2013 has started!

Shit its been a while since I updated this thing....

                                               Cheers to Adrian Rumney for this mint pic

Well after all the time I had off from training last year, yes it was most of the year! (although I was still riding bikes of some sort, just not "training"). I had found myself totally burnt out and with other things needing to be sorted out in my personal life, I simply wasn't enjoying riding and found I couldn't push on when the hurting started. I have worked through most of that stuff now and the riding (and hurting) is fun again!
After returning from a couple weeks hanging out in Wanaka with some cool people over new years, I returned home and had a couple big long chats with my coach (BOBBY TUXFORD) and my first official day of training was on the 8th of Jan. Yes this only gave me about three weeks of hard training to get ready for my first race "Round two of the National series in Wellington", but with the head in the right place and using what fitness I had held onto I was excited to see where I could get myself to in the short time I had.

I arrived in Wellington on the Friday and Rolled a couple laps of the track, Being held on Mt Vic it is a bit of an old favorite of mine as we have been racing on this hill since the mid 90s. The track was similar to the one used last year with a couple slight changes, I already had the perfect tires fitted (GEAX MEZCAL 2.1 TNT) on my bike and felt at home on the down hills straight away.
Race day was a hot one and starting at 2pm meant a few people were going to cook them selves! I didn't have much of a kick off the line and with a few guys in front of me stuffing up on the loose gravel I struggled to hold the front guys up the first climbs, I knew I just had to ride my own race and not worry about who was around me or what they were doing. Slowly but surly I started to catch a few riders, this said on lap three I was with young Tom B (who grew up in Wellington and knows the tracks on Mt Vic rather well) he attacked me into a short down hill section and then cut over to block me at the top of the next little pinch, then moved across to shut the door on me going around the outside of him into the hairpin. I swapped sides and came up the inside rather fast as he swung out to set up for the corner (29er vrs 26), as he turned in I was already there and with a slight pause mid corner before a sprint out of the corner and into the next down hill section I had the spot and put more time into him on the down hill, It was good to see him racing like this (as this is how I like to race) but as he learned I have many, many years of tricks to pull out of the bag when I need too. I worked my way into 6th place by the finish, I am happy with my result all things considering, I felt strong all race and my recovery after the race was good as I was still able to get out and do all my sprints on Tuesday after work. I have taken a lot of positives from the race and am already looking forward to this coming weekend in Hinua, Auckland and then National Champs in Rotorua on the 16th with a bit more top end speed Im sure!
Finally Id just like to thank my awesome friends in Wellington (and Roadie/Dave) for a mint weekend!

Mid winter update

Well its been some time since I last posted an update, So here goes...
I have decided this year to take some time to do a few other things other than the usual training and racing that I have every other year. I am trying a few different things to get that spark back on the MTB and racing, After 16 years of racing the National MTB series and growing up riding motor bikes it was  easy to decide to get ahold of a moto. I am still riding most days on the road to keep the fitness in order but I am now playing around on a motox bike as I see it as a great way to sharpen up my skills and do some thing that takes full concentration while challenging me physically.
I am also focussing on my studies as I am in the last few months now and it will be nice to have it out of the way before the summer kicks in. With this in mind it dose not mean I have stopped racing, No not at all, it is just a good time for me to play and have fun doing a few other things before the summer racing months kick in again.

T 42

In the mid 90s I entered my first MTB race, I was 13 or 14, It was 60km long, Started in National park raced down the road through some farm and then through the 42nd Traverse. I was on a ridged bike with toe straps and lost my spare tube half way through the race, Turns out I would need that towards the end of the race, to fix a flat front tyre. I think I finished 8th in junior that day (with a flat front tyre). This event stopped being run a year or two later,  A couple years ago a new crew decided to hold a race through the 42nd Traverse. 
This year I was able to make it to the event. So, on Saturday the 5th I woke to a loverly blue sky and a good frost. Since the Ocieania champs in early March, I have been riding a few times each week (for fun) letting the body and mind refresh and to remind myself why it is I ride the Mountain bike. It was a fast start with a couple km down the road before a couple more km across farm paddock leading us onto the 42nd track it self. I tried to stay top 5 although not on the front, As we hit the track I new it was my last chance to take off my vest so I took advantage of the moment. We had a small group of 5 or 6 as we hit the first wee climb and the group dropped to four then three soon after. On the way down the big decent to the river I had a bit of a moment pulling my foot off the pedal as I jumped a ditch, I landed on some slippery clay and headed into the some branches on the side of the track having one of them hit my ADIDAS half rims and slide down the glass and snap as it hit my face.  The three of us stayed together until the last major river crossing when Matt (last years winner) flew through the river and lifted the pace up the first part of the big climb out, I was able to stay with him but the other rider couldnt respond to the lift in pace and we were two from there to the finish line. I was a bit concerned with how I would cope towards the end of the race and knew I had to keep putting my PEAK FUEL gels and drink mix in. Other than a couple wet muddy/slippery spots my new TNT GEAX MEZCAL tyres were the tyre to run giving me speed on the fast gravel roads. I remember passing that same point I flatted way back in the 90s and thinking "YUS! the TNT tyres sure are awesome". As we approached the finish I knew I had to be in front so I could control the pace through the last little bit of single track and in to the finish, as we entered the grass park to finish we were told to stay left, so we hugged the tape on our left until people started yelling and pointing to the finish shoot (to the left of the running shoot!) so a quick skid and turn around before sprinting for a gap in the barriers to cross the line and I was able to get the win.
48km in 1hr48min on the MTB and other than a pinch of cramp on the last climb (due to not training enough for the pace we were riding) I am really happy with how it all went.
It was an awesome day and everyone hung out in the park while everyone else finished, chatting and yarning about all the things that happened along the way. Now thats just one of the things I love about this sport!

Sponsors link

Ok so check this out, Go to the following link and then on my name and it will bring you back to this! pretty cool huh

http://www.geax.com/en/company/sponsoring/

Yep, GEAX sponsored rider!

Final race for the NZ season

Thanks to Raewyn Knight for taking this sweet pic

The Oceania champs were held over the weekend in the red wood forest, Rotorua NZ. My form had been getting better as the season unfolded and I was looking to have a big race and improve on my 3rd placings over the past two years. It was always  going to be a tough race with  all the top Aussi riders over and in good form coming off there Nat champs a couple weeks ago. I felt good on the track over the days leading up and although having a crash on the rock garden on my last lap of practice I felt I had it under control. I was running GEAX TNT 2.1 MEZCAL tyres on my stans rims so I was going to have to do some thing rather stupid to "burp" that set up.  I had a good warm up and a good start, the legs felt ok but not fantastic, I was able to move into the lead near the top of the first big climb and spent about half the lap in the lead. Chris then Sid slipped past and I finished off the lap sitting in third and in touch with the lead, During the climb on the second lap my legs felt like they were towing a boat with out the trailer! I dropped back through the field and before I knew it I was well back and the legs were getting worse. By the time I was at the end of lap three it was game over. As hard as it was for me to do, I pulled to the side and waited for the 80% lap out rule. I felt (and still do) really disappointed with myself but some days know matter what you tell your self you just cant push through. 

With that behind me I decided to go for a play on a bouncy bike (called Bluey) the next day, I ended up stopping in to watch the XC Eliminator and as they had an uneven number I was talked in to racing, I didnt make it too far through the rounds and finished in 9th place. After the race a few of us rode to the very top of the forest up above Billy-T and rode down a new track linking onto Billy-T and then down a few more tracks to the bottom of the DH, We arrived about 2min after the last DH rider down so missed out on watching any of that

I am now having some time off racing (well XC anyway) as Im doing the "triple crown" super d race this weekend, Im mainly just doing it for the fun factor side of things but we all know what happens when we get on the start line!

I would just like take the time to thank all the people including my loyal sponsors that have been there over the season and all your support.  

JAMIS BIKES, GEAX TYRES, PEAK FUEL, ADIDAS EYEWEAR, CYCLE OBSESSION, BELLAMY GALLERY, BRYTON, NIGHT LIGHTS, TINELI  CLOTHING

COACH: BOB TUXFORD

Napier, NZ nat series final round

The view from my bed room window

Coming into the race I had no expectations of making the top three in the series after the 18th and 11th I had from the first two races. I was just trying to focus on having a good solid race and not let any one get to far ahead over the first couple laps. I was once again lucky enough to stay at the Clarks house out on the farm and only 10min away from the race. After a few laps over the two days leading up to the race I was felling happy with the track and loving the new decent. 

Race day and I decided to do a bit more of a warm up than I have been but the legs felt like crap off the line any way, I was back in 5th or 6th into the first single track and started yelling at people letting gaps open up. I was able to make my way into the top three on the main climb and then Carl and Dirk started attacking! My legs still were not keen to pulse like that and they opened up a gap, I kept the pace on as I was going away from the rest of the field and after last weekend I knew I could finish strong (and its easy to push to deep early on this track and pay for it later). By the middle of lap two I was back on Carl and Dirk and the three of us started trading blows, one after another we would attack and the other two would have to chase. This went on for a lap and a half until Dirk was able to get a good gap and we couldnt peg him back. I lost about 45 seconds over the next lap or so and lost count of what lap I was on, thinking I had two more laps to go and then being given the last lap coke bottle. I now was thinking to my self, is this the last lap? or did my feeder give me the wrong bottle?? I decided to give a big push and hope it was the last. Turns out it was the last lap and I was able to close the gap back down to 24seconds behind Dirk and put 30ish seconds into Carl By the finish. 

With another second under my belt I had enough points to put me 3rd over all in the series. As I said at the start of this, I was not expecting to make top three but so the 3rd was a nice way to finish the series. Off the top of my head I think I have finished top three in the series every year since 2004 (except 2006).

With under two weeks to go until the Ocieania champs being in Rotorua its all about doing the last minute prep and fine tuning the legs, 

NZ national round 3, Wellington

After two weeks off from racing, It was time for another round of the National series. Held in Wellington on the Mt Vic tracks that we have raced on since the early days (mid 90s). Over the years I found the GEAX MEZCAL tyres to be awesome on these tracks, so much I fitted them at the start of the week before looking at the long range weather. This year was a little bit of a different lay out with a more compact track that came back to the same point a few times per lap to make for some good spectating. I had a good start and planed to sit in 2nd or 3rd up the first climb, this worked out for the first half of the climb but then I found my self on the front and making a small gap towards the top and leading into the decent. I had only done a couple laps in pre-ride the day before so I was still finding my lines down a couple sections, so I made a couple mistakes but was able to hold the lead for half the first lap before Dirk slipped in front of me and attacked straight away. From this point my legs and lungs didnt want to play the game for the next couple laps and I slipped down into 4th spot, At the start of lap three the legs and lungs decided they would start to work and I started to feel good on the climbs. From this point I started to pull back time on the guys in front, I moved into 2nd and started to close the gap on Drik (who at one point had over 1min gap on me). I was able to close the gap down to 22sec by the finish feeling stronger and stronger all the way to the finish line. Things are looking good for the coming weeks of racing with the final of the NZ national series being this weekend coming in Napier.