Oceania Short Track

Oceania Short Track champs. Not entirely sure whether my face is showing exhaustion.... or relief that I finally beat Mikey for the first time in 4 races (where our combined seperation over two N-Duros and 2 x 25min Short tracks is still less than 60sec).

Mikey did stop for a lie down on the track in the first few minutes so did well to get back to contest the finish. Must have been a hard night on Saturday huh Mikey?

Oceania Champ... Nic's report

So a pretty good weeked for Team N-Duro/Nature Valley in Dunner's. Ater Nic's Saturday heroics I enjoyed a mint Sunday....

.... got up. 1hr10 trail run. Went to crusty corner for chocolate croisant and coffee. Won the Oceania Short track title!!! Scotty cooked a mean BBQ for dinner. Watched 4 episodes of Nitro Circus season 2, and polished off some cake and ice-cream. Nice.

Anyway..... Nic's report on the weekend as follows.....

I am home from a successful weekend racing the best of the Aussies in the Oceania MTB Championships held in an old stomping ground of mine – Dunedin. Quite contrasting is that back then I was a student playing premier club rugby at half-back for the Varsity women’s side, running a bit & quite possibly socializing too much! Indeed it was a different agenda this weekend & I am happy to report that I had a strong race claiming my first Oceania XC women’s title to go with my recent National Elite XC title! Rowena Fry (Australian National Champ & Avanti team-mate) was second (+1min20sec) & the one who I had to keep clear of throughout the four lap race on a superb course at Forrester Park.

It was my birthday on Friday, which I had forgotten about until Cabin mentioned it. Then I was reminded frequently as fellow XC racers Gav & Raewyn had speckled the course on Friday with an array of signs to make sure everybody knew! It made for an entertaining pre-ride.

I was feeling fresher & stronger as race day approached. I had had a flat day at the Karapoti race 2 weeks ago, and that race seemed to further knock the stuffing out of me. I did manage to fit in another ‘block’ of training in between & we changed my approach to Saturday’s race which was a good call. I was recovered, and raring for another punishing outing.

First Lap, and pace is on to hit first singletrack

The race start was hot off the line, but into the first turn & single track it slowed, quite significantly. I was about fourth wheel & felt we were creeping so I made a couple of passes & sat in behind leader Rowena Fry. Up a short pinch I boldly went around Rowena & pinned it for the ‘farm track’ climb. I kept the pace reasonable and she drew alongside and we rode to the top close enough. Rowena led into the first single track descent, and along with Fiona MacDermid we seemed to have gapped the field nicely.

Impatient up the next climb I was raring to get by & get away so I attacked & after a lengthy piece of single track I popped out clear of Rowena - much to the crowds delight! I knew it was now my race to control & went about riding smooth, strong & fast. Mid-way through the second lap Rowena rode back to within 15sec of me. I could see her on the switchback below which startled me a bit, but I sensed she was working hard. I rode the descent well & made a plan to stay consistent until the climb then test the legs again. There were 2.5 climbs on the course, the farm track was the most grueling & each time I went up it I felt better & better. By the fourth & final lap I was firing & I managed to extend my lead. I was pretty happy exiting the forest for the finish line with no-one (but a few U19 boys I was amongst) close. I won by a tidy 1min20sec.

Post race interview. Cabin super impressed by the old school journalism. Pen and paper, jotted notes..... and he wrote an interesting and accurate story too.


I seem to be learning more & more about race craft & it felt great to be able to apply the pressure, absorb some & finish off so clinically. I was not only happy to win but I was happy with my performance all round. It is definitely onward & upward from here, in 3.5weeks I will be in Europe to contest the first three World Cup races – a big step again, but one I am looking forward to. It is great to measure up, tick that box & then set about the next goal.

I would especially like to thank my sponsors for their marvelous support. AVANTI, 2XU, BALANCE NUTRITION, NATURE VALLEY, RIDESTRONG, N-DURO EVENTS, SMITH OPTICS & NEW BALANCE. I certainly hope to be reporting more great news as my season continues. Thank-you also to the many others that support me, most of all Cabin – coach, partner, team-mate, house-mate, masseuse, mechanic…you get the gist. Cheers!

Oceania Champion!!!

Quick post.... Nic Leary is the 2010 Oceania XC Champion!! Great display of controlled agression on what was a super testing, but very fun, Bethunes Gully track in Dunedin. Aussie Champ (and Avanti team mate) Rowena Fry 2nd.

Pics and a proper report to follow later.

Oh yeah.... I rode the morning Masters race and spent the morning chasing super freak 15yr old Anton Cooper. Worked out ok as we did the 5th/6th fastest lap averages of the day.

National Champion....On the 3yr Training plan

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present your 2010 NZ Elite Womens XC Champion (and Short Track XC Champion), Nic Leary. Mission accomplished, next step Karapoti, and Oceania's. One very pround partner typing this.

One who was then motivated to add to his freshly crowned Masters XC title, to smash out a decent ride himself in the Short track and pushed National Mens Champ Mikey Northcott to the limit, before grudingly settling for 2nd.

Saturdays National XC Champs win by Nic was extremely satisfying for Nic (and me). She's worked bloody hard towards this, and her display on the day was impecable. Riding strongly off the front from the outset. Putting together a mistake free race extending her lead with every lap for an emphatic victory over Fiona Macdermid. One very accomplished athlete herself.

What was more special was that Mt Vic provided the location. As opposed to my 25yr training plan mentioned in the previous post.... Nic's has been less than 3. It was at this very venue almost 3yrs to the day that Nic took in her first National XC event. As a spectator on the sidelines watching me in what was my last Elite XC national in NZ. Thinking it was cool to watch, but perhaps even more exciting to be a part of, a new sporting pursuit began in earnest.

3yrs later, on perhaps the best XC nationals course I've ever seen in NZ (thanks marco, slackboy and co), she pieced it all together. Even better was the crowd support. Nic and I now like to think of ourselves as honorary members of the Bushlove Racing crew.... so it was important to perform in front of this very enthusiatic bunch of supporters. And we really did enjoy the after match socialising with this lot. I even publicly declared them the future of XC such is their enthusiasm and passion for the sport. Cheers guys.

And me? Despite Slackboys protestations I felt no guilt in claiming the Masters National title. Kyle Wood from Timaru scared me early in the race with pace I wasn't expecting. His great riding forced me into an uncharacteristic panicked state. Racing like an excited 18yr old I proceeded to crash my brains out for the first two laps before finally settling down to ride away to (an eventually) solid win.

Bring on Karapoti

The 25yr training plan

Two days and counting till the primary objectives of our MTB season kick off. The 2010 National MTB Championships, and the Karapoti Classic just 7 days later. Both celebrate the 25th anniversary of competive MTB in NZ, which began with the first Karapoti back in 1986.

So its a big deal. And a quick flick through mums photo albums proves I've been building to this for just that....25years! Pictured above shows a young Cabin (right of picture) circa 1986 fresh from one of my first MTB training sessions. Its certainly a pretty sweet bike. Matched by some equally sweet overalls, and I am sure some pretty sweet jumps were completed too.

Fast forward to 2010 and Nic is feling pretty good. Wrist injury has progressed well and she'll be getting the Nat's course dialled. Meanwhile I've completed my final "secret" Karapoti smashfest training session today, so hopefully will be recovered by next weekend!?!

And at the very least recovered enough to withstand the Bushlove assault on the Masters XC title. Should I be afraid??

N-Duro series final: Mission accomplished

... so phase one of Team N-Duro's 2010 season is complete, and after Sunday's 3rd and final round of the Bike Vegas Summer N-Duro series, I once again secured the overall and retained my "King of the Series" title to ensure it's been a good start to the year.

It was also suggested that I should have won it...... After all I set the courses. I obviously didn'y do a very good job as this is where I point out that I also didn't manage to win a race and secured the title with three straight 2nds. The bridesmaid strikes again. Frustrating, but in the circumstances I'll take it!

The unique feature of the N-Duro series is that the title is based on cumulative time, which means you can't afford to take it easy at any time. It encourages aggressive racing which can only be good. Fronting up on Sunday I was in for a tough day with Stu Houltham and Mikey Northcott for company, and a tough race certainly followed.

I tried to be conservative, but with Mikey and Stu pushing each other super hard it become a very tough day. I soon found myself struggling to hang on on the ups, and hanging it out on the descents to regain touch utilising the suburb traction (?!) of the Ravens on the slick surface. The race see-sawed a bit until Mikey eventually got away for good up hill road with about 20km to go.

I thought I had it under control, but chasing hard down chesnut link I promptly rode straight into a tree at high speed. Smartly I used the handlebar to stop and while that bent, my face stayed intact. I was a bit sheepish for the rest of the descent but soon got my act together when I realised Mikey had flown the coup. Digging deep I chased hard all the way back and managed to limit the losses to just 58sec at the end. Taking the series by a mere 3min (over 6hrs racing with Mikey). Stu battled hard to chase us home for a great 3rd on tracks not so familiar to his prefered wellington terrain.

I am super stoked that a) I proved to myself I can still foot it with the best of the best in NZ (maybe better than ever before). and that b) I'm going to get to watch a great battle between these two and others at the National Champs in Wellington in two weeks while I relax on the sidelines.

And Nic? She grudgingly sat out Sundays race. Her wrist injury sustained at Tokoroa was a bit worse than first thought. So is off the MTB for a wee bit to ensure she's right for Wellington. Training hard on the wind trainer....and getting a wee bit frustrated!

Two for Two: Team N-Duro takes on Tokoroa.....

..... and the Tokoroa soil comes up trumps

However, as you can see by the stylish wee medals pictured below, Team N-Duro's first venture onto the National MTB scene this season at Tokoroa on Sunday proved quite successful. Nic put in a rather dominant display to claim her first Elite National Series win, quite fittingly 3yrs to the day since her first real MTB ride. But the day wasn't without incident.

First up in the morning, I decided to race in Masters so I could test the course for Nic....or maybe because I was too lazy to race Elite?! To make things more interesting I decided to start the race with no back brake (The 50km MTB ride I did with brake part dragging on Saturday had finished off any pads that were left). Spicing things up further were the almost 30 U17/U15 riders that started their race 30sec earlier, making the first lap rather interesting. Showing some interesting styles on the technical descents to compensate for the lack of rear brake, I managed to survive the course. Pushing reasonably hard and taking a comfortable win.

So on to Elite, and a pretty intense race was on the cards. The Cougar Park course was fast, and undulating. Promising a brutal pace and quite literally survival of the fittest. With a good sized field of NZ's best women, Nic was keen to force the pace early and lead out. Sure enough she proceeded to appear back after lap one with a 30sec lead, which she proceeded to slowly extend over 5 laps to eventually contest a sprint finish with Carl Jones. She lost.... but then Carl was in the process of taking a well deserved victory in Elite Mens. Nic had taken the womens race by more than 5min.

Seemingly an incident free race..... that was until I discovered she'd had a big crash early on lap one pushing too hard in singletrack (note to self... stop watching Sam Hill footage prior to races), damaging her wrist in the process, and fighting back through the lead pack. The wrist is really tender now so she did well to keep riding. Adreneline is a great painkiller. Then there was an over the bars down the bridge drop. And....and.... Then she settled down to ride a strong controlled race.

And what about that 3 yr MTB anniversary? Surely I'm kidding? No. I thought it was quite a nice story. You see Nic bought her first real MTB late in 2006 from Crank It Cycles in Palmerston North via some dodgy salesman named Cabin. She didn't actually ride it until Waitangi day 2007 when she ventured over Greens Rd. Waitangi weekend 2010 and she posts her first National Series Elite win in dominant fashion. Pretty cool really.

Finally, big ups to Carl Jones. The potential has always been there, and its great to see it realised. Maybe he listened to us and learnt something useful during his time with Aunt Betty's? Or maybe he didn't. Still, I was stoked to be able to witness his breakthrough ride firsthand.

Roll on the final of the N-Duro Summer series this weekend.

P.S. Those that take notice of our event calender.... yes, I did compete in the Blue Lake Multisport festival's Sprint Triathlon last weekend. Short version of events, awesome swim for first 200m. Then I got tired. It was an average time. On to a fumbling transition, smoked the bike (fastest split), and another average transition. Before an adequate run bought me home to a comfortable win in the open mens. All good, except for the 3 young U20 hotshots were still in front of me.....