Mountain Biker, Triathlete or Runner, Mountain Biker?

You may think that is an easy question to answer, and well you would be right.  Mountain Biker!!! but I have enjoyed a year of mixing it with Runners and Triathletes.  Making great friends along the way, and getting fit with a difference.  Yes I will still be doing Triathlon and Run stuff going forward but for the next 3 months I am going to concentrate on running my 2nd and hopefully last ever Marathon.  You see I made this silly bet with myself along time ago to run a certain time for a Marathon before I kicked the bucket, kinda like a bucket list tick really. Karl Paterson you can stop rubbing your hands together, I will be back on the MTB in time to get ready for a big season.

2012/2013 has been filled with a plethora of fun and games.  A little of your time and I'll give you a break down, mainly pics.  For Clive Bennett's benefit there is the odd R18 section in here, yes top off.

..ooOOoo..

World Triathlon Champ

Big thanks to:

Lamason: Wellingtons only siphon-brewed coffee bar 

Prestons Meats Porirua

On Yer Bike

 No shit these things glowed in the dark

 Bushlove Bliss

 Fcuk knows how to do this shit still

 The "Robot" in action... Hey shut it, it works!

 ANNNND I'm done!

Race breakdown went like this.  

42th out of the water, can a Tiger swim??? Well its like a cool beer on a hot summers day after a hard ride.  You love the taste and feel of the beer, but you just want to take it slow and savor the moment ;)  On from the Swim it was onto my favorite discipline the bike and I smashed that shit.  The run, smashed that to!! I am a runner after all.  Finishing with a sprint finish with and Ozzy (got him!).  Putting me 5th overall and 1st kiwi home in my age group. Favorite part of the race, beating the Ozzy in the sprint.  Master Card moment, watching him throw up at the finish line hehee

..ooOOoo..

National MTB Cup WLG - 3rd in my age group

Brrrraaaaapppp!!!! Was hanging out to get back on the MTB.  Fun between my legs, dirty play and all bring it on.  I'll admit it was hard going into a national cup event that you have not really trained for.  But as it has it my fitness transferred from Triathlon across to Mountain Bike well enough.  Mt Vic put on a stunning day once again and the place to be was on the Saddle, just after the crueling climb from the Velodrome.  Many pic was taken of athletes looking their "best", not! at the top of the climb. 
Much fun and "horsing around" was had.  I found myself up the front with the now full time burglar Brendon Sharrett ;).  For at least 5mins... when he decided that was boring and dropped the hammer to smash the field.  Back to where the real battle was going on between Karl Paterson and Gavin McCarthy.  I manage to hold my own until dropping my chain at the bottom of the Velodrome climb where Karl took advantage of my misfortune, which I was never able to gain back.  This left Gavi and I to battle it out for the scraps of the podium.  "Bring it!" Gavi I thought.  Up hill Gav would pull me back in, Downhill I would make him work.  down to the wire of the last lap and even to within 1km from home.  I was coming down the last descent with a good margin on him only to make a rookie mistake on the soft stuff.  As I picked the bike up I could see Gavi steaming me down and it was neck and neck with one lap of the Velodrome to finish.  On the first hairpin he snuck past me only to give the lead back around the top of the velodrome.  Into the sprint I had 10mtrs on him and dropped the hammer... Gavi held on suprisingly well but was never going to catch this Tiger's tail.
Happy with 3rd, will be back next year to climb back to the top of that podium, see you there Brendon :)

 Angry feeding the pony while wife Trudi looks on

 Lookin good... at the start :)

Cheeky pink bits

 ..ooOOoo..

National MTB Champs - 4th in my age group

Not sure there is a lot to tell about this one.  Loved getting out on the MTB again and another good ding dong with Karl the dirty Weasel :)  Giving in to him on the last lap, nice race big fella.  No big Tri season this year, so see you at the nats good and strong.

 

Dusty fun

 Skidz!!

..ooOOoo..

 Karapoti 

 One of the biggest MTB races of the season and what did I end up doing.. 1hr 30min of running with my bike, riding only 2hrs of the course LMAO.
Karapoti! sometimes you just gotta love the challenge it brings. So I begun my Karapoti morning feeling excited about a day of fun and friends and finished it the same way :)
As the race started NOTHING. Could go wrong, I was first through the river and had a good 50mtrs lead into the road. Steaming along just waiting for the "Good Roadie" Clive Bennett to catch up which he did by the bottom of the gorge. From there there was a bit of Bushlove domination to warm up climb. After a smashing climb the I came over the brow of the first hill 1st and feeling fantastic!
The harder I rode the better I felt. Rock garden - semi perfect, devil's staircase - well I am a running "smoked that shit", Big ring - I knew I had to concentrate and steamed along and LOVING the ENVE's rolling speed and stiffness. Still a good distance in the lead and feeling great, until BOOM! Mechanical!! As I struggled to sort it I watched nearly the whole expert field ride past!
Finally I had to conceded I was not going to fix this one and started running, there was NO WAY I was going to DNF.
After an hour of running, and multiple people offering to help, someone with the right part I needed came past. I fixed my bike and steamed off too far back to catch even the last of the top expert riders. Still coming home in a decent 3hrs 30mins I was happy to see the smiles of my friends and Family.
Time for beers and more Poti stories.

Bushlove Moose call

 Broken but happy

..ooOOoo..

Thanks to the Wheelworks guys for hooking me up with a mint set of Enve carbon wheels.

Had THE BEST race at Xterra with the added bonus of coming away with the win that I have sooo much wanted this year. Big thanks to Tristan Thomas at Wheelworks for the use of the Enve Wheels. Made all the difference on the Vegas trails, sooo fast, mega stiff and roll like a fat kid down a steep hill. Mint ROADTRIP and company

Xterra - 1st in my age group

 

Perfect day for a race.  Best Mum in the world for bringing the meanest picnic ever.  Bacon and Egg pie with the eggs from the chickens on her farm.

 

Tri Porn

Wheelworks FTW

Looking forward to a bit of cross training.  Yes I am going to give a Marathon another shot for S&Gs.  Sub 3 BABY!!!!

See you all back on the Mountain Bike in about August, just in time for the PNP MTB Series
Cheers
Tigs

Read more...

Wellington Peaks Race

"So how many peaks do we visit?"

"Nine."

"Oh. And we ride them in any order we like?"

"Actually there's eleven."

"And we have to be back here in under six hours?"

"Go!"

A simple idea with minimal organisational requirements. Starting and finishing at the fine establishment that is Revolution Cycles you take any route you like so long as you snap a selfie at the top of each noted hill-top as proof.

A happy bunch of 30 or so regular and less regular Wellington cycling misfits took off in all directions.

My cunning plan to ride my single speed with cyclocross tyres began to unravel as I fixed my first puncture at the summit of the first hill. At least I had a nice view as I feverishly hammered away with a stupidly tiny "emergency only" bike pump. Back on the road and a few peaks later I started to feel somewhat hazy. I finished all my food and drink and felt a little better. There's quite a bit of "flat" riding between hill tops and my one gear was never quite right on the flat or the uphills this day.

Keeping it classy at the Mt Vic trig

Nearing the 3 hour mark I found myself at the bottom of the tip track, not only out of food but also out of water that I'd been cunningly restocking along the way from various garden taps. A less fuzzy brain would have sent me up through Brooklyn and a dairy stop for refreshments, but I was set on going up the tip track. On a good day when fresh I can happily climb this hill in a little over 20 minutes, today however it took nearly 40 minutes of mostly walking. And it was hot with the gentle southerly held back by the hill. I had visions of those cliche desert scenes with buzzards circling above me in the midday sun. Actually they were just seagulls from the nearby rubbish dump but I wasn't going to let facts ruin my desert hallucinations.

'statue bro?

I'm pretty sure it's a bad sign when you start planning in careful detail all the goodies you are going to ingest when you get back to base. Luckily the next food stop was only one hill away on my current trajectory. I lay prostrate on the grass outside the dairy at the bottom of Karori. I poured most of 2 litres of chocolate milk and six Cookie Time biscuits into my wilted body and slowly started to recover. The world came back into focus and I found myself surrounded by about twenty disappointed ducks, not a crumb had been dropped. Feeling much better although slightly bloated, I bolted up Makara Peak, my final summit for the day.

Arriving back at Revolution Cycles I was greeted with smiling faces, pizza, and beer! Choice. In a little under 5 hours I'd traversed Wellington and done some cool riding. A few new trails and some I hadn't ridden for nearly 20 years. I'd travelled about 70km and climbed about 2500 metres. What a fun event, cheers!

Read more...

My Little Ponies Day At The Races

Bushlove take on the Duathlon World in our new NG@A (Not Ghey at All) Pink Bushlove top. 

The weekend started off with My Little Pony crankin on the iPad for the road trip up.  The scene was set for a raging weekend!!! My Little Pony and Pink Blouses.  A combination that would scare the hair off even Nick K's calves of doom.

We said the new kit was pink, but no body believed us.

Known as mountain bike pure breeds, two Bushlove Stallions bolted from the stables in an insane attempt to harness the Duathlon World, starting with "The New Zealand Duathlon Champs".  Little did they know they were not entering the Grand National but more like the My Little Pony Fashion Parade.  You see Duathlon is the sport where if you don't look that part, you supposedly cannot race the part, not true I tell you.

Personalised Tri suites for the season NG@A!!

Race day was here and we packed the horse float with steeds and set off for Taupo. At race headquartes we trotted over to transition to drop our steeds off. On the way through getting our hoofs saftey checked we drew our preferred start gates; opposite a donut cart and next to a pink towel. The Bushlove stallions were primmed for competition.
With two races on offer Bushlove covered both corners of the feild; Mr Ed saddled up for the long haul, while filly Tigs galloped into the sprint feild.

Bolting out of the gates at 10am sharp, Mr Ed was off! Following a fast start Mr Ed settled into the feild holding onto the tail coats of seasoned duathletes. After running 3 laps of the Taupo Motorsport race track (with no motor to boot) the opening 10k run was dusted off and Mr Ed could get settled into his work on the bike. Ears pinned back, tail straightened, Mr Ed jumped staight into his work picking off riders like Angry Bushlove digging for gold up his nasal passage.

While Mr Ed was out picking off riders, Tigs roared into action in the sprint race. Towards the end of Tigs dash, he had a momentary lapse in concentration (must have been away with the fillies) which meant he overshot transition by 100mtrs. Under the direction of our seasoned Bushlove support crew (And dutiful wife) Tigs turned back on course, but not after team-mate Mr Ed caught him commiting the crime...

Seeking redemtion for his navagational sins, Tigs saddled up his speed steed and earnt forgiveness through a storming bike leg. As everyone heard Tigs roar on the back straights, Mr Ed started dragging his heals in his final 5km run.  Head high Mr Ed stumbled across the line in a touch over 2hrs, good enough for a silver medal. But the Bushlove stable was still out there chasing greater glory.

Hard on the reins Tigs racked his weapon of choice and set out on his final gallop around the race track. 
After a final 2.5km hot lap Tig's sprinted through the win by a country mile.
Following the days success, Mr Ed and Tigs reflected on their success with a couple cold ones and their fans. If the Olympics don't want Duathlon, Bushlove and fans will bring Duathlon to the Olympics.

Olympic touch carrier in the making.

The highlight of the day was still to follow, the first outing of Bushloves new threads. With the My Little Pony fashion title still for the taking, Bushlove threw down the gauntlet showing you can never wear too much pink.

To cap off a great day at the races, Tig's and Ed made a curtesy call to our nurtrional advisers, Mr McDonald  

A big thanks to First Windows and Doors for sponsoring our Horse Float and Hay.  You good Bastards!!!

Cheers,

Team Tiger & Mr Ed

Read more...

The 2012 Mukamuka Munter

It's been 25 years since my last running race. It was a flat half marathon on a perfectly still Wellington morning and I was eighteen. So I was a little nervous signing up to run 30 kilometres across rough terrain, over mountain passes and through pleasantly cool rivers. However the intervening years were not all fast cars, fast women and late nights. I'd tramped and biked through the area plenty of times and I knew what to expect from the terrain. The biggest unknown was how my body would cope with that much leg bashing for so long.

Some stats:

Note the parabola-like ascent up to Mt Matthews saddle

So close to Wellington's cafe strip, but so far...

Distance: 29.5 km
Max altitude: 689 m
Total climbing: 980 m

My preparation was ok. Some months earlier I'd had a failed build up for a full marathon that all ended abruptly with a damaged tendon in my ankle due to over-training, too much too soon. In retrospect this probably gave me a useful base to build on for the Muka. And with some enthusiasm-restoring mountain biking and gentle trail running, I was able to run and have it feel good rather than awful. An intermediate personal goal ticked off. More local trail running, a "warrant of fitness" run/tramp up to the top of Mt Matthews and back, and some strategic resting was the best I could fit into my family schedule. During one training run, a loop of Polhil I met some mountain bikers, the first of which shouted back to the rest of his group "runner ahead". I'd never been called a runner before and such flattery almost scored him a coveted Bushlove mid-trail reach-around. Anyway I fondly remember it as proof I was actually running.

So to race day, and the weather came up perfect after worrying us all week with potential misery. We assembled just across the Orongorongo river with the Bushlove troops at the back of the 90 odd entrants we began the usual smack talk and general sand-bagging. Soon we were off though with a lovely tail wind that taunted us to go faster.

The first 12 km along the rocky coastal track starts off in a southerly direction but after a few km it turns to the north and although there's some shelter from the towering hills beside us we were warned to expect some solid headwinds and horizontal sand. I tried my best to cruise the coastal section. After a while I could see I was in about 25th place, already way up on where I thought I would be and feeling comfortable. Of our original group of sand-baggers I was ahead of Sam "Rammer" Dungey and Al "North Shore" Crossling. Dave "Sharpie" Sharpe was just ahead of me, and I assumed Tim "T-Rex" Wilding was somewhere up near the front. This section of coast is beautiful and clean due mostly to its relative remoteness and intimidating signage from the landowners. The smell of the sea and kelp was refreshing and I'm sure I heard yarping seals at one point.

The next section was my favourite, the climb up to Mt Matthews saddle. As you turn in from the coast there isn't really a track so you pretty much follow the Mukamuka stream heading due north towards a v on the ridge up high in the distance. It starts out wide and shingly and you pass through layers of cow shit, then sheep, then finally near the top it's all goat droppings. The valley gets narrower and the rock-hopping begins. Then after the only serious navigational gotcha where the main valley seems to veer left you continue north through a slot in the bush, it gets steeper again and the real scrambling starts. Leaving the coast I could see a large bunch ahead of me and as it got steeper I started to reel them in. I was keeping count and passed 15 on the way up. I caught and passed Sharpie and T-Rex towards the top they shouted "show us how it's done Waggers" as I slithered Gollum-style up the stream.

Due to my lack of photo-taking action I include this 2008 picture from the Mt Matthews saddle of a lost Englishman, aka Davo Bushlove

From the saddle on a nice day you can see Wellington city but today the wind made any peering nearly impossible. I scampered the 100 or so metres of ridge to get out of the wind quick as I could. Then the fun began. The descent from the saddle is very steep with lots of roots to help lower yourself and trees to grab for emergency braking. I went pretty carefully down here as a few cramps were threatening. I scoffed all my food and drink and that seemed to do the trick. Only one person passed me down here so that was ok.

Now back in the river we begin the slog section. I paused in the Orongorongo river to enjoy the cool of the water, then bounded off up the Big Bend track. There's quite a bit of up and down along this section but I was still going ok. Passed by one more here.

At the start of the 5 Mile track T-Rex caught me. I tried to stay with him up the initial climb but my body was starting to revolt. My running at this point was best described as speed shuffling. I was hurting. This is where my lack of running history was starting to show. A little further on I hooked my foot on something and with a tweaky cramp fell flat on my face. Getting tired. It was now grit teeth and hang on for the final 6 km of mostly flat wide trail. I tried walking but that hurt more so the only thing to do was get it over with. Two more came past me on the 5 Mile.

The final 2 km along the Catchpool access road was absolute hell. To make things worse a couple more passed me, I had nothing left and could only watch them disappear. I couldn't see anyone behind me for the final half kilometre so at least I could relax and really enjoy my hurt.

Done.

It was a relief to finish and I hobbled down the wheelchair ramp to collapse on the lawn with the other finishers and supporters. I was thrilled to finish in 14 place overall. At the top of the saddle I would have been in 7th. I was 2nd veteran by just 2 minutes, gah so close! Although the nice thing about this course is that everyone does the same distance regardless of category so the pain and stories can be shared and compared equally by all. A really well organised event and the weather was perfect. It's a seriously tough day out though and not for everyone, but if you can run for a couple of hours or speed-tramp then I highly recommend it as a fantastic adventure through some wonderful country.

It seemed like everyone enjoyed it and the merry gang of Bushlovers past, present, and "day-pass holders" did awesomely, all finishing in under 4 hours. Top job.

Chris "I just finished a 100km run" Burr - 2 hours 58 minutes (freakin amazing and good enough for 3rd!)
Tim - 3:15
Waggers (little ole me) - 3:21
Dave - 3:24
Sam - 3:47
Al - 3:51

Read more...

Changing Gears - PNP XC round 1 and more

Waggers rambles on and attempts to catch up on 6 months of remiss blogging...

I wasn't expecting to have so much form coming into the first round of the 2012 PNP MTB XC Series. Standing on the top of the podium for the Master 2 category I was certainly pleased to have the fastest time across all Master 2, Master 1, and Senior Men. But I also had that niggling doubt that I might be riding a little too hot so early in the season. Looking back at how I got to this point takes me all the way back to the last real XC race I entered, the eventful 2012 Karapoti.

My preparation for Karapoti was pretty good. Well, as good as can be expected while also having a full time job, solo parent duties, and a life. I was entered in the single speed category and I'd done a couple of conservative ~3 hour pre-rides and felt I was good for a 2:50, or maybe 2:45 if all went well. However events conspired against me, first the weather caused a two week postponement. Then one week out I hurt my back - perhaps stooping to cut a lawn with hedge clippers and a 40-something year old body is not a great idea. I found later that night when I lay down then I couldn't get up without help. Rest and active rehab had me at about 90% on K day and although I did an annoyingly just-over-3-hours loop I did manage to enjoy myself, even with lots of mid race stretching and a few lie downs.

The night before Karapoti I was digging through the competitors' swag bag and pulled out the entry form for the Wellington marathon. Hmmm... I've always thought I'd like to do a marathon one day, and the timing and location was good. I like the idea of running but it's not something that comes naturally to me. With over 25 years of mountain bike racing and riding my heart and lungs are strong but my legs are just not suited (yet) to running. Every time I try I end up with some niggling injury. I tried to be super careful to ease into it and the build up was going well. I was quite comfortable running for nearly two hours. Four weeks out from race day as I got back from a gentle but long flat run I noticed a strange numb pain in my ankle. No particular injury event occurred but I had just done too much too soon and it was black and very swollen. X-rays revealed no breaks - yay - but I couldn't walk properly or even ride - boo. My marathon hopes were done for another time.

During this on-off time I watched the lovely Marjolein train and prepare for the world mountain running champs. This included a great little fund-raiser event to get her to the start line in Italy at the end of August. The Bushlove boys being a chivalrous bunch and cursed with testosterone, turned out in force to support her. A fun little course had us riding a Makara Peak grand loop followed by an off-road petite grand-loop run. Bushlove were 1-2-3-4 over the summit and into the run but then things became a bit unsightly. While both Ed McSteamer and Tiger are strong elegant runners, the same cannot be said for Angry or myself. In the end we did ok though and held on for 5th and 4th respectively. Luckily there is very little photographic evidence of said arm flapping and leg flailing. Ed and Tiger chased each other hard over the hills for first and second place. Well done.

The guy behind me is a blur because he is reeling me in so fast...

Benefactor, women's winner and event organiser Marjolein makes sure that Men's winner Ed cleans *my* bike properly, nice!

Now there is also a secret splinter group in Bushlove. A small sect of shoe fetishists. A strange troupe who would rather wear skimpy floaty running shorts than have a small pointy bicycle seat up the jaxie for hours and hours. In a moment of weakness I was discussing such foibles with this dark force and found myself aligning with their wicked ways. I had signed up and committed to running the Mukamuka Munter. My build up for the Munter has been much better than my marathon training effort. And way more enjoyable. Actual off-road trail running and hills has helped keep my focus and attention. A five hour fun and wet pre-Munter WOF run up Mt Matthews with the Bushlove dark side team was a highlight.

Getting out on the tracks and hills as a tramper was how I first got into mountain biking. For me the fundamental draw is standing on the top of a hill soaking in the light, air, bush, sounds, and views. Mountain biking allows me to get on top quicker, with a good workout, and as a bonus it's about 20 kinds of fun coming back down.

This winter in Wellington we have also had the benefit of two fun cyclocross multi-race series. The four race Hot CX events with round 2 doubling as the inaugural leg of the NZ National CX Series was a rude shock for my body. This series dove-tailed beautifully with the 4th (?) annual Bike Hutt series. Never have so many pleasant city parks been wrecked so quickly by so few scantily clad folks on skimpy bicycles. Much fun and skidz were had and even some top 3 results were had by Angry, Potter and myself.

It's not a proper workout unless you challenge yourself - "seating is cheating"

Mid race carbo loading.

The not-so-pretty side of too much "mid race carbo loading".

The intense short format on-and-off the bike style of cyclocross is great fun and a serious work out. I have not done any proper speed work prior to the PNP series but I think these events, cross-training runs, plus a few tip track "tests" have come together nicely to plop me on top step of the Master 2 podium.

On the day Master 2 Men started in the second wave. I took off chasing what I thought was a Senior Men rider. We went back and forth a bit and then I dropped him down the Super D section as I was descending pretty well. He then caught me and got about 10 seconds climbing up Jungle Gym and on to the 3rd pylon. Then just before the Spoonhill descent he vanished. I charged on and got close to him on our second time up Jungle only to have him disappear again down Spoonhill, mystifying. It wasn't until the results were published that I realised that he was riding a different and shorter course than me!

Quality duelling with the young Simon Lawson, cheers dude!

Now I switch gears again and eagerly look forward to pleasant weather (www.youtube.com/watch?v=okbHIClMvt4) for next weekend's silly run. Then a week to shake my legs out before PNP round 2, that is if I can still actually walk after the Munter.

PNP Round 1 stats:
Angry, 3rd Elite burglar
Waggers, 1st Master 2 burglar, and 7th overall Super D
Slacky, 6th overall Super D

Till next time, Waggers
mysportsresults.net/results/jonny

Read more...

Bushlove Du. The Brut 33 and Blue Stratus version

That's right, in Bushlove its not about the Threesome but more the Dusome.  Fastest Man and Tiger decided to touch up on some running and biking skills, with a Scorching Duathlon.  Being of running thoroughbred origin Tiger was comfortable on his feet and Fastest Man... well just being Fastest Man and a good roadie was comfort in itself.

Here is a quick race brief.  

Fastest Man donning the BLR White Kit

Tiger BLR Black Kit

Once upon a time there were two little boys, one the of the two was an angel, he wore pure white and never misbehaved.  The other wore Black and never listened to anything he was told.  

This particular day they set off on an adventure of the Upper Hutt kind.  Yes, this meant a couple of sprays of Brut 33 and the local Hutt girls set chase.  Tiger being the prettiest of the two, feared for his life and set off at a cracking pace for the first 10km run.  By halfway Tiger had a decent minute back to 3rd & 4th with Andrew Young (Who obviously opted for the more desirable Blue Stratus scent) powering off the front.  Fastest Man backed his chances with the local girls so eased up for a little flirtation with death.

Into T1 (bit of Tri talk there, sorry ;) it means Transition 1) Tiger's years of experience in the sport of Triathlon showed and he wasted the good part of 30secs looking for his bike.  Meanwhile 3rd place smashed T1 to come out ahead.  Off on the Road Bikes with Girls in Holden's chasing.  

Fastest Man finally realising the attention he was getting the the Local Girls, was not one he really desired.  As the power went down the Locals Girls could only watch as their prize rode off like a Ford V8 into the distance.  Back in 5th place, Tiger tempted fate as the lavish girls in fluffy Ugg Boots greedily pawed at his black lycra.  Fastest Man still fearing for his life, engaged Roadie Legs to take the fastest bike time of the day.

Into T2 (See there, did it again) with transitions as smooth as a teenage pimpled face.  We were off on the 2nd run.  Fastest Man chasing 1st place and Tiger being chased to save face.  5km of painful hills climbing in excess of 5mtrs per lap.  

Fastest Man = 3rd

Tiger = 4th

Mc Ds = Winner!

All done with Eliting the Tri World, we thought it only fit we Elite the local Mc Ds.

Official Sponsors of the Bushlove Triathlon Team.

Read more...

The Longest Night Ride

If you were a regular visitor to Bushlove, you might be mistaken that we are all XC sifters. Some of us though, just like going on bicycle rides.

I was invited to go on a ride with Paul and Mike from Inspiring Riding, and was promised the occasional tow from Owen. Paul's adventures had been very inspirational for me personally, and to be invited on one of his rides was an honour indeed. The "Longest Night Ride" was originally planned for the actual longest night of the year, but scheduling conflicts meant that the ride left a couple of weeks later. The weather gods were potentially not going to be helpful to our cause, but more layers that I can count, and patches of sunshine as we drove up helped quell my nervousness.

The plan was to ride from Havelock North to Greytown, for a grand total of ~320km on the back roads from the Hawkes Bay to Wairarapa. I had never ridden that far before, nor have I covered any meaningful distance recently. We eventually covered between 266.88km or 288km depending on whose Garmin you believe, discretion meant that we opted out of riding the motorway to Greytown and ended in Masterton instead.

Nervous smiles before we start
Credit: Mike Wilson via blipfoto

I won't bore you with chronological minutiae of our ride, but will point out a few highlights instead.

Credit: Paul Smith via Facebook

Credit: Mike Wilson via Facebook.

Long black #1.

The good sorts at Bay Espresso. Beautiful slice and a great long black to start us off. We also spared them our faffing and stripping, opting to get sorted out at Beth's pad for the night instead. 


The grinds and brownie were magic at ~6 or 7am.

Paul toughing it out.

Paul eschewing the comfort of a warm couch inside (just behind him), preferring the cold, hard concrete to eat his dinner instead. This spot was also to mark the end of our Twitter (#thelongestnight #fail) plans - thwarted by the lack of any real cellular connection once outside Waipukarau.

Moonbows (a real thing!), shortly after we started our ride. This was highlighted by a long stretch of road where we rode in the dark and the sky was relatively clear. The route was perhaps not as "pancake flat" was I was hoping for, as the constant rolling hills and the final climbs into Wairarapa were definitely testing. Some excellent high-speed descending in the dark were good rewards though.

Getting closer. Credit: Owen Pahl via Google+

The inevitable faffing at both ends of our rides were excellent opportunities for banter. Paul, Mike and Owen are definitely excellent natural talents at sandbagging.

Before. Credit: Paul Smith via Facebook

After. Credit: Paul Smith via Facebook

This would not have been possible without our partners, present or absent. Beth did a stellar job of getting this bunch of smelly, sleeping cyclists home.

Credit: Paul Smith via Facebook (he was the only one still up).

Aeropress coffee at dawn was a highlight for me. I had carted 3 paper cups through the night, desperately trying to preserve their shape in my bag. Greedy guts here had two coffees.


What did I learn for next year?

1. Ride what ya brung. Don't worry too much about your bike and packing different parts to what you normally ride, chances are you'll be fine. * 
2. Bring a treat. Coffee, beer and slice might be heavy at the start, but you'll shift the weight from your bag to your belly gladly.
3. Dress warmly. It can get extra cold between 2am and 6am. Pack spare dry gloves if you anticipate rain.
4. Fenders ftw. Enough said. 

Happy eating at the end of the ride
Credit: Mike Wilson via blipfoto

Thanks to Paul and Mike from Inspiring Riding (check them out on Facebook and Twitter) for organising the ride, and putting up with my multitude of noob questions; and Owen for putting up with my occasional grumpy whining (the stretch to Alfredton was the longest 5km I've ever ridden) and giving me a tow or two.

Kah

*Unless you're a slamthatstem fan. It works for rides up to 4 or 5 hours, but 14 hours on the bike was a different issue.

Read more...

Its that time of the year again!..

Its that time of the year again!..

R&R SPORT / PNP MTB XC SERIES 2012

EVENTS SUMMARY

5 rounds
15 separate grades including Recreation, Enduro, Under 13 right up to Master 50+ and Elite.  1-2 hours duration.
Over $15,000 of spot prizes including 3 x $1,000 R&R Sport spot vouchers,
medals and trophies over the 5 round Series.
Sign in from 8:30am, starts from 10am
Entry form and more details at www.pnp.org.nz/mtb or email mailto:mtb@pnp.org.nz
Or ph Ash 5670449 or 021423174


Round 1
WainuiomataTrail Park
2nd September.
Sign in at Wainuiomata High School Parkway.

Round 2
MakaraPeak Karori
23rd September.
Sign in at Karori West Normal School,Allington Rd, Karori

Round 3
MtVictoria
14th October.
Sign in at the Hataitai Velodrome


Round 4Belmont 
Stratton St, Normandale, BelmontRegional Park
28th October.
Sign in at the Woolshed at the far end ofStratton St

Round 5 South Coast Karori
11th November.
Sign in at Karori West Normal School,Allington Rd, Karori


AshSparks, Bernie Cruise, Ant Bradshaw, Mal Bull, Dean Compton & Marco Renalli

MTB Sub Committee
PNP Cycling Club ofWellington
mailto:mtb@pnp.org.nz
Website http://www.pnp.org.nz/mtb

Read more...

QUIZ Night to send Tiger to the Worlds Triathlon Champs

?Where, When and Why?

7:30pm Sunday 8th July

Monteith’s Brewery Bar, Khandallah

Corner of Agra Cres & Ganges Road, Khandallah

I’m having a fundraiser quiz night to help fund me to the World Triathlon Champs in Auckland this year.

Enjoy a Monteith’s special meal deal: pick a meal off the specials menu and get a glass of wine or beer for just $20

Enter your team (maximum of 6) or just roll up and find one there. As we’re limited to 90 people, make sure you get in quick.

RSVP 

Tony Keith: tiger@bushloveracing.com by Thursday 5^th July

Entry is a $10 per person donation (collected on the night) and it is a five round quiz kicking off at 7:30pm. There will be giveaways, a good old raffle or two and loads of fun! 

 Look forward to seeing you there :)

P.S If anyone is not able to make it to the Quiz Night but still wishes to make a donation, drop me and email to the above email address and I'll send you my account details 

 

Read more...