Festival of Cycling MTB

After not being able to compete in this event last year due to injury I was very keen and excited about letting loose on my home turf this year with some hot competition and prize money at stake! After a nice cruisy road ride to the venue I had prepared myself for a good pre-race warm up and was ready to jump on the mountain bike for a bit of a spin before heading to the start line.
At the beginning of the race it was clear who the competition would be-we had Brendon Sharatt, Richard Anderson, Mark (Cabin) Leishman, Logan Horn, Anton Cooper and Kyle Wood.
As soon as we hit the Bridle path and onto the farm track I went to take my first drink out of my bottle but to my horror the bottle wasn't there! This meant I was relying on drink stations and I knew there was one of the top of the climb and one at the top of Castle Hill. This brought back a memory of the 2009 Yahoo Challenge where my bottle had slipped out down the first hill and I had to go through the first large lap with no drink but with this in mind I knew I could get through it as I was well hydrated prior the event.
It was this bunch who gapped the others including myself and while I was sitting at the back we stayed together for the majority of the climb however toward the end of the hill it all started to split up with gaps in between each of the top riders. After not feeling so good on the steep farm track once onto Rapaki and along the tops it was another story-time to get my A into G!!!!
I arrived at the top of the hill in 5th position and after a mouthful of water I was onto the first single track - Witch Hill. Once off this it was time to get my head down and start hammering up the road section to the top of Castle Hill. This was a good point in the race for me as at the bottom of this I saw the other riders climbing up the road too so I hadn't lost too much time up the farm track. With the competition in sight and a seriously quick run up to the start of the track I caught and past Kyle on Castle Hill where once off this we both jumped onto Cabin. This lead us past the next roadie and linking single track section and onto Green Woods. Here we gapped Kyle and caught up to Richard. Cabin got a lucky pass on Richard and I had to settle in behind on a track that I knew I could ride some good pace down however while Cabin was getting away once over the gate and onto Captain Thomas (final downhill) I got the pass on Richard on a split line-Richard went down and I went up! This was exactly what I needed and it gave me the space to catch Cabin back up. Once down the steps and onto the road to my amazement Brendon was only 100 metres up the road and so after we jumped onto him it was clear it was going to be a typical roadie sprint finish after the road ride around to McCormick's Bay. Once off the Cause Way and with about 1km to go I was out in front. In this position I knew I was in control of the situation and at the 200m mark I flicked it up a gear it went crazy to the finish line with the big $500 in sight!!! However just before the line Brendon came along by the outside and just managed to sneak past my wheel to claim the victory with Cabin in third and myself in second! I was extremely pleased with how I rode as the past two events I have done have been frustrating with my performance and while I would have liked to have climbed better in this race I was happy with how I got moving and focused to get the job done-looks like it's going to be a good up and coming season!
A huge thanks to my Sponsor Cycleways in particular Matt Bailey for having my bike in tip top shape for each and every race and to Andrea Murray from Huxster and all members who organised a fantastic event, one that I recommend to anyone and to my parents for being another high class sponsor!!!

Long Beach MTB race

The Long Beach Mtb Race was another new event to me this year and with some good prize money up for grabs it was looking like a good event to have a crack at! The course involved a lot of undulating farm tracks through fields and along beach fronts that sunk in most riders wheels proving to be a tricky few sections of the course.
The weather was rather windy but after a good warm up and race start I was sitting comfortably in third position in behind Phil Patterson (leading out) and Kyle Wood with Logan Horn and Anton Cooper tucked in behind. Once onto the paddocks it was the 5 of us who were going to be the competition for the day. After the first part of the course grinding away into a head wind on the undulating and rather annoying terrain, myself, Kyle and Logan gapped the other two riders about a quarter of the way through the race. Not too far from this part Kyle who was on excellent form again, kept slipping away from us and the middle part of the race was firstly me and then Logan tossing and turning until he proved to be the stonger rider on the day slowly getting away.
The next section of the race saw me nailing it down the gravel road with Anton tucked in behind trying to catch Logan back up but he had by this stage already increased his gap. After the final river crossing I came in fourth postion not happy with how I went but knowing what areas I need to improve on in preparation for the big events coming up in about a months time - fingers crossed I will get on form!

Hanmer Spring Crusher MTB Race

The Hanmer Spring Crusher MTB race was a brand new event on the calender this year and also the first event to kick of the new season all in good preparing for the National rounds and Champs starting in January. The event involved alot of steep climbing covering just under 40km of every single track in Hanmer linked up as well as a good serving of 4wd joining these tracks and with the sun shining it was going to be a good day for racing!
The pace was fast at the start and Kyle Wood (Timaru) lead the charge up the first hill and next steep climb. After sitting near the back of the first bunch it was time to move up and on a steep narly climb I grinded up the hill slipping myself into second position. This conintued through the rest of the race as the gap between first, second and third kept opening up between us and while my climbing felt like a struggle to get any real power out I finished comfortably in second place.

Timaru 12 Hour Team Mountain Bike Race

The Timaru 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race was another exciting event held in Centennial Park amoung the fast flowing tracks that demanded speed and power to complete quick laps throughout the time frame of the race.
Our Cycleways team line up consisted of yet another solid group of riders and with Nick Clark, Phil Patterson, Dave Ives, Mark Richards and myself we knew we had another chance to perform!
As per the previous race I got the ball rolling for our team and looking at entries prior to the race we considered two potential threats in the race-Team Cyclery and Team Grumpy Old Men. Throughout the race we had no problems unlike last years event that consisted of a broken leg, double puncture, broken frame and other injuries! This year we were a well oiled machine and lead from start to finish increasing the time gap managing to lap the other teams in the 12 hour catagories. I put in the fastest lap time of the day out of all the competitors and yet again Team Cycleways came out on top for this awesome event!
Thanks to the Richards for the stay and to our team lads for knocking out a solid performace yet again. Also to my sponsor and the teams Cycleways in particular Matt Bailey and to my parents and others for their support in looking after us!

Mcleans Island 12 hour

The 2010 Mcleans Island Mountain Bike 12 hr race was another exciting event due to the team aspect where racing around a 10km loop at race pace each lap makes for quite a full on run!
I got the ball rolling for Team Cycleways and after the first lap I managed to gain a gap of almost 30 seconds which was an awesome start into a long distance race being out in front. The team consisted of a solid line up of riders where we had Phil Patterson, Nick Clark, Tim Hoban and Dave Ives and myself. After the first rotation I was keen to do a double lap to make up for my departure later on due to the school formal being on the same night. After two solid laps it was back to the single laps in order to get some hot lap times on the board for the team. Up until my fifth lap my legs had been feeling really average all day and finally after lap 4 my legs were back into racing action where the next few and final laps I felt better and improved my lap times. This was a good sign for me and with over 1300 competitors I managed to put in the fastest lap time of the day!
Before I left we had a very solid lead on second place and after communicating with my Team mates we had come out on top winning the 12 hour race and being the overall champions!
A huge thanks to all the parents for supporting us fighting lads giving it all out there and lasting the distance and also to Matt Bailey from Cycleways who had the best team out there on the day!
Looking forward to the Timaru 12 hour race next weekend for another excellent venue for a great event that involves a solid dose of night racing with the midday to midnight time frame!

South Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Champs

After having my break from my Worlds trip the South Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Champs was going to be my first race back on the bike since this time. A couple of casual rides were done before hand but I was unable to get out the week leading into the race due to a nasty cold which I am now at the tail end of! So Friday morning my sister and I got up and headed down to Timaru to compete in the Hill climb event that morning followed by Down Hill practice. While the Hill Climb was fairly short it was a good climb as it went up the forest through the single track then out in the open to finish the race. My climb did not feel good at all due to my cold and once I stopped at the top my chest was all iced up. However I came in first place and was keen to get out on the Down Hill on dad's full suspension bike in the afternoon in practice for the race the next day.
The Down hill race was an excellent day full of adrenillin junkies and lots of edge of your seat action! My race run for a Down Hill event was a bit of shocker miss clipping twice at the start and almost stopping the bike on one loose corner as the tyre hooked in. However I still ended up finishing with a respectable time but knew I could have been much faster if I hadn't had those troubles!
The Cross Country was the main event for myself to be down for and another excellent day was put out to us in Timaru! My race was going pretty good until near the end of lap 2 of 3 where I came across a bridge and caught the tyre in the wrong spot crashing. I lost quite a bit of time but had a soilid lead holding this out through the final lap to finish first and also take the overall Champion Title for South Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Champs!
Thanks to the Prestidges and Austins for accommodating us over the weekend!

2010 World Mountain Bike Champs-Mont Sainte Anne

After a long drive though the border into Canada it was an exciting time as I was to prepare for the biggest race of year - The World Mountain Bike Champs!!!
Like last year where I got to race in the World Champs Team Relay I got this opportunity again and thought it was a good time to see the track at full on race pace. After pre riding the course it had quite a good feeling about it and with a range of technical sections, short power climbs and tricky rooty forest sections it provided an ultimate XCO race track! The first race was Wednesday competing in the Teams Relay - it was a very hot day! After training through the Winter here in New Zealand it was certainly a shock to the system and the heat got to me on the steep power climbs. I felt like I could have definitely gone faster if I was more used to the hot weather but this was all good preparation for Friday!
After a couple of easy laps Thursday I was ready Friday morning to set off to the venue and warm up for my big race. I started a few rows back from the front in 34th(?) position and had a pretty good start entering the single track not wasting myself too much up the first climb however it was still mayhem pulling apart bikes from bikes to run along the track through the bottle neck of riders. Throughout the race I picked riders off and on the last lap was chasing down a group of about 4 riders. I managed to stuff up a couple of lines in the forest and chased hard to end finishing in 32nd place not far behind the group of riders in front of me. I rode a very consistent race and was pretty happy with my race but as always I would have liked to have done a bit better!
Overall it was a well worth experience and I am happy with how I raced - looking forward to the next season after a break!
I would like to say a special thanks to my sponsor Cycleways, my family, friends and parents and to all my support out there helping me out!

2010 Windham World Cup Round

After our travels over to the U.S.A. and a excellent day touring New York City it was back to business to focus on the Final World Cup Round in Windham. We arrived Tuesday evening to some rather dull weather with wet track conditions. Once I got out to ride the course on Wednesday the sun came out and stayed like this right through the week providing excellent race conditions for Saturday. Throughout the week the course only got better and better and after some short efforts earlier on, to get the legs working from travelling I was feeling good!
Race day came around and before I knew it at 9am we were off! My start was a shocker- I missed clipped about 3 times and got shunted to the back. However I stayed calm and focused working my way up the field. Lap 3 of 4 came by and I had caught up to another rider who as I found out after the race was second place. I chased him all the way to the finish sprinting hard and was 4 seconds off getting him! I finished in 3rd place stoked about my result- I actually thought I had come in fourth so when I was called to the podium it was a very exciting feeling getting a medal for my country!

Go Time!!!!

After the MTBNZ selection panel finally addressed the riders who were to compete in the 2010 World Mountain Bike Champs in Canada, my name was in the team!
After a bit of deliberation deciding what to do I came to the conclusion that I would grab at the opportunity to race and also compete in the final World Cup round in Windham, U.S.A. as well. Last year I was chosen as a reserve in the 2009 World Moutain Bike Champs in Canberra as a first year Under19 rider and but unluckily I didn't get to race. However, I competed in the New Zealand Relay Team and what an awesome experience and atmosphere that was! After thinking back to last year I would be crazy to miss that feeling again, now racing in the race I should have been in last year but as a second year Under 19 rider more experienced and race savy!
As I count down the time it's only a few hours till I head off to the Airport and begin the big flight over to the States and just to add to the trip we are sight seeing in New York for a day!
I would just like to say a huge thanks to Geoff Franks for helping out with getting everything sorted and organised for Windham and getting to Canada from there and also an even bigger thanks to my parents as well as my sponsor Cycleways, in particular Matt Bailey for having my bike in good fighting order!!!
Leaving 22nd August
Windham, U.S.A. World Cup Round-28th August
Monte Saint Anne, Canada World Champs-3rd September
Return home 9th September

Lake Tekapo MTB race 2010

After wanting to get a few longer rides under my belt over the winter time the 2010 Lake Tekapo MTB race was going to be a good one to enter with a long 90km distance around the lake. On Sunday morning I was up at 4.15am to be ready for the boss Brad Williams, to pick me up and take me to my longest race I have done so far. I was feeling pretty excited about this race but the closer we got to the race the more white the surroundings became-SNOW!!!!! Once we got out of the car and got layered up in gear it was time to hit the start line in the sub-tropical conditions. I was going quite well doing some good work with the second leading bunch I was with concentrating on nurtition/eating while the snow came in but it was the river crossings that really got the body feeling the cold! After the 2 hour mark on the way back my hands and fingers started to freeze up making gear changing a mission on its on so a fair bit of single speeding went on! Unfortunantely while my eating was good up to the 2 hour mark I was not drinking enough due to the conditions and I ended up finishing the race solo after the legs were shot and I had slipped away from the bunch I was with. After just under 3 and a half hours I came across the line frozen, winning my class and about 15th overall. Big thanks to the Pearson family (Fiona) for taking me back to their unit to warm up with a nice hot shower, Matt Bailey (Cycleways/sponsor) and for the nice booties he lent me which are highly recommended as I found out and to Brad Williams for looking after me!

Mt Isobel race

After a bit of a motivational kick from the boss at work I decided to get my running legs on and entered in the 2010 Mt Isobel duathlon race. Little did I know was how hard this gruelling run would be with a 1000m ascent over 8km to the summit and a nice 22km mountain bike to put me back at home! Once arriving at race venue trying to keep relaxed with the 1-2 degree start race briefing came around rather fast and it was time to hit the start line!
Due to my lack of training for this event after being stuffed for training from a recent cold I decided to take a relaxed approach and after the starting gun went I eased into my work instead of bolting like a usual mountain bike race. This worked out well and I managed to pick off quite a few competitors up the narly hill and after an over-cautious downhill in my road running shoes on the slippery loose terrain it was time for transition onto home turf-the bike! Here I thought I would go out and smash myself but after the epic run my legs were feeling it and the 'zing' just wasnt quite there but I pressed on. After catching a bit of pre-race competition toward the end of the race I managed to keep the pressure on and ended up finishing 2nd in Under19 and 11th overall-stoked with my result!!!

2010 Autum Adventure Off-Road Duathlon

This event was a new one on the calander this year and I thought it was a good opportunity to team up with an old school mate to go for gold! Race day came and turned out a stunner with the sun blazing in the Greta Valley hill range. Team mate Sam Bell was first up with a 7km off-road hill run and with the teams starting 2 minutes after the individuals he managed to come in 2nd overall closely followed by 3rd overall, individual junior Ben Oliver, a few minutes behind 1st place. After a quick tag I was off to hunt down fastest run time winner and individual junior Craig Oliver and after the first major climb leading onto the two lap loop over the farm hills I was onto him. I kept the hammer down and ended up bringing the win home for our team overall comfortably winning the junior and team catagory. Thanks to Sam for an excellent team mate and run!

Terrace Downs Multi Sport race 2010

After teaming up with my boss from Halswell Butchery, Brad Williams and I were set and ready to compete in the 2010 Terrace Downs Multi Sports race with the rather appropriate name Team Bradz! The days weather didn't turn on a stunner with a rainy overcast throughout the event which kept all honest and on their game! The first stage of the race was a 30km Mountain bike that involved 4wd farm tracks and roads on undulating terrain. The second stage was a Kayak leg up the Rakaia River for 37km which then lead onto a 47km road stage. A 15km run finished the race off. I did the cycle stages with Brad taking good care of the run and Kayak. We both had a fantastic race and all went to plan coming in 3rd overall and 2nd in the Team catagory (open mens). I really enjoyed the different atmosphere and the thrill of follwing my team mate around waiting to do my stages in the race! A huge thanks to Brad Williams for being an awesome team mate and to all the competitors who finished along with our supporters and of course to my sponsor Cycleways!

Mt Somers MTB race 2010

The Mt Somers MTB race turned out a good field for yet another well run Lions Club event! The day was a cracker and after only riding on one of the days during the week I was keen to have a good hit out. The race ended up being mainly between Anton and myself where we both managed to get ourselves lost on one part of the course losing minutes before we were back on track! By this time another rider called Brett Leyden was not far behind us but once on another climb we got out of his sights. Toward the end of the race on the final few kms of tar seal Anton and I knew it would come down to a sprint finish between us so we had a bit of a chat on the road (as you do!) While this was happening Brett had caught us up and boy did we get a hurry up! About 200m from the turn into the finish field Anton and I took off and I thought I had a good shot in the sprint as I had the inside line into the corner however there were a couple of slower riders in the shorter race who were right on my line! I lost most of my speed having to jump in behind Anton on the corner and after one final effort I got right beside him in the final few metres but had to settle for second. Even though I couldn't quite get the win it was an awesome finish to the race!

Blue Mountain MTB race

The 2010 Blue Mountain MTB race was a 63km event that doubled as the final round of the South Canterbury Cup. I went into this event feeling fresh and ready to race as I have been having a break from training. The day turned out to be a cracker with the sun blazing high in the sky but with an 8.30am start there was still a chill in the air! My aim for this race was to have fun, keep my nutrition up and not go out hard so I was still feeling good toward the end and that all went to plan! After the first few stages of the race there were a few undulating hills and I managed to break away from the rest of the leading pack on one of these. Instead of smashing it to secure my break away I just kept on doing what I was doing and got further away. At the 2 1/2 hour mark I decided to start winding it up as I knew I would be around the 3 hour mark finish time. This worked out well because my legs were feeling it on the final climb of the race that was before the shingle and tarseal road back to the finish line. I won overall and set a new course record to also win my catagory in the South Canterbury Cup. Big thanks to the Prestidge family for taking care of me over the weekend!

2010 Oceania MTB Champs

The 2010 Oceania MTB Champs were held down at Dunedin in Bethunes Galley. The course involved fast flowing single trails and a steep 4wd climb put in the mix also to create a hard paced blow out. After racing this track successfully in the South Island Cup I was looking foward to this race being the final of the season. I had come down thinking it was going to be wet so I had my wheels set up with new Geax Gato's but after riding closer to race day seeing the track was dry it was the Geax Saguaro's that were the tyre of choice and they were awesome! They gave excellent hook through the fast turns in the forest and with a bike running in top form I had an excellent set up for race day. The start came around in a flash and before I knew it we were smashing it up the first climb of the race! I was comfortably battling it out for the lead in the first 3 laps (of a 5 lap trace) but after that my legs started to go and I slipped back into 7th and was the 3rd NZ home. I was a bit dissapointed with my result but at the moment I dont quite have enough endurance. Something to work on over the Winter! I would like to thank my Sponsor Cycleways along with Geax tyres and my Coach Dave Plew for there excellent support this season along with my parents and other supporters out there helping me achieve the dream!

Pass to Pub 2010

The Pass to Pub 2010 sure turned on the weather conditions today with the sun blazing in the clear blue skys. We arrived with little time to spear and before I knew it I was on the start line. Once we had taken off I quickly realised that I was going to need to give my legs time to wined into the race as they were still feeling it from the previous days training. Sure enough they started feeling better throughout the race where Brent Millar, Thomas Prestige and myself battled it out. Getting towards the final stages of the race Thomas dropped off and that left Brent and I to finish it off. I put in a couple of attacks near the end to see what would happen and up the final pinch. The course then ducked onto a short run of tarseal where I had put a 5-10 metre gap on Brent just before the finish shoot. After thinking Brent had backed off I eased off once in the shoot and then looked back once I was halfway through. Little did I know I got a surprise when I saw he was putting in a final attack to the line but I quickly got back on the gas and won overall by a wheel length! Lesson learnt-race all the way to where it says finish!

2010 National Champs, Wellington

The 2010 NZ National Champs were held on Mt Victoria, Wellington. The course was by far one of the more demanding XC circuits that made for some hard yet exciting racing through the fast rooty trails and gravel paths. Race start came around and I had a pretty good start managing to get through most of the traffic. On lap one I was right where I needed to be until about 4/5 of the lap where Richard Anderson slipped infront of a couple elite riders and managed to get away. Lap 2 was still fairly good but on lap 3 I started to fade and made a couple of mistakes. Near the end of this lap Logan Horn had caught me up and past me but on lap 4 I failed to get back on his wheel and ended up finishing third.

Sherwood Enduro

The Sherwood Enduro MTB race was a 30km 4wd/farm track race that involved one testing long hard climb that gained about 600m elevation. The start involved a bunch ride along the first 10km of shingle roads then once we hit the major climb it was Anton and myself battling it out. After a steep testing top section of the up hill it was time for a well earnt break on the legs and a fairly full on down hill was at hand in the wet grass and steep and fast 4wd tracks. Once getting toward lower terrain and up and over a quick pinch climb I saw that Anton had stopped and found out after the race he had twisted his chain. I kept the hammer down just in case and ended up coming first and setting a new course record.

Looking foward to Nationals in two weeks time!

Kaiwara Classic MTB race

The Kaiwara Klassic MTB race was held on the hills from Culverdon to Cheviot that involved fast road sections and solid climbing along with sketchy shingle descents and 4wd roads. On the first climb Anton, Logan and myself broke away from the bunch. My legs were feeling it a bit after training the day before but eventually they came right on the second major climb where Anton and I broke away from Logan. Finally at the top of the climb it was along the undulating track then a fast shingle downhill that kept me on my toes trying not skid out on the freshly laid seal! Once back on the flat and tarseal road I was sitting in front with Anton on my tail waiting for the finish line that would be coming up soon. Anton attacked from behind before the turn into the paddock and after jumping back on his tail (thinking the finish did a lap around the back to the line) I spirinted through to the small creek bridge but there wasn't enough room to get infront. Finally around the slight turn after the bridge anton got around the bend a bit faster but I got some solid momentum going sprinting hard closing Anton in and saw a gap just coming onto the finishing shoot which I attacked for, managing to just nip ahead tightly claiming first place and setting a new course record.

Timaru X-Scenic

The Timaru X-Scenic MTB race was held in Centennial Park, Timaru with race day turning out to have some good Christchurch competition with Anton Cooper, Logan Horn and myself battling it out in the dry and dusty conditions that made for good racing. With a start loop and 3 laps to complete Anton, Logan and myself broke away on lap one. I attacked up the climb to get out in front and it was clear track ahead of me through the twisty turns and pinch climbs but after a drivetrain issue on one of these climbs (thinking I almost broke my chain) I got back onto our trio. Lap 2 came around and Anton and myself broke away. I had yet another drivetrain issue on a pinch climb having to get off again on a rooty climb losing time as Anton got away. Lap 3 was my best lap hunting Anton down after my problem doing some solid big ring efforts and bringing him back into sight before the finish but unfortunantly I ran out of track to take him ending up coming second by 6 seconds.

South Island Cup 2010

The first round of the South Island Cup kicked off at Living Springs and I was amping to get back racing again after missing out on some key events which make good preparation for the season. The pace was intense on the first lap but once on the second lap the field started to spread out. Richard Anderson, Anton Cooper and myself were the three leading Under 19's but Richard had a nasty crash on the downhill putting him out of the race. Once on lap 4 of 5 I hit the wall and managed to keep hold of Second place to the finish.

Round two was down at Dunedin and after the morning race the track turned out to be in good condition only wet in a couple of sections. After the start I was about forth place around the start loop and once the major climb of the lap came by Brendon Sharrett (elite) got the power going and shot up the climb. I followed this dash and managed to break away from the rest of the field keeping a solid lead for the rest of the race finishing first by almost 2 minutes.

Round three was held in Nelson and after coming back home from a short holiday it was a night's stay in Nelson for the final of the South Island Cup. It was raining heavily the day before the race but race day turned out to be alright holding off further down pour. I had a good start ducking up the inside to be up the front after starting on the second row. I ended up about fifth on the single track getting stuck behind traffic until the climb. It wasn't a very good race for me not having that aggressive 'buzz' but I ended up coming 2nd and becoming the Under 19 2010 South Island Cup Champ.

Bring on the Nationals!