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2013 RECAP

We have been a bit slack on the updates so thought we would recap 2013 from September onward and catch everyone up before the exciting 2014 race season kicks into gear.

China Guyang Invitational Race

The last post we got up to was leaving for China so it seams fitting to start off here...

China was unreal, we were treated like royalty. The moment we stepped into the airport we had little helpers to look after us, 5 star hotel, police escorts, the works. We were packed into a bus and driven to our hotel, our bus driver was crazy, horns going all the time, changing lanes non stop, and the country side was different. They are rebuilding a town to fit 4 million people in it, building sky scraper apartment buildings everywhere the eye can see, and rumour has it in 3 or so years everyone in the old town has to move to this new allocated city. We arrived early evening built our bikes and settled in for the night. Our schedule was full on, parades, opening ceremonies, and two races short track and the XCO. We both race reasonably well considering the lack of prep and 30+ temperature, Katie managed to get in the top 10 and the money in the short track event 11th in the XCO and Carl finished close to the money in 12th in the short track and 13th in the XCO. The fields had a range but the top end of the field was hot in both races with the women's having Olympic champion Julie Bresset and the men's field a number of top 10 pro men. Being in the same hotel and on the same schedule provided for time to learn off these talented and experienced riders so an incredible experience for us.

NZ team

Police escorts

Carl - Racing

NZ winter 

After China we were back home to an NZ winter and into the gym, over this time we managed to get down for a trip to the snow which was awesome before the miles started to slowly ramp back up. Over winter we raced the winter N-duro's which are always great local events and before we knew it the time of year for the longer endurance races came up and the Whaka 100 was the first biggie where we both took the win followed by the Huka XL at the lake Taupo cycle challenge where we both came in second place.

Home Gym

Post Whaka

hurting to the line 100km

Huka Elite Women's podium

2014 summer: The new race season begins... 

Early December we were able to release some exciting news with NZXC Racing team signing a 2year deal with a new major sponsor Giant Bikes NZ.We are absolutely wrapped with the sponsorship and will be riding 3 awesome new rigs throughout the year with our XTC0 race bike, XTC2 training bike, and our flash roadie's Katie is on the Envie and Carl the Propel. We are extremely grateful for this opportunity and look forward to getting out there on our new Giants.

NZXC Racing 2014

Tour De Vineyards

First up on the race calendar for 2014 was Vineyards after Christmas with our families we headed up to Nelson from Christchurch and checked in at our accommodation for the week, Ash Houghs pad we arrived to a mean pasta meal and we were well set up for the week. 

Katies Tour 

Vineyards was aimed at ripping my legs off however coming down unwell (a bug I must have picked up over Christmas with the rest of the family getting smashed as well) made for a tough decision on day 4 of the tour where it was in my best interest to stop racing and recover up. It was nevertheless great to get amongst the road riding, which is very competitive and completely different from mtbing with many tactics being played out. Day 4 was the Takaka hill stage the one I had most looked forward to throughout the tour, so I will most definitely be entering the tour again next year.

Carl's Tour

The time trail started bad, both of us had our worst TT result ever but we soon forgot about that after playing with our set ups that night.

Day 2 was a 128km stage it was raining and was quite a tough stage, I slipped off the front into the break away to stay out of danger, I stared going for KOM and sprint points, I had two 2nds but this soon was turned on its head as I slid out on a hairpin corner on the 4th lap of 8, I got back in the break but soon after I got a flat tire and finished the race in the bunch.

Day 3 was another 128km I went in the break again but had problems getting the food from my pockets as my shoulder from my crash was giving me grief I kinda just kept putting off the eating saying I would be right next thing I no I couldn't see much and couldn't lap any more and going off the back of the break. I sat up and forced the food in then the peloton caught up, as they did the pace was hot and i went through the peloton like a rocket. George Bennett saw what was going on a gave me a hand full of food which kicked in I however only stayed in this bunch until the hill that I had been claiming KOM points on 50km earlier, then I had a slow ride home alone 25km with me and another chap.

Day 4 was the Takaka hill finish this stage I wanted to go well on, I sat in the bunch all day and the pace was very low, the break away got their lead out to a 7 minute gap, in the last 10km before the hill we all started getting a little ancy as we hadn't taken much time back with some strong climbers away, so I started lapping with the pro and GC contenders we went into the bottom of the hill hot, Sam Phipps lead me into the hill 1st of the peloton but a little to hot after a few minutes the top boys come past me, I settled in and went up the hill in a 6 man group solid finishing 20th. should have saved some of my matches but a good work out any way. 

Stage 5 was the cyco hills street crit its only 54km but the hardest 54km of your life. When the pace is on you are in a huge line hitting down hill right angle corners at 50kmph, on the 1st lap I was forced into hitting a road cone somehow I stayed up but had a buckled wheel and heaps of break rub, I lasted 42km of the 54km and was one of the last to drop from the remaining bunch of 15-20 riders.

Probably the worst finishing tour for GC but my best tour by far, I got everything I wanted out of the tour training wise, great start to the season.

Boosting up Takaka

BIG THANKS

Well that just about sums up the end of the year and sets the scene for what is ahead, thanks to everyone who supports us, Evan McRae our Coach, Sam Thompson our manager and conditioner, Waiariki for ongoing support, and our Rotorua Family Mountain Bike Rotorua and Multi-Day Adventures especially the Mutu brothers who are pretty cool :-)

New Giants!! YEEEHAAA

Also a massive thanks to Trek and the Team at Cycle Sport NZ for the past few years without all the support we would not be where we are today.

With the summer racing coming at us fast check out where we will be on our schedule page and  we will keep the posts rolling... like our Facebook pages for all the little updates in between!!

Carl and Katie for personal updates

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carl-Katie/175424132540912?ref=hl

NZXC Racing for team updates

https://www.facebook.com/Nzxcracing?fref=ts

The ultimate goal 2014!! We are on the long list now for the hard part!!

Off to Guigang, China

While the world champs were on a couple of weeks ago, Jeremy Christmas was at the managers meeting for New Zealand and it was announced that there was to be a UCI cat 1 race to be held in Guigang, China all expenses paid for invited international riders. There was a race held here last year and China really want a world cup to be held there, to do so they need international riders form lots of nations to race the event.

So after a lot of panicked emails and phone calls to make the deadlines, Katie and myself put our names forward and waited for other New Zealand riders to confirm, in the end we have 4 of us, Sam Thompson coming as our manager, Sam Shaw, Katie and Myself. There was going to be 3 NZXC riders going but unfortunately Norway wouldn't process Kate Fluker's visa so she can no longer come.

We got visa confirmed at the end of last week and finally got tickets yesterday and we leave today (Wednesday) exciting times. We have had 2 and half weeks of intense training, after 2 months of very limited riding we are feeling the strain but will give everything we have. There is a huge 94 International riders going 74 males and 20 females and only 50 Chinese riders, we are not sure on the genders of the Chinese riders yet, but it will be a massive cat 1 field with top pro riders (Julie Bresset in the chicks current Olympic and World Champion) and 30 different nations.

Facebook, Twitter are band in China so check website for updates, and hopefully we can get a few updates off.

Cheers

Carl and Katie      

Old Race Bike For Sale 9.9 SSL

Hey guys I'm still trying to get rid of my old race bike if you buy it off me directly and not off trademe I will accept offers above 3 grand. and have extra tires if you want them 

Trek 9.9 SSL 
Medium 18.5 
26inch 

18months old. I have been on a new bike since February. 

Ex-team bike of sponsored rider 
Comes with warranty for manufacture defects only from Cycle Sport NZ 
- so if the frame breaks or cracks you will get a new one...

-Bontrager XXX lite Carbon wheels have now had a full respoked (previously had replaced spokes)

-Fox float 32 100mm forks with remote lock out with brand new Kashima stanchions 

-Easton carbon bars 660mm 
-Truvativ 80mm stem 
-Bontrager XXX lite carbon seat post 
-Bontrager Evoke seat new
-Full XTR 

- Tires continental race king white walls. running tubes but has a tubeless rim strip. 
- No pedals or an extra $150 for XTR ones

Has a few paint chips the most serious one is on the rear chain stay i was hit from behind and took some paint off, but all is good.

headset and BB bearings haven't been replaced lately and has been sitting for a long time with out a rider :( but are still ok everything still turns

This is the fastest 26inch race bike I have ever had but it has to go.

World Cup #3 Val di Sole, Italy

We have been based up in the ''valley of the sun'' for 3 weeks now and the trip has finally ended with this race as we head home Monday, the weather here is always great and was the perfect base in Italy to train and race.

This track has always been a very steep climbing course this year there has been some changes they had taken away a long grass climb to add a new steep gravel climb followed by a very cool on the edge decent. The course has three major climbs and three descents the only flat is the flat to the start finish line and the start loop which is a bunch ride around the paddock. Today the heat was turned on with all the racing temperatures well into the 30's.

Katie's Race

Today for me was a massive improvement, with a glimpse of what is to come but nevertheless heartbreaking at the time. A huge portion of the first lap saw me off the bike running due to congestion  many riders around me were in the same boat. My body however was just not up to the impact of running and I paid the price struggling a great deal on the second lap barely turning my pedals and loosing places and time as I tried to recover. By the end of the second lap I had recovered enough from the running race and I was able to hit the third lap full gas, I produced a lap time over a minute faster than my one prior and within the top 40. The next lap I was able to go again and pick off 5 riders ahead getting to 44^th right behind team mate Kate, except unfortunately not close enough and the 5-10seconds back saw me miss out on cut off. My last lap based on the time I left and the time Kate crossed the start finish plus the 10 seconds back I was would have been a sub 18minute lap and around 28th fastest. Beyond disappointed to miss out when I was making such rapid gains and feeling strong enough to continue.

Regardless of the initial disappointmrnt of falling short of the top 40 result I had been aiming for I am stoked with my campaign over here. For me to have made it here to World cups and progress over the 5 races I have competed in is pretty damn cool. Cliché but it would not have been possible without those around me, I really would not have booked tickets and got a plane without the great support. 

The list is endless but I’ll give it a go… major thanks to my Physio Corey at the Physio Therapy Clinic who put me in the hands of an awesome Surgeon and helped with rehab (only a couple of my goals ended up unrealistic *Nationals *Oceania’s didn’t quite make them ones J) Sam Thompson NZXC manager and physical conditioner it is amazing how much he has put in to travel with us and he is a pretty good head chef too, My Coach Evan McRae for adapting my program daily as I gradually built back up, Sarah Mchardy for my weekly massage and zen have sure missed that over here in Europe, Waiariki (I tested more than any other year as we made decisions on what would be realistic for me to do, and areas to focus on), my friends and family especially my mum, and Carl who has made damn sure even from my first race back that I am on that start line even if I am scared out of my boots, and the Multi-Day adventures and MBR crew. All and all not a shabby support network, group of friends and family, definitely looking forward to getting home and hanging out even if it is winter:-/, planning to make the most of it, a few snow missions maybe?? and thinking I need to give cyclocross a go, at least one race, from what I hear it might help me with these world cups starts!!! 

Rookie photos from Carl mainly parked under a tree before his race 

Carl's race

I had quite a solid start with a massive crash right in front of me 200 meters off the start I got on the brakes and climbed over people and sprinted off getting up to the 50's after the little start loop, but really had a rough patch through a few of the 1st laps going back into the 60's and really struggling away, it was a real battle. I then started to pace myself on all the climbs and started to pass people. From lap 4 something changed for me and I was a different person, my heart was back under control and I started to pass and leave people on all the climbs, descend well and move up the field. On the lap I got lapped out on I moved up 6 places and was really flying, and was so gutted the lap here was so short and Nino and Julian boosted the 1st lap to make the lap out 80%  under 10 minutes only 44 people made the final lap and these 2 guys were 2 minutes clear of the rest. I finished 54th my best ever world cup result yet again but yet again not the top 50 I was after here.

Thanks to everyone that has supported me to this point mainly Sam for investing a lot of his own money into the NZXC team and my Family and Katie's mum Pam for the massive loans I have had to take out and all our NZXC sponsors I hope we have done our job for you. I have made some massive progress since I was last here in 2011 results wise and owe most of this to the support I'm getting. I'm look forward to the next trip, planning is already underway to keep improving and achieving our goals.

We are on the plane late Monday night new Zealand bound where I have lots of catching up to do with the Family, I have a brother with a baby, a brother that's been in Canada for 6 months and now has a broken to smithereens hand  and 40% of a liver and a cousin that with the other 60% of my brothers liver live's to fight another day.

Cheers Carl

Pro photos from Katie

     

Vermiglio, Italy Cat 1

Yesterday was our final hit out before our last World Cup in our European race campaign.

Saturday morning we headed up the valley to check out the race track, it basically consisted of one steep eat your stem climb and one steep holey crap rocks every where descent along with grass sections steep up hills and flowy slightly off camber descents through the grass fields and fast flat. So steep up, steep down and flat. First lap neither of us were too excited but after the second lap of practice we found it pretty fun so we left it at that.

Katie’s Race

Epic day out for me! I messed up another start opportunity, something I hope I cannot get wrong many more times. For the duration of the race I was not riding with any real snap and I took a bit of time to work my way into the top 15 and pick off riders I had kindly let passed me at the start :-(. The race really took a bad turn when on my second to last I managed to crash and break my shoe on the main rocky descent, that was slippery and loose after the rain. Although frustrating and awkward I rolled to what I thought was the finish, loosing sight of the girls in front that I was hoping to catch but holding on just enough to not loose a position. This lap however was not the finish and soon after coasting through the start/finish I realized it felt wrong, so I continued riding along the track, when I got to Sam he let me know my suspicions were right and I still had another lap, only problem being we had nothing not even tape to fix my shoe on (a rookie mistake from myself in getting the techzone stuff ready) so out I went for my last lap loosing even more time on a track, a broken shoe was less than ideal due to the steep climbs and the hike a bike section. So far from a good day out but this is racing and the forced back off in intensity over the final laps may actually work in my favor in terms of recovery for next weekend, many times I have been able bounce back from poor races to lift my game the following weekend.. so here goes, 5 Days to the Italian World cup. Also big Thanks to Sam for the support in the feedzone and the Trek Factory Racing team for giving me a new buckle after my race :-).

 

Carl’s Race

I had a good start to the race sitting around the top 25 but had a few block passes thrown at me and nearly rode into the lake beside the path we were on, on the 1st climb everyone was off walking, slipping over and pushing and shoving. After the 1st lap I was further back than I was hoping but worked  back through the field to maybe be top 20 or close to. It then started to rain and our track became very slippery my tires were perfect and I was riding where most were running. After 3 solid laps my legs couldn't go much harder and people started coming around me and I just couldn't hold wheels and I started slipping back through the field. There wasn't much I could do about it but keep pushing I finished up 30th and still not a happy chappy both the Category 1 races I was hoping to do better at but stuff just hasn't gone right. Now for 5 days recovery into our last world cup and hopefully perfect preparation.

Sight seeing poor little bear

Gelato – Back Stage at our local cafe

                                                                   

Lugagnano Internaizionali D’Italia XC series

This weekend been we left the awesome team base in Val Di Sole, Italy to head to the Lugagnano Valdarda Bike race a round of the internazionali d'Italia XC series.

We got away on Saturday morning, a 3hr mission checking in to Hotel Arda our accommodation for the night along the way. We arrived at around 2pm but after mucking round a bit did not have enough time to ride a full lap of the track before the relay racing. We decided as it was a technical track with lots of rocky sections and tight twisty descents to wait until the racing had finished to get in a full lap. This was a perfect opportunity to clean the bikes and get in a bit of study, nothing like sitting in a car for 3 more hrs. We had a pretty good lap of the track, which was steep, technical and completely exposed providing minimum shelter from the sun and no opportunity to rest.

After packing up the car up we went back to our hotel for dinner and off to bed, excited for our Italian breakfast which was included with the room. Unfortunately as we found out in the morning the Italian breakfast was a cappuccino, and with the lack of English (or our lack of Italian) there was not much chance of getting anything more than that. We headed to the supermarket to get some food for the day and then to a café for breakfast. 4 Café’s later we realized we were in for something sweet, pizza, coffee, or our favorite an alcoholic beverage. Back to the supermarket it was, where we settled for a pizza bread, croissant, and some bread and nutella. Pretty sure we checked the carb’s box with one of those items so we were happy enough to roll with it and get to the track to get the racing underway.

Katie’s Race.

I woke up feeling pretty average all round at that point I knew either way the racing went that I would need to be ready to hurt. My warm up went well and was ready to get racing and embrace the 30 degree high that Lugagnano had put on for us.

My first lap was ok I started bad again too busy watching the near crash, I then got going and picked off riders quickly to about 5th position. the 2nd lap I felt average and was wondering how I would survive 5laps, but stuck to the plan drink, drink, drink, keep the body cool and gels going in. By lap 3 I felt great I was climbing really well in comparison to other weeks, lap 4 I attacked the girl with me getting a nice gap feeling even stronger than lap 3, however I got caught in a crash with a jnr guy going down (around 80 jnrs had started a few minutes prior and we were working our way through the back of them). I stayed up but ended up having to run the section lost a place and momentum so I sat in and recovered to ensure I could hit out fast when passing back. On the last lap I attacked again like lap 4 but no hold ups this time and managed to do another solid lap. My lap times showed a similar story and on lap 3 and 5 I was lapping in 3rd position and really enjoying the steep climbs, I was making gains on the podium however 4th place was mine as I crossed the start finish for the final time. Eva Lechner World cup #1 winner took out the race, would have been pretty awesome to stand on a podium with her.

Big thanks to Carl for feeding me, my race was before his so he had to cook in the feed zone before totally baking out on the track! Will be nice to be back racing with the NZXC set up for our final two races where Sam Thompson has been doing an awesome job as manager and manning the feed zones we definitely missed support this weekend, but well worth making the trip.

Start line - 2nd row

On the way to the finish

Feedzone 

Carls Race

My race pretty much didn't go as I wanted it. I had a good grid position in 15^th 3^rd row but somehow buggered up the start and got boxed in and swamped down both sides, I slipping into the 30s on the 1^st climb it was open and fast and I started passing people again but once we got onto the single track a guy in front of a group of us decided he was on a Sunday ride and with no way to get by we were all getting gaped very quickly. I got a beauty of a block pass into the single track down hill on this guy and continued on. The heat was unreal with over 30 degrees and been not very conditioned to it at all I really struggled to keep cool, every bottle was to the top with half going over me and half into the tank even the shots drink mix was going on me. For the 1^st 45 minutes it seemed like the body was fighting me and not wanting to go but once I managed to cool myself down a bit the last hour was good I was coming back through the field, on the last lap I was very strong and could see a top 15 result but managed to hang myself upside down in a tree for a bit.

I finished 18^th and am pretty disappointed about it lots of guys I have been beating at the world cups along way in front. Just an all-round bloody hot day in the sun but nice to see Katie ride very well and get much loved UCI points and a bit of cash to pay the bills.  

On the start

Last single track before the home straight

Happy to be resting in the shade after the race

Travelling back to the mountains