Moonride 2010

Only the best bikes for us! This bike did only do the last tent village "victory" loop

After a 3yr absence I once again lined up at the Moonride. Filling in ambassador duties for our awesome sponsors at Balance, we fronted up for 12hr duty as Team Balance Elite. I was given a bit of stick for not taking on the 24hr but I've spent enough sleepless nights in that paddock that when you own a house in Rotorua your bed is a little more attractive. And besides, after 5 24hr wins in years gone by we were keen for the sligtly higher speed challenge of the 12hr.

Being only 12 hours we figured we'd only need 4 riders (Myself, Scott Thorne, Brendan Sharrett, and Dave Sharpe). We hid behind the excuse of being multisport athletes as we've all been running a bit recently. And 3 of us were also on those "slow and not suited for XC 29er bikes". Turned out we didn't need excuses as our experience (should that be age?) showed through in the end. The Rotorua XC Development team pushed us very hard for the first 6-7 hours before we edged away to an evetually comfy win. Our 2lap stints at 90% proving a smarter strategy of 100% one lap sprints of our rivals.

Big thanks to my team mates who showed great speed and consistency. Especially Mono who failed dismally in his attempt to sand bag and slow us down. Thanks to Keryn for her impromteau management. Balance for the nutrition products. And Steve for the sweet Supersprint 20" BMX I rode for the last 1km to the finish.

The revised Moonride course was fast. Very fast. Like 27-28km/hr average speed for a hot lap. Perfect 29er territory, so lucky for us thats what 3/4 of the team were on. I was pretty stoked with the performance of my Cannondale Flash 29er.... but then again it would be pretty hard not to be.

First time through the event village on the start lap. After consultation with others it was decided that the start of these evnts is taken far too seriously by many. So the infamous beige Skinsuit was taken out of the mothballs with a lovely pair of compression socks to top off the look. Seemed to work. The fastest lap of the race follwed. Perhaps the embarassment of wearing such a suit forcing the pace so I could get out of it as soon as possible?

I'd say we were slick with team work.... but I'd be lying. Not exactly F1 styles going on here. Thanks to Keryn for deciding to take on Team Manager duties after the race start when it became clear how well organised we weren't. Our sweet wee ezi-up setup must have looked enticing. One gentlemen ran a little wide on the corner and decided to come have a lie down in our foodbox in the middle of our tent. He could have just asked for a feed?!

Mr Thorne hammering on my other bike. He took to the 29" concept pretty quickly. Not sure how smart that was of me.... he now realises my advantage. Thorne, Whaka 100, 29er? Scary.

Houffalize, Belgium!

It is Wednesday and my legs are still a bit toast from the race at Houffalize Sunday, even after a couple of easy days...tough race! You will see in the photographs my face screwed up enduring the hurtbox throughout. But really, it was a pleasure to race at Houffalize - I loved it! There is something about mud, carnage & pain for almost 2hours that is strangely euphoric. At the finish I had no clue what place I had come, and I wasn't really in a hurry to find out. I had raced hard, I was tired, I was muddy & I was happy.

Looking real happy here!

Turns out I was 44th. Last week I was 40th but this week felt better. Sure I can identify costly mistakes, moments of impatience and again I struggled off the start line against the bigger more powerful girls. But given the deeper field (+30?) & more testing race conditions I applied myself better and managed to move through the field throughout the race.

Believe it or not, my fastest lap was my last lap. I think this is an indication of the trouble you run into on the first lap with 120 riders in single track, the more powerful but less technically competent riders dismounting preferring to run a slippery descent and hence you are forced to follow suit. I wanted to get out of the aforementioned trouble with a more aggressive start (which I did this week) but I took a tumble through the tape in the single track of the start loop as I was too eager in a passing manoeuvre. Razzled (& very shitty) I continued to make errors that inevitably cost me a position or three. The good thing is, that so long as I address these few things I learn in each race I will go better in the next one, right?!

...and here! Trying to recover a little before a steep pitch that was a bit too much for me in my smallest gear (XX groupset). It was fine in the dry during practice...lesson learnt.

Aller! aller! aller! Pushing hard and trying to go straight.

I had been intrigued by this place called Houffalize the first time I heard of it. It had some sort of appeal to have raced there & be able to refer to it. I guess it has that effect. I laughed to myself when I drove into the village, it has one road through it & a central roundabout - the race village is the village proper & it was bursting with fans, families, riders & team personnel from Thursday. Despite the rain on Sunday, the support of the spectators & race atmosphere was fantastic. They are passionate people alright!

I have a weekend free of racing to fit in a bit of a training block this week & next. My next race is a German national series race in Heubach ('Bike the Rock') May 15th followed up with the XCO WC #3 at Offenburg May 23rd. Looking forward to lining up there. So without further ado, I am going to test the legs with a ride in the countryside. Thanks for reading, more news soon...

Ou Revoir! (I am learning some French too)

PS: Cheers to Jarrod for the photo's above & the rest of the Australian group for having me stay & the race support provided. Much appreciated!

The t42

Every cloud has a silver lining so they say... and for me, while a dirty big volcano in Iceland curtailed my plans to support Nic in europe, it did mean I was able to partake in the innagural running of the t42. Both running and MTB events racing through the iconic 42 traverse.

Glad I did. It was a fantastic event. 250 fellow MTB'ers, and about the same number of runners agreed. Well run. Beautiful setting. The owhango community really got behind it. And a great after match meal and party at the Park travellers lodge in National Park. Awesome.

As you might expect, while I like running, an off-road marathon doesn't really appeal, so MTB it was. It proved to be a great decision as I enjoyed a fantastic weekend at National Park, met some cool people, had a great ride, and even managed to take a win. I eventually stopped the clock at 1hr47 for the 45km (ish) ride, after having to double back after riding down the runners finishing chute. Thats alright, it'll make beating the record easier in future. I think 1hr40 is the magic target for future.

Somewhat embarrisingly I have never ridden the 42 traverse. I am pleased to report it is awesome to race. No its not technical.... but you try dealing with slippery rutted papa at 40km/hr plus downhill an a hardtail XC bike. It's only as hard as you make it. Seemed I tried to make it pretty tough on myself. A couple of off track excursions into the shrubbery ensued but nothing major and just added to the entertainment factor.

Early in the race I'd pushed pretty hard to get clear. Thomas Reynolds semmed pretty determined and was pushing hard. I'd been told he hadn't been riding much just running a lot. Which scared me as I know how well I ride when I'm in running form. So not keen to hang around I pinned it on the first descent and just TT'd the rest of the way in fear.

After Henner's on the sweep moto (an sweet ag 125) got stuck on a climb and left me on my own I backed off a little. While I reckon the Lefty fork is pretty stiff I wasn't keen to test its frontal impact strength on anything coming the other way, so a got a little cautious on the descents. I climbed strong though and the steady gradienst of the 42 meant I never got out of bigring (which is a 40 tooth on my bike).... this is probably why I won.

Thomas kept pushing himself along and crossed the line 2nd about 4min back. Shame for him he was part of team Vitasport. I'm sure if he was using Balance caffienated drink like myself he would've been closer. 3rd and 4th were Board Sailor extraodinaire JP Tobin, followed by yachting guru Carl Evans. I'm really liking the cross-over into MTB by all sorts of top performing sportspeople. Shows how cool our sport us. Maybe also shows us we should open our eyes to some alternative cross training?

So I went home via Wanganui and picked up Nic's Multisport Kayak. Went to Blue Lake this morning to give it a nudge. Only fell out twice. Damn that lake is cold without a wetsuit.....

World Cup XC Yorkshire...

Apologies for the late update from Sundáy's race, I have been on the move negotiating my way down through England & then from Frankfurt (GER) to Belgium adjusting to the right hand side of the road & that 130kmph is actually quite slow! As most of you are aware, we had planned for Cabin to be accompanying me for these initial stages but Iceland erupted & I am relfing it big time over here...yes Cabin I sure do appreciate you! With Cabin were my race wheels & tyres, so you could say that last week was a little hectic leading into my first race up at Dalby Forest, Yorkshire. It was World Cup XCO #1 and after an encouraging domestic season in NZ I really wanted to hit the ground running & pull off a stellar result.

What would have been a stellar result? To be honest I did not know but thought that the least I would be satisfied would be top-40, and I was 40th. I was aware that coming to race in Europe the field would be deeper than in Quebec last year, but I underestimated the congestion that occurred in the start-loop and that cost me. I had a dismal start as myself & the girl in front failed to clip in and then proceeded to get tangled up in a couple of off-the bike moments in the start-loop. Consequently early on I was fighting just to get back to the start position I had had. The first lap was agitatingly slow as I tried to gain some track position, laps 4& 5 were my best but the finish came too soon. This weekend I need to start on time! Rosara smoked up from the back of the grid to pass me in the first 50m to finish a credible 25th place in her first race back. Nice!

So I will be looking for an improvement when I line up at Houffalize this Sunday. I might be being unreasonable, but I know that Dalby wasn't my best work. It was good to blow out the cobwebs following travel, disruptions & the bit of extra stress that presented, but I will be looking for a more complete performance come Sunday.

For the record Yorkshire was a great place to visit. The quaint wee town of Pickering was the gateway to Dalby Forest, and where I was warmly accomodated by Amanda & Mike Hawtin of Eleven Westgate B&B. They also own the local Big Bear Active Bike shop & operate guided MTB tours of Dalby & the surrounding Moors range - you'd almost think Cabin planned to leave me with the perfect hosts?! They were fantastic to say the least, and I certainly hope that the World Cup round remains in Dalby so I can return! The course was especially spectator friendly with several drops, A/B lines & fast bermed sections. It was great to have plenty of enthusiastic support course side on Sunday - Amanda & the children (Ethan & Emily) + fellow guests Tim & Sue & Ian - truly awesome, thank-you!

Tomorrow I will spend a bit of time on the Houffalize course ahead of Sunday. Hopefully there is a big hill 10m wide at the start! Will keep you posted, it is certainly great to be here... Ciao! nic :)

XTERRA Championship repeat (updated)

Back to back.... MTB form equals good XTERRA form

Crap swim, Great ride, strong run = 2nd = happy
Credit to Monique Avery who put up a real fight to eventually finish 2nd.
Excellent choice of shirt by Super spectator Mike (in background)

Nic's report

I added another wee feather in my cap for the summer successfully defending my XTERRA NZ title at Blue Lake on Saturday. It was a hugely satisfying to have the #1 plate and race to the win off very limited triathlon preparation. It goes to show that as an individual sport mountain biking requires a high level of general body fitness, which, according to Jack Lovelock is key. He reckoned that ‘for any part of the body to function efficiently the whole body must be mentally and physically fit’. Sure, I didn’t have the specialized event fitness, but the foundation was good.

I had been agonizing over whether I race or not for several weeks. I reckoned that as the current champ I was obliged to line up and defend it. However I had made it clear that my focus is purely on XCO mountain biking, and as I leave for a race block in Europe so soon after XTERRA I did not want to detract from my MTB form at such an important time.

Turns out I couldn’t resist. After a brick session and a set of run intervals the weekend prior I knew that I could be competitive. Cabin was awesome, as he manipulated only the last week of training and managed to maintain the physiological objectives of each session for the MTB.

I was quietly excited about the race and the challenge I would have on my hands. I had a simple strategy - survive the swim, smash the MTB (get to the front of the race) and run smart. The swim was it’s usual carnage, and then some. I swallowed a heap of water and kidded to myself that hydration is good. I was pleased to touch the sand and arrive in transition to where my Avanti Competitor was waiting patiently for me. I felt a bit rubbish as I belched and burped my way up the tar-seal and I hoped the swim hadn’t knocked too much wind out of my sails. Soon after hitting the forest my legs came right and I was moving well through the traffic.

Monique Avery was charging at the front and I finally caught her heading up Moerangi Rd. As I went by she hung tough and rode with me for the remainder of the MTB and into transition. 10-metres was the difference leaving transition but I quickly got into my work, got past and made a small gap along the sand. I settled in and concentrated on running efficiently at a pace that I would be able to maintain throughout. I actually enjoyed the run, particularly once I had it under control. Running the last side of the lake and up to finish platform was especially rewarding with a heap of support from spectators. I crossed < 2mins up on Monique and 5mins ahead of 2nd Elite woman Rebecca Rae & Suz Wood of Nelson was 3rd. It was great to have Monique right up there putting the pressure on, she had a good strong race and will no doubt be a strong contender to defend her age-group title at Maui.

Thank-you all for the amazing support; AVANTI, BALANCE NUTRITION, 2XU, NATURE VALLEY, NEW BALANCE, SMITH OPTICS, N-DURO EVENTS. I have enjoyed a busy but successful summer bagging the National & Oceania MTB titles and XTERRA too. Your input has certainly been instrumental, thank-you. I am looking forward to Europe where the challenges only get bigger, but so do the rewards. Will keep you posted. Cheers, nic!

... And Cabin's account

2nd again, and my 4th straight XTERRA NZ podium. I'd be frustrated, except that I put together a strong race, used everything I had on the day, did all I could, and was only beaten by a complete performance by Scott Thorne.

My swim was a little dissapointing. I've been struggling for speed, and felt I was coming right. However I dealt with the carnage of what was a rough swim poorly. Shuffling back through the pack after a great start to eventually emerge 2min45 down on front, and crucially 1min30 behind Scott. I should probably be happy I emerged at all, as the IRB made 3 rescues for a broken arm, concussion, and broken collarbone respectively!

Onto the bike and I really was charging. Despite a few slight delays in trying to pass slower riders who refused to give room (why? I never understand. Why wouldn't you let the faster rider go and follow? You might learn something.), I got through the field pretty quick. Legs were great and I pushed hard. So much so that I decided to have a wee lie down on the road at the top of chesnut link for a rest. Not too much damage down and I emerged off the bike just 30sec down on Scott.

We later realised how hard we'd gone when we saw splits. I had the fastest split at 1:14. Other than Scott (@ 1:14:55) and 1:16 something from Junior MTB star Sam Shaw, the next fastest split barely broke 1:20!

With Scott in my sights I set off hard on the run, cutting the lead to 15sec after 1km. I then realised it was a bit too hard and immediately started to crumble as cramp set in. Scott was strong and increased his lead to 1min with one 5.5km lap to run. Focussing on efficient technique I pushed as hard as I could throughout the closing kilometres, but it was all I could do to hold the gap. Crossing the line 2nd, and just 59sec down.

Scott deserved it. He worked hard, and the only downer was Richard Usshers absence. Scott put such a complete race together I suspect he could have beaten pretty much anyone on Saturday. Between us I think we proved this really is an event that requires special skills, strength and determination. No longer can a strong road triathlete expect to turn up and lead the way. If anything, it proves just how good Hamish Carter was as an athlete.

Next up for me? rest, ice cream, and I'd better go looking for a Dirtbike.

The 29er's keep getting faster

Some eye candy for 29er fans out there. May I present the latest edition to the Cabin Racing stable. I've been through a few iterations of 29ers now, and quite honestly they keep getting better. Pictured ready to go for XTERRA this weekend its weighing in (as pictured with pedals and tube taped to the seatpost) at a massive.... 9.1kg!

No its not skittery and sketchy to ride. Its actually one of the best descending XC bikes I've had the pleasure of riding. Might be the lefty? Might be the geometry? Either way it rides sweet. Even kept pace ok with his royal radness Ross Schnell on his remedy (maybe he was just being nice?).

For standard spec you can have a look here But I have made a few mods. Threw on an FSA carbon crankset (27/40) and a XX fr derailleur (modified with an angle grinder to accomodate the rings). Switched to grip shift. Put my Stans Race 29er rear wheel in. 12-26 road cassette (closer ratios), and istalled some favourite Bontrager tyres. Good to go. Its quick.... I just hope my legs/lungs can do it justice.

So its been a bit of a flurry of media activity for Nic in the wake of Oceania's. Latest (and perhaps coolest from a cyclists perspective) is that she made it onto cyclingnews.com

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/new-oceania-champion-nic-leary-looking-forward-to-european-debut

There's a few more features in various publications lined up. Meanwhile I have to make do with this piece from Dunedin TV

http://www.ch9.co.nz/content/dunedin-mountain-biking-facilities-becoming-world-class