Auckland Grammar Winter Series Final: Woodhill

I have a sweet tooth. I admit it. Before a race, I will consume a large quantity of ice-cream, but for this race I do believe to have outdone myself. I took with me to the race 2 cookies the size of Dinner Plates. That's right, Dinner Plates.

So, loaded with 2 cups worth of sugar, 50g of butter, 2 eggs and 2 cups of flour in the back seat, my Dad and I headed out to Woodhill Bike park so that I could race in the final of the Auckland Grammar Winter Series. After a few weeks of rainy day after rainy day, it was nice to have a race where it wasn't letting loose with all the liquid the sky had to give. The course was impressive; enough snap climbing and grave road sprints to keep the lungs burning of even the fittest competitors, with the course a kilometre or two longer per lap than usual, just pushing the endurance of some riders that bit more.

The race started a little later than expected, with the start a sprint up the road of Woodhill's bottom car park. It is one of those roads that is always that little bit steeper and harder than you remember it, and this showed as we ground full burn up. Up Power Ball trail the field immeadiately separated out into 4 mini battles. Up in first and second were Cosmo and Tom, smashing it all out for the overall series title. Next up was Aaron and yours truly, fighting to break into that third podium spot, and in my case for third in the overall placings. Not too far behind were Kim and Isaac, Kim having begun to fall ill and Isaac not long out of a cast from a broken wrist. Behind them was the rest of the field, hot on everyone's wheels.

Also up Power Ball, we were unfortunately greeted with the sound of a man swearing his head off at every rider that went past. He had clearly paid his money to enter the park and was now going to exercise every right he believed he had to the detriment of other riders. He was also more than happy to give his opinion on having a race in the newer end in the park.  It restored my faith in humanity to see every rider that went past him give him a piece of his own right back, including riders who weren't in the race. Angry man on Specialized full sus, shame on you.

The rest of the race followed as normal, attacking on your area of strength then being taken back on your weak spots, and holding on for the next opportunity to pass. Unfortunately, I was cursed halfway through the second and final lap with yet another dropped chain. The number of races I have lost from dropped chains could be turned into a dubstep remix: D-D-D-D-DROP THE CHAIN!!! (wub wub wub). Sadly this meant that I lost too much time to catch Aaron, and so returned The Curse of Four (Insert ominous sounding laughter here).

Overall Cosmo took the series win for Intermediate after a dominant performance, with Tom in second and Kim slipping into third having had some great results early on. Fellow JAFAKID and R&R team mate Kalen Weir tied for first in Juniors with guest rider Jake Craggs, both having strong races throughout the series. Jemma and Jessica Manchester won the intermediate and Junior categories respectively, even though Jess was riding as a guest, not being in a secondary school yet.

So, at the conclusion of the Auckland Grammar Series, with Auckland Champs looming up ahead, ad exams to deal with, we've got a busy few months ahead of us. I think I may need to hire a witch doctor or a spirit medium of some sort to kill this curse though... Congratulations to all the winners, thanks to all the Marshals and volunteers who helped make the event run, and to John Hassler from Auckland Grammar School for organizing the series.

Galaxy Travel NDuro Race 2

This is probably a personal dilemma, but I have recently discovered it is surprisingly difficult to get small amounts of vanilla ice cream at cheap prices, to eat as part of breakfast before a race. That's right, I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M. I don't know why, but as part of a race day breakfast, against all odds, it seems to work. However the smallest amount I can find that won't be a complete rip off is a litre, so whoever gets a motel room  after us is usually in luck to find a mostly full tub of ice cream waiting in the fridge for them. So, premises vacated and offering of frozen desert left behind, my family and I drove the 5 minutes to the Redwoods to compete in Race 2 of the Galaxy Travel NDuro series.

As a racer I was looking forward to this race as I was hoping to break the superstitious aura that seemed to be hovering around me. For whatever reason, I keep seeming to come fourth, and my last race was my fourth race in a row that I'd come forth into fourth place. Even when it seemed certain I would finally break back into the podium, I would have something go awry at just the wrong moment, the most recent example being a dropped chain in the last 150m with the nearest rider a paltry 10m behind... fourth again. I may not be Chinese, but the number 4 has bad connotations for me too now.

Ra and the team at NDuro events had done well with their latest course offering: plenty of singletrack to race through at warp speed, but still with the killer climbs that have earned NDuro it's reputation. The weather had been kinder than we expected, although slightly tackier tyres were still in order (thanks R&R for shipping in a last minute order of Rocket Rons for me!).

So, there I was lining up at the start line ready to go. By this stage I have become used to the strange looks I get from other riders at my choice of wearing leg warmers, but I believe in the mud and wet they offer an advantage to your comfort and performance on the bike. They wick away sweat, help keep mud and water off your hard working legs, prevent you from freezing in the cold, stop sunburn in it's tracks, slice, dice and make sushi (not really). The starting siren went and those who question me on my attire didn't have time to flash me more odd looks as I burst through into the singletrack with the lead group of riders.

                                                Courtesy of the Manchester family
My first 8km or so were great. I was holding my speed, flying through corners and giving the other sprockets a fight for their positions. This lasted up until Lion trail. At this point fellow racer Aaron  got past and started cranking up the hill. Sprint work has overtaken my hill work at the moment, and this was clearly the wrong decision as I quickly lost sight of him through the trees. Going down through A-trail wasn't much better, with 2 other riders and I taking the wrong way and having to turn back to get on track again. Twice. Unfortunately I wouldn't have a chance to make up for lost time as the next section was the hills before lentil link and then Hill road up to Frontal Lobotomy, a trail which needs no introduction to anyone who has ridden it. My descending through Corners was up to standard, clawing back some time on the leaders but not enough to win.

Heading up through Moerangi I was alerted by my on track support crew (Mom) that Aaron had formed a group with 2 other riders and was rapidly clawing his way through the field with their assistance. On my own there was no way I was going to catch them, and I was too tired by this stage to hold a slipstream on another rider. So I ground my way through a mostly uneventful rest of a race in a slight haze of electrolyte, caffeine and exhaustion.

                                                    Courtesy of Helen Brumby

Whilst I was fighting my battle out on the 45KM course, other skirmishes were occurring in the 30KM course. Cosmo had a blindingly good race in first up until the point where he missed his turn off and started riding up a hill with the 45KM riders. His IPod was to blame for his lack of attention, not a mistake he will make again I think. Kim, having taken the lead, was battling out with local rider Nathan for first and emerged victorious, winning the Sprockets category.

 Courtesy of Helen Brumby and the Manchester Family

In the Girls 45KM race Jemma and Hatty were riding together, matching sponsors gear and facepaint, practising their no handers as they rode. They even invented 2 new sports, synchronised spinning and synchronised spinning out, with reports of a perfectly executed 2 person crash. They crossed the line hand in hand to finish their race, still managing to take podiums in their respective categories.

Photo courtesy of the Manchester family

In the end, I crossed the line in 3rd, finally breaking the curse of four, and the 3 hour mark. This is my fastest 45km race to date. Being my fifth race since the "curse" started, it made sense to break it after four races in fourth. I am back.

So, right now is where I should add a moral to this story, and for today I can offer this:
1) Hot soup is awesome after a long race. (thanks NDuro events for organizing that)
2) No matter what happens on the track, and who wins or loses, you can still all be happiness and laughter straight afterwards, assuming you have the energy... Cue big can of energy drink.
3) Long course has it's literal and metaphorical Ups and Downs, and that is what makes it so much fun.

Cheers to NDuro events for putting on another great race, and making this all possible. Thanks to my sponsor R&R for making my bike perform even better than I did; It made the race that little bit better. Thanks also to everyone who comes to these races to compete or help out, we can't do it without you. Two down, One more to go!

Auckland Grammar Series Round 3: Whitford Forest

Waking up every half an hour throughout the night probably isn't the best way to start a race day, but that is exactly what happened to me. The problem arose from my alarm clock; It sits smugly on my desk on the other side of my room, the snooze button safety out of reach, and I swear it is loud enough to wake the dead. Good thing there are no cemeteries nearby. So, in a sleep deprived stupor when the alarm finally sounds, I am ever so amused to discover it's raining outside. Great. Racing in the rain, with little sleep. Looks like I'll have to rely on my old friend caffeine to help me out today.

Whitford forest has everything needed to make for a tough race; slippery hills that go up, faster (not to mention bumpier) hills that go down, and steep fire roads to burn the lungs of the uninitiated. Pre-riding the course for the first time, half an hour before race briefing, this was evident. Clay hills make for slippery riding on the now wet surface, and getting off and running some sections wasn't frowned upon.

Getting ready to start, surrounded by more riders than I was lead to believe, I wasn't sure what to expect from this race. Having competed in the first race and coming a reasonable 5th, I was on the fringes of a podium assault but would have to bust a gut to get there. On the other hand, I could use this race to find out other riders styles and weaknesses, but all thoughts went out the window as the starting whistle blew and I sprinted straight up the road, in the lead of the entire group.

There is nothing quite like starting a race just right; that feeling when you know you were in the right position, you were alert, you had the right breakfast, and were well warmed up. It all just clicks together and for a few seconds, you experience what it feels to race at your peak. This feeling is quickly lost up the first hill as euphoria is turned to a burn deep in your lungs as the pack starts gaining and the first few riders start edging ahead. Hitting the single track in 4th put me in a good position to control my race, with overtaking thick and fast as we hit the downhill. 

Duelling it out with me was fellow rider Aaron and we would be pushing each other throughout the entire race. Not too far behind us were fellow JAFAKIDS Kim and Isaac, keeping us honest and cranking hard. The first lap went as followed; I would pull away from Aaron, then he would close the gap and make me work to stay ahead and avoid getting passed. Towards the end of the first lap I had pretty much pulled away from Aaron and built a 'safe' lead, or so I thought.

Hitting lap 2 I felt good, but my bike wasn't so sure. The riders behind me had chewed up the trail ahead as I entered the second lap, and my fast rolling Racing Ralph tyres, so good on the fire roads but barely holding it together in the mud, were now slipping and sliding all over the course like an epileptic eel. Climbing the steep clay hills became that little bit harder, and walking just that little bit more frequent. Looking back, about 2/3rds of the way through my second and final lap, Aaron had started making a comeback and was slowly but steadily pulling in closer as each climb passed. I still had the lead on him though, in a comfortable 3rd place, and coming through the last singletrack section I still had about a 5s lead. Then, just as I hit the exit of the singletrack and got ready to sprint up the final climb, my chain drops, going uphill. No choice but to get off and put the chain on manually. As Aaron cranks past, he offers a sympathetic "I am so, so sorry for you..."

No time to wallow in my misery though, Kim and Isaac are close behind and I cross the line seconds before Kim in 4th place, 15 seconds behind Aaron. The other podium takers in my category were Cosmo and Tom, in 1st and 2nd respectively. Those 2 were in a race of their own, having a years age advantage of the rest of us, which showed in their 6 minute lead. Special mention goes out to Isaac for finishing 6th, not far at all behind us despite being off the Mountain Bike since April after a broken wrist. Apparently road fitness is quite effective...

So what have I learned from this race?
1) My new Tifosi riding glasses (review earlier on this blog) were very effective at keeping the mud out my eyes.
2) I need some grippier tyres for wet days. The Racing Ralphs are great in Rotorua and in the dry, but not so much in very muddy conditions.
3) My fitness is back. Having been in a slight training 'slump,' I am now officially back and firing on all cylinders.
4) I now know where all my opponents weak points are, and I don't intend to tell them, but do intend to exploit them... watch out everyone!

Thanks Auckland Grammar school MTB club for organising this race, and I look forward to race 4 (the Final!) I have a feeling there will be some heated racing between us all.

                                            All photos courtesy of the Manchester family.

Review: Tifosi Logic XL Interchangable lens Glasses

Already disadvantaged as an MTB'r with the curse of short sight, my eyes are one of those things I would quite like to take care of. Contact lenses are an effective solution for seeing whilst riding, but they have one weakness; mud and grit in the eye can pop them out, so as a short sighted person I'm still close to blind even after I've clear the debris from my eyes. A quality pair of riding glasses has been on the wishlist for a while now, and the Tifosi Logic XL ticks all the boxes. 

So, first of all, a brand new pair of Logic XL's will seat you back $119 and with that you get 3 sets of lenses for all conditions, the frames (mine are in a carbon fibre finish and look pretty cool), a little microfibre bag which doubles as a cleaning cloth and a solid case that stores it all. 3 lenses= 3x the lifetime of the glasses as with all sport glasses the lenses are going to get scratched at some point. This means you don't need to shell out for a new set of glasses when a pair gets scratched; just use one of the other lenses while you order a replacement. 

Being the XL model, the Logic XL is designed for larger heads but I chose them for their larger lenses than the standard Logic's. If you are between sizes I would recommend the XL model as they are pretty customisable fit wise. the nose piece can fit as tightly or loosely as you desire, and same with the ear pads. They can be straight, tight or curved to fit around your helmet as comfortably as possible. I have not had any issues with these glasses slipping once they are fitted right; the rubber nose pieces and ear pads hold their shape well and are super sticky when wet. The large lenses don't obscure vision with their half rim design, and never fog up as long as you keep moving; they vent quite well even at slow speeds. Riding on wet and muddy days, these are a godsend for half blind people like me and your every day trail basher. You can simply go faster when you can see.

The lenses themselves have good vision quality, with no noticeable distortion of vision. My glasses came with a night time clear lens, a daytime yellow lens suitable for MTB, and a pair of dark lenses for really bright days, road riding and being a fashionista. Their sporty style is suitable for everyday use with the dark lens inserted. You can also order photochromatic lenses for these glasses should you wish, in a variety of different colours.  Changing lenses on the Logic's isn't the most elegant affair, but it does work. Pushing a new lens into the frame can be a bit fiddly, but the fit is secure and not going to fail on the trail. And, at this price, I would happily use them over a more expensive option such as the Oakley Jawbone system.

So, if you are looking for a solid pair of riding or running glasses that have interchangeable lenses, good vision quality, a sporty fashion sense that won't get you laughed at or break the bank, these or any other Tifosi glasses are worth a look (no pun intended). 

  

Review: Giant XTC Composite 29'r 0 2012

It's not always easy leaving your old partner, but sometimes you just have to move on. Something newer, sleeker and sexier comes along, and I dreaded the day I had to introduce my new dancing partner the Giant XTC Composite 29'r to the old flame Merida 1-20 1500D.

So, what's she got? A Composite grade Carbon frame weighing in at approximately 1500g isn't the lightest on the market but in my opinion is super stiff and accelerates like a rocket. Just look at that down tube! It's all up to date with the latest frame technologies like tapered steerer and press fit bottom bracket, making for a solid investment for future upgrades. Cable guides are moulded into the carbon, although no internalised routing can be seen, nor full length cable housing. A metal chain suck guard protects the Carbon Fibre frame from the rare event of a dropped chain, although the blue plastic finish on it scratches off quite quickly. The chain stay protector can only be described in expletives as it is just a thin sheet of clear plastic that does absolutely nothing. Buy a neoprene one before the THWACK THWACK THWACK drives you crazy!

SRAM X-9 is on display throughout, with cranks, shifters and front dérailleur making the best of the 2x10 magic. The rear dérailleur is upgraded to X-0 in blue to match the rest of the bike, and shifting in general is pretty smooth and sharp. The brakes are Elixir 7; some love them and some hate them, but I haven't had the trapped air problems the higher spec models seem to be plagued with, so they get the thumbs up from me.

The fork is a Fox F-29 with FIT dampers, and is my favourite fork to date. Smooth, sexy suspension that works great and has plenty of features to fiddle with and keep the inner bike nerd happy, although it misses out on the gold Kashima coat. Some day Robin, some day... A 15QR keeps things stiff and gives point and shoot precision, as well as making front wheel removal faster and easier than a traditional quick release. Wheels are Giant branded PX-C2 rims on Giant tracker hubs; they weigh in at around 1800-1900g so aren't the lightest, but don't flex and make a solid base wheelset. They are shod with fast rolling Schwalbe Racing Ralph tyres in the top line PaceStar Triple Compound, which are tubeless ready.

The bars, seat post and stem are all the Giant branded Contact range, and are in general quite good. I have inverted the stem to get the front end as low as I would like, with all the spacers removed to drop it down further. The bars are worth noting; they are a love 'em or hate 'em affair. At 690mm wide they offer plenty of leverage and are flat to get you over that front end for optimum grip. However are quite straight; they lack sweep. Personally, I don't find them a problem and they serve their purpose adequately, however others hate them to the degree that they believe their only use is to keep in your car to bludgeon a would be thief.

The saddle is a Fizik tundra 2 which is also a love/hate affair. I believe it is one of the more comfortable saddles I have ridden, preferring it infinitely over a long ride than the old prologo on my Merida, but each to his own I guess...

The closer you look at the Giant the more you notice. The QR, the centre of the disc rotors, the wheel nipples, Headset, seat post and bolts for a bottle cage all are anodised to match the graphics package on the Giant. This attention to detail is often absent on bikes and makes this bike feel that much more special...

THE RIDE!!!
The XTC is fast. Period. Whoever said 29'rs can't accelerate can eat their hat because this bike flies. The short chainstays help keep the rear wheel nice and compact aiding the quick acceleration and making the bike feel a bit less long like other 29'rs. Fire roads disappear beneath the big wheels as foliage blurs by and your competitors eat your dust. The 2x10 drivetrain is a great match for this bike, with the small gear just small enough to get you up those steep climbs, and the big gear on the money to stay in and shift through your cassette in most situations. For my local trails (Woodhill, Riverhead, Rotorua) it is perfect. The Fox fork soaks up the bumps with ease, and with proper maintenance shouldn't meet the same fate as the set on the Merida.

Cornering is a pleasurable experience with grip aplenty even when using my fast rolling Racing Ralph tyres. The XTC doesn't feel like a bus when whipping through tight switchbacks, although could be considered slightly slower than a 26'r in the tightest turns. But hit the berms and it comes alive. Corners trail in Whakarewarewa forest in Rotorua is a personal favourite on this bike, flying passed older, more experienced riders on a combination of full suspension bikes, 29'rs and full suspension 29'rs. This bike seems to trump them all. However, do take note that the steering is quite sharp. Treat it right and you will fly through the corners with a grin on your face. Treat it wrong and that grin will become a dentists' retirement plan. This is definitely a race bike and is to be treated as such.

Photo courtesy of the Manchester family

Photo Courtesy of Helen Brumby

Downhill is a similarly pleasant affair. The big wheels are quite capable of taking the chatter out of a bumpy trail, and instil confidence as it gets steeper, faster and rougher. I have ridden trails that would make me nervous on my full sus using this bike with no trouble, although that said treat it wrong and it will give you a jack hammer shot up the arse to remind you you are on a hard tail. People complain that riding a 29'r is like sensory deprivation; you cant feel the trail beneath you. On the Giant you can feel what's going on but it isn't uncomfortable, that's the difference.

Conclusion
So, the Giant XTC Composite 29'r 0 is a race bike, make no allusions. The quick acceleration, sharp handling and choice of components confirm this. However I believe Giant have done a very good job with this bike. Spec wise it is comparable to many bikes costing over $1000 more; with a wheel upgrade it would be as good if not better, and you would have a spare wheelset to thrash around on for the same total cost, with the race wheelset possibly better than many wheel sets found on bikes around the $5500 mark. Top notch suspension rounds off this versatile package; the Giant is great value for money. So, good potential for upgrades but brilliant as it is, great componentry for the price range, and very, very fast. What's not to love?