossing the finish line, BUGGER.

Once I finished, Kim and I started to tell our story to each other about our exciting last 5km. Awesome riding.

Only 1 hour later Robin comes through, having just finished double the distance we had ridden, earning a national gold medal - Congrats Robin.
                                                                    
   

New Zealand National Championships (Rotorua)

2:00am Saturday morning 8 and1/2 hours before race start and all I could think about was how full-on the Hunua's race had been the previous week, and how intense this race would be.

By 7am I'd actually managed to get some sleep, consumed more than 1and half liters of water and got my bike ready for racing.  I was wired!

The waiting was too much for me - by 7.30am I just had to get out in the forest and get in a couple of laps just to get the feeling of the track before the race at 10am.

Before I knew it, it's race briefing. As the under 17s were called up yet again they left me out! I ran over to a race organiser (who luckily ended up being the one that was meant to change me during registration at the Event Centre the night before - phew!! and  he told me to quickly jump in with the rest of the under 17s and he'd sort out the details.  Unfortunately this meant at the back of the bunch - no one was going to give me a prime spot near the front.

At the 2 minute countdown everyone you could feel the tension in the bunch. At 1minute everyone was right edge. All of a sudden "the race will start in the next 15 seconds"... then the horn! all so quick!

From the back I had a really slow take off from the start line which forced me to ease back from my normal starting style.  I sat on a guys wheel that was going at the same speed as me and after the long painful climb up the entry road it was clear that one of the front-runners had fallen in front of other riders on the short but very steep climb into Genesis. In the carnage that followed I quickly unclipped and ran for it, managing to leap-frog into the top 15.  Boy! you've got to be ready for those chances.

The rest of the 1st lap was the same - I would pass someone then I in turn would be passed - constant leapfrog of positions. By sitting right on the rider in front of me and gassing it at every opportunity I managed to climb up to 8th position. The nervous energy I had before the start disappeared. 

Beginning the second lap my cornering started to feel a bit out of shape but I tried to ignore it and kept pushing hard it. Halfway through the 3rd lap going into the start of Pig Trail as I was chasing fellow JAFAKID Alex Beaven my front tyre lost all pressure. NOOO!!!!!  My race strategy to take no equipment (to save weight) was a silly and costly mistake.  I was too far from the feed zone for help - my race was over!

All I could do now was watch the rest of the fields go past and accept that DNF was my mark this year. Bummer.  That's Mountain biking for you - expect the unexpected, hope for the best!

While I was a little annoyed that I couldn't finish the race I'd been up against the best and had held my own. 






                                                                            

After the prize giving for the Juniors and Masters it was time to watch the Elite and older riders.

As the various groups started to line up, you could see all the media starting to turn up just to get footage of the Anton Cooper and Dirk Peters race the promised to be epic.

I reminded one of my coaches and ex-jafa, Sasha Smith (Piki) that "no pressure" she had to win it and she just laughed at me. She ended up winning the under-23s and got the NZ title - which I knew she could get. So awesome!

The Dirk Peters or Anton Cooper race didn't disappoint either.  After nearly 40km at a blistering pace it all came down to the last corner. The media and spectators were treated to an see incredible sprint finish with only a second separating them. While Dirk didn't beat Anton, both of them were stars - and such gracious and humble racers.  Huge "clicks" to Anton for donating prize money to the juniors - an amazingly generous thing.

Brilliant work by everyone that raced in the national cup serious and championships.  Great day, great people, great event.

 
Anton and Dirk sprinting around the corner.

Anton taking it out.

New Zealand National cup (Hunua)

I have been training for months for one of the biggest races in my career to date, the NZ National Cup Series.

While I had missed the first 2 races out of three (not including the championships) because they were to far away and we couldn't afford them - I was still very excited mostly because it would be my first year in under 17 category.  It was going to be a whole lot harder than last year that was for sure, but I felt ready.

As we arrived at the Hunua event area, the whole atmosphere was amazing - a gorgeous day and really decent crowd (well done Auckland MTB Club!).  I have to admit my heart was pounding! the combination of fear and excitement was offset by the knowledge that there was little expectation for me to win.  I was still really keen to test myself against the older boys who show such amazing speed and skill.

As we all got ready for briefing, the fear and determination was obvious in everyone (making me feel better know that others were feeling the same). All the under 17s names were called up except for mine - odd!!!   I asked a BikeNZ official what was happening and they had told me that I was marked in the under 15s but I didn't question them further and so I went to the back where all the under 15s where waiting.

Once the under 17s and Masters had gone it was the under 15s turn and I already knew who I needed to keep up with - Eden Cruise.   He's very fast for a 13/14 year old and an amazing competitor (and a nice guy to boot) and can hold his own against the under 17's as well, so I knew it was going to be a tough race.

The standard count-down, "the race will start in the next 15 seconds"... these were the worst 15 seconds of my life, then suddenly GOOO!!!!!!  We were off!

Eden and I were neck and neck up to the first corner where Eden managed to nose in front, but I was determined not to let him go. We battled hard for the first 3km until we came to a huge grassy hill where Eden just burst away and was never to be see again until the finish.  Boy was he on fire.

The course was awesome - mostly very tight single track that broke out occassionally into big mown paddocks.  Very hot, very fast and the gravel base on the tracks was unforgiving for any mistakes.

I did the 3 laps that the under 15s had to do, gaining a good lead over the next racer but as I came the finish line (knowing that I got 2nd in the under 15s) the BikeNZ offcial came over and told me that I was meant to be in the under 17s after all.  He said that my registration must have been messed up so at the end of the day they had to DNF me in the under 17s (which sucked). 

Still, I had the great feeling of achieving a second (just not in the right category) plus pushing hard against Eden- great preparation towards the final National Race the following weekend.


    

After the Juniors and Masters prize giving the under 23s would be competing, where I was going to  see Anton Cooper (under 19 world champ) race against Dirk Peters for the first time plus Karen Hanlan and Kate Fluker in the women's.  Everyone knew they were going to be great races, and they did not disappoint.  Most importantly, watching them gave me an idea of how much further I have to go to get up to that level in MTB racing.

It had been a long, tiring and confusing day but hopefully a good build up to the championships in Rotorua - ROTORUA HERE I COME :)

ps. My fellow Jafakids did awesome with some top results and podiums.
Fellow R&R Rider and Jafakid, Robin Page got 5th in the under 17's which was one brutal race - well done!