N-Duro #2

We got in to Christchurch at 12am in bed at 1am and back up to make the plane at 530am, had pies for dinner and toast for breaky, landed in Rotorua at 25 to 9 and boost straight to waipa to put our bikes together, our legs felt tired but our minds knew what had to be done...

Katie

The race was starting before I even knew, someone made the comment missed the boat on that one as when Marcus finished briefing everyone was already on the start line ready to race, so if you want to be up front you have to be pretty damn quick. I started the race feeling pretty good but by the top of totarangi pa I realised the extent which I had hammered my legs the day before. I am still getting used to the new bike with its set up my back was playing up when climbing just because I am in a slightly different position which once I am used to it will be awesome and a whole lot more aggressive, although during the race it was killing me. I loved every track though and had so much fun descending on the new bike and made up for my lack of skill the day before in nelson where I was riding very messily to say the least. Thanks to every one for the track and the race it was well worth flying back for.

Carl

As Katie said we missed the boat for the start and started about 5 rows back so I had to start harder than most to get to the front. By the time we stated going up to totarangi pa it was Mikey and Cabin setting the pace with me hanging on their wheels by the time we got to the top I had slipped off the back and was losing sight of them. The track was super hard with 3 massive climbs in the 1^st 20km I always go quite strong on the hills and I was feeling very good apart from the obvious loaded legs from nelson. After the hills one of my knees started to really give me a hard time but i didn’t want to back off because I had a good gap back to 4^th, with about 15-20km to go I could see Scott Green catching instead of attacking right then and there to try get away I just held a gap that he was slowly closing and I knew he would. Once he caught we rode together till the end. We both started slowing down and really playing games with each other he knew he could sprint me and I knew I could usually out climb him, so with 1 hill in the way I knew that was my only chance to attempt to get away, so I went for it after about 20 seconds of going as hard as I could I looked under my arm and he was still there we both just sat up with burning legs and after sitting on him for the last few mins he hit another attack going into the final downhill which I couldn’t match him on losing enough meters that I couldn’t catch on the line losing to the green machine by 5meters and getting 4^th.

Over all we are stoked with our weekend and the last few weeks of training we have had, only just backed off the long, nonstop miles which we have only had 3 days off in about 2 months and a good taper we can still ride like we did.

South Island Cup Final Nelson

Well it was our first national race since last year and boy it felt like a national’s race, I (Carl) had forgotten what it felt like to do hard national standard laps however I had a very good race, off the start I took the lead for first few hundred meters then held 2^nd wheel up the hill to the start of the single track, George Bennett was leading and from there he won the race. I had a good battle the hole race with Stu and Brendon and Richard Anderson started behind and caught up and we rode together, Stu and Richard myself kept exchanging who was out front with them having slight problems and me been on a new bike had very few. In the end I was in 2^nd and didn’t want Stu and Brendon to catch me on the final lap Brendon really caught up and I only just held him off into the single track decent where I stayed in 2^nd and finished off our priority 1 race a very happy lad.

Katie on the other hard had a bitter sweet race, loved her bike to bits but wasn’t dialled to it yet and by the sounds of it she was climbing well but couldn’t put the race together. She is already talking about the next race and keeps telling me how good her bike rides. She finished in 3^rd behind Samara and Amy.

Sorry if there is typos its now dark and we are driving back to Chch for a late night and an early flight and another hard race J look out for the next update

Carl

New Bikes are here

Hey everyone our brand new bling bikes have arrived yesterday, Cheers to Mike and Rob from Bike Culture for getting them ride able quick smart, and Philipp from Bergamont for getting them to us for the weekend (Air freighted from Germany). We took them for a burn in the forest and they are amazing I think I just about like Katie’s fully better than my hard tail, it doesn’t bob and when u peddle it you get a roost behind you (not that mine doesn’t any way). She also has a wider set of bars on it which instantly had a better position and more confidence, on a Dh I usually roll away from her on I looked back and she was on my wheel so I started to go as hard as I could and didn’t lose her very easy, and I got worried when I looked back to see her wheels weren’t on the ground on 2 jumps I have never seen her jump before J Very Happy. My bike feels effortless to ride and floats down rough sections so I’m stoked.

After having them only hours they were back into a box and down to Christchurch where we have picked up Katie’s Dads Alfa Romeo and we are road tripping it up to Nelson as I write this for the final of the south island cup, this is a priority One race on our World selection so we have made the effort to come down, after that we are driving straight back to Chch and catching a plane early Sunday morning getting in at 8.50am with the 2^nd N-duro starting at 10am which we are going to try our hardest to make it to.

So this weekend is a big one having a double race hit out. I’m predicting I will go better in the N-Duro because I always race better the second day, but hoping to do good in both hopefully a win or Two on the new bikes.

Keep ya posted

Carl

N-Duro One

Carl

Race one of the N-Duro summer series; it was a perfect day in Rotorua. I started the races bad and was a long way from the front, I slowly started to pick people off and by the time I got to lookout road which was the big and only hill we had to go up a gapped the boys I was with in search of the front 6 guys. On the decent of No brains I came across Ash Hough slowing me down and there was a rider down and wasn’t in a good way, so I gapped it to find a marshal and ash stayed behind to look after the rider. Soon after I past Mikey he had a bent chain and I had moved into 3^rd and finished 3^rd, Very happy with how I rode after my 15mins of struggling to warm up into the race. And lucky to get 3^rd place with Dirk Peters winning and Cabin 2nd.

Katie

The Race yesterday was hard, off the start line I was slow so ended up getting caught up in some congestion in the first single track. I felt sluggish for the entire race feeling like my legs were made of concrete, and concrete legs are hard to push round for 45km so I was smashed at the end. I really enjoyed being back on the mountain bike having heaps of fun on the single tracks, although I felt a bit novice making some entertaining mistakes, well entertaining for the onlookers. Coming into the paddock to finish I decided to start sprinting to get in before Monique who was right on my tail, the only problem was I overshot the turn into the paddock and ended up on the wrong side of the tape so ended up having to get back under it and by this stage Monique was already waiting on the finish line, it was quiet a fun little battle between us for 4^th and 5^th place. Annica, Nic and Eloise made up the podium with Annika winning the race; it’s awesome to have a strong women’s field like this in Rotorua.

A big thanks to Marcus and the Nduro team as well as our sponsors Bike culture, and Bergamont (our new mountain bikes should be arriving this week)

Stage 3 and 4 of Tdv

Stage Three 130km Road Race (Takaka)

I was feeling really good going into this stage and new it was going to get hard, in the 1^st 40km before the Reay saddle myself and Scott were ether top 10 or on the front don’t no why but we were. I should have been in the break that went up the road early and Clinton defiantly made sure I knew I could of, and I knew I should have been in it but they got caught on Takaka anyway. We had a slight miss hap on this stage with our feeding... the girls didn’t make the bottom of Takaka before us because they had to go back for gas in the van, so myself and Patrick and Clinton Missed our feeds Scott took his coke at the feed before so he was lucky... I started the hill well and quickly faded Clinton and Scott both past me. Once the girls got my coke to me with 5km to go I kicked again just catching Scott by the top getting up there in 30^th 6 mins down on George Bennett better than every other time I have raced up there.

Stage Four 60km hill circuit

The last day of the tour and everyone was feeling Takaka in their legs. The race started hard with the first three laps been sprint laps and 4 and 5 been KOMs. There was 11 laps to this race of a really challenging circuit with a few steep pinch climbs and some 53, 11 maxed out flats gutted I only had 50, 11 cause it hurt on about lap 7 Alex McGregor’s bike made a massive cracking noise and he sat up waving me though to close a gap I couldn’t do, luckily for me the bunch sat up at the end of the straight and I got back on but it came at a cost to myself, Patrick and Adrian Retief, and within a few laps of been getting swung on and off the back we all dropped off the back in our own time little bit gutted about it but it was a lesson well learnt of riding on the back of elite roadies.

Hayden Roulston won the tour beating George Bennett by a mere second and Tom Finlay in 3^rd 10 seconds back.

All in all that was a awesome trip away with the Waiariki Mtb squad and more importantly the best week of training in a long time. Back to the Mt bikes from now our new road bikes already get a rest. Next Race is N-Duro summer series Race this weekend in Rotorua, but for now the drive home and rest for a few days

Carl

Tour De Vineyards

Tour De Vineyards

Two days have been in the Tour so far and feeling ok tonight, yesterday was a bit different though after stage one I was feeling shattered.

Stage One, 60km Circuit

I pretty much got the S@#% beaten out of me, it was a 60km circuit race doing 12 laps out at Hope, the weather turned it on and it was hot as, when we started after a few hundred meters the other Waiariki MTB squad members (Scott Green and Patrick Avery) and I were all gagging for some water, my mouth was so dry i was chewing it to find some water... didn’t work, I was too close to the back of the race with 102 starters it was strung out and everyone knows the back aint good. Stayed in the bunch for the finish I was lucky to get away with it.

It pretty much wrecked me and i thought it was going to be all over, I got Katie to rub my legs out lightly and hit bed by 830 pretty tired, woke up this morning and felt mint...

Stage Two, 110km Road Race

A bit more of a me stage.... with some long ish hills in it, before all the hill I moved up just in case could go for some KOM’s on the 1^st climb I just sat back watching what was going on and there were a few boys just up the road so didn’t bother boosting for some points, on the next I come to the front there were 6 boys up the road and by half way we got 2 of them but I was with James Williamson and he IS Mr. KOM so didn't bother on that one also but rolled over the top bout 8^th ish. Next hill tried to go in a break with the Tasman Glass boys but got into no man’s land so sat up and a few mins latter they were caught but i was going backwards. Stayed in the bunch for a bunch finish again.

The other boys are doing sweet smashing me on the first day and we were all even today with all of us feeling it tonight.

Tomorrow is the Takaka stage 130km with 2 big climbs one being Takaka took me 45mins to ride up it last time whilst I was blown so I hope tomorrow I feel the same as today and I have my climbing legs back on.

Tour De Femme done and dusted

3 days of Road Racing, a good opportunity for us Wairiki mtb girls (Monique, Samara and myself) to absolutely smash ourselves and get stronger for the upcoming national mtb season.

Day 1

The first day consisted of two stages an 11km TT up Takaka and a circuit Race. I really wanted to push the hills so I planned to absolutely nail the TT, however I spent too much time pacing myself worried that I would blow up before the finish that I got to the top and felt like I hadn't pushed it enough. I finished in a time of 32.43 which put me in the top 20 to start off the tour.

The circuit race started shortly after, all 3 of us Wairiki girls finished in the front bunch. In the race I just focused on positioning myself near the front and getting a feel for close road racing.

Day 2 Mon and me smashing it on the front

Again we had 2 stages ahead of us for the day, a 70km road race and a flatish TT. The road race had 2 major climbs, the first climb was Spooners I felt good going into it but at the top my quad started cramping and as hard as I tried to push it I just missed the lead bunch. I rode to the finish in the 2nd bunch feeling strong, Monique was also in this bunch feeling similar to me and she went for the sprint at the end coming second. Samara had kept on the front bunch slightly longer but in the end the roadies had that extra bit of pace and she also finished in this second bunch so the 3 of us finished together.

I felt a little out of my element in the TT without all the gears, although I did score some TT bars (Thanks Kerrian). I just put my head down and went for it, slightly overshooting the first turn but thanks to the marshal I just made it. After this slightly blonde moment I knew I had to put the hammer down. I finished just ahead of Monique and we both managed to gain a place in GC, not bad for us MTBers!

Day 3

Last day, 80km road race. This race was a bit crazy with a big crash taking out a number of girls with some ended up in hospital, pretty scary! I just missed the crash, and quickly got on the rest of the bunch which had continued riding. Samara and I soon noticed Monique wasn't in the bunch, she had been caught in the crash, luckily she had no injuries just a smashed up bike. I stayed in the front bunch for most of the race, feeling really good, however 20km out on the second climb I dropped my chain and wrapped it around my bike, so I couldn't pedal it back on. Once it was on I dug deep and smashed it to try get back on the leading bunch but ended up 3minutes down at the finish. Bummer.

All and all it was pretty sweet, getting to ride my mean new bike with some of NZ's best roadies to finish top 20 and learn heaps. Thanks Waiariki, and Bergamont. I will be adding some photo's soon.