Update

So I have had a few things going on lately. I recently went up to Auckland and passed the Shimano mechanics course so I am now qualified to work on bikes which is pretty cool. Also I have just moved into central Chch with my lovely partner, Shannon. For those of you who don't know her yet I'm sure you will meet her at some of the races this season.

Just over a week ago I was hit by a car while riding to work. I got hit on my left going through a roundabout. Luckily I came out with no major damage but my bike was destroyed. Snapped through the frame in 4 places! The driver's insurance is covering it so should be all good and I will have a new bike soon. I obviously had some time off the bike to recover and let the bruising go down. But today I went out to the short track racing. It was only my second time on the bike since the accident so I planned just to see how my injuries held up first, then decide to ride or watch. I felt good and had no pain so I started the race. The first few laps went well and I was up in the front group and finding the pace fast but comfortable. Until Phil made an attack. I stayed with the others up the hill on that lap but the lungs couldn't keep up with the legs. So I settled into my own pace and rode home in forth. I felt like my legs were strong but it was just the fact that I pretty much hadn't riden for over a week so the tank was empty. Also eating donuts and sticky steamed buns at the Riccarton markets that morning wouldn't have helped either.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the training mode and after a week of solid riding I should be up the front at next weeks short track.

CHCH CX round 5 Steam Scene

We had a last minute change of venue for our final round. Living Springs, our planed course destination was flooded from the recent rain. So it was a fast and flat course out at steam scene. The ground drained a little too well but there was one section of mud which proved quite tricky in the latter laps. I had a good hard first lap and increased my lead from there. Until I pinch flated riding over some railway lines. Getting a little too cocky and riding them too fast. I tried my puncture repair gas foam thingy but that didn't work. Luckily (If you can say that after getting a puncture) my dad was right there and he was looking after my keys. So I grabbed them off him, run to my car and put a new tube in. By this time my race was over but I wasn't too worried because I already had the series won overall. I got another couple of laps in but not sure where I finished up in the end. It was a great series and I won an awesome trophy, a medal and a pair of TRP brakes! Can't think of a better way to spend the winter. Thanks to all the guys behind the scenes. Great effort. Hopefully next year I can find some time to give your guys a hand.

CX national series round 5 Christchurch

For this round we were racing in Hagley park in the centre of my home city. We had a bit of rain over the week so the ground was very soggy and the course went through some nice wet bogs. Also had some stream crossing so it turned into a very nice muddy feast, which was welcomed seeing we hadn't experienced the true elements of cross racing. Our newly crowned national champs, Gary Hall and Kim Hammer-Hurst made the trip down. I was hoping to hang onto Gary for at least a few laps but he just had too much gas for me and I lost his wheel before the end of the first lap. So I stayed in 2nd for the rest of the race just pushing myself as hard a I could. That's where I finished up. Conceding just over 2 minutes. I am pretty pleased with that but would have liked that time cap to be a little smaller. Looking to close that cap at the final round in Blenheim.

CHCH CX round 4 Halswell Quarry

I'm going to make this short because I'm so tired after the race today. Dayle made a burtily fun course. I was on the limit form the gun. I rode well and felt strong but never managed to run the whole hill. My legs were screaming at the top begging me to stop but all they were getting was walking pace. I lead from start to finish and held a good cap the whole race. Looking forward to next weekend for the Christchurch round of the national series. Hope I can continue with my form and get some good points towards the series lead so I can finish on the podium after the final race in Blenheim.

                                                         Suffering at the top of the climb

Cyclocross National Champs - Napier

I made the trip up to Napier for the main event of the CX season. It was well worth it. I finished first U23 and 3rd in the elites. Feels awesome to say I have a national tittle. Technically I crossed the line in 4th but the 3rd placed rider was an Australian so I could still clam 3rd place in NZ. I had to battle so hard for that 3rd place. I pushed myself further than I ever have before. Which is another good point to take out of the race. I was riding with Dan Warren for most of the race. Only edging him out for the 3rd spot on the last lap up a quad burning step section. I was on my limit the whole race. I don't know where the energy came from that pushed me through that last lap but I'm glad it was there. The course was super hard and had a bit of everything. A perfect course for a national event. The event was also run great. It was better and more official than our mtb nationals and this is only the first time cyclocross nationals have been held. I'd like to give Andrew and Gaby Barlow a big thanks for organising transport for me while I was up there. And also to Dave Molloy for lending me his carbon wheels and tyres. I definitely need them!

Round 2 CX national series Queenstown

This was the first race of the national series for me. I was really looking forward to it and hoping for a good result after a 1st and 2nd place in our CHCH CX series. I couldn't get the day off work on Saturday so I had to fly down on Sunday morning before the race. It worked out well because Dave Molloy was able to take my bike and gear down then pick me up from the airport. Thanks Dave! The race was run well and it was a fun, windy and technical course. It was very cold and frosty. So to start off with the ground was rock hard and slippy. And with the sun coming out and riders out on the course it was giving us even less traction. Also there were two icy stream crossings which created some good mud bogs. We all did a timed hot lap to get a seeding for the start of the actual race. My plan was too go hard but save energy. All I wanted was to get a front row start. I got the 3rd fastest time which I was happy with. Especially seeing I lost the front wheel once and slipped on some ice which rolled my ankle abit. The race came up fairly quickly after that. I had an ok start, holding my seeded third position for the hole shot. From here I found myself switching places with 4th while only being a couple of wheel lengths off 1st and 2nd place. Pro rider and husband of Katie Compton, Mark Leg Compton had set the pace and pulled off the front on his own. Soon he was hunted down by Wellington rider, Alex Reval. Who caught and past Mark then stayed there to finish first. At about the halfway point I was riding with our national champ, Dan Warren. We weren't too far of Mark who was currently in 2nd place. Through one of the more technical parts of the course, the "Specialised spiral" I managed to get a cap on Dan. In this section there were two boards. I was hopping these while the others I was riding with were running them so I could carry a lot more speed through the section. This helped me throughout the race. After getting past Dan I kept the power on and bridged the cap to Mark. I stayed with him for a half a lap. Then knowing I only had one more lap to go I pushed past Mark and again opened a cap through the " Specialised spiral". So now I was 2nd and I held it to the finish. I am very happy with that result and it gives me confidence going into National Championships this weekend in Napier. So far this week the pre and training was gone well. Really looking forward to racing my first cyclocross national champs!

Christchurch CX round 2

Great race out there today. Course was soo much fun. Best CX course I've ridden. Although I haven't ridden many. Quite different but in a good way. Rode well and felt pretty good. I feel like I have improved from the first round but still plenty more to do. I finished 2nd today behind a fresh new Christchurch resident, Andrew Barlow. He has come down here from Napier where CX is much bigger. So I was pleased to be with him for the first few laps. I had a bit of trouble being held up with lapped riders and Andrew got a small gap on me. After already pushing hard just to stay with him I didn't have the energy to bridge the gap. He got maybe 30sec on me by the half way point but I started to feel a bit better and kept that gap from getting any bigger for the remainder of the race. Nearing the end I was able to dig it in a bit more and finish strong. Looking ahead I have the Queenstown national round next weekend followed the national champs in Napier then the 3rd round of our Southerncross series in CHCH. So I have plenty on.




One of the different sections of the course. Running through a hay stack???