Whakapapa on Mount Ruapehu - great fun and stunning views

our stunning mountains

This was almost 3 weeks ago on the way to the mountain for a day of skiing. It was great fun but it needed a bit more snow. Unfortunately there is less snow there now rather then more. 

Hopefully we will get to enjoy some more great days up Mount Ruapehu soon. Can't wait!

I am off for a run in the rain instead.

3 D Rotorua

what a fantastic event! 

it was extremely well organised, with stunning & challenging courses and a great atmosphere! 

an event to put on the list if it's not already on there!

i didn't do the main event which is the premier multisport title race, but instead the Duathlon event of the 3D Rotorua Off-Road Winter Multisport Festival. i have not yet learnt how to paddle so had to opt for the mtb & run event. but nevertheless i has a fantastic time doing the event.

the great thing was that the duathletes lined up with the mountain bikers and so we got to do the mtb race as if we 'only' did that distance but instead we then kept going by foot to cover the next 12km, up some hurtful stairs and weaving through stunning redwoods walking trails. 

i wasn't really in race mode before the event or on the start line but fortunately i got into it as soon as the gun went off, i couldn't just let the others ride away from me ;)

the field spread out pretty quickly so we had enough room to enjoy the riding. the race course started with a grassy climb along Tarawera road up to the water tank before heading into the main mountain bike trail network via Lynmore link. i had a great time racing a couple of other riders, we kept swapping positions due to being faster on the climbs or faster through the single trails which made for some good racing. we were pushing each other on throughout the course. i had no idea if they were doing the duathlon just like me or if their race finished at the transition zone, to be honest i really didn't care i just wanted to win the battle that was going on right there and then and i would focus on the run when i got to it, plus i did not want to think about the run as i was not sure how the legs would cope with it after the ride. i was pretty happy to get to the transition zone first and completely forgot that i was meant to quickly change into my running shoes, instead i was taking my time ... wasting quite a bit of time, oh well...

the run was a 2 lap course with a nice (painful) uphill section in the first part of the loop, my pace was a slow shuffle all the way up to the top and didn't get any faster the second time up, despite my wishful thinking that the legs would warm into it. i was glad that i at least managed to stretch the legs a bit on the downhill and flatter sections so it felt more like a run again.

i had a great fun day out there and was pleased to finish as first women and 6 overall in the duathlon. 

i would recommend the 3D Rotorua Festival to anyone no matter what event you would like to do and there are many!!! to choose from!


PS: i went to check out the half marathon course on Monday and it was so much fun that i had to do it again today. this is a proper off road course through the bush and the redwoods on a mix of walking tracks, some wider and smooth and others tighter with roots to keep you on your toes, it will keep you honest and will be very rewarding to do. unlike other so called 'off road' running courses where you end up running on gravel roads for most of the course. so if you like running or walking off road and don't want to mountain bike then the Half Marathon Run or Walk is certainly a very good option for you.  

xterra new zealand 2012

on the podium with Elizabeth Orchard (3rd) and Jacqui Slack (winner)

a bit of cross training on skies on the snow just 3 weeks before the event was probably not the ideal lead up for xterra but it was great for the mind and so much fun! we had the best conditions we could wish with new snow falling almost every day or night making for a perfect playground and any skiers dream :)

i did do some swimming before the race this year, which was a good start but it wasn't really enough as i only started in February. unfortunately swimming is such a technique sport that it will take me more then just a couple of month to make some improvements, oh well there is hope for next year.
so like last year i was last out of the water in the pro field, together with Sonia. it's slightly daunting when you find your bike is one of the only ones left in the transition zone, it's also an effective wake up call to start catching up.

i didn't have the best race on saturday, i didn't seem to be able to push as hard as i would have liked to which was frustrating especially since i had so many people supporting me and i wanted to do well for them too. it was only on my last running lap that i felt i was able to push a good pace,  it felt good to finally go fast. it was just a bit late in the race to make much improvement but managed to run up to 2nd place, passing Susie Wood towards the end of the 1st lap and Nic Leary on the 2nd lap. there was never any chance that i was going to catch up to the leader Jacqui Slack who was 7min or so faster out of the water and won the event with a comfortable lead of 5min, awesome job!
Nic Leary got 4th and Susie Wood 5th, nice work.

thanks everyone for a fantastic race!

Yay i got 2nd at Xterra Rotorua!

just a quick note that i managed to improve my last xterra performance and i got 2nd to Jacqui Slack from GBR and Elizabeth Orchard got 3rd. i am well stocked with this result :)

Rotorua cycle-way

i went for a great road ride a couple of days ago. i love heading out on the road bike but i don't like busy roads and i like some nice scenery to look at, yes i know i am not that easy to please! lucky for me there are places close by where i find all this! so i headed out towards Waikiti to scope out a new loop, i find it  exciting to ride new routs as you never know what you will see and the landscape is just stunning around there with rolling hill, lakes, cliffs, boulders and some cool houses. 

my legs were not feeling that fresh to start off with so the first few hills where a bit hard going but i the legs slowly warmed up. i was expecting to get some rain but instead i got sunshine which was such a great surprise! there were some big thunderclouds building up looking like the weather could change any minute but i just got to admire them rather then feel the effect of them, very cool and lucky! 

to finish my ride i decided to check out a part of the new cycle way called Te Ara O Ahi (the pathway of fire)  that goes from Rotorua to Orakei Korako. the part i was doing follows state highway 5 from Waipa Rotorua (mountain bike car park) towards Taupo ending at Tumunui road. i was going to ride it the other way so i headed up Tumunui rd which is a killer on a good day as there seems to be climb after climb after climb but it is even more testing when you have tired legs and on top of that some lovely headwind! yeah i loved it! hm maybe not quite but it feels good once i made it out the other side. from there i jumped on the new cycle way and this one took me all the way back to Rotorua without having to fight the cars and you could even stop for a picnic if you were so inclines, awesome!

Te Ara Ahi cyclists 'rest area'. photo & bike Dave Donaldson

so a great road ride: stunning scenery, sunshine and hardly no cars, can't ask for more really!

frozen lakes, not in Rotorua

i thought i share these images on here, even though they are of random people and are not from where i live these days but they are from where i grew up and it reminds me of how much fun you can have in the cold.

this is what happens when it has been very cold for some time (it has been minus 15 to minus 10 in Zurich lately!) so the lakes freeze over and people can play on them.

 keen cyclists??

party time, why not bring your furniture out on to the lake for the occasion?

Lake Zurich, Rapperswil

long weekend...

and the trails are dusty and mint so there was nothing to stop us from riding them over and over again and making the most of our long weekend! but how could we not aye? and there is no excuse with the forest full of trails right next to us.
every so often i have to pinch myself to make sure i am not dreaming as we are just so lucky to be living here in Rotorua next to this very large forest covered with wicked trails!
it's funny we have so many options but then we still then to ride some trails quite a lot more then others and a few we ride pretty much every ride, but then some other trails we forget they even exist . but everyone is always going to have favourites no matter the number of trails there are. we have been mixing it up a little more again lately and it's nice to ride some different trails again, it's like you are riding in a different place.
and i also had a few rides down the rock garden, which is probably the key feature of the Oceania cross country course in March. it's a nice little challenge to ride down it for the first time, it gets your heart pumping a bit quicker, which is quite nice.
below is what it looks like but it doesn't quite do it justice.

February 2012

i cannot believe it's February already! i guess part of it is because it doesn't feel like it. we are half way through summer and i have only just been for my first swim! and this isn't because i don't like going for a refreshing dip, it just hasn't been hot enough, or maybe i am just a bit soft.
the weather has been good lately which is so nice after we had a few too many days of rain leading into summer. the trails are in great condition where they are getting nice and dry and a little slidey on top. it will be getting to the point soon  (but maybe i am just too hopeful) where you will either need to stick really closely to the wheel in front or keep quite a distance, anything in between and you will be in a cloud of dust and won't be able to see where you are going. it is actually good fun!

we have been meaning to go back to our 'dear old friend' the Moerangi track for a while but the weather let us hang for quite some time so it was only the other weekend that we finally made it there. it was great to be back there surrounded by this stunning bush and wild life. the trail was unfortunately quite overgrown so it made it a little hard to ride in places. DoC promised us to get it cleared, so i will be back there soon, maybe even for a double crossing.

there is a new trail up in the native section at the top of Tawa rd, it's called Te Tihi o Tawa, a fantastic trail in magnificent bush leading back into Billy T. a must ride! :)

and... big Congratulations to Dirk Peters, Karen Hanlen and Anton Cooper for winning their individual XC National Championship Titels