Legal performance aid's
In the last 2 weeks I've been forced into taking more than a few of that famed supplement....... the "harden the f#$% up pill." Seems they work damn well. So well in fact that I won the latest 50km of the ever popular N-Duro series at Rotorua on Sunday: on my Singlespeed!
Two weeks ago, after enjoying a full two weeks off of doing pretty much nothing at all, daytime tv was wearing thin and I'd managed to pry myself off of the couch and into some training. Unfortunately this coincided with a weather bomb hitting NZ that had me running in hail, cycling in weather that literally had ice-icles forming on my legs (reason #56 to shave your legs. No hair = no ice-icles), and seriously struggling to motivate myself to go to the pool.
Any training I did do wasn't exactly intense, so I figured what better way to snap myself out of it than do a race? Not wanting to have to clean the Superfly, I decided to drag out the Rig. Big fat/heavy training tyres and all, for its first MTB ride since SS nats. At least I swapped the 16th sprocket for an 18th this time. I figured I could use the strength training.
Being that I still haven't registered my car, I had to ride 25km on the main road to meet Big Gav at Sanson. Usually a pleasant ride when you have gears, but on a SS MTB in cold rain it was anything but. Can you spell f r u s t r a t i n g?
Anyway. Race day, and I took the lead at the top of the start climb. I really had no choice if I was to keep the gear turning over. After briefly giving up the lead to Gav and Patrick Avery, I decided to put my head down and open a gap as surely I'd get caught on the open going? However that was the last I saw of anyone. Eventually clearing out to a 5min win.
Was it painful? Yes. I just keep thinking Craig Gordan in 24 solo. "Its in the dog. love it love it love it" But that took some convincing. Was it fun? The muddy rutted Downhills certainly were. There I used Sam Hill's advice on his "greatest DH run of all time" as motivation. "just rode it like it was dry." Kinda worked, till I hit some trees. Confirming it wasn't dry at all.
Will I do it again? Hmmm. First reaction, no. With the upcoming Highlander being extended to 80km the SS isn't that appealing. But I'm getting a wee bit of lets say 'encouragement.' I'm told that 'pain is temporaray, fame is forever.' But trying to win an 80km MTB marathon overall on a SS seems a bit stupid right now. Then again, its not like I haven't done plenty of stupid things before......
My hot line cyclocross styles across the creak. Truth be told I just didn't fancy trying to get up the bank on the other side on SS gearing..... And at this point my feet were still dry. What a woose
Two weeks ago, after enjoying a full two weeks off of doing pretty much nothing at all, daytime tv was wearing thin and I'd managed to pry myself off of the couch and into some training. Unfortunately this coincided with a weather bomb hitting NZ that had me running in hail, cycling in weather that literally had ice-icles forming on my legs (reason #56 to shave your legs. No hair = no ice-icles), and seriously struggling to motivate myself to go to the pool.
Any training I did do wasn't exactly intense, so I figured what better way to snap myself out of it than do a race? Not wanting to have to clean the Superfly, I decided to drag out the Rig. Big fat/heavy training tyres and all, for its first MTB ride since SS nats. At least I swapped the 16th sprocket for an 18th this time. I figured I could use the strength training.
Being that I still haven't registered my car, I had to ride 25km on the main road to meet Big Gav at Sanson. Usually a pleasant ride when you have gears, but on a SS MTB in cold rain it was anything but. Can you spell f r u s t r a t i n g?
Anyway. Race day, and I took the lead at the top of the start climb. I really had no choice if I was to keep the gear turning over. After briefly giving up the lead to Gav and Patrick Avery, I decided to put my head down and open a gap as surely I'd get caught on the open going? However that was the last I saw of anyone. Eventually clearing out to a 5min win.
Was it painful? Yes. I just keep thinking Craig Gordan in 24 solo. "Its in the dog. love it love it love it" But that took some convincing. Was it fun? The muddy rutted Downhills certainly were. There I used Sam Hill's advice on his "greatest DH run of all time" as motivation. "just rode it like it was dry." Kinda worked, till I hit some trees. Confirming it wasn't dry at all.
Will I do it again? Hmmm. First reaction, no. With the upcoming Highlander being extended to 80km the SS isn't that appealing. But I'm getting a wee bit of lets say 'encouragement.' I'm told that 'pain is temporaray, fame is forever.' But trying to win an 80km MTB marathon overall on a SS seems a bit stupid right now. Then again, its not like I haven't done plenty of stupid things before......
My hot line cyclocross styles across the creak. Truth be told I just didn't fancy trying to get up the bank on the other side on SS gearing..... And at this point my feet were still dry. What a woose
