Carl and Katie - NZXC Racing: Swiss Bike Trophy Bern

Last night we raced our first ever city race, and it was one of the coolest experiences we have had.

We lapped around the city center of bern with jumps, ramps, stairs and other obsitcals, loads of spectators even with epic thunderstorms belting the rain down and plenty of excitement all around.

Elite womens -Katie 6.15pm

The Bern city race was aimed to be my last hit out before the Worlds falling at the end of a 3day block of intensity training. I had never done anything like a city race but it was exciting and lots of fun I had to rapidly learn new skills i.e. jumping, and riding over obstacles I was a real newbee to the city riding concept. Nathalie Schneitter of switzerland stormed through the circuit with Lea Davison from the usa right there impressively powering over all the obsticals and around the course. The technique these top elite women had is a huge eye opener as they attacked the obsticals with full speed and confidence even in the stormy conditions. I did not have this same confidence an struggled with no legs at all after the hard block of work I put in over the last few days on the champery Worlds track and in interval sessions (where I will have a claim to fame of pulling away from Carl the night before in an interval session.. where were those legs last night I ask?? I am now thinking Carl was pulling a sneaky one and saving it up for last night), I pulled out after a few laps after my legs virtually brought me to a standstill up a hill. I am hurting for a reason and the taper down now will bring full gas next Thursday in the U23 Womens World Championships. And setting up a circuit like this back home for training is now definately a MUST! Waiariki Makoia campus city race I am thinking:???

Elite mens - Carl

This was by far the coolest race I have ever done, I love technical stuff and this course was pack with it, we had massive flights of steps we had to boost down over logs over jumps the works and on the start line the 4th or 5th thunder shower of the evening was wanting to burst on us. 20 seconds after the start It was all on rain so hard you could see not a lot and we were all soaked to the bone. It made the techy course even more scetchy, but even more fun I have never raced in rain that hard it was intense, this shower didn't stop though. I had a solid race after yet another average start, but there was no way I was racing for the hole shot on roads like ice. I was riding infront of a lot of the packed out field of big names for quite a while even attacked Chirstoph Sauser and Mathias Fluckiger, never had the chance to do that before. I think I finished up 29th I wanted a top 15 so I could get some cash back and some UCI points, but when I have never beaten the top 20 guys I was pushing shit up hill after not committing to the dangerous start. I had the most fun I have had in a while though. Im doing one more race before worlds this Sunday in Muttenz, in Basel Switzerland its a racer bike cup and most of the guys im racing next weekended will be there so its all on...

Chur check out some of the action below. No videos of Katie as I cant use my own camera