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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Nick Lambert

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

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

Cycling: Determined favourite puts aside setbacks

By Peter Thornton

5:30 AM Saturday Nov 27, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter Thornton

By Peter Thornton

Copyright ©2010, APN Holdings NZ Limited

Huka XL race preview

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

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

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

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

First Moerangi ride of the season

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 :)

I will be back with some pics from my rides.

Moerangi Trail x 2 - what a day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!