With the transition into the new year approaching and Christmas already been it is a time to look back as well as forward. It has indeed been a big year for me. But the first 6 months of 2009 are set to be the epic'est yet with two 24 hour solos, one 12 hour and an attempt at the length of New Zealand record.
2008 has seen me for the first time at the World 24 hour solo champs. Undoubtedly the pinnacle of the year, the shear toughness, speed and overwhelmingness of this race was awesome. All those hours spent sliding around my home forest of clay (Mangamahoe) on inappropriate tires pay dividends.
A 24 hour solo mountain bike race requires major organisation and planning to run smoothly but my first major goal for 2009 will supersede this by four fold. With the current record for the length of New Zealand standing at over four and half days it is likely that I will be riding for a great deal longer than 24 hours. The date is set for April and many things need to come into place before then. As well as not losing sight of the other big race of the year, my second 24 hour solo world champs.
There will be much more updates on the length of New Zealand attempt in coming months as I start to sort out billions of finer points. I am not hugely experienced at ultra distance cycling so I am looking for advice, warning, assistance, reality checks, etc. There are already quite a few people really interested in helping and advising/warning me and I suspect it will take more than a few more.
The racing season will again kick off in my second home forest of Whakawerawera in Rotorua in March with the 24 hours of N-Duro. The Australian invasion is set to step up again this year, but most will just be competing in teams. With their 24 hour solo champs two weeks after it is unlikely there will be a trans-Tasman show down like last year.
For now I am off on an adventure around the Northern South Island over the New Year's holidays. With three of us travelling with bikes we hope to hit up some epic single track in the mainland.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Ay Up 12 Hours of Woodhill
Past 12 hours of Woodhill have been fun events where I have completed more laps than other soloists. Dean and his crew reflected this by giving me the number one race number, all I had to do was live up to expectation. But this year I almost didn’t make it to the event. On the drive to the park an oncoming car took over my lane and I had to almost turn the car off road to avoid a major crash; despite this, my wing mirror was shattered. This behind me, I started up the sandy hills of Woodhill Park for 12, the biggest ride since the beating I gave myself on the Canadian Rockies. The result came to be similar.
This was the first real test for my nearly new Rohloff internal gear box. Although the 30km race in Taupo was a taste, it lacked the distance to see what it was really like to race with no derailleurs. I had also lacked the organisation to arrange a support person. Luckily Andrew from Ay Up lights offered to lend a hand.
Last year had seen me and XC and BMX Bunny Lee battle it out for the overall lead for the first few laps. This time the pace was just as hot but after some place swapping I came in 3rd overall after lap one. In light of this I backed off a little and settled in and turned on my beats machine that I had missed so much in the lonely forest with bears and cougars.
At the four hour mark I tried to find out my position in the solo field. With only six starters I was comfortable that if I had a good race a win would be on. But I had in mind that I had only just got back into training post worlds and had not ridden more than four hours since that ordeal. It was soon confirmed that I was leading the nearest soloist by two laps. No doubt I was now well placed, but I still pushed on with the pace. Nothing is secure with eight hours still to run.
I was surprised at how many people recognised me and cheered me on throughout the event. I even managed to have the occasional chat to the passer by. In general there was an overwhelmingly friendly atmosphere before, during, and post the 12 hours. One team in particular went out of their way to help me. I ate numerous peanut slabs they handed to me. They were also riding the big wheels, there seems to be a camaraderie between 29’er riders.
I knew that I might hit the wall at some stage during the hours due to my lack of training recently. I hit it alright with a great thump. I asked Andrew for a soft drink to bring me out of it and get the lap time back to constancy. Few laps later I had a cold can of coke shot gunned down the hatch, thanks to Dean who sourced it from the Woodhill shop.
As the darkness encroached my lead looked secure. Andrew quickly fitted me out with appropriately coloured Ay Up lights and I began to burn a beam through the forest. I do enjoy the airy spookiness of night riding. It can be a bit too much after 15 hours in the saddle and a myriad of hallucinations. But this being shorter than that, and with a steady margin too, I could just enjoy the tracks and the powerful Ay Ups.
Soon after I started to back off as to not run myself into the ground too much. With just over an hour and a half on the clock I came in for what I decided was my second to last lap. I searched my feed bag for the long anticipated beer. I pulled up alongside the organiser’s tent and chatted and drank my last nutritional beverage. I thought it almost traditional as last year I was two beers down before I stopped riding. I was soon ordered to put in one last flying lap.
So I finished up with a little over an hour to spare. The Rohloff had its first victory and the Ellsworth a flawless race. A perfect record thus far, three for three. Another adventure on the sand with a slice of pain.
This was the first real test for my nearly new Rohloff internal gear box. Although the 30km race in Taupo was a taste, it lacked the distance to see what it was really like to race with no derailleurs. I had also lacked the organisation to arrange a support person. Luckily Andrew from Ay Up lights offered to lend a hand.
Last year had seen me and XC and BMX Bunny Lee battle it out for the overall lead for the first few laps. This time the pace was just as hot but after some place swapping I came in 3rd overall after lap one. In light of this I backed off a little and settled in and turned on my beats machine that I had missed so much in the lonely forest with bears and cougars.
At the four hour mark I tried to find out my position in the solo field. With only six starters I was comfortable that if I had a good race a win would be on. But I had in mind that I had only just got back into training post worlds and had not ridden more than four hours since that ordeal. It was soon confirmed that I was leading the nearest soloist by two laps. No doubt I was now well placed, but I still pushed on with the pace. Nothing is secure with eight hours still to run.
I was surprised at how many people recognised me and cheered me on throughout the event. I even managed to have the occasional chat to the passer by. In general there was an overwhelmingly friendly atmosphere before, during, and post the 12 hours. One team in particular went out of their way to help me. I ate numerous peanut slabs they handed to me. They were also riding the big wheels, there seems to be a camaraderie between 29’er riders.
I knew that I might hit the wall at some stage during the hours due to my lack of training recently. I hit it alright with a great thump. I asked Andrew for a soft drink to bring me out of it and get the lap time back to constancy. Few laps later I had a cold can of coke shot gunned down the hatch, thanks to Dean who sourced it from the Woodhill shop.
As the darkness encroached my lead looked secure. Andrew quickly fitted me out with appropriately coloured Ay Up lights and I began to burn a beam through the forest. I do enjoy the airy spookiness of night riding. It can be a bit too much after 15 hours in the saddle and a myriad of hallucinations. But this being shorter than that, and with a steady margin too, I could just enjoy the tracks and the powerful Ay Ups.
Soon after I started to back off as to not run myself into the ground too much. With just over an hour and a half on the clock I came in for what I decided was my second to last lap. I searched my feed bag for the long anticipated beer. I pulled up alongside the organiser’s tent and chatted and drank my last nutritional beverage. I thought it almost traditional as last year I was two beers down before I stopped riding. I was soon ordered to put in one last flying lap.
So I finished up with a little over an hour to spare. The Rohloff had its first victory and the Ellsworth a flawless race. A perfect record thus far, three for three. Another adventure on the sand with a slice of pain.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Enough Rest, Time for a Test
It is quite a while since I last tried to ride for more than four hours. But it is about time I did. Once again this Saturday I will line up for another 12 hours of mountain biking. Last year I competed for the second time at the 12 hours of Woodhill north of Auckland. There were only two of us trying the full 12 hours solo, so most of the time I raced against the team riders. The other soloist had a bad race, which became obvious to me when I passed him as he threw up on the side of the track.
This year I will be going to three wins in as many appearances. It is not clear if there will be riders coming over from across the ditch to make things more interesting. My form is not likely to be great as I have only been training a month or so. I am sure, despite this, that I can get through 12 hours of sandy trails.
Last weekend I competed in the first round of the mid north island XC series held at the Craters in Taupo. At only 30km I was not expecting much. This proved to be a correct assumption. I placed seventh in the open men's. Not great considering there were 10 starters. However I got some big time speed work in and the Rohloff hub made its racing debut.
At first I was running a 44 tooth ring in combination with a 16 tooth sprocket on the rear. But this proved to be a little tall even with the wide range of ratios in the Rohloff. So before the race in Taupo I changed the 44 for a small ring. I increased the chain tension as well to make sure the chain stays where it should be.
The Ellsworth frame presents a small problem when it comes to mounting the Rohloff front chain guide. The bottom shock mounting takes up most of the room on the seat tube where the chain guide usually clamps. With the bigger ring it worked, but with the small diameter ring it can not go low enough to be useful. So at this stage I am solely relying on the chain tension to keep the chain on. So far, so good. But the real test will come on Saturday, with 12 hours of rough sandy tracks.
One thing I find a great aid in ultra endurance racing is music. Let's face it: you're out there for a long time and some tunes are ideal to let the time slide on by. I often find when a favourite track comes on I ride a little faster or smoother. Music is known to allow people to find rhythm or even slip into a trance a whole lot easier. Rhythm is critical to riding an ultra endurance event well. And yes, I do often slip into a vague trance-like state when racing or even training.
This year I will be going to three wins in as many appearances. It is not clear if there will be riders coming over from across the ditch to make things more interesting. My form is not likely to be great as I have only been training a month or so. I am sure, despite this, that I can get through 12 hours of sandy trails.
Last weekend I competed in the first round of the mid north island XC series held at the Craters in Taupo. At only 30km I was not expecting much. This proved to be a correct assumption. I placed seventh in the open men's. Not great considering there were 10 starters. However I got some big time speed work in and the Rohloff hub made its racing debut.
At first I was running a 44 tooth ring in combination with a 16 tooth sprocket on the rear. But this proved to be a little tall even with the wide range of ratios in the Rohloff. So before the race in Taupo I changed the 44 for a small ring. I increased the chain tension as well to make sure the chain stays where it should be.
The Ellsworth frame presents a small problem when it comes to mounting the Rohloff front chain guide. The bottom shock mounting takes up most of the room on the seat tube where the chain guide usually clamps. With the bigger ring it worked, but with the small diameter ring it can not go low enough to be useful. So at this stage I am solely relying on the chain tension to keep the chain on. So far, so good. But the real test will come on Saturday, with 12 hours of rough sandy tracks.
One thing I find a great aid in ultra endurance racing is music. Let's face it: you're out there for a long time and some tunes are ideal to let the time slide on by. I often find when a favourite track comes on I ride a little faster or smoother. Music is known to allow people to find rhythm or even slip into a trance a whole lot easier. Rhythm is critical to riding an ultra endurance event well. And yes, I do often slip into a vague trance-like state when racing or even training.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Rohloff Arrives
Yesterday saw me take my first ride on a Rohloff internal gear box rear hub. This follows me becoming a Rohloff sponsored rider. Thanks to Chris from Puresports for fitting my Ellsworth Evolve with the alternative gear system.
I now have 1925km of mountain biking to wear it in. This is required to allow time for the internal parts to mesh efficiently. From then on the hub should only need an oil change every 5000km to perform flawlessly.
I won’t attempt to explain how the system works, mainly because I don’t fully understand. But there is a link to the Rohloff site and Puresports on the right, both of which explain the finer points. There also will be photos of this hub in action once I find my camera.
After a 50km ride it is clear there is a huge range of gears. The 44 tooth chain ring I am running may have to be changed for a 40 or 38 tooth ring. The fact that it makes no noise upon free wheeling is uncanny, seeing as my last rear hub was the loudest on the market. Although in the higher ratio gears you can hear the planetary gears whirring, I think this will decrease as the hub wears in.
So I plan to get that 2000km out of the way long before the 24 hours of N-Duro in March next year. This means loads of summer single track, poor me.
One of the rides I plan to do apart from my everyday training is to have another go at the Queen Charlotte track. In the past I have tried to ride this return in one day. At 72km one way it is New Zealand’s longest piece of single track. Past attempts have fallen short on the return trip because of light failures and time restraints.
This time there will be substantially more day-light as the plan is do it in late November. Also I will be using Ay Up lights, so running out of power won’t be a problem. Mountain bikes are not allowed on the furthest section in the peak season of December and January so late November is the best time for me to reattempt this 142km ride.
I don’t know of any previous record for this ride. But upon talking to the Blenheim information centre about the ride they thought it was impossible.
Closer to hand there is the 12 hours of Woodhill on the 8th of November. Not sure what kind of form I will be in by then, but it should be a fun race all the same.
I now have 1925km of mountain biking to wear it in. This is required to allow time for the internal parts to mesh efficiently. From then on the hub should only need an oil change every 5000km to perform flawlessly.
I won’t attempt to explain how the system works, mainly because I don’t fully understand. But there is a link to the Rohloff site and Puresports on the right, both of which explain the finer points. There also will be photos of this hub in action once I find my camera.
After a 50km ride it is clear there is a huge range of gears. The 44 tooth chain ring I am running may have to be changed for a 40 or 38 tooth ring. The fact that it makes no noise upon free wheeling is uncanny, seeing as my last rear hub was the loudest on the market. Although in the higher ratio gears you can hear the planetary gears whirring, I think this will decrease as the hub wears in.
So I plan to get that 2000km out of the way long before the 24 hours of N-Duro in March next year. This means loads of summer single track, poor me.
One of the rides I plan to do apart from my everyday training is to have another go at the Queen Charlotte track. In the past I have tried to ride this return in one day. At 72km one way it is New Zealand’s longest piece of single track. Past attempts have fallen short on the return trip because of light failures and time restraints.
This time there will be substantially more day-light as the plan is do it in late November. Also I will be using Ay Up lights, so running out of power won’t be a problem. Mountain bikes are not allowed on the furthest section in the peak season of December and January so late November is the best time for me to reattempt this 142km ride.
I don’t know of any previous record for this ride. But upon talking to the Blenheim information centre about the ride they thought it was impossible.
Closer to hand there is the 12 hours of Woodhill on the 8th of November. Not sure what kind of form I will be in by then, but it should be a fun race all the same.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Worlds Pictures
Here are two photos that
show what the 24 hour
Solo Worlds did to me. Before and after. Photo credit: Dimozantos.
show what the 24 hour
Solo Worlds did to me. Before and after. Photo credit: Dimozantos.Friday, October 17, 2008
Whaka 100km
The Whaka proved to me how much my race speed has fallen off. Although 100km is relatively small compared with the distances I cover in a 24 hour race, it still is quite a ride. It didn’t have the greatest race day preparation either. I woke up late and rushed to get my gear together and ride to the event. Unfortunately I didn’t know the race was based at the other side of the forest, so I turned up with just minutes left to register. And having had to sprint 6km there.
The day did really improve from there. I started alright but rapidly went backwards through the field. I persevered chatting to many of the people that seemed to stream past me. After 20km I stopped thinking I could come back to place top 10 and just tried to enjoy the ride through almost all the tracks in the forest.
Unfortunately my race came to an end around the half way mark on Pondy DH. My chain committed suicide into my rear wheel, dragging the derailleur with it and taking out a few spokes on the way. I was a little too slow to lock up the rear wheel to save the situation and it locked of its own accord. So that was the end of a mediocre day of racing and I scootered to the nearest forest exit. Despite my Rohloff chain being dented back on itself several times it failed to break or even pop any pins, anything in Rohloff cap.
I spent the rest of the day helping the event organisers at the finish line. It was interesting being on the other side of the finishing situation - cutting off peoples' numbers on their bikes while they struggled to stay upright after leaving everything out on the course.
The day did really improve from there. I started alright but rapidly went backwards through the field. I persevered chatting to many of the people that seemed to stream past me. After 20km I stopped thinking I could come back to place top 10 and just tried to enjoy the ride through almost all the tracks in the forest.
Unfortunately my race came to an end around the half way mark on Pondy DH. My chain committed suicide into my rear wheel, dragging the derailleur with it and taking out a few spokes on the way. I was a little too slow to lock up the rear wheel to save the situation and it locked of its own accord. So that was the end of a mediocre day of racing and I scootered to the nearest forest exit. Despite my Rohloff chain being dented back on itself several times it failed to break or even pop any pins, anything in Rohloff cap.
I spent the rest of the day helping the event organisers at the finish line. It was interesting being on the other side of the finishing situation - cutting off peoples' numbers on their bikes while they struggled to stay upright after leaving everything out on the course.
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