Well the first round of the national series kicked off on the 6th of January, so the long drive begun and headed down far south to Bluff.
Once we arrived had a hoon on the track and realized how awesome it was. Had just the one climb and one decent which certainly kept us on our toes! Practice day came and this was the first of my punctures from the delightful rocks on the track. An emergency run to the shop for a tyre sorted out that problem and had me going!
Race day came and the sensations were pretty good. Started and settled into a rhythm in the train behind all the big hitters. Decided to get stuck into my work to make sure i held the pace us the first climb and managed to do this. As I got to the top of the first climb the niggle in my back decided to rare its ugly head, this had me struggling to put the power down and made for quite an uncomfortable ride! I rode through it all just to ensure a finish as it was good training anyway even if I didn't have a great race. It gave me time to get use to my new setup with my ultra stiff E13 TRS+ wheel set which performed flawlessly and blew me away with how stiff and responsive they were in a full blown race situation! I'm sure the response these had to the power off the line was what gave me such a good start!
I ended up finishing in 6th place, when i was hoping to be up on the podium but first race this early on in the season was never going to be awesome!
Attention now is back on the road for the Calder Stewart Elite road nationals this weekend to try and hang onto the big boys as long as possible! Will be a great race and should lead me to some good form for the MTB national champs in late February.
Until next time!
Monday, 7 January 2013
Saturday, 17 November 2012
New gear for the season!!!
When I first
got my hands on this wheelset I was very impressed with the build and finish.
The small details like colours and graphics were finished flawlessly which is
what you have come to expect from E13.
When it came
to converting to tubeless it was extremely simple. Threw in the tape and
valves, fitted some tyres and they seat on nice and tight. This meant I was
able to inflate the tyres up with just my floor pump which will prove to be extremely
handy on race day!
The first
ride I had on this wheelset was only on the road but the stiffness of these
wheels was quickly noticed. As soon as I powered off from an intersection or
traffic lights it was like the power transfer was immediate! Safe to say I could
not wait to hit the dirt.
When I finally
managed to hit the trails these wheels really did come into their own. I was
blown away with how stiff they were when cornering and accelerating. You could
really throw the bike into the corner and the smallest input was able to be
noticed as there was no flexing to speak of. Accelerating out of the corner was
also mind blowing. Again as soon as the pedal stroke was completed I could tell
that all my energy had gone directly to driving forward.
With some
good knocks to rocks and roots the wheels also stood up to some proper abuse. I
tested them down some nice rocky tracks to see how they would stand up and they
have taken many more knocks than most other race wheelsets I have owned.
I cannot
wait to give these wheels a decent hit out in the upcoming mtb season!
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Tour Of Southland 2012
Well as some may know I decided to tackle the Tour of Southland this year. This was to give me a chance to tick it off my list and also would be a fantastic builder for the upcoming 2012/13 mtb season.
So once I decided to cement my spot in the training begun. The goal for my first 7day tour was just to finish it and try learn as much as possible. The training got done and next thing I knew we were loading the car up and travelling the 7hours south!
Once we arrived I met the guys who would be in my team as we were a composite team put together with individual entrants. We had a pretty good bunch of guys so I knew the week would be pretty good.
It all kicked off with the prolouge around queens park. This was the first time we had ridden together so was pretty rugged! We managed to keep it together and get it done.
The first real stage was the 160k to Lumsden. The aim for the stages was to try stick with the bunch as much as possible and try avoid the inevitable split of the peleton. I managed to get through the stage unscathed, although I got a good idea of the speed we would be going at which was a shock to the system.
The rest of the stages involved so crazy crosswinds combined with some pretty good scenery. Although all I really saw the the gutter and the rider ahead of me. On some of the stages I got caught out in the split and spent some time chasing during the tour. As the tour went on I started to fatigue and the body got pretty tight!
The racing was the toughest racing I had ever done and then we would wake up and do it the next day! It got to the point it hurt to sleep! I couldn't beleive it.
Before I knew it the last day came around..thank god! The rain, snow and hail also came to the party! This was the first time the whole tour the weather really got nasty, so I was sort of excited about that. The time trial started and I really just tried to save myself for the final 80k to town as I knew it would be hard. Turns out I thought right. With the GC contendors battling it out the bunch split into heaps of groups. I ended up getting a puncture at a less then ideal time which lead me to the last 50k of wind riding by myself!
Not really the way I wanted to finish the tour.
But I reached my goal of finishing the 7days and 900km of racing!
It would not have been possible without the immense help of Mum and Dad, Matt Bailey from Cycleways, Trek and Enervit, my coach and mentor(you could say) Anthony Chapman, Big Jas and Jerry for the helpful tips and Andre Chapple for the loan of a set of mean carbon wheels!
So now for some quiet time and hook back into some training preparing for the mtb season coming up! Time to hit some dirt on my new rig!
So once I decided to cement my spot in the training begun. The goal for my first 7day tour was just to finish it and try learn as much as possible. The training got done and next thing I knew we were loading the car up and travelling the 7hours south!
Once we arrived I met the guys who would be in my team as we were a composite team put together with individual entrants. We had a pretty good bunch of guys so I knew the week would be pretty good.
It all kicked off with the prolouge around queens park. This was the first time we had ridden together so was pretty rugged! We managed to keep it together and get it done.
The first real stage was the 160k to Lumsden. The aim for the stages was to try stick with the bunch as much as possible and try avoid the inevitable split of the peleton. I managed to get through the stage unscathed, although I got a good idea of the speed we would be going at which was a shock to the system.
The rest of the stages involved so crazy crosswinds combined with some pretty good scenery. Although all I really saw the the gutter and the rider ahead of me. On some of the stages I got caught out in the split and spent some time chasing during the tour. As the tour went on I started to fatigue and the body got pretty tight!
The racing was the toughest racing I had ever done and then we would wake up and do it the next day! It got to the point it hurt to sleep! I couldn't beleive it.
Before I knew it the last day came around..thank god! The rain, snow and hail also came to the party! This was the first time the whole tour the weather really got nasty, so I was sort of excited about that. The time trial started and I really just tried to save myself for the final 80k to town as I knew it would be hard. Turns out I thought right. With the GC contendors battling it out the bunch split into heaps of groups. I ended up getting a puncture at a less then ideal time which lead me to the last 50k of wind riding by myself!
Not really the way I wanted to finish the tour.
But I reached my goal of finishing the 7days and 900km of racing!
It would not have been possible without the immense help of Mum and Dad, Matt Bailey from Cycleways, Trek and Enervit, my coach and mentor(you could say) Anthony Chapman, Big Jas and Jerry for the helpful tips and Andre Chapple for the loan of a set of mean carbon wheels!
So now for some quiet time and hook back into some training preparing for the mtb season coming up! Time to hit some dirt on my new rig!
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Contact Epic, Lake Hawea
Well after giving the Contact Epic a crack last year and swearing I would not do it again I found myself entering for it anyway!
The epic is a 125km race and the pristine Lake Hawea. I set off from town on the Thursday night with travelling partner Brent Miller. This proved to be a wise move as it gave us all day Friday to relax and go for a choice ride along the tracks to Glendhu Bay.
The race morning came far too quickly with a 5am wake up! The race begun with a pretty solid pace with all the previous winners setting the pace up front. I decided to stay well away from this and hung mid bunch as I had plenty of time to be up the front.
As we hit the first gravel section I shot near the front to stay out of trouble. We hit the first climb where Tim Wilding and Dougal Allan both set a solid pace which strung the field out substantially! I hit the top of the climb and managed to make contact with the leading 2 and Tom Bradshaw. I decided to do all I can an hold onto their wheels as its easier to be up the front than try chase the fastest guys on corse!
I begun to get dropped near the halfway point as they continued a frantic pace and it was then I decided to give up holding onto them. I put my head down and kept at it to make sure I was not going to get caught! Was not going to get 4th again! With what seemed never ending climbing the rest of the way along the lake it took its toll. At about the 80k mark I found myself struggling just a touch, so I kept going at it hoping to hit my 2nd wind and finish strong!
Things got a little nervous at about 90km when I saw behind me someone gaining quickly! This turned out to be Brent. Wasn't long after this I felt my rear tyre getting softer and softer, was not what I was wanting to happen. Thinking I was about to get caught I threw some more air into the tyre and put my head down and went full gas from there on!
I got to the tarseal with 5km to go and looked behind to find a good gap, so I was able to keep charging to the finish without thinking about sprinting anyone else thank god!
I came through the finish in 3rd place in a time of 4hours 49min, behind the winner Dougal Allan and Tim Wilding. Having got on the podium in my last race of the season and being 30min quicker than last year was just an awesome feeling at the finish.
Overall the season went pretty well with most races seeing me on the podium but still have plenty I want to imporve on. So watch this space!
All of this would be very hard to do without all the help from my sponsors and supporters,
Matt from Cycleways
Thule Roof Racks
Trek Bikes NZ
My parents with all their help with everything
Anthony Chapman from Physiofitter.co.nz for getting me going and his guidance
The epic is a 125km race and the pristine Lake Hawea. I set off from town on the Thursday night with travelling partner Brent Miller. This proved to be a wise move as it gave us all day Friday to relax and go for a choice ride along the tracks to Glendhu Bay.
The race morning came far too quickly with a 5am wake up! The race begun with a pretty solid pace with all the previous winners setting the pace up front. I decided to stay well away from this and hung mid bunch as I had plenty of time to be up the front.
As we hit the first gravel section I shot near the front to stay out of trouble. We hit the first climb where Tim Wilding and Dougal Allan both set a solid pace which strung the field out substantially! I hit the top of the climb and managed to make contact with the leading 2 and Tom Bradshaw. I decided to do all I can an hold onto their wheels as its easier to be up the front than try chase the fastest guys on corse!
I begun to get dropped near the halfway point as they continued a frantic pace and it was then I decided to give up holding onto them. I put my head down and kept at it to make sure I was not going to get caught! Was not going to get 4th again! With what seemed never ending climbing the rest of the way along the lake it took its toll. At about the 80k mark I found myself struggling just a touch, so I kept going at it hoping to hit my 2nd wind and finish strong!
Things got a little nervous at about 90km when I saw behind me someone gaining quickly! This turned out to be Brent. Wasn't long after this I felt my rear tyre getting softer and softer, was not what I was wanting to happen. Thinking I was about to get caught I threw some more air into the tyre and put my head down and went full gas from there on!
I got to the tarseal with 5km to go and looked behind to find a good gap, so I was able to keep charging to the finish without thinking about sprinting anyone else thank god!
I came through the finish in 3rd place in a time of 4hours 49min, behind the winner Dougal Allan and Tim Wilding. Having got on the podium in my last race of the season and being 30min quicker than last year was just an awesome feeling at the finish.
Overall the season went pretty well with most races seeing me on the podium but still have plenty I want to imporve on. So watch this space!
All of this would be very hard to do without all the help from my sponsors and supporters,
Matt from Cycleways
Thule Roof Racks
Trek Bikes NZ
My parents with all their help with everything
Anthony Chapman from Physiofitter.co.nz for getting me going and his guidance
Monday, 9 April 2012
Tour De Lakes 2012
Well this was going to be my first ever road tour so was keen to go down and get some experience and some good training in before lake hawea.
The first day on friday had a small 5km prolouge so was a good distance to shake the legs up. Just went for it and ended up a in 12th place so was happy with that effort. The main aim for the tour was just to see how it all ended up.
An early morning on saturday started with a 80km stage from the Remarkables to Five rivers. It was quite uneventful with a break heading up the road and I decided to stay in the bunch trying not to go too hard too early. A quick 80km flew by and we came to the finish about 1min behind the break. This stage I placed in 14th.
The afternoon stage was from five rivers to Manapouri so making it to the finsh and conserving gas for the TT and the 2nd half of the race. A break went away again and I was happy to stay in the bunch and just roll through till we found the finish. Keeping near the front crossed the line in 11th.
Sunday Morning came with no easter eggs, just 20km of pain. There was alot of wind which made it even harder. This being my first TT I was a little unsure of how hard to go out and ride it. Spoke to big Jase and went out with a rough plan of being just a little uncomfortable!! It was certainly uncomfortable! I managed to come to the finish strong and rolled through in 14th place.
The next 80km stage proved to be a very strange one. Many attacks went off the front and I chose to hang back with the Yellow jersey and 2nd on GC thinking it would be brought back. It didn't. Myself and George Tutton gave it a crack trying to bring it back into the main group but did not work out as planned. So unfortunatly this stage found out at the top of the climb we were 5min behind, from this point on our group sat up and cruised to the finish. Ended up loosing 18min which was not really planned! But learnt some lessons pretty quick this stage! I then decided the last 2 stages were when I should go full gas and try to do whatever I can.
So these two hilly stages I tryed to go with a few moves and see where I could end up. The stage to glenorchy was rolling most the way with a climb about half way. This turned out to be where it split up in the main bunch. It was here I had to dig quite deep to hold the wheel of the guy ahead of me and not get dropped. So stayed in this group and came across the finish in the bunch sprint.
In the afternoon we had the last stage which rode back towards Queenstown and finished up the hill at Moke Lake. About half way into the stage with a group already up the road myself and 2 other guys jumped out of the main bunch to try and bridge across. It all started working well and got away from the bunch till we hit the KOM climb. This was when the other 2 guys ended up riding away from me. Which was not ideal at all!! I started to catch a couple others dropped from the break then hopped in the group coming through with Dan Barry and Will Bowman flying through trying to get Dan into yellow. I somehow managed a couple of turns on the front then blew up again. So ended up just riding back to the finish and tryed to finish strong up the final climb.
Overall had heaps of fun and learnt plently. I think it is something I will happily go and do again just so I can prove to myself I can do better. It was a little unknown if I could get through the tour and finish with the main bunch each day which I did each stage minus the 4th stage of course!
Hopefully it has got me ready enough for around Lake Hawea.
The first day on friday had a small 5km prolouge so was a good distance to shake the legs up. Just went for it and ended up a in 12th place so was happy with that effort. The main aim for the tour was just to see how it all ended up.
An early morning on saturday started with a 80km stage from the Remarkables to Five rivers. It was quite uneventful with a break heading up the road and I decided to stay in the bunch trying not to go too hard too early. A quick 80km flew by and we came to the finish about 1min behind the break. This stage I placed in 14th.
The afternoon stage was from five rivers to Manapouri so making it to the finsh and conserving gas for the TT and the 2nd half of the race. A break went away again and I was happy to stay in the bunch and just roll through till we found the finish. Keeping near the front crossed the line in 11th.
Sunday Morning came with no easter eggs, just 20km of pain. There was alot of wind which made it even harder. This being my first TT I was a little unsure of how hard to go out and ride it. Spoke to big Jase and went out with a rough plan of being just a little uncomfortable!! It was certainly uncomfortable! I managed to come to the finish strong and rolled through in 14th place.
The next 80km stage proved to be a very strange one. Many attacks went off the front and I chose to hang back with the Yellow jersey and 2nd on GC thinking it would be brought back. It didn't. Myself and George Tutton gave it a crack trying to bring it back into the main group but did not work out as planned. So unfortunatly this stage found out at the top of the climb we were 5min behind, from this point on our group sat up and cruised to the finish. Ended up loosing 18min which was not really planned! But learnt some lessons pretty quick this stage! I then decided the last 2 stages were when I should go full gas and try to do whatever I can.
So these two hilly stages I tryed to go with a few moves and see where I could end up. The stage to glenorchy was rolling most the way with a climb about half way. This turned out to be where it split up in the main bunch. It was here I had to dig quite deep to hold the wheel of the guy ahead of me and not get dropped. So stayed in this group and came across the finish in the bunch sprint.
In the afternoon we had the last stage which rode back towards Queenstown and finished up the hill at Moke Lake. About half way into the stage with a group already up the road myself and 2 other guys jumped out of the main bunch to try and bridge across. It all started working well and got away from the bunch till we hit the KOM climb. This was when the other 2 guys ended up riding away from me. Which was not ideal at all!! I started to catch a couple others dropped from the break then hopped in the group coming through with Dan Barry and Will Bowman flying through trying to get Dan into yellow. I somehow managed a couple of turns on the front then blew up again. So ended up just riding back to the finish and tryed to finish strong up the final climb.
Overall had heaps of fun and learnt plently. I think it is something I will happily go and do again just so I can prove to myself I can do better. It was a little unknown if I could get through the tour and finish with the main bunch each day which I did each stage minus the 4th stage of course!
Hopefully it has got me ready enough for around Lake Hawea.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Le Race 2012
Well an early morning start was in order for this one. strapped the lights to the bike and begun the ride to the start line. Had a good vibe from the legs on the way there so was pretty excited about this one! Start time came and the first few kms flew by. Next thing I know we are starting the first climb straight up dyers pass road. Great way to start the morning!!
Coming down coopers and Gebbies pass managed to miss a wheel and lost contact with the leaders. So once I had hit the bottom with my mate Ben we both started working together and got back into the group that we had lost contact with. A few attacks went off the front and a small group got away just before little river.
Got to the hilltop climb and realised my climbing legs were no longer exsistant and I then knew the second half of the race was about to get harder!
In the end managed to finish in a time of 2:50, about 5min slower than I had hoped but still building on my form and learning more each race which is promising.
Next up is Tour de Lakes over Easter weekend so will keep this posted!
Big thanks to Anthony from http://www.physiofitter.co.nz/ for getting me up and running and Matt Bailey from Cycleways for getting my bike is pristine running condition!
Coming down coopers and Gebbies pass managed to miss a wheel and lost contact with the leaders. So once I had hit the bottom with my mate Ben we both started working together and got back into the group that we had lost contact with. A few attacks went off the front and a small group got away just before little river.
Got to the hilltop climb and realised my climbing legs were no longer exsistant and I then knew the second half of the race was about to get harder!
In the end managed to finish in a time of 2:50, about 5min slower than I had hoped but still building on my form and learning more each race which is promising.
Next up is Tour de Lakes over Easter weekend so will keep this posted!
Big thanks to Anthony from http://www.physiofitter.co.nz/ for getting me up and running and Matt Bailey from Cycleways for getting my bike is pristine running condition!
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Motatapu 2012
I was pretty excited this year about Motatapu. Training was going well and form was looking good! So Friday I set off down south. I hadn't raced this one in a while so was trying to remember what it was all like. Before I knew it I was in the waiting area on race day!
The race begun pretty sedaitly with no huge attacks being lauched. It was on the first climb I realised my legs were not as flash as I would have liked. I knew from there on it was going to be a loooong day in the hurt locker. The race begun to string out and about half way we had a small group of 5, this was soon down to 4 with Ryan Cull dropping off. So it was Gavin Mason, Mark Williams, Brent Millar and myself.
After a pretty ragged decent into Macetown we all hit the rivers together so we all knew it would be intense to the end! I managed to ride away through the first couple of crossings to only strike grief on the next one and get caught again. Coming into the last crossing together Gavin rode straight through it with the rest of us having to get off and run. Then came the last jaunt to the line! It all begun to get pretty tight and the pace was hot! I hit the last small creek crossing in 3rd and took the wrong line trying to pass Mark, this pretty much ended my chance in the sprint. It ended up with Gavin taking a small win from Mark and Brent. I came through 4th over the line but 1st in open men. Couldn't quite loose the masters!
So a good weekend away and hoping to build on the result and take it to the road for my next couple of races before the Naseby 12hour and Lake Hawea epic.
The race begun pretty sedaitly with no huge attacks being lauched. It was on the first climb I realised my legs were not as flash as I would have liked. I knew from there on it was going to be a loooong day in the hurt locker. The race begun to string out and about half way we had a small group of 5, this was soon down to 4 with Ryan Cull dropping off. So it was Gavin Mason, Mark Williams, Brent Millar and myself.
After a pretty ragged decent into Macetown we all hit the rivers together so we all knew it would be intense to the end! I managed to ride away through the first couple of crossings to only strike grief on the next one and get caught again. Coming into the last crossing together Gavin rode straight through it with the rest of us having to get off and run. Then came the last jaunt to the line! It all begun to get pretty tight and the pace was hot! I hit the last small creek crossing in 3rd and took the wrong line trying to pass Mark, this pretty much ended my chance in the sprint. It ended up with Gavin taking a small win from Mark and Brent. I came through 4th over the line but 1st in open men. Couldn't quite loose the masters!
So a good weekend away and hoping to build on the result and take it to the road for my next couple of races before the Naseby 12hour and Lake Hawea epic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)