Hanmer Hammerhead

The Hanmer Hammerhead has always been a bit of a favorite for me as it was a race where I got my first real result when I started to compete on the mountain bike.
After a bit of a looksy around the start of the course before the race it was the typical fast flowing singletrack that Hanmer has on offer so I was looking forward to the race start to see what the rest of the course was like.

I started off hard and lead the first half of the lap before Craig snuck in front of me and whizzed down the next bit of track.  I raced on and came through onto my second lap of three about 20seconds behind Craig with Ben right on my tail and then continued on for the next big lap.  I kept riding on but the legs weren't going to be pushing much harder today and the young buck from Timaru David Coventry, came up behind me ready to slip past at the opportunity.  I rode on for my final lap holding my position finishing 4th Overall (1st Open Mens).

Long Beach Coastal Challenge

Long Beach Coastal Challenge has been a good solid race that keeps on grinding away through farm paddocks for around 35km.  While there is no single track on offer it was a good event to keep the heart rate high and battle away and see how the legs would cope!

I started well and it quickly became a front bunch of Anton, Craig, Ben, Logan and myself taking a few turns to tow the train around the twisty course.

About a third of the way into the course we crossed a river and saw the first attack from Anton and Logan followed suit.  The rest of us chased on and we got back onto Logan and started to work as a group to pull back the whippet leading the way.  Not too long after Logan was riding strong and slipped away through a tightly gnarly piece of terrain and I was left with the Oliver brothers to ride against.  We came toward the beach front and I knew I might be in for a bit of trouble as  I tend to sink in the deeper stuff when the lighter boys skate across!  Nevertheless I pulled myself back onto them near the end after biting the stem down a long gravel road.

The final river crossing came up and the brothers rode over a small walking bridge and while I saw them slow down I thought I could be a bit smart and smash through the river.... Well unfortunately this was not the case and I sunk downwards again!

Anyway it was a few hundred meters to the finish line and I came over the line in 5th place,a nice day out down South.

Spring Crusher - Hanmer

I raced the Spring Crusher last year and with the challenge of over 1000m of verticle gain throughout 36km it was high on the list of build up races to compete in.

While the body was still battling illness I was keen to see what the course had to offer as it was slightly different to last years and the start sure showed what aggression we would be thrown at.  Straight up into the forest from the road we were in our lowest gears and the old body temperature sure rose to the occasion!

I was riding alright, trailing behind the front boys which stayed like this for up to the 20km mark where I managed to start heading back up a main climb in the course when I was meant to just simply cross straightover (don't know how I managed to stuff that one up!)  Sure enough after a good minute or so lost I realized I had made a slight detour!  Once back on track the course was mostly quick fast pedaling alongside the bottom of the hillside with only a couple small climbs to go I was glad to see the finish and rest up the legs.  I ended up coming over the line in 6th and 3rd in open mens.

Clarence Spectacular MTB Race

This event was a new one on the calender and being in Hanmer it is always worth driving the distance to ride outside of the usual training ground back home.  The event was supposed to be held on the Saturday but shortly after we had arrived at the venue in torrential rain we were told that the race was postponed until the next day - great another trip to Hanmer!!!  Apart from the travel time and fuel we arrived on Sunday to a fresh start but with the sun out it made for a nice day.

The race went really well, not as many competitors were racing which was a bit of a disappointment but I suppose several people weren't too keen to come back up again unlike myself!  Great to see a few fit and fast local riders from back home battling it out behind me!
The race started down Pawson's Road and then hooked left climbing up onto Jacks Pass Road.  This followed up the rest of the climb to the saddle there at the 7km mark after 5km of climbing gaining 400m vertical height.  Riding onwards I was glad to enjoy a short break and blast down a 3km downhill back onto flat ground.   The course next took a left hand turn and followed up alongside the river for a good 10km.  This then turned onto a four wheel drive track that climbed onwards steadily and onto the beginning of the St James track (which is in the process of being smoothed out) that was rather rough to start with after coming off the gravel roads but all good mountain biking!
Following on it was back the way I came alongside the river for several clicks before hitting the 38km mark and beginning the last steady 4km climb to the top of Jollies Pass.  From here I could smell the finish and what a neat final blat down 4km of fast steep four wheel drive track where my big wheels set up with a set of Maxxis Aspens could hold on to keep up some serious momentum!
Once back on the tarmac is was all Time Trial mode back to the finish for 2km, head down to complete the 50km course in 1 hour 52 minutes!
I was pretty pleased with my ride, a good solid work out and as a new event on the calender I would recommend this one to those who enjoy a good bit of scenery and want a bit of fun at the end!
Thanks!

Mclean's Island 6 Hour Solo

It's been a while since my last post having come back from racing in Canada and enjoying a nice break that was certainly required to get my focus back in the right place.
With new motivation and a few changes to my training the last few months have seen me clocking up a few K's mostly on the road bike.  I have competed in a couple races lately and even won the 2012 Sefton Classic Road Race (80km category) so things have been looking like they are heading in the right direction for the 2013 season just around the bend kicking off in January!
Now starting to feel much like roadie I looked at the calender and what better way to get back into the mountain bike swing of things with a 6 hour solo race out at Mcleans Island!  It would be my first proper endurance event and with learning alot recently the hard way about nutrition on the go I was sure going to be tested both physically and mentally but I was keen as a bean to see how it would unfold on the day!

The race started off with a Le Mon's start - a 300m running dash to the fence to find and aboard the race machine, get out of the chaos and into the track.  I started off pretty casually not wanting to even bring a sweat to my forehead until I was at least on my Trek Superfly ready to get the big wheels ticking some K's over.  Perhaps I went out a little too easy in the run as when I finally got out of the line up of bikes the front riders were already out along the stopbank which was a good 400m plus way and a whole string of riders inbetween.
Nevertheless I had a game plan in my head and I stuck to it superbly throughout the whole race.  However being 8 1/2 - 9 minutes down at the half way mark did make me a touch nervous but I knew if the front of my race had gone out that hard then they would start to blow and then I would be able to open up the taps later on and start the chase!
All day I had eaten well and gone through a low patch around the middle of my race but then the final couple of hours saw my laps becoming stronger than the others and the final hour was all go!   I was taking off several minutes off the others and while I couldn't quite reach the front by the end I had pulled the gap to second to around 1 minute and to first 2 minutes finishing 3rd in the Open Mens devision.
So in the end for my first endurance race I am pretty stoked to have finished how I did, maybe next time I'll try and get out off the traffic from the start but thats all part of watching a good race unfold!
November will see a few mountain bike races on the calender so i'll be updating my blog most weeks to keep everyone posted!  Cheers!

UCI World Cup Windham, U.S.A

After last weekends result at Mont Sainte Anne I was feeling pretty confident about nailing a solid result in the final race of the trip before heading home.
We got our first look at the track on Tuesday and it was almost identical to the same course we had 2 years ago as an Under 19.  This was all good and I was excited about this track as it is a similar sort of course to our race track at home Living Springs.   A nice steady climb to the top with a couple of blasts through the trees and then all the way back down to the bottom for another round!  With this sort of course in mind I got my race plan sorted quick smart and I was feeling confident for race day, just had to make sure I had a good first lap in!
The race start was at 9am and I decided to do a pre race lap with Mat to get the body and mind into the groove of what was about to come.  Just as I had started my down hill at the top of the course I was about to enter the second set of trees and out of nowhere to my suprise I slipped my hand off the bars and had a huge crash only 30 odd minutes out from the start!  This certainly was not ideal and I got a bit winded from the impact at first.  Anyway I brought myself around and dusted myself down and checked over the bike, only a slightly bent Hope brake lever but at least I was still mostly in one piece!
Quickly after all the drama it was off down town to the start and a few minutes pedalling around took us to the start line and right on the hour we were off!
I started off well and was feeling happy with where I was sitting to begin with.  As we came onto the course and lap 1 the intensity got taken up a level and the legs were screaming out!  Unfortunately like last weekend I just didnt quite have the sting in the legs to hold my position up the first climb but after that I pressed on and  passed a couple of groups of riders and tried to get into a bit of a rhythm.  The rest of race was a bit of grind in the hot sunny conditions but I finished up 38th in the U23 field.
The rest of the day saw a nice relaxing afternoon and night with the lads and it was a neat ending to a superb trip.
Right now I am just across the ditch from NZ and am looking forward to seeing everyone back home again. It has been an awesome trip this year and our Canadian friend Julien Petit has been an huge help to us and both Mat and I can't thank him enough!  Also a few people I would like to thank - Mat and the boys from Cycleways, Jeremy Murphy, Brad Williams, Dave Plew, Andrea Murray, Mum and Dad and of course to all my support out there and everyone who is helping me out along the way!  Cheers to the Swaghorn to for another good trip overseas!

UCI World Cup Mont Sainte Anne

We arrived at the Mont Sainte Anne a week out from the race with good preparation time on one of the most demanding XCO courses on the World Cup circuit.  Two years ago I raced here in the World Champs as an Under 19 so I was looking forward to getting back on the technical and intense race circuit Mont Sainte Anne has to offer.
Lap after lap the course climbed steeply up the first climb which then came down the famous Rock Garden Mont Sainte Anne is well known for.  It then climbed back up steeply up into a switch back section and then through a tight and gnarly trail and onto the fast downhill and past the feedzone.  From here the second half of the lap saw a fast trail blaze around a loop that criss crossed a couple of times to follow back through the joint feedzone and to the start/finish.
Race day came around and I was feeling ready to get to that start line and get stuck into my first World Cup event this year.  The race start was intense!  I had not put myself into the best start position off the line and was stuck right in the middle unable to move out and put the hammer down.  I quickly knew that I had stuffed up and as soon as we hit the top of the hill into the trees it was just chaos, people walking with others trying to ride around them over slippery rocks and roots made for a hell of a fun first lap, not!
I knew I had lost minutes once I came through onto lap two but now it was time to forget that and concentrate on improving my position as much as I could by the end of the race.
I was climbing well and attacked everyone that came in my path which I was happy with.  While I didn't get the result I wanted to achieve and finishing 34th in the U23 event  it was still a good hit out and im looking forward to improving my placing big time this weekend in Windham, U.S.A!  
I have just come back from my first look this year at the track and am feeling really positive about it so things are looking good for this weekend before my flight home back to NZ.  This trip has gone fast!

Rider update

After the Raid race on Saturday a few of us packed up our friends van and headed across the U.S Border to ride some of the Kingdom trails network.  These tracks were said to be some of best America has to offer so were very keen to get amongst this iconic mountain biking park!
The network is very similar to New Zealands Rotorua version with a 100km of track (not that we rode it all!) so while the body was still a bit tired from the day before the eyes lit up once we started to really get into the heart of the forest.  Huge big sweepers flowing up and down through the sides of the valley floors sure brought a smile to the dial!
The best thing was that it was all single track and all the work up sure got rewarded with the down, good for the technical speed work negotiating the trails with all the roots and it made for a neat 2 and half hour ride.  A full suspension 29er would be the ideal bike for this sort of work!
Tuesday also saw Mat and I off on another trip roughly an hour out of Sherbrooke to East Hereford very close to the border.  

We parked up behind the local villages church and headed off down the road to start climbing our way up into the forest and the first 4wd track.  The sharp smell of the pine trees was superb!  This followed onto a single track climb that we knew we would be finishing our ride on so we quickly thought this was going to be a very fast and fun finisher to our ride after we had completed our loop.
As we rode deeper into the forest it became more rooty with a few natural rock gardens scattered here and there which made for some good fun.  After a short open climb to reach our half way we re-entered the forest and it was all undulating but mostly downhill to the end.   We had a blast as the tracks became even faster especially that final section!  Neat big bermed corners and fast flowing singletrack took us back onto the road where Mat had managed to get a puncture just coming off the hill!  Never mind, I went and got the car, picked him up and we were on our way, another excellent trail ride!
Last Wednesday I have raced in a local club event just around the corner from our accommodation in our training forest.  The course was a short 5 lap trace but highly intensive and was tight and technical with many trees roots.  Even better it had been wet also (but we had been training here so we were familiar with this riding style) so I had to be on my game with the 7pm start.  I raced again last night against some keen club riders and had a very solid training with that added bonus of coming across the line first!
This weekend we have been pushing to see if we can race in the Canadian National Championships so fingers crossed they let us race.  It will be our final hit out before the World Cups starting next weekend which I'm looking forward to with much excitement!

Raid De Charleviox

Le Raid De Charleviox is a mountain bike race in Quebec, Canada that consists of a 30, 50 and 75km race option.  Mat Waghorn and I opted to race in the 50km as this was going to be more of a specific type of race time for us in preparation for our World Cup races coming up in 2 weeks.
Today the sun was out blazing and it was looking like there was going to be some nice dry tracks for us to race on (most of our riding has involved some sort of mud since we have arrived) so I was feeling excited about getting the big wheels turning!
My start was not the greatest though as the course very quickly shot down a rough downhill and I dropped my full bottle out of my cage!  I simply had to turn around to retrieve it as there was no way I was going to use my spare bottle out of my back pocket for a 2 hour plus race!  Nevertheless I pressed on and quickly and sharply rode through the pack back to the front to where Mat and our friend Julien were riding still warming up their legs so that was a bonus!
As soon as I was back up the front Mat and I knew it was go time so off we went riding side by side looking very sharp as a Team Kiwi like riding style!
Just after I said to Mat about keeping clean this race we turned the corner and were riding amongst swamp land and we sure got MUD!  I just managed to bail out of going full on over the bars at low speed when I was negotiating my way around several mud puddles when I landed my front wheel in a deep rut and was stopped in my tracks!  Anyway that was all part of the fun and after dismounting to tramp through a very impressive bog we were back on dry land and starting our first main climb in the race.
Once we had completed the first half of the race there was a good climb leading up to the highest point in the race with a couple of downs mixed in.  It was some steep and rough climbing and I knew if I kept some good momentum the big wheels would shoot over this terrain nicely.  As we came around and back up a climb at the 27km mark I put some pressure down and noticed Mat was slipping back.  This told me there was an opportunity to do something here so I dropped the hammer and opened up a gap.  After reaching the highest point in the race and enjoying a fast and loose downhill I had the final climb to get up and then ride home to the finish.  With the win in site I was smoking my way along the final part of the course and finished the race in very good time and very pleased with my ride!

Coupe Canada Cup

Last night we arrived home in the early hours after a big day of racing and travelling from the Coupe Canada Cup Round 3 as our first hit out overseas this year.
We arrived two nights out from the race driving through rain and I thought it might be a good case of putting the muds on before I had ridden the track.  I waited until the next day and was suprised when the course was super fast and tacky as it had been quite dry recently and the rain had hardly left a puddle.
I really enjoyed the track.  It was not super hilly but was very fast and still had a couple of neat downhills but was just  a fun track to blast around - perfect for a first hit to blow the cobwebs out and shake off the jetlag!
I started on the front row of the Elite mens race which was a six lap trace.  It was a very cool feeling starting a race like that alongside a few of the pro`s.  My start went well and I just held my own sitting off the line within the top 10. I quickly thought otherwise to running my dry set up (Maxxis Aspens) tyres as soon as I hit the singletrack but that was the setup I had on and so be it (although the Maxxis Beavers were looking quite inviting!)   I managed to hold a very good position for the first and second laps but got passed by a couple of riders throughout the race.
 Each time we completed a lap the course was cutting up more and more but I held it together and kept upright and smooth.  Think the big wheels made life a bit easier on a course like this!
The final laps saw a solid push for the line, the legs had been working hard and I finished in the Elite men in 14th position and 5th Under 23.
Overall pretty pleased with that result for the first race.  This weekend I have the Raid race which should be fun, more of a point to point rather than a circuit but all good training.  The World Cups are  in just under 3 weeks time and are looking very exciting!

International Race Scene Time

Recently I have been in the final planning stages for an international campaign this year.  I am off to Canada!
Like with my European trip last year I will be travelling again with my fellow racing companion Mat Waghorn where we will be competing in four races as follows;

1) Coupe Canada Cup #3
2) Raid De Charleviox
3) UCI World Cup Round 5 (Monte Saint Anne)
4) UCI World Cup Round 6 (Windham, U.S.A)

Also a new person to jump on board  is Marleen Wholesalers supplying me with Maxxis Tyres.  Since I have had the 29er wheels I have tried numerous amounts of different tyres and brands but I have ended up coming back onto the Maxxis brand in particular riding with the Aspen tyres.  With racing on the mountain bike you can't go past good rubber so knowing I have a brand on that I have full faith in just adds another tick in the boxes for having that complete race package!

So quite an exciting time for me at the moment.  The last few weeks have flown by and it's only another few days before I'll be packing the bike up and getting everything ready to jump on the big bird!

Big thanks to Cycleways for sorting my Trek Superfly race bike out to get it in immaculate condition.  Lots of final adjustments to be done so the support I get from Matt and the team is superb!

Keep an eye out on my blog as I will be updating this after each race!

Mt Somers MTB Race 2012

The Mt Somers Mountain Bike Race was one of my first big events that I competed in back in the day.  I missed out on the event in 2011 so this year it was timed nicely after I had been back into training for the last couple of weeks following a break after the Oceania MTB Champs.

The day was a scorcher and after a good warm up I was feeling relaxed and ready to hit the course and see what I could remember from a couple of years ago!

A good roadie start was embraced along the tarmac for a couple of clicks which then headed right and onto the off-road and left up the first major paddock climb.  I sat in for a couple of minutes at the front of the bunch then I flicked it up a gear and made a bit of an attack to see who had the legs to jump on.  Much to my surprise by by the time I reached the top I already had around a 100 metre gap on the others.  I wanted to make the most of this situation I was in so I kept the pressure down to increase my lead throughout the race as we soon entered the hills and rougher terrain.

The middle part of the race went smoothly and I kept a good rhythm going on my Trek 29er as it ate up the gnarly parts of the terrain.

Finally once back onto the gravel road after having made my way through the Challenge course's larger loop the course followed back down the original paddock and tarmac that we had started on back to the venue.  I finished the final few clicks strong tapping out in my 36 tooth front single ring and came across the line with a solid winning time of 1 hour 28 and 52 seconds.

Fantastic day out!!!

2012 Oceania MTB Champs

This was it, all or nothing. The final race of the NZ season ending with the 2012 Oceania Championships held in Rotorua, New Zealand.

I arrived Wednesday afternoon and got straight onto the track and wanted to investigate what all the hype was about with the new rock-garden that had been put in place especially for this event. It certainly got the nerves going a couple of times during practice as it was made on a steep downhill dropping into a neat downward 'S' bend followed by a 2-3metre gap jump. Sure enough after a couple of runs and close calls I had it nailed and was feeling confident at race pace.

The rest of course started off with a fast climb up the tarseal and past the first feed zone then headed up into the trees, up a short climb then a super fun and flowing downhill lead past the second feed zone. It then shot up a techy short gutter climb and looped around the forest undulating until it came back out, down the rock garden and through the start/finish.

On race day we had a 3pm start so I was waiting with anticipation all day to get ready and hit that start line. I had a good warm up and felt I had the course flowing well and the legs felt ready to fire.

Race start went very well, I aimed to sit on Dirks wheel and did so and felt I could have jumped ahead if I wanted too but I thought I'd be best to follow on the first lap. As we entered the single track I got jumped heading into this by Tom although that didn't matter too much. It was near the top of the next climb in the trees where two or three of the Australian riders put out a charge to get ahead. Once past the second feed zone and up the short steep pinch an attack got made and I was stuck behind one of the Australian riders. Meanwhile Dirk and Tom and another Australian or two had followed suit with the front lads and I was stuck behind on the single track. Lap two and I started to get into my work up the climb dropping one of the Australians and moved up a couple of places passing some of the Elite men (who started 2 or 3 minutes ahead of us). I managed to catch back up to another one of the Australian riders after a bit of a smack fest up the hill and got back onto Toms wheel by the time we went through the second feed zone. As we went up the short steep pinch Tom slipped a pedal and I had to dismount. I managed to get past shortly after and started to get into a good rhythm for my race. Lap 3 came around and I cleared out from behind getting away from the Australian I had caught up with Tom and was in a solid 3rd position and could see the 2nd placed Australian at the top of the climb. I kept pressing on and felt I climbed well and the big wheels made the rock garden look easy. In the end I finished in 3rd place in the Under 23 field! Big thanks to my sponsor Matt Bailey and Cycleways and to Mat Waghorn for helping me get around for the time in Rotovagus!

Pass to Pub 2012

I was looking forward to a good hit out in the Pass to Pub Mountain Bike race held just out of Fairle before the 2012 Oceania Mountain Bike Champs this weekend.

Last year I fell short behind the line coming in second so I had a strong determination to make sure I came home with that marvelous gate trophy of the event!

We left Christchurch and headed South into some good weather and while the venue still had a chill in the air the sun was blazing and I was ready to race.

The course started off with a bit of a grind up the farm paddock, I got the legs working hard and I managed to split the field straight away to see who the competition was for the day. As we entered the next part of the course there were 5 of us. Up the next shingle hill I kept pressing on to see who had that extra edge. We then turned left and headed up the valley dropping 2 riders. Shortly after I made an attack and followed through with it managing to pull away - great! I wanted a clean win so I made sure I kept the hammer down and smacked the road section in top gear.

The final part of the race saw me riding over some rough,bumpy and over grown paddocks but I stood up and the big wheels flew over this section of the race. Once over the last creek crossing I came across line taking the win with a good solid gap on the other riders.

Form is looking good for this weekend!

NZ Cup Round 4 Napier

The final round of the NZ Cup was held at Eskdale park in Napier. The course followed the same track as last years with a couple of adjustments but it made for a good, solid power course. A steep sharp climb was there to keep everyone honest as well!

From the start of the race I jumped in front after putting in a powerful first effort and lead around and up to near the top of the major climb - fantastic start!!!

As we made our way to the top single track that traversed along the forest ridge line Dirk, Carl and Mikey slipped past me and I didn't quite jump onto the train as after my excellent start I thought that I might be best to take it back a notch and save the legs for an attack later in the race.

For the next first few laps I kept roughly the same gap on the leaders and saw them on the same spot each lap going up the climb just ahead. I thought that was great! I may still have a chance of getting back on and being in for the win if I launched an attack soon!

Once on lap 4 I noticed after coming through the start/finish for my fifth lap that the front lads had split up as Dirk put in a huge effort and increased the gap on myself and the others which split us all up into solo riders.

I kept going hard and got my last couple of laps complete keeping consistent and finishing 4th position in the Elite men. Overall I was pleased with my race considering I was not quite 100% but nevertheless I gave it a good nudge!

These results slotted me into 4th Elite also in the 2012 New Zealand Cup series.

Bring on Oceania Champs next weekend - final race of the New Zealand season!

NZ Cup Round 3 Wellington

The third round of the New Zealand MTB Cup was held in Wellington in the Mt Vic Park. The course was fast and hard and had a couple of short yet tough climbs and followed mostly the 2010 National Champs circuit.

During the two practise days that I had I felt I had the course nailed and was looking forward to seeing how the body was going to cope on race day.

From the start of the race the course shot up a tarseal hill, around the velodrome then up a gnarly steep climb. I was in a respectable position but started to drop several places. I wasn't 100% so I knew it was going to be a tough day in the saddle but I was still there to race. A slight change in my race plan was made for!

Lap 2 came around and I felt the body was starting to settle into a rhythm halfway through this lap which was a good sign. I pressed on and started to pass more and more riders. By the last lap I had pushed my way up to a respectable position and was pleased to have still got stuck into my work and come across the line 6th in the Elite field.

This weekend I have the final NZ Cup Round held in Napier - looking forward to bringing back some good form!

Skins Road Race 7th January 2012

The Skins Road Race is an event held prior to the Elite Road Racing National Championships that follows the same course with 56km of fast racing action!

This year the course consisted of two laps on the flat followed by two laps using the main climb and also the main spectator point of the race (where there are a lot of hurt looking faces!).

The morning of the race came around and firstly it was off to work for a couple of hours for me before heading off down the road to the start line.

My Trek Madone 5.2 Road Bike equipped with a pair of sleek Shimano Dura-ace wheels from Brad Williams (my boss from Halswell Butchery) , I had a fast looking race machine and was keen to see what the body could do up the first climb in the race.

Starting a road event is always very different from a mountain bike event in the way that it is quite casual to begin with. I changed my mindset and went in with a game plan of letting the body warm into the race on the first lap then attacking when I hit the climb on lap three (first of the full laps).

A couple of attacks had been made early on and one rider was starting to get away on the second lap so I decided I needed to try and get the peloton working to get back up. This didn’t work out too well as most people wanted to save themselves for the hill so only three of us were rotating up the front!

Once we hit the climb it was game on! I smacked it hard up the hill in my big chain ring and past the break away rider very quickly managing to create a good gap by the time I was off the hill. From here I went into time trial mode on the flat pushing hard and once I went through the start/finish it was one last time to do that all again! A final strong push up the hill to increase the gap with the rest of the lap to follow I finished winning with a solid lead on the other riders very stoked with how I rode!

Big thanks to Brad Williams (Halswell Butchery) for the support!

2012 National Championships

The 2012 New Zealand National Championships were held in Nelson this year and another fast and exciting course was put on for all riders young and old.

After my performance last weekend only 7 seconds behind the winner I was very keen to see what I could lay down on the table and get a result of which I knew I was capable of.

During the practise laps the course was rather skittery which made for one or two loose exits out of some tight corners. I opted to run my Geax Barro Race tyres which turned out to hold on nicely in those sketchy corners and were super fast up the climbs.

Race day came around and I felt a bit funny before the start of the race (must have been the nerves!). The first part of the race wasn't the best for me as during the start climb up to the single track I was feeling a bit flat until the steep top section of gravel road. From here I managed to overcome that feeling and smacked it to get back onto the back of the front riders. After the first downhill I then pulled myself back behind Carl with Dirk and Mikey leading the charge. Unfortunately after the rest of the lap Dirk and Mike had pulled away as Carl had slipped behind and I was stuck behind him.

Finally when I got into clear terrain I got into a rhythm and started my hunt to catch Mikey up. Dirk had managed to create a gap and while I got close to Mikey I just couldn't quite get right back onto him and finished the race in 3rd position in the Elite category (2nd Under 23).

Overall certainly not the best race for a couple of reasons but still fairly happy to be 3rd in the Elite field as a second year Under 23 rider, plenty of room to improve!

Bring on Oceanias come March!

New Zealand Mountain Bike Cup Round 2

Round 2 of the New Zealand Cup was held over the hill at Living Springs – home course!!!
The week leading up to this event my training had gone very well and with some good weather the course was looking good for the race on Sunday...
Race day came around and the rain decided it might spill a drop or two but this didn’t really affect the course as I did a pre-race lap. I still chose to run a slightly more conservative set with my tyres just in case!
The race started very well and I managed to lead after the main climb into the pines and even held a gap for the first few laps. Lap 4 came around and I had a flat spot during my race and Carl attacked and I didn’t really respond, however on the last couple of laps Dirk and I had a good battle to get through to the finish. What we didn’t know was while we were racing hard we were closing the gap on Carl.
I played my cards well on the final lap and jumped into the pines ahead of Dirk and managed to push hard and have the edge as we headed toward the finish. It sure was full on but I managed to hold it together and finish second about 50metres behind Carl with Dirk a few seconds behind me.
A good result after last weekend and I would like to thank all my supporters out there – it was great to have heaps of people cheering me on!
Nationals next weekend – time to see what I can really do now with my form coming on!

New Zealand Mountain Bike Cup Round 1

Last weekend was the first round of the New Zealand Cup so it was a good test to see what form the legs and body had.
On the trip down it was raining and the course was very wet. Each lap demanded a very steep climb up the hill (that proved quite a struggle to maintain traction in practice even with mud tyres on!) and a neat downhill through the trees to complete a lap – simple, well that’s what I thought…
Race day came around and the climb had dried up as the sun managed to come out. I still opted to leave my muds on as the downhill was still very wet. I was actually looking forward to the downhill each lap as I was having a ball during my practice but after the morning race the track had cut up big time. Even with muds on it was still full on!
The race went well for the first couple of laps, I felt comfortable on the first lap not smashing myself and even put a gap on the Top Australian riders that came down by the top of the hill. On the first downhill I came up behind Dirk and noticed he had a wee miss-shape on the track. I got a bit off the ball here and had a crash and had to dive at a tree to save my fall! Somehow each lap I crashed at exactly the same spot! So after the first few laps I lost a bit of time due to my crashes and unfortunately my bike setup was not appropriate with the demanding climb and I destroyed my legs. It became quite a grind in a 34tooth front ring when the other riders were in there 26tooth small rings!
I still managed to come in 5th Elite (3rd Nzer) which looking back isn’t too bad when I know I had the measure off the Top Australians if I had held it together. Roll on Round 2 Living Springs!!!