nix news...!

A fair few things have happened in recent times, all positive and exciting. I thought I was well overdue for a wee update of my own...so here it is!

I have a new ride!! So I thought my last Team Competitor (the one I raced at worlds & what will now be my training bike) was the best bike yet, turns out my 2010 Avanti Team Competitor is right up there & then some. Check this out!

2010 Avanti Team Competitor

This is my new XC race bike. Complete with the Carbon DT wheel-set, the new SRAM XX group-set and SID world cup fork, this is a true sensation. It has had its maiden ride in the Redwoods & I am stoked! I will be busting it out at the n-Duro this Sunday 24^th so if you want a closer look, I will happily show you & talk about it a lot no doubt :)

A very BIG thank-you to Avanti, my bike sponsor, I am very fortunate to be riding such an exceptional bike. Thanks also to Avanti-Plus Mt Maunganui, A+ Cyclezone Rotorua, Cabin and Ryan Hollows for the final set up & masterful touches (aka pimping) of this bike.

My first road race - a road tour! Yes as Cabin mentioned, & it was a blast! I really enjoyed the Tour de Femme held in Nelson between Christmas & the New Year. It was an entirely new challenge for me, but b/c I had been doing a fair bit of training on the road in my 'build phase' we decided to include it in my race schedule. Mostly to see if I was getting the consistent strength/endurance I had been working on. Turns out I did OK, placing 10th on GC after a big learning curve on stage three that saw me lose the lead group I should have stayed within. It was a great few days of riding, and I feel it was very beneficial as I continue to develop as a cyclist. I look forward to next year where I aim to be competitive in the Queen of the Mountains category...

A special mention has to be made about my Avanti Questa Road Bike. Sure, it is not about the bike, but this is a true gem of a roadie. Below are a few shots of me racing in Nelson onboard my Questa. Once again, I would like to say a BIG thank-you to Amanda Till & the team at Avanti. My road bike & I will be spending some good time together yet, I am sure.

The 19km TT - Do I look like I know what I am doing?!

Takaka Hill Climb - Just go hard & fast...

Avanti Questa Roadie - nice!

In general...

Exercise Induced Vasospastic Amaurosis Fugax...is the phenomenon that (after various appointments/imaging & tests) is the working diagnosis for my vision loss problem. It is early days, and quite honestly we do not know for sure but I am trialing a medication prescribed to prevent the vaso-spasm of the retinal arteries that is thought to be responsible for the amaurosis fugax (or thick white cloud/fog that decends across my eyes) with exertion.

I am a bit of a case study as there are few reported cases in the literature especially as unique as my scenario (with the onset only when racing MTB mod-hard exertion 2hrs+). I am happy to report this progress however, and so far so good :) I suspect Karapoti will be a good test.

I am absolutely loving training & all aspects of biking practice at the moment. Cabin's been dishing out some good hard stuff which I love and feel we have improved a few key areas of my riding. I have just come back from a week at the farm - mustering, drafting, dagging, fencing and docking calves...love it. It's always good to go back to the hills & do some good physical work. Returning to Rotorua with a good few tins of baking and meat for the freezer will always be a bonus!

And…club night & BMX training has resumed for the New Year so Wednesday night I look forward to racing a good few moto’s & working on improving my bicycle skills more and more. I have definitely missed it over the past few weeks. With our whare (house), a garage full of bikes, warm weather, good training & good health... things couldn't really be better!

Thats is for now, thanks for your interest - see you at the events, in the forest or thereabouts...nic J