Reflective Introspective

Having emerged from a season not entirely unscathed, and also having had two months to recover from said season, it's time to fire up the muscles for a new year of racing, rocking and rolling (over bumpy stuff). As another rider showed me, sometimes it is good to take a look at what I have learnt through my time as an athlete to better myself in the future. So that is what I have done. This is my Reflective Introspective.

Back in 2012 I raced the Huka Challenge 85km MTB race in Taupo with a group of friends. I did not have a huge amount of endurance but was fit, and was one of the few members of my group to carry a CamelBak. We sure didn't win, but we had a great time and were exhausted by the end of it. Also, my fitness got a little boost from it.
Lesson; It pays to do something different and have a bit of fun.

Come February this year and Short Course Nationals beckoned. I lined up ready to race in Rotorua and, up until the third lap, was killing it. Then an unfortunate incident occurred with another rider. It cost me the podium by the drop of a chain, started up a whole lot of emotional trauma, a lot of playing the blame game amongst many people and the occasional shadow of "shoulda, coulda, woulda, gonna" that slips over my mind when I'm off guard. That day still haunts me as a tarnished glory that will take time to fade.
Lesson; some people cannot be trusted, and shit happens despite the best preparation possible.

Marathon Nationals rolled around after this and, despite a lack of participation and some administrative errors from a certain governing body, the race stayed on and I rode my second ever 80km race. I took the National Marathon title for U17 and lightened up for the first time since Short Course Nationals. Even though I hadn't truly trained for this event, and I sure felt it, I still posted a formidable time and had a fun race.
Lesson; Redemption comes from the unlikeliest of places.

In April, shortly before my birthday, I rode in the MTB leg of Xterra Rotorua. After an average race, I sprinted for the finish and crashed head first into a nutty spectator who had ignored the over head crossing above the track and decided to go for a walk through the finishing chute. My bike survived, but my confidence didn't and I was convinced that someone, somewhere, had it in for me.
Lesson; Shit happens more than once. Deal with it.

The last noteworthy lesson came around when I chose to compete in the National Multisport Champs as part of the 3D Rotorua. I came fifth in U19 as a 16 year old, in my first Triathlon ever. I smoked almost everyone else on the ride section, but a substandard run pulled me away from the podium. I did, however, absolutely love it and will do a lot more triathlon in the future.
Lesson; What you are doing might not be the only thing you love. The world is full of wonderful things. Cross training is great.

After all this, I took a break, traveled the world, and returned with my confidence, determination and focus renewed.
Lesson; A break every now and then doesn't hurt, it does the opposite.

So ends a Reflective Introspective on a year in the life of Robin Page. In a year with more ups and downs than a session of hill sprints, I have learnt so much. I have learnt that a rest can do wonders for body and mind, that life is tough so you have to be tougher, and to look for fun in all the corners of life.

I know that this blog is slowly turning away from reports and reviews, and that's because there is more to writing than that. This blog, in it's description, is a journey through my life as a Mountain Biker and athlete, so I want it to do that. And part of that is my thoughts.

Thanks for reading, see you out on the trails.

Robin.

The Terminator

To all my readers I appologise for not posting anything for a looooong time. I have been of racing as of recent mainly because I have been overseas travelling the world for the last two months.

Now, during this time abroad I have found one or two things to write about, however  I am still a student so on my return have been faced with the prospect of catching up on two months worth of school work, as well as trying to successfully sit my Mock Exams at school in preparation for my Cambridge AS levels at the end of this year, whilst being two months behind on examinable knowledge...

So as you can understand, I have not had an awful amount of time to write things for you. I am also out of training at the moment so am not exactly in the prime position to be obtaining source material for the race reports that make up the bread and butter of this blog. See where I'm going?

Basically, I am in a journalistic rut. Too busy to write much about the (rather large) pieces I do have available, not in a suitable condition to gain some smaller material to write about even if I did have time, and under pressure to perform on other fronts that may have a direct impact on my future.

However, all is not gone and lost. I have heard that some of you readers have actually trusted my advice and bought products based on my recommendations. Nothing make me happier than knowing that my writing has actually done what it is supposed to do and I hope that you are happy with the recommendations I have made, and enjoy your new bike related things.

I have also been told that in the near future I will have some professionally published pieces being released. As a writer this too is a great feeling and I cant wait to see them grace glossy pages at the local news agents or book store. Look out for them in the near future; I will let you know what is released where as soon as they go to print.

So, like the character in this blogs title, I'll be back. The name is by no means a suggestion that i will delete this blog, or that I have packed up and quit the job of writing here. I am gone for now, but not forgotten. To a future of more riding, running, rowing, racing and writing!

Robin.
(he will be back...)

3D: A race with depth.

I love mountain biking. That won't change. Flying down descents, cranking up hills and railing through berms is worth anything it may take to get on your bike. However, as of late, one aspect of  riding my bike has left me a bit bored; short course XC racing. Don't get me wrong; a big race that I have trained and prepared for months in advance is untouchable. The excitement. The atmosphere. The glory. But, when it becomes yet another race, 17-22km in length with the same people finishing in the same spots, it becomes just another race. The only time in a while where this mould has broken was at a race in Riverhead where I pulled out half way due to a wrong choice in tires which resulted in spontaneous 360's ever couple of meters and an inability to climb or descend through anything without going sideways. I knew that if I tried to finish I would either break my bike or myself, so I pulled out. But that is not what this post is about. This is about when I decided to break the mould and enter the 3D Multisport festival in Rotorua, racing in the 25 km grassroots triathlon. 

Being a mountain biker, it seems that multi-sport events are designed to both appeal to cross country racers and laugh at them from the top of the next climb. Not only do you get to ride your bike as fast as you can, but in this case you also have to do a lap of the Blue Lake in a Kayak and run 5.5km as fast as you can to avoid getting overtaken. It requires a lot more to go fast in multi-sport than huge quads and an encyclopedic knowledge of all the local trails. So, it combines the drenched in sweat-can feel my legs in a bad way-sufferfest appeal of XC with the knowledge that you will not be the very best at every single event. Sounds good to me.

Due to the diversity present in multi-sport, I was going to need more than just my speed on a bike. I run once or twice a week so I knew I could at least finish the run leg, but the Kayak would be a different story. You will not get away with the standard rudderless, very buoyant Kayak like what my family owns; you need something a lot faster. Luckily for me I got in touch with Fenn surf ski's   and they agreed to loan me a boat. Check them out here; they lent me a Blue fin Ski in case you were wondering. Two Sunday afternoon practices later and I was ready to race. 

Being my first ever multisport race, I found myself not entirely sure what to do warming up for the race. I am used to warming up for a bike, not a Surf Ski. I ended up doing a few sprints up and down the shore of the lake while the premier multisporters began their race. Arms and core suitably warm, I lined up between the buoys for my race. The funny thing about the 3D is that just about any 1 person human propelled watercraft is permitted to enter, provided they are in their own category. Outrigger canoes, K1s, Surf Skis and even Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUPs) graced the line in all their mixed up glory. The siren went and immediately a K1 behind me capsized... It was going to be an interesting race.

Before we were even half way to the first buoy it became clear who was a trained kayaker and who wasn't. O group of around 5-6 boys shot off in pursuit of the Premier racers leaving me in the middle of the main pack. 27 minutes later, after a solid but not astounding kayak, I beached the surf ski, threw my paddle to dad/support crew and ran off into the transition. 

Shoes on, helmet done up energy gel eaten I ran out of the transition with the Giant and began the cycle leg. THIS was the leg I had been waiting for. Despite numb feet from the cold water I had passed six people before I even finished the first climb, and within ten minutes had shot passed one of the kayakers who had left the water a good four minutes ahead of me. Grinding up the gravel towards Dragons tail I knew this was my chance to claw back against the faster kayakers and shooting through Dragons tail I kept cranking past riders from all different categories. Flying up Lion's tail (lots of tail in this event) riders were more than happy to let me pass provided I called in advance. That seems to be the difference between multisporters and mountain bikers; when you call to pass multisporters are happy to defer to the faster athlete. 

I bombed through Turkish Delight liked greased lightening and as I neared the end of the trail found myself side by side with one of the faster kayakers from my category, who I later found out was sitting in fourth place at the time. With my last chance to pull some time rapidly declining I flew through exit trail and shot out onto the road. Big ring? Check. Top gear on the rear cassette? Check. Standing up and cranking towards the transition? Check.

After a very fast transition thanks to elastic shoe laces, I was out on the run and holding fourth place. Not podium, but very close. Hoping I had enough of a lead from the cycle leg, I set out into the redwoods for a second time, this time on foot rather than on my bike. I was feeling reasonable to begin with; not the fastest, but survivable.  And then the course started to climb. And climb. And then stairs appeared, which climbed some more. Tight from the kayak and riding sections, my legs didn't have it in them and I slowed down dramatically. It was about then that the fifth placed competitor rocketed past me and into fourth place. As he floated his way up the steps and into the distance all I could do was keep moving and hope for he best.

 

So I pushed on, and my lack of multisport training was slowly showing through. I am not a particularly slow runner, but 20km of other activities had taken enough out of me to slow me down. It was all I could do to push through and keep moving. At around the 3.5km mark I was caught by the 2nd placed racer from the U16 category, who chased me for another half a kilometer or so. But despite my best efforts, he proved to be the better runner and overtook me as well. With a kilometer to go I fought on and kept moving on. 

It started as an echo in the distance, but it quickly became clear that I could here the race announcers in the distance. The number of spectators began to slowly thicken, and all of a sudden I rounded a corner and there it was... The finish line; 150 meters away. I have never sprinted so fast in my life. Spurred on by a final burst of adrenaline and the promise of rest combined with the cheering crowd, I flew through the final section and across the line. It seems I looked a lot stronger than I felt, as the MC gave me a quick shout out as I crossed the line

"And here comes... Robin Page in 5th place. Finishing strong."

So it would seem that I am better at multisport than I am at Mountain Biking. Without training, on the tail end of my race season, I finished in 5th place at NATIONAL CHAMPS, racing U19. Racing U19 in mountain biking the best I could probably hope for is to come top 20, and that's with months of training before hand. Here I was, a podium threat, having never raced multisport before. That, I think, is pretty awesome. So watch out multisport world, you haven't seen the last of me yet. I look forward to giving you a run/bike/swim for your money.

Robin.

 

Traversing a Kiwi classic

Being born and bred in the land of Aotearoa and also being a mountain biker, there are certain tracks that are part of my heritage that as a Kiwi I need to do while I have the chance. Rides such as the Heaphy track and Karapoti. The 42nd Traverse is one such ride, so I set out to leave one less epic ride on the to-do list.

For those who don't know the 42nd Traverse is a 42km (duh!) long ride through the mountains of the central North Island. Although the ride, or in this case race, finishes at a lower altitude than it starts at, competitors should not fall sly of the popular myth that it is all downhill. Described by many as "undulating," there are in reality around 5 notable climbs and descents with little in between. Burn the legs up, burn the breaks down.

Hiding away in our travelers lodge the night before, it was a much debated topic over what the weather would be like the following day. Heavy showers punctuated with bright sunshine had filled out the prior week, and even that evening we were still having on and off showers of rain from the chilly mountain skies. It seemed though, the next day, that these fears were unfounded; clear skies all around, although there was a cold wind blowing through the area.

On the race start line everyone but me was wrapped to the ears in warm clothing bar me. Unless my sweat is literally freezing to my skin when I am racing I usually prefer to ride with as light weight clothing as possible to prevent overheating. Seems I wouldn't get a choice as my mum forced me into my riding jacket to ward off the cold. I would regret letting her do this later but what will be will be.

This race easily had one of the fastest starts I have ever witnessed. "Cruising" at a cool 50km/h in my hardest gear along the gravel road we quickly hit the farm track when super fast guy Carl Jones broke away from the group. Feeling alright but not thinking it through, I decided to break too and stick on is tail. Stupid idea. Carl is the NZ Elite XC men's champion, building to head off to worlds. I am not. I got dropped. It was as simple as that. I was already slightly out of breathe from trying to chase Carl and we weren't even 10 minutes into the race!

I was quickly joined by my friend Kim and together we began to put the pace on and try and chase a few of the guys up the front. I quickly found that although I could old everyone on the hills, I lacked the guts to let go of my brakes and fly down the hills as fast as some of the other riders. That was fine by me though as I know descending is my weakness. We continued on our way and even managed to overtake a few riders, all the while enjoying the amazing environment we had the good fortune to ride in.

The T42 isn't like a typical mountain bike trail, where manicured berms and switchbacks grace the trail with aplomb. Instead, there is a narrowish gravel track with a ruts, deep puddles and steep gradients. And I LOVED IT!!! The speeds were so much higher than those on a typical trail with just enough of a sense of danger to stop you becoming complacent. Whipping through rock gardens and rocketing over rivers made for a race that was different to anything I had ever done before, and it was great.

River crossings, steep pinch climbs, less steep longer climbs and fast descending was all that today was about. Very different to what we Aucklanders are used to. There's not much more to say than that really. Crossing the line as tenth in Open men I can now say that I have started checking off the list of great NZ rides that I must do here in this country. Worth every cent of the rather steep entry fee. Just go do it.

Xterra-fying

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure most people don't think to themselves at the start line "Maybe today will be the day I knock someone off their feet using my head." I for one certainly did not think this, but little did I know what was in store for as a rider in the Xterra MTB Race. But more on that later.

As a racer I have been taking time to rest a little and recover from what has been a rather prolonged race season for me. Truth is, when people say that lots of racing wears you down, they are not technically correct. A race can be recovered from in 2 days; it is the huge volume of training that goes with each race that wears you down. So, I decided to have a break. No serious training, the odd race for fun, and just basic maintenance of my fitness. 

Now, the truth is this strategy isn't the best for building into a freakishly fast racer, but I needed the break. So I found myself lining up for my first race in a long time where the finishing position really was not the most important thing on my mind. Sure, if I'm going to race I will race hard, but given the situation I really was not expecting to win.

The race start was a little different to what I'm used to; there simply were masses of people ready to give it a go. Being slightly late back from my warm up I found myself about 3 or 4 riders back from the line. As the starter's horn went I fought my way through the seething mass of cyclists to break out into the front pack up the first hill. I held this position until near the top where we turned off the tarmac and onto the gravel. Here, my "rigorous" training routine began to shine through and the pack quickly pulled away from me. It was clear that I wasn't going to be fighting it out for the podium...

It's a strange feeling taking the approach to a race that I took to Xterra. It is good to race for fun, but it was a new sensation being dropped up the hills by people who I had completely wiped the track with during the Nationals Season. Humbling is probably the best way to put it. 

The majority of the race continued with me trying ever so hard to put some pace down, and my under-trained body was feeling quite indignant at the proposition. Up the hills my usual fire just wasn't there, and on the downhills my forks felt like they were only using around 60% travel; my wrists felt like I had just tried to arm wrestle a heavyweight boxer. So, my climbing was substandard, my descending was substandard, and on the flats I was doing all I could to keep my speed up. 

Luckily enough, the course was only 26km with the last few kilometers being fire and tar sealed roads with a moderate downhill gradient. I worked my way down towards the finishing line, and this is when the interesting stuff happened. 

About 400m out from the finishing chute, I became aware of another rider trying to pass me. This rider looked about my age, and was sprinting his way to the finish, preparing to leave me in the dust. I do not like being out-sprinted, and when someone tries to do as such I forget about any exhaustion or pain I may be feeling and put a huge amount of force through my cranks. And it shows when I do. I shot forward like a cork from a champagne bottle and overtook the other rider, holding a sprightly 30 or so km-hr as I hit the finishing chute.

Due to the size of the event, the organisers had deliberately put special overhead crossings in place so that people could cross the track without getting in a rider's way. However, clearly some people really didn't like the idea of using established infrastructure put in place to make their lives and the lives of those competing easier and safer. As I entered the finishing chute, this man, about 70 years old, walks out onto the track RIGHT NEXT THE THE #$%^&*+ OVERHEAD CROSSING, completely oblivious of the 65kg of teenager bearing down on him at full sprint. Safe to say it was so unexpected that there was nothing I could do but shout "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" before I crashed into him head first. He was flung off his feet, I flipped over my handlebars and lay there, the rider I had just out-sprinted rolling past me to the finish line...

I could have forgiven a person for running out on to the track to cross when they think it's safe. However, for doing it right next to a perfectly safe overhead crossing and with the same sense of urgency as a stoned sloth, really rubs me up the wrong way. It is disappointing to see people actually go out of their way to give a "screw you" to the race organisers, and even more so when their actions could potentially leave them or someone else seriously injured. Luckily it did not come to that but nonetheless it ruined the race for me, and is yet another blemish on my recent racing experience. 

For some reason, it always seems to happen to me. I will race, and then someone will do something completely out of the blue like punch me in the face or leap out in front of me on the track. It seems that no matter what I do, someone, somewhere, is out to make sure the race that I have planned to the nth degree never gets to hit its full potential. These unplanned, completely unforeseeable events are part of the territory that is racing, but nonetheless it is still a disappointment every time such a thing happens. Maybe one day all this bad luck will be balanced out by a stroke of very good luck, but until then I just have to bear the brunt of what is thrown at me. 

Now is time for the real work to begin. Now is the time to start getting my running training in gear for the Duathlon season, and boost my riding fitness to complement this. Next time you see me racing will be the 42nd traverse, and even then I will be having fun with some friends rather than busting my gut entirely. So until then dear readers, go have fun with your riding.

Just Keep Spinning, 

Robin.          

Note: Sorry about the lack of photo's. I didn't get many from this one...

Papers

Had this published about me in the local paper a while back. Thought it might be worth sharing...

Robin's Race Faces

I am notorious for making funny race faces, so I decided to compile some of my best ones yet. Pick your favourite and leave it's corresponding number in the comment box at the bottom of the page. I want to see which one YOU GUYS like the most ;-)  Enjoy!

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Review: Mavic Plasma Helmet

Mavic Plasma

RRP: $400

Distributor: Armstrong Sport NZ.

When riding a bicycle on the road, you are required by New Zealand law to wear a helmet. By no means is this a bad thing; in a high speed impact like those found on a mountain bike that polystyrene shell is all that stands between you and a trip to A&E. Helmets I have owned over the years are a testament to this; the little dings and dents from rocks would otherwise be moulded into the surface of my skull.  Not all helmets are born equal though; a bad helmet can be heavy, sweaty, uncomfortable, unfashionable and potentially dangerous. A good helmet fitted correctly is the exact opposite, maintaining a good fit and level of protection without giving your head a distinctively mushroomish profile. I believe I have found the right helmet for me, the Mavic Plasma. 

Known affectionately in my family as the “mutant space fish” the Plasma from French company Mavic is a distinctive looking XC/Road helmet that isn't all too common in sunny Aotearoa. 20 large vents adorn the outside with internal channeling from the forward vents to the back in order to maximise airflow and stop you from losing your cool in the heat of a race. The hottest days have proven no match for the Plasma with my head staying cool no matter what. The Plasma comes complete with a removable visor, anti-static padding and Mavic’s top “Ergo Hold SL” retention system with 3 different height settings to get the correct fit. The knob that controls the tension on the Plasma’s retention system is very easy to find without being bulky, and adjusts in minute increments to help fine tune fit, a feature I like a lot seeing as my head seems to change size slightly as I ride; such fine adjustment is surprisingly handy.

The entire package weighs in at a claimed 310 grams for a medium size, which although slightly heavier than some high end race orientated helmets is still right in the ball park with most of the top players in the helmet market. Once set up properly I found I didn’t really notice the Plasma when riding which I suppose is the highest praise you can really give a helmet’s fit. The straps are easily adjustable and stay where they are told to, the ratcheting system is padded to make it even more comfortable, and the removable padding does a good job of trapping sweat on hot days. Although I haven’t had the chance to test how it performs in a high speed crash the construction certainly feels solid enough to take whatever is thrown at it thanks to glass fibre reinforcing. Colouring is in my opinion stylish and not outlandish, unless you choose to upgrade to the Plasma SL which is available in bright yellow…

So who exactly is this helmet for? If you want a high end, well vented helmet that none of your riding buddies have, prefer Camembert cheese to cheddar and don’t have an allergy to space fish, then the Mavic Plasma might just be the helmet for you. The Mavic Plasma is très, très bon.