Lisa Morgan - Kiwi Mountain Biker

Just like the girls say on the latest beef and lamb ad :o)

Actually, I’ve been really lucky so far with the wet and have only been rained on twice and never for a whole ride.  The good news is that the shortest day was last Friday.  So the days only get longer again from here on in - yay!  But for the next 6-12 weeks we can expect plenty of cold.  The records show that traditionally the coldest day falls 6 weeks after the shortest day, so some time around the start of August and then it’s got to start warming up again.  Until then I’ll be wrapping up nice and toasty and worshipping my merino socks and vests.  A current dusting of snow on the Orongoronga’s tells us that it’s currently about as cold as it gets around here, not to mention ice on the ground on the waterfront!

The good thing is all this adds to the motivation to get overseas for at least a few weeks next year - avoid the worst of the NZ winter and enjoy a bit of northern hemisphere summer while riding and racing my bike - what could be better???  Seeing some photo’s of a friend’s trip to Canada last year helps there too.

But to be honest, after last winter there hasn’t been much to complain about.  And frankly, it wouldn’t matter if there was.  Sure I’d probably be grumbling a bit more and taking longer showers post training to defrost, or spending more time on the trainer.  But at the end of the day if the programme says I’m on the bike for 4 hours you can bet that’s exactly what I’ll do.  And I’ll love every minute of it.  Why?  Because to me, every minute spent training now is like money in the bank.  Come summer I’ll be making some pretty major withdrawals so best I get it in there now and leave it earning interest :o)

Lesson 1: Get to the start line early!  Yep, when there’s hundreds of people in a mass start it pays to line up early.  I felt pretty good warming up, which was surprising after over 2 hours on the bike on Saturday with my heart rate well above where it was supposed to be - the dirt just does that to me.  And I thought coming back with 8 minutes to spare I would be alright to get a decent starting position.  But it was a struggle to get as far up the grid as I did - about 5 rows back with about 20 riders in each row and people still trying to push to get past.  I wouldn’t have been so frustrated if I couldn’t see Kaytee, Nina, Michelle and Monique up on the front line.  Lesson learned, I’ll know better next time.

On Saturday I went out and rode most of the course.  There were a couple of sections out the back that I wasn’t too familiar with so wanted to check out the conditions and see how they were flowing.  I’m the type of rider who likes to know what to expect, how long the hills last and where the course goes in case others get it wrong in front of me - it’s not guaranteed to help in the heat of the moment but it pays off sometimes.  There were 2 trails I hadn’t ridden before - the aptly named Frontal Lobotomy (it’s only 1500m long but it kind of makes you want one) and Old Chevy, a new track that is similar to the Chinese menu trails - rolling and winding it’s way through the trees.

I was left feeling a bit flat after my ride.  I might have been better off just playing in the singletrack rather than checking out a course with so much 4wd track in it, but it was beneficial on race day to know when the hills would end.

So, race day.  It’s definitely winter and we’re not in Kansas anymore.  I didn’t have a great start thanks to the numbers and a lack of racing lately so decided to focus on riding the hills well but my legs just never felt like they were in the race.  It felt like a bit of a no-mans-land - clearly riding better than I was a year ago, but nothing like 5 months ago.  It’s exactly as it should be, but not something I’m finding easy to come to terms with.

By the time I got to Frontal Lobotomy, about 2kms from the highest point of the course, I finally started to feel some rhythm.  The track reminded me a lot of the Bethunes Gully course in Dunedin and I let myself drift back to that.  I started to pick riders off consistenty until I went for one pass too many and got squeezed off the trail and over the bank.  One very nice man stopped to help me get my bike back up while I watched all the riders I just worked my way through head on up - gutted!  I picked off a few again on the final part of the climb up to Billy T.

Once in to Billy T I knew the long climbs were all over and had a pretty good run for a few hundred metres before finding myself caught behind 3 riders.  I called consistently to pass and was sitting right on the wheel of the back rider but they wouldn’t let me through.  I was so frustrated - not only was I not able to chew up some track at race pace, I was forced to go slower than I would at a nice cruisey pace.  I knew Monique wasn’t all that far ahead and that I can always make up time on her on the downhills and wanted to close the gap as much as possible.  As soon as the singletrack ended I was outta there and off down the Chestnut trails with a clear run in to Rollercoaster where I was able to get past a few more people.  Heading in to Old Chevy I caught sight of Monique - she was having traffic problems as well but I was pleased to have caught up again.  I was able to keep her in my sights up until Sweet n Sour where the long and short courses merged and stayed together to the finish.  Traffic, traffic, traffic about sums up the rest of my race.  There was just an endless train of riders to work past, some of whom were kind enough to move aside, plenty of whom were most certainly not!  If I’d thought I was in contention for top 3 I’m sure I would have been a lot more aggressive at this point but I didn’t think I was although it’s hard to say how much difference there was in being held up versus the clearer runs those further up were having.

Within the last 10kms I was pleased to finally feel my legs engage and come to the party.  Heading in to Be Rude Not To I simply had to resign myself to the fact that I would be stuck behind people.  Coming across one person at a time isn’t a problem, but trying to get 10 people to let 4 or 5 others ride through is near impossible!

I finally got a clean run after getting out of Lion Trail and hammering it down the 4wd in to Exit - one of my favourite trails in the forest.  Things didn’t really go as well as I’d hoped, I hadn’t felt like I’d ridden anywhere near my ability on the climbs and I was frustrated at being held up in the singletrack, but I got to finish on a bit of a high with the clean run.  I finished 4th in Womens open grade behind Kaytee, Nina and Michelle (Monique was racing junior and finished a couple of minutes ahead of me).

Overall the result is good.  Far better than where I was at this time last year so I’ve hung on to a lot of the gains I made over last season.  I do need to accept that I am at a point in the calendar where I’m not racing for results.  I won’t be coming in to races fresh, I haven’t been doing speed, intensity or hills.  It’s winter - time to tap out the base miles with the odd race thrown in for fun and variety.  Something I really need to sort out though, is ice-block feet!  Even my new merino socks didn’t prevent my feet from feeling like cold lead blocks on the end of my legs - that certainly didn’t help anything!

I’ve got the latest block of my programme today and I certainly like the look of it :o)  And let’s not forget it’s only 3 (because it’s just gone past midnight) days til the shortest day and then they’ll start to get longer again!!!  I’m looking forward to that!

It’s been 5 weeks since my last ride on the MTB and I’ve noticed myself getting pretty cranky the last few days - I can only assume it’s withdrawal symptoms!  Fortunately this will be the longest gap of the year so hopefully my colleagues can look forward to a fresher me once I get back from this one.  I can’t think of any time in the last 3 years that I have spent this long off the dirt.  The good thing is, my bike is in mint condition :o)

According to the weather report we might be treated to some snow as we head north tonight.  Those of you who are avid snow bunnies should take note - any season I don’t ski tends to be a good one on the mountain, and I won’t be skiing this year…

So, the plan for the weekend is pretty straight forward.  I left plans to the very last minute which is most unlike me so am heading north after work with Kendall.  We will stop over in Taupo for the night with Mikey Northcott and Michelle Bellamy then head up for a bit of a play in the forest on Saturday.  I’m bunking down with friends Shane and Jude on Saturday night while Kendall visits family out of town and then on Sunday, we race!

Here’s hoping for settled weather and some good, fun racing.  I’ll post up a full report soon after :o)

Sometimes, despite the best intentions and efforts of race organisers, it’s just not possible to cover all the bases and a farmer will decide to move a herd while a race is on.  Not only is it disruptive to racing, it also means fresh cow poo on the road - much of which will inevitably make it’s way on to the bikes!

Todays race was the 3rd and final in a series for women only based in Carterton in the Wairarapa (I didn’t do the first 2 as they didn’t lend well to other training).  After last weekend and only needing to do a short ride today I decided I wanted to enter and consolidate from the experience of the tour.  So after piling the girls (Celia, Jo and Zoe) in to the car we hit the road laden with bikes.

After being given a free ticket to the All Blacks vs France last night I ended up having a bit of a late one and coupled with a gym session, an early start and freezing temperatures (crispy frost!) things hurt right from the start and only got worse.  The circuit was 12kms with a moderate hill and 3 laps for open grade.  I decided it would be a case of survival until the top of the hill on the final lap, and then total self-sacrifice if there was a chance of a break for the finish.

Things got of to a reasonable start until the corner heading in to the hill was unmarshalled and the bunch went the wrong way.  Fortunately the road ran out after about 100m so we turned back and went the right way.  Things got spread out up the hill but we were quickly brought to a halt by a herd of cows being moved along the road!  Things came to a standstill for a few minutes while the road was cleared and the grades behind us were neutralised while we got going again.  The rest of the lap passed without incident and the bunch stayed together.

The second time up the climb I crested in 2nd place and the field was split again.  There was a solo break away but I decided to stay with the bunch and help chase it rather than try to get away as my legs were feeling pretty cooked.  We got to the base of the climb for the final time as a complete bunch.  Again I got to the top 2nd staying on the wheel of 1st (a different rider this time) and 3 of us formed a mini-breakaway.  We started working to try and stay away but got caught by 2 more.  With 6kms to go we worked together each trying to take the shortest possible turn on the front to save the legs for the inevitable sprint finish.  There were a couple of rollers and each time the lead rider would try to put a gap on but each time it was chased down and we came through the final turn with the pace steadily increasing and about 500m to the line.  From there it was a constant jostling for position, trying not to get caught in a bad position but also trying to spend the least amount of time in to the head wind that had developed.  In the last couple of hundred metres the sprinters jumped up and put the hurt on big time - we all stuck together constantly changing positions and pushing through the pain. 

At about 100m out I was in 4th and dropping.  I went up another gear and put a couple of final surges in and managed to cross the line in 3rd :o)

I was totally stoked to get in a breakaway when I’d wanted to, and to have contested my first ever sprint finish and come away with a placing.  From the time there were 5 of us I knew it would come down to that and had to think of what I would need to do to give myself the best chance to stay with it right to the end - I’m really happy to have done that.

Road racing is really such a different game to mountain biking, and the more I learn the more enjoyable it becomes as I see the challenges it offers - each of which I want to step up to and achieve my best at.  Early days yet, but I know there will be plenty more opportunities to continue to develop in this aspect of cycling while I work towards the ultimate goals on the dirt :o)

Racing again next weekend in Rotorua at the 2nd of the N-duro series.  40kms of sweet vegas singletrack - back on the dirt for the first time in a month - can’t wait!

Stage 1 – Prologue - 4.5km time trial

There’s not much that can go wrong in a short stage like this.  The weather was a bit patchy but held out for the most part over the couple of hours that riders took to the start line and shot off to ride at their absolute maximum for the next 7-8 ½ minutes.

I got off to a good explosive start and maintained a fairly steady pace on the way out.  The course was straight and rolling, the only technical element being the turn around which I got through without mishap and then geared up for the return which was in to the wind and slightly uphill.  I crossed the line in 8.09 – nowhere near the hot times but mid-field, and I’d made it hurt all the way so was happy with me effort.

Stage 2 – 70km road race

All the information about this stage had it down as 60km so it was a bit of an unwelcome surprise to discover that it was 70, but more about that shortly.

The bunch started out pretty gently and was uneventful for the first 5ks or so.  Over the next 10 kms about 5 guys moved to the front and moved around a bit but the pace remained quite steady through some strong cross winds.  I was struggling to keep myself in a position where I was protected from the wind and spent a few minutes in a pretty bad spot leading in to the first main turn which would give us a tail wind.  I’m still at a loss as to what really happened next – just before the turn the bunch started rolling past at an incredible pace and literally shot off with the tail wind.  A few of us got dropped in dribs and drabs and slowly regrouped and tried to work together in the wind.  Around the 27km mark a hailstorm passed through cooling conditions significantly and driving followed it for the better part of the rest of the race.  3 of us put a gap on the rest of the group and the leader seemed content to tow us so I sat in and concentrated on staying with them.  The pace was pretty quick and we were working hard to stay on his tail.

We continued together in the rain for around 15kms.  The group behind caught us at one stage but fell back as we went through a turn.  About 5 minutes later I punctured (dammit!).  Being a couple of minutes behind the lead bunch the wheel wagon was up ahead but fortunately I was carrying a tube and canister.  I lost a good 7 or 8 minutes changing the tube and got back on drenched and frozen to the bone.  I should have had 10kms to go so tried to settle in to a rhythm but after 20mins or so it was obvious the course was a bit longer.  After that I just wanted to cross the line and get warm and dry and was none too happy with every turn leading to a long straight road with no sign of the finish line.

I lost around 12 places thanks to the puncture and was mostly frustrated at not having spent time with the bunch to get the experience of being with it and learning – that was the point of the tour after all.

So, back to the accommodation.  Long hot shower, good food, all the good recovery stuff, remembering that tomorrow is another day and crashed out til the alarm went off the next day.

Day 2 – Stage 3 – 62km road race

The goal was the same again today – stay with the bunch, maintain good position and learn as much as I could.  The stage was an out and back to Toko and beyond from Stratford and included 2 saddles – Strathmore and Douglas.  Apart from the saddles it was mostly gentle rolling with a few little pinches thrown in for maximum pain factor.

About 10kms out I heard a familiar sound – pffffftshhhhh.  Yep, another puncture!  And yes I checked the rim and tyre for residual debris – this was a whole new puncture.  I had been about 3 rows back in the bunch and the wheel wagon was right behind and they assisted really well with a super quick changeover and an offer to tow me back to the bunch (if I could keep up).  It’s amazing how you can keep up when it’s the difference between 52kms on your own or not.  A few short minutes later I gave them the thumbs up and rejoined the bunch.

For the saddles on the way out I was starting near the front and cresting near the middle and working back up.  At the turn around I was about 6 back.  We had to work to get back on but did so and continued at a slightly increased pace.  When we reached Strathmore saddle I fell back with a few others.  3 of us closed the gap to another small bunch and with the group only about a minute ahead we worked to try and close the gap.  Going back over Douglas we could still see them and stayed together and continued the chase to the end keeping them in our sights the whole way.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to catch, but I was happy to have finished in the second bunch and have stayed with the bunch for as long as I did – not to mention getting back on after the puncture!

Stage 4 – 48km road race

With a new tube and tyre on the wheel I aimed to stay with the bunch for this entire stage.  With no really significant climbs I felt I should be able to do so.  The course started the same as stage 3 before taking a left turn and looping around on rolling countryside and an extraordinary number of railway crossings – where were all the trains?  A few of the rollers were nasty little pinches but I was always able to get back on quickly with the downhills in my favour being fairly steep and windy.

About 1/2 an hour in the rain started and lasted for a good 1/2 hour or so.  I heard one comment: ‘Something’s wrong when there’s more water in your shoes than your bottle’ - the weather around here is just weird.  Once we passed through Toko for the 3^rd time that day I knew it was mostly gently rolling to the finish line and was happy to sit in with the bunch until we got there.

I was very happy to have finally finished with the bunch, and to have made it through a stage with no punctures – woohoo!

Day 3 – Stage 5 – 82km road race

This stage started in Leperton, just out of New Plymouth and included a loop of around 12kms before heading out on the main loop.  The course description was ‘includes 3 good climbs and a road tunnel’.

I woke up with my legs feeling like lead – useless pieces of lead attached where I should have had legs.  And it was COLD!  More fresh snow on the mountain and a thicker layer of ice on the car than the day before.  We packed everything up and hit the road around 7.

It was cold, but at least the sun was shining and there was very little wind.  Conditions were pretty close to ideal.  I headed out on my warm up and wasn’t surprised to feel like my legs just wouldn’t work.  The start loop was a killer – it had some crazy little pinch climbs in it and I started to wonder if I would survive the rest of the stage.  However, we passed through the start/finish and I continued on and found myself at the back of the bunch pretty quickly.  After a few minutes I decided just to hang out there and effectively had a little sleep while I let the bunch tow me to Inglewood .  After we turned out of Inglewood the course started to roll and I was able to move around and get back up to the front 3^rd of the bunch.  On the first main climb I finished up near the back but quickly got back on and moved back up the bunch and maintained my position in the front half until the 2^nd major climb up to the tunnel.  As it started to go up it felt like my legs just stopped working and wouldn’t give me that little bit extra they’d had earlier.  Along with quite a few others who were struggling I made my way up and at the summit a group of 6 of us got together.

We rolled together up to the next and last significant climb and stayed in a group to the summit where we were told the remainder was around 15kms of mostly down hill (welcome words, but I’ve learned from experience never to believe things like that – it was true however).

3 of us took turns at the front to get us back to the finish line where I was pretty happy with how things had gone.  I finished up pretty far down GC (31^st I think) but had made up all but 2 places that I lost on stage 2. 

Overall I’m pretty happy with how things went.  I was in it for the training and the experience, and I’ve certainly gained a lot of confidence in the bunch, comfortable using my hands and elbows to let people know if they’re drifting on to my line, and developed a feel for how to move around a bit and see what’s going on.  We raced in some pretty miserable conditions but most of the time I was with at least a bunch, if not the lead bunch.  It was definitely a tough weekend but one that will make me stronger and has given me a better foundation for more time on the road.

Next up, a 45ker in the Wairarapa next Sunday – should be fun :o)