A Life and Passion For Bike Racing

Benchmark Series

2011-11-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

The Benchmark Series has become the next best thing behind Southland in terms of exposure for our NZ riders…go through the list of winners and see how many have become pro or thereabouts. This series started the teams racing in NZ and the level road cycling has grown massively. I think it’s awesome and hope it continues for years to come.

A few days before the first round in August I got a call up to from Master James Canny to see if I wanted to join the L&M Group Cycling Team, I agreed and this race was my 2^nd race back after my 6 month retirement. In Nelson I got my beans! I was 19^th and going backwards, I headed home knowing by the time Round 2 rolled around I would need to be firing.

I felt better coming into the second round, the goods were in the legs to pull of a much better ride. The course in Timaru suited me and with 30km to go the hammer went down and a group formed with Paul Odlin, Tom Hubbard, James Early and myself, the last 5km was pretty brutal and we just managed to hold off a fast chasing bunch. Tom Hubbard slipped away to win by 10secs from Early and myself in 3^rd, a hard day and happy with a podium. After that race I had my eyes on an overall podium spot and with 2 rounds to go and my race form definitely more coming than going the team knew it could be done.

Round 3 in Cust, cold, wet and a day I’d rather be eating a warm steak and cheese pie but there was a race to do……don’t worry, the pie came later! An early break went with quite a few hitters which wasn’t the perfect start but our team captain Joe Chapman kept calm and said on the way home through the Gorge that the muck would go down and a small group will slip away with about 40km to go and sure enough it did. Joe launched me across part of the way and I finished it off to join a strong group that slowly picked off the riders that were dropped from the lead group. I got 2^nd in our bunch sprint and got 9^th on the line and gained a few valuable points on a few of the top overall contenders who missed the move. This result moved into 4^th on the table and only 10 points off Tom Hubbard.

Round 4 had the making for a hard race and quite tactical. A group including Joe and Tom Francis got away heading into Cust not long after the start, there were no real overall contenders in there but I really wanted to be in there so kept near the action just incase another slipped away. Greg Taylor who joined us for the last 2 rounds was quite active going through Rangiora so I started sifting near the front for action to start, a few k’s later it was on! Myself along with Greg and one other rode off the front in chase of the lead groups, it was a mammoth effort but we got there just before Ashley Gorge. Greg couldn’t quite make it on but he did an awesome effort in helping me get across (good early brownie points with the team Greg!). When we joined there was another group up the road containing Paul Odlin, Jason Christie, Robin Reid and Chris Nicholson. Joe and Tom made sure we caught them and set me up to ride across to them up Summer Hill then from there it was all action till the top of German road where the same 4 slipped away with myself. We were away and fighting it out for the win but Odlin was too strong and took out the win solo and I rolled in 5^th, happy and quite exhausted!

This weekend it was the final days work for the series, I got 2^nd thanks to my brilliant L&M Group team mates. The first round of this series was our first ride together, after 4 Benchmark rounds and Southland we are starting to get a good sense of how each other operates as a rider and who’s capable of what. Some can get results and some are willing to put themselves on the line to help get a result. It can only get stronger!

Congrats to Sam on his series win, he’s a deserving winner and a rider with a lot of potential to go a long way in the sport. Thanks to everyone who helped out during the series, races don’t happen without the support from people who are willing to put up their own time to help our sport grow.

The last few months have flown by, no idea why anyone would want to ‘hang up their wheels’ when there’s so much out there to nudge at…. then again, maybe the break has proven to be a good thing. I’ll be planning an early get away from work on Friday to join the bumper to bumper convoy up to Taupo….hoping for a day like last year to burn out the last of the ice left in me from Southland. Big thanks to Tom’s parents for having us at their ‘caravan park’.

This will round off the first part of my season with a good break until the next set of races. December will be all about consolidating, focusing on some of the aspects of my race and enjoying the lead up to Christmas.

For those of you heading up to Taupo next weekend go hard and drive safe!

Tour of Southland

2011-11-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Southland. An absolute legend of a race in NZ cycling, and one which I needed to complete to shed away some demons which have haunted me since my first attempt where I failed to finish the first stage. Having come straight from the Melbourne heat that year into piercing sideways hail I didn’t have the fondest of memories to work on!

My goals for the tour were simple – finish. Well maybe that goal in itself can’t really be labelled as simple when it’s Southland we are talking about!

The next goal was to create some action and achieve a podium, to let other riders know I’m someone to watch and someone they don’t want to give too much freedom to.

Happy to report that I achieved all three, I finished, despite a few moments where really I could think of nothing worse than continuing, I got the podium spot, not for a stage but instead as number three in the King of the Mountain points where our team featured also on the top step with Joe Chapman taking the honours, and I created some action, leading out solo at the bottom of the crown range...while it didn’t result in a stage win it did reflect the way I like to race, pinning it and taking opportunities.

The overall result was never going to be flash, read back on my blogs for the ‘hanging the wheels up’ one where last December I decided there were other things I wanted to do, that continued for a good 6 months before the wheels in the spare room started calling me again. I had a good 12 week build up coming into Southland...but 12 weeks of training around work hours doesn’t really cut it with the big fellas who ride all day every day!

After the first two days I was pretty annoyed with myself, I was a bit nervous and getting pushed round, I just couldn’t fight hard enough to hold my position, this isn’t my idea of being ‘in’ the race. I was completely wondering why I had bothered with turning up at the start line and when I spoke with Bex on Tuesday night she was pretty insistent that I needed to man-up, chuck back a can or two of concrete and start racing like I know how to race, instead of getting rammed by others.

Wednesday was a different day, I started to feel my riding style coming out and by the end of the day I was excited to be racing, because on Monday and Tuesday I didn’t consider myself part of the Tour..I was a pack filler and I don’t like that.

Thursday will be remembered for a long time in my little book of good rides. We had a team plan, I even told Bex what the plan was the night before and as the stage progresses she was blown away by how it worked out exactly how I said it would! Joe, Aaron and myself rode aggressive from the gun and we all got in the break that stayed out pretty much all day.

Our breakaway group had some big hitters, guys who win big races overseas and guys I read about each week on the internet, so my reaction was to watch them and wait for them to attack. 15km from the finish and with a fast chasing main bunch I wasn’t sure what to do but I got away in another break with Macauley, Avery, Tivers and Lovegrove, over the next few k’s I started to think the stage win was possible.

We hit the last climb with 5k to go before the Crown Range, my legs felt pretty awesome so I didn’t bother changing to an easier gear I accelerated through for my turn to realise about 30 seconds later I was on my own and charging up that hill solo towards Crown Range. I couldn’t really believe it was me fanging along solo in the biggest stage of the tour. I was eventually caught by young Josh with 2km to go but all I had to focus on was doing my own ride and not losing too much time, I ended up finishing 8th, a 1 minute down from Josh.

I gained a lot of confidence out of this stage, I’ve never backed myself over a big distance and I’ve always looked at the pro’s as unbeatable riders and almost too scared to attack them but I guess they could by just as tired as me?

Friday was painful, my legs were like bricks with no chance of warming up in the cutting southland cold. It was a stage I probably want to wipe from my memory....survival!

By Saturday for the last two stages I felt great again and could walk without too much pain. With the TT cancelled due to snow it left just one last chance to hammer the legs. Joe had an impressive stage and sprinted home to 2nd, I was happy to finish....rolling over that line felt great! If you had told me then that I would be heading out for a big night and not home until 3.30am there is no way I would have believed it...turns out there’s always more in the tank!

I was proud to be part of the L&M Creation Signs Team – a great bunch of guys lead by Joe Chapman who is an impressive and respected cyclist. Legend to come away with the KOM Classification jersey along with a stage podium. Young track superstar Aaron Gate pulled a podium spot too on the very fast stage 3. Sam and “Rookie” Tom had solid Tours as well and Lee had a tough few days in the race and I know he will turn up next year ready to rumble. A few of us had days where we too happy with themselves but I think in a tour like Southland so many things can happen, the best riders have bad days as well and to finish is a good result down there. Finishing last is better than pulling the pin..something I’ve learnt a lot about over the last few years!

Now that race is over it’s time to think about what’s coming up, my next race is the final round of the Benchmark Series down in Oxford near Christchurch. Over the series I’ve slowly crept up the rankings and now sit 4th overall just one point off 3rd so I’m going into that firing!

So for now it’s all about the road, good times while I test myself in a new domain after a couple of years of solid mountain biking. With a mountain bike arriving this week though I hope to have some time to get out and pull a few skids and rail some berms..I do miss it!

A huge thankyou to the team sponsors and everyone else who chipped in during the week to make the tour successful and especially James parents for their lovely hospitality during the tour, the dinners each night were pretty awesome and I'm sure the rest of the team will agree! The chocolate sauce pudding goes down as my favourite, I'll be back next year for that.

See you out there, remember to use that little bit extra in the tank when you most need it!

The Road Ahead

2011-09-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

The blogs are back! I'll be keeping you updated from now on till my next retirement.

Over the last 4 weeks I've landed 3 podiums, a 2nd and a 3rd at the Fielding Cycling Carnival and a 3rd at the latest round of the Benchmark Homes Series in Timaru. Really enjoying being back on the bike and its great to be part of a brilliant NZ racing team under the name L&M Group racing.

My next race is the Taupo to Napier Classic on the 24 September followed by Round 3 of the Benchmark Series in Christchurch on October 8th.

Will have a proper article over the weekend.

Wurldz in WAINUI

2011-05-22T01:13:00.000-07:00

When I moved to Wellington I spent a good chunk of time commuting over the hill and far away to the little town of Wainuiomata. Most Wellingtonians haven’t been there for years, if at all. But hiding away behind that monster of a hill are some of the most wicked mountain bike tracks in Wellington…with more to come, along with a new BMX track and a cool network of walking/running trails. The turnout at today’s Wainui Wurldz feels like just the beginning for the park.

Thanks to some legend track builders the network of trails is slowly increasing, what was marked out today to hurt the legs was pretty cool and with more trails on the cards Wainui will soon become one of the great places to ride in Wellington.

I’ve never done a 6 hour solo, or raced a single speed in an event where beer wasn’t provided at every lap….haha..google SISS to check out the wurld famous 5 second skull effort!. But given my current bike selection it was a no brainer to use my old repainted steel KHS single speed. A no brainer as right now that is my only bike!

As we were getting ready this morning Bex was giving me the talk about how I needed to ride a bit differently to the normal go out and smash it hard from the gun, that I needed to ‘pace’ myself. Easier said than done, I’ve always struggled to hold myself back in longer races and tend to want to go all out from the gun. After 2 laps of playing with the kids at the front I had to force myself to drop down a peg or two to make sure I could go the full 6hrs (yep, I listen to my wife!). After Diesel Turbo (or Dirty Bearded) Dave Sharpe rode away from me I was happy to hold on to my 2nd place spot and see how long I could hold off the cramp which did eventually nail me with 2 laps to go. I spent a fair few minutes holding my leg in agony and only being able to move an inch. Of all the pains I’ve experienced over the years cramp has to be on top of my list of hates.

If you hear of me being called ‘nearly Sharratt’ or the ‘under 10 second man’ it will be in reference to my super poor timing on the very last lap. I’d hit through the cut off time with well enough for a lap, but after my jumping around holding my cramped up leg and swearing episode I found myself coming through into the finishing loop with under a minute to go. Despite giving it all to push through the tent sites for the last time I was shut down with only about 2-3 more seconds needed to get over the line….damn that man on the microphone who was creating a lot of interest from everyone as to whether I would make it or not…could’ve slipped in and no one would have noticed if he wasn’t there! So the under 10 second man I am…..but only when it comes to the end of a 6 hour solo…..

As with any great 6 hour event I was reliant on my tent crew. I shifted in for the day with the Bushlove boys, but it wasn’t the lads I was really interested in, I had a heads up that Keryn had made lolly cake which proved to be my saviour at about 3 and a half hours. Bex showed up too and had a great day of yarning on the side of the track (and enjoying Beth’s massage….the best apparently!). She had been out at the third of the Xterra runs a bit further down the valley from wurld famous Wainui in the Orongarongos…sounds like a great place too, she loved the ‘root running’ along the ridgeline and rated it as the best one of the series yet.

Wainui….a great destination for a very sunny autumn day in Wellington!
(their tourism office isn’t paying me,….honest!)

Thanks to everyone who put together the event today and well done to all who got out there and did a few (or more than a few) laps.

Back to it for another week, quite happy that my commute now takes me round the bays to Miramar, the mornings are starting to show signs that winter isn’t too far away, although despite being told that growing a beard takes the chill off in the morning I don’t think it’s something I can get into! Keep warm and keep the legs spinning even when the cold hits.

Decisions come and go....

2011-04-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well its coming up 5 months since I last raced and I must admit that decision has been a real tough one, I’ve been going through cycles of wanting to race then I’m too busy to commit to racing. I’ve been riding my bike upto 6 times a week and my riding routine hasn’t changed one bit, I still have the desire to ride my bike hard and that’s an addiction I have and will always have. I keep asking myself the same question and maybe theres a lot of people asking the same thing “why isn’t he racing?”. I go out on rides on my road bike in Wellington and can still give the best guys bit of a wind up. I could getting ready for a “out of retirement” comeback like Mr Macauley has done a few times? I don’t know?..some days I know and some I don’t but first I need to commit to a few other things in life then I’ll no doubt be back on the start line, not sure if it’l be on the road or mountain bike..maybe both?

I’m really enjoying being a bike rider in Wellington. Years ago I always heard of Wellington to be a hard place to get some good long rides in or too much traffic etc, but I must say I really love the scene here and theres a real good bunch of strong riders and definitely a lot of solid rides to do. The mountain bike tracks in Welly are becoming some of my favourite, I’m a huge fan of Christchurch trails having done most of my riding down there (after Wanganui) and they’re at the top of my list, I really enjoy rough rocky trails where the rocks don’t move, rocks where you have to really pick the right line or have to jump over and with that I’m a big fan of full suspension over a hard tail!

I reckon NZ should have more 4 day weekends! Easter has been really cool with Bex and I heading over to Martinborough for a few days with our good friend who is over from London plus a few other people. We took our bikes to get out and do an adventure on the Saturday before cruising round some wineries. I only one ride in that area and that is out towards Manuwera Point but we only got to a small settlement called Tuturumuri which was about 35km from the holiday house, brilliant ride with quite a few big hills and a big 4km hill back out the vally upto the big wind turbines. I ended up riding the hills one and a half times which was the challenge Bex set for me and I think I achieved that goal on most of them. Sunday (today) I set of early to ride back to Wellington, I’ve always wanted to ride the Rimutakas and this weekend was a great opportunity and probably a safe one as most people were coming over to the Wairarapa rather than leaving. I had a nice tail wind all the way to Featherston then as I approached the bottom of the climb I met a wicked head wind that got more and more wild the closer I got to the top, some points on the descent I was pedaling at 30kmh which is abit nuts. I got into the Hutt round the time the Sunday morning bunch ride would normally cruise through so I thought I’d jump in and have a burn with the guys which was cool. The bunch always finishes with a mad sprint to the Placemakers on Old Hutt Road, it’s a huge title to win and I’m stoked to have that on my list of wins. After doing a 5km tt down the motorway with my junior days racing buddy Greg Taylor I thought we were in but I got up by an old couple driving at 20kmh which caused me to get caught, but after all that I still managed to pull the sprinting legs out for the title.

April is a special month for Bex and I, we got married last year on the 10th so it was pretty cool to celebrate our one year anniversary with her a few weeks ago. Bex is massive part of my life and has always sorted me out when its needed and definitely been a big part of my racing success over the last 5 years. I look forward to many awesome years with her.

Hope everyone has been enjoying the Summer riding/racing and now getting ready for the winter months which aren’t too pleasant. If you see me out and about come say hi I’m always keen for a chat.

Happy Easter.

Hanging up the wheels

2011-01-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

New year….new missions….new goals. And for the first time in 15 years those goals aren’t revolved around racing.

2010 was another super season. My goal was to win every major mountain bike race that I entered and to be noticed as one of the best riders in New Zealand. I came close to that, finishing 2nd in two of the major races and winning lots of other events along the way. Being noticed as one of the best riders in New Zealand is a fairly subjective goal, I’ve loved being able to turn up to a variety of mountain bike, road, criterium and multisport races knowing that I can be competitive and transfer my training, strength and power from other areas. A write up before the Festival of Cycling had me as NZ’s best all round cyclist….perhaps it’s that I added cycle commuting into the bundle also?!

Defending my title from 2009 in the Festival of Cycling in Christchurch ended in victory, a massive end to the year and a feeling of accomplishment for both me and my sponsors. The 2009 Festival of Cycling was my first victory under my new sponsors, Bergamont, who were so excited to see me out there on the local tracks so it’s fitting that the journey was completed with another win in 2010. Bergamont have been a fantastic sponsor, they’ve been in the country well under two years but have already established themselves as a brand/company that are serious about supporting riders in a range of cycling disciplines and experience levels. By teaming up with Endura clothing they offer a great package to their sponsored riders and are constantly looking for new ways to support their riders and get Bergamont bikes out there being ridden and enjoyed.

Since I announced my decision to forgo my sponsorship and take a step back from elite level racing a lot of people have already asked the question…“why am I stopping?”…..good question….it’s a question that I’ve been potentially struggling with for a number of months now. I still have the physical ability to race and win races. I still enjoy going fast. I still have a lot of friendships within the racing scene and circuit which I enjoy. I am still at a level which many aspire to. I still have potential to be better. The list goes on. But the reality is that I just don’t have the spark for racing that I always have. Whether it is the travel, the cost, the time, or that at times I haven’t been pushed with close competition or whether it is a mix of a whole lot of factors, the simple reason is that I just don’t get the pleasure I used to get from it. That’s how I feel now….that’s not to say that in the future I won’t be hitting up the scene again. What I do know is I have a complete enjoyment for the sport of cycling and I’m making a decision now that will only strengthen that enjoyment rather than sticking with something I’m not completely enjoying.

My journey in the sport will continue, the need to be competitive and strong doesn’t stop when racing stops, that’s something that I believe is inbuilt. My journey outside of the sport can now also continue, those things which have had to be put aside to focus on racing are now achievable and the goals I’m choosing to pursue are not all in sport. As far as riding goes I have a huge amount of exploring to do, I’m looking forward to some good adventures and hitting up some new tracks. Over the years I have been racing I have always suppressed the desire to be motox riding to avoid injury or just simply because I haven’t had the time or money to do both. I’m enjoying learning my way through some local tracks at the moment, I’m no superstar but being fit and strong definitely is helping. I’m currently taking on a few riders as a coach, while I haven’t completed formal training in this area I believe my experiences as a rider put me in a position where I can make a difference to the goals of others, I have a huge amount of passion for helping others to reach their goals and understand themselves as a cyclist. My day to day profession has become a far more motivating environment, potentially as I feel I now have the energy to invest into it and using this energy to complete additional study throughout the year in Graphic Design. After a huge amount of interest from the article in the NZ Mountainbike magazine late last year I’m also painting bike frames in my ‘spare time’. That ‘spare time’ is suddenly not looking so ‘spare’ anymore!

There is a lot about elite racing that I will miss…but I think the biggest of them is the people and the conversations, I have a heap of mates in the sport who I hope I will continue to have adventures with and I will be excited to follow their progress. While I’m giving up elite racing I’m not giving away the sport in general, so always keen for a ride or a smash session! Gotta keep the legs turning and you never know when I might just pop out for a race or two for fun.

Thanks to everyone who has been part of my goals and dreams to this point, there have been a number of teams, sponsors, supporters and races which have been such a blast to have been part of – it’s been a cool ride!

Happy New Year to all … I hope that you’ve set your goals for this year based on what is most important to you – you’ve got to follow your heart.

End of year win!

2010-12-09T01:03:00.000-08:00

You know it’s a big day when the weetbix you eat truckloads of every other day just won’t go down the hatch….ask Bex, we do a separate shopping trip each week just for weetbix and milk! A big sign that I was quite nervous heading into the Festival of Cycling this year, and with good reason, it’s always hard going to a race with a title to defend.

I knew this year the riders were going out there to beat me and with a bunch of young talent in the South Island and a generally strong field at the moment I had to be on top of my game to win.

The course was slightly different from last year with a huge climb near the start which traversed across to the top of Rapaki. The climb was mainly on grass which made for a slightly dead climb and some sections being super steep! I got a small gap about half way up which I held on to and slowly increased to the top of Rapaki to take the King of the Mountains competition and from there I slowly gained more time out of NZ U19 Champion Richard Anderson and the consistent Mark Leishman with a few young guns on his wheel.

With one more descent to go I had a lead of roughly 40 seconds which I thought would be plenty to get to the finish on my own but…that was soon to be gone when a storming talented Brad Hudson and Leishman appeared out of nowhere on the tar seal nearing Sumner. With my solo plan gone I had to start using my road racing knowledge and get myself into good position for the sprint, I was pretty confident I could out sprint both Brad and Mark but when Brad opened up for the sprint I had to quickly get my wheels turning to roll over him, I did just that with a few metres to spare to take the win. This year’s win was just as exciting as last years which was my first race for Bergamont. The perfect race to launch our new team kit and name - Bergamont/Endura. Endura Clothing have jumped on board and kitted us out in awesome gear that matches the Team Bergamonts nicely. My cycling wardrobe is looking pretty cool right now!

Wicked to see and hear all the supporters at the top of Rapaki and then as we criss crossed over the road sections….this race has to be one of the best for spectators, Bex had the supporter thing dialed in on her road bike, managing to get out to Gebbes to see the road race leaders challenging the King of the Mountains, then up Coopers and over to Rapaki to be there when I popped out, continuing along the summit road for each entry and exit and then down to the finish line in time to see me take the honours!

One more race to go and that was the Elite Mens Criterium in the centre of Christchurch city, going along Oxford Terrace, a perfect location for a crit and the crowd is always in full swing. The mens field was pretty jam packed with class as always. I love this race and once the gun went to start I was right in there doing what I love to do and that is race fast, a break went early and with Team Pure Black having control over everyone it was quite hard to get anything done. I tried along with a few other guys to get across which eventually pulled us within touching distance to the leaders. 3 laps to go I drove out of the bunch and got a small gap which got me pretty close but then over top of me a few riders rocketed away and with tiring legs I wasn’t able to respond, that was the move I needed to be in and I knew it. There wasn’t much I could do know so I rolled in with the bunch to get 15th with only a few more actually finishing the race which was incredibly fast.

I was really happy with my performance, I certainly haven’t done the amount of racing the other guys have done and with most of the guys in the top-15 being full-time or near enough full-time bike riders I had a pretty solid race. Next year I will come back a lot more prepared and try reach the podium that I stood on in 2008 with a 5th placing.

I’ve had 3 podiums in 3 years of racing at the Festival of Cycling so keen to keep up that momentum next year! A fantastic weekend and not all hard work on the bike…..enjoyed a few ciders in the sun at Sticky Fingers both Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and the chance to catch up with family and friends round Christchurch. It’s on the calendar for 2011 already!

Taupo Huka XL

2010-11-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

Finally I put my race number on for the Round Taupo event. I was deciding for a few weeks prior to the event whether I should race the road or do the Huka XL mountain bike race, I went for the mtb race more as a prep race for the Festival of Cycling which I would love to defend my last years race win. For the Huka I knew I would have the fitness to get up in the top handful but more importantly I knew I had to watch the guys who ended up in the top-4 placings plus Stu Houltham who finished a small margin behind me in 6th place, I also knew if I got isolated from those guys my day would be very long as I had no knowledge of any of those trails. After a hard 45mins racing I did end up losing sight of those guys and after a wee while I saw Stu coming up behind me which gave me bit of a boost because I knew he could ride himself back up to the leaders and I wanted that as well. I sat on Stu’s wheel for a long time and gave him a rest every now and again when we got onto some wide open sections. With about 25km to go I moved to the front and kept a reasonable pace which eventually got me ahead of Stu but still a wee while away from the guys I wanted to catch. I finished at least 7mins behind the winner Mike Northcott and a well deserved win after 2nd placing in the last 2 Huka races, Karapoti winner Tim Wilding wasn’t too far behind in 3rd, last years 3rd place getter Mark Leishman did a repeat of that result and young stormer Dirk Peters pulled off 4th with me 5th followed by last years winner Stu Houltham. A pretty top notch field and a fierce race which will lead into a strong 2011 season.
I was happy with my result and I can see some positives leading into this weekends Festival of Cycling, I’d like to think I will have the goods to do the double in the mountain bike race but I know there are a few people who will want to stop that and I’m up for the challenge!

The wheels are rolling!

2010-11-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

The warmer weather has made me feel like a cyclist again, more daylight hours after work has helped me get my motivation back and the last month has been pretty consistent. I haven't spent much time on the mountain bike but more so the roadie and have been hitting up races from Wellington to the West Coast North Island areas. Last weekend I went back to my home town to race the Sharrock Cup in Wanganui, 73km out to Waverly and return. The out journey was fast with speeds of up to 60kmh on the flat but the bad news was coming home with a nasty headwind and some big hills to conquer. It wasn't enjoyable but the 3 of us worked well and nearly got through to the front markers. I got the jump in the sprint and bet home old racing buddy Adam Gosney for fastest time.

Today I rode the Tour of Manawatu, an event I last hit up back in 1998 but on a much different course. Palmy pulled the perfect weather out of the bag which made for a fast race on some really nice rolling country-side. A group of 8 slipped away with round 50km to go and we were't mucking round, plenty of attacks and surges kept the legs honest and weakened a few riders. 10km from the finish I eased up on the attacks and had confidence in my sprint to get a good result, Craig Lawn had a ripper of a day and jumped hard at the same time as me and he held on for the win with me getting 2nd. Great ride by Craig and well deserved as he had a very honest day of racing on his bike. I was really happy with 2nd and stoked to have my road racing legs back after having a few years away from the road. Next weekend is an event over in Masterton, good that there is no shortage of racing at this time of the year.....starting to think I might be keen on lining up on the road for Round Taupo rather than the Huka Challenge....who knows, certainly not me so will see how I'm feeling when I put in the entry!

So for another week it's all about the commuting and making the most of the wicked Wellington terrain after work, if you are in a position of being able to ride to work and you aren't doing it yet get going, make the most of the k's and save your petrol money to get to races!

Hope everyone is enjoying the nicer weather and is getting those white glow sticks some summer tan!

Endura is the one!

2010-10-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

Well I have marked down my first big race for the coming season, The Festival of Cycling.
Last year I won the mountain bike race and 2008 I finished 5th in the Criterium, this year I am returning to both events and hoping for similar results. I have always enjoyed crits and have had pretty good results in these races over the years in NZ and overseas, they good great to combine with mountain bike racing and more mountain bikers should race criteriums.
The mountain bike race for me is a favourite, I have spent a lot of time riding these trails over the years and I rate them as the best trails in NZ, I look forward to December!

www.vorb.org.nz/sharratt-returns-for-festival-t109172.html

Next year there is going to be a new look for the Bergamont Racing Team, there is some new riders on the team and it will be great to have some younger riders to help grow as riders and help them achieve their goals. Even better we are joining forces with Endura Clothing which is new brand of cycling clothing in New Zealand, Jack Bauer is part of their pro cycling team in the UK. This is a big deal for the Bergamont Team and I am sure we will help Endura Clothing grow as a brand in New Zealand. Big thanks to Nigel Blanchard from Endura Clothing for the support! Roll on 2011..

Check out the range of clothing on http://www.endurasport.co.nz/

How exciting were the Commonwealth Games?! Congratulations to all the New Zealand riders, they rode awesome!

Enjoy. Summer is coming.

Warmth=Motivation

2010-10-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

How good is cycling when it is warm? For me motivation comes once summer rolls into town, I don't like being cold and wet so in winter I prefer not to do too much riding (only to work which I have to go to). Over the last few weeks I have been doing a lot more riding than I was a few months ago, my commute to work is so much more enjoyable and riding round the Bays on a calm morning is amazing, more amazing is the amount of people out doing some sort of exercise.

http://www.spokemagazine.com/2010/09/bergamont-threesome-5-0-online-review/

Last weekend I did a video shoot for the Spoke Magazine doing a bike test on the Bergamont Thressome 5.0 which was really cool, I hadn't ridden on the Korokoro track before so it was a chance to do some exploring on some knarly trails that were pretty wet and definately not a place you want to crash on! My riding skills were abit rusty after some time off the mountain bike but it was an enjoyable few hours and a cool video to watch at the end of it.

This weekend was pretty busy on the bike, on Saturday I went for a big road ride out and over the aka's to Waikanae then back along and up over Paekakariki Hill then to Wellington via the Haywards, super cool ride and the view up Paekak was postcard material. I last did this ride a year ago when Bex and I moved to Wellington, such a solid ride a ride I need to do more of. The bunch of guys I rode with were a good laugh and made the ride go pretty quickly.

Sunday was bit of a killer though, I started the Peaks Points event with Dave Sharpe, the idea was to ride to 9 peaks round Wellington in the quickiest time..any route any order! I knew it was going to be hard as Dave is super fit at the moment and had me chewing my handlebar on a few climbs as I struggled to hold his wheel! I popped at the top of peak 5 and called it a day while Dave stormed off on his own to try pull back a few lost minutes.

I will be turning up to more events over the next few months as I prepare for some big races nearer the end of the year, theres a few exciting plans on the go at the moment which I will share with you when its all go. I am looking forward to the coming season, the competition will be stepping up a level with some young guns moving up the grades..Bring it on I say!

See you out there somewhere. Enjoy

Roll on Summer

2010-09-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

Summer for me is what motivates me. Winter has never been a great time to race a bike, I get cold pretty quick and I am not a big fan of water at all except to drink. This winter has been pretty quiet and it has been a great time to forget about racing and have a small break after a busy 2010 summer racing series. I may have kept low key and away from bike racing but I have been doing my usual Monday to Friday riding to and from work with a few extra minutes added on every now again. I now ride over to Miramar each day which has been a nice change from the ride to Seaview, I have already sussed out the new area and found some good climbs to punish the legs when the time is needed.

In the weekend my younger bro Nathon came up from Christchurch with his motocross bike to spend the weekend riding some new tracks and more importantly teach me how to pull the throttle back on my bike. I am pretty new to the sport and I am slowly getting the confidence to ride the bike how it should be ridden..in the powerband! My Suzuki rm125 is a toy compared to Nathon's Kxf450, I won't be going to a bigger bike thats for sure. It will be interesting to see if riding the motocross bike over winter has helped my mountain bike riding, one thing I do know is that my arms just aren't quite big enough to pull the throttle back and hold it wide open. I am sure any riding is going to be a benefit and I certainly am enjoying the motor bike riding.

The 2011 season is not too far away and I have been thinking quite hard about it, as summer nears I am more and more keen to get riding a lot more and checking some more tracks in Wellington that I haven't ridden yet.

Catch you out there soon.

A year goes pretty quick

2010-08-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

This time last year I was relaxing with Bex (now my lovely wife) on the side of small lake known as Lake Orta up in the north of Italy. This was the end of our 3 month holiday and Orta was the one of most amazing places I have visited. The main goal for the trip was to do some European racing to prepare for the World Mountain Bike Champs in Canberra. A winter in New Zealand has been completely different and I’ve been enjoying a more relaxed approach, deciding I won’t put my all my focus on bike racing. That’s not to say I haven’t been out riding, my daily commute is keeping the legs turning although my body fires up in the warmth!

It is great to see so many young riders heading away to try achieve their dreams, there is certainly a lot of depth in New Zealand in all codes of bike racing. Exciting to see the dominance from NZ riders in the BMX World Champs this week, how cool is little Lachie going to be at school when he tells his class at news time that he is the Under 7’s World Champion! I often wonder how long I can go as one of the top NZ mountain bike riders – I don’t think I can measure my own success by ‘how long’ but more determine it on the enjoyment I get from the sport. There will be a long time when I am not at the peak of the sport in New Zealand and I know for a fact it will be the enjoyment of the sport which keeps me in it for years to come. To make that move though, I have to be happy with my achievements over 15 years of racing. I have to decide if I want to have another crack at becoming the New Zealand Champion. I have to decide if 2nd place two years running is satisfying enough for me.

My whole life has been bike racing, when I was a young lad doing a paper-run on my Raleigh 20 before and after school it was always a race. I never felt comfortable riding slow and still don’t. I see myself now as one of the ‘older guys’ in the sport, when I was young I was racing against legends Gary Anderson and Lee Vertogen who I wanted to beat. What motivated them? Maybe it was to try beat the ‘youngies’ and prove they still had the goods, maybe because they just enjoyed it so much and couldn’t imagine life without the rush of racing.

I’m pretty sure that this coming season is going to be one of the fastest New Zealand has experienced. Those riders coming up through the ranks are not peaking, they are building their own campaigns which hopefully they can reflect on in 7-10 years when they are closer to my age and still put enjoyment up there as one of the main reasons why they ride and race.

So while I might have been lying low this winter I’m slowly coming out of hibernation, the fingers have been moving quickly on our keyboard hunting out racing calendars, the light is lasting longer at the end of each day and I’m being inspired by the results of others…..

Drifting back into the zone

2010-07-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Since Mt Isobel I’ve been bit of a drifter, I usually go into this mode once serious racing stops then my mind starts drifting to find something to do to keep busy. The day after Mt Isobel we went and watched my brother Nathon race motocross out at Omihi in Canterbury. Everytime I watch motocross I get excited and have the thoughts of buying a mx bike to end my childhood dream, it now has because I finally have got myself a motocross bike! I’ve been getting rides in when I can and planning on doing a few local trail rides over winter. I took the bike to Peka Peka beach near Kapiti and had a burn..far out it is SO fast! And what a buzz, I love the buzz pinning a cool descent on the mountain bike but the feeling of the powerband kicking in is something different and when it’s on its ALL ON! Downhill riders use motocross/trail riding as training so I’m sure it will help a cross country rider...even if it doesn’t it will be a heap of fun.

The big mountains of Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngarahoe were the background for a fantastic weekend with friends to riding T42. We woke to a bitter wind, a nice clear sky and snow covered mountains, what a great area to ride a bike. I last rode this ride when I was 16 with the Wanganui Mountain Bike Club, I didn’t remember too much about the ride but I knew there were a few step climbs and a few river crossings along the way. There were a mixed bunch of riding abilities but we cruised along and waited when needed and raved about the sections we just rode. We all really enjoyed the ride and we will certainly get back up there through summer for another ride. Our day finished with watching the Rugby, drinking a few beers and listening to a very local singer playing his guitar who hadn’t prepared at all for his night. He was so unprepared he sung songs he didn’t even know the words to, then even let a girl sing a song she didn’t even know the words to..maybe it was a karaoke?

My ‘training’ is going to be a little different from now on, since being in Wellington I have ridden over the Wainuiomata hill most days to get to work. I’ve taken a job on the city side of the hill and am stoked that unless I opt to test my legs up that big beast of a hill it’s not part of my daily commute. Plenty of other hills to get some training on round Wellington and adding in old Porirua Road instead of Ngaio Gorge will keep my legs working. I’m still a big fan of cycle commuting where it’s possible and Wellington has no shortage of keen commuters, they have now made parts of Thorndon Quay a no parking zone in the morning to give cyclists space which is just one step towards the city becoming more cycle friendly.

I’ve had a great long weekend with Thursday and Friday off work – long enough to make me want to be a full-time athlete! Great weather in Wellington made for two weekdays of action with mountain bike rides on Skyline and Makara and a blast in the Wainuiomata hills on my motorbike each day. I was surprised by how wet the Makara trails were, but they were as much fun as when dry. Awesome to have tracks locally which can cope with a bit of rain without being a washout.

Enjoy the winter trails..keep the bike clean!

Victory at Mt Isobel

2010-05-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Early starts in the South Island are generally not my favourite! On Saturday morning it was crisp as at 5.30am when we packed the van to head up to Hanmer for Mt Isobel. We had the heater on full noise most of the way, it was more than a bit nippy in Hanmer but the blue skies were gleaming and it was to stay like that for the rest of the day. Hanmer was a bit frosty and while there was a bit of ice thankfully there was no fresh snow on the trails. We hooked up a ride with Anton Cooper and his dad Paul (best supporter of the day award!) Even better Anton’s Mum Laila packed a big chilly full of home made goodies for us all … think the chocolate muffins were for after the race but we all had a couple before, highly recommended pre race food!

Mt Isobel has been one race that after doing it a couple of times in a team I’ve been super keen to hit as an individual….and super keen to win! I had heard stories of Isobel being pretty rugged and steep but these stories only hyped up the event for me and made me even more determined. My biggest challenge on the day came from midget Anton Cooper. At the start of the run we were running together and swapped placings every now and again but eventually it became a combined effort which we enjoyed to find ourselves at the head of the race and going for the win. We had our work cut out because the first runner came in 5 minutes ahead of us and was doing the Individual as well. Once we came clear of all other riders we were able to both enjoy the final stage of the mountain bike leg…and from the youngest rider in the open men’s field came the suggestion of a bit of a gentleman’s agreement – he wanted me to cross the line first as he felt I had done slightly more work on the bike than he had. I feel this type of maturity and selflessness is something that Anton can be proud of and take with him as he develops into the next stage of his riding. Who knows who would have taken the win had we not had a quick chat along the way but that’s irrelevant as both of us were clearly capable and it would have been only down to the two of us anyway. To have had such close competition throughout the entire race from Anton made it not only an exciting fast race, but also pushed us to finish at a time quicker than the record set in 1999. Because the record was set on a slightly different course it’s not clear if this will stand in history but my time of 2 hours and 14 seconds was on a course which is rumoured to be longer than the one in 1999, with additional singletrack.

Seriously great to hit up this event again, it’s still got a real local flavour to it – right down to the bbq crew who when they ran out of paper plates to serve the delicious fare on they promptly went and found a whole lot of china plates for the picnicking masses!

I seriously recommend to the North Island riders to pick some of the South Island local events and get down there, flights to Christchurch are cheap as and there are always people travelling from the Garden City to the races to hook up with. In the last month I’ve raced in the Hutt Valley, Rotorua and Hanmer and all three locations have had completely different terrains and trails. It’s this variety which New Zealand is huge for….use it and become a better rider. I’m a big fan of making connections with other riders and families who are into the sport – as riders we should be helping each other to get to these races in different places, or just for weekends of riding. There is no doubt that the stronger the competition the better the riding becomes and in turn the better the sport becomes.

And yes….it wouldn’t be one of my blogs without mentioning Bex! She enjoyed the race, only complaint was not having time afterwards to hit the Hanmer Hot Springs for a well deserved soak. Bex took 3rd place out of a field of about 14 woman in the individual event, once again the strong and gutsy Sia Svendson took the win. Best wishes to Sia as she heads back to Denmark soon to tackle the Denmark Elite Road Nationals in preparation for the Worlds on the same circuit.

Try something you haven’t done before in the sport – you never know, you might just enjoy it!

Four more days to Mt Isobel!

2010-05-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

Mt Isobel…starting at the mtb haven of Hanmer and running up a bloody big climb for close to 8kms, then a mad dash mtb ride to the finish. That’s the plan this weekend!

Any excuse to have a weekend away! This race is one I’ve been looking forward to hitting again, having only ever done the mountain bike leg previously I can’t wait to put the run in front. In 2002 a mate and I won the team event and two years ago Bex and I took 3rd in the mixed teams…this weekend I’m aiming for a sprint through the tracks to take 1st in the individual.

On both occasions it was pretty cold with sleat and snow - 2002 I was the first rider through and had to learn how to bash my way through ice puddles and very quickly because I was on a mission. So far it seems like it will be balmy in comparison this year, although after a settled period of autumn weather in Wellington I’m pretty sure I will be blowing frost out as I climb.

This weekend was a complete opposite to the last two – with no racing planned I was at a bit of a loss on Saturday until I put on my running shoes. Awesome to be living in such a great location for hitting the hills, I went up Bells Track intending to complete the loop which goes up over Mt Kaukau, instead I got a bit sidetracked and did some repeats up and down Bells Track. I learnt at Crazyman that what I thought running down hills fast looked like was very different to the speed other runners could get so it was more of a downhill session than anything else. Hoping it will pay off this weekend as the last 1km or so of the run is a steep downhill scamper.

The day got better and better weather wise so perfect for a spin out to Silverstream on the roadie – and better and better bike wise as I not only got a good 55k flat ride in but also managed to spend some time oogling at bike stuff in at Cycle Science. Of course no Saturday bike shop mission would be complete without a purchase so I came back with pockets full of spanners to complete the build of a new Bergamont Contrail (full sus) for my mate Sam…look out Ngaio, Bergamont is in the hood! Spent the rest of the day tweaking and generally just playing in my bike room (whoops…slip of the tongue…our spare room!)

I haven’t been for many weekend road rides over the last few months and was planning to do a long ride on Sunday but a good group of friends and too much Malibu changed that..oops! As it turned out the weather was yuck anyway so a day of laziness didn’t hurt.

Roll it or run with it..both will get you there! Bring on the weekend!!

DOING THE LAPS IN RODORUA!!

2010-05-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

Back in the early days of my racing I always looked at 12 hour races as a pain! The thought of being under a small canopy in the rain, changing wet clothes and putting on soaking shoes never really enthused me. The reason I enter in these events now is probably only that the last four years of racing these endurance events I have been fortunate enough not to get caught in the wet.

My coldest was the Mont 24hr in Canberra in 2003 - while doing a lap at 4am my bottle of water was freezing up…no idea why I actually wanted a drink given that it was that cold! In fact at the time I was thinking ‘why am I doing this’ a kangaroo nearly bowled me over out of the darkness! The other extreme was again in Australia, this time in Victoria doing a 24hr in 2007 with temperatures of nearly 40 degrees and man eating flies buzzing round!

I really enjoy this format of racing - doing short laps as hard as possible and always trying to beat the last lap time and racing to be the fastest team. This weekend at Moonride in Rotorua our team was sponsored by Balance Nutrition. We were looked after pretty well with great products to keep us refueled and recovered to bang out the fast laps for 12 hours. It was a bit like a kids party where you get a goodie bag to take home too – thanks Balance, the cupboards are stocked!

We had the fastest team on the day organised by Mark Leishman, who took the first and last lap honours (with just a few more in between!), Scott Thorne, 2010 Xterra Champion and excellent all rounder, and lastly Dave Sharp, a fast Wellington local who has motivation to burn. We were kept on our toes from the fast Rotorua boys but with our consistent lap times we managed to pull out to a comfortable lead of round 7 minutes. Thanks to Keryn (Dave’s wife) who had the team manager business down to an art with every lap and transition timed and accounted for. The tracks in Rotorua are built to be ridden at speed and for an endurance lap race they were perfect, nice to be able to style the laps up with a few jumps and whip round the corners, laps were about 8km each with the fastest lap times from our team around mid-18 minutes.

Leishman pulled out a blinder last lap which included a sprint on a retro BMX to the finish line, had to be there to see it! We finished up with 36 laps one ahead of the Rotorua lads, a great day of racing by all and a crankin’ event to be part of…the night riding on Saturday was hilarious to say the least!

I might have to change my blog title to “Sharratt Racing Team” because over the last month my lovely wife Bex has been getting up to a bit of racing which is awesome. At the last minute (again, bit of a habit forming, that’s a Gemini thing!) she decided to contest the Women’s 6hr Solo, I thought that was a great idea and thought she would do well as long as she ate often and drank plenty. I find it hard to control myself in longer races to be able to push through to the finish, but Bex is quite a master in endurance events and is able to pace herself. She proved this with super consistent lap times right through the 100+ kms that she raced. Bex rode a perfect race and her only complaint was having to stop three times over the 6 hours for us to restock her pockets and drink bottle. Her aim was to reach the 14 laps which the winner did last year, she finished with time to spare riding to a comfortable win with 13 laps which is fantastic effort and was probably only 6-8 minutes off getting that 14th lap dialed.

The weekend away was awesome, plenty of laughs and best of all the track was in fine form for super fast lines. A few days of recovery and I will be back in to training for the next event which is down in Hanmer, Mt Isobel Challenge.

I’ve just lined up my winter training weapon – I’ve just taken deliver of one of my all time favourite cycling machines…a Cateye Cyclosimulator. Can’t wait to tap out a few secret sessions as I plan for upcoming races…LOOK OUT!

See you on the tracks wrapped up warm!

Crazyman! Lives up to its name...

2010-05-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

I got excited about Crazyman not long after Karapoti when I was looking for an event to do and was keen to do some running as a new challenge. I have always enjoyed running off-road but 18km? and with two massive climbs?? mmm that was my concern…but I soon became confident over the last few weeks leading up to the event. Only a week before Crazyman Bex jumped on the internet to register as a volunteer marshal…and 10 minutes later told me she had entered the individual duathlon instead! Good or bad idea? Well it turned out to be a great idea!

The beach run, about the first kilometre, was challenging. It seemed like you were taking two steps forward and one back, a kind of sinking gravelly surface. We then hit the road for another few k’s which was only a temporary relief for the legs before hitting the first of the two climbs. I had heard stories about how hard this run was going to be but I think my running strength is running uphill…I found instead that my biggest weakness was actually going downhill.

Approaching Mt Lowry the forecasted southerly came in and blasted us with cold winds and heavy rain but the steep hills kept the warmth in the body and once into the dense bush it was quite nice heading through to Wainuiomata. Despite this at the transition point I couldn’t make my hands work from the cold! Our support crew literally had to put my mountain bike gloves on for me! Thanks Tristan, Saskia, Meta and Marilyn (Bex’s Mum).

I had a consistent run and came in 14th at 1hr 33mins, 14 minutes back from the leading individual male competitor (Bex came through at 1hr 46mins – 2nd female and 7mins behind the leading woman). I felt quite good on the bike and started to quickly reel in the riders getting myself up to 5th spot overall on the home stretch of flat riding, straight into that southerly! The course took us up through the rapidly expanding Wainuiomata Mountain bike Park trails onto the firebreak north. If you are in Wellington with your mountain bike make sure you check out the tracks in Wainui – heaps of work going into making them a great destination, and only a short drive from the city.

I was stoked and a little surprised to come home 1st in the Individual Male category in a total time of 3hr 24min, a bit off the pace from last years winner Scott Thorne but with more running I believe I can get reasonably close to that time..bring on next year!

Bex wasn’t too sure how she placed in the Womens category until prize giving when she heard her name as 2nd place getter behind Danish speedster Sia. They are both looking forward to lining up together again at Mt Isobel in a few weeks.

We had a really enjoyable day of racing and it was great to try out another race format, both of us are keen to do the full Crazyman next year…better start looking for a kayak! Also on the cards could be an entry at the Multisport Nationals which Nathon Fa’avae is promoting and organising down in Nelson for February…watch this space!

Awesome to hit up a slightly different scene and be able to be competitive, my aim for the day was to not destroy myself on my weaker areas so that I could maximise my strengths. This race was tough and as much about mental strength as it was about physical ability. Having not completed a race like this it is hard to know what to expect and how to train specifically for it. I went into the race knowing I was new to it and had a lot to learn. As an athlete it’s important to go into new situations with a positive mind, doubting your potential will pull down your performance.

I really liked something Nathan Fa’avae said after the Crazyman. He noted that the competitors he passed had their heads down, and that the competitors he was passed by had their heads held high. Interesting observation.

I believe that what ever your level, whether you go out to complete or compete, your performance will be affected by your self-talk and believe in your own potential. Keep your head held high, trust in the training you have done and be willing to learn from others.

NEVER DOUBT YOUR POTENTIAL!

Great things come in bike size boxes!!

2010-04-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Over the last month or so the weekends have been pretty full-on, organising our wedding which was a time consuming as riding a bike! Bex and I have enjoyed this weekend - no more organising and running round like yoyos! Bex decided yesterday she wanted to race the Revolve Womens Mtb race at Makara so we cruised out there to check out the course, my new bike wasn’t ready so I got my running shoes on and ran round the loop to prepare for the Crazyman next weekend, I felt really good and finished up feeling like I could do a few more strides. Bex felt quite confident on the bike after not really doing any riding since Karapoti and she actually enjoyed a few sections which have been a little tricky on previous rides. Her race today went well, finally she is raving about loving the downhill sections! She showed a consistent steady pace as the race wound it’s way up to the summit, then relaxed and had some fun on Zacs, Northface and Starfish, Swigg to finish 7th. I was supporter and photographer for a change with Rex, his partner Ange coming in the top 10 also.

Friday afternoon I get a text from Bex saying “come home quick there’s a surprise!” – woohoo! Knew my new bike had arrived! I was like small boy opening his first box of lego.

This is what I got..

Yep, I went for the hardtail. I loved the full suspension but deep down I love the hardtail, there’s nothing better than nailing a descent on a hardtail and working to stay smooth, I like to move my bike round, use rocks to jump over nasty bits, pre-jump down slopes to hold speed, a lot of the time I will ride descents and not pedal but just use the bike and pump. I got that style from my Bmx racing days. Coming down North Face today at Makara was a blast! The bike was holding so much speed and was super responsive on corners.

My Bergamont Platoon Team is so European, I love how the Euro’s present their bikes, the colours (blue/white/exposed carbon) are spot on. The machine looks amazingly fast and it is. Set up with my race wheels the bike weighs in round 9kg or just a tad over. I am really excited to race this bike, watch this space!

It’s already had a few demos today, Rex got upgraded on the way up to the summit as I swapped with him (couldn’t resist a bit of single speed time!) and the Bushlove boys were loving it! Don’t be shy….come and have a look when you see me out and about!

So it’s all on for the next two weekends with Crazyman for both Bex and I then we’re off to the Moonride in Rotovegas…..whoop whoop.

Clean your bike…keep it sparkly!

Im back!! A married man!!

2010-04-19T00:17:00.000-07:00

Well what a blast! Bex and I got back from our honeymoon which we had up in Kerikeri staying in a cottage on a small farmlet overlooking the Kerikeri inlet, it was amazing waking up to the views each morning. The bikes were left behind for a change so we made the most of our running shoes with a few runs and exploring missions round the area before hiring a car to explore the region over the next 4 days and then driving down to Auckland to fly home. We got out for a really nice kayak up the inlet out towards the coast to a area called Wharau which took us about 2hrs of paddling plus a few stops to do some fishing from the kayak. Bex had a few small bits but I hit the jackpot and cauht a small snapper..wohoo! I hadn't been fishing since I was about 10yrs old , I quite like fishing but I am not into going any further with them so that can be someone elses job..I will quite happily eat it though!

I've had a nice break from the racing and now I am definately getting that urge again to get racing! I have an addiction for searching the race calanders and finding a race to do somewhere in the country or in Australia, I have a plan which will take me to June then from there if it works out I will be hitting the local cyclocross race series in Wellington plus a few weekends up on the mountain.

The most exciting part is that I will be getting on my new 2010 Bergamont machine, I am yet to decide if I should stay on the Fastlane Team full suspension or go to the Platoon Team carbon hardtail? I have heard from alot of people this season that I should be on a hardtail because its faster? But for me..I go fast when I am enjoying the bike I am riding and this season the Fastlane Team has been a brilliant bike to race so my decision is heading that way again..or will it? WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Hope everyone is keeping fit and enjoying themselves. Catch you on the bike soon.

Free Time

2010-03-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

For me the 2010 summer racing season has finished, well it actually finished after the Karapoti Classic. I have kept the riding to a minimum with a few days a week riding to and from work and aswell some running in the hills which I really enjoy.

When I look back over the seasons results I am completely happy with how the season has gone, only last December I was ready to put racing on hold and do..well..I didn't get that far but thanks to Bergamont I got the flame burning for yet another season of racing. I had three big goals for the season, 1: win the NZ Cup Series 2: win the NZ Champs and 3: win Karapoti. I achieved the first goal and finished 2nd in the other two, I am more than happy with those results. This year for me was a very consistent season, my attitude was relaxed, I had fun with my training and trained alot less with more freshness coming into each race, also my job is really enjoyable and I actually enjoy going to work now. My boss is Wellington Saloon Champion (speedway), we get on really well and I guess we feed of each others achievements.

Bex and I are two weeks away from getting married, this is pretty cool, racing and getting results is a good feeling but I reckon when we hear the words "you may kiss your wife" I think that will topple the results I have achieved this year. I look forward to that moment.

I have a few different events planned through May. I am training fot the CrazyMan Duathlon in Wellington on the 1st May, this includes a 13km run from Eastbourne over the Wainuiomata then a 33km mountain bike along the fire breaks to Upper Hutt. The 2nd event is the Mt Isobel Challenge in Hanmer on 22nd May, this is an 8km uphill run then a 25-30km mountain bike down to Hanmer. I am looking forward to these 2 events and I have already started my running training up in the hills behind our flat in Ngaio. Bex is also booked herself in for Mt Isobel also and maybe the CrazyMan.

Hope everyone is enjoying whatever they have been doing.

Another win bounced past me....

2010-03-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

Karapoti..I put this race in the same category as the Tour of Southland. A race everyone wants to do but how many actually enjoy it? I’ve raced Karapoti before but haven’t had the enjoyment until this year, my 2 previous attempts haven’t made it to any newspaper articles! I first came to this event way back in 1994 when I was 12 and raced the 20km and finished in the top-20.

This year I came to Karapoti “wanting” to race and in my pre-ride I actually enjoyed it but still thought it was just one mongrel of a bike race..it just is..it’s a true old school mountain bike race. When I got in to the sport that’s what we rode on our fully rigid beasts bouncing round like pogo sticks on a sugar high.

I dislike cold water a lot and even get goose bumps jumping into a warm shower so running through a river at the start of a race at 10 o’clock in the morning isn’t on my list of favourite things to do!

The pace was pretty quick up the gorge with big rig Tim Wilding riding like he had a motor on his bike, Mark was putting in his grunt as well. This pace saw myself and a group of round 5 other riders slip away and we stayed together until the “warm up climb” which split the group. Stu, Tim, Anton and I got into a good rhythm, managing a small gap over the others and as the climb went on Tim and I tussled our way to the top with a small lead over Stu. From the top of Deadwood to the Rock Garden, Stu and I were fighting to stay with the flying Tim who eventually hit his powerband twitch and was gone. I was in 2nd and knew I had to pin it to hold this spot because on this course you just never know how far riders are behind you. At the top of Dopers Tim had round 2mins on me so for the last part of the race holding 2nd was the priority.

Coming out of the Gorge on to the road section I saw a hunched over Mark chewing on his bar to reel me in. Hitting the river I went too far to the right and found myself not touching the ground and had to doggy paddle for a bit to resurface and get motoring to the finish line. Quite an experience for a non-swimmer like myself! I held on and it was a great feeling crossing that line!

Mark didn’t bother with a swim at the end and came through another 9 seconds after me. Anton ended up having a superb ride, coming in 4th, just a tad over 2 minutes off the Junior Record, I’m sure by the time he’s finished Junior he could quite possibly have his name on both records? As the event doubled as the NZ Marathon Championships I take claim to 2nd for the Elites and Anton took the Junior title for this. Stu rolled in to finish 5th after a puncture up on the Boulevard.

Great race all round – Karapoti and I are now even thinking about becoming facebook friends now that we have found out we quite like each other!

Congratulations to Tim, brilliant ride and great to see him take out another big event. To those who rode Karapoti well done for finishing and even cooler the “always working hard and not leaving time to ride her bike” Bex took 23mins off her last years time!

Closer..but not close enough in 2010

2010-03-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

My new home town Wellington was the perfect host to the NZ MTB Cross Country Nationals this weekend.

The weather was in fine form, the track in perfect form and my legs were in even better form. Big cheers to the organizers, this was one nationals track that tested!

I knew it was going to be good, my plan was to be at the front and stay there...more importantly not to let any of the big hitters get a gap. This plan worked for a while with Mike Northcott, junior Richard Anderson and myself gaining time on the other riders on the first lap. This grew throughout the race. Mike was on fire but I did what I could to match him and let him know I was going to be the one to beat today. But he was on form too and he gained a little here and a little there, getting a gap of round 25 seconds, which slowly grew to 55 seconds then to 1min 10secs at the end. Not part of my plan! When this happened I was still feeling really good and giving it gold, but Mike was just faster and stronger, in mountain biking it’s simple...the fastest rider wins!

The remainder of the race I had a good tussle with young Anderson who was having a cranking race and won the U19 comfortably. This race was by far the best I have had all season, in my own form and in the competition around me. The second step on the podium was well earned and for Bergamont a big start to a big venture in New Zealand, for a brand new to NZ in 2009 they have already got people talking! Maxxis Tires were part of my success today also, it is great to have their support this season. Claiming 2nd place at Nationals twice in a row shows the consistency in racing form which I have built to.

It’s completely exciting to be part of the scene right now, there are so many up and coming juniors who are biting at the elite riders heels, keeping the effort and race tactics fast and honest. Age and experience are still the trump cards, not just on race day but in preparation and training.

Thanks to all the people who came out to support, although I can’t always pick out faces from the blur trackside I hear the voices of support, clapping and cheering. In the weekend at both Mt Vic and then on Sunday round the short course the crowd were really getting into it. Quite cool to hear heaps of people yelling out my name!

So as always it’s a quiet Monday night, time to chill out, recharge the batteries for a couple of days then look the next challenge straight in the eyes...Karapoti. A race I’m convinced people love to hate! It’s never been a good one for me, but after a sweet run through a couple of weekends ago it’s time to bite the bullet and get the mongrel out! Best wishes to all those taking on this challenge, whether you get round at race pace in contention for the podium, or get out there and finish it is a massive achievement.

Show Down in Vegas!!

2010-02-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

Series win on the line, 2 riders eligible and ready to win…showdown in vegas!

I won the 2010 NZ MTB Cup Series. This was one of my goals for the season, added to the South Island Cup win - two titles which I’m stoked to have grabbed.

No time to dwell on it though, it’s all just a warm up with the real goal next weekend…Nationals…something I have wanted since my second placing in Nelson last year. And by being part of the racing this weekend in Rotorua the stage is set for an exciting and fast day on the slopes of Mt Vic!

I rocked the Maxxis Aspen tyres this weekend which had literally just turned up at my doorstep – mint for the rotovegas track which was bone dry and fast. It took every advantage to stick with the locals in their turf! The field was cranking with all the strong Elite riders in the country showing up.

I rode the start like a bit of donkey, it was an uphill tarseal climb and by the top I was sitting about 14th. My thoughts headed towards “no way my legs can’t be this bad”. A couple of years ago a bad first lap would have seen me pull out as if I wasn’t at the front I thought I wasn’t in it. I’ve had a huge head change in racing since then and know that there is plenty of time to work the crowd if I can keep my head positive. So I kept calm and started to feel to fire burning by the end of the lap. Lap 2, my legs hit overdrive mode and I had a stormer up the tarseal climb, moving from 12th to 4th in the space of 300m and going uphill like a rocket. I managed to get within 10secs of the 3 leaders..perfect. I was back in the race!

From here I had a real battle with Carl Jones (Bergamont) and Stu Houltham for 3rd spot. I got a gap on Stu and was tussling with Carl for the last few laps. At the end of the 5th lap he attacked my in the singletrack and I just couldn’t follow his wheel. I pulled a small amount of time out of him up the main climb but his local knowledge of the singletrack tested me and I had to settle for 4th.

This round was about the racing, not necessarily the result – it’s put the legs and head in the right space to attack it next weekend in Wellington.

Wicked to be part of the Bergamont crew – we’ve had a huge start to the season results-wise along with being part of an exciting brand introduction to NZ. In every cup race, North and South Bergamont has hit the podium, in most we’ve rounds we’ve hit the podium steps twice or three times.

Bergamont riders have claimed the South Island and North Island Cup Series. Bergamont has taken the 1-2 in the Elite Men NZ Cup Series, myself and Carl taking prime positions. And Katie O’Neil is representing for the girls and doing it well with the NZ Cup Elite Women title as well as 2nd in the North Island Cup…..Bergamont is dominating!

Rocky Road!

2010-02-14T23:46:00.000-08:00

Bikes are washed, washings done, another good weekend on my pedallies!

I hit up the local road scene on Saturday, howling winds didn’t stop the Wellington roadies. The interclub race took us all over the Miramar Penisula…..one minute we were heading round the coast at 40k an hour, next minute it was an almost stand still coming round into one of the bays, 16k and slowing quickly. A mad race, with a hill finish. I started on scratch with 4 others, that soon whittled down to two. Myself and Andy Hagan battled it out, I knew he would be a tough fighter on the climb. He proved that he was ready to pounce, but I had the head tuned in and was ready and waiting. Despite not knowing exactly where the finish was I was able to put the power down at the right time to finish just ahead of him taking fastest time and second overall.

Great to be able to get some time in my calendar to race local road races, nothing like getting the Bergamont Dolce 4.9 out there in full force. Pretty sure some of the race goers are still laughing at my Compact Tiagra but it’s been said before and I will say it again…..it’s not just about the bike. Sure I would love to be racing some light fast wheels and carbon but for local racing the Bergamonts got it covered.

Sunday was an early start out on the Karapoti track for a reccy. It’s never been a good race for me. My plan was to go out, ride it hard and give myself a confidence boost knowing that I’ve ridden the course at near race pace after a good dose of rain. The Maxxis Monorail front and Larsen TT rear was a good combo…..for a dryer track! I’ll be looking to run the Maxxis Advantage if the track gets any more rain otherwise will be sticking with this combo. It was pretty slippery out there, but the first and last climbs have been smoothed out which is likely to make for a record breaking Karapoti time on the day if anyone has got the goods.

So it’s full steam ahead for the weekend up in Rotorua now, race day Saturday. Looking forward to hitting the forest again, love the vegas tracks!

From backyard beginnings….

2010-02-02T00:24:00.000-08:00

Somehow I managed to get myself roped into riding back to the Picton ferry with Bex at the beginning of the week, she had ridden out to Nelson on Friday through all the thunderstorms! The return trip was far less eventful weather wise although the legs were a bit had it after the weekends racing.

This should have set me up for a quiet week of spinning but I couldn’t resist hitting it hard a couple of times, adding extra hills to my normal commute. It hasn’t really benefited me as I spent the weekend feeling rather lazy and not going near my bike. It’s a bit of a reflection of the effort that’s been put in over the last month, the body was ready to have a weekend off racing, the travel and the need to be somewhere at a certain time.

A crazy Wellington weekend, hugely hot and deadly still on Saturday followed by an early winter on Sunday left me time to have a think about the times that got me started in cycling.

I grew up on a small block of land in Wanganui behind Virginia Lake where me and my brothers (Craig and Nathon) spent endless hours building jumps, challenging each other to ride up the steepest hill, making jumps at the tops of the hills and jumping down them, building cyclocross hurdles and doing time trials on the motorbike. It wasn’t all fun and games with the yearly planting of pine trees to sell as Xmas trees which funding our racing.

Our paddock became a bit of a hang out for the local club riders, we had skills days, cyclocross races and eventually Mum and Dad organised a kids series for under 12 year olds called “Kiwi Kids Mountain Biking”. These started out to be 10 kids having fun to about 80 kids wanting to win over a near 10yr period! Not many people know but this series was the start of many champions, Sam Blenkinsop, one of the best Downhill riders in the world, Jono Hamlin (multiple NZ Track Cycling Champion and now Motocross rider) and Glen Haden (multiple NZ Downhill Champ and now Motocross rider) to start with a few names!

I was super excited when I found out I could ‘race’ a bike. It all started in 1986 when Craig and I rode BMX in Wanganui at the local BMX races in Castlecliff, at the time I was getting laughed at because I was always last on my little blue chopper! I turned up to my first road race when I was 12 on my Mtb bike and raced well but knew I could go faster on a road bike. Brent Anderson who looked after the younger riders said to he wanted me to use a club road bike to see how I went which at the time was a weapon! A white and blue Tarini with tubular tires and old shimano 600. I raced that for 3 years and treated it like my own bike. It got a good clean each Saturday morning so it was sparkling for the afternoon race. Not quite as fancy as the younger riders these days are getting, but damn it looked clean! The following year I got into Track Cycling on the old 500m Cooks Gardens Track before it got pulled down.

I really enjoy going back to the Wanganui Club and racing every now and again, the club was very supportive over the years and there are a lot of nice people still involved. Bex laughs whenever we drive through Wanganui and we see a cyclist as I can just about always name them! Small town!

So that was how it all started for me, backyard beginnings.

And how it finishes for me in cycling? ….. I’ll be cycling until the stars stop shining! Racing will have it’s day, but the sweet feeling of two tyres and a bit of speed will never die!

One goal down – 2 more to go!

2010-01-27T00:34:00.000-08:00

It’s great to take the South Island Cup for the 2nd year, finishing with the same results as last year - two 1st places and a 3rd.

The final round of the South Island Cup was in Nelson, a similar course to last years nationals with almost the same conditions to keep us all honest…..MUD, and lots of it! Approaching this race I was aware it was going to be a challenge with more competition than the last 2 rounds. New Zealand Champ Stu Houltham was racing, plus on form rider George Bennett along with a handful of North Island riders.

The race started fast on the main climb which split the field straight away, the pace was a little fierce for me so I backed off and found my own rhythm. At the end of the 1st lap I was in 4th but soon went to 5th when flying Junior Richard Anderson came past and left me wondering if I was having a good day. My descending was appalling and I was loosing time. I was starting to panic but soon got my mind into the race and got the flow going by the start of the 3rd lap where I put in a surge in the big ring up the main climb and pulled back some time. From there I knew I’d grovelled back into the podium positions.
The last 2 laps were good and finally passing Stu Houltham moved me into 3rd spot, fast closing down on my team mate Carl Jones who was riding really well. To get 2nd I had to climb like a demon and catch Carl by the top of the climb before we got into the descents but just couldn’t quite do it had to settle for 3rd. George Bennett was 2 and a half minutes ahead of Carl. I was 15 seconds behind Carl.

I was happy with 3rd. I raced hard and was pleased with my last half of the race, I know where I messed up and will work on that over the next month.

I’m now looking forward to some weekends off racing and staying put in Wellington with Bex for the next three weeks. One of the goals is to do a recky of the Karapoti course plus some good ride time on the Nationals course at Mt Vic.

2 rounds, 2 wins!

2010-01-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

I came back from the 1st round of the South Island Cup like an old person, legs were smashed at the start of the week and it was first up, first dibs on the car in the morning instead of riding the famous wainui hill to work.

These couple of days off the bike, along with some serious eating and muscle recovery set me up for the next hit at the South Island Cup Series - Dunedin.

The good weather hung about making for a fast course, the same one will be used for the upcoming Oceania Games in March. It was about 6.5ks a lap, 6 laps for Elite.

Having just flown in the morning of the race I was a bit stressed to discover my front rotor was bent. Time ticked away as I attempted to sort it out, in the end borrowing one (thanks heaps to Steve from Invercargill!).

The race started fast with the juniors fighting for the lead heading into the first single track section. I held back and wound up the pace leading into the first climb, establishing a gap by the second lap on Brad Hudson which I was able to extend to about 40 seconds and then hold for the remainder of the race.

The climbs were great, was able to give them a bit of a drilling, taking it easy down the descents and having a bit of fun with the course. The main descent was a bit tacky with steep off camber sections and tree roots, I enjoyed the little ramp drop offs and jumps.

Again it was a long race by cross country standards, total race time for me was 2hrs 15, after a similar length race in Christchurch. It will be interesting to see what finishing times the remaining South Island Cup race and the North Island Cups will be. If NZ mountainbiking organizers want to draw the crowds, riders and make the racing faster perhaps they should be aiming for a winners time of 2 hours or less…World Cups are sometimes under 2 hours, Swiss Cups were sometimes down to 1 hour 45mins with laps as short as 3.5k. Just something to consider to bring the speed back into our cross country racing.

It was a bit disappointing to see only a few elite riders riding in Dunedin, but awesome to see the standard of junior riders coming through. I’m looking forward to Nelson round with a few more guns lining up – will be a more challenging race and the end of a 3 good racing weekends for me. I’m ready to battle it out and wanting to take the hat-trick!

Living it up at Living Springs

2010-01-10T23:42:00.000-08:00

It’s all started, the much talked about national cross country circuit, south island cup, north island cup, one off nationals….opinions are varied but at the end of the day it’s great to have a racing circuit to pick and choose from and to test out the legs on.

Christchurch was host to another big weekend of cycling, not too unlike the recent Festival of Cycling with a range of disciplines hitting the road and tracks hard. While the crowds would have been obviously drawn to Sunday mornings Elite Road Nationals it was awesome to have a Cross Country circuit with heaps of supporters out there lining the track. Thanks to all those people who were calling out my name….it’s great motivation!

I enjoyed being back in the scene and catching up with other riders, while it was a smaller field than I would have expected it was still dotted with riders wanting to check out their own and others form at this early stage of the season. The 6k circuit which we ended up doing 7 laps of was filled with demanding climbs and rewarding flowing descents. Hot weather made for a great dry track. Living Springs is definitely a good spot for Christchurch locals to make use of, awesome views and well formed tracks.

I started fast, which worked well, I had a few followers in the first 100m who I was able to work a gap on as the first lap progressed, then it was all about lengthening the gap each lap. The biggest challenge was from Anton Cooper racing in the Under 19’s who ramped it up in his 5th and last lap to pull the gap closer and take out the win in his category. Unfortunately Richard Anderson who was racing Anton had a nasty crash, good to hear today that he hasn’t broken any bones.

I’m loving the X-link rear suspension on my Bergamont when hitting rough grounds at full pace, a sweet race. Hopefully there is some pace in the field at Dunedin next week to give the spectators something to get excited about. I’ll be hitting it hard and enjoy the Dunedin circuit.

With three weekends in a row of travel and racing it’s going to be a month for managing food, sleep and training effort … with Bex still on school holidays it should be easy to manage between the two of us.

Ride hard not long :)

Seeing in the New Year

2010-01-04T23:49:00.000-08:00

My last week of holidays has been relaxing and enjoyable. Bex and I took off up to the ‘naki for a few days. We hit up Lake Mangamahoe, on the way into New Plymouth from the south. I had some good days of training on tracks that are very different to those here in Wellington, there were some really cool steep damp descents with lots of tight single track and plenty of tree roots. I’ve been testing out my stealth new riding kit, Fifty3eleven, designed and produced in Christchurch and supplied to me by Andrew Widdup. Stoked that he’s started to manufacture mens gear after the success of his Athena range for the ladies. The Fifty3eleven kit is well constructed, uses quality fabrics and chamois and has a great fit.

Back in Wellington it’s been a windy couple of days – making for some dicey moments up on the Skyline track behind our place….literally blown off my bike and bracing myself against the hill! Bex keeps telling me it makes me stronger….a Wellington girl at heart! Also have had a chance to explore some of the Belmont Regional Park by mountain bike and knock off my first timed climb of Paekakariki hill on my road bike (10mins 24 seconds….about 3.8kms of solid climbing)

Whether it’s the wind or not, I feel I’m ready to tackle the first round of the NZ MTB Cup Series in Christchurch on Sunday. I have great memories of the Living Springs tracks after a successful (and hilarious) South Island Single Speed champs there last year. Unfortunately for the spectators this weekend there will be no pink pajamas, gorillas, near nudity or beer sculling on course….but here’s hoping there will be fast and furious racing instead.

Work first though – it will be good to be back into the routine – hope everyone enjoyed their new years break wherever it was and that you got some good k’s in.

2010 Summer Race Calender

2009-12-30T00:18:00.000-08:00

Jan 10th - NZ MTB Cup, Living Springs
Jan 16th - NZ MTB Cup, Dunedin
Jan 23rd - NZ MTB Cup, Nelson

Feb 6th- Wellington Road Cup #1
Feb 13th - PNP Road Interclub
Feb 20th - NZ MTB Cup, Rotorua

March 1st - NZ Mountain Bike Champs, Wellington
March 6th - Karapoti
March 7th - Wellington Road Cup #2 (?)
March 21st - Oceania Games (?)

April - Wedding Time!

May 8th - Cateye Moonride

June 6th - Round Lake Tekapo

Xmas in Waingaro

2009-12-26T23:41:00.000-08:00

Bex and I have just returned from a great 3 days up in the lovely area of Waingaro Springs, in the Mighty Waikato. Bex’s Aunty and Uncle are beekeepers up there and have 3 very talented sons (not to forget their daughter!) who race motocross. Dane, the youngest, raced in the Junior Motocross Worlds earlier this year in Taupo.

I was stoked they had road bikes for us to borrow so I got out for four rides to explore the area, mainly undulating and hilly which kept me on my toes. Bex’s cousins have their own supercross track which was freshly modified. Friday afternoon was spent moving earth to make the biggest jump a little shorter. I don’t have the ability to thrash round on a track like that but I could burn round on their pit bike that had no brakes! Motocross is a sport I have a lot of time for (my younger brother Nathon races in Christchurch) and it was always my dream sport as a kid, I love everything about the sport and still have the desire to buy a bike one day..maybe next year! Yesterday I had a spin on Travis’s RM250 down on the beach, I hadn’t ridden one of those before so was a little nervous waiting for the powerband to give me wack but it wasn’t that bad, I soon relaxed and had a good play round.

Hope everyone had a great Xmas.

Hill Climbs and Hill Climbing

2009-12-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

This week has pretty exciting. My two new Bergamont bikes arrived and I took out my second win on Bergamont.

The Wellington Hill Climb Champs were run up Horokiwi during the week. It’s a climb I hadn’t ridden before but have been riding past for the last 3 months on my way to and from work. I was confident of a good result as my climbing has been going well and I am feeling pretty fit. I laughed to myself when a few riders made mention of the low spec’d bike I was riding and had never heard of Bergamont. It’s not always just about the bike, the legs and lungs make the critical difference…anyone can get a top spec’d bike, doesn’t mean they are winners! I won by 20secs, the other guys in the top-5 had bikes worth about 4 to 6 times the price of mine.

I’ve been without a road bike for a while so was really keen to get back on one again so I could continue my proper training for next year. My road bike is a Dolce 4.9, it’s the lowest spec’d road bike for Bergamont but it looks super hot with a white pearl and blue paint scheme and it rides really well. I have never owned a bike with Tiagra and a compact crankset. For riding to work and training it’s mint, nice not to be chewing through a top end groupset! In fact, I was thinking the other day when riding home that the compact cranks are perfect for MTB training because you can sustain a lower cadence which riders should be looking to do.

My MTB is the Fastlane Team which I raced on a few weeks ago in Christchurch, I am on the right size bike this time...a medium. I have raced a few bikes over the years and all have been really fun to ride but I love the way the Fastlane handles, it’s responsive, nimble and loves being ridden like a bmx bike. The head angle is perfect, the top tube length is bang on, and the top tube is quite low which I find gives the bike a “small” look..that’s a good thing too. The Fastlane Team is a amazingly spec’d bike with Magura Marta SL brakes, Syntace post/bar/stem, Truvativ carbon cranks. The fork is a Magura Durin Race MD100l and Fox rp23 shock works wonders. All round this is a brilliant bike for the Elite XC racer or for a recreational rider wanting a fast light bike to blast round the trails in the weekend and one I will enjoy racing this season.

Bex also got herself a new bike too, she choose a Bergamont Fastlane 9.9. The 9.9 is fantastic, great for someone looking for a top notch race spec’d bike at an affordable price or for a rider wanting all-round fun on the trails. This is a mint little bike for Bex. Comes with Fox 100RLC fork and Fox RP2 shock, full xt groupset with DT Swiss 1800 wheelset. The small size is perfect for her with a nice short toptube and slack head angle for control and confidence.
It has an anodized black finish with red and white graphics…..she’s chosen well – it’s a cool little machine!

I did two good days riding at Makara Peak this weekend. I am blown away with how cool the tracks are up there. Bex and I enjoyed riding with Rex from Rocket Bikes and his partner Ange on Saturday. Can’t help being slightly jealous of their place just seconds from the main Makara carpark! Sunday it was a early mission for me with Bex joining part way through the ride. The weather in Wellington is changeable on a good day…we had a great mix this weekend from a foggy blanket to tornado like winds and then the sunshine, the tracks were bone dry. Found the T3 trail again, old skool tight and technical, great to see so many people out there enjoying themselves.

Well I hope everyone has a good Xmas. Try not to eat too much..riding your bike is better for you! Enjoy

Great Weekends Riding

2009-12-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend riding with two NZ Champions - Stu Houltham and Anton Cooper. Anton came up from Christchurch to stay with Bex and I so he could check out the 2010 XC Nationals course, so, with me being new to the Wellingtons tracks, the best person to ask to come riding with us was Stu. I only got to know Stu this year after I roomed with him in Canberra for the Worlds Champs, I have raced with him a few times and was 2nd to him in this years XC Nationals in Nelson. I have a lot of respect for him and his achievements in mountain biking with 6 NZ Titles to his name. We met him at Te Papa and we all cruised off to do a few easy laps of the course which is going to be a great Nationals course and it will produce some exciting results.

Sunday we met up again at Makara Peak to do a bigger ride. I have always loved the Christchurch trails but what Makara has to offer is brilliant, we covered all the main and best tracks from top to bottom at a nice casual pace going up, but going down we let the flood gates open and let it flow back down to the car park. Stu was keen to shoot off so Anton and I did another loop climbing back up to the top and then down the advanced track Ridgeline which was like a wind tunnel testing bay. If we had a kite we could’ve flown Anton back to Christchurch from Makara!
Anton was pretty amped after riding the tracks in Wellington, the little pocket rocket had the descents nailed and certainly made me work to hold on to his gravel roost!
After a good two and a half hours riding it was time to hit the tarseal and ride the windy road back to Ngaio and for some well earned food.
This was my first real riding weekend since I’ve been here and I can’t wait to be riding my new Bergamont road bike next week. I will be looking to do the Wellington Hill Climb Champs on Tuesday up Horokiwi.
It’s going to be a big bike building week with both my Bergamont Fastlane Team and Bex’s Fastlane 9.9 arriving along with the road bike. Looking forward to swapping my trusty Intense for the new machine and blasting the trails in preparation for the NZ Cup Series.

I Have John Tomac's Helmet!

2009-12-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

Well I have the helmet John Tomac used when he came to NZ earlier this year AND it has his signature on it!. His Bell helmet was a prize for an article competition the NZ Mountain Biker magazine ran in the last issue. I wrote this to win the helmet:

“My favourite piece of John Tomac history is my A2 double sided poster which I got out of a Mountain Biker UK magazine back in the mid 90’s. One side is Tomac in his black latex skinsuit bombing down Mammoth Mountain and the other side is of him back in 94 in an XC race when he raced for Raleigh. But to really see what a committed fan I am, I can tell you that through the early 90’s when I was 11-13 years old my brother and I would make up disc wheels to copy Tomac’s Tioga disc wheel.

My first idea was to use cardboard and for the Kevlar wire I used wool out of mums knitting basket. That idea was pretty cool for burning round Wanganui and hearing the the cardboard rumble away. I remember going to a North Island Cup race in Taupo where it poured with rain and had streams to ride across..by the end of the race I could barely turn the pedals round with the weight of the wheel! So, back to the drawing board: my next idea was to use polythene and kept the idea of the wool to hold the ploythene in place; this setup made a cooler disc wheel noice and turned heads at the races, as at the time Jon Hume (Avanti) and Dave Abbot (GT) were racing on Tioga disc wheels – I thought I was pretty cool too at 12 riding mine. I cant remember how long that craze lasted for but I do remember Dad was abit annoyed with the mess after a race!"

FESTIVAL OF CYCLING WIN!

2009-12-07T23:40:00.000-08:00

Well I scored another Festival of Cycling podium but this time I was on the mountain bike rather than the road bike, last year I got a 3rd placing in the NZ Criterium Champs.

Saturdays win was a cool feeling, a new bike, a new sponsor, new motivation and desire to achieve my goal of being the best cross country rider in NZ. It was really cool having the Bergamont guys, Phillip and Peter watching the race and seeing their bike in full flight and I am sure seeing their bike win was a cool moment. for them.

I only decided to race a few weeks ago after my brother approached me about getting sponsorship from Bergamont, he asked me if I could win on the FASTLANE TEAM and I had a short one word answer..YES! Prior to this discussion I was happy riding my bike for fun over racing seriously but this opportunity got the spark going again and bang I was into it!

The week leading up to the race I was pretty confident I could win and I only wanted to win for the Bergamont crew especially with the brand being new into Christchurch and NZ so this was the perfect occasion to get the brand known.

The feild was pretty strong and there was one on form rider called Anton Cooper who could be dangerous if he held on up Rapaki plus a few recent NZ representitives. Richard Anderson set a mean pace up Rapaki which I was struggling to hold but I went through the pain and stuck to him as good as I could . After the Castle Rock descent I had to start thinking about how to get away from Richard because he was climbing super well and descending fast..but..I had more knowledge of the trails than him so I attacked him into John Britten trail and got a small gap which I held most of the way down to the tarseal. Richard had a small mishap which helped me gain a few more seconds that I wanted leading into Sumner and from there I drilled it in my biggest gear to victory by round 20secs. Anton Cooper got a comfortable 3rd placing, both Richard and Anton are the riders for the future and great to be on the podium with them both.

From here I am into training mode for the first round of the NZ Cup at Living Springs, Christchurch. I have raced on this track before at the South Island Single Speed Champs and loved the course. Look forward to it and aim to be on the podium once again.

Train hard and enjoy.