Cycle Obsession

Ash and I have officially moved out of Auckland (for good) and are currently residing in Tauranga for the short term. 

For 2012- my final year as a physiotherapy student -I have been allocated to Rotorua to complete 1000 hours of clinical placement. Understandably, I'm very excited to be moving to Rotorua (the heart of mountain biking heaven), making training easier and as a bonus I will be closer to my coach, John Lee.

Unfortunately by moving out of Auckland I have had to leave 239 Bike, located in Pukekohe. Will and the team at 239 have been a huge help and support throughout my time in Auckland so it will be sad to leave. If you ever have a chance, I highly recommend you make time to visit the store, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. It's a massive shop, containing a wide range of top-end product and bikes with fantastic service. http://www.239bike.com/

On a different note, I have joined my partner in crime and racing (minus the crime part), Ash Hough, and now officially riding for Cycle Obsession, located in Mount Maunganui.  

Owned by Kris Snow, Cycle Obsession is a passionate bike shop that is at the heart of the mountain bike scene in Tauranga. I am very excited to be part of Cycle Obsession as they provide a positive image and support for local events and athletes in the Bay of Plenty. You can follow them on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CycleObsession?ref=ts

Recent races:

Last Monday  we decide to compete in the Monday night race up at the Summerhill mountain bike trails. Ash and I rode out to the track, only to arrive late and found that the race had already started.  With a 3min handicap we set out, busting our guts to catch up and gain positions. After the tough hour I had made my way into 1st position, leading the women, and ash made it to 4th, 1min behind first place (Kris Snow).  Looking forward to the next one :)

 

For the last few months I have been competing in the Endura Auckland XC MTB Championship Series. So far I have won every race although unfortunately competition has been a little slim for round 2 and 3, which just means I have been racing against the guys. Ash and I will be travelling up this weekend to compete in the final round at Riverhead, and then Taupo the following weekend for the XL Huka Challenge. 

Endura Team Launch

The new Endura team has been launch! 
Last week the team meet for the first time in Taupo. We spent the day trying on new kit, stickering our bikes up and taking photos, the end result being a snazzy looking team on bling bikes and flash kit (check out the photos below). It was a fun day with a talented group of up-and-coming athletes.


Team sponsors include:
-Endura Clothing www.endurasport.co.nz
-Specialized bikes http://www.specialized.com
-Crud www.crudproducts.com
-DZ Nuts www.dz-nuts.com


Have a look out for us at the races this season....

Nigel McDowell, Adrian Retief, Nathan Johnston, Josh Parkin, Amber Johnston, Ryan Hunt, Raewyn Morrison

Stumpjumper 29er!

September's Adventures

Have a look in Spoke Magazine, there is a short write up on me- pg 74

Thanks Tiger from Bushlove for letting me borrow his mtb shoes, and Caleb's wife for lending me a bike for the photo.

Auckland Championships: Round 1: 4^th September

I have never really enjoyed races at Woodhill as the courses tend to consist of my least favourite trails, but this time it was good. The whole atmosphere was amazing, the race organisers did a wonderful job with the running and setup of the event - one of the best I’ve been to. I was in such a good mood I have even committed myself to a new bike…

I left this write up too long to remember any details, but I was first overall female in time of 2.16hours-ish…on my Birthday…Wahoo J

Looking forward to the other rounds!

Day-Night Thriller: 6 Hours Solo: 10^th September

Being sick leading up to this race seems to be a common occurrence with me, but everything seemed to come right on Saturday morning. On the start line I was relaxed and ready, my race plan was to ride until I was tired, and then ride some more. I knew I would be fine up until the 3 hour mark, having never ridden over 5 hours before. After the half way point I was going to rely on my GoFast to see me to the end. The start loop was a bit dramatic with all the racers pumped on adrenaline and ready to go, as soon as the race began guys and gals were jostling and elbowing for position. Understandably a crash happened to the rider in front of me, I had to jam on the brakes and swerve to avoid riding over top of him. By the time I composed and freed myself from the pile up I was near the back of the pack. The next few laps consisted of trailing behind trains of people. I wasn’t too worried as from previous experience I had wasted a lot of energy going off track to overtake. Instead this time I followed, taking opportunity to drink, stretch back, then overtake when space was available with a friendly “thanks” to the rider. I was surprisingly feeling really good, and continued steadily on lap after lap.

The sun was out, making it a beautiful hot day. I was very lucky with an incredible guy giving me bottles and food (a dad of one of the 24 hour races), couldn’t have done it without him. By the half way mark my legs were great but I was suffering,with my back becoming increasingly sore. I was standing up as much as I could, but my lap times were being severely affecting going from 20min (fastest) to 27minutes ish. After 14 laps I finished up 2^nd to the consistently fast, legs of steel, Fiona Macdermid.

I was 14^th solo (out of 79) and 2^nd female overall (out of 17).

Huge thank to all the help I had from the Auckland MTB Club with feeding and looking after me during the 6 hours, and all my friends along side the track who cheered me on and even offered me food. Also thanks to Ash for all his support throughout the year.

It was a great weekend, will probably do it next year, maybe just not on a hardtail again...

Single Speed Sundays: Round 3

The Saturday night before the race involved a last minute conversion of my bike into a single speed (courtesy of with Ash and SS parts from David). It was a rushed job due to the time limitation, which meant no time to test the integrity of the build.

It was freezing on the Sunday morning, with the outside temperature showing 0 degrees at one point, but once the sun came out it started to warm up. I took my bike for a little spin 1 hour before the race, and this realized very quickly that I had a problem...the chain was constantly falling off, on every big bump- (which is obviously VERY frequent in mountain biking).

Ash and Brad redid the chain alignment on the bike which seemed to solve the problem at a glance…then it was race start.

The race began with the lined up bikes on one end of the field, and the competitors (most in fancy dress) at the other end with our front wheels. At the random 'go' we all ran with our wheels to reunite with our bikes, and then we were off.

The first lap was a shambles for me, the chain continued to be a constant problem- falling off on almost every downhill. One of the times it bounced off while I was going over a root on an uphill, I ended up falling off hitting the dirt. By the last trail of the first lap the chain had gotten all tangled and jammed, so I resorted to running, and coasting down the hills. On one of the "coasts" I was talking to Tim (race organiser), was not looking where I was going and went flying over the handlebars in superman style…luckily it was not captured on the camera.

I continued on with a wounded pride, and galloped to the beer tent where help was available for my bike.

It was agonizing watching everyone pass me, I went from first women with a great lead to 3rd, behind by about 10min. It looked very doubtful that the bike could be fixed. Luckily for me, superhero Brad came to the rescue, and by using cable ties managed to secure the tensioner.

I was off, brutally behind, but bike was now fully functioning. For the next lap I was on the rivet, putting everything out there to catch up. It paid off- by the end of the beer shortcut I was comfortably in first place again…and a wee bit tipsy from sculling the beer.

The next lap was enjoyable; I kept the pace up to extend the lead and see how many guys I could catch, finishing in a sprint finish.

Very cool race! Hope they bring the series back next year. In the mean time I am looking forward to Round one of the Endura Auckland MTB Series on my birthday- the 4th September! :) 

Karioi Classic

I have been a bit busy with training, assignments, university and work that I've procrastinated in writing up this race report, so here it it finally..seriously overdue, but complete :)

The Karioi Classic is a 46km race in Raglan that heads up and around Karioi Mountain on sealed and gravel roads, whilst incorporating spectacular coastal views. We were exceptionally lucky with the weather, nice cool temperature and crystal blue skies.

There was plenty of climbing that was rewarded by long and fast downhills-hitting speeds up to 70km/h down one section of gravel hill.
I led the women's field from the first 2km road climb, surprising myself with how good I felt. To begin with, I mostly rode by myself passing the occasional person, but once I reached the second tarseal section I was caught by 5 guys. For the remainder of the race I rode with the pack, pushing the pace to secure a respectable course time.

I finished with a time of 1.41hr, smashing the women's record by 9minutes. For winning, my name engraved in the trophy and won a crown with money melted in it, some prize money, and a goody bag full of trade aid stuff.
Ash  also did really well winning the Single-speed category, scoring a great prize- a free stay at an Ohakune holiday house.

It was such a lovely trip, and really nice to catch up with everybody and to share the day with Ash, Katie (uni friend), and riding buddies David and Shaun. Will hopefully be back next year :)

Trophy

David, Katie, Ash and Rae

Results: http://www.karioiclassic.org.nz/#!results

Roadie RaeRae

In the past I'd always be the first to bag road bikes and especially the roadies, I just didn't understand how cyclists could choose traffic and the wind over the natural bush and the forever challenging and varying terrain available with the mountain bike. 
During the Summer I had my first taste of road racing in the Kapiti Summer Series, and I can honestly say I finally get it! The appeal of the road bike has won me over- the speed, the challenge of breakaway or final sprint, the tactics (which I am still lacking) and the easy cheap accessibility. Although I am a mountain bike chick at heart, I can see and feel the road riding is benefiting me and I am enjoying the new experience. 
I did pretty well in the Summer during the Kapiti race series, winning my group (Scratch 1) and coming 8th overall in the Akatarawa hill climb (first female).

Photo by Gavin McCarthy: January 2011

Auckland Half Distance Championships: 10th July 2011
I have had a bit of bad luck this winter with illness, so after catching my third cold I decided to do the race anyway since my asthma was not affected. The race was hosted by the North Harbour Cycling Club and consisted of 4 laps around an 11km course in Kumeu. It was a tough day on the bike with strong headwinds on the climbs and the constant threat of rain. It was a quick pace from the start, beginning with a long steep uphill that was exposed to the violent wind. 
I lasted a 2 laps with the lead group until I was dropped. After I took my turn at the front up a hill into a headwind, an attack happened. Subsequently, I failed to summon that little bit extra effort to stay on, and myself and another girl fell behind. The remainder of the race I rode in a group of three, but now I was starting to feel good. 
During the last lap, on impulse I attacked on a corner into the headwind. This turned out to be reasonably successful and I immediately broke free from the other girls. I stayed away for a good 7minutes, but was chased down and eventually caught. Nearing the finish line on the hill top, no one wanted to lead out the sprint, so the pace began to slow. I stepped up and took the lead, as the hill began I clicked up a gear and jumped on the pedals. I could see the shadow of the girl following, I pushed harder to get away, searching for that final burst of speed for the finish line. I got it!!!
By winning the group sprint it landed me on the podium, 3rd elite (senior) women, and 5th woman overall.




Kapiti Potato Guy Winter Series #3: 16th July 2011
Leading up to the race I couldn't decide whether to race B or C grade, in the end I took the easy option and opted for C. The race itself I found challenging, it was very flat and exposed to the wind. There were 40 people racing in C grade alone, consequently, it was a constant struggle for position near the front of the bunch. Because of the flat nature of the course it was extremely hard to split the pack, although there were constant attempts which made for a very unsettled ride, with varying amounts of accelerations and braking.
In the end it came down to a lengthy unsafe sprint finish, with 40 people jostling for position, cutting people off, going for gold. I went for it but was quickly overtaken and intimated by all the strong, aggressive male sprinters. I ended up 17th, 2 seconds behind 1st place.

Photo by Finlay Brazier: July 2011

Huge thanks to Andy from GoFast for putting me in contact with new sponsors JustWorkout in Auckland. I have never been much of a gym person until now, with a wide range of the latest equipment, a variety of classes, friendly staff and hair straighteners in the changing rooms... I'm turning into a bit of a gym bunny. 

http://www.justworkout.co.nz/

Reflections of the previous 3 months

It has been a very busy last few months with moving, university, training, and the odd race dashed on the side. There has been a period since my last update as I’ve struggled to find the time to sit down.  Though yesterday I picked up a nasty cold, and spent most of last night awake with fever. Today I took the day off university and was lying in bed feeling sorry for myself, when it struck me this was finally the opportunity to update my blog. So here we go….

Cateye Moonride 2011

The Moonride is a well establish mountain bike race, consisting of solo riders and teams from elite through to your average Joes. Previous years I have competed in 12 or 24 hour team categories, but I continuously seemed to develop an annual flu around the race, so this year I decided not to compete. However, a few weeks out, Stephen Hough offered to enter us in a 6 hour team consisting of Stephen, Ash and I. How could I say no. 

Photos by Stephen Hough

It was great being back on the mountain bike again (it’s been a bit neglected as of late) especially experiencing the very sole of mountain biking…the mud. I love riding in the mud, it’s challenging technically and physically testing for the body. Ash started us off and set a hot pace right from the gun. From lap one, we were winning the 6 hour team division and our lead continued to extend throughout the race. Our team “Rusty, Lusty and Crusty” Won 6hr Mixed, and was the fastest team overall with 12 laps. I am quite happy with this result, although it was nicer just to be on the bike racing again, the perfect break from study.  

Crusty, Rusty and Lusty

Hardin-Up 12 Hour Single Speed Race

On April the 9^th, Ash and I headed down to Ngaruwahia for the inaugural “Hard n up single speed 12hr relay” on the infamous, gruelling black stump mountain bike track. We were entered as part of the GEON sprocket rockets team which consisted of Ash Hough, Shaun See, Janine Kavanagh, and me. It was a 7.5km course with over 270 vertical meters of climbing per lap. The race started with a long farm track downhill to the bottom of the course which had us hitting speeds of up to 60kph. Then a long grovel back up the hill to the event village.

Ash started us off and was the guinea pig for gear selection. He soon found that we all need a much lower ratio to get us through the next 12 hours due to the amount of climbing. It was a fantastic race, very well run, and although there were not the large numbers the event organisers were hoping for it still had a great atmosphere, our entire team loved it. Additionally, the event had a few Quirky parts to it including undie laps. There were bonus laps for completing two laps in your underwear, Janine and I step up for our team. We were also provided with an amazing free dinner – fresh lamb and wild boar roasts on the spit with salad and fresh potatoes, it was amazing defiantly something you don’t get at any ordinary race!!

We ended up in 2^nd place overall and winning the mixed teams grade, receiving medals and a few spot prizes as well. Huge thanks to Shaun for organising us, GEON for the team sponsorship, and Andy who supplied the team with go fast http://www.gofastsports.co.nz/

National Championships, Dunedin

After having a good race in Nelson I was feeling ready for the National Championships in Dunedin. I "participated" in the hill climb race on Thursday, just because I could. It was the most uncompetitive I've ever been in my life, as I did not want to detriment the big race on Saturday. So I took my time up the hill, spinning, saving the legs and practicing my wheelies where I could. I predictably came 2nd out of 2 women, nice easy unearned medal :)

The Cross Country race was my serious race and the one I was hoping to do well in. The course overall suited me very well, but heavy rain a week leading up to the race completely changed the track, making several sections dangerous to ride. The organisers excluded the middle section from the morning race, leaving only the elites to ride it, many of the whom opted to run it instead of ride. I was fortunate enough to do my pre-ride with Ash Hough, where I learnt the technique of “top tubing”, which lowers your centre of mass, and gives you a wider base of support therefore more balance and control. This technique was one of the few good things that I got out of the race.

On the day I felt awesome, I was so calm and ready, I knew the course, had my race plan, and I felt fast. The start of the race it was all going well, conserving my energy where I could. The steep, muddy section went smooth with the top-tubing skill, I got down to the bottom fast and safe. Though everything unfolded from there onwards. I had chosen a VERY high volume, aggressive tires, the problem with this is it did not clear mud. On later examination I had less than a 0.5cm gap between frame and tire. The thick and clayey mud bulk plugged the gap, stopping the wheel from turning and preventing me from going forwards. I struggled on the side of the track in a panic, grabbing handfuls of this nasty mud, desperately trying the clear it. Within two minutes three riders passed me, I gave up and just jumped on my bike. The wheels were barely turning and it felt like I was pedalling with the brakes on, the amount of resistance the mud gave was surprising.

I carried on, but it took a good 12 minutes for the mud to fully clear, as a consequence I was going very slow, losing places, and wasting too much energy. When it happened again on the second lap my pace further reduced, and to top it off, the gears refused to change down. I grovelled up the next hill with the wheels full of mud and a gear far too hard for me to push. I completely hit the wall.  

By the end of that lap, I pulled out of the race. I had blown my energy pushing through the mechanical, and was extremely disappointed and stressed which lead to a little asthma attack. Bummer!

So although it was the not ideal end to the season, I did learn “top-tubing” and I will now know that those tires clog my bike in muddy clay. The end of one season, and now the beginning of the build up to the next season. For the first time I will be able to train through winter, there is no glandular fever or wrist operations stopping me know. Weirdly enough I'm looking forward to the cold, stormy rides, something new to experience and push through.