After finding out earlier in the week that I have tonsillitis, I decided to still do the first round of the N-DURO winter series. It had rained most of the week and was showering off and on through out the day. I got off to an ok start up the road climb and onto the gravel sitting the front and taking a group of 6ish away early. After the first 15min the bunch had dropped down to 3 of us with me still on the front, we rode together for a while with the other two swapping around behind me. On the way up to pondies one of the riders dropped off as the pace I was setting on the climb had finally got to him. So just one to go, We stayed together until old chevy when I was able to get a gap on a small pinch climb and then slowly opened it up on the next few pinches. Once I was free I kept the pace on and rode to the end "loan ranger" finishing the 40km muddy race in 2hr 2min. I have to be happy with how I rode considering how I felt and Im still on the Meds for my Tonsillitis.

Fundraising for the Worlds

Michelle Bellamy has donated some of her prints as fundraising for my trip to CANADA as the last part of my build up to the WORLD CHAMPS. I am planing to go for a 7 week block with 6 races jam packed in this time.

The prints are high quality, limited edition (numbered) signed and framed, ready to hang! all you have to do is choose the one(s) you like the most, and contact me.
I am selling the prints for $500 each (framed remember!), They normally go for around $690+ in the Galleries. The prices on Michelle"s web site are print only (no framing).


To view the selection of images available click on the link:

http://bellamygallery.co.nz/Prints.html

Happy choosing

Tour of Tarinaki Day One

Tour of Tarinaki day one. On the way down last night I started feeling like I was getting the flu, it would be no surprise as the dude I work with has had a nasty one all week. So I woke up today not expecting too much. It was a chilly clear morning and we headed out for an early start. I got there a bit late so had no time to put on my queer-spares, got a quick warm-up and I was off. The TT was different from last year, this time an out and back. I finished it in 35th place, pretty good for a MTBer who usually has issues with TT's.

On the second stage (after a nice lunch and some catching up with fellow rider friends) we headed out for a mainly flat race. Soon into the race there was a 8 person break-away, so I put the gas on and chased down. I got a gap on the bunch with ease, and as I was gaining on the break I loked over my shoulder and Joe Cooper (the dude that won the TT by 20-30 sec) also had a gap and was chasing me. I waited for him and we worked together to get into the break. We worked in the break for a while until I noticed that my bars were coming loose. We had a good gap, but the bunch had been slowly reeling us in. There was no tec van behind the break so I had to drop off to behind the bunch where I tightened my stem, whilst going 45km/hr along very rough roads then jumped back into the bunch which had caught the break.

With 10km to go Gordy and two others made a break, and Gordy won the sprint for 1st. The bunch finished 50m behind and I think I was around 10th across the line.

Looking forward to a wet, thunderstormy day tomorrow, so hopefully I can keep this flu at bay.

One of the most fun days racing Ive had in a long time!!!!

The race was the "Crank Taupo" an xc race in the morning and then it was dh for the rest of the day. 10am the xc started, it was on all new tracks with some farm paddocks that made up most of the track. I got the whole shot and started to open the gap straight away, Cabin tried hard to keep with me but the gap slowly opened up on him and after about 7km I was out of sight. Even though I was out front I still had something to chase, Yep the lead motos!!! After the first 17km we hooked off and rode the back 9km loop again before climbing the last gravel and then dropping down through the paddock to the finish. I finished the 30km race in 1hr 21min just over 2min ahead of Cabin.

The DH, I didnt have a dh bike so I knew I was on the back foot from the start with Cabin riding one and Des Curry (4th place getter in the xc and 3rd in the dh) as he is one of NZs top dh riders. I decided just to do what I could and have some fun, That I did. I havent seen my fastest dh time as yet but I do know I was third overall the the combined "All Mountain" class.

Every one had an awesome day and this is one race that I will be spreding the word about and going back to!!!

Other than a bit of down time (riding every second day) working and getting back into training properly again, a heap of not much exciting has been going on in my world since my last post. Well up until today that is, Michelle and I raced in the 6hr section of the Moon ride 6,12 and 24hr teams mtb race in Rotorua. I started the race and after the third 19ish minute lap I lead the 6 and 12hr race out rite. The plan was for me to do the first 3hr and then hand over to Michelle to do the next 2-2.5 hr giving me 1 or 2 laps to finish the race. This worked pritty well apart from me crashing while passing a slower rider with a lap and a half to go on my 3hr stint and slowing a bit before handing over. Michelles laps were all pritty close to each other but by the time she finished and I went out I could only get one lap in as I new I couldnt pull a 17min lap before the cut off.

All in all it was a good day with michelle doing 6 laps and me doing 10 laps. My Average hart rate was 180 for 3hr23min and my Average speed was 26.7kph. Im happy with those numbers at this stage of the game as world champs are still a while away yet.

Oceania Champs

It was behind these two that the race had some chasing excitement - Paul van der Ploeg (Australia), Andrew Blair (Australia) and Adrian Jackson (Australia) provided an effective Australian block on the rest of the field. However, New Zealand's Mike Northcott worked steadily away at the strong Australian presence to finally break free at the end of the fifth lap into third position, which he held to the line.

My best Oceania result so far,

The trip started off not so good with getting off the plane to find out our accomidation had been cancelled and re booked to someone else!. We ended up running into Alex Mcgregor working in the bike shop and he offered for us to stay with his family as every thing else was booked out.

The track was very similar to the one we have raced on in the past, only this time it was dry!!! a good thing as I had on a new set of GEAX AKA 2.0 tyres on and in the dry, those things are FAST!! We took off from the line and I slotted into second spot as we hit the gravel path, I stayed in second until near the top of the first big climb of the lap when a couple more of the Ausi riders jumped past me into the single track. Locky and Dan (the top two ausis) got a gap as I was still trying to recover from the super fast pace up the climb. I spent the next couple laps swaping spots for 4,5, and 6th with a couple other ausi guys before finding my legs again (just as Stu Houltham was about to catch up with us) and I set out on a mission to catch the third place rider. I was decending really fast and was pulling time out of him on most of the climbs, closing the gap. He saw me coming and tried to get away a few times but my legs were feeling good and I knew I could get him and still had a few good attacks in the legs for the last lap. I moved into 3rd just before the start of the coke lap (last lap) and held the pace high on the big gravel climb with a couple small serges on the way up just to see what he had left, not much as the gap opened up and I was gone! I finished in third to take my first Oceania medal. I was 3min 42 behind Dan and Locky who had spent the whole race attacking each other and having a sprint finish, so the gap was pritty good really (last year I was about 7min back) so this has to be a good thing eh!!??!!

The short track was on the following day during the down hill lunch brake. It was 20min plus 3laps. I rode around the edge of the track as the woman raced, so I knew where the track went but I didnt do a proper lap before we started. The crowd was pritty small for the womans race so I decided to try and make our race a bit more exciting. Off the line I had decided to go "BLOCKS!" and try to get a gap, This worked well but on the second lap I hit some moss on an off camber up hill bend and down I went! once up again I had to get my chain back on and get going again, By this time I had been past by most of the field and had to spend the next 10min chasing the leaders back down. I sat on the back of the lead bunch of about 7 for a couple laps to get my breath back and then moved up into third for a lap before going to the front and lifting the pace again, I spent the rest of the race in the top three swapping spots and streching the bunch getting rid of a couple more riders. With 5 of us together on the last lap and me in third spot as we hit the finish straight, I hooked another gear but had heaps of grass in my cluster and my chain started skipping. I had to go back a gear and kick off that, running out of room in the sprint I crossed the line still in thrid. THE END

Front page action, and world famous in the Waikato! Yeah!!!