Motu 160

I haven't been keeping up with the blog updating, but here is a write up on the Motu 160 raced last weekend.

The 2 times I have attempted Motu 160 alone I have just come off resting from the international season, had no form, and its been snowing and I have pulled out after the mountain bike with hypothermia, not ideal. Last year I teamed up with Katie and we won the mixed. I got a lot of shit leading in as she finished individual 2 years in a row taking the win once and second the follow time and then finishing off our team race so everyone was on my case about finishing.
This year I was ready for it, Im in full swing of training for the tour of southland so 160km wasn't a hard ask. Once again the weather was average 130kmh gusting winds and rain in the forecast and warmish not snowing...

But you never know when you’re up in the motu, so I kitted up leg warmers, jackets and thermals.
On the first climb is where things usually happen but the flat road leading to it was really rough and very hard going so the bunches formed early and I was relaxed into the climb, I’m usually the one to attack on this climb 1st every year but I held back till half way up, everyone knew it would come but again tempo was enough for Cabin, my cousin Brad Jones and myself to roll off the front. On the 2nd climb Brad attacked from myself and Cabin I chased for 30 seconds, worked out he was going pretty quickly, we were all doing different races, and I had 130km togo... so I sat up and ate a banana and watched him disappear form here I was on my own the hole race.

The final decent on the mountain bike was a block head wind and very hard just about harder than riding up the hills I rolled into the transition the freshest I have ever rolled into motu but with 100km still to go it was still a long day.

The first 15km of the road bike I had the 130kmh winds behind me no complaints but as soon as it went side wind my new deeper than normal rims were pushing me all over the road.

The ascent up Trafords hill was straight into the wind, I was on my heart rate threshold thinking shit should I walk up here. I latter found out over 75% of people walked for a part of this hill. Its not a very hard hill but the wind was incredible.

The decent was just as bad I have seen people been blown off over the top, and I was one of the riders to be taken for a ride out of control all over the road into on coming car only for the wind to let up with second to spare throwing me back to the other side. At the time I had my legs up as high as my ears trying to get back to the right side of the road.

Once in the Waioeka Gorge I pinned my ears back and kept the hammer down. The driving rain and wind wasn't worrying me anymore and I was feeling very strong, until 5km to go I blew pretty badly and the gaps were closing fast with 3km to go a rider shot past me very fast, I was gutted 157km alone to be past with 3 left, but I had to keep fighting as there was another rider closing fast.

Luckily I finished 2nd as it could have been worse everyone was bunched up and chasing me down. Peter Murphy was the guy to smoke me is a Vet roadie and very good at Time Trailing where he is nationally ranked and one of the best in the country, I will be up against him again down at the tour of southland in a few weeks.

This weekend I will try defending my Whaka100 Title and then start a tapper for Southland starting on the 28th

Thanks to Wilson and Katie, Evan and Mum and my grandparents for supporting me they drove at 30kmh behind me for 70km haha