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!