Lisa Morgan - Kiwi Mountain Biker

Not much left to do now.  Time for lunch, clean the bike (maybe - Gav has offered to do it for me - sweet!) then rest up til dinner, and then rest up again til bedtime.  Might fit a nap in there somewhere ;o)

Last update we had made it to Rotorua en route to Opotiki, and now I’m back in Rotorua… We seemed to take a bit of a round about way to Opotiki but got there without any issues and headed out to the course on Friday afternoon.  The format was a little different to what we race at this time of year as, depending on grades, it was made up of combinations of a 21km long loop and a 10km short loop.  Elite men and women both had 1 long, 1 short to race.  So on Friday we checked out the long course.

It went up, not tooooo steeply but for a km right off the start up a gravel forestry road before heading in to the bush and undulating for a little bit.  Fortunately most of the course was under the shade of the trees because it was pretty warm out there.  After a short fun downhill there was a singletrack section that went for a k or so and ended in an abrupt climb out to an open gravel road.  After that we were back in the trees and fairly consistently dimbing for around 30 minutes.  It was very gradual, but with no downhill in sight it was taxing for me as I like my recoveries!  Eventually it went up and down for a bit, and then we hit the downhill - pretty old school styles as this wasn’t a purpose built course by any stretch of the imagination, but soon enough we hit the ‘3 sisters’ - 3 sections of super steepness that really tested the brakes (I sounded like an ambulance in the race and apologised to the marshals for the noise…). 

The sisters dropped us out by a creek which was the first of many (very many - maybe 30) that we got to splash through for the next 5 kms or so.  Fortunately they were all shallow and in good condition with no nasties to cause damage or punctures.  This was largely flat and fast, hardly even needing to brake for the creeks.  With a couple of kms to go we were back in the bush in an undulating very fast climb back to the start.

Long lap sorted.  Nice and scenic as a reccy - killer at race pace but a whole lot of fun (after the main climbs were done…).

Back to the accommodation, thorough clean of the bikes which now looked like they’d been through Karapoti, and prep for Saturday’s ride.

On Saturday we checked out the short loop.  It followed the long loop for about 3 kms then veered off on to an undulating climb which gained almost as much in altitude but because it was undulating suited me much better.  The downhill was short and non-technical and dropped us out at around the 5th creek crossing (so there were lots more to go!).  There was nothing hard about it, but nothing is easy at race pace.

Home again, more cleaning, a dip in the pool, nap, food - all the good stuff.

Race day!  Being out in the wops created an interesting aspect as we were supposed to leave cars 4kms away from the race venue and catch a bus up, or drop stuff off, drive back and ride up (or bus).  But with multiple bikes each, wind trainers for Af-wika (hehe) and bags of gear, chilli’s of food etc, we decided to do a wee sneaky and Gav and I managed to find parks for the cars about 200m down from the village - minta :o)

Because we thought there might be heaps of stuffing around we got there quite early so were able to watch the morning race start (10.30) where Ricky and Celia from our tribe were racing, and Nic from the Capitelles/Maxxis and a few other PNP members, so it was good to catch that.

Ricky managed 4th in Master 1, Trev had a sprint finish to take out older dudes, Tom Bradshaw pulled out second in the U17s, and Celia and Nic had a great battle in senior women with Nic taking the win.  They both had crashes, but Celia’s injuries are much more impressive and she had to get help to get her bike up after scrambling back up herself from going down a bank - great that she pressed on and came home well.  Should be a good series for those 2.

And so the day passed and by 1.30 we were all warming up.  Gav was off first with the big boys.  He had 2 goals for the day - a podium and to lap me [insert smack talk].  Connor was away next with U23 men - he’s got big goals for the season.  I was called up next in elite women, and KC left with us as U23.

I got off to a great start and sat on Sam’s wheel for a while but after a few minutes she pulled away and I started getting passed - still need more work on the climbing, I don’t think that’ll ever end.  There simply wasn’t enough technical stuff for me to make any ground back.  But I did manage a really strong short loop which I’m pleased about. I seem to consistently stay strong after the half way mark (when I don’t have slow leaks in the tyre…).

I was pretty stoked to get my first elite podium :o)  No mug as it was 5th and they go to 3rd, but it’s still a podium.  I was shattered when I crossed the line but then got all buzzed off the race as usual, but I can promise you now it’s a very different story.  I’m so shattered I won’t even drive.  I can’t wait to see how well I’m going to sleep tonight.  The legs felt great when I went for a nice ride around the lake earlier, but other than that they’ve been pretty sore all day.  I don’t remember ever being this shattered.  It’s kind of awesome, but I’m used to being a bit more energetic!

Gav nailed his goals getting 4th and catching me with about 20m to go before the line - man, that sucked, I thought I was really going to hold him off, but all in good fun eh?  Connor caned is race winning with a huge margin so he’s on track.  KC didn’t have a field but she was happy with her effort.  Sam took out 2nd in elite women so she got a mug - nice!

All in all a pretty good day for the roadtrip fam.  We stayed up a bit late really, and I was up with the birds as usual (might have something to do with my current state) then packed up and drove here.  The only bummer was I discovered someone had taken a fancy to the Blur overnight and put a scratch and dent in my car roof trying to get it off - no such luck sucker, locked on nice and tight but if I ever find you, you better run - my 2 most prized possessions!  And my front hub is blown, but Cam is on to that already and I should have a new wheel up here in a couple of days.  Nothing like a bit of drama on a Monday morning!

After a good night’s sleep we’ve made our way to Rotorua on the way to Opotiki stopping off so I could download my programme since it was all on my lappy, and for Scotty and Celia to buy things they’d forgotten… my forgotten item was my muds, but I remembered about 2 minutes from home so rushed back to grab them.

It’s nice and warm up here, as expected.  All very dry and I’m looking forward to seeing this course - somewhere I’ve never ever ridden!

So far so good, plenty of laughs, and I brought along all my ‘instruments of torture’ (the roller, the rolling pin and my new ’stick’ that Gav got for me) so everyone had a go with those last night - so much fun :o)

Just gotta go pick up some batteries for the walkie talkies since we’re driving in convoy now.

I’ve just finished packing the car (waiting for the last minute forgotten item to jump in to my mind) and am not far off heading north.  We have a big road trip family for this one.  Seven people!  I’ve got KC and Connor in my car, Gav and Ricky are heading up in the Subie after work, as are Scotty and Celia in the Caldina.  7 people, 3 cars, 13 bikes (and spare wheels).

I had a bit of a moment yesterday when I took my new laptop in for a check up after it had been acting up and was told I’m going to be without it for at least 5 days (ie, the entire trip!).  So I’ll keep things as updated as possible and I’m sure before long I’m going to know every internet cafe in Opotiki (if any!), Whakatane and Rotorua because I think we all know I need my fix…

I feel well recovered from last weekend’s race and am ready to start settling back in to race mode.  KC, Connor and I are going to take the drive at leisure making stops for outlet shopping, swims etc when ever we want.  We’re only headed as far as Gav’s parents place out of Turangi today to split the trip up for those leaving later on.  Then in the morning we’ll roll on through to Opotiki, set up camp and go have a look at the course (if they’ve finally decided on what it actually is - it keeps changing!).

Little Tempo keeps getting bigger and bigger and she’s as cute as ever but thankfully has learned to keep her claws in a bit more these days (that’s not to say she still doesn’t jump from the bed on to my leg/back/side and latch on like it doesn’t cause me great pain - little menace!).  Sara is getting used to her and they’re quite civil to each other, particularly if I rub the dog’s belly while giving the kitty a cuddle - I can feel the love :o)  Mum and dad will be on pet duty while I’m gone.

I had a few objectives for this race.  It was my first 2pm race, so I wanted to make sure I got my fuelling right.  I had to eat just enough and at the right time.  Too early and I’d feel hungry and underfuelled during the race, too late and, well, I’m sure you can imagine the worst case scenario.  So I’m pleased to report it seems I got it just right.  Second was hydration, particularly in the heat with some of the recent problems I’ve had.  But again I seemed to have it just right (and big thanks to Karen for feeding me too).  Another goal was to complete the race feeling like I’d given it everything, including no crashes and not getting lapped.  Another goal accomplished.  And finally, to achieve a mental state where I retained focus for the whole race - a slowly deflating rear tyre in the last lap and a half affected that slightly, but for the most part I achieved that too.

The start went well.  I hadn’t really known what to expect.  In the past in small fields like that I’ve known I’d take the lead or close to it pretty quickly, but I’m up with the big girls now and every now and then I’d have a thought that I was going to be blown away and left looking like I’d dropped my chain while they all pedalled away in big chain ring half way down the block up a steep climb!  But I managed to hold my own in the start, even getting ahead of Bob (the eventual winner) for about 40 seconds :o)

I’d already dropped to the back by the top of the start climb, but was right on the tail of the group as we hit the first pinch which saw 2 or 3 riders off.  I managed to hold my balance and get in front of Fiona while she was getting back on, but she got past me again soon after.  Up the next short grassy section I fell back again but made up some time on the first downhill and after the short climb to the next downhill was catching again, so of course used the technical sections to my advantage.  By the bottom of slimline I was back on the tail but as it turned up a hairpin there were more offs and that forced me off too.  I got back on and wasn’t able to get back on the train.  I didn’t help my cause by messing up a gear change in to the steep climb, going in to big instead of little!  I abruptly hauled to the right to ride along the hill and let off the tension so I could change down, recovered and kept pushing the pedals up the hill.  Straight after that we were in to the final downhill (Boars Nest).  It was just out of here I injured myself in 2006, but no issues this time.  The final challenge of the lap was the ‘carpety climb’.  In 06 I never got up it, but with Tama, Heather and Chris all egging me on I had no trouble.

I wasn’t too far off the pace and in laps 2, 3 and 4 made up a little bit of time.  Around half way through the 4th lap I noticed something wasn’t feeling right in my rear wheel and soon noticed I was losing pressure.  Well, I thought, the terrain isn’t too bad so I shouldn’t pinch flat and lower pressure will be good on the climbs (let’s not worry that I started with very low pressure because of the climbs anyway!).  In the 4th lap it really wasn’t a problem, and I had a really good lap.  In lap 3 I’d really started to feel it in the legs with a bit of jelly-leg feel and some good pain, and in lap 4 the pain was intense - it spurred me on to push harder and keep that pain on because as we all know, pain is your friend!

Heading in to lap 5 it was obvious I really didn’t have enough tyre pressure so I was careful to unweight the back of the bike when rolling over anything.  I could feel the rim every now and then (and I’m running light weight tubes) and it was starting to roll out on me around corners and anything that hit the side wall.  I was still riding well.  I was knackered and felt like I’d blown my legs apart, but that’s exactly what I wanted.  There were 3 pinch climbs that I thought had the potential to take me out as fatigue set in, but I rode all 3 in all 5 laps.  Unfortunately with the tyre so deflated I was off on a couple of other pinches in the final climb and I probably lost a total of about 2 minutes to that problem.

I cross the line in 2.17.  Last place, but I was elated.  I’d completed my first elite race!  I could ride expert and be winning races, or I could really test and push myself up here in elite, and I have no regrets about my decision.  It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about riding to the best of my ability.  I’ve always wanted to be able to respect myself after crossing the line, and I definitely could with this race.

Friday:

Good morning Christchurch! A pity I couldn’t be welcomed with better weather… after leaving the 30+ temperatures in the Hutt yesterday I was subjected to slightly cooler conditions in Wellington thanks to the blustery wind. By the time we landed on the mainland it was 15 degrees thanks to a southerly. It’s still rather cool this morning and it’s all wet!

No doubt the course could use the moisture so that’s all good. It seems like every time I ride the Blur lately it gets filthy. Fortunately I’ve found an amazing product that gets ano-black looking like new again - Pedros bike lust. It smells really nice too.

I’ll be putting the bike together soon, having some lunch then heading out to the course for a few laps.

I’m staying with Michelle and Slim - the place is great (even though I still don’t really know where I am) and the facilities in the garage are superb. I’ve been left with 2 maps and written directions for getting out of town so with any luck I won’t get too lost.

Saturday:

Well it turned out the rain had barely hit out on the course. The dirt is bone dry and the only evidence of any wet stuff was droplets on the grass, which I kept thinking was from the overnight dew until I remembered it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon (it’s all so different!).

The course is super demanding. I’m hoping that the grass sections will bed down somewhat today with people riding the course because they were nasty yesterday - like riding with the brakes on (brakes are bedded in and mint Scotty).

It’s still an awesome course though. Having never ridden multiple laps at race pace I’m hoping not to get tripped up on a lot of the sections that could get nasty with fatigue setting in - and that’s just on the climbs! Tight climbing switchbacks, steep pinches. I’m comfortable with the down hills and hoping to get a bit more flow on today. I really do notice the need to settle in, get my eye in and start to feel the flow over a couple of days on the dirt these days. But it’s all changing around now anyway - most days on the dirt.

The story behind this one is that 2 years ago I entered my first national series and Christchurch was my first race of the season.  We were racing on the Vulcaniser, just over an hour north of Chch, and I had a couple of practice days on the course and was loving it - techy singletrack in the forest, tricky steep climbs, stunning views from the top if you had the time to look up.  But on race day I didn’t even get through my first lap.  Just before the last climb I was hammering though an open section when my back wheel slipped off the track.  After recovering it my front wheel went and after that it was all over.  I hit the very hard dirt taking the fall mostly with my head and sternum getting some great, visible grazing down my face and sternum and giving myself a decent concussion plus damaging the joint between clavicle and sternum.

The result was no more racing.  I had concussion symptoms for 3 months even with treatment, and it took a while for the rest of the pain to subside as well.  So I didn’t race any more of the series that year, but I’d planned all the travel and accommodation so at least I got to go and support and see what it was all about.

I was gutted when there was no Chch round in 2007 as I’ve been waiting for a chance to get back down there and race on the course properly.  So even though it’s not a points round for me as I haven’t done the other two SI Cup rounds, I’m looking forward to returning to the scene of the crime and putting things right.  Makes the first objective a pretty easy one - get through the first lap!  Then I’ll focus on the rest.

I’ve been pretty busy in the last week and a bit.  The weather forced the Capitelles ride last Monday to be cancelled, so I went and got myself a kitten that I’ve called Tempo.  She’s a little grey tabby with a touch of ginger - very cool colourings - circles on her sides, spots on her little kitten belly, and egyption eye make up stripes around her eyes.  It even prompted me to finally get the camera back out - pics here.

Of course Mum and Dad were away with Sara (the Sheltie) when I got Tempo so we’ve had some fun in the last couple of days getting the two animals acquainted.  They’re doing so well.  Sa gets a bit barky sometimes (it’s the breed) but she’s been clever enough to back off when there’s a hint of a kitty hiss so her nose (which is rather long and pointy) is still intact at this stage.  Should be able to get some pics of the 2 of them together soon.

It’s been pretty nice having the luxury of training in the afternoons close to event time to try and prepare my body for the 2pm racing.  We’ve had some good weather and some not so good weather - today’s a pretty good one.  I’ll be heading out soon for my last ride before it’s all race related.

For someone who has been operating at what feels like a million miles an hour for so long it’s been nice having a break, a chance to relax and regroup and think about what other oppotunities are out there that I didn’t have time to think about before.

So, training continues as per normal - wicked hard on the hard days, smelling the roses on the easy days - and the rest of my time will be spent job hunting and making the final decision on some study this year as well.