A Tarnished Glory: MTB Nationals 2013

Before I leap into the usual humor with which I typically start a blog, I would like to say this: I will be writing the story of this race in 2 parts. This is Part 1 which covers the happy parts of the race. Part 2 will cover what bad things went down. Those of you who were there will know what that was. I just feel that if I include both sides the success and happiness of that day will be vastly overshadowed by the bad shit that went down. So here goes...

I have never raced in a BikeNZ sanctioned National Champs before. It was 3 years ago that I started to take racing seriously, and about November last year that I decided to go for it: I was going to try and win National Champs in Rotorua. This decision was made in the middle of exam season which had its ups and downs. I had HEAPS of time to train thanks to study leave, but was required to spend most of it studying for said exams. December rolled around and that's when the real work began. I was out on the bike every day laying down base miles and building my endurance. To an experienced racer this is de rigeur but for an amateur like me, with my internet based training schedule, it was all very knew and a little daunting. I have heard base mile training being compared to watching someone peel potatoes at Christmas, and judging by the time of year it was a lot like that. As Christmas approached the "fun" part began: Hills. If there was a hill nearby, I was riding it. After Christmas we went camping up north in the Bay of Islands at Russell, during which I woke up early in the mornings to ride the world famous in Russell "Flagstaff Hill" for training on my sexy flexy alloy road bike. I would then spend the rest of the day running and swimming, punctuated by sessions of lying around doing nothing.

As we rolled through into January my secret training plan kicked into action. We abandoned our usual January holiday destination in favor of staying in a small lakeside house in Rotorua for 10 days in order to allow me to session the course over and over again until it felt like second nature. Upon returning from this trip I was faced with a very different challenge: balancing training and being back in school. But I found a way and in the second week back raced the final round on the National Cup series at Hunua. My take on that race can be found here.
After a short week at school the page family rose at 5 in the morning on Friday to begin my journey that would be the 2013 Nationals.

Children's sport is a curious thing. You get the ones who show up for fun: you see very few of these at Nationals. There are those who are there to do the best they can. And then there are the ones who are there to risk life and limb for podium. I fit into this last category. Arriving on site at 8.30 on Saturday, I had one goal in mind: to push myself to the limits and a little beyond in order to cross the finish line first. The other thing that comes with children's sport is the smack talk. It comes from all angles: Riders, supporters and even parents do what they can to get inside an opponents mind to try and plant a seed of doubt about their preparation for this race. I have taken to walking around and warming up with headphones on at all times to avoid this, and it seems to work.

The Rotorua Nationals course starts up Nursery Road, a hill that only takes a minute to climb at race pace, but nonetheless takes more out of you than would be expected. Riders of all shapes and sizes were smashing up and down it to warm up, as first up and into the singletrack would have a clear advantage. Of this I was certain. I would have to be one of the first into the singletrack or else the race was just about lost before a lap had been completed.

In hindsight I am very glad that I competed at the National Cup round at Hunua as it meant I was only back in the second row of the start line. Front would have been ideal, and third would have been a nightmare to fight my way through riders too the front. Second was manageable. The commissiare gave the 15 second call and the world slowed. If you have ever seen a race edit where everything goes into slow-mo and you can hear each riders heartbeats then imagine it like that. The whistle echoed through the silence and suddenly the world sped up again as legs pushed against pedals and bikes shot forward like the charge of the light brigade: not all would come back in one piece...

I quickly discovered a gap on the side of the group and went for it: breaking through the field I found myself in clear air. Up ahead, standing strong and pulling away was a lone rider in blue in white uniform of a Giant team racer. I could see no-one ahead of him. It dawned on me quickly that I was in second place...

As we rolled into the first section of singletrack we were soon caught by local favourite Nathan Johnston. In our group of 3 we began to fight our way through the Masters riders that we had caught. On the fire road towards Grinder Robert Stannard caught our group and managed to slip ahead of me into third place as we rolled through the start of Grinder's technical sections. Nathan and Scott began to pull away through here and Robert, in all is effort to keep up, endoed down one of the technical sections in a rather dramatic fashion leaving me to take third again and begin to reel in Scott and Nathan. I tailed them through the start of Pig Track and we began to pull a fair distance away from the rest of the field.

The four of us coming up to Grinder

The final section of Pig Track is where things began to get interesting... If you have never ridden Pig Track backwards, it is steep, fairly rutty and very dry and dusty. If you are not careful about line choice your rear wheel will spin out and force you to stop. This happened to Scott, who was at the front of our group, and he dabbed, stopping Nathan and then me in our tracks. The other 2 recovered from this just a bit faster than I did and began to pull away as they hit the fire road. I was left in a solid second place for an uneventful first two laps.

In Pig Track

Now, I know that many of you are probably here to read about what happened in the third lap and what happened there after. However, this week be covered in a separate post as I said earlier to prevent making this report too sad.

So, to the end of the race. I was narrowly taken on the finish line when my chain jammed at the most inconvenient time leaving me in fourth place. I still got to stand on the podium though seeing as U17 recognizes top 5, and my fourth place qualified.

So what's next for me? Time to stop training for a bit and ride for fun. See you all out there!
-Robin

That's right ladies and gentlemen... Red bull really does give you wings.

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!

You Have Not Been Abandoned

Hello dear readers. With Christmas fast approaching I haven't been all that active in the racing field or obtaining new stuff for you guys to read about. Like trying to Frontal Lobotomy on a downhill bike, having just come off a diet consisting of deep fried ice-cream, things have been going quite slowly around here with little new progress being made.

However I can promise you this. In the New Year I will be trying to go bigger and better with some of the things I write for you guys. Post-Christmas I will have a few new reviews up and hopefully some more race reports, and possibly even a few articles from journalistic submissions that I have made once they are published. Keep an eye out for those over the next few months...

I also want to ask this; seeing as you guys are the ones who actually read this blog and hopefully have a little laugh when you do (with me, not at me preferably) what sort of things do you want to see posted in the New Year? It's all very well telling you that there will be race reports, product reviews and full length article, but what do YOU really want? Let me know through email robin.turningpages@gmail.com or by commenting at the bottom of this post. The outcome of this is  my little Christmas present to you. Hopefully you enjoy it.

Until the New year, where another 365 days of writing, riding and racing await, have a Merry Christmas and Just Keep Spinning!

-Robin

Mid North Island Cup Final Rotorua

Life is full of impromptu, spur-of-the-moment decisions. Should I bake some cookies? Should I eat one of my freshly baked cookies? Should I eat another freshly baked cookie? Should I eat the rest of the cookies so they don't go stale? Should I go for a ride to burn off those excess cookies? Should I race the Mid North Island Cup Final at Rotorua despite not having done the rest of the series? In many situations, it's often best just to say yes and deal with whatever comes next, and that is exactly what I did. Having originally decided to take the rest of the racing year off to recover for next season, choosing to race in Rotorua was a bit of a last minute decision.

When deciding to do a race, there are a number of different things that have to be taken into consideration. Am I fit for this event? Is my bike in a race ready condition? Can I actually make it to the race? It seemed like someone was trying to throw a spanner in the works during the week building up to this race with a number of things happening. Firstly, my bike was not fit to race. Due to the number of miles I had been putting out since I got it, the teeth on the front chain rings were worn away like a sugar addict with no oral hygiene to speak of/a dentist's retirement plan. This meant that whenever I went to stand up in the saddle and sprint my gut out down the chain-ring was too worn to withstand the power coursing through it and threw the chain onto the crank. This required a visit to my local bicycle dentist (R&R Sport) Who would hopefully be able to fix the problem in time. Fortunately for me the mechanics were able to perform the vital surgery required and get the Giant race fit again.

The other unfortunate event occurred to my Dad on the Wednesday before the race riding out at Riverhead forest where he took a drop wrong, flipped over the handlebars and landed on his head. His helmet was destroyed on the rear from the impact and he was driven off to Accident & Emergency for an X-ray. Turns out he has a concussion and has sprained the muscles in his neck. He now has to walk around in a neck brace for the next few weeks, on a constant dose of painkillers. It was unsure up until the Saturday (with the race being on Sunday) whether Dad was even up to the drive down to Rotorua, being unable to be left at home in the off chance that a complication occurs due to the concussion. Luckily, he recovered enough to manage (he's a hardy one, my Dad) and everything continued as planned from there on in.

I always love racing at Rotorua. The trails are fantastic, the riders and their support crews courteous but still complete rippers out on track, and the locals incredibly enthusiastic at supporting anything that goes on in the Redwoods. Having had to drive all the way down from Auckland to reach the race, and once you take into count the need to register and the inevitable chatting that goes on between you and anyone you recognise, not a lot of time is left to pre ride the course, something all the locals had obviously done in the week the course had been marked. You'd be mad if you don't! (those who understand the joke will excuse the poor grammar).

Warm ups complete and a general idea of the layout of the course formed, it was time to line up on the start line, ready to race. The start was staggered so the the younger riders i.e U17 and U15 started last, Which I personally do not agree with as us U17's gave many of the older riders a run (or should that be ride?) for their money despite their head start. The start was up Nursery road, a climb that only takes about 2 minutes but is a LOOOOONG 2 minutes due to it being quite steep, and I'm usually trying to out sprint another rider when I ride it. I was second off the line, but was taken as we got further into the climb and dropped back into 5th.

Things got heated pretty quickly once I was blown off the lead group as fellow JAFAKIDS Sam Dakin and Aaron Carr nullified my lead and began to push me. We soon caught up to Tom Coombes, having also been blown off the lead group, and began a high paced battle, with no rider giving an inch. During our crusade to wear each other out beyond the point of carbohydrate deprivation (a dark road from which there is no return) we also passed fellow JAFAKIDS Harriet Beavan and Charlotte Rayner, who were giving it all in the U19 women category, having not been enough riders to support an U17 category. Despite this they still pushed hard, posting times that should make a few of the boys just a little bit nervous... With the odd change in position, we continued like this for 3 out of the four laps.

As we crossed the line and began our fourth lap one thing became apparent to me; I was going to have to get rid of these guys if I wanted to take one of the last two spots in the top 5 still up for grabs. Tom was clearly thinking the same thing and picked up the pace near the turn off at the top of nursery road. I managed to hook onto his tail and together we began to pull away from Sam and Aaron. About halfway through the final 6km lap Tom finally exhausted me and pulled away, leaving me to try and ensure neither Sam nor Aaron caught me. I could tell from the occasional glance behind me that Sam was slowly reeling me in, with no sight of Aaron. Hammering through the final section, Exit trail, I had to keep the speed high and make no mistakes in order to ensure that Sam didn't pull me in. I finished 9 seconds ahead of Sam, and in doing so took 5th place. Sorry Sam, but I believe you have yet to beat me in a race at Rotorua...

For a race I hadn't trained for, in a series I hadn't originally intended to do, against riders who for the most part were a year stronger and more experienced, I am exceptionally happy with 5th. It shows that even as the year draws to a close I still have something to offer as a racer, and am looking forward to taking U17 by storm next year. Now, I am fairly certain, lies a holiday of rest and recovery, as well as plenty of writing and other journalistic pursuits, before preparing for a new year of racing ahead. See you out there!

Robin.

Huka Challenge MTB 2012

Ever since I started racing, my aim has been to go faster and do better than before; to end up at the top of the podium, so high up that I can see the tops of everyone's heads. So, it seems counter intuitive to enter a race where my sole aim was NOT TO WIN. And that is exactly what I went out to do at the Huka Challenge 2012, an 85 km long MTB race. I would not be embarking on this adventure alone however; by my side were fellow JAFAKIDS Isaac Schuurman, Kim Wright, Tom Coombes and Jemma Manchester. Together, we were aiming to go out and have a fun day on the bikes, no matter how long it took us.

The first thing I noticed when we entered Taupo the day before the race was that the internet had lied to us; there were a surprising amount of motel vacancy signs showing for a town that was supposedly booked out for the weekend. Secondly, there were bikes EVERYWHERE. There was the course set out for the criterion later on in the evening, road and mountain bikes racked for the next day, and tents propped up everywhere like mushrooms in a field, selling anything from liquorice allsorts to bike repairs. The trials riding demo had locals and riders from out of town showing off their skills, drawing a pretty large crowd.

Having discovered the final section of the race course right next to where we were staying, Isaac and I spent the evening riding the last few kilometres over and over again. If these trail were anything to go by, I thought, this was going to be a hard but fun ride. Taupo didn't disappoint. Early the next morning we awoke bleary eyed to make the 7.00 am start, and met up with the rest of our team. The temperatures were already starting to rise at this point in the morning with a clear, sunny day predicted and little need for jackets or arm warmers. As we weren't aiming to win, we positioned ourselves in the third start wave and before long, we were off.

The first section of the course followed the river before rolling into spa park, hooking onto some of the course used in the recent Day/Night thriller, albeit backwards. Through much of this I was trying to film with my handheld point and shoot camera, hoping to put together a short film about our adventure on the Huka challenge. This was easier said than done on some of the downhill sections but the slower pace of the climbs made it possible to get some steady footage. Time to try and get hold of a helmet camera I think... The inevitable eventually happened on one of the roads and in a lapse of concentrating my bike clipped the curb and I was sent flying over the handlebars. Of all the places I could have crashed, the road was not where I was expecting. I had a couple of lucky escapes with this crash, with my indestructible camera not falling down a steam vent, bike remaining in one piece and only a few cuts and grazes on my elbows to show for it. And Isaac and Jemma were right there to see it all unfold. I later found out much to my dismay that I didn't catch any footage of flying over my handlebars, so it was all for nothing...

We stopped for a bite to eat outside The Hub Cafe where our support crew of parents were waiting with sandwiches and water bottle refills. I took this opportunity to get the cuts patched up at the ambulance, and learnt that I was one of only two mountain bike injuries so far. However, the other injury was a broken bone so my injury was nothing special. Refuelled  we rocketed off back into the bush for the next sections of trail, the Craters of the Moon. Having recently been forested much of craters of the moon was exposed to the sun, leading to dry, dusty but fun trails. The fine clouds of dust were the source of much amusement for many riders, with competitions of who could make the biggest cloud around the corners quickly forming. The trail started turning upwards soon enough in the form of Grinder, a steep series of switchbacks that, mercifully, were under tree cover. At the top of Grinder all riders who passed by were given a pink wrist band to show they hadn't taken any alternate routes around the hill, before sending riders down the other side of the hill. And back up it again. We took the summit of these climbs as a chance for a lunch break and to let any slow riders ahead of us gain a lead before hammering he awesome downhill tracks that we knew were to follow, made all the sweeter by having some energy again.

The lower trail seemed to take forever. They would climb, then descend, then climb again, and you could never quite tell how close you were to the crossroads. After being sent up Grinder a second time the trails started facing us back towards Taupo again, but all was not well in our little group. As we headed through the lower, exposed sections of Craters of the Moon, it became apparent that everyone bar Kim and I had run out of water, as Kim and I were the only riders out of our lot who had thought to bring Camlbaks. This was quickly taking it's toll in the hot midday sun as the team began to succumb to dehydration. We knew there was supposed to be a water station within the next 10 km or so, but even sharing water wasn't enough; the heat was taking it's toll and the pace dropped dramatically. But just as all hope was lost in the beads of sweat on our brows, we arrived back at the Hub Cafe/drink station with our support crew waiting. Never before has a cup of water looked so desirable  The parents had come into a league of their own on the catering front whilst we were gone, with cakes, bacon and egg pies, bananas and more waiting by the Schuurman's truck. Legs stretched and bottles filled we continued on our way through the final 10 km back to Taupo.

It was only after crossing the finish line that I realised how big an event the Huka actually is. Everywhere you looked there were just endless amounts of people. Despite stopping for picnics, not pushing ourselves as far as we could go and finishing in just under 6 hours, I later discovered that our group had in fact finished in the top half of the field. Tired, cramped, sun burnt but smiling, we had accomplished something truly epic. Would I do it again next year? Hell Yeah!

Did you have any adventures at Huka this year? feel free to leave a comment with your story below... :-)
  

Review: Magellan Switch Up GPS Sports Watch

Many riders at one point or another will find themselves using a cycle computer. The ability to see how fast you are going is a major ego booster, or major ego buster in some cases. Realising how slow you are going can provide the motivation to push that bit harder up that pinch climb which has troubled you for weeks on end. The same can be said for heart rate monitors. A simple glance can shatter any illusions of physical prowess, despite what the pounding in your ears and lack of breath might suggest. However, few devices successfully offer these two together, and that’s where the Magellan Switch Up GPS sports watch comes in to play. Speed, distance, time, Barometric altitude, temperature, cadence, heart rate, power… just waiting at your finger-tips thanks to ANT+ compatibility, all features supported by incredibly accurate GPS satellites hovering in space miles above your head. Hope you like being followed…

First impressions of the Switch Up had me excited. Looking at the small watch that appeared to be coloured by different shades of grey (not 50 I assure you) there was that feeling of nervous excitement knowing from here on out, I held the power to crush my mates Personal Bests, sprint long hills in a single effort and what’s more, have undeniable proof of my achievements. In this the Magellan Switch Up certainly excels.

First thing worth noting was the screen. At 32mm, many smart phone users would think it was designed for ants, but in practise this was not the case. The screen provided good definition and was easy to read in all conditions, even night time thanks to a built in back light. This light can be turned on and off while you ride, and the time it stays on for can be adjusted from 15 seconds to indefinitely. Bear in mind it does affect the battery life though. I liked how the Switch Up had 10 pre-set “profiles” for different activities, each that could be customised and tinkered with as you please. This is a great feature in my opinion as let’s be honest, there isn’t much use for hill gradient when swimming. For multi-sport Athletes I can see this feature being invaluable, along with the two different mounts on offer: wrist and bicycle. It’s worth noting you only get the different mounts, Thermometer and Barometer if you purchase the Switch Up model. The lower price Switch model is wrist mount only and does not contain those upgrades.     

Using the buttons on the device, all five of them, was pretty easy while out riding. Their solid feel was useful when wearing gloves, a feature that allows operation without looking such as when starting a race, and I believe that makes it superior to touch screen designs offered by other big name GPS companies. Many riders use their phones as GPS devices, however the Switch Up is significantly tougher than your average smart phone, with 50m water resistance to its name and no scratches on the screen despite a pine tree’s best efforts to do so.

The more I rode with the Switch Up the more I liked it. There were lots of clever features utilising the GPS function that I wouldn't have even thought of throughout the device. My favourite was activated when beginning a ride; if you had forgotten to start recording the device would beep and vibrate to remind you, just in case this was the start of your race and not a warm up. It would also vibrate and let me know when it lost signal in bad conditions and also when it reconnected to a satellite; at first I was slightly nervous each time it beeped thinking I had lost connection but soon learnt to recognise the various tones for their various functions. Again, this makes it easier to operate without looking.

However, the best features were yet to come. When you arrive home you are able to download your ride up to the Magellan Active website which gives enough graphs, facts and figures about your ride to keep the Geekiest grinders out there satisfied. If Magellan Active isn’t your cup of tea, then you are easily able to convert your ride to a .GPX or .FIT file and upload to Strava. This, I believe, is the real advantage of a GPS over a standard computer. Being able to see how fast you are compared to other riders over the same piece of track, set goals and see how you achieve them, then brag about it all over the internet makes your weekend training ride even more FUN! There is great satisfaction seeing your name sitting at King of The Mountain on a particularly hard hill.

So, if you are someone who wants to have something a bit more special than the run of the mill cycle computer, wants the added competition that GPS enables, and likes tinkering around to make a device that is set just for you, then The Magellan Switch Up is definitely a good option to get you there. 

(note: I had intended to publish this review a while ago but due to publishers constraints I have only been able to post now. Enjoy!)

Auckland Champs round 3: Slater Road

When it comes to bikes, the saying "That's how I roll" actually makes sense. In my case, it was because Christmas had come early to the Page family household in the form of a custom built Stans Crest 29'r wheelset on Stans 3.30 Ti hubs. I'm not sure if it counts as a Christmas present when you buy it yourself, but nonetheless just riding around the cul-de-sac on these wheels, set up tubeless with my Racing Ralph tyres, was enough to make me giggle a little inside. And aloud too for that matter. I have always intended to put a lightweight wheelset on my XTC 29'r, as I have always known that the one thing that needed improvement was the wheelset weighing in at just over 2kg... Swapped out for the 1500g crests, the bike was down to 10.4kg, with pedals and a cycle computer. So, car packed and bike suitably blinged,  I headed off to Slater road to race the final of the Auckland Champs.

Slater road is not a place the general public get to ride most of the time, which is a shame as they are a combination of fast, flowing, steep trails on the sandy Woodhill surface; fun to ride on all but the driest of days. The course featured around 290m climbing per lap; with laps being 9.2km long there was plenty of climbing and descending packed into this course. On the start line, I couldn't help but wonder how this race was going to play out. Option A, I had just dropped 600 grams of rotational mass from my 29'r, so I should be going faster. Option B however, was that on the pre-ride of the course the week before I had felt out of breathe and lacking speed. In a few seconds I was going to find out which way this race would play. Off the start line, I found myself in the lead group of about 10 riders, and not struggling at all. Looks like if you picked Option A you guessed right.

Unusual for a race, the first single track section was in fact Downhill, a polar opposite to past years where the start has been straight into a climb. I personally think all races should start with a small Downhill before they make you climb, as it makes the race more than just fitness when it comes to winning. Pain merchants were not left wanting however, as the course soon changed it's tune as we hit the climbing sections. These ranged from a long fire road to a steep, sandy slope that took a fair bit of frantic spinning to conquer. Around 3/5ths of the way through the lap I was overtaken by fellow U17 racer Tom Coombes, and found myself in second. It wasn't long before 3rd placed rider Arran caught a whiff of where I was up ahead, not hard considering I am a teenage boy grunting out the miles on a hot day, and so began a fast paced game of cat and mouse. One wrong move would see you getting a little too friendly with the foliage to the chorus of "carbon fiber in tree sider." Luckily this did not happen and I still held a few seconds lead going into the second/final lap. Those new wheels were great!

Hitting the gravel road about half way through the second lap it finally sunk in I wasn't going to be able to beat Arran through sheer pushing power alone. He was putting everything he had into trying to overtake me and sooner or later one of us was going to tire. So, knowing the risks, I let him slip past and pulled in behind him for a while, taking the opportunity to eat and drink before we hit the singletrack again.

I knew that before the finish line there were 2 sets of 4WD track about 500m long each, just enough to sprint past and take a lead if you had the guts. It was here I was planning to make my move, on fresh legs from sitting in behind Arran letting him take the wind up the hills (I've clearly been doing too much criterion, probably why I chose to adopt this strategy). But, with 2km to go, with a sprint finish looming, the unthinkable happened; a catastrophically jammed chain that somehow appeared to be strangling itself. But, for the first race in a long time, it didn't happen to me. It happened to Arran. On the climb before the second to last fire road of the race. I found out after the race that the chain had jammed so badly he pulled out of the race and carried his bike home. To be honest I feel almost as robbed as Arran must have; I was looking forward to a repeat of last years Auckland Champs final at Riverhead! A sprint finish across the line, winning by less than a second... Next time, Arran.

Results: The top 3 positions in U17 men were all filled by Jafas, curiously in the order they finished on the day. Tom in first, with a custom made trophy by yours truly to be distributed amongst future U17 winners, Myself in second, and Peter Bethell in third. In the women's race JAFAKIDS dominated too, with the top 3 positions being taken by JAFAKIDS, a lot like the men's podium. Jemma Manchester in first, Harriet Beavan in second, And Charlotte Rayner in third. Unfortunately for some of the younger riders, there was no U15 category. However, they still gave many riders a run (or ride) for their money with some great lap times showing through. Well done guys!

So, the recap from the Auckland champ series in general:
1) When I train, I race fast. Seems logical, but it is something that does not really sink in until you lose a race you should have won because you decided not to train in the week leading up.
2) Ice cream. It works. Regular readers will know what I mean.
3) Wheels. When investing in a race bike, invest in some light, stiff wheels. You will not regret it. I guess that's how I roll: with the help of a custom build of Stans Crests...