annika smail

frozen lakes, not in Rotorua

2012-02-13T10:14:00.001+13:00

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...

2012-02-07T14:17:00.000+13:00

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

2012-02-02T09:52:00.001+13:00

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

i forgot to introduce my new bike...

2011-12-03T12:36:00.002+13:00

santa cruz trc

my new favourite!!

Shimano XT 10 speed with Fox Kashima Forks,... what else could you wish for? ah yeah of course some of those flash new wheels...

Easton EC90 carbon

it's so fast and nimble, stable and sooooo much fun!! :)

plus the new wheels are the bomb too

all thanks to Santa Cruz New Zealand and Bike Culture

so here it is my new pride and joy and new best buddy in crime.

Huka XL 2011

2011-11-28T13:21:00.001+13:00

wow what a day! i wasn't too sure if you was going to do the race as my form at the moment isn't what i would like it to be but i decided to do it anyway and see how i go as i just love this race and wouldn't really want to miss out on doing it, plus i was going to go for a ride anyway so why not in Taupo despite having to get up at 4.45am for it.
unfortunately the weather was anything but perfect for our race. the sun was out, apart from some clouds, and the temperature was nice and cool, so we were not going to roast out there on the course, but there was a rather strong wind blowing... it was all good until we got to the trails that were wiggling through rather old forest that was also fully exposed to the wind due to felling of other side of the hill side. the trees were groaning away above us and one actually came down just above three of us riding relatively close together. it's rather scary to hear that big noise of a falling tree just above you. i didn't really know what to do other then to try and not get squashed by it, but how? i was too much in shock to look up to see what direction it was going to fall to so i was just riding ahead hoping for the best. all three of us got away lucky as the tree landed between me and the guy behind me. we kept riding on half heatedly as we were in shock, i was wondering what had just happened and if it was a good idea to keep racing, realising that we could have just died. having the adrenalin pumping in a race is not uncommon but not for those reasons. for some reason i kept riding, probably because everyone else seemed to keep going so maybe it was the thing to do? and also i was not in the frame of mind to make decisions after our incident.
after a while i started getting back into the race swing and was pushing along nicely, it had taken me along time to warm up but i had expected that with my lack of form so i was pleased with how i was starting to feel as i was confident i was going to be ok for the duration of the race. every now and then, depending on where in the forest we where, i could hear some branches and also the odd tree falling, there were at least 4 that i heard fall and every time i cringed.
around 30km's in and out of the blue we got stopped at an intersection and got told that the race was being stopped, maybe we would restart in 30min but for now we would just have to wait. the area filled up rapidly with riders popping out of the trails from all directions. noone seemed too surprised or upset, disappointed of course but everyone could see that it was way to dangerous to keep going in these conditions. after a while we all rode to the main road to the chopper cafe and car park to find other groups of rides who had been stopped at different places in the forest. it was then that we all had to realise that the race really was over.
a weird day and race for everyone involved, race organisers, marshals, supporters as well as racers, i am sure we all hope it doesn't happen again and we will probably all remember this day.

'little' run through Tuhoto and Hatupatu

2011-11-23T13:28:00.000+13:00

i have just come back from a really nice run through our great local forest here in Rotorua. i decided to venture up to the top of one of the bigger hills to scope out what condition Tuhoto Ariki and Hatupatu are in. and i decided that they are in perfect condition for riding, so next time i will take my bike up there. but then again i do enjoy running up there as i have more time to admire the huge variety of native flora and i have a better chance of seeing a few of the bird that are singing their songs.

on sunday we went for a fun ride in Taupo, we did the W2K track and Kawakawa Bay. the trails were in great condition, slightly loose on top to keep you in your toes. and the views there are just stunning, we could see right across the lake to the volcanic mountains which still had some snow on them. mt ngauruhoe was half white half black, it look really cool, you could see where the sun had made an impact on the snow.
the weather was perfect for our ride, with a bit of wind to keep us cool. unfortunately we could only admire the water, we'll have to wait another little while until the lake is warm enough for a swim. a refreshing dip in the lake just makes for the perfect ending of a ride day, we had to make do with a delicious gelato instead :)

2011-10-11T11:46:00.004+13:00

ok it's been a VERY long time since i have been doing any updating... yes i do feel bad!

what have i been up to?
- hibernating like a bear?
almost spot on haha, not quite no. i have been enjoying some great skiing on Mt Ruapehu and have been throwing in a few rides on the drier days through winter so i wouldn't completely forget how to ride.

it's great to be back in summertime now, it means we are able to finish the day with a single trail ride (if it isn't pouring down, which is has been a lot lately) it must be the best way to finish a day, out in the forest watching the light change - or am i meant to watch where i am going instead?! :)
now we just need the weather to play it's part and we are away!
unfortunately it is rather wet at the moment and so is the forest and the trails. this called for some rides on my single speed, it is great fun too and there is no easy way up the hills which makes for some good training. i do admit it's not quite the same as riding my Santa Cruz TRc (what a bike!!).
i don't mind heading out for a run in this weather either. and you do get a special treat for heading out on a rainy day, you most likely get the forest all to yourself! don't get me wrong i love sharing the experience with my friends but it's pretty amazing to be the only one in this gigantic forest! (or at least it feels like no-one else is out)

ok better head out there, all this 'talking' about the forest makes me want to go there...

... more next time, who knows i might have found some sun by then?

Xterra 2011

2011-04-15T11:55:00.002+12:00

Finally I get round to posting this, it feels like months have gone by since the race but it's not quite a week yet! I had intended to post this much earlier but I haven't had the time till now to get this done. So here it is, a bit about my Xterra 2011 experience :)

Rob and I were out on a cruisey run on sunday a week out from Xterra when we started talking about Xterra and about who we thought might be doing it and somehow over the course of the run (which was no longer then an hour) I changed my mind from being convince I was NOT going to do it, to 'oh well I might as well do it, what have I got to loose? Worst case I come last but I will most likely have a good time out there.'

So that gave me not quite a week to get ready which pretty much meant all I could do was getting my head around doing the event as doing training during the 5 days before the event wasn't going to make me any faster but rather slow me down more.

Unfortunately I am really not a swimmer and to be able to do well at Xterra you want to at least have an average swim time, not super slow like me, so there aren't quite as many people ahead going into the bike leg, which means there are less people you have to pass to keep up a good riding pace.

Another small thing was that I hadn't done much running and had only been on the bike once since the final race of the N-Duro Bike Vegas Summer Cup on 13 March, instead I did a couple of weeks of skiing in Canada (I could call it cross training to make it sound better? ;) Cross training or not it was great fun and it made me feel more at home on skies but less on my bike, hopefully just for the moment. I am also pretty sure I am going faster on my skies then on my bike. (or maybe this has something to do with the skiing being downhill? ;) )

And the last little hiccup was that I didn't feel too rested after having worked with 90 teenagers over the last two weeks, most of them where great kids though!

So long story short, I was ill prepared for the event but was looking forward to a fun day out there.

I was a bit nervous before the race, even though I told myself I was just doing it to have some fun. Luckily for me the event starts with the swim so the 'worst' part is over and done with early on, the down side to that is that if you swim (or whatever you want to call what I do) as slow as me you end up at the very back of the crowd when you start the ride and there are masses of people to pass.

I came out of the water pretty much last in my field and probably in the field overall. It was crazy the amount of people I saw in front of me when I finally got on the bike, I was trying to pass as many of them as I could and made up quite a bit of places. By the time I changed into my running shoes and started my first lap of two around Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) I was in third position, I was a little surprised to hear that and was hoping I could hold my place. I knew that I wasn't going to do a fast run as my overall fitness wasn't great so it was about making sure to hold an ok pace and keeping that lead to 4^th place which I managed to do.

There were heaps of spectators all around the lake cheering us on and having a good time which made it fun and entertaining, and the weather was just perfect, sunny and not too hot!

I am super stoked with getting 3^rd in the women Pro field behind Karen Hanlen (who won) and Susie Wood at this years Xterra and I might seriously consider going for a swim before the next one ;)

the perfect Sunday ride

2011-02-14T08:21:00.000+13:00

we decided to head out to Whirinaki to ride the Moerangi track, here are a few pics:

it was well worth the trip as always :)

Bikevegas Summer MTB Cup Race 2

2011-02-12T13:47:00.000+13:00

so last sunday we finally got to race the 2nd race of the N-duro Summer cup!
it was good to do a race again, it felt like it had been ages since the last one!
it was a nice hot and rather humid day (it was in the thirties!), i think most of us were struggling a little with the heat, well i was for sure. i was dreaming of jumping into the lake for a refreshing swim but there was none close enough, so the river crossing at end of the race was as close as i got to a swim, never mind it did help cool me down a little :)

the race start was delayed by half an hour so i ended up catching up with a few people, some i hadn't seen for ages so that was nice.
the race started with a few people getting tangled up in a crash, i was lucky enough to stay out of it but nevertheless had a really bad/slow start. i wasn't too worried about that as i knew the race didn't go straight into single trail so there was still time to get into a better position in the field. i gained a few spots on the first steep and rutted uphill before heading into Genesis for a bit of single trail action. i had Karen Hanlen chasing me and knew i wasn't going to drop her easily, if at all. i was pushing hard and as a result felt the heat get to me ( having goose bumps due to the heat is not a pleasant or reassuring feeling) . there was quite a bit of single track in the race, these are the bits i look forward to the most and have the most amount of fun on. i was hoping to make a bit of ground on my competition in the single trail so was trying to keep a good pace while enjoying the flowy and fun trails. but soon we were back to gravel road climbing - up Direct Road all the way to Billy T - and i knew that Karen was going to chase me down (or 'up' shall i say?) i was passing a couple more guys and saw Garth Weinberg ahead of me, grinding up the hill, unfortunately he was too fast for me and i didn't manage to catch up to him (despite the fact that he was on his single speed). it wasn't until i was almost through Frontal Lobotomy that Karen got close to me again, and she didn't catch me before heading into Billy T, it was my plan to try and stay ahead at least until the single track so i had a free run down the fun trail (it was more or less a free run as there were a couple of guys i caught to up but they let me pass, thanks :) ). after Billy T we went back up the hill to Split Enz, it was nice to have had a bit of a breather down the trail so i felt semi recovered for the climb which was quite important as the next step was to keep in the lead going into the Split Enz and from there on it was more or less all single trail all the way back to the finish. i kept in front but Karen caught up once more just before heading into the single trail. i stayed in front and enjoyed the nice flowy single trails and managed to get a bit of a lead.
in the end it wasn't Karen (she got 3rd instead) who got 2nd behind me but Katie O'Neil, nice work! :)

Races are cancelled due to too much rain

2011-01-23T09:11:00.001+13:00

the National DH race round 3 in Rotorua and N-Duro summer cup round 2 both scheduled to be on 23 Jan 2011 are cancelled!

... bugger! i have had this happen just once before, so i guess i am pretty lucky that it hasn't been more often. last time it was in Christchurch though so that was a bit more of a bumner as i had travelled all the way down there and was all amped to do the race (crater rim), but it rained ALL night and wouldn't stop raining (just like now!) and in the end the race was cancelled! we ended up watching dvds all day instead of being outside going hard on the bikes.

i understand why the race is cancelled and i do in some way think it's a good call, event though at the same time i really wanted to race today, i am sure there are a lot of people who feel the same way.
oh well, we will just have focus on the next race and go twice as hard there ;)

N-duro summer cup 2011, race 1

2011-01-09T16:11:00.000+13:00

it feels really good to have the first race for the year out of the way and even better since i managed to stick to my plan and finish well.

it was great to get up this morning and find that the temperatures weren't as hot as they had been, it can get really hot on some of those climbs in the forest so i was prepared for some testing temperatures, but fortunately it never got quite that hot as a nice breeze kept us all a bit cooler.

the race field wasn't quite that big today, which i guess was because quite a few riders were at the first cross country race of this years national series which was in Tauranga. nevertheless there was a good number of riders who lined up on the start line eager to test their form. Dirk Peters took the lead right from the start and kept pushing his way further and further ahead of the rest of the riders who had no chance to keep his wheel, he finished with a huge gap to the next rider, awesome job!

i tried to push it from the start to try and get away from the other girls and stay away from too much trail congestion. from there the goal was to get a good lead, this is hard to judge though as you don't get to see the other riders unless they are right behind you so you can never tell how big the lead really is. i was feeling pretty good and was recovering well throughout the race, so it wasn't that hard to keep pushing ahead. i hadn't been doing that much riding over the last few weeks and was therefore a little unsure how the body was going to cope, so it was a nice surprise to find my form was ok.

thanks heaps to all those riders who i had little battles with along the way, it made it a great race :)

i am looking forward to the next race in two weeks.

holidays are nice :)

2011-01-07T14:53:00.001+13:00

i hope you had as much fun over the christmas and new years time as we did. i thought i would post some images from a couple of walks we did. the first three are from Rainbow mountain and the rest from the Tongariro crossing.

a very merry christmas and a happy new year to you all :)

2010-12-22T12:20:00.000+13:00

i hope you all have a wonderful festive season and a great start into the new year.

thanks for all your support through the year :)

i will be back with some more 'stories' soon, fingers crossed as we need some nice weather for a couple of plans that are in the pipeline.

Happy Trails everyone :)

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

2010-11-28T10:35:00.004+13:00

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!

2010-11-28T07:32:00.000+13:00

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

Huka XL race preview

2010-11-24T12:18:00.000+13:00

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

2010-11-09T12:58:00.002+13:00

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.

Bike Culture 16" Wold Champs Dual Slalom 2010 - SSWC 2010 festival week

2010-10-22T11:36:00.001+13:00

if you weren't there you did miss out on a very exciting as well as hilarious event.

here a few shots of the race:

Fiona McGaffin in action, taking the hot line on the burm, dodging a few Sheep poops while aiming for the spectators :)

yep that's me: looks like i am thinking: " i'll be fine if i just close my eyes" ;) - it was pretty scary on the little bike (it was close to being the right size :) ).

a very fast guys who could have won the title. but didn't. maybe next time.

the winners: DJ could have been it but somehow Casey King goes on to take out the World Championship title.

Taupo Mizuno offroad half marathon

2010-09-06T11:53:00.002+12:00

what a great weekend!

crazy to think it's already a year since last years running race on the W2K track in Taupo/Kinloch. I had a great time last year and decided there was no reason not to do the race again this year, despite not having the best running form, as it was no doubt going to be fun and mind blowing (due to the views)!

we weather leading up to the race wasn't quite as good as before last years event so the track was going to be a bit more slippery but the weather on the day was perfect, sunshine and blue sky. sure it was a bit chilly but that was to be expected seeing the race was in Taupo and with the wind blowing straight off the snowed-in mountains. there were over a thousand people taking part in the half or quarter marathon race, it was great to see all these keen people out to have a good time surrounded by stunning views and nature.

the course starts with a gradual uphill which helps spread the field early on, so there is not much congestion and the other big bonus is that you know you will finish on a downhill, if we try to forget the extra bit along the water to get to the finish line, which normally seems a little harder then it should when you are longing for the finish line ;)

once you get to the top of the cliff the track starts looping around the top and you get to admire some stunning views, but it is by no means flat at the top there, the trails keeps weaving through the native forest with lots of corners and ups and downs to navigate through, which makes for an interesting run and keeps you on your toes, especially as the trail was rather slippery at times.

i started off feeling quite good and got into an ok pace to make my way up the field a little, i thought; 'awesome this feels quite easy', but unfortunately this feeling didn't last and it was getting harder to push ahead and i could tell i was going backwards, so i tried to focus on the trail and nice flora around me and started feeling stronger again. i kept having waves where i struggled but then got myself out of it again. i certainly wasn't fit enough to run a good race but i managed to get through it all-right and didn't let the other girls catch me. i am stoked to make it to the finish line as the first female.

i had a great time and the awesome views made it an other unforgettable event. it was quite special how lake Taupo looked more like an ocean then a lake as the water was completely covered with whitecaps when we ran towards it at the end of the race. the wind was rather strong so that you felt it pushing you sideways all along the beach front and what you really wanted is it pushing you forward ;)

I finished off the weekend with a play on the snow, we had great snow and enjoyed some awesome views, again. yep skiing is great fun :)

and there was an article about the race in the nz herald

nzherald W2K

ps: i am obviously back in good old kiwi-land, it's great to be back as well as it's always sad to leaving Switzerland after a fantastic time over there.

st wendel uci marathon world champs 2010

2010-08-09T18:23:00.001+12:00

well i am already back at the swiss home and the race i had been waiting to do for so long is been and gone! crazy how fast it all went in the end!

i left on Saturday morning by car to drive to St Wendel in Germany, the drive was somewhat over 5 hrs, a bit longer then expected but pretty painless but it was good to get to the destination and being able to stretch the legs.

st wendel, the host town, is a lively small city with lots of old buildings, a busy cobblestone plaza and a big dome right in the middle of it.

i decided to go to the team managers meeting at 6pm the night before the race, so i wouldn't miss any vital last changes to the race or other useful information. it was weird being there not knowing anyone, i usually see a few familiar faces at the xc races, but not this time. there hadn't been any changes but i found out that they would give out water bottles at the feed stations which was something i didn't know. now i had an other option to taking my hydration-pack which would be quite nice in the temperatures we would potentially race in. i wasn't too sure if it was a good idea to change plans so close to the race but i decided to go with the bottle option and not get the disadvantage of getting too hot. 

when the gun went we started off as expected but then didn't split up into smaller groups as i had thought but rather rode together as a big group. i soon realised that i was in a road race, the riders kept in a big peloton and we cruised around (at a good pace) the country side, up and down the hills through fields and small towns and forests. it wasn't quite as cruisey as it sounds, not at all, but the the views were nice. i lost contact with the front peloton close to the half way point due to dropping the chain. it was nice to be riding by myself and being able to ride a more constant pace. i caught 5 riders and was starting to ride better but then i run out of water and the next feed station didn't come for ages. i was going backwards rather fast. in the end 3 of the riders passed me back so i finished the race in 23rd place in just under 5hrs. the course was physically  and mentally quite challenging, with hardly any single trail but loads and loads of climbing on all sorts of roads.

my marathon world champs experience was quite different to what i had trained, planned and hoped for. i didn't know i had entered a road race as when i first had a look at the course description about a year ago it said 25 % single trail, the rest forest road, nature trails etc. but somehow they had changed their mind or couldn't find enough single trail as we had hardly any single trail in our race, bummer. now i think, it was a typical european marathon race with almost only forest, grass and gravel roads and no mountain bike skills required, very unlike our kiwi races that are specked with single trails. so when i am talking about 'road race' i am also talking about the fact that we were racing in a big peloton and using the front riders to get pulled along etc, and it was quite windy on the exposed roads. i am not used to riding in big bunches of riders like this, i have only done a few road races and never go riding with a big bunch on the road so i certainly lacked the experience and aggressiveness you need to get and keep a good position close to the front of the field rather then being pushed to the back of the group and having to constantly adjust your speed to keep in touch with the peloton, the yo-yo effect. so all in all it was an experience i will remember and i will take lots from. and even though i was hoping to do much better it's still not too bad to get 23rd at a world champs without a support crew and on a bike that is meant for riding single trails ;)

here the course graph 107.93km long and 2556m of climbing; yep it did go up and down quite a bit ;)

champery the race

2010-08-03T01:11:00.001+12:00

here a bit about the world cup, it was a bit of a 'non' event.

my dad and i drove to champery on saturday morning, the drive was 3 and a bit hours so not too bad really. i had heard that it had rained heavily all day on friday and later i found out it had rained all night to saturday as well, the course was a mud bath to say the least! i started preriding the course and got stuck on the first climb, a grass climb, by that stage the mud was almost half a foot deep and it was therefore slippery as and you could hardly ride it (let alone walk it!) at the top of that climb there was the first technical steep downhill which all riders who were preriding the course were walk/sliding down, so there was no way you could try to preride it as you would end up slamming into the other riders. i decided that there was no point in pre-riding/walking/sliding (whatever it was going to be) the course as i wouldn't learn to ride it by walking it anyway and my bike would get so muddy that it potentially wouldn't work for the race the next day. i therefore decided to abort the preride session and get surprised by the course the next day - true kiwi style ;) i had heard it was rather technical so it would be rather beneficial to pre ride the course but oh well, without mechanic on hand i didn't want to take the chance and Dirk talked me through the course so i had a fair idea of what it was like. nothing like a little surprise when you are racing, ha ha ;) Nathalie (who i went riding with on Tuesday before the race and who went to win the race (her first world cup win!) told me her forks stop working after 1 lap of preriding on Saturday - so hearing that i was assured to do the right thing by staying off the course before the race.

race day: it's not that great to start in the last row, there wasn't much chance for me to move up into a good position fast, due to the design of the course and in the conditions we had as we had soo much traffic and most riders were walking through the more technical parts which meant that i had to walk/run as well as otherwise i'd end up flying/sliding into them and most likely get tangled up as there is not much control on the slippery mud and wet roots, so i keep loosing more and more time on the front riders. so for the start lap and a bit i could hardly make any ground at all, i was just stuck in the masses. after that i could finally pass some riders on the climbs and flats mostly. i was running half the lap as it was faster and safer running then riding (crazy!?) luckily i had been running enough so i felt pretty strong running through the mud and made up some places there too but then on the very last super steep climb i got my chain stuck between my frame and crank and couldn't get it back out (there was so much dirt stuck in there too so that made it worse) i didn't want to pull too hard on the chain as i was sure going to bend the chain as then it wouldn't work anymore anyway so i decided it was time to call it quits and ended the race there and focus on my real race the marathon worlds.

so next time i do a world cup i will make sure to collect some uci points before hand and get a better starting position and maybe take my mechanic + support crew + feeder = Rob with me ;)

all good though as it was still good to be doing a part of a world cup again (after 4 years break!)

not long till the World Cup in Champery

2010-07-22T21:03:00.001+12:00

it's been a while again, been busy getting used to the rather hot temperatures and getting myself ready for some racing. i think i am getting there.

on Tuesday i was so lucky to get taken for a mean as ride by Nathalie Schneitter (a top Swiss xc rider) and Jonas, a great cycle cross and xc rider. they took me on the best and gnarliest trails they could think of in their backyard and it was awesome, there was no shortage of roots, rocks, pine needles and off camber skinny as trails; yeah my handle bars didn't always fit, and at times i was busy looking ahead to find a line that was ride-able to suddenly finding myself stopped by the trees holding my bars ;)

ah yeah the views where stunning too, if you see past the sheer cliff that disappears next to your bike into nowhere... yep breath-taking ;) i loved it!

bummer i didn't have a camera with me, when i take one it's too hazy to take pics and when i don't... yeah same old story, it's just perfect for taking pics... ;)

better get started with my training for the day, there is forecast for some rain this afternoon so would rather be back by then. last hard training session before Champery for me, it's very exciting to be racing a world cup again, it's been four years since the last one! crazy thought!

i hear the course is nice and technical and a real mountain bike course, not one of those boring roady courses where you need no mountain bike skills, can't wait to see it :)

unfortunately i have to start at the very back of the field, so will have to see how i can move up the field...

the race is on sunday 11.15am

i have arrived in Switzerland

2010-06-23T18:12:00.001+12:00

I am enjoying some Swiss air and hopefully soon some summer weather, which will be the combination for perfect training conditions. The weather here has been much like the weather i tried to escape from, cold and wet. But it looks like summer might finally be arriving here now, we are meant to be in for a sunny day and 20 degrees ; )

The plan for the next few weeks is to do loads and loads of riding to get in great shape for MTB Marathon World Champs in St Wendel on 8 August, very exciting outlook :)

A huge thanks to my sponsors:.

Bike Culture, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Biotrace, Blue Shark, Pig'n'Whistle, Maxxis, Adidas Eyewear, Cycletech, RideRotorua.

Ah yeah, almost forgot! I've got a brand new super fun, super fast and super light race bike!! :) very very cool, it's a Santa Cruz Blur xc carbon with lots of nice bits on it, and only nice bits :) I will send some pics soon.

I will be back with some pics from my rides.

i have arrived in Switzerland

2010-06-23T18:02:00.001+12:00

The plan for the next few weeks is to do loads and loads of riding to get in great shape for MTB Marathon World Champs in St Wendel on 8 August, very exciting outlook :)

I will be back with some pics from my rides.

Moerangi Trail x 2 - what a day!

2010-04-12T12:19:00.003+12:00

Yesterday Fiona, Jason, Mike, Rob and I went to tackle the double crossing of the stunning Moerangi trail in Whirinaki. It's a pretty honest ride in itself but there is nothing like a little bit of a challenge to keep us entertained on a sunny Sunday :)

We decided to head out early, giving the Sunday sleep-in a miss, to ensure we had enough daylight up our sleeves for our mission ride. The drive towards Whirinaki forest was stunning, there was some thick fog hanging about that made it look like a place in a fairy tail . Scott from Jail house farm stay in Murupara was already waiting for us welcoming us with his big smile. Hearing of our plan he thought we were a little crazy, most of us quietly agreed... ;)

Mike and I had decided to warm up on the road by riding the extra 12 km to the end of Minginui Road which is where the Moerangi trail ends (or for us started), rather then taking the ride in Scott's van. It took a little longer to warm up as the air had a good nip to it and with the moisture in the air felt rather chilly, it might have made us pedal a little harder though, so that was handy ;) we soon warmed up and we had to start peeling our layers off. It was great riding the trail backwards, it's like riding a new but at the same time familiar track. and knowing that we would come back the same way gave the climbs a different attraction as we knew that all the uphills would soon (in a few hours) turn into descent, so we got to check out downhill lines while grovelling up the climbs, a nice way of keeping you entertained and enjoy (at least in the first part of the ride) the uphills.

There were hardly any people out there in the forest, we saw four walkers at one of the huts who had stayed overnight and looked like they were not planing on moving on for a while, I don't blame them as the spot close to a pristine river amongst the ancient forest is magic. And we saw a group of riders when we got to the other end of the trail, the actual start of the Moerangi trail, were we enjoyed a little picnic break in the sun to refuel our engines before we tackled the second part of our ride. It was stunning weather, not too hot and not too chilly either, just right and blue sky as far as you could see! :)

Going into the second leg was fine, it's undulating and flat so we felt pretty good and our little stop probably helped too. We all started feeling it by the time we began the second to last big climb (i reckon it's the hardest of the climbs), but we kept plodding along focusing on the flowy 9 km descent (with a couple of short sharp uphill pinches - it's best not to think about those) that was waiting for us as our treat after the last climb. We soon made it to the top of that last hill and enjoyed the anticipation of that downhill to come :) what an unbelievable feeling ;)

The descent did feel like a well earned treat and made it even better due to the hard ride up to it. It goes on for ages and you don't want it to end :)

The hardest bit was probably the slog back to the Jail house farm stay as it's on the gravel and sealed road without the attraction of the stunning forest or single trail and our legs had no juice left by then. Mike pulled Rob and me back for most of the way, I tried to do my bit of work but the legs gave up as soon as there was a slight uphill.

What a day! We will be back for more....

Ohope Half Marathon

2010-04-06T15:51:00.001+12:00

Budge at the start of the race

a brand new event, the Ohope Half Marathon, was held in Ohope last Sunday . the course was flat and on the road so the perfect training for Rotorua Marathon as it is an easy way to do a longer time trail session. so i decided to tag along with Jo, Jen and Budge who had planned to do the race for quite some time.

there were a few fast runners there. i didn't know how i was going to go an how the body would feel as i hadn't done a running race for quite some time and it was only my second road running race. i do prefer running offroad, having to navigate over uneven ground and being surrounded by lush vegetation, but it's good to do something different for a change.

Karen Hanlen was at the start too, we had a chat about mountain biking. Karen is a local runner who i had a good battle with at Toi's challenge last year, it's great to see some familiar faces at events, it makes racing much more fun.

the pace was up right from the start and the field spread out right away. we were 6 girls in our little groups but we didn't stay together for very long, Helen Rountree from Hamilton took off early on and extended her lead throughout the race to finish in 1hr 20min 22sec, 3min in front of Hannah Barker and 5min ahead of me. i could see Helen for quite some time, ahead of me in the distance becoming this little dot, she certainly didn't only looked like a runner but also performed like one. Karen and i had a bit of a battle for a while and i kept on thinking that she might catch me back up, she didn't, but it was a good excuse for me not to slow down too much. Tracy Clissold finished only 6 sec after me, i had no idea she had snuk-up on me, lucky the finish line wasn't 100m further along or we would have had a sprint finish.

Jo finished in a fantastic 1hr 45min, 5min ahead of Budge (great job for having done bugger all running) and Jen also did really well in 2hr 15min cool!

the event was really well organised and it's always fun to do a race in Whakatane or Ohope as there are plenty of friendly people along the course cheering everyone on and having a good time. it makes racing much more fun.

we had a great trip away and a good time.

away ride at Whirinaki; Moerangi mountain bike and walking trail

2010-03-18T14:29:00.004+13:00

last Sunday we (Fiona, Jase, Gaz, Rob and I) got to enjoy a mtb ride of a different kind. we had been talking about doing an away ride for quite some time but somehow didn't manage to get ourselves organised till now. Rob and I hadn't done the Moerangi trail before but were sure that it was worth a visit as Fiona and Jase had done it once before and Gaz had done it twice already and they all were keen to do it again!

the trail starts not far from Minginui where you can get a shuttle service to the start of the trail. the people to contact are Scott and Vanessa from Jailhousefarmstay.co.nz, they will also let you stay overnight in their jail house, Mike and Kath enjoyed it there.

the best way to ride trail is by starting from the Okahu Rd end so get to enjoy more down- then uphill and most importantly you finish the ride with a big long downhill and a huge smile on your face!

the trail is about 38km long and takes you through ancient forest with crystal clear streams. there is an astonishing variety of fauna to admire and bird life to spot, it's like going on a little holiday and traveling back in time. there are 3 huts along the way that you can stay in to make the most of being away from it all but amongst the nature.

the trail starts with a few quite steep but short climbs, as a little wake-up call, and from there just keeps rolling up and down through this amazing forest, following a stream for most of the way, some of the way you are right next to the crystal clear water and then you are climbing back up a narrow and sometimes sketchy looking single trail to enjoy the view of the refreshing water from high up. be aware of stinging nettle, we all managed to ride into the same plant and still felt the sting and tingle couple of days later. the other thing to keep an eye out for is the nice drops right next to the trail, if you did miss the trail it could end up being rather painful for you and your bike, and there are some sharp rocks around too.

at the end you can either be picked up at the end of the trail or ride the last 10km on the gravel road back to the farm. 38km sounds like a pretty easy ride but i must admit the ride was not as easy as expected but great fun and an unforgettable experience. we are already talking about riding it again, but this time we might do it two ways just for a bit more challenge :)

Karapoti 2010 National Mountainbike Marathon Championships

2010-03-08T12:46:00.000+13:00

Well it already seems like a little while ago that I raced Karapoti, but in fact it was only just 2 days ago. I decided to do Karapoti 2 weeks out and was super lucky to have the Peters family offer me a seat in their car to get to Wellington and back. It made the travel fun and fast, despite taking 6 or so hours each way.

I had done Karapoti once before but had such a bad time that I had no intention to ever do it again. In my first encounter with Karapoti I had one front and one back tire puncture in the first half hour or so and after that no more air to fix any further punctures, it made for a very long and slow ride as I knew, if I managed to get another flat tire, I would have had to walk the rest of the course and there are now short cuts back to the start/finish area. Luckily I got through without any more punctures.

I was determined to have a better time on the course this time round, meaning more fun on the bike and less time to get through the course. I was hoping to find the course in pretty dry condition but little did I know that it had rained most of the week, not in Wellington, but on the hills where the course is located at; so much for a dry fast track!

The start always seems to be a bit of a scramble as everyone lines up along the river in random order. As soon as the gun goes everyone tries to run through the river and get to the tarmac first. I managed to find some pretty deep spots in the river and had the water up to my hip, luckily the water didn't feel too cold and we soon would get covered in mud from head to toe anyway.

The first little bit of the course is on the road which then leads into a gravel road through the gorge. There is plenty of space to pass people as long as you don't mind riding through massive puddles and getting splashed, but that's all part of racing Karapoti. I managed go get my way back up the field after I ended up way back at the start due to my poor navigation though the river and probably not ideal starting spot. When I saw Nic Leary a little way ahead I planed to catch her up and then stay there for a little while to wait for a good place to attack but when I got to her I had changed my mind and instead of easing back kept going at a steady pace. I was expecting Nic to get on my wheel and stay with me but she didn't, I didn't know for sure if I had managed to dropped her as I didn't want to look back, so I just kept pushing and by the time I did look back the distance was big enough that I couldn't see her anymore. I wasn't sure if there where any other girls ahead as I came from the back and decided to keep pushing ahead to hopefully catchup to any other competitors I had. I caught up to some guys and some other guys came past me from the back but I didn't see any more girls. Eventually Garth came flying past me and then Marcello caught up to me too and the both told me that I was the first girl, so I was getting more sure about my position.

The devils staircase was a bit of a grovel but the rock garden was great fun and would be fantastic if I had time to look at it beforehand as almost all of it is ridable if you pick the right lines. Unfortunately the end of the ride was a bit of a downer as we went back into the rain and super wet and muddy gorge, I would have loved the race to stop at the bottom of the last decent but that doesn't quite work.

I won the race with an 8 min lead, I am very happy with my result and that I managed to defeat my national mountain bike marathon champion title.

Tim Wilding won the race in a staggering 2h 21 min!!! what a machine!! :)

Dirk unfortunately had his chain come off at the start of the race, lost some valuable time and didn't manage to connect with the front few riders again. He finished 8th overall which is still a great effort. He's also Under 23 Marathon Champion.

Alexa won her race (Under 19) and won, just like her brother, her second championship title in two weeks!

3rd and final round of the n-duro summer cup

2010-02-16T11:25:00.000+13:00

I was really looking forward to having a final battle with Nic Leary as we have been having some great times pushing each other in the last two races. It’s good fun having someone that challenges you to push harder, as it makes for a proper race.
Unfortunately Nic injured herself and wasn’t able to race on Sunday so that was a real shame. I was still hoping she would show up on the start line but it didn’t happen.
It must have rained rather hard over night as the trails were wet and some quite slippery.
It was the smallest field of all three races, most likely because a North Island Round of the National series was on that same day.
The course was cool, we got to enjoy a lot of single track, most of which we hadn’t done in the last two races. There wasn’t as much climbing in the course as in the second one, it was more undulating so there was plenty of time to recover between the hills.
I managed to come off my bike quite early on in the race and couldn’t get into the swing of things again after that.
I won my race and kept the title of ‘Queen of the series’ from last year.
The n-duro summer cup is a great way to start the year as it’s a good motivation to get some fitness up and getting the first couple of races under the belt is always a good feeling too, especially the first one being a real shock (and a bit painful) to the body.

I am looking forward to the next set of adventures! :)

24 Jan 2010 Bike Vegas summer cup race 2

2010-01-25T12:24:00.000+13:00

Ok this time round I felt a little better prepared, I had done a few short but pain inflicting training sessions since the last race to get a bit more race shape going. It doesn’t do wonders but it certainly helps the body get more used to race intensity.
I rode in through the forest this time round, instead of along the road, and did my warm up on the single trails. I prefer warming up on the trails as you already get into the swing of things and get a feel of what condition the trails are in.
I had a better start this time round and was reeling in a few riders on the first climb, felt pretty good. However I dropped 4 spots when I took a wrong turn down the first downhill single trail called Doctors Orders, it was very hard to see where the trail was going (that’s my excuse anyway ;) ). I found myself a little way back to the next few rides, Nic Leary and Michael May were two of them, when I rode out of Doctors Orders but there was another big climb ahead of us so I focused on getting a steady pace going and managed to catch up to them with not too much pain, but I was starting to feel the heat. It was surprisingly warm even before the race, probably more so due to high humidity. I was struggling with the heat as I was a bit dehydrated due to eating too many veggies the day before the race (so much for being better prepared!?!), very clever yep and I really should know better, but it makes it more of a challenge! ;)
So I was staring to feel the heat get to me and I was looking forward to getting to the top of the climb and into the shady and therefore cooler single trail. This was a little way away still as I was still climbing Direct Road and just behind Nic Leary. I was expecting the course to go all the way to the top of this climb past the entrance of Hot-X-Buns but instead we turned right, following Direct Road, to get to Sidewinder. This is where I made a move to try drop Nic, I was pushing it along the flattish road to the entrance of Sidewinder, and expected Nic to be on my wheel but she wasn’t; I must have picked the right moment to go. The next climb up Hill Road and then Frontal Lobotomy felt rather hard as I was getting really hot again, so going into Billy T was just a treat! ;) and I enjoyed the long downhill all the way to the end of Roller coaster and felt rather refreshed after it for the rest of the race, enjoying the trails and roads back to Waipa and the finish line.
The course was awesome!

Thanks heaps for your great help Nic and very sorry you weren’t able to focus on reeling me back in. Looking forward to the next race without distractions! ;)

BIKE VEGAS SUMMER CUP SERIES 2010 – race one

2010-01-11T10:59:00.000+13:00

First of all; a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! :)

Yesterday I had my first race of 2010! It was just a ‘little’ shock to the system, yeah right ;) But there is nothing like a bit of pain and suffering to get back to reality.

It was a pretty big field that gathered to do the first of the series of three races here at Whakarewarewa forest which was great. And there were quite a few girls amongst it too, so good to see!

It was a good hard race with a good pace and Nic Leary pushing me along for the big part of the race, thanks for a great race Nic!
I didn’t have a good start but managed to ride my way back up the field bit by bit to finish 15th overall and 1st women.

The thing that was missing was some more single track, the distance we covered on the gravel roads unfortunately was quite a bit longer then the distance through single trail, I am looking forward to more fun single trails in the next race. 'got my fingers crossed' ;)

It has been a fantastic summer so far with very little rain and pretty hot temperatures which shows in the rather dusty trails and you could tell by looking at the rides coming over the finish line, everyone was covered in dust it looked very funny. What a shame I don't have a photo of this to show you.

Congratulations to Dirk Peters who rode a fantastic race and cleaned up!
And Carl Jones got 3rd, awesome effort!

Roped in and the creeper

2009-12-22T14:45:00.000+13:00

My friend Jarred only just arrived back from working in Cairns about a week ago, it’s great to have him back as he’s great value, good to hang out with and thrash the trails with (we don’t actually damage the trails though but rather ourselves ;) ). We were out riding last week and he mentioned that he was going to do this half ironman as his friend Guy talked him into it. Jarred didn’t know when the race was going to be other then sometime in December. Turns out it was only half a week away and he hadn’t done any swimming for a while, and his knees don’t like the running much! Hm…. Rob therefore had the great idea to get the entry change from ‘solo’ to ‘team’ and rope me into doing the run for Jarred!! Guess it doesn’t hurt to step in for a friend in need ;)
So I ended up doing a half marathon on Saturday as part of the Rotorua Half Ironman. It turned out to be a great event with really good and very casual atmosphere and the course was just stunning as the swim was in Lake Tikitapu, also called Blue Lake, the ride went along State Highway 30 out to Lake Rotoiti, Lake Rotoehu and Lake Rotoma and the run was around Lake Tikitapu and down to Lake Tarawera lookout.
Below is what you see from the lookout (luckily there was no snow on Mt Tarawera though)
It was extremely windy in the morning when the race started, the lake was super choppy and a lot of swimmers seemed to struggle with the conditions, not so Jarred's friend Guy Crawford who was way ahead of any competition and got out of the water 4min ahead of the next athlete, he only took 26 min for the 2km swim! Jarred didn’t do badly at all other then for his swim-bike transition; I quote Rob: ”He took longer then your girlfriend takes to get ready to go out!” , it was rather painful for us to watch, but also a great laugh as we weren’t worried were we would get in the race (I am not saying we wouldn’t give it heaps ;)) .
Jarred was riding my Roadster (Santa Cruz road bike) as he needed a roady and Rob assured us triathlon bikes are meant to be small so it would be the prefect fit for Jarred who is about 6 ft 1 (1.86m) and I am 5 ft 4 (1.66m) (not sure about ft as I work in meters) but anyway, Jarred is quite a bit taller then me.
We followed Jarred along the first bit of the course, watched him hammering it up the hills and overtake everyone along the way, it was great to watch. He had a good ride despite loosing his computer and therefore having to do a u-turn to get it back (we blame Mike Metz for this one), his time was 2hr 45(-ish)min.
Guy was still in the lead when he came back from his ride but unfortunately kicked his shoe when he hoped of the bike and managed to break his little toe! He didn’t look that happy when he started the run, now I know why! Nevertheless he took off like a gun and was on target to do his run in 1hr 22min before he started getting rather bad cramps and had to stop ever 2km to stretch before being able to move again. Guy won the race by 15sec!! What an awesome effort! Jarred and I weren't quite up there but did quite well, as we had fun which was our main goal. I had a pretty good run 1hr 30min which was still 2 min slower then Guy’s!! and we ended up 3rd amongst the all male teams (no typo there ;) )

all winners got a big cuddly toy ;) and some booze

below blue lake nice and placid (unlike the day of the race)

Ps: our team was called ‘roped in & the creeper’

The Goat Run - final of the triple crown series

2009-12-07T09:26:00.000+13:00

Wow I cannot believe my four weekends of racing have come and gone so quickly! It feels like I've only just been looking forward to it and now it's already been and gone. Crazy!
It has been a great challenge and not as hard as I had anticipated. The hardest part was Toi's (I think you can tell by the impression on my face in the pics) as I was still recovery from some big runs and rides. But they all races were a lot of fun and all were completely different which was just fantastic. I can recommend all of the four events and am looking forward to doing them again ;)

So now to the goat run, we were driving down to the national park, Fiona, Jason (thanks for driving!!) and I. We were not sure if the race was going to be postponed due to the week of rain leading up to it, we had heard the river levels would possibly be too high. It felt like a little adventure driving there and not knowing whether we would have to stay over night to race on Sunday or if it was on as planned or if we would be doing a different race course altogether.
But when we got to national park we went to the registration and everything was according to plan and we headed up to the start line to find some familiar faces like Budgy who was in charge of safety for the event (so we knew we were in good hands ;) )

having a chat to Sjors before the start:

Lining up on the startline:

The race starts off with a mad run down the tarseal road before it heads into a super technical walking trail with lots of river crossings, ups and downs, lots of sliding and clambering and falling over. I am well battered and bruised now but it was all worth is ;)
I wasn't doing that well at all (obviously if I admit to falling over a few times), I felt like a roady on a slippery and technical single trail, especially when one of the girls came flying past me, it looked rather amazing and I had no idea how she did it. I did luckily catch her up on mama's mile, like the year before with Oksana, but this time there were 2 girls already over the finish line well before I started that last climb. I got 3rd, and was 1st Triple Crown woman over the line. So I managed to win the series, very happy :)

as you can see the weather wasn't that flash at the end of our run.

Fiona did really well in her first goat run and crossed the line, very dirty and wet and with a SMILE on her face :) - you cannot quite tell in the pic

Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge Huka XL

2009-11-30T08:33:00.000+13:00

Saturday was another early start, I am slowly getting used to them, as it is getting easier to get up. This time it was quarter to five when the alarm went off so not quite as early as the week before. It felt a bit odd to be heading out for a mountain bike race as I hadn't done one for sooo long! It was a good feeling though; I like to mix things up a little as I might get bored otherwise. I also knew it was going to be a good race as I had done it last year and really liked the course. And the other massive plus was that I was going to be riding my awesome new bike, the carbon lt! - Rob reckons the best bike ever ;) I would have to agree :)
It was nice to see some familiar faces on the start line; the atmosphere was very social, as we were chatting away while waiting for the race gun.
It took me a little while to warm up but that was expected and so I was taking my time to get the hang of riding my bike and the different style of trails. The trails in Taupo are really quite different to the ones we have in Rotorua, they are much more tight and windy, with little kickers and not much time for rest.
I had a really fun race, enjoying the endless single trails, which was the bigger part of the 80km course - to be fair, it was mostly single trail ;). Plus it was great to see all the smiley marshals along the course, cheering us on and having a good time, I hope they did!
Time went by rather fast as I, despite having done the race the previous year, wasn’t quite sure what was coming up as they had changed a few bits and so you keep getting surprised about what’s coming up. And on top we got to see some stunning scenery; rode through beautiful old bush, along magnificently coloured streams and obviously the Waikato river.
I won my race for the 2nd year in a row, might have to go back next year ;)

Ps: my bike is so much fun I had to take it out again on Sunday, and I felt surprisingly strong, I blame the bike as it’s so much fun to whip it through the trails; so I guess it took number one on my bike chart

Sorry couldn’t find any pics yet, hope to find some soon and put them on.

The Great Kauri Run

2009-11-22T11:16:00.000+13:00

What an absolutely fantastic race! :)
We got to enjoy some absolutely stunning views, a nice challenging course with ever changing surroundings from beach, bush with stream crossings, tight single trail, steep descents and climbs and rough roads. And all this with a good cause in mind, to try re-establish some of the enormous Kauri forest that once covered the Coromandel peninsula some 200 years ago. For every competitor in the great Kauri race (13km and 32km, walking and running options) a Kauri tree gets planted along the race route. over 1200 trees over the distance of 3km have been planted before the race this year and another 360 Kauri trees will be planted after this years race (the 6th ever Great Kauri Run)!

My friends Ann and Bryon were mad enough to offer to take me to the race, the poor buggers had to get up at 4am! How crazy is that!?!
The race started at Waikawau beach; with the first two kms being in rather soft sand we were trying to dodge the incoming waves, it looked rather playful watching Graeme Pearson way in front of me weaving up and down the waters edge. we then left the coastline and the course went along a nice bush trail following a small river upstream and crossing it a few times along the way until it got steeper and steeper up the hill and we lost the river to head to the top of the ridge and from there pretty much followed the ridge line for the rest of the course. At places you could look to the right and left and see beautiful coastlines to both sides, how awesome is that! :)
Running along all by myself for a while I was fully absorbed by the stunning views and just enjoyed a great time out there following the ever changing terrain towards Coromadel. I must have slowed down a little then when I looked back in the very technical single trail about 3/4 of the way through I could see Michelle Hyland, and she was pretty much right behind me. I knew I had to change my pace or she would get me and I might loose my ride back home as Bryon had warned me that he would leave me behind if I didn't win. ;) I knew there was a nice long decent coming up and then we would be pretty close to the finish line. So I wasn't too worried yet about having to walk home to Rotorua. It was a great feeling running down that last long downhill section making use of the gradient to speed up the legs and get a sensation of speed. I wasn't quite sure how much of a gap I had but I was safe. I won by just a minute.

Bryon and Ann were waiting at the finish line with a punnet of strawberries as I had told them about how nice it had been at Toi's to get some strawberries at the finish :) thanks heaps they went down a treat! :)

Ps: we couldn't stay till prize giving as it would have meant we would be home after 9pm (which wouldn't have been very nice for the driver when he already got up at 4am!) so Graeme Pearson was so nice to pick up my goodies and take them to Rotorua for me. man was i surprised when i saw what i got!!!! the best ever prizes i reckon! i got a beautiful rare swamp Kauri bowl, some nice sunnies, a handy backpack, an cool event t-shirt and a free entry to next years event! will i go back?? bet i will :) it was so much fun and then i get spoilt rotten after! COOL!

Toi's Challenge

2009-11-16T08:50:00.000+13:00

the toi's challenge is the first race of the triple crown series. it's an 18k running race from Whakatane to Ohope and back, it's super scenic and has loads and loads of steps, 'ouch!!' yeah people have told me about them but i certainly didn't get it until yesterday when i saw/felt it first hand, but it might have been a good thing not to know, as it was very painful in deed. i must be getting soft! oh well! other then stairs there was a bit along Ohope beach and on the way back we ran through some beautiful bush, it was absolutely stunning and i can recommend anyone to go and walk or run the track, depending on your level of madness ;)
the race was really well organised and there was lot's of smiling people that cheered us on along the way. i blame the amount of sunshine these people are able to enjoy for always being so happy :)
i had a good battle with a local girl Karen, who took off like a rocket at the start and seemed to just want to keep going at that mad pace, luckily for me she was fading too, just like me. we changed lead a few times before i managed to pull it off and win the race, i was pretty shattered though i must admit.
Fiona got second in her class, awesome effort!! ;)

almost forgot, one of the best things about the race was that when you crossed the finish line you got a punnet of super delicious strawberries - they went down a treat!!! :)

looking forward to a restful week and then to the next challenge - the Kauri run! i hear it will be a stunning run as well, can't wait! ;)

to finish off another pic from the breathtaking Toi's track ...

getting a new bike yipee! :)

2009-09-26T09:23:00.000+12:00

my new bike is being built up...., I am very excited about it trying out. unfortunately the weather is rather miserable so will have to wait at least until tomorrow. :(

Rob and Mike already tested their new carbon lts and love them! to be honest I thought my santacruz lt was 'mean as' but if I can trust the boys' verdict (and normally I can) the carbon frame is EVEN BETTER!?!? crazy! not sure how that can be but I shall find out soon ;)

my new bike is a new santacruz carbon lt with the new fox float 150 forks and the new sram xx gear (10 speed), mean!!!

will get a pic when it's all built up and 'hopefully' not too dirty yet.

happy trails.... :)

a few images from our trip to Switzerland

2009-09-11T08:14:00.000+12:00

Rob in Livigno (Italy) having a play on the burms

on our way up...

same trail still but a bit further on
above St Moritz at Lake Suvretta, ... taking in the sights and having a breather before enjoying the super long and technical downhill single track ;)

update - finally

2009-09-07T07:59:00.000+12:00

it's been, once again, ages since i updated this site, sorry! at least i have a good excuse this time ;) i have been in Switzerland visiting my family and having a fantastic time, good enough an excuse?

this is in the Swiss alps above St Moritz, riding there is just amazing! ;)

i'll be quick as i should be other things this time of the day and week (oops)
Rob and i got back from our holiday on thursday morning so we are still a bit jetlagged. glad the sun has been out every day since we have been back, it helps heaps!

i did the final of the three 1/2 halfmarathons in 3 month in Taupo on saturday. almost 1000 people lined up to do the run or walk of the W2K- and Headlands track loop. we couldn't have wished for a more stunning day, it was sunny and mild. we also got spoilt with worldclass views across the lake where we could admire the mountains covered in white, there was a clearing with a seat somewhere along the track; i was soooo tempted to stop there ;)

running i felt better then i first expected, not too fresh but pretty good considering the circumstances. so i managed to make it three wins in a row, very happy about that.

i went for a spin on the bike yesterday to stretch the legs and ride some of our world class trails (there are one of the best for sure ;) ) the body wasn't feeling to fantastic but thanks to the great trails i seemed to find a little bit of energy to get up to hot-x etc... good times ;)

Well done Fiona for doing so well on the weekend and looking forward to the next challenge.

sorry for not having any pics, i will add some 'shortly', at least one from a ride in the Swiss alps ...

Mizuno Half Marathon - Lake Taupo

2009-08-02T16:03:00.000+12:00

I just got back from Taupo half marathon.

What a stunning day - it was super sunny and the views of the white mountains were fantastic, it was like they were inviting us for a ski - it was really quite tempting i must admit ;)

Apparently there were 2000 people doing the run and 1000 doing the walking option! pretty amazing really!

The race was good and pretty hard, we had quite a bit of side/head wind to fight, well that is my excuse anyway ;). it felt strange running on the road as i normally do my running in the forest, i prefer being in the nature surrounded by plants and birds and breath in the fresh air.

The first half of the course was pretty much all along the main road which is the highway and is pretty straight, but to keep us sane we got to see amazing views of the lake and the snowed in volcanoes, so i cannot really complain! From there it went across some grass fields and onto the cobbled walking tracks that follow the lake front. So you get to enjoy the nature despite it being a road race which is a big bonus!

I was being chased the whole race by a girl who looked like a runner and had a mean stride on her. Luckily i was a little taller then her, i guess that was my advantage but i don't know. Anyway i thought i had dropped her a little while after half way but i was quite wrong there. then i got a surprise when i could suddenly see her pony tale in the shadow that was following me as we were on the home straight 3 or so ks to go! (bugger!) From there she was pretty much stuck to my heals and i had to dig deep to keep her there rather then the other way round ;)

as i was running towards the finish line i was still expecting her to challenge me, and i was super glad to get over the line first ;) i think i got 20th overall, and 1st female (i know that one)

Fiona got in a little after me, she had a great run too!

we are now looking forward to the next half marathon (the last of the 3 in Taupo this winter) and it will be an off road one which is more our style, sweet! :)

ps: there was some hot soup waiting for us at the finish line, it might not sound like much but it was such a treat and warmed us up nicely :) thanks!

Brooks Half Marathon

2009-07-12T15:06:00.000+12:00

It's been a while since I have done an event. It was good to have a break from it for a change, also I haven't got that much spare time for training and racing anymore now that I am working and not studying and with the short days - cannot wait for daylight savings! Yay we are slowly getting there! :)

Pam, Nick, Fiona and I all decided to participate in the Brooks Half Marathon in Taupo which was on today. It's a new event by the organisers of Whirinaki Quest. The event was really well organised and attracted close to 400 runners and walkers - man I wouldn't have wanted to walk in these conditions, it was freezing enough running! - just heard the wind speed was up to 70km/hr at times! no wonder it felt like you were trying to push through a concrete wall at times! ;)

We were super lucky with the weather as it was meant to be pouring down over night and maybe even during the event, but all we had to put up with the strong and frosty wind and some super dark clouds that kept eyeing us up but decided to hold off. Nice!

It was quite funny how just before the event EVERYONE seemed to be debating about what and how much to wear, it made for some random conversations amongst strangers ;)

The race itself was fun. The course took us around Mount Tauhara. There was plenty of uphill and downhill over farmland, through forest roads and a bit of single track and at one stage some cows had to share their paddock with us, they didn't seem to happy to see me, I must have been pretty smelly, they all ran off in a hurry.

Fighting against the wind was the hardest thing, at places it felt like you were not moving much, it didn't seem to help when I ducked down to try make myself smaller for better aerodynamic - I might have to practice that one ;)

It was a cool event, really well organised and no need to hang around for ages for prize giving as the spot prizes were in our registration pack and they handed me the trophy as soon as I crossed the finish line - forgot to say, I won :)

sorry no race pics ;(

Here a picture from the course, obviously not taken on race day, what a shame we didn't get to enjoy the magnificent views today. I did see the lake but Ruapehu was hiding under a duvet of clouds.

Scott Big 'O'Trail Run

2009-05-12T13:50:00.000+12:00

My friend Fiona told me about the Big 'O' trail run a little while ago, it sounded great! The idea of running either 19 or 35km offroad through the bush, along lake Okataina and over farm land is very appealing. So Fiona and I decided to race the 19km starting at Miller Rd by lake Okareka as we both hadn’t done much more then 1 ½ hrs for a while. We went to explore the Western Okataina walk way on the Saturday prior to check out some of the race course (we thought! – but you only do this bit in the 35km course) and test the legs. The walk way was awesome – very beautiful with the native vegetation and the birds producing some good sounds ;) and no other people around! We ran to the look out and were stunned to see the ocean from there and it wasn’t even a clear day!
On Monday before the race I decided to change my entry from 19 to 35km – I wasn’t too sure if that had been a good decision I just made when I checked the weather forecast – it looked like a storm was going to come through on Saturday! Perfect weather to do a run of a length I had not done for 10 years! Ha, nothing like a bit of a challenge! ;)
But the weather wasn’t anything like they predicted! Lucky us the weather was a mix of overcast and sun but with a nippy wind. Some people were running in little running shorts – it made me shiver just looking at them! (ha something my mum used to say to me – I must be getting old ;) ) I felt a little out of place at the race brief – in bike shirt i looked like the mountain biker at the wrong event ;) the back pockets of the shirt were pretty handy for storing my food though.
The race started with a big climb, it took me about 20min to get to the top (also the junction to the look out) and from there it was undulating all the way to Miller Rd (that was the bit we had ran the week before). I thought that the first part (the Western Okataina walk way which is the first 16km) was going to be the hard one due to the big climb; little did I know that the next 19km was the hard bit. It was super stunning though as first you got a view of Mount Tarawera behind it’s Lake and then we ran through stunning and ever changing bush and parts we looked down onto Lake Okataina . And every so often I would hear a Tui showing it’s skills off.
There were many very steep climbs where you question how much slower it may be to walk instead of run (which was actually more a shuffle) and how much less pain your legs would be in if you’d give in and walk ;) it wouldn’t be a race without a little pain though. The run was getting harder with the legs getting more tired and really quite sore, but the terrain still didn’t get any easier – it still went up as soon as you think there is a bit of flat or downhill to recover on. Alos you had to lift your feet and watch where you are going as the Eastern Okataina walk way is a stunning walking trail with rots and a few rocks and a nice cliff to one side. I was eagerly anticipating the “3km to go – drink station” it did seem to take quite a while to get there and it was such a relieve to finally get there! But then the last 3km started with a super steep climb – and it kept on going and going – bugger! I was so ready for the finish line and managed to overtake (sounds like biking – guess there is a running term for this…) one more guy who was doing the 35km race who I remembered taking off on the first hill to put a massive gap on me (it was Graeme Pearson). I thought ‘He’s for sure going to get me back’, so I kept pushing on to the finish trying to ignore the pain in the legs. Seeing the finish line was awesome and quite a relieve :)
I got 4th over all and was 1st women. It was an awesome race and will for sure do it again!
Fiona made it over the finish line before me (she did the 19km); she was determined not to let me catch her ;) Awesome effort!

I totally forgot to mention that what really got me through the run was the fact that I was going to be rewarded with the worlds best massage on monday night ;) Pam Dickson rocks! Thanks heaps!!!!

nz single speed champs

2009-04-26T14:52:00.000+12:00

pic: Single Speed Society President Gaz is having a good time :)

the weather was pretty perfect for the event - it was raining on an off all day - it wouldn't be right to ride a single speed on a perfectly sunny day. you might ask: 'but why would you wanna ride a bike with only one gear anyway?' oh well it's just a pretty crazy, fun event and great for a laugh and makes for good spectating. and you might as well do something a little crazy every now and then.
we all had to leave our bikes at the race village and walk up the road so we could then run to the bikes to not find them in 'our' spot. the spectators had been asked to move our bikes to a different spot while we walked off just to make it more entertaining for them, and us? as soon as we found our bikes it was pretty much a normal bike race, other then the fact that there was a short cut option somewhere along the course that you could chose to take as long as you sculled a beer or eat a weetbix with peanut butter, hm yummy! i realised how much of a short cut it was after not taking it in the first lap and then finding myself behind people i had passed a long time ago - oh well that learnt me ;)
i was adamant that Anja was in front all along and i assumed she had taken the short cut on the first lap so she would have made an even bigger gap on me, so i tried to catch her up..., was chasing her the whole race - little did i know that she was behind me all along. i was chasing a phantom ;)
i only found out that i was in the lead just before crossing the line.
Tim Wilding won the men's race!

crossing the finish line while the rain is starting to get rather heavy!

if you are wondering why i am bulling a face - it's because i just sculled a fizzy drink at the short cut tent, so it's not that i am not happy about winning ;)

ps: we weren't meant to drink more then 3 times and i thought i rather not try the eating option and do i long lap, or maybe i just wanted to see the scenic spots of the long course ;)

ps2: i guess my bike was the most fun to ride - i was riding my blur lt! :) (as a single speed obviously)

found an other pic, you can see my mean ride ;) and my red knee - hm shall i blame my skills or the beer for the crash? ;)

xterra 09

2009-04-22T09:02:00.000+12:00

I got talked into doing xterra which was my first triathlon, or to be fair ‘let myself get talked into doing it’ just less then 3 weeks out from the race, so not much time to get my head around the swimming part (and I am not a swimmer – unless you count breast stroke :)). Hm, I guess that showed.
I did look really fast in my super fancy blueseventy helix wetsuit (unfortunately they don’t come with propellers so as soon as I tried to swim I did look more like the clown, but hey, someone has to be the clown right? ). I was second to last out of the water, 6min slower then the leading girl Monique Avery and look pretty much same time as the slowest in my category. This set me up really badly for the ride as I now had to try navigate my way through the field on the bike, unfortunately the bike was not very long and due to the traffic I didn’t manage to make up any time, I actually still lost some! But I made up one place.
The run was my best part of the race, I finally managed to catch up a few girls and I felt pretty comfortable and really enjoyed that part. I had the fastest run of the girls by 2min, am pretty stoked about this.
I ended up getting 3rd, less then 30sec back from 2nd. I knew I shouldn’t have fluffed around in transitions so much or maybe should have even practiced them. But it’s better to make the mistakes now and then do better next time when it counts, I reckon.

So I have got loads to work on and I am already looking forward to next year’s one.

Mtb Marathon champs

2009-04-12T17:20:00.001+12:00

oh well it's now been a week already and i have been meaning to update this blog right away, ... sorry!
yeah so the Highlander 75k which was also nz mtb marathon champs were on last Sunday at the Blue lake Rotorua.
it was a stunning day, not too chilly and not too hot as there was a bit of cloud hanging about and the trails were in mint condition too, so all in all > perfect! :)

the course started with quite a bit of road before hitting the first single trail and then it took us through some mint trails - like Billy T! - and along some super scenic forest roads like along lake front road were you get a stunning view of green lake (it certainly puts a smile on your face) :)

i wasn't feeling too strong and energetic but managed somehow to keep at the front of the women's field and therefore won the marathon champs title, am happy! ;)

thanks for all the support i got along the race course, it's great to see and hear people cheer you on!

wishing you happy easter riding! :)

the final of the summer series

2009-02-23T08:45:00.000+13:00

it was the 3rd and final round of the n-duro summer series that was held yesterday in the whaka forest. hope it wasn't the final of summer though!?! na, it's pretty chilly this morning but i am sure summer will return soon :)
the course was great and again different to the last two events, which makes for more interesting racing and riding. there were a few nice climbs in it and some cool downhill single trails were waiting as little treats at the top of the climbs ;)
we had quite a bit of rain on friday and a few more showers on saturday and over night to sunday but race day was dry, very lucky! a few of the trails were puddly but it wasn't too bad at all. i was riding most of the race by myself which was a bit odd and i kept thinking i might have gotten lost, but i hadn't. maybe i should have pushed a bit harder but there wasn't any urgency.
i won my race and the series, very happy about that.

what's so great about these races is the socializing before and after the race (and on the occasion while racing ;) ), there are so many familiar faces hanging about keen for a chat and to have a laugh. good times :)

sorry no pics again! :(

i think there is no racing till the highlander (5 April) for me now, but who knows there might be a fun race popping up somewhere in between?

summer cup series race 2

2009-02-02T16:18:00.000+13:00

the second round of n-duro summer series was held yesterday in stunning summer weather conditions, yeah it was slightly hot but we don't want to complain about a sunny day ;). the course was awesome, loads of single trail and a good mix of core network trails and others. it's great to do some of the old trails in a race as i don't seem to ride them any other time.
the field seemed bigger this time round, i guess because the race didn't clash with too many other events.
i had a pretty average race as i couldn't get my legs going and it took me about an hour to warm up. oh well, can't feel good every time ;) and it might pay to give the body some recovery time to freshen up before a race. i do actually know this, but the weather has been too good to not ride or run ;).
i did win the women's category though and am therefore still leading the series. next and last race is in 3 weeks. looking forward to it and will try to be more rested for that one.

ps: sorry haven't got a pic - again! :(

trail running

2009-01-28T10:42:00.000+13:00

yep trail running - not riding - this time round. i decided to finally check out Tuhoto Ariki by foot (probably the most amazing trail in the forest because of the stunning vegetation and also because it's slightly more technical riding). i rode Tuhoto Ariki on friday and had so much fun, i am not sure why i don't do it more often. i had been wanting to run through the trail for a while now but never got round to it. i thought it might take quite a while to get there but it took only just over an hour to get to the start of the trail (all uphill though, but fully worth the hard work). the other option would have been to take the shuttle bus up ;)
running through Tuhoto Ariki was awesome and obviously quite different to riding it. i can recommend anyone to check it out by bike or foot with or without the aid of the shuttle bus (it's a walking and biking trail).

other than that, the trails are getting rather dusty here but still great fun to ride.

dh racing!

2009-01-19T09:00:00.000+13:00

photo by Nick Lambert

wow what a week!!!!
i went to test ride Mike Styli's bullit and check out how scary the downhill course is on tuesday with my friend Jo. Jo proofed herself as the mean downhill coach, she showed me all the do-able lines and i managed to get down the dh course pretty safe and with a huge grin on my face :) man it's soooo much fun and not as hard as i first thought (as long as you go a slow pace). it's pretty scary when you look back up the trail and see how steep the trail is you have just ridden down but even more rewarding too.
Jo and i ended up doing a whole day of shuttles (10 runs) and we almost went back for more that evening, we were so amped that we didn't realise how tired we were from the intense riding. Alice and Jo convinced me that it would be great fun to enter the dh race on saturday (just for fun and to hang out together). i had no bike but Budge said it was sweet for me to ride his black beauty (a mean bullit too!). thanks HEAPS Budge :)
Jo and i went back to the dh on wednesday morning but were riding pretty badly which surprised us but the boys at the shop made us aware that 10 shuttle runs in one day (if you are not used to it) is a lot and it's pretty normal to feel rather tired the next day.
i went back on thursday night (first time with my own helmet and armer - no more borrowing other peoples protective gear, yay! thanks Bike Culture!) and had a few more good runs and got used to Budge's bike.
every night i was dreaming of lines and riding the dh bike - man it's pretty intense and i felt pretty smoked from the few shuttle runs and the riding in my dreams.

race day was great! other then that Jo injured herself and wasn't able to race, this really sucked!
it's very nerve wrecking when you line up for your run and then even more so when you are sitting on the start ramp. the plan was to stay upright and hopefully stick to the lines i had in mind and most importantly to HAVE FUN :)
i didn't crash and despite riding a bit ragged i am stocked with my first dh race and i am planning to do some more.
i got 5th in open women, behind Alice.

Rob did awesome, he got 2nd! behind Mike Metz (congrats!!)

thanks heaps to everyone involved in making the race happen, it was an awesome event!

n-duro summer series #1

2009-01-12T09:06:00.000+13:00

i had another race yesterday, it was good to only have a week in between races as the body is still used to the intensity of racing. the trails had been starting to get very dusty by the end of the week so it was perfect to get a bit of rain overnight before the race. as always there was a good crowed at the event and plenty of familiar faces to have a chat to and laugh with before race start. i had an ok race and got 1st woman and 7th overall, but lots of riders had raced the day before, either the moa or the national series north island round 2. the course wasn't as great as expected but i am hoping for more fun next time on 1 feb.

dh race - watching only

2009-01-05T16:49:00.000+13:00

Yesterday I went to watch the first round of the national downhill series in Rotorua to support the boys (Rob and Mike), admire some great riding skills and socialize. It was stunning weather after the rain the day and night before which made it perfect for spectating and racing (other then being a little hot under all the protective gear). The boys did really well despite a few crashes in the seeding run due to the wet (slightly boggy) track and wanting to go a little too fast (race nerves?). Mike ended up winning the masters class (he looked well smooth), Rob got a 5th which is wicked for his first proper dh race! Gabby Molloy made an amazing 2nd place in pro elite, she looked wicked zooming down her dh track. It was a great racing weekend, looking forward to the next Rotorua round in 2 weeks!

National Series Round 1 XC Rotorua

2009-01-04T08:29:00.000+13:00

the course for this national round was quite different to the typical national round race course format as we only did 3 longer laps instead of 5 or 6 shorter ones. i much prefer doing less laps as i find it quite boring doing the same course over and over again. also the course had great single track, some good climbs and offered some great spots to watch the action so all in all a really good race course.
i had a really bad start but that was ok as there was no great urgency to be first of the line as we headed up a long forest road before hitting the single track, so there was plenty of time to pass people and get a good position. i managed to get to the front a little way before the single track and therefore got to enjoy the nice trail without much traffic. the course was pretty tough as we didn't get any rest until we got up to hot-x (we only did half of the track though) but from there on it pretty much was all down hill back to the start of the lap: hot-x, dragon's tail and mad. it was wicked fun! there were heaps of awesome spectators cheering and yelling and as it seemed having a good time. - thanks heaps for all the support i got from you guys!! it makes racing so much more fun :)

and the weather pretty much held out too, we only got rained on at the end of the race. i was pretty stocked about that especially for the spectators who would have otherwise had a miserable time standing there in the rain.

my next race is on sunday 11jan, the first of the n-duro summer series.
happy trails - hope that summer weather is going to arrive sometime soon ;)

new trail

2008-12-17T08:07:00.000+13:00

i went to check out the new no brains extension on sunday. it's awesome! it still needs a bit of bedding in as it is brand new but it already is so much fun! :) and now there are even more reasons to do no brains, other then the wicked view at the look out and the prime trail itself, the trail keeps going now!! - actually it's not so much an extension as a new trail instead of no brains which is a bit of a shame.
from there i went up pondy rd to do pondy downhill (the bike trail not the horse trail) it is still one of my favourites next to chestnut into roller coaster and tuhoto ariki.
if you want to know more about the trails in whakarewarewa forest check out this link.

The goat (alpine run) - 6 dec

2008-12-10T13:00:00.000+13:00

I went into the race with no ambitions as it was just going to be a casual event, no pressure to do well, as I am not a runner but I like going for runs and use the sport for cross training.
The day was a stunner; we (I went down with Nick Lambert) could see Mt Taranaki crystal clear when we sprinted off down the road trying to get a good position in the field before heading onto the walking trail. It got technical as soon as we entered the trail; you have to watch your step and try to spot the good lines (similar to biking). I had heard that the course was going to be super technical but I didn’t quite imagine how technical it was going to be. I was amazed at some of the runners’ skills as they zoomed past me almost floating over the super rough terrain – it looked wicked! While I was running along I had someone tell me that I was 1min down, I didn’t think much of it. Later on the course Henry told me I was 3min down from the lead woman. I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch her up but kept on spotting her a little further up the trail. It wasn’t until the very end that I came close enough to Oksana to realise that I could maybe win if I gave it a bit more – but there was bugger all left in the legs. I was shuffling up the infamous Mama’s Mile (the very last part of the course which is an uphill tar seal road) when Budgy drove past yelling out to me to hurry up. So I thought I better give it a try. I ended up winning the race in 2hrs 27ish min and I am still quite surprised but also super stoked about it.
I can fully recommend the event as it is quite an experience but be prepared to climb up rock faces or other steep terrain rather then running the whole way.

huka xl - 29 nov 08

2008-12-10T12:57:00.000+13:00

78k of almost only single track – what a primo race course!!

I arrived at the start about 20min before race start and the start area was pretty full already – luckily I was able to sneak to the front and found some familiar faces like Mike and Tim and Budgy, so it was a nice relaxed start, we pretty much chatted away till the gun went off. The very first bit was on the road but we hit the single track pretty much right away and then rode trail after trail and it just didn’t seem to end! It was awesome! I had no idea where the course was going – other then that we were eventually going to get to the dam and then take the Rotary track back to Taupo. It was cool to not know what to expect and do trails that I hadn’t done for ages or never done at all. I had no idea were the other girls where while I was riding along as the course keeps winding along but I thought I had an ok lead so I just enjoyed the ride and tried not to slow down too much. When we hit Taupo I though ‘sweet we are there’ (I was a bit tired by then and was looking forward to the finish line) but the race didn’t quite finish then – we were lead back into some more tight single track that I had no idea it existed and growled up some more steep rises before we finally ended up in the park close to the finish line and … yes crossed the line to win the first Huka xl race. It was a very cool race because the course was so awesome, I will do it again for sure!