Huka XL 2010 - yay, i made it three in a row

what a day! i got up at 4.30 am to be in Taupo for the 7 am race start , not quite my preferred waking time but it had to be done. to be honest it was great to start early as at least for the first part of the race it was still cool, as it got rather hot later on and with more and more trees missing along the trails there are unfortunately less shady sections around too. luckily i was well hydrated thanks to Elete tablets that i took the days before the race and Elete drops while racing, so i only needed 2 litres of water for my 4 hours and 20 minutes of racing over the 82 + km course. Elete rocks!

previously we started through the same start gate as the roadies and therefore started just after the main race but this time we had our own start gate right next to the main one on the other side of the road. with this set-up they could start the round Taupo Cyclechallenge and the Huka XL both at the same time. the roadies had one side of the road and the mountain bikers the other, racing alongside each other separated by just the traffic island. it was an awesome feeling to be gunning it out at the same time, despite the fact that us mountain bikers on our fat tires had no show to keep up with the roadies.

the race starts off with this nice steep climb out of Taupo so you have to be ready for the pain right away as there is no time for a good warm up as everyone lines up as soon as they get to the start, so you either going to be hot on the start-line but have to start at the back or you are starting off with cold legs. most riders opt for the better starting position so did i. my plan was to try and get into a good position in the field right from the start. the course takes you into single trail very early on which makes it harder to pass other riders so you can easily find yourself in a place where you lose contact with your competition and that's not a good position to be in. i attacked from the start line trying to keep up a good pace for as long as my legs could cope with it, starting off cold makes this a lot harder. i couldn't see the other girls other then Karen Hanlen who snuck in front of me towards the top of the start climb. i rode behind her for a short while before i decided that i was better off getting to the front, i put in another effort and scored myself a more suitable spot in the field. i was sure Karen would try to stay on my wheel. i know that she is very strong and fit and doesn't mind pushing her body hard so i was sure she was not just going to let me go. another rider i knew was going to give it a good shot is Nic Leary, i didn't see her after the gun went off so was pretty sure she was behind me but you never know how close the other riders are as you cannot see them behind you. it's good to know that someone is chasing you as there is more reason to push ahead, especially on a course like this where you constantly have to work hard to keep momentum as the trails are so windy and tight and the surface is often loose. i was riding by myself for a while and then i caught up to some rider and rode with them for a bit before being alone again, it was nice to have some space and enjoy riding the trails while trying not to ease off.  i was wearing my brand new Louis Garneau womens bibs for the first time and i was so stoked i did as they are super comfortable and made my ride so much more enjoyable, it was not a bad thing to be thinking about while i was racing. 

i unfortunately made a stupid mistake and came off my bike, landing on the very same spots of my body that i had injured only just 2 weeks earlier (i do need to work on my riding skills!). this was about 55km into the race. luckily i didn't injure myself too badly and my sturdy and reliable bike got away without any damage i just had to turn the handle bars/front wheel back 90 degrees. so i kept pushing ahead trying not to let the other girls catch me, cursing myself for making silly mistakes and wasting time. 

my body was feeling pretty good all through the race, i kept getting rather sore legs but that's to expect when you are racing and is fine to deal with if your legs manage to recover a bit in between. it's also a sign that you are pushing hard and it's therefore good reassurance. 

it was good to have done the race before because i was ready for climbs that keep popping up and  i kept a bit of reserve for the last bit of testing single trail right in Taupo with its pinchy climbs that sucked the last juice out of my already screaming legs. it was not until i was almost at the finish line that i was fully confident i had the win in the bag. it was a great feeling to role over the finish line and to keep the title for the 3rd year in a row.

many thanks to everyone involved in making this great event happen, to everyone cheering me on and to the other competitors for making it a hard race :)

if you have not done this event and like mountain biking then make sure to do it next year,  you can also do it in a team. 

Photo by Nick Lambert

how stunning is this view!?! almost makes you want to ride around the lake on a road bike instead of doing the Huka! hm... no, still not quite ;)
i have been trying to convince Gaz (Gary Sullivan rider in black in the pic) to do the Huka at least for once instead of doing the road race year after year, but he's very stubborn and does not want to have more fun. maybe one day i will be able to talk some sense into him :)

i am in the nz herald, pretty stocked - other then the pic!

Cycling: Determined favourite puts aside setbacks

By Peter Thornton

5:30 AM Saturday Nov 27, 2010

Defending champion Annika Smail's training has been interrupted by sickness and injury. Photo / APN

Local rider Annika Smail has had a nightmare buildup to today's Contact Huka XL MTB Race but she is not making excuses as she looks to defend her title.

Smail, who this year competed in the MTB Marathon World Champs in Switzerland, is regarded as the favourite but her preparation has had some setbacks.

She was sick and forced to take a break from training - she later flipped off her bike and escaped without any broken bones but lost some skin and suffered a minor injury to the AC joint in her shoulder.

"I have had a few setbacks in my lead-up to the race but I should be ready by the time the race day comes round," said Smail, 33.

"Challenges can make you even more determined to get to where you want to go, so I should be OK."

Smail, who successfully defended her title in the Mizuno Off Road Half Marathon in September, believes her greatest competition will come from familiar faces Nic Leary and Karen Hanlen: "Nic and I always seem to have a good battle and haven't raced each other since last summer.

"I have only raced Karen in running events so it will make it interesting. And you never know who else shows up, so it's best to be ready for anyone."

The men's defending champion, Stuart Houltham, also returns to defend his title.

His leading challengers for the men's crown are expected to be Mark Leishman and Richard Anderson.

Smail, a Swiss-born Kiwi, enjoys the atmosphere and views of the mountain-biking race and regards it as one of the most demanding she has competed on in New Zealand.

"It is mostly single trail and some of it being very windy with hardly any big long climbs, it means you have to work hard to keep a good speed and you have to attack the short sharp climbs.

"The last part of the course is really tough if you don't know what's coming up.

"You think you have now arrived in town and are therefore pretty much home but suddenly a new trail with short but steep up-hills appears out of the blue to make you dig a bit deeper before you get to ride to the finish."

Peter Thornton

By Peter Thornton

Copyright ©2010, APN Holdings NZ Limited

Huka XL race preview

it's just crazy how time once again just flies! it's almost December and therefore time for the Huka XL, the awesome mtb race in Taupo with oodles of single trails and a course distance of 80 plus km.

my training since getting back from overseas has been a bit different. i have done quite a bit of 'cross training', namely skiing (the type on the snow), from when i got back from summer in Europe till the end of the snow season. it has been wicked fun to hit the snow and try and carve up the slopes or even better find some fresher snow off piste and make new tracks. i call it cross training as i believe it's good for mountain bikers as there are quite a few similarities in the two sports; for example the way you turn corners and choose lines, and there are others too.

but now that summer is here i am back on my bike and am really enjoying riding the awesome trails here on my doorstep or doing the odd away ride with a bunch of friends, it has been good to have some time off the bike as otherwise i get over it or at least don't appreciate it as much anymore, so it has freshened me up ;)

it has been a long time since my last race and it will be good to get back into it. i am looking forward to the challenge of this race, it's always interesting as you just don't know who shows up and in what condition everyone is. but what i do know is that it is a tough race course and it's also great fun.

First Moerangi ride of the season

there was talk about heading back into the Whirinaki forest for a while now; well actually the talk started before we finished our last ride through this stunning trail as we probably didn't want the ride to finish already. but winter was just around the corner and it was too wet and cold and the days too short to mission out to this super scenic ride, or we are just plain too soft :). so we decided we would get another Moerangi ride fix as soon as it was becoming warmer again, and here we are :)

on the way to Minginui; the Moerangi trail takes you through the hills in the background, yes there might be a little bit of climbing involved ;) it's all worth it though! I promise!

it's always very exciting and satisfactory to take someone on a ride they haven't done before, it's like giving someone a present, as in the perfect scenario it will put a smile, or even better a huge grin, on their face which is awesome to see. so this time we had Gisby, Maurice and Zack as our virgin riders. Fiona, Jason, Gaz, Mike, Rob and me made up the rest of the group.

our convoy is driving up to Jail House Farm Stay, nice and easy to get up in the car, it feels a little harder on the bike at the end of the ride, nice when you made it though ;)

as expected Scott from Jail House Farm Stay was already waiting for us when we drove up his steep driveway, it doesn't feel that steep in the car though. and there was also Nicole Lehnherr, a Swiss cycle tourist waiting there for us to arrive, amping to check out this amazing ride, she had ridden in from Rotorua the day before, unlike us lazy buggers who took the easy option of driving here. through the ride we were so impressed with her as she was motoring along on her slick tires and her reasonably heavy bike as if it was the perfect trail for her bike. she's only just started her 2 months travels through NZ so watch out as she'll become even fitter!

we picked the perfect day for our ride as it was stunning weather; warm and sunny with a few clouds around to prevent if from getting too hot.

i thought the forest was even more vibrant and all the plants were growing new fronts or shoots, it was so impressive that it was hard to keep your eyes on the trail. 

we all had a great ride with no major crashes or other incidences so it felt like a nice relaxing sunday ride, as it also was :)

this was on another ride through Moerangi, when Gaz decided to check out the view from the bottom of the gully as he was sick of looking down it. it was early on in the ride so Gaz was happy he had gotten his crash over and done with already and could now enjoy the rest of the ride :) that part of the track is now called Sulli's gully.

and yes our virgin riders all had a big grin on their faces and talked about coming back for more, just like the rest of us. that's what mountain biking is all about, days like this!

this is us after the ride, enjoying the sun, the super delicious fruitcake that Claire, Maurice's partner, made and went down a treat while reminiscing about our ride, and planning the next one ;)

ps: if you are wondering why there are no pics of the ride it's because the battery of my camera started to dye just when we were going to leave for the ride, perfect timing - not! oh well next time i will be better prepared ;) it might be a run rather then a ride through the trail though, just for a change.