NZ National Championships

I was very keen to defend my National title this year and even more so with the championships being held on home turf in Rotorua. After a great NZ Cup series I was confident and looking forward to a good battle. Anton Cooper was always going to be the favourite but I felt that with my local knowledge things could be pretty close...

Photo: Debbie Retief.

From the gun things went well, taking the holeshot and then controlling things up the first climb of Nursery hill. I worked hard through the first single trail section and right from early on established a lead with Anton. Setting the pace seemed like the right thing to do, I was feeling good and with the super dusty conditions visibility was a lot better in front. Also I know the tracks so well and wanted to use this to my advantage to try and test Anton as much as possible.

Several times through the race I opened up slight gaps with little surges and attacks but was never able to get a decisive advantage. I pushed super hard and ended up leading virtually the whole time. A couple of times I eased off slightly to see what would happen but Anton was reluctant to take the front preferring to stick tight to my wheel. As the laps ticked down I tried harder and more frequently to break him but couldn’t manage it.

Photo: Alan Ofsoski (www.fotoengineers.com)

So it came down to the last lap, I had nothing to lose and gave it everything on the final climb up nursery hill. I think we were both on the limit but again I couldn’t shake him. The run in to the finish was predominantly single trail descending back down to the event village with no chance to overtake. The last real passing opportunity was a false flat road section and this was where the race was lost for me. Unable to get any real gap the whole race it came down to a sprint to get into the single trail first which I lost. All I could do was hope for a mistake from Anton down the tricky descent to the short finish straight. Almost unbelievably the mistake came on one of the final dusty corners. Anton crashed but fell right in my path and it was just too narrow to get round him. He remounted super quickly and from there I couldn’t really do anything to contest the win. We popped out onto the finishing straight and I sprinted as hard as I could but couldn’t get round coming in second by the narrowest of margins.

 

Photo: Wayne Jones Nevrilk (www.nevrilk.com)

It is always gutting to come second especially when coming so close to the win but I have to be happy with how I rode. I gave it everything I had it just wasn’t enough to take the no 1 spot in the end. The home crowd support was amazing and this race is definitely the best I have ever been a part of in New Zealand.

Photo: Wayne Jones Nevrilk (www.nevrilk.com/)

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us during the race as well as NZXC Racing and our sponsors and a big thank you to Bike Culture and Wide Open Distributors for lending me a set of Enve Carbon wheels for the race.

NZ CUP FINAL HUNUA, AUCKLAND

I hadn’t raced in Hunua for a long time so was looking forward to a fresh venue. The course profile wasn’t overly challenging with little in the way of sustained climbing but the often narrow single trail weaving through native bush proved to be pretty tough to ride at race pace. The tight nature of the majority of the track made it hard to really put the power down and attack the course. Any open sections provided a bit of relief from the on your breaks stop start style of riding required and during the race I did my best to really hit these sections hard to keep up the overall pace.

 

The start was dodgy with a slight downhill sprint off the line straight into a tight right hander on recently cut dry grass. It was pretty loose coming in at full gas from the gun but I managed to navigate it safely and from there sat in 4^th place round the start loop moving up into second wheel into the first single trail section.

Over the first lap Anton Cooper and I set the pace and we opened up a slight lead halfway through. I ended up riding in the lead over the next few laps working hard to build on the gap to the chasing group and trying to keep Anton in check in the single trail.

By halfway through the six lap race we had a pretty safe advantage over everyone else and it was clear it was going to be just the two of us battling for the win. During the 4^th lap Anton attacked and even though I had been expecting it I was caught a little unprepared and was immediately on the back foot and struggling to close the gap. I seemed to be able to match him on the open grass parts but once back in the single track he clearly had the advantage and quickly built an unassailable lead. I rode hard chasing but eventually finished up 1min 38seconds behind in second place.

So although a second for the weekend it was still a successful race with the points earned enabling me to take the overall National Cup win for 2013. It was also a good last test before the National Championships this weekend in Rotorua. I have been training well including countless laps of the course and with the form looking good things are on track for a good day so I am pretty excited about the weekend and can’t wait to race.

Photos: Simon Watts/bwp.co.nz/bikeNZ © Simon Watts/bwp.co.nz/BikeNZ.

NZ CUP WELLINGTON

 

The team had a really enjoyable few days down in Wellington at the latest NZ Cup. With the New Zealand round of the IRB sevens in town accommodation was fully booked but we were lucky enough to enjoy the hospitality of Tom Bradshaws family for the weekend. The dinners were amazing and there was plenty of friendly banter amongst everyone plus some good sports viewing with the Sevens and then the World Cyclocross champs on live stream on Sunday morning.

Wellingtons MT Vic courses are always hard and this weekend’s race was no exception.  Tough climbs followed by steep, rooty, dusty descents that really test riders fitness and skills. Everything was super dry and it was easy to get out of shape when overstepping the limits. A blazing hot sun brought the temperatures right up as well with the heat getting the better of many riders.

I had a great day with everything going well for me during the race and managed to take a good win ahead of fellow Rotorua riders Sam Shaw in 2^nd and team mate Carl Jones in 3^rd.

Being in the team environment is a lot of fun and with the new bike working well and the form coming along nicely I am looking forward to the final round of the NZ Cup in Auckland next weekend and then Nationals at home in Rotorua the following week.

Down South

Since the Bluff race on the 6^th I have stayed down in the South island on a training camp with the team, training hard making the most of what the deep south has to offer in the way of riding.

First up we spent a few days in Dunedin where we caught up with kashi Leuchs. It was great to talk with him about the season ahead and we picked up a lot of valuable advice. We also managed to rope Tom Bradshaw in to act as tour guide showing us some of Dunedins best trails and despite the threatening forecasts the weather was surprisingly kind.

 

 

Over the last week we have been living it up in Queenstown, based out of Glenorchy. The riding has been amazing and the climbing miles have been stacking up after some pretty epic days in the mountains. The trails are so different compared to back home in Rotorua and the skills have been getting a good work out. Riding out of the comfort zone has been a good way to speed up the adjustment process to the new Super Fly and I am really enjoying pushing the pace now that I’ve got the hang of it.

 

We have a few more days left in the South with a busy schedule of riding and a race in Nelson before we head back home on Monday.

2013

The 2013 season has come with some big changes with a new team and new partners. NZXC Racing has been formed to help develop New Zealands Cross country Mountain Bike athletes achieve international success and I am proud to be a part of the team in its debut year.

This makes for exciting times with new equipment and products to adjust to with the major difference being the bike. Moving from the Santacruz full suspension across to a Trek 29er Superfly Hardtail has been an interesting experience but I am looking forward to putting the new bike through its paces and getting fully adjusted to it over the NZ season.

I would like to thank Mike Stylianou at Hyperformance Hardwear and Santacruz NZ for the support I have received over the last few years. I have come a long way since Stylie first began coaching me in 2007, moving on to support with Santacruz in 2009 and his help has played a big part in my achievements to date. 

New bike, Trek Superfly.

The racing kicked off for the year with the first round of the New Zealand Cup in Bluff this weekend. I hadn’t raced there before so it was nice to compete at a new venue.  The track was quite a long one with 20min+ race lap times. The highlight of the course was the long rocky descent which was pretty tricky when hit at full speed.

I had a solid day starting well and establishing a lead after the first laps which I was able to consolidate through the race winning comfortably in the end over team mate Carl Jones.

The new bike was great, performing well on the climb and the big wheels helped on the downhill rolling comfortably through the numerous rock gardens and flowing berm sections. It was also a perfect start for NZXC Racing with Carl and I going 1,2 in the Elite Men and Amber Johnston taking out the Junior womens race.

The team at the top of Bluff Hill.

 

 

 

2012 Mountain Bike World Championships, Saalfelden Austria.

World Champs are now over for another year. The “Worlds” are the pinnacle event of the season with everybody in top shape and hunting for a result to satisfy their personal goals. Myself and team mate Tom Bradshaw had the misfortune to pick up the flu in the lead up so I wasn’t in top shape but was looking to get through as well as possible. The track wasn’t overly difficult physically or technically but would be good for racing with heaps of passing opportunities. The week’s weather had generally been fine so the majority of the course was dry except for the forest sections at the top end which were still damp. It was a bit sketchy here and made it more interesting but wasn’t a large enough part of the track to make a major difference.

I hadn’t felt great the day before and during the warm up could tell it would be a difficult race. But I had a surprisingly strong start, out performing my often poor beginnings coming through in 23^rd after the start lap. I was really forcing it though and after the first full lap had dropped back to 26th. I wasn’t feeling too flash on the long strength climb at the beginning of the lap losing big ground to the riders around me. Through the forest sections at the top end of the course I could hold my own by taking risks on the descents but would again lose ground on the second major uphill on the tarseal back up into the forest in the second half of the lap. I yo yoed around in the mid 20s the whole race holding my own in the slippery stuff but out in the open on the fast drag climbs the pace was too much. I was unable to hold off several riders over the last two laps but wasn’t too displeased in the end to take 28^th as it could easily have been a lot worse.

It is frustrating when you fall below your personal expectations but it is also hugely motivating. I am determined to improve next year and already have a lot of ideas on how it’s going to happen. The World Champs are always an awesome experience and this year was no different. Living with the NZ team and catching up and making new friends with people from all round the world. The race may not have gone the way I wanted it to but I still had a great time and will make sure I am back next year in South Africa.

Photos courtesy of Marius Maasewerd.

 

Switzerland, BMC Cup Basel/Muttenz

Well I have been back in Switzerland for just over a week. The weather has so far been awesome with plenty of days over 30 degrees and only two days with rain and one of them was on the drive across from Munich Airport.  

 

Morning training ride.

Training has been pretty good and I have enjoyed reacquainting myself with the technical Swiss single trails. I spent the first few days in Brot Plamboz near Nuchatel at Jeromes house. It was good to catch up with him and Patrick and I had a good time there riding on the quiet roads and dry forest trails. I also spent quite a lot of time escaping the heat by cooling off down at the lake.

Via Ferrata with Jerome.

On Friday I travelled to Pascal's house in Basel for the final round of the BMC CUP nearby in Muttenz. A strong field turned up so it was raced at a fast pace. The Muttenz race is unique, held on a very flat course with only 50m of climbing per lap. With so much flat terrain it plays out in a similar way to a road race with groups forming early on and it is very hard to make up ground to the next bunch with so little decisive climbing to split things up. Also it is deceptively physical because with the lack of altitude gain there is also not much descending so there is not a lot of chance to recover. My result wasn’t amazing, ending up in 36^th position. But the time spent suffering at race pace should wake up the legs and help build the form for worlds.

Start loop.

I will spend two more days here in Switzerland staying in Thal before driving across to Austria to stay near the Worlds Champs course on Wednesday.