Air-Conditioned Whiskey

Wrap up and stay inside, keep warm by the fire with a whiskey to dull the noise of the winter at the window. Shut the blinds and sleep in, like them bears, they have the idea, just sleep thought the rough stuff. It’s all numb feet and sharp wind out there. No glimmers, no real salvation. Just endless roads significantly coated with water barely holding off freezing itself. Layers of wool and technical shells help but you are still out there battling in a sweaty ball of wishing for summer days.

Most bikes take after the bears of the north and hide in dark holes while the rain and marginal mornings creep by. Some brave the notion of the cold wet and trudge out the door and instantly regret it. Soaked in seconds as the first few meters grind out.

Mountain bikes take the worst with the pasty soil sandblasting every component driving the whole to an early grave. The simple survive here. Years of trails have proved this. Gears and suspension work great on the summer all days but in the slushy bowls of May and June things are less friendly to the bits conceived on a dry air-conditioned desk in California.

Road bikes drown in the archaic spray. Grit marks from the environment encroaching on the road space. Rotting from the inside out they pound out the hours of the hard shit. Group therapy dose not even make things easy. Just more spay in the face really, maybe kick some shit about titanium bottle cage bolts. All avoiding the point that what is really just a bit of a bad time.

Till one day the madness comes down and it all becomes absurdly clear. A back road somewhere near that turn off where you take the left to get to that road with the barn. A square sky and bent trees. Gears click over for a while with lucid pedalling. No real motivation, a lapis in purpose one free moment. The rain still comes down but hell your wet anyway. Over the hill and onto the next valley. Further, more, plus, multiple, away from the comforts, the fires, the whiskey and rug and arm chair.

Crash the Old and Start a New

Been Easter it is clearly time to get serious about training and started eyeing up the worlds start line. Summer now slipping though too harsh mornings and good old dreary plods though the hours of damp back road wonders. Wonders of why you did pick a sport like squash or figure staking. They don’t require thousands of hours of ignoring the logic of staying inside on when the southerly kicks in. But out there I am and will be repeatedly for the next six months.

But to set these hopeful predictions for now as I have a new coach in Andy Patterson. With an impressive list of credentials he brings so much experience and knowledge to the table that I have already been swamped by new ideas and I am sure that I have barely scrapped the surface.

In the last few rides I have been fighting my heart rate down against much of the thinking I have been coming up with. Trying to knock out two, three or more hour rides around the region known for hills and wind without getting your heart rate much above idle is something of challenge.

I have now joined the ranks of the real side of the cycle industry with my first job in two years. Now during some business hours I can be found playing with bikes in the Porirua Avanti Plus. Having sent a large amount of my time in bike shops as well as most of my income it is familiar domain. But with this comes the very real risk that I will spend my pay at work. The temptation has so far been restricted to some long overdue brake pads for my road bike which I now ride the 40km return to the shop most work days.

Recently I felt it was time to throw myself down some trails of technical nature. But first to deserve this there are some rules. First one must ride up some steep technical sections that will require riding to finish and pushing to start. Then one has to gain the fearless bravado style that will intimidate anyone in sight. Then after making sure the seat post is all but hidden by the frame and there is enough squishiness in your suspension you are ready to hurl yourself to gravities will. So long as you despair from the sight of all riders that saw you drop into the trail you are safe and have are now a peg high in the descending status game.

Thankfully there was no one anywhere I went on my technical exploration. So I lost out on the visual based status gain and have to rely on the respect won by telling tales of my conquests. Which should go something like this; ‘yeah I went down trickle falls the other day, great track. Reminded me of all those runs I did on the north shore but just allot easier. Probably have to hit it with some real pace next time, I was just going easy.’ It’s always good to make a caparison to a more difficult track or tracks, this maximises the emphasis that even though it was expert track that for you it was easy.

However what happen to me after trickle falls was something that should be left out of any bravado. I went for a run down a familiar track that is rated intermediate but amped by my recent conquest I wound up the speed. This meant when I drove the Niner into a slight left hand curve I failed to bring my 720mm handle bars inside a tree. What followed was brief and violent disperse of energy that left all involved unhappy.

For a long time I maintained a record of only injuring myself in crashes. I broke this last year at the 24 hours of N-Duro when I went down in lame crash and tarcoed my front wheel. And again in this much more vigorous and spectacular crash I also pulverised my front wheel. Tragedy. Oh and not that I matters but I writhed in agony for a good few minutes before limping home bruised, felling sick, tail between my legs and knowing that I had been done over by nature and my own miss judgment.

The Wellington Scale

God must have very angry when he created the Wellington region. Maybe he foresaw it would be a hangout for wasters and degenerates and tried to punish them with an unavailability of flat land. But what has really been created is a dangerously interesting place that attracts the best young people to land of magnificence’s.

When going anyway in this city you bound for a rough time. There is normally a gale on the loose and a few hills to climb. This, it would seem, explains the apparent lack of the old set and there certified know hangouts suspiciously called ‘rest homes’. This leaves one of major cities in NZ and indeed the capital in the soft and adventurous hands of the youth to the bravely middle aged.

Along with the steep drives and terraced houses comes the landscape feature that makes riding bikes worthwhile, the hills. So taking to them you will to find a different scale than that found other corners of world. On the roads the small hill that you leave out of route guides when describing to friends go from a few decent pedal strokes to solid 5 minute slogs. And the hills that you leave out when route telling to strangers are the same as the ones that you point out with warning in other regions.

When you depart the road and take the dirt things get more interesting. It is always clear cut here, just up or down. And like on the road hills they are jacked up. With trails smashed out of the hill side which consist of rocks and giant worms at great respect for three things arise. First the good souls who put in the hundreds of hours they could have been sitting at home polishing furniture in to creating a strip of winding track down or up a hill side. Second and more immediately is the need for focus on not ditching in the rough rock strewn surface that is bound act as an effective skin/flesh remover on contact. The third is something unrelated and vastly absurd.

So with this platherinth of intimidating terrain one can only adapt. And the rewards are great for those who open the front door to a northerly howler and lock themselves in for an adventure with the snap of the helmet strap clip.

Basing with Pre-Punctured Tubes

So I may have been a little slack in putting up blogs lately, and my hard drive is growing full of ‘started’ blog entries. But my training has not been like this and neither has my races. It is a quite time of the year for racing and training. Facing up to hours of mindless base training miles interrupted by the odd club race.

After an excellent run of good thousand k’s with no punctures thanks to mostly blind and the odd bit of sighted luck, I have had a flurry. Of course I prepare for these incidences by carrying a pre-punctured tube to give the delusion that I can finish my ride from this point. So I stop and waste a good ten minutes putting the new tube in the trying and failing to get it to inflate. Then I give up and have a nut bar while I conceive a plan to get but the place of warm showers, food and a change of clothes.

The first of these recent incidents occurred while throwing my bike along a mountain road. After the obligatory failings of tube replacement therapy I was in a pickle. 30km from shower etc and no coverage for my mobile making an SOS difficult at best. Lucky nearby was the home of friend of mine secluded in the native bush. After interrupting with drumming session I call around people who I thought might like a drive out of town on a Sunday. A training buddy came though and came out to collect me and my stricken steed.

The second of these convent happening was in the mighty centre of Inglewood. An almost unavoidable point on any good ride in these parts. The tube replacement performance this time had an audience of anyone trying to get around the centre of town. This time no one I call was immediately available. So I did what I have always done when shit goes down on the road, hitchhike. Which is easy than you think with a bike. People see that you’re in serious need of a ride, probably have a bad day and wanting to be in a different location. Thanks to a nice woman I got back quickly no trouble.

So days slip by in the routine of base train and unemployment. Now it seems like my job for now at least. It might as well be with nothing to waste my time with. So until I sink into the depths of employment I consider myself a full time cyclist, if a broke one. The events in the coming year demand that I build up my base even higher than before not only because of the natural progression of training but also there are some whoppers in there. At least two events on the table are multi day and will test my metal beyond the 24 hour mark.

One of these whoppers is the Kiwi Brevet. Starting from Blenheim and taking in a full tour of the northern half of the North Island while staying off road for about half the time. Self-sufficiency is the name of the game for the 1200km of spectacular south island scenery. I plan on ride a modified version of my Niner Sir fitted with my Rohloff hub. I have all the necessary gear left over from my cycle touring a couple of years back. Can’t wait to get on the start line, so much so that my name was on the confirmed starters list before I had even confirmed my interest.

Well Not Really

It would be nice to tell of how I was hardly tested by the Whaka 100km and that I blasted it in two wheel sliding fashion. The harsh realities of this race were a clear from about the 30km mark. Cramp came a knocking when tore my legs apart with its vicious jawors. Debilitated to the point of feeling embarrassed at the pace I had to take some hills that towered throughout the course ahead.

Because of team budget restrictions I had to leave for the race at 4am. Dark damp back roads in a car that would raise the hopes and lower the brow of any common highway cop. Clearly the start of something truly great. I had scrounged what race type food left over from the Canada campaign and polished my Niner Rip to a high sheen that only top end bikes can acquire.

On the starting line feeling calm now, I can deal to this, 5 or 6 hours of Rotorua tracks. The distance or time of race rarely worries me now. Most of the field I could tell were placing this at the top of their worry list. What was at the top of mine, making a fool of myself again in this year of disappointing results and course of concern. I was going for a solid race with no mistakes and respectable result.

So I blasted into the lead for the first 5km of single track with a general abandon. I knew the chasing riders would be think of the assault to race would add up to be. Whereas I knew come what may I could ride out 100km. About this time a learned that my Rotorua track tearing skills were not as they use to be. Despite pulling gaps on the descents the bike was not at its limit.

This was the theme on the trails of the entire race. Feeling as if I was riding at 65%. Very careful line selection, under control. Aggressive but measured, conservative by my standards. The Rip is real trail machine, enough pushiness to iron out mistakes the largest obstacles I would see all day. Added to the 29 wheels and the Rohloff gear box it is one of the easiest bikes to ride regardless of the speed or tail conditions. So why was I this tentative, I knew the tracks better than most? Off season and off practise.

Bitten by the cramp monster and disillusioned with my trail ripping performance I was half way through this ordeal and only able to take comforted in that I was somehow near the top ten. Then I was directed the wrong way down a gravel road and lost a decent amount of time and energy just before the climb that did not end. A constant grovel in the mid range gears.

The remainder of the race come though in a blur of increasing frustration and pain. Ends less hills tore at my legs consoled only by pass two riders in the last 6km. I revelled in riding old favourites again and for the first time on my Rip that made things just pleasant.

A painful trip down memory lane. But a concerted effort at a respectable result. Perhaps given no cramp I could have worried the podium but for now 8^th will do and its all clear to get on with preparing for 2010.

Ready to Race?

It could be conscrewed that I have become a fair weather rider. I may indeed have gone a little soft since my return from Canada. There it was at the opposite end of the scale and verging on the very comfortable. But hey it’s off season right, well not for long. Events loam on the horizon and local and national races are slapping themselves on my schedule.

The New Plymouth MTB Club (NPMTBC) is making resurgence with a veritable flurry of races and track building. A three hour race recently highlighted my lack of readiness at the time to taking on hard racing. This was the first event of this kind hoisted by the NPMTBC. At soon they are stepping it up with a six hour to celebrate their 20^th anniversary.

This weekend will be trying to again to finish the 100km Whaka in Rotorua. Last year my drivechain ate itself to my tentative relief at the 50km mark. I was having a shit of race. Thankfully the spring is giving a show of spring’s diversity and rain has be blessing the region for that last week and looks to continue on race day. Should be a muddy delight good times. A chance for the Rohloff to prove itself once again.

I looks like my beloved Ellsworth will once again be gracing these shores. But its stay is uncertain thanks to my financial plight. The frame, fork, headset and seat post are immediately going on sale. Don’t think I’ll even ride it again, although I will miss it. There will soon be a replacement to fill the void in the form of and new Niner JET.

Packed the caffeine, gels and perpetuem to make sure it at least ward mid race hunger. Will be nice to thrash the Rotorua trails again, it has been a while. From memory there is only one of my favourites the race will miss so all going well fun will be had in shovel full’s.

Notes from the Garage

Off seasons are always fraught with confusion and frustration for the highly addicted endurance junky. Do I ride? Do I lie of the couch eating chips? Paranoia of missing out on training opportunities lurks in the back of your mind. Short of sedatives and mind altering substances there is no clear cure for this condition. And seing it is not a medical recognised condition yet dealing with terrible affliction is a yearly routine.

Since my return from the stifling hot forest of Canada I have been trying to rain in my compulsion to hammer out six hour rides every other day. Driven by the desperate need for some black numbers in my bank account I’ve taken to trawling the internet and papers for employment opportunities. Hold up in my garage writing to editors and anyone who will listen pleading for paying work. So far only limited luck.

Receiving a rambling email with a CV seems a little impersonal and easy, especially when asking for them to take you on and do you a favour. So I combined my ability to ride great distances with my need to get word out about my availability and rode to Wellington from New Plymouth. Another motivation was that my car has a condition called fuel light surprise of which the cause is that the owner has not enough money to ever turn the fuel light off and you are surprised every time you don’t run out of petrol.

At about 6pm on Monday evening I made the call and started to get ready for 5am departure. Couple of hours sleep and hit the highway south in the dark Tuesday morning air. With a northerly gales forecast this was about as ideal as it could be for this ride. After warming up my average climbed to well over 30km/hour. In the end I pulled into my mates flat under 12 hours later with an average of 32.8. Off season, got to love it.

The North Shore has proven a vast contrast to the local riding in New Plymouth. No trying to keep up with Carrie and Leigh down the most technical trails I have seen. With my nearly new Niner Rip I’ve been making my own new lines around trails and generally trying to make them seen a bit like what I quickly got use to in Canada.

With the jobs not forth coming and not big k’s to put in, all that is left to do is to look forward. Like everyone and every summer I hope this one to be the best yet with a few more events to eye up this time around there is potential. One that has taken my fancy is the Kiwi Brevet held in the northern region of the South Island. At 1200km it is right up my alley. The main point of this event is that you are not allowed any support. Elements of navigation, cycle touring and general hardness come into the fold. 50% off road it is still a mountain bike event and takes its inspiration for the Continental Divide ride from Canada to Mexico. One thing I may struggle with is that speed and acts of self harm are not overly encouraged. Times for the 1200km loop under four days are only recorded as four days zero hours.

Conveniently the dates for this fall a short time before I plan to do a slightly long and more road based ride challenge. Official announcements pending.