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.

PNP MTB Spring Series Round 2

This time the race doubled as Club Champs and was out at Wainui. I decided to race C grade and Under 19 for this round as the technicality and length was going to be similar to what Schools Nationals is going to be like (and Lisa told me to!).

As it was club champs there were three races, a XC, a Super D and a Criterium. I know - an off road Crit!! It also meant that the races weren’t too long, which was good because the weather really wasn’t in a good mood.

I had just gotten my super cool Mud Cycles kit so what’s a better way to christen it than get it covered in mud? With the XC race first and having pre-ridden it two day before with Ricky I wasn’t too nervous- for once. I managed to finish in more or less 45 minutes.

After a haul up to the top of Freewheel it was time to Super D. The Super D went down Freewheel and Beeline, so it was on some fun, zoomy and slightly technical tracks. I managed to ride everything alright- and I didn’t wall ride the first drop on Beeline Extension like I might have on the Friday with Ricky.

I was really impressed with how the Crit was run; with two laps of a short course it was just the way to end a long day in the saddle. They also gave us women a head start so that we could have our own race.  

The whole day was lots of fun and a good learning experience. It was great to be able to compare myself to bro Jonny and Cowbell crewmate Ryan. Although it was gutting that I wasn’t eligible to be club champion as I’d raced in C grade rather than D. But I did manage to come away with 8^th overall in C and an alright time in the Super D. So it was a good day!

Huge thanks to the Guys at Mud for the bike help, Ricky for giving me descending coaching and taking me for a pre- ride. Kim and Lisa for all the support they give me. And Mum and Dad for the rides out there and all the amazing support they give me.

Day Night Thriller

I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous for something that I wasn’t racing- that’s including mock exams. I went up solely as support for Kim, Lisa and Ryan, trying to help them out as they help me out so much. Kim and Ryan were doing the 12 hours solo and Lisa did the three hour solo, my job was to do lap times, give them food and generally just look after them. Which is a pretty full on job.

The weather was doing its best to imitate Scotland, wet and cold, which I guess was good as it was meant to be a dry run for Kim and Ryan before they head of to World 24 hour Solo Champs- I think it was a bit more of a wet run though (ignore the bad joke if you wish).

I think I did an alright job of looking after Kim and Ryan while they were out as they didn’t die but did manage to get first and third overall (respectively). It was a long day in the easy up but it was an experience that I’m glad to have, it allowed me to understand just how important nutrition is and appreciate how important it is getting support from others.

It was an awesome weekend away and surprisingly stress relieving- who knew that putting off internals for a weekend relieved stress! I’m super glad I went and am stoked that I could try help Kim and Lisa out given how much they help me.