NZMTB Cup Round 3: Hunua

At the moment, as a racer, I have been going "Underground." While this does not mean that I have had the inclination to build tunnels and eat worms, it does mean that I have been staying out of sight with my training. I will not go into details of what I have done and how hard I have trained, but I will tell you about a race that happened on Sunday in Auckland's Hunua Ranges.

Hunua was picked as the venue for the third and final race in the NZMTB Cup, and was to be my first race back since the Rotorua round of the Mid North Island Cup. This race was to be a test: Did my bike work? Did my nutrition plan work? Was I actually as fit as I hoped I was? Did I remember how to race properly? The answers will be revealed after the break...

Hunua and I still love each other like only ex-lovers can. Hunua was the location of my first ever MTB race, but since then I have found other venues that I like a lot more, and because of this I believe Hunua has gotten a bit jealous, seeking to punish me every time I race there. It is not uncommon for me to have a substandard race at Hunua then kick ass at the next event I enter, so going into this race I did  not have mighty aspirations. Finish, don't break the bike, don't injure myself, and learn how to race again. Any good results would be a bonus.

The race started with some irritating news; I was to start in the second start line as I had  not competed in any other National Cup races. Seeing as the start loop, although long, cuts into a sharp 110 degree corner after about 20 metres, getting in first and fast was a priority. I appologise to any bikes I may have nicked and riders I may have cut off trying to get into first; it was business, nothing personal. I entered the single track in around 5th, and the race truly began from there.

Try and guess which one is me...

About 5 minutes into the race one thing became clear: I really have no idea how to ride fast in the Hunua singletrack. Tight, quite techy in places, and covered in this gravel like surface that slides as you pick up speed. Apparently this is necessary because in the winter it gets SERIOUSLY slippery and  muddy, but in the summer it just makes for a rather interesting surface. For every 10 seconds I took in the singletrack, other riders in the lead group were taking 7-8. Not only this but I lost concentration for a moment in the second lap and flipped over my handlebars on the downhill leading to one of the creek crossings. I got up, ran across the creek, got rolling again, and then flipped on the next technical section which happened to be going uphill. I'm not sure how this is physically possible, but alas, I flipped on an uphill. This meant to stay in check with top 5 I had to work hard on the fire roads, something I slowly discovered I could do reeling in 5th place rider Kim from JAFAKIDS at the end of the 3rd lap. I held 5th place comfortably for the rest of the race.

On the Final Hill

I later discovered that I had only lost out to 4th place by 20 seconds, although I was still about 2 minutes off third and second. Going into National Champs this coming weekend, this is not a bad result for my first race back.

So, what next? The National MTB Champs at Rotorua is my next port of call, so feel free to come up and say hello. I'll be the guy in the R&R Sport uniform with what appears to be a red and white mutant space fish shaped helmet on my head. In reflection of this race, my bike worked perfectly, my race nutrition seems right, and I can still remember some race strategy. All I have to do is ride Nationals and do my best. See you out there!