A wee taste of the spectacular race that the Cape to Cape was. Joining us next year then?!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
Ok, so this update is a week later than it should have been, but perhaps unsurprisingly typing it out one-handed hasn't been that appealing (so excuse the typos!). More on that later.
What was on our racing menu was race 2 of the incredibly popular GNCC series of XC moto racing. We'd missed round one due to other commitments but weren't about to let this opportunity slip by. Nic was chomping at the bit to get more ride time on her new KTM, and I was just keen for racing. My bike speed was good and I was looking forward to testing it in a race environment.
First up was Nic, taking her place rather nervously in the rookie womens field. The GNCC organisers have done an amazing job of encouraging women into what is an intimidating domain of men who think they know everything. 25 women on bikes of all sizes fronted the starter. More than many MTB events.
One of the harder obstacles seemed to be the tyre chute that was perhaps a tad challenging. The 1st lap saw many caught out and toppling over struggling with the slow speed balance required. Motorcycles are not that close to the ground. Thankfully, the chute was modified on the fly by proactuve organisers.
After a tentative start, Nic started to really get to grips with the 2-stroke and started carving up. Lap times got quicker, and the powerslides got bigger. Eventually working her way throught the field to a final place of 10th after 1hr30 or racing. Solid, and very encouraging.
My turn, and I was quietly focussed and confident of a good result as I faced 2hrs on a demanding loop featuring a mix of tight singletrack, and wide open farmland. I fluffed the star and bogged the bike down, entering the first corner last of my start wave, which got me angry. I buckled down and focussed on riding smooth, fast, and patiently. All was going well, and 2/3 of the way through the lap I had already passed 15+ riders from earlier star waves, but things were about to go pear shaped very quickly....
On an open (fast) and rough section I pulled out to pass a guy, but thought better of it as our bikes danced sideways. I tucked in about 10m back and looked for an opportunity. Passing through an open gate we both overshot a turn marker, and glanced left up the hill we were suppossed to climb. At that split second, rather than slowingthe leading rider jammed his brakes on, as I glanced back it took another split second to process the scenario in front of me. I hit the brakes, but at 50km/hr+ it doesn't long to traverse 10m. we collided with a rather sickening impact.
Initial thoughts were of the damage to him as he lay in a ball. I got him up, he was ok, but understandably shaken. We untangled bikes and got him on his way. It was then I looked at my left arm which felt kinda strange. With good reason, my hand wasn't pointing where it should be and there was a big bend in it. Many thoughts went through my head, most of them unprintable.
The response of race organisers was fairly swift, and with the help of some laughing gas I was soon back in an ambulance. Soon after than I was on a rescue chopper for a very scenic to Tauranga ( the chopper was for a girl with a suspected spinal injury... she was ok in the end). A snapped radius, and dislocated ulnar were diagnosed. 48hrs later (and lots of starving too) I had surgery in Rotorua to plate it together.
So my arm will be heavier from now on... I am hoping it will benefit my swimming. Perhaps give the left arm a bit more momentum and correct the directional challenged technique I exhibit in the open water?! Either way I am facing a long break from the bikes (pedal or engine powered) so plenty of time to think about it. I am gutted. But at the same time thankful it wasn't worse. These are the risks we take and sometimes things will happen and we have to except that. Such is life.
In a random addition to this update, I had to post the picks below. Whilst I was laid up in a hospital bed an insane hailstorm hit our suburb. Absolutely nuts. It shreded leaves of trees and bushes so on the bright side much of our hedge trimming has been done for us
What was on our racing menu was race 2 of the incredibly popular GNCC series of XC moto racing. We'd missed round one due to other commitments but weren't about to let this opportunity slip by. Nic was chomping at the bit to get more ride time on her new KTM, and I was just keen for racing. My bike speed was good and I was looking forward to testing it in a race environment.
First up was Nic, taking her place rather nervously in the rookie womens field. The GNCC organisers have done an amazing job of encouraging women into what is an intimidating domain of men who think they know everything. 25 women on bikes of all sizes fronted the starter. More than many MTB events.
One of the harder obstacles seemed to be the tyre chute that was perhaps a tad challenging. The 1st lap saw many caught out and toppling over struggling with the slow speed balance required. Motorcycles are not that close to the ground. Thankfully, the chute was modified on the fly by proactuve organisers.
After a tentative start, Nic started to really get to grips with the 2-stroke and started carving up. Lap times got quicker, and the powerslides got bigger. Eventually working her way throught the field to a final place of 10th after 1hr30 or racing. Solid, and very encouraging.
My turn, and I was quietly focussed and confident of a good result as I faced 2hrs on a demanding loop featuring a mix of tight singletrack, and wide open farmland. I fluffed the star and bogged the bike down, entering the first corner last of my start wave, which got me angry. I buckled down and focussed on riding smooth, fast, and patiently. All was going well, and 2/3 of the way through the lap I had already passed 15+ riders from earlier star waves, but things were about to go pear shaped very quickly....
On an open (fast) and rough section I pulled out to pass a guy, but thought better of it as our bikes danced sideways. I tucked in about 10m back and looked for an opportunity. Passing through an open gate we both overshot a turn marker, and glanced left up the hill we were suppossed to climb. At that split second, rather than slowingthe leading rider jammed his brakes on, as I glanced back it took another split second to process the scenario in front of me. I hit the brakes, but at 50km/hr+ it doesn't long to traverse 10m. we collided with a rather sickening impact.
Initial thoughts were of the damage to him as he lay in a ball. I got him up, he was ok, but understandably shaken. We untangled bikes and got him on his way. It was then I looked at my left arm which felt kinda strange. With good reason, my hand wasn't pointing where it should be and there was a big bend in it. Many thoughts went through my head, most of them unprintable.
The response of race organisers was fairly swift, and with the help of some laughing gas I was soon back in an ambulance. Soon after than I was on a rescue chopper for a very scenic to Tauranga ( the chopper was for a girl with a suspected spinal injury... she was ok in the end). A snapped radius, and dislocated ulnar were diagnosed. 48hrs later (and lots of starving too) I had surgery in Rotorua to plate it together.
So my arm will be heavier from now on... I am hoping it will benefit my swimming. Perhaps give the left arm a bit more momentum and correct the directional challenged technique I exhibit in the open water?! Either way I am facing a long break from the bikes (pedal or engine powered) so plenty of time to think about it. I am gutted. But at the same time thankful it wasn't worse. These are the risks we take and sometimes things will happen and we have to except that. Such is life.
In a random addition to this update, I had to post the picks below. Whilst I was laid up in a hospital bed an insane hailstorm hit our suburb. Absolutely nuts. It shreded leaves of trees and bushes so on the bright side much of our hedge trimming has been done for us
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Redbull Sundown Shootout
Just had a few images sent through to us that we thought were worth sharing. As a part of the Cape to Cape event, Friday night saw the innagural "Redbull Sundown Shootout" for the top 30 men, and Top 10 Women.
Format was an individual TT on a short section of some of the sweetest, bermiest (?), jump littered singletrack in the region. Typical redbull... sweet sounds, good action, and good crowd. Nic and I were both loving the course and jammed in multiple practice runs into the 30min on offer. Fast times were in the low 3min20 bracket. The race...?
Nic railed the singletrack, and had the crowd pretty excited at her speed. Hands down smashed the other women racing. Sadly it was fastest time of the day takes all... so up against the guys didn't get to stand on the podium. Maybe next year?
I was pretty confident I had the course dialled and seems I looked pretty quick. Commentator and crowd were pretty sure I'd be in the hotseat. However what they didn't see was the first 1min of the track was a climb + false flat. Wasn't too flash up there and lost it before we'd really begun. Solid run, but Chris Jongaward smoked it for the win.
Looked somewhat stylish(?) so theres some consolation I suppose.
Format was an individual TT on a short section of some of the sweetest, bermiest (?), jump littered singletrack in the region. Typical redbull... sweet sounds, good action, and good crowd. Nic and I were both loving the course and jammed in multiple practice runs into the 30min on offer. Fast times were in the low 3min20 bracket. The race...?
Nic railed the singletrack, and had the crowd pretty excited at her speed. Hands down smashed the other women racing. Sadly it was fastest time of the day takes all... so up against the guys didn't get to stand on the podium. Maybe next year?
I was pretty confident I had the course dialled and seems I looked pretty quick. Commentator and crowd were pretty sure I'd be in the hotseat. However what they didn't see was the first 1min of the track was a climb + false flat. Wasn't too flash up there and lost it before we'd really begun. Solid run, but Chris Jongaward smoked it for the win.
Looked somewhat stylish(?) so theres some consolation I suppose.
Monday, October 31, 2011
New team bike
Feeling pretty pro here in Rotorua. Not only do our MTB's and Roadies finally match, but the KTM seems to be breading. Just have to get the BMX's matching now.
Bit of an upgrade for Nic. Mint condition SX85. The thing is a wee rocketship. Beautiful afternoon in Rotorua yesterday so what better way to help speed the recovery from Cape to Cape.
Bit of an upgrade for Nic. Mint condition SX85. The thing is a wee rocketship. Beautiful afternoon in Rotorua yesterday so what better way to help speed the recovery from Cape to Cape.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Cape to Cape MTB Stage Race
Geez... been a bit busy since touching down back on Rotorua soil so still haven't managed to type up a story here on our adventures from our awesome week in Western Australia for the Cape to Cape MTB stage race.
So in order to get something out asap, here's the link to the report on Sportzhub
Monday, October 10, 2011
Blowing up @ the Motu 160
I would rather have titled that "blowing up the Motu160".... except it was me that did the blowing up. One bloody tough day at the office; that’s what the Motu160 is. And we are paying for it today.
The concept sounds simple enough. Do the MTB leg of the Motu Challenge, then hop onto the road bikes and blast back to Opotiki. Easy enough, except the MTB is 65km of gravel, long climbs, and often nastily wet/cold conditions. The road bike undulates, slaps you in the face with a stiff headwind, and depending on your race smarts and/or luck my leave you solo TT’ing for 90km+. Not easy.
Certainly so early in our season we thought we would get a good hard workout. We were confident we were fit. Speed and speed endurance had a question mark hanging over it.
Nic’s race was a bit of a character builder. Motu’s first 20-25km is generally a bunch ride till it hits the first real climb... so when she punctured just 10km in and watched the free ride disappear into the gloom she was in for a long day. Without the group to work with, and motivate it’s not so much fun. Isolated, she gritted her teeth and made the best of a bad day, holding 3rd overall till late in the road section when a recurrence of some vision issues forced her to cruise to the finish a disappointing 4th. Frustrated, gutted, but with a solid 160km in the training bank to be withdrawn later, hopefully with interest.
I on the other hand blew spectacularly with a bit of a death or glory approach. It was a pretty slow trip for the first 40min while all the hitters watched each other, or more likely watched Richard Ussher. Carl Jones made the first attempt to split it up as we hit the first real climb, and feeling surprisingly strong early on I followed Carls example and kept the pressure on. We soon went clear and set about extending the lead. We worked really well and I was happy to match his pace. The danger was Carl was a team rider, I was on my own. I was committed so we pressed on.
Carl distanced me on the final climb, but still I started the Road ride with almost 3min on the chasers (teams and solo’s), and set about my best impression of a Time Triallist with “only” 90km to go. It was tough knowing that some would be working together as team and individual riders shared the load in the chase. It worked for 70km till a strong Scott Thorne (also on his own working solo) caught me.
We tried to work together and he was very patient, but with about 12-13km to go my lights went out. I lost 5min in that last period, and even got caught for 2nd with about 800m left. Ah well. 3rd it was. It was a bold strategy, and I was off the front for ¾ of the race. Didn’t work, but I won’t die wondering. The positive is that I was good for 4hrs... much longer than any race I have coming up in the immediate future. Silver linings....?!
The concept sounds simple enough. Do the MTB leg of the Motu Challenge, then hop onto the road bikes and blast back to Opotiki. Easy enough, except the MTB is 65km of gravel, long climbs, and often nastily wet/cold conditions. The road bike undulates, slaps you in the face with a stiff headwind, and depending on your race smarts and/or luck my leave you solo TT’ing for 90km+. Not easy.
Certainly so early in our season we thought we would get a good hard workout. We were confident we were fit. Speed and speed endurance had a question mark hanging over it.
Nic’s race was a bit of a character builder. Motu’s first 20-25km is generally a bunch ride till it hits the first real climb... so when she punctured just 10km in and watched the free ride disappear into the gloom she was in for a long day. Without the group to work with, and motivate it’s not so much fun. Isolated, she gritted her teeth and made the best of a bad day, holding 3rd overall till late in the road section when a recurrence of some vision issues forced her to cruise to the finish a disappointing 4th. Frustrated, gutted, but with a solid 160km in the training bank to be withdrawn later, hopefully with interest.
I on the other hand blew spectacularly with a bit of a death or glory approach. It was a pretty slow trip for the first 40min while all the hitters watched each other, or more likely watched Richard Ussher. Carl Jones made the first attempt to split it up as we hit the first real climb, and feeling surprisingly strong early on I followed Carls example and kept the pressure on. We soon went clear and set about extending the lead. We worked really well and I was happy to match his pace. The danger was Carl was a team rider, I was on my own. I was committed so we pressed on.
Carl distanced me on the final climb, but still I started the Road ride with almost 3min on the chasers (teams and solo’s), and set about my best impression of a Time Triallist with “only” 90km to go. It was tough knowing that some would be working together as team and individual riders shared the load in the chase. It worked for 70km till a strong Scott Thorne (also on his own working solo) caught me.
We tried to work together and he was very patient, but with about 12-13km to go my lights went out. I lost 5min in that last period, and even got caught for 2nd with about 800m left. Ah well. 3rd it was. It was a bold strategy, and I was off the front for ¾ of the race. Didn’t work, but I won’t die wondering. The positive is that I was good for 4hrs... much longer than any race I have coming up in the immediate future. Silver linings....?!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Pukeora Adventure Races
A fun few days down in Hawkes Bay over the weekend, as we lined up for the Pukeora MTB "Adventure Races". A pretty cool concept that saw both XC and DH events, along with a unique Sprint/Jumps Time trial event. Something for everyone, a low pressure environment, and lots of mixing between the disciplines came together for a really enjoyable concept.
The event was put on by the Senior PE class from Central Hawkes Bay College as part of their NCEA course work. Led by their enthusiatic teacher Jamie Welch it really mad ethe vent attractive to us as something we wanted to support. Fantastic initiative and exciting for the future. Last time I was invovled with CHB College in a sporting sense was about 15yrs ago in a 1st XV Rugby Match. I came away with a gashed knee and a broken nose so was hoping for better this time.
The DH was first on the Menu for us, and it had some really fun stuff. Nice jumps, some sweet berm sections, roots, and a random rock garden. Thankfully for us plenty of pedalling meant it was quite Super D like, which was good as we were on our XC hardtails. Nic had one practice before posting a race run time. Not too shabby she was only 3-4 sec off Madeline Taylor. I had the benefit of two looks at the course before deciding to lay down one solid run before the XC. It wasn't too bad, and I even made a last sec decision to hit the stepdown. I took the chicken line at the last drop/huck thinking I'd preserve my bike. Time was good enough for 2nd just 1sec behind the winner. Solid.
Sprint/Jump course was mean. Just over a minute of full noise TT with a Moto start gate, step up and down gap jump options, Dh, bridges, and uphill. I went safety and missed the gaps, thinking I'd come back later for a 2nd crack (I didn't), but was still 5th overall and 3rd senior. Mean. Nic cracked out the best ladies time, and and so nearly beat Gav as well.
The XC? Hard. We'd never rideen Pukeora before but what we were met with were awesomely flowing trails, and zero flat. 5 x 7.5km laps was gonna hurt, and it did. Matt Waghorn, and Fiona McDermid laid the smackdown on us during the first lap of our respective races as we struggled to get out of 3rd gear. I slowly started to pressure Matt mid race before he gapped it late. Still some encouraging signs for both of us early in our build up. 2nds for both of us, but enough points for the overall King/Queen of the Mtn titles for the day. Mean.
If you haven't ridden there, Pukeora showcases some fantastic trail construction. Really fun and flowing... but there are a few steep pinches!
Nic's first XC MTB race in over 10mths. Bit of a shock to the system, but nice to be back amongst it and see how the body responded. Tough to back up just 6 days after the 11hrs of Spring Challenge Adventure race, but a good platform to build from for the season.
The finish, and not sure what this face says...? Either happy to be done, or "geez, I have a bit to work on". Probably both.
Next up, the Motu 160 this weekend. Consequently lots of resting and very little training this week. Thanks CHB College for an awesome day. See you next year.
The event was put on by the Senior PE class from Central Hawkes Bay College as part of their NCEA course work. Led by their enthusiatic teacher Jamie Welch it really mad ethe vent attractive to us as something we wanted to support. Fantastic initiative and exciting for the future. Last time I was invovled with CHB College in a sporting sense was about 15yrs ago in a 1st XV Rugby Match. I came away with a gashed knee and a broken nose so was hoping for better this time.
The DH was first on the Menu for us, and it had some really fun stuff. Nice jumps, some sweet berm sections, roots, and a random rock garden. Thankfully for us plenty of pedalling meant it was quite Super D like, which was good as we were on our XC hardtails. Nic had one practice before posting a race run time. Not too shabby she was only 3-4 sec off Madeline Taylor. I had the benefit of two looks at the course before deciding to lay down one solid run before the XC. It wasn't too bad, and I even made a last sec decision to hit the stepdown. I took the chicken line at the last drop/huck thinking I'd preserve my bike. Time was good enough for 2nd just 1sec behind the winner. Solid.
Sprint/Jump course was mean. Just over a minute of full noise TT with a Moto start gate, step up and down gap jump options, Dh, bridges, and uphill. I went safety and missed the gaps, thinking I'd come back later for a 2nd crack (I didn't), but was still 5th overall and 3rd senior. Mean. Nic cracked out the best ladies time, and and so nearly beat Gav as well.
The XC? Hard. We'd never rideen Pukeora before but what we were met with were awesomely flowing trails, and zero flat. 5 x 7.5km laps was gonna hurt, and it did. Matt Waghorn, and Fiona McDermid laid the smackdown on us during the first lap of our respective races as we struggled to get out of 3rd gear. I slowly started to pressure Matt mid race before he gapped it late. Still some encouraging signs for both of us early in our build up. 2nds for both of us, but enough points for the overall King/Queen of the Mtn titles for the day. Mean.
If you haven't ridden there, Pukeora showcases some fantastic trail construction. Really fun and flowing... but there are a few steep pinches!
Nic's first XC MTB race in over 10mths. Bit of a shock to the system, but nice to be back amongst it and see how the body responded. Tough to back up just 6 days after the 11hrs of Spring Challenge Adventure race, but a good platform to build from for the season.
The finish, and not sure what this face says...? Either happy to be done, or "geez, I have a bit to work on". Probably both.
Next up, the Motu 160 this weekend. Consequently lots of resting and very little training this week. Thanks CHB College for an awesome day. See you next year.
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