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.
No comments:
Post a Comment