Auckland Champs Round 2: Hunua

I'll admit it: I am a bike geek, and not just in the conventional way. Not only can I recall at will statistics on weight, price and colour of random components and bikes of many types, but I ride with 2 different bicycle computers on my Race Bike. The memory like a bike store on-line catalogue would be nerdy enough for the most, but the fact I ride with standard AND GPS bike computers, complete with heart rate and cadence sensors tips me firmly into the category of geek. Today I discovered out in Hunua what happens when all the geeky toys that I ride with choose to malfunction the moment the race starts, but more on that later.

The Hunua ranges, most commonly known for the large dams that supply a large chunk of Auckland's water supply, are also home to a large selection of single track, and is set to host a round of the national mtb series early next year. The trails are tight and technical, with many riders coming out of the race with mechanicals leading to DNF's. Taking care of your bike is just as important towards winning at Hunua as a high standard of fitness.

I've never been great at racing Hunua, and it was all turning to custard before the race had even started.  Despite cutting out large sections of the course during my pre-ride, I made it back to the start line with about 2 minutes before race start... cue mad dashing to the car to dispose of my warm up gear and get ready to race. A mad panic ensued as I was constantly paranoid that the start whistle would blow before I even reached the line; luckily this did not happen. Sitting on the start line, I discovered my GPS/heart rate monitor would not start, which I later discovered was due to failing to charge it properly the night before. This was tech fail number 1.

I like seeing my heart rate whilst riding as it allows you to push a little harder when your body tells you otherwise. Nothing shatters the illusion of "I'm doing all out effort" like seeing your heart rate sitting at a puny 65%; it kicks you into reality very quickly and makes you push harder.

 I also discovered around 30 seconds into the race that my wheel sensor driven computer, that also monitors my cadence, had decided to stop working too, despite having been recording perfectly well just minutes before. This was tech fail number 2. Cadence is another little geeky analysis tool I like using, especially on fire roads as it gives clear feedback on whether you are pushing too hard or soft a gear. As a rider I have a chronic problem of standing up in the saddle at necessary times, which wastes energy faster than an electric heater in a walk-in freezer. So, the nerd set out on his race without any of his toys working, and so began a long, hard race.

The first lap continued to go badly for me. Having tried to take a hot line through a rock garden another rider abruptly cut me off sending me flipping head over heels onto the rocks. Adding insult to injury, the stones in the stream crossing that followed made their best efforts to send me swimming, a fate narrowly avoided by some fancy footwork and a bit of sliding around. This quickly lost me sight of the lead pack of riders and I was left to fight it out on my own in the middle pack of the race.

The second lap wasn't much better. I had moved up a place due to an untimely tubeless failure from Kim, but the lead group had well and truly pulled away beyond any hope of catching them. Knowing Isaac was hot on my heels I kept pushing all the way to the finish, narrowly fending him off in the end by a mere 30 seconds.

On the plus side, I am back to my old habit of winning spot prizes. I do though, believe I need to take a little time off racing, not a lot, just a little, to let the body recover and get back to peak performance. After this race I have realised that although I am still fast, I am reaching that fine line where you can make it or break it by doing just the right amount of riding, or too much and burn out before the year is up. I will be back for round 3, with all guns firing, but until then, time to focus on the upcoming exams and the large volumes of study that entails (I am still a student after all...). In the words of one well known actor with a distinctive accent, "I'll be back..." The bike nerd will rise again.

2012 Auckland Champs Round 1 Woodhill

Racing is a strange thing. There's the hard work put into the build up by organizers and athletes alike. There's the pre race nerves; like carnivorous butterflies high on caffeine having a go at your stomach lining. There's the mud, sweat and tears out on the course, the teeth gritted in determination and burning quads as you push past any preconceived boundaries of what you can and can't do. The relief crossing the finish line, eyes bleary with sweat.

Racing reveals who you are. Are you the one that has everything go exactly according to plan after meticulous preparation bordering on OCD (or CDO, in alphabetic order, the way it should be )? Are you the one who races for fun and is in it for the spot prizes? Are you the one who gets strange looks for rocking up in baggies, then smokes everyone out on course? At Auckland Champs round 1 we had all these and more. Aside from a light shower to keep us on our toes, the weather gods had been kind and the trails were nice and dry. The course had differed a bit from the one posted on the Auckland Mountain bike Club website, in that it was the course shown, just ridden BACKWARDS. This came as a shock to a few riders, but made for a course that didn't favour those who knew a trail inside out so much as those with skill that could adapt to different courses.

Despite having raced at the National Secondary Schools relay champs the day before, there was a large contingent of JAFAKIDS lining up at the start line ready to race. The race began and fellow R&R rider Kalen Weir shot out to the front for the road climb up to the single track. Unfortunately for Kalen  everyone reeled him in before he reached the single track but it's good to see him going guts or glory out there. Racing through Haggis (backwards) there were a few dismounts by riders who hadn't scoped out lines through some of the more technical climbs, and the close field meant when one rider went down, the next 5 had to get off and walk too. After the first 2 kilometres I found myself sitting in a comfortable second with Tom Coombes having shot off somewhere in the top 5 overall, and with Peter Bethell, Isaac Schuurman, Aaron Carr and the rest of the JAFAKIDS in hot pursuit. One slip up and the next rider in line would be on you like a kitten on a laser pointer.

The laps of the course were approximately 12 km each. This meant a slightly longer race than some U17's were used to at a total of 24km long. Personally I found that after my first lap my ability to push hard decreased very quickly from there, and coming up towards Uplands (or should I say Downlands as it was backwards...) Peter Bethell, then in third place, finally caught me through here and stormed away through the last few kilometres of the race to take second. From here it was a battle to not get caught by Isaac in fourth place as fatigue began to set in. When I finally crossed the line in third I soon discovered that Isaac was less than a minute behind me when he crossed the line. After his broken wrist, he has come back stronger and faster. Good on ya Isaac! Next across the line was Aaron, having suffered from a burped tyre early in the race costing him a few minutes on the rest of us, with a rather dramatic crash right before the finish line, having clipped handlebars with another rider.

Less than 30 seconds behind Aaron was the surprise of the day; Alex Beavan. Alex has had a fairly quiet racing season but today took the race by storm with an eventual 6th place. Riders were beginning to pour in now with Ryan and Jake Craggs finishing with about a minute between them, in 7th and 8th. Ryan narrowly avoided being sprinted at the finish by women's U17's winner Jemma Manchester, with exactly the same time recorded on the transponder. Ryan finished about a bike length ahead. Kalen Weir, despite his unbelievably fast start, came home in 9th place. Time to start working on the endurance a little Kalen!

The girls U17 riders were going at it hard too, with Charlotte Rayner and Harriet Beavan going neck and neck throughout the whole course, with the final result being determined in a sprint finish. Charlotte finished a mere second ahead. Great racing Girls!

So, round 1 down, 2 to go. I am definitely looking forward to round 2, as it is being run on the potential course for a round of nationals... any advantages in a race like nationals will be welcome, so let the sessioning of the track begin! The crew at Auckland MTB Club did a great job with the course today, providing a course that was fun but challenging. A big thank you to all the parents and spectators who volunteered as marshals, it really helps having you out there. To the next one!