Auckland Secondary Schools race series 2014 (Totara park, South Auckland)

Now I know I didn't perform to the best of my abilities in the last race so this time I needed to make my mark and get on the podium.

Totara Park is on farmland out at the back of Redoubt Rd in the South Auckland.  I'm wasn't very fond of the place before this race as I had only been there about twice and each time it had been miserable - but today was going to change my perceptions.

The trail are all fine gravel through mostly open pasture.  Because its a working farm so along the tracks there are cattle gates to stop the cows getting out which are very slippery when damp and they were definitely damp from the last  few days of rain. Overall the course has a relatively even gradient with a few longer farm road climbs which means you actually gain quite a bit of elevation over a ride.  The fast-flowing downhills corner can be quite a challenge because of the gravel. Sounds like fun!

Today the race start was set at the bottom of one of the gravel farm roads. This uphill would lead riders into the first downhill track fairly quickly.  If I was to explain the course simply it is up, down, up, up, then flat for the rest of it - with limited places for overtaking so you had to get a good place at the start and hold it.

Before race start we had a quick helmet check with one of the elite riders which was a nice touch.  

So per normal the under 20's went off first and then followed closely by us the under 17's.

They counted us down then told us to go. I stuck to my goal of not destroying myself on the start which allowed me to conserve my energy and hold the top 5 up the hill.  As we got into the first downhill I was able to recover some energy. In fact I was feeling really relaxed.

The 2nd uphill was much shorter but had more quick pinch climbs.  At this point I was still holding a good 4th place.

By the time we hit the 3rd hill I was beginning to hurt and the pack was splitting apart.  Just before the top I had been over taken by a few people and was set back in 7th.  I tried to keep up with them just until the top but then the first place rider just hit the gas and made a break for it and everyone else followed.  I was with them for about 1min then got spat out.  I must admit I was a bit freaked by this.

I was now riding by myself I had a good gap on 8th but was a way back from 6th.   I kept reminding myself that it wasn't even half way and I could get myself back up into the top group.

As I headed into my second lap I could see a few riders (about 2) in front of me and remembered them from the top bunch so I gave it a good amount of gas to reach them. It wasn't long till I was passing them - one was the under 17's top female who she was doing very well.  Now I was in 6th for the under 17's males and feeling faster.

Entering the last lap I was starting to pass some of the top under 20's racers but still no sign of my guys which meant they must be rolling at super speeds. The under 17's top girl was still riding with me and I knew she wasn't going to lose me yet.

We were both still together when we got to the final climb of the race and we were both feeling the pain.  I was hoping she would be able to stick with me till the finish but she just burnt out.

As  I reached the top and crossed the finish line I was still in 6th and this time I knew that there was no excuse - everybody had gotten so much quicker! Time to step up the training and work for it.

Little sister Paige again finished in 2nd so great job for her.

I can't wait to do the next race in a few weeks time in Whitford Forest I have to make podium this time!

Big thanks to R& R Sport for keeping me and my bike in top shape :)

Auckland Secondary Schools race 2 (Riverhead)

Oh Riverhead! My one true love - even when it is super muddy. Even though I seem to do badly in races in Riverhead, I still love the tracks there. Odd!

This is the 2nd race in the Auckland Secondary Schools Series (AKSS).  The first one was at Hunua which also doubled up as the North Island race, in which I came 5th overall but 2nd in the Auckland kids, which I was very happy with.

It was a beautiful day at Riverhead, but for the people that don't know the place, can get very very muddy with even the smallest amount of rain.  Since we are now into the winter season and because there had been rain during the week there was no way this is going to be a dry course.

Lately I have been practicing trying to control my nervous energy before races and surprisingly my techniques were working.  For this race I was not concerned about what my finishing position might be but improving my own performance.

Once all settled in at the base camp area, I warmed up around the forestry roads so I would be ready for a hard 1st lap.

As the organisers called us down for race briefing (which lasted only 5minutes) we were straight over to the start line. It was a surprisingly big race field and I was slow to remember that now I was into the older group,  the earlier the start.

the start with the under 20's at the front

First it was all the boys and girls of the under 20's and then it was the under 17's - aka my group.  I secured a good spot on the front line and was ready to go.

My plan was to take the start not too hard (and not too easy) and try place myself in the top 5 for the first lap or two and then build up.  But as the horn went off I started to get people closing in on me trying to box me in so I made a break for it, getting out of the squeeze just in time.  Well - so much for that plan, but I had a good gap on the rest of the field.

me at 1st place after making a break for it

For the first 10 minutes I was at the front of the bunch going at a great pace. The course was very very muddy - peoples wheels were going everywhere and soon I was joining the chaos.  It seemed that every time you would slide out it would take a little piece of your energy until there was nothing left.

me in probably the driest section on the track

By the time I got to the end of the first lap I was only just holding 1st when I had a major wheel spin session which saw 2nd place over take me.  I had low-traction race tyres on and I was begining to regret that decisions.

I tried hooking on behind the new 1st placer but I my energy was already sapped. The longer the race went on, the more my energy went and so did my positions - it was killing me.

As I reached the last 1km of the race I felt horrible.

It seemed that the top 5 of my category had gotten a whole lot quicker over the past few months.  I was at 6th place trying hard to reel in 5th but every time I got close my wheels would wash out again with the extra speed - so,so so frustrating.

I confess at that point my goal was just to finish. Entering the last little track section I could even see the 7th placed rider gaining behind me.  How could this be?  Seeing his happy face seeing me gave me the boost I needed to get over the line.

When I finally reached the finish, I was exhausted (and I confess, not feeling very happy about my performance).  I had made some serious errors in judgement and I knew what I had to improve on. The major lessons - don't run dry weather tyres in wet muddy conditions, and understand its going to be an endurance race so skills, not speed.

Paige (little sister) did very well and finished 2nd in the under 15's as a guest rider (since she isn't in secondary school yet).  I think my training with her is working. Totara park is the 3rd race of the series and lets hope I can prove myself better there.