Christchurch nats round 4 (final)

This race went pretty good. I had a pretty good start. A little faster than I wanted. But I wasn't feeling too bad. Well until I started the climb on the second lap. I went backwards fast! I couldn't keep my bike going in a straight line. I was about to pull out but I said to myself " you haven't even done 2 laps you pussy!" So I carried on and forced myself to recover on the next half of the climb. After the long DH where I was catching/making up time the most I recovered well and was feeling a lot better on the 3rd. I was riding quite consistent. But again, the same as last week,  I started to fade in the last to laps. My last lap got worse with cramp setting into my legs. But I managed to finish strongly. And Brent had some gear problems on the last lap which pushed my into 6th place. A good result to end the national series.

Nelson nats round 3

I was loving the course for this race. Much better in the dry than in the wet like the last 2 years. And they shortened it with less climbing which suited me. I knew I wasn't going to have a great one because I don't have anywhere near the form I want/could have. I had a pretty good fast start but that soon kicked me in the arse! I faded pretty quickly but managed to hold some alright pace through the middle of the race. But then on the last 2 laps the cramp hit and I had nothing left. The last lap was horrible. I was finding it hard to get out of the seat. Quite a few riders past me on this lap. Ash got onto my wheel on the last DH and we went into the finish straight together. I was very keen not to sprint but when Ash came round me I thought I should give it ago. But nothing happened so ash beat me. At least I didn't get lapped. Looking forward to racing at home next week!

Vulcaniser - 3rd, not too bad considering.

I was really buzzing for this race. I hadn't ridden it for a few years so I was totally Vulcaniser deprived and for those of you who have felt this too you will know the pain and suffering I was going through. Again mother nature showed her hatred for the Vulcaniser and let the rain pore down. But I recon it made it more fun. Shame Mother N, that backfired. I rode a practice lap with Anton. Anton had on Medusas and I had Aspens. Anton rode everything and was either turning and still going straight, or wheel spinning and going no where. (sorry about the italics, my computer decided that it wanted to write in them) So I decided that it was best just to have a bit of fun and not take it too seriously. I pretty much had no warm up so the start and first lap felt horrible. I was second into the single track behind Anton But he just pulled away and my legs didn't want to turn the pedals. Getting into the muddy part of the track I realized that it had become ride able. So I went to get my race face back on but it had fallen out of my back pocket and I had to wait anther lap to pick it up. After I got it back I started to fell a little better and rode to a solid 3rd place. Anton taking it out and Brad coming through the pack to take 2nd. I reminded myself that a good warm up is very important.

Napier - national XC cup round 2

Average! That best sums up my race. First day of practice I crashed on my first lap, buckled my front wheel and badly bruised my chest on a tree stump. I managed to get my wheel straightened so I was back on track. The next day was a lot better (as in no crashes). Felt ok on the track although the main climb was looking a little daunting. Race day rolled up and we had to be out of the backpackers at 10am so we were hanging out at the track in the insane heat drinking gallons of water. Being out in the sun and heat all morning really drained my energy. I felt like I could go back to sleep. I got into my warm up earlier than I normally would just cause I was bored of waiting. I was seeded at the back for the race. As I had no UCI points. I had I pretty good start considering my starting position and carried that on for the first couple laps. But then had a crash on the 3rd lap and burped air out of my front wheel. I got more in and set back out on the track. I was then on my own so I had no one to push me. Soon the heat got to me and so did the cramp. I was getting slower and slower. On the last lap I collapsed on the main hill cause of cramp. I stopped and stretched my legs to try and get rid of it. I said to myself "I will attempt to get up the hill again but if I can't then I will have to pull out." I got going and surprisingly I got up the hill. It was tough. Hardest hill I have ridden this season. From the top of the climb to the finish I couldn't get out of the seat or else my legs would cease up with cramp. I rode across the line, fell on the ground and stretched again. Not a good race at all. I think I drank too much water and flushed out all the electrolytes in my body. Next race I will try drinking less and see if that makes a difference.

Festival of Cycling 2010 - MTB Elite

For this years race Andrea organized us to ride up through a farm and then join Rapaki near the top. So less road and a much tougher climb had me slightly concerned about the day in the saddle. Plus a top notch NZ field meant it was going to be extra painful. But my home town, my home tracks, should provide that much needed advantage right? Not today, but more on that latter. Let me take you back to the time we were on THE CLIMB. The start was fast at times around the road, but it seemed to settle down as we got closer to where the fun begun. I was sitting comfortably up the front and I soon found myself in 3rd. The pace was fast and I was pleased to be where I was. On the 2nd pinch climb (which was a decent pinch) most riders got off and ran/walked. I didn't want to do this as it always rapes my calfs. While riding up I moved into 2nd just behind defending champ, soon to be 2010 champ and fellow Bergamont Endura team mate Brendon Sharrat. Although that sounds very good I was actually totally stuffed by the time I got to the top. And then I realized that it kept climbing after that! Maybe If there was some downhill after it I might have been able to recover earlier and still been in contact with the leaders. But instead one by one riders past me until I was back in 6th. Brad Hudson, now being just in front of me gave me someone to hold onto. This ended as soon as we dropped on to Rapaki. Brad pulled away slightly and by the top he was on a mission! Objective - to hunt down and pass all other riders. So, I was on my own. And this is where the home town advantage NEVER kicked in. I was so tired from the climbs that I couldn't get focused on the single track. Slow riding and silly mistakes brought my confidence to an all time low. After a decent time of no real climbing while on Greenwood I started to feel better. By Captain Thomas I was pretty much fully recovered and was able to put in a satisfying descent. Lastly, I had the flat road to dominate then it was all done and dusted for another year. I am very happy with my 6th place. One place down on last year but in a tougher field. And I can feel that I am faster than last year. Right now, as I write this I am feeling surprisingly fresh. Probably go and do a few hour easy tomorrow. So I know my endurance is good. I just can't help thinking that if I had walked/run up that pinch climb, would I have saved energy, would I have held that top 3 position?

ATS Longbeach Coastal Classic - 2nd for the 3rd time

Longbeach rolled on around again for another year. Even though it is pretty much a flat race, I still quite enjoy it and I have done It every year it has been held. About a week before this race I was feeling really good on the bike and I could feel a big improvement in my fitness. But then a tough week at work with massive sleep loss put me on the back foot. I was struggling to get my training for the day done and I had to revise the week in preparation for Longbeach. Seeing I was feeling very tired I thought a result was unlikely in this race. And to make matters worse I only got 6hrs sleep the night before!
I got to the event venue with good time on race day. After I had registered I went straight to the main river crossing to check out lines. I thought, "I will ride it like a would race it." and burst in at speed. Before I could even get into the water I found myself up on the front wheel after it sunk into the soft gravel. So the decision was made to run it. Race start came along quite fast. So not a lot of waiting around which was great! I didn't want to have a fast start so I could save my energy and I could be a dirty roadie and sit on for a bit. This worked out well, I was on the back of a 5 man group (same top 5 at finish). It was Phill, Kyle, Brad, Anton then me. It all split up pretty soon at the first stream crossing. No one got away from anyone too quickly. It all slowly pulled apart throughout the race. I moved into second early on and held it from there. Kyle had gone off the front and was moving out of sight. Brad was close behind me but slowly dropping. Then Anton caught up to Brad and they started to pull me back in the last few kms. But I held them off to take 2nd overall and first junior. Anton came in 3rd, Brad 4th and Phill 5th. I was very happy and surprised with my result. 2nd seems to be common but unlucky for me. Although there is nothing wrong with coming 2nd. Hopefully I will get a win there one day. My training is working well and the future season is looking bright. We will see how I go on the hills this Saturday at the festival of cycling. Could be a different story.

Timaru 12hr - rinding for the Cyclery

I got invited to ride for the Cyclery team (Timaru bike shop) at the Timaru 12hr this year. I was very happy to do this because otherwise I would have been doing the 6hr solo and I would be in so much pain right now. I still had stitches in my hand so my control wasn't great but the course wasn't too technical so I coped all right. I started for the cyclery and my plan was to try and lead into all the single track because I knew that's where I would lose the most time because of my hand. So, I had great start leading all the way to the single track and up the first climb. But seeing I haven't done a lot of intensity training by this stage I was pretty much gone. Anton attacked at the top of the climb and I surprised myself as I stayed on the wheel. But as we slowed up Brad did another sneaky attack and that was the end of me. I lost the wheel so I couldn't draft on the flat section. I got slower and slower throughout the lap but did hold my 4th position. It wasn't the greatest of starts for the team but it put us in 2nd place 12hr team which we held for the rest of the race. The rest of my laps were quite good. Pretty consistent and I started to feel better after the 6hr mark. The first 6hrs took forever and the last went too quick. And at about the 6hr mark one of our riders, Tom, had to stop because of his continuing knee problems. It was a good fun race and we did very well considering the problems we had. Oh,  forgot to mention that Simon got a puncture on our last lap and had to run to the finish, and Cameron burped his tyre on his first lap and had to stop and fill it up. I can now take a lot out of this race and apply it to my training. Thanks to the guys from Timaru and the Cyclery for the great race/weekend!