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.

Road Rage

Here is the text of a letter that I sent to the police last week. It often surprises me the hatred that some motorists have for those of us who choose to cycle, it is not logical and obviously not well thought out. Most of those who scare us do so accidentally, but from time to time I encounter people like this guy, who does not realise how easy it is to track down a signwritten vehicle.

The thing is, that this guy (and others like him) is likely to hurt one of us, and if we let the police know what he is like, they will know where to look. They will also make contact and and let him know that they have been notified.

I think that if you encounter drivers like this you have a responsibility to collect as much information as possible and pass it to the Police. After all, it could be your riding buddy that you save.

"A complaint against a motorist;

This morning, at about 9:15, I was cycling from Link Drive to my place of work in Ashfield Road, a short trip that requires me to be in the right lane when turning into Wairau Road from Target Road. I could see that the traffic lights up ahead were red, so I proceeded into the middle of the right lane in Target road (an action that is necessary to prevent drivers of cars from trying to squeeze past when there really isn’t room).

I heard from behind me that most threatening of noises, an impatient driver revving his engine. The vehicle did squeeze past, so I approached the driver who indicated his lack of patience by accusing me of being all over the road, and saying that bastards like me should be banned from the road. He then said that he should get bull bars so that he could run us down and kill us. At this point, I decided that best I get the hell out of his way, so I took off in another direction.

I was unable to record the registration or brand of vehicle, but it was a light truck, sign written with the name “Sign Erections Ltd” on it. The sole director of that company is Rodney Kenneth SCHOU, whose address is 3-62 Kitchener Road, Milford. A quick check of the street view in Google Maps reveals a similar style of vehicle parked outside this address.

My point is this. I am a regular cyclist who is in touch with many others, and this guys comments are similar to those reported from the driver of a white ute who the police are seeking for the killing of a cyclist in Peak Road. This arrogance tends to permeate through all aspects of driving, making him a danger on the roads.

I would appreciate it if one of your officers could visit this person, and let him know that such threatening behaviour is unacceptable, and that he is not anonymous. His actions should have consequences."

Event planning

It occurs to me that there is a need for a comprehensive website that organisers can consult when deciding the dates for their events.

Last year we had conflict between the n-duro events in Rotorua and the Auckland Secondary Schools events, and the planning for 2010 is also problematic. The Dual, the Rotorua to Taupo 100k Flyer and the National Secondary schools MTB Championships all planned for the same day.

Those of us who are keen to do these iconic events will have to make unwelcome choices and event promoters will lose revenue.

As a cyclist, I want all of these events to succeed – they are good fun. So I have been maintaining an events calendar on the Auckland Mountain Bike Club website that can be consulted.

THE SPORTING ADVANTAGE

I often use my bike to commute the 33 km to work (if I were able to use the harbour bridge it would reduce the distance to 16 km) and as it is a regular ride that is pretty much the same, I am able to compare the effects of different foods on my ride. The wind makes a bit of a difference, but the overall return trip is pretty neutral.

I have been using this product for some time as a replacement for milk products. It gives me an advantage in that it helps maintain the energy levels that I would otherwise find difficult. I very rarely get cramp during a ride, although sometimes after I do. I need a fair amount of energy during the day.

The real beauty of this product is that the normal amount of mucus build up that I used to associate with milk consumption is absent. I know of a number of people who have milk allergy or are lactose intolerant who are using this product and are feeling benefits from it.

We make this at our factory and sell it in 750 gram resealable bags for $25. Contact me if you are interested in buying some.