Ramblings of a racing addict

Here's our garage the other day..... a big old toyshed (there's normally a kayak too). Shame the Husqvarna in the corner is a loaner. All the more reason to keep a regular income!

 I spent the long weekend in rotorua and guess what....? I didn't race. It's a miracle. First weekend in a while so nice to have a wee break and just ride, run, swim, and laze about in between times. Managed some solid training but nothing too serious, had to keep it fun.

A couple of days worth of serious intervals later this week and I should be good to go for the XTERRA Australia/NZ combo. We shall see.

In meantime check out my new toy for the next mission post XTERRA. Single Speed nationals. Here's the Gary Fisher 29ér Rig. Nice colours huh? Opens up plenty of fancy dress options. Suggestions welcomed (although I'm pretty set on my outfit which will remain semi-secret until the day!)

For all you SS buffs out there.... don't bother asking questions about gear choice, prefered ratios etc... as I have no idea! Have only had chance to use it a couple of times off-road so am just riding it stock (32x16). If you don't know any better it can't do any harm huh?!

44 measley seconds. That’s how close I was to winning the Triplecross event on Saturday.

I’d be pissed off, but I had such a fun day there’s not much point dwelling on it. I had a super fun day. Got some great training in. And surprised a number of people (myself included) with my moto skills.

The MTB and Run legs were pretty uneventful really. I didn’t feel great but proceeded to romp away in the end. Posting the fastest split times in both legs, and having fun trying to drop the leading team athletes, which I managed to do. Run went well which is a great sign ahead of XTERRA. I built up a solid lead of about 16mins over Nick Saunders (the NZ Supercross #3) so was hopeful I could defend the gap in the Cross-Country moto leg.

Onto the afternoon and we were facing up to 4 x 14km laps of a reasonably demanding XC Motorbike leg. I started pretty conservatively, and knocked out the first lap in a bit over 20minutes after scaring myself silly more than once getting the bike all out of shape at over 80km/hr.

I survived… and got my head down and started getting smoother and faster. The leaders were doing 15min laps, and I was able to bring my lap times down to the mid 17’s -18 which I thought was pretty respectable. I figured provided I got out for my last lap before Saunders finished I was safe. I did…. So I decided I’d make a pitstop to top up the gas tank just to be safe (I’d only had two rides on the bike, and had no idea of its fuel range…. It only has a 7 litre tank).

I went out and put in a smooth lap, not pushing too hard and really enjoying it. I was actually getting pretty quick in the technical sections and was stoked to be riding only 15-20% slower than Saunders and Brad Groombridge, two of NZ’s best XC Motorcycle riders.

I held on to the finish with a time buffer still on Saunders. And with heaps of gas still in the bikes tank. Problem was I’d completely failed to recognize the threat posed by Vince Fletcher. I’d thought he was a teams rider. Alas, he was an individual and had done just enough to pip me for the overall. By a mere 44sec.

Stupid gas stop! Ah well, next year huh?

Interesting side note…. Going up against these guys made me realise what a weed I really am! I was able to use my old motocross pants I bought when I was 15, and they still fit fine. Check out the photo’s, honestly… I look like a 12yr old on the bike J


At least when I run I look like a grown up.....?

Saturday's Triple Peaks proved to be a little more challenging than first intended.... As defending champion I knew this is a unique race. Brutally hard in places. With navigational ability playing an important part. Not forgetting the 6:30am start. Yuck!

 We got quite a crew of Palmerstonian's together as Stu, Ben, Jackson, and Rose all joined Nic and I in what became a rather cosy motel unit. All were suprisingly bright eyed and 'with it' as we battled the 4:30am wakeup to get a good feed in.

 Off and racing and it was all on. A pretty tough pace being forced, as Stu fresh off his Karapoti win (3rd fastest of all time) was keen to assert dominance. Long story short, I was flying, he was flying more..... After a puncture for stu we were together at the 2/3 mark, as we flew past what should have been a marked turnoff. Only it wasn't (marked that is). We proceeded to enjoy a wicked 3km descent. Only it wasn't in the course. It wasn't anywhere near as much fun going back up, and by the time we got back on course we'd lost 15min and the race was over.

So we buttoned off the pace and enjoyed a steady last 1hr and a bit, cruising in for 3rd/4th open. A bit dissapointing, but the race director was very receptive to our concerns and handled things really well. In the end we had a great training day, and went away happy enough. Congrats to Andrew Bott and Josh Page who inherited 1,2 but to their credit were going bloody well anyway.

Nic did well in her first race back in months to take 3rd, behind argueably the fastest two women in the country at the moment. Sonia Foote, and Fiona Macdermid. Actually those results included Palmerston North took 3/4/5 in the mens, and 2/3/4 in the womens. See, we're an MTB mecca!

The day was capped off well by a trip out to Waimarama Beach. Nic and I got a good Ocean Swim in. Before the MacDermid kids entertained us with all sorts of far too energetic beach games. And I enjoyed a good kiwi feed of fish'n'chips and ice-cream. Perfect day out really. If only Stu and I hadn't taken our scenic detour in the race. Ah well. Next year?!

After a race like Karapoti there's always hundreds of war stories. Who had a great race. All the excuses for why someone didn't break a certain time. A few of the stories are actually true... sometimes. But the best story (and nominee for dad of the year), from this years Karapoti has to be this one.

Sifter (aka Jon Randell) and his daughter Kaitlyn. Completing the 20km Challenge course on MTB + halfster in a solid 1hr and not much. Anyone elses stories pale in comparison (mine included).

 

 Well, Saturday indeed proved that the 29’er is indeed a great Karapoti bike. A 2hr27 time and 5^th place would indicate that I had a pretty good race, no? Well truth is it was a rather frustrating day and one of those that left me with a big “what if” question mark all over it. While Stu Houltham took the race, it could so easily have been a Palmerston North one-two.

 

 The legs were there. Lungs were there. My luck….no.

 

 For the first time in a while, race day dawned and I was feeling the nerves. First time out in a really big event in quite sometime, and although I am still focussed on April, for the first time at Karapoti I was rating my chances.

 

 Lining up in my Delmaine kit I was rather incognito, and as I skipped away up the gorge to get clear of the pack, many hadn’t realised it was me. I felt strong, and things were comfortable. I awaited the chasers to slot back in, and sat in for the ride till the first climb. Deadwood is the one part of the course where 29 wheels could be a hindrance. Speeds are so slow; the lack of momentum can make turning the big wheels difficult. So as Stu Houltham slipped off the front, my plan was to limit damage, and then hammer the long ridgeline section at the top.

 

 All was going to plan, and I had slotted into 2^nd when 2/3 of the way up….. Psst! Rear tyre deflates instantly. I had snagged a rock and gashed a hole in the sidewall big enough to put my finger through. A quick repair, and was moving again. Only to realise the gash had opened up more and the tube was now bulging out. So repair #2, with a gel packet inserted between tire and tube as a makeshift repair.

 

 At that point I discovered that 16g CO2 cartridges don’t get that much pressure into a big 29’er tyre. So here I was, with a good 35km to go. 3 or 4mins down in about 25^th. No tubes left. No CO2’s. And only 20psi in the rear. Puncture again and it would be a long walk home. I was a little screwed. So I decided to make the most of the day and ride hard on the up’s, cruise the descents, avoid as many rocks as possible, and salvage what I could.

 

 What I salvaged was a PB by two minutes. And a top 5, only 3min something off of 2^nd. Frustrated? Very much so. I don’t know I could’ve gone with Stu, but I definitely had a low 2:20’s in the legs. The bike was awesome. Luck just wasn’t with me. The positives are that I am obviously going pretty well, and with another 5 weeks till XTERRA the form is heading in the right direction.

 

 So in typical for me, I let off steam by lining up Sunday morning in the Meridian GutBuster. A demanding 12km Mountain running event round the Karori sanctuary in Wellington . Nic was well and truely sick of spectating and races and needed to get back into something competitive post injury asap. So I figured I may as well join in. She promptly won ( we think, having jumped into the men's start when she saw other women doing the same. It was timed with chips so just awaiting confirmation). Despite my protestations that I am ‘not a runner’ I pulled off 4^th overall, in a fairly sharp time. Roll on XTERRA….