PNP MTB Spring SeriesRound 3

Having never done an Enduro before I wasn’t too sure how this was going to work out, all I knew was that I had to go down 3 different courses as fast as I could. Unfortunately no one at the race had managed to get sponsorship from the weather which meant we were racing on nice greasy muddy tracks- my favourite!

I decided to race Open Women and B Grade again, for the tough racing and a cool course.  For once I wasn’t too nervous; my climbing didn’t matter; only the descents were timed.  I had hopes of getting on the podium, unfortunately I didn’t quite make it, though I did grab 6^th. The Podium went to Sasha Smith, Raewyn Morrison and Nicole Swain.

Although I was kind of disappointed with how I did, I did improve on my time from the last race (for Freewheel-Beeline), which wouldn’t have been possible without all the help I got from others.  First up is Mud Cycles, with an awesome bunch of guys, they made sure that my bike was in tip top shape. Then there’s Nic Johnson, for letting me gatecrash her ‘mini Enduro’ so I could pre ride the course with a speedy descender. There is also Mum and Dad for driving me round and helping me organise myself, all the while encouraging me.  Of course I can’t forget my older brother, who came out on a pre ride with me and would’ve done awesome if not for a badly timed puncture (halfway through a run).

Also huge shout out to Kim Hurst and Ryan Hunt for their awesome performance at the 24hr Solo World Champs- both coming home with the rainbow stripes!! Kim and Ryan have helped me heaps, and they deserved their stripes! Ricky and Lisa who were the amazing support crew have also given me huge amounts of help!

And cheers to  Nigel Sanders for some cool pics!

Mountain Biking Schools Nationals -The Super D

The final day of racing was, yet again, horrible weather, having rained all Sunday night and all morning – so I was excited about the last race. It would be pretty fun freezing at the top of Signal Hill waiting to start, and then riding on greasy roots, rocks and clay.

The weather was actually so bad that they (the organisers) had to make sure people still wanted to race (which we all did), get more marshals (let’s just say a few ‘abandoned ship’) and they had to find a way for us all to get to and stay at the top with out freezing, and still have somewhere to get warm and dry at the bottom. In the end the shuttles came back so we could stay in the vans until our start.

Fortunately I didn’t have to wait too long until my start with only 5 girls starting before me (3 Under13’s and 2 Under15’s). The race wasn’t too long, but was cold and wet and muddy. So a good and proper MTB race!

Overall Wellington did pretty well in both this stage and overall, George got second in U15 boys Super D.  Jonti got third in U20 girls, Eden won overall for his grade and for the Super D, and Hamish Paice got fifth in U16 Boys.  Dylan Reid and Callum Hancock got third and fourth in U14 boys, respectively.

I wouldn’t have been able to race if it wasn’t for the good organising done by Mountain Biking Otago, so big ups to them for a well run 3 days of racing. Also huge thanks to Mud Cycles for their support and sponsorship. There are also Kim and Lisa who give me huge amounts of support- advice, belief and coaching. And lastly Mum and Dad, they put up with my moods, pre-race nerves, pay for accommodation and travel. They are the best parents out there I reckon.

Mountain Biking Schools Nationals -The Downhill

With a later start and warmer weather the day was looking good from the start. At the briefing I finally met Wellington rider, Jonti Cullen, she was great to talk to- and now I actually know more than two Wellington MTB girls.

With 2 practice runs, a seeding run and then a race run there was plenty of time to learn the course- although I’d already done 3 runs of it on Friday. The practice runs were a bit of a free for all, but other wise were good fun.  As there were only five girls doing the DH (two in Under 16 and three in Under 20) we all shuttled up to the seeding runs together. It was cool to meet and talk to the other girls that were racing- I don’t really know any mountain biking girls in or outside of Wellington.

It was good as our seeding runs were first we could then watch most of the boys before the shuttle up for the race run. With a rush to the shuttles for a last time, the pre race nerves finally came- although much smaller than normal.

Despite a bad race run- coming off really isn’t ideal- I still managed to win the U16F, which I was pretty stoked about.  I was also super impressed by Jonti- her first MTB race was PNP Club champs, meaning that this was her second race and a huge step up from D grade.

Huge thanks to: Ricky for his descending coaching; Lisa for her goggles and a quick few weeks of coaching to get me a bit sharper for racing; cheers to Ryan for his baggies; thanks to Kim for advice on how to stay in the right mental zone; cheers to the guys at Mud Cycles for their ongoing support and Sponsorship; and of course Mum and Dad, for everything they do- supporting me, travelling across the country, going on the ferry etc.

Mountain Biking Schools Nationals - The Cross Country

As forecasted it snowed overnight, even so, it was a shock when I looked out the window and saw a fine covering of that powdery white substance. I don’t think I’ve ever dressed so warmly for biking-2 sets of socks, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 base layers, my Mud top and a jacket. And no, I didn’t over heat, I only got to ‘comfortably warm’ in my last lap.

We managed to avoid being out in the snow until George and I had to warm up, although that didn’t really happen. Serious, full 30 minutes with sprints and all, but by the start my legs had turned back to ice. They were racing the Under 16’s and Under 15’s together, so it was a pretty crowded start line. I managed to get myself into the 4^th row, so I started in front of the other chicks- why they all went to the back, I don’t know. So with a cold start the XC began.

It was a pretty neat course, very swoopy. I had a lot of fun out there even though Eden Cruise lapped me. In my defence it was 6 laps and this is Eden Cruise we’re talking about. I’m pretty sure I didn’t see the other girls at all during the race- which was a good thing. I also had mum and dad giving me approximate splits between me and the next chick.

The other Wellington riders did pretty good.  George was leading Under 15 boys until a tree jumped out at him and broke his chain.  Eden won Under 16’s – was a bit of a laugh when he was accidently put down as an under 16 girl. Robbie Bradshaw got 5^th in Under 17 boys. Jed McDermott got 4^th in Under 20 boys. And that’s only the top 5’s; with about 11 riders from Wellington I reckon we all did pretty well.

Of course no race is possible without its organisers- so cheers to Mountain Biking Otago for a well run event.  No bike is rideable without maintenance so cheers to Mud Cycles for making sure my bike is in tip top condition- and that’s all the time. No rider can race without support, so cheers to Mum and Dad for their tremendous help driving me round, and be awesome parents. Also helping on the mental side of things were Kim and Lisa, giving me tips on how to make sure I was in the right mental space before the race.

Mountain Biking Schools Nationals Days 1, 2 &3

For most cycling events you have to travel all over the country- this was no different. For the first time I was travelling to Dunedin- not by any means the longest roadie I’ve done. With a day on the ferry and a day driving down it was actually a pretty fun roadie. Dad and I got to see all the motels that we’d stayed in the year before when we drove down to Track Nationals in Invercargill.

The place in Dunedin we were staying was pretty flash- the shower had two heads, I had a double bed, all the important things. So I was pretty excited about this trip.

On the Thursday we had to get up early to pick George Jackson up from the airport. (George is one of Wellington’s keen and quick boys- on the Road, Track and Mountain.) After picking him up we got ready and headed off to pre ride the XC course, it was a neat, fairly easy course  but you could still get quite a bit of pace on. We rocked up to the course at a similar time to Robbie Bradshaw and his dad so we got a lap in with them at the end. Which was good fun- and it was fast (for me).  

We then headed off to try and have a look at the DH course before the predicted rain set in. But despite how much looking at the map we did, there were no sign posts (that we could see) so we pretty much relied on our memory of the GoPro-ed video on the MBO website. I’m not really sure how much of the course we actually rode. A piece of advice if your going to Signal Hill – figure out what tracks are what before going down them.

Huge thanks to Lisa for her super cool goggles that she lent me.  Ryan for some baggies, because there is no way I am buying a pair for myself -it’s a DH rule that with a full face you need baggies. Kim for her tips on how to be mentally prepared- it’s not just the legs that need to be tip top on race day. The guys at Mud Cycles for looking after my bike, and the super quick services when I need them - probably should’ve given them more than two days for a general service… Ricky for his descending coaching- probably wouldn’t have been able to ride significant amount of the DH course (that we rode) without it. Last but not least, Mum and Dad. Huge thanks to them for driving down to Dunedin and all the support they’re giving me down here.