Scott Scale Gets 18 Feet of Grunt

A group of us from the department Of Cycling thought we would head out to Waiheke Island to have a go at the Waiheke Mountain Bike Club’s 4 Hour Rangihoua Challenge.

I thought that it would be fun to take the boat, and as luck would have it, Megan D was planning to take her van out, so the plan was to get her to take the bikes and other equipment out and five of us travel by boat. Elliot and I thought that it would be easier to put our bikes in the cabin, rather than rush down to the ferry terminal to meet Megan and then on to launch the boat.

A great weather forecast and favourable tides made this easy.

So yesterday morning came and the crew arrived at the boat, all with smiles, and Billy with his bike. It turned out that the boat (6 metres) can comfortably take five adults and three bikes. We loaded up and headed out to the harbour.

Cruising out in the Hauraki Gulf is one of the great pleasures of Auckland. As we headed out past Brown’s Island, we spotted the car ferry chugging along – a quick text to Megan “On Ya Right” resulted in an interesting reply. Full throttle and gone.

Arrival at Waiheke was easy, we pulled up on to the beach and carried our stuff across knee deep water to land where Megan met us with the van and we set out for the four kilometre ride to the park.

Our intention was never to go too hard, but what can you do? Elliot started first, and came in a very close second to a solo rider, so I had to do my best to give chase. Peak fuel kept us in energy for the day, helping us all have consistent lap times.

The Scale 29er was up to the job, handling an unforgiving track well, this being my first full noise speed event on it. Rapid cornering is it’s forte, handling the off camber sweepers just fine. The big wheels roll well, particularly on the many short sharp climbs in this course.

The Divas (Sadie and Piki) came in third and the JAFAS@Doc team (Paul and Billy) were in the middle of the field somewhat held back with a puncture in the late stages. The positions were held for a few laps, but we managed to take over the lead after about an hour.

This event was big fun, and I recommend it.

The boat trip back was fun, although it had its moments. Jamie had a ski, and although it was cutting it fine for the ferry, he skiied back to the wharf. He leapt on his bike and gapped it out. A phone call came “where is Jamie? The ferry is about to leave!” but we hear that he arrived with thirty seconds to spare.

The telling sign of the day was the huge smiles when we got off the boat. What a fantastic day out.

Huka Challenge 27/11/10

The Huka challenge marked the Launch of the “Avantiplus MTB Team”, of which I am privileged to be a member. I had since the team was launched been looking forward to meeting the members who I had not yet met, and was pretty excited with the prospect of the team getting together to compete in this event.
We arrived at registration on Friday afternoon, and all was well. This event is very well organised and registration was a breeze. It was also a place we were able to catch up with friends and fellow mountain bikers from all over the country. I had a arranged to meet Scott Mac, who suggested that we ride together. Ambitious, I know, because for MTB we all have different strengths and weaknesses. Worth a try, though.
Any fear of not being accepted by the team was soon put to rest when we arrived at our accommodation on after registration. After all, here were eight of us with a shared passion for mountain biking joining to participate in a sport that we love. The other riders all showed the humility and friendliness that makes our sport special. Having introduced ourselves, we set about discussing the objectives of the team and getting to know each other’s backgrounds and ambitions for the future. They are all people with whom I would like to spend more time.
The accommodation we had was a lakefront house and on race day morning we awoke and 5 o’clock to a perfect Taupo morning, a clear sky with a perfectly flat crystal clear lake. We all got into our race day routine, and all went smoothly. Some of us went in cars to the start line, others rode. As my goal was to enjoy the ride rather than compete for a place, I chose to warm up with stretches on the start line, and take it fairly easy for the first part of the ride.
I met with Scott and we managed to get to the front of the start line. We started together, but he got away from me on the first major climb, and from there it was pretty much catch-up for some time.
This event must be the purest MTB event in which I have participated; there it comprises mostly forest track for the first 60 km. There is no let-up, every metre was hard fought and won. There were excruciating climbs, wicked downhills which required total concentration. The tracks were such that lapses in concentration were not forgiven; indeed most of the people that I know made mistakes that cost them time. Most of the tracks were unfamiliar, and I had no idea where I was at any given time. What I could see, though, is that this is a part of Taupo that until this event, I have very much missed out on.
Just before the transition/feed zone I saw Scott coming the other way, just a few minutes ahead. This spurred me on to try and catch him, and I did so during a very tight and difficult section of track soon after. The relief at coming out of the forest at the 55 km mark was short lived, as we went down to the river and onto more tracks, sharp switchbacks and even more short but difficult climbs. The sudden onset of a minor cramp required a quick stop to fuel up on peak fuel and away again, quickly overtaking those who went past while I was stopped. There was a fast metal road (the first easy part of the ride) section to Aratiatia Dam, then a dismount to walk over the bridge across the Waikato River. A quick glance down and I could see some fish in the pool! The ride along the eastern side of the river back to the finish line was mostly fun, with a mixture of metal road and shared walking/bike tracks which climbed up to reveal some amazing views and the going back down to the river for a closer look. We went past Spa Park and more tricky tracks – this was not going to be an easy finish. We climbed up and rode alongside the road (is this it?), but there was no relief! Back down a switchback to and then alongside the river to the control gates bridge. A small climb took us to a temporary bridge over the main road, and then we had a short seal road ride to the finish. We joined the roadies for the sprint along Tongariro Street to the finish - I was determined that I was not going to let anyone past me along here. I used what little energy I had left to sprint across the line, finishing in just under five hours, followed very closely by Scott and a couple of other friends. The pineapple chunks at the finish line were delicious and tempting though it was to stay and feast, we had to keep moving to let others finish.
The finish is always the best part of an event, we get to socialise with other participants and tell stories about what we liked and didn’t, but of course, after this event, as a part of a team we had a base. Here we were able to meet friends and enjoy their company, introduce our team-mates, show off our bikes and enjoy a very pleasant afternoon with good company.
I managed to catch up with a number of people, after which I rode back to our accommodation and was able enjoy the perfect weather and location by having a swim in the lake with my team-mates and their families.
During the ride back to Five Mile Bay, I watched some of the late finishers and saw the beauty of this event, not just the outstanding location, but the fact that there were people of all shapes sizes and ages out enjoying their bikes. This is a great event, and it is no surprise that the number of mountain bike entries was double that of last year.

Whirinaki Quest and the Scott Scale Elite 29er

I have ridden 29ers before, but I have never raced an unfamiliar trail on a 29er hard tail. So it was with some trepidation that my friend and I set out on Friday afternoon for Rotorua with our bikes, mine a Scott 29er Elite hard tail that I had collected that morning. I hadn’t had a chance to go for a ride, so I was hoping to get there in time to get a short test ride in the forest before dark that evening.
This bike is described on the Scott Website as a “reasonably priced bike’ and at 11.6 kg is quite light. Selling through Avantiplus stores at just over $3,000 it certainly represents very good value for money.
I managed to get a ride on Friday evening, and had time to make some basic adjustments, but not enough to test and thoroughly check them.
On race morning, we went to the site of last year’s event village, and although there were a few people milling around, we were the only ones with bikes! We were a bit early, so we carried on, but someone came along and pointed and told us that we were actually at a pool tournament and pointed us in the right direction and we got to the race village. We eventually got registered, set up to the start line, and ready to go. The usual weekend warriors were there, including ‘G’, who I have been chasing around the forests all winter (and getting closer), and ‘A’, who has been chasing me around all winter (also closing in). I expected a good race. It became my goal to beat ‘G’, and therefore ‘A’, not necessarily get any other placing, although that would be nice. There was, of course the usual trash talk!
My plan was to take a measured approach to the start, climbing to the 8 km mark (all uphill) just short of the hurt level, then ride to my strengths, namely the fast single track and the descents, hopefully out manoeuvring my opponents and managing to stay ahead during the climbs.
The bike performed well, and I was impressed with the climbing (I am accustomed to riding a full suspension bike), and, unusually, managed stay competitive. The race went according to plan and I was happy with my effort. The bike was a revelation, particularly in areas where there were deep and difficult ruts – it just cruised straight through them. Very easy to control, although I thought that the forks were a bit unresponsive (it turns out that I had misread the pressure chart, and had pumped them up to 160 psi, when the recommended pressure for my weight is 120psi!)
At the 32 km mark, there is what is known as “mongrel hill”, and energy sapping bastard of a climb which even the best rider on the day had to carry his bike. I struggled up here and it was near the top of this hill that three of us (‘G’, ‘A’ and I) came together. This was going to be a race to the finish line. I came out of this climb last of the three of us, and tried to ignore the pain. There was about a kilometre of tricky downhill, which if I nailed, I would hopefully have enough of a lead to win the road sprint to the finish line. I led out of the descent and got well ahead as I had hoped, but, but I looked back and I could see that ‘A’ was chasing hard, and gaining rapidly. With about 1500 metres to go, he caught me, so I backed off, let him past, and tucked in behind so that I could borrow some energy for the final sprint across the paddock to the finish line. I got ahead going through the gate, did a bit of blocking and rode my butt off to finish about 20 metres ahead. ‘G’ finished shortly after, (having had a motivational breakdown due to a bit of cramp). Goal achieved.
Not enough to win my category (I got category 2nd and seventh overall) but a very satisfying day indeed. The race was won by 16 year old Nigel, McDowell, who I think embodies all of the values we seek in our young – modest, successful, and a generally very pleasant person.
The bike a very definitely a keeper. And I will be back for another Whirinaki quest!

Coromandel Day Out Sunday 25th April 2010

Postponed indefinitely. Sorry.

I have always enjoyed visiting The Coromandel peninsular and have had the pleasure of competing in a number of events there.

The trouble is that, as soon as there is a timer, I lose the ability to stop and enjoy the location and the view. So I thought that I would organise an untimed ride myself.

The idea is to start at Tapu, about 20 km north of Thames, and ride the 27 kilometres across the range to Coroglen, have lunch at the pub, and continue back over the”309” road, a total of about 58 km.

The idea is that if there is enough support, we could split into two groups, one starting at the 309 road, and the other at Tapu, so we could swap vehicles and meet back Tapu or Thames for fish and chips before heading home. Interestingly, the 309 road section is longer than the Tapu Coroglen road, but has less climbing. Faster or stronger riders may choose to complete the circuit and ride the road back to Tapu. It is about 30 km extra.

Contact me to discuss, and I will put the names of confirmed participants on the here.

I am interested in feed back as to the suitability of the day and the route

I have posted the ride on bikely, so check it out there.

Wellington 2010

Another trip to Wellington, this time for my first attempt at the Karapoti Classic Mountain bike race.

It has been a number of years since I first heard Scotty say “Marty, you should do the Karapoti.” Each year, the call has been louder, so this year, I succumbed. A combination of cheap airfares ($139 return) and a “I wonder if I can” attitude had me signing up in January for this, the original MTB Race. Thing is, I have a rough idea what makes the Wellington riders so good, and really having experienced only Mt Vic a couple of times I wanted to see what gets such a large number of them out on a Saturday. I figured that what doesn’t kill me will make me a better rider.

The time to beat is three hours, but to achieve this it is better to enter the pro-elite category, so as not to be held up by riders who just want to ride the event without a specific goal. I had never seen the course, only heard about it’s fearsome reputation with steep hill climbs and shoulder height drop-offs, neither of which I am particularly good at.

So, I entered the age group class, and set myself a goal of three hours and fifteen minutes, secretly hoping I could make the three hour pace. Training consisted of my normal riding, with at least one five hour ride per month, one ride with a 30 minute climb per week, and the odd granny gear hill repeat session. Nothing too serious.

Scott had given me the times necessary to reach the three hour time – Top of the warmup climb, 50 minutes, Dopers creek 2 hrs 10 minutes and the finish line, 3 hours. There were a couple of others, but I can’t remember them.

The morning of the race came, and although confident that I had done enough work so as not to embarrass myself, I was very nervous. The worst part of any event is waiting for the start, and this was the worst, with my group starting 50 minutes after the first starters. At least I would be able to look for the best line across the river. But it was cold, and raining.

Once we got under way, it took me a little while to get up to speed because of the amount of time we had been waiting for the start, but it was all good. The track through the valley was wet and muddy, and to try and protect my drivetrain, I and many of the other riders were zigzagging around the puddles, using up valuable energy, but worth it to make sure the equipment made it to the finish line. Towards the warmup climb, I thought that I would use the granny ring, but the mud had washed the oil off and the result was chain suck. This meant that I had to tough the climbs in the middle ring, which, to my surprise, was less of a problem that the slow traffic.

The first milestone, the aid station and the top of warmup passed at 55 minutes, 5 minutes over the three hour time, and on target for 3 hours 15, so all good. The next section was fairly fast, and I was looking forward to the rock garden. When we got there, it was what I had expected, but there were lines down most of the difficult bits. Again, the problem was catching up to the slower riders, and having to dismount. However, not much time was lost. The “devils staircase’” was difficult as expected, but once over that we were well past the half way point and the fun began. “Big ring boulevard” was very fast, with some corners that took the speed off, but it was great fun.

At Dopers Creek, I had another time check and 2:18 versus target of 2:10, I was not in bad shape. 50 minutes to go. I made it up Dopers in reasonable shape and on the descent I got it into my head that I could make 3 hours. Looking back, it seems like a completely unreasonable idea. However, I gave all I had. Full noise all the way to the finish line, even to the extent of passing someone just before the final bridge! Adrenalin. I crossed the finish line in 3 hours 11 minutes with nothing left in the tank, I could barely move!

I can’t even say that I conquered it until I have gone under three hours, but I believe that it was a good performance and I am pleased with my effort. The trouble with a performance like that is that it will spur me on - perhaps I can do better next year!

National MTB Champs, Wellington 28/02/10

Some months ago, when BikeNZ announced the venues and timetables for the MTB Island Cup and National Championships series, we decided to take advantage of the cheap airfares on offer and go to Wellington for the weekend.
I have always found the Mt Victoria course very difficult, indeed a bit too difficult to enjoy. I had also heard that the course had changed to make it even more difficult. Simply that it was designed to take the riders from anaerobic threshold to full on downhill and back again, so I thought that I would be a spectator for a change. However, I later decided that since I was going to be there, I might as well give it a go, and treat the race as a practise run for Karapoti the following week.
I got a bit lucky though, in that I met with Pete Reynolds of COG Cycling www.cogcycling.co.nz who spent a bit of time helping with my technique. We went over the course and checked a few lines, particularly over the rooty climbs, as well as spending a bit of time cornering on the single track. I am convinced that what he taught me made the ride a lot less difficult that what would otherwise be the case.
If you are in Wellington, get in touch with this guy, you will be pleased you did. He has that rare combination of expertise and patience that will enable you to improve your enjoyment on your bike.
The race itself was fun and I think the results in my category (m3) are a fair reflection of the abilities of the riders. For my own part, I think that I rode quite well, I am pleased that my lap times were very close throughout the race, and I am particularly pleased that I picked up 40 seconds from the next finisher, who was right behind me 2/3rds of the way around the last lap.