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.