Ian and I have just returned from Bontrager 24/12 which was held at Newnham Park just outside Plymouth. I really have to control my finger tips as I type what should be a very serious ‘race report’, as Mr and Mrs Potter were teaming up to take on each other to work out who is the fastest Potter on the planet. However I think many of you know my writing style by now and realise that if I have had an awesome experience then expect to join me in that experience.....only a few days later when I finally finish writing about it. This event is going to be difficult to narrow down to the bare minimum of action packed mini adventures that took place within the overall weekend. Once again Martyn Salt and his merry men organised an event for the people, with a relaxed atmosphere that even the most serious of racers enjoyed, as well as Friday night rock band, midnight jazz singer, on course clubbing action, plus superb catering and showering facilities....and as we all noted glorious sun and moonshine with only a hint of mud that somehow ended up more on me than any other rider on course so I was told.
Now as I was saying I do have to control my typing for this ‘little’ report otherwise I will end up writing a novel with endless chapters on just how much fun I, and the rest of the Cotic Bontrager, AQR and the Yeti crew had across the Bontrager 24/12 weekend.
THE PROLOGUE.....KP wins Queen Faff title!
Thursday morning at 6am and I’m ready to roll....well almost. I decide I’m in need of a run before the 6hr drive down south. Ian reminds me that Cy will be arriving at 10am, plenty of time to faff. Before I know it the clock strikes 9:45am and I decide to finish packing. Luckily Cy is running late so I have more time to faff. Cy arrives an hour later and guess what I’m still packing. Naturally I’m the last to be ready, but the boys are talking bikes so I have time up my sleeve and quickly race back inside to ensure I haven’t forgotten anything. I just had this horrible feeling that I had forgotten something really important.....30 minutes later and I remember that I’m on a special course of these horrible looking iron tablets which must be taken for 30 days straight.....oops. However it takes me another 20 minutes to find the courage to ask Cy if we could possibly go back to Nottingham to collect them.....guess who is not in good books? Finally the Cotic Bontrager Racing Team that includes Cy, Paul and the Potters hit the road in the right direction. The time is 1:30pm and KP is not very popular....sorry.
Thursday evening after 6pm and the Cotic Bontrager Team pitch their tents, well Mr Potter rips our tent just in time for the rain. Cy has chosen a brilliant spot right in the centre of the camping area. At this point in time we feel like the entire grassy area belongs to the Cotic Bontrager Team as only a few other people have arrived early to set up camp. I’m desperate to move so head off for a walk leaving the boys to overdose on carbs and hydrate ready for the racing on Saturday....that be with a few bottles of beer and a healthy dose of pasta.
Friday morning, the sun is out in full force. I haven’t ridden my bike for two days and I’m desperate to check the course out. I round the boys up and we make our way around the 12km loop. The start involves a rough grassy straight that is a perfect section to warm up on, before heading to the first climb that leads to a flowing piece of single track beneath the trees....soooo nice. Then follows a short tarmac climb, before a bumpy wide trail that leads to another glorious piece of single track....may the fun begin! Already I’m battling my brain. Do I chase Ian down or do I conserve energy for the next day? There are some super fast corners and a couple of tighter bends around some trees, then a short section of wider trail before a super fast piece of single track, over a few roots, with a cool little switchback that drops on to another passing point....this is a yummy trail as I like to say! Then there is more fire road before my favourite section of woops....reminding me of a roller coaster ride.....yippees can be heard all round. Then a longer section of single track that drops on to a super fast fire road that leads to the river crossing; a successful attempt through the stream by all, but feet are feeling rather wet and the water is colder than I expected it to be. There is some more climbing to enjoy, where we check out some lines and make a few adjustments to the bikes to suit the course. A short fast rocky descent later concerns me as I hate sharp rocks and the last thing I want is to rip my tyres as I’m always the one who finds the sharpest rocks. However it’s soon forgotten when we hit the dual single track, racing each other to work out which trail is best. Then the course widens out and a fast grassy bumpy descent back down to the arena leaves the four of us smiling high. There is still about 500m before you head back through the timing point, and along the way there are a few bends where I attempt to block Ian by forcing him into the side, keeping elbows out in order to intimidate the ol’ guide...he is not intimidated in the slightest and pulls a wheelie just because he can...grrrr.
Friday afternoon and I settle back down at Cotic Bontrager camping headquarters (which has now expanded to include the AQR racing team and our friends from the Yeti crew) where I have the pleasure to chat to Keith Bontrager. The two of us talk racing, riding and living the life of mountain bikers who just love experiencing adventures by bike. Time flies when you’re having fun and soon it is time for more pasta, more water, a little head banging action as the rock band begin and then more sleep....I’m such a party animal. I leave the boys to party with the Trek crew as I can’t wait for the racing to begin tomorrow.
THE MAIN EVENT
I nominate Ian to start because he looks like he has too much energy for his own good and needs to take a chill pill. Mr Potter is looking fired up, and is making the most of his new status as a racing diva rather than KP’s pit man....sorry Paul (our team mechanic who Ian is driving crazy). Ian is no stranger to the racing scene, but stopped racing seriously 15 years ago due to a chronic fatigue type illness that kept him off the bike for over three years. During that time Ian was a top expert racer, always just missing out on a podium place in a field of over 100 racers, except one day when he finished second.....but the weather was so bad that they cancelled the podium ceremony (doh!). Ian often reminisces about those racing days, even pulling out his bright purple and yellow lycra from the 80’s that he promises me was really cool back in the day....maybe. Since then he has raced 7 times over the past 15 years for a bit of fun, or rather because I have bullied him into it. Due to the nature of mountain bike guiding Ian doesn’t train properly, but every now and then he decides to accompany me up a long col out here in France and takes great pleasure in waiting for me at the top :) . Anyway to cut a long melodramatic story short I really hoped when Ian turned 40 he would catch the racing bug back again. For selfish reasons really as it's much better to say I can’t keep up with my hubby who is a top level Vet racer, rather than an ‘ol’ fat guide who wears faded fluorescent racing lycra from back in the day’, these are Ian’s words not mine, as he takes great satisfaction in beating me. To my delight Ian agreed to race me at Bontrager 24/12, yes race me, as I challenged him to a racing dual, even though we were on the same team. Fastest Potter average lap time over the 12hrs doesn’t have to do any housework for a month.
Anyway back to the racing. Ian had a great start and must have been in the top ten at the end of the starting loop. He was looking a bit too quick for his own good, but as he passed me he stuck his tongue out which meant he was cruising comfortably. The Potters were up against strong competition including the elite pairing of TORQ’s Ryan Sherlock and Mel Spath, national champion Jenny Copnall and partner Richard who called themselves ‘JC and Me’, plus local favourites Phil Morris and Madie Horton. I have to admit I didn’t think we would be strong enough as a pair to be close to these three teams, or to make it on the podium, especially as we decided to race equal laps. However we looked forward to the challenge and I was determined to see Ian become house keeper for a month.
12-6pm
The Potters weren’t doing too badly, in fact we were in second and doing much better than expected. For the first 6hrs we were within a minute to the leading TORQ duo, and at one point had gained a 20 second lead over them. Ian and I were feeling good and our lap times were consistent. As I expected Ian was 1-2 minutes quicker than me, but there was still 6hrs to go and I was saving myself for the second half of the race....I was determined to get out of the house work. On one lap I managed to keep Ryan in sight and knew Ian would be out against Mel so thought he might make up some more time. However Mel wasn’t too far behind when Ian came through at the end of his lap. I found out later that Mr Potter had ripped his tyre, and left his forks locked on by accident. As expected Ryan stormed passed me on the next lap, but then I experienced wobble on down an early descent and I heard somebody call out that my tyre was going down.....nooooooo! The strange thing was I kept thinking it was my rear tyre that was going down, but perhaps after 6hrs of racing my brain was feeling a bit muddled because when I stopped the rear one was rock hard, but the front tyre had only about 10 psi in it. Back at the camp Cy made the call, took my favourite tyre off and discovered all the latex had dried up and wasn’t sealing properly. I’m quite sentimental when it comes to my tyres and I really wanted to use the tyre I had started with. I think Cy sensed I was feeling a bit sad, but fortunately he sorted it in the nick of time and I started my next lap feeling like I had air in both my tyres :)
6-12pm
The second half of the race the Potters started to lose touch with the Torq duo. Ryan was riding two laps to Mel’s one, and though he was riding alot more laps than anyone else in the mixed category he seemed to look much stronger all of a sudden.....all that Torq fuel methinks. Then again I was using it too, so I guess it just comes down to Ryan being a very fast and efficient rider. It was pretty impressive. Ian and I made a few mistakes as we started to tire. Ian decided to ride the course again without any suspension and then twisted his rear hanger so that his gears were jumping all over the place. There was still less than 10 minutes in it, but then I decided to stop eating because nausea had set in. I couldn’t keep any food down. The frustrating thing is that the legs felt strong, and I loved riding the course, but the last three hours I wasn’t sure if I could keep going. Ian was finishing each lap and then riding over to the first bridge to cheer me on, but I felt terrible because Ian was still riding fairly consistently, still looking perky, but his darn wife was looking green and letting him down....it looked like I would be house maid after all. I couldn’t face trying to ride a really fast lap as part of the ‘Queen of the Night’ competition, but then Ian encouraged me to push on so I tried to keep it smooth and went as hard as I could. On my 10th lap I was told we still held a comfortable lead over third place, but there was no way we were going to catch the Torq team who were too strong. I finished a cruisy 20th lap just after midnight in second place.....cheers all round!
EPILOGUE
Mr and Mrs Potter survived the 12hr mixed pair at the Bontrager 24/12. As a result the Cotic Bontrager Racing duo will not need marriage counselling after all, as it brought us closer together. Ian finally stood up on the podium after all those years of 80's race reminiscing, but this time it was alongside a wife, in much trendier AQR race strip than his battered purple and yellow lycra. I have accepted my role as house keeper for the next month, on the condition that Ian remembers that he is not a racing diva anymore and to revert back to his AQR guiding ways....until the next mixed event that comes our way of course.
Congratulations to all 24/12 competitors across the whole weekend, and a special mention to our friends A Quick Release.Com and Yeti for winning their categories. There must have been some magic surrounding our campsite, or just plenty of team spirit....even AQR rider Iain made it ‘til the end after illness and wife slamming his fingers in car door made the whole experience a memorable one for all of us.....perhaps you two should team up next year :)
Thankyou Martyn Salt, Keith Bontrager and the Inevent Team for another superb event, already looking forward to next year.
Plus special thankyou to Cy and Paul from Cotic who made up the racing team and who took great care of the Potters across the entire weekend.
Thanks to AQR's James Dymond for the mixed pairs podium shot....Ian is going to frame it.
As always Special thanks to –
Cotic – www.cotic.co.uk
Bontrager – www.bontrager.com
A Quick Release Holidays – www.aquickrelease.com
Torq & Torq Australia – www.torqfitness.co.uk
Magura Forks – www.magura.com
Hope – www.hope.com
Skins – www.skins.net
And co-sponsors Crank Brothers, SRAM, Catlike Helmets, Lumicycle, Bigfoot bags, 661 gloves, Sundog eyewear, Ergon bags and Purple Extreme Lubricants.
Showing posts with label 2nd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2nd. Show all posts
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Australian National Cross Country Series Round 4 – Mt Beauty, Victoria.
The Cotic Bontrager Race Team has arrived back in the UK, leaving behind the hot dusty days of Oz and settling back into the frost filled mornings of winter in the UK. I decided to write my last Aussie race report when I returned to the UK, as I thought the distant memories of an Aussie summer would bring some much needed warmth back into my bones….mmmm maybe not as I sit here all rugged up in a dozen layers and my trusty ol’ Cotic beanie.
It was a week between the Australia National cross country race in Canberra and the final round of the Australian Series down in the Victorian Alps. After a disastrous race in Canberra I couldn’t wait to have another crack at a national XC race. I had all this built up frustration that I wanted to let rip on the racecourse and I was determined to make the final race in Oz a good one. Ian was also pleased I had another race so soon after the worst race of my life, as he was forced to spend over 6hrs in the same vehicle with an angry Ms Potter, who I must say was becoming quite the whingeing Pom of the Potter brigade at that moment in time. As somebody who loves to race hard, there’s nothing worse when perfect preparation and strong legs aren’t enough to bring home a good result. I guess that’s what makes mountain bike racing so exciting, and why I actually thrive on turning a bad race into a good one.
I was looking forward to racing at Mt Beauty again. The mountain bike club, ‘Team Mount Beauty’ who were organising the event, have developed a wide range of trails over the years, including plenty of down hill tracks that are all very testing, along with huge single track climbs that are a pleasure to suffer on, if that makes any sense. The area is similar to our summer home in the French Pyrenees, and the local mountain bike scene is a true blue biker friendly one. I’m not going to go into tonnes of detail about the three days leading up to the race. All I can say is those three days were spent riding and enjoying the beauty that is Mt Beauty, it’s one of the loveliest places to go mountain biking in Oz.
The morning of race day I woke up feeling rather sad as I knew it might be a couple of years before we would return to race in Australia again, unless we win the lottery. Ian couldn’t understand my mixed emotions the morning of the race. One minute angry to race hard, the next minute a right cry-baby who was sad to leave Oz…so as all good husbands do he threw me in the pool. It did the trick though, as I couldn’t stop laughing after that and all my nerves disappeared.
I decided to warm up early and focus on my race plan, or rather I tried to think of a half decent race plan. I knew a good start was crucial, but I was going to be starting towards the back of the grid, which meant I could get blocked on the single track early on as there wasn’t much overtaking space on this course. I tried to imagine each section of the course and where there would be opportunities to pass people.
The start of the course was a fairly wide 100m climb that soon became a narrow piece of single track into the first technical section of the race. A set of tight switchbacks followed, before a series of step-downs in between a couple of gum trees or rather one tree that had been split at the base to form a V. It wasn’t a difficult section to ride slowly, but you had to be careful your handle bar didn’t catch the side of each trunk as it would be easy to lose momentum and end up kissing dirt. There was an A and B line at the end of this section. The B line was a short steep drop on to the fire road, while the A line was again through a tree, but you had to roll over a huge root to begin with as you entered the V line of the trunk. In practice I only saw the elite men riding the quicker line. Ian asked me what line I would ride during the race. It wasn’t really a question though, but rather ‘YOU WILL RIDE THAT LINE!’ I can tell when Ian expects me to ride something easily. Mr Potter gives me this daring little smile and sometimes does this really bad imitation of some creature called Yoda who says ‘Do or do not, there is no try!’. The voice is cringe worthy at the best of times. The A line was definitely the faster line. So I went for it and had no worries rolling through the tree, in fact it was quite easy once I relaxed and believed I could ride it. One of my pet hates is when your mind plays tricks on you and makes you think a trail is much harder than it actually is.
Once you dropped on to the fire road the climb really started and soon turned into a narrow piece of single track that weaved up the mountainside. I lost count of the number of switchbacks, and rooty straights that followed; plus there was a cheeky little rock garden that forced your whole body into action in order to maintain constant speed over the sharp jagged rocks.
At the top of the climb there was a wide trail of no more than 300m long that lead to some really testing single track at speed. There were fast sandy berms, and logs to jump, before a tight switch back that dropped into a fast bomb hole, that was longer than any bomb hole I have ever ridden in the UK. The trail was pretty rough at the bottom, with plenty of braking bumps to keep it testing. Then the trail narrowed into an off camber section over a few rocks, before another off camber shoot that had roots and rocks across it, forcing you on to the clearest line that was right on the edge of a drop that was eroding away.
The trail then undulated through the tress and this is when the fun really started. You could pick up plenty of speed, but there were numerous obstacles in the way from rock gardens to north shore, drop offs to bmx style jumps that kept you buzzing all the way down. Parts of the trail were grippy for an Aussie trail, but every so often the sandy sections would leave you drifting wide as your tyres tried to find grip. There were a few short steep climbs towards the end of this section to remind you how painfully fun mountain biking always is, before more fast bermed sections that were such a pleasure to ride hard. Once you left the gum trees behind you faced a wide grassy descent that had huge deep gullies all the way down. Ian was jumping the lot of them in practice, and just letting the brakes off all the way down. I was a bit more conservative (or perhaps a little too chicken) to let the brakes off completely, as I had visions of nose-diving in the air if I got my timing wrong. There was a drop off at the end of this section as the trail widened, before a short piece of single track that opened up to the finishing straight.
I spent my entire warm up before the race imagining the course from start to finish and different scenarios that could take place. I knew the lines I wanted to take and even dared myself to let go of the brakes on the last grassy track, as that was the only section I was not riding aggressively enough in practice.
When the race started, as expected I was blocked, and not in the best of positions early on as I made my way into the first technical section between the trees. I was ready to dismount and run, as I knew there would be a bottleneck and somebody was bound to fall. As expected it was a girl right in front of me, so I jumped through the trees trying my best not to tread on her head and focused on riding the A line. All the girls in front were taking the B line, so I knew it was a good opportunity to make up some positions. However I didn’t have a lot of speed and as I approached the root the side of my body was forced into the trunk and I was on the verge of going over the handlebars. There were a lot of spectators watching this section, and as always you heard the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ as the riders passed by, including plenty of cheering. I didn’t want to kiss dirt in front of this crowd, so I had to think of Ian’s bad Yoda impression ‘Do or Do Not, there is no try!’. I looked ahead and somehow made it on to the fire road where I moved into 5th or 6th position…so three cheers for Yoda who made me think DO!
I started to make up more places on the climb, but found myself behind Dellys Starr who had about a 20 second gap on Rowena Fry who was leading the series and Tory Thomas the local favourite. I tried several time to pass the girls in front, but they held their line confidently and I remained buzzing on their back wheels. I felt like I could have ridden the climb quicker, but I was lacking any short sprint power to get by. On the descents they were both rapid, and I had to give it everything to keep them in sight. It wasn’t until half way round the third lap that I finally passed Tory and caught up to Rowena who was in second place. I remained on Rowena’s back wheel and encouraged her to get a move on up the climb, as I was certain we were going to be caught.
On the final lap I had to think about making a move, as I knew I had to be in front of Rowena going into the final descent. It wasn’t until the top of the final climb that I passed Rowena and then I just sprinted as hard as I could. I thought Rowena was still on my back wheel, and I knew I had to let go of the brakes down the last grassy descent if I was going to stay in front. I remembered Yoda and thought to myself ‘Do or Do Not! There is no Try!’. I pushed myself to find air over the grassy jumps and let out a little squeal in the process. I would like to say it was a squeal of delight, but I’m pretty sure it was one of ‘Holly cow, please let me land this…type squeal’ if you get my drift. I sprinted all the way across the finishing straight and took a very pleasing second place behind Dellys Starr.
I absolutely loved this race from start to finish. The course was testing both physically and technically. It wasn’t enough to be fit, you had to be able to ride a mountain bike to really enjoy this course. It was a nice feeling to have a good race, especially as this was the last national race on my 07 Cotic Soda, who has looked after me and been my own little brumby of a race bike. I have a slightly different Soda for 2008 that will hopefully be built up very soon, as I can’t wait to show her off to the biking world.
As always I’m very grateful to the Cotic Bontrager Team and loyal sponsors who continue to support my racing adventures in Oz, UK and across Europe.
Also a special thank you to Yoda for your inspirational words, and Ian Potter for being such a great team mate!
It was a week between the Australia National cross country race in Canberra and the final round of the Australian Series down in the Victorian Alps. After a disastrous race in Canberra I couldn’t wait to have another crack at a national XC race. I had all this built up frustration that I wanted to let rip on the racecourse and I was determined to make the final race in Oz a good one. Ian was also pleased I had another race so soon after the worst race of my life, as he was forced to spend over 6hrs in the same vehicle with an angry Ms Potter, who I must say was becoming quite the whingeing Pom of the Potter brigade at that moment in time. As somebody who loves to race hard, there’s nothing worse when perfect preparation and strong legs aren’t enough to bring home a good result. I guess that’s what makes mountain bike racing so exciting, and why I actually thrive on turning a bad race into a good one.
I was looking forward to racing at Mt Beauty again. The mountain bike club, ‘Team Mount Beauty’ who were organising the event, have developed a wide range of trails over the years, including plenty of down hill tracks that are all very testing, along with huge single track climbs that are a pleasure to suffer on, if that makes any sense. The area is similar to our summer home in the French Pyrenees, and the local mountain bike scene is a true blue biker friendly one. I’m not going to go into tonnes of detail about the three days leading up to the race. All I can say is those three days were spent riding and enjoying the beauty that is Mt Beauty, it’s one of the loveliest places to go mountain biking in Oz.
The morning of race day I woke up feeling rather sad as I knew it might be a couple of years before we would return to race in Australia again, unless we win the lottery. Ian couldn’t understand my mixed emotions the morning of the race. One minute angry to race hard, the next minute a right cry-baby who was sad to leave Oz…so as all good husbands do he threw me in the pool. It did the trick though, as I couldn’t stop laughing after that and all my nerves disappeared.
I decided to warm up early and focus on my race plan, or rather I tried to think of a half decent race plan. I knew a good start was crucial, but I was going to be starting towards the back of the grid, which meant I could get blocked on the single track early on as there wasn’t much overtaking space on this course. I tried to imagine each section of the course and where there would be opportunities to pass people.
The start of the course was a fairly wide 100m climb that soon became a narrow piece of single track into the first technical section of the race. A set of tight switchbacks followed, before a series of step-downs in between a couple of gum trees or rather one tree that had been split at the base to form a V. It wasn’t a difficult section to ride slowly, but you had to be careful your handle bar didn’t catch the side of each trunk as it would be easy to lose momentum and end up kissing dirt. There was an A and B line at the end of this section. The B line was a short steep drop on to the fire road, while the A line was again through a tree, but you had to roll over a huge root to begin with as you entered the V line of the trunk. In practice I only saw the elite men riding the quicker line. Ian asked me what line I would ride during the race. It wasn’t really a question though, but rather ‘YOU WILL RIDE THAT LINE!’ I can tell when Ian expects me to ride something easily. Mr Potter gives me this daring little smile and sometimes does this really bad imitation of some creature called Yoda who says ‘Do or do not, there is no try!’. The voice is cringe worthy at the best of times. The A line was definitely the faster line. So I went for it and had no worries rolling through the tree, in fact it was quite easy once I relaxed and believed I could ride it. One of my pet hates is when your mind plays tricks on you and makes you think a trail is much harder than it actually is.
Once you dropped on to the fire road the climb really started and soon turned into a narrow piece of single track that weaved up the mountainside. I lost count of the number of switchbacks, and rooty straights that followed; plus there was a cheeky little rock garden that forced your whole body into action in order to maintain constant speed over the sharp jagged rocks.
At the top of the climb there was a wide trail of no more than 300m long that lead to some really testing single track at speed. There were fast sandy berms, and logs to jump, before a tight switch back that dropped into a fast bomb hole, that was longer than any bomb hole I have ever ridden in the UK. The trail was pretty rough at the bottom, with plenty of braking bumps to keep it testing. Then the trail narrowed into an off camber section over a few rocks, before another off camber shoot that had roots and rocks across it, forcing you on to the clearest line that was right on the edge of a drop that was eroding away.
The trail then undulated through the tress and this is when the fun really started. You could pick up plenty of speed, but there were numerous obstacles in the way from rock gardens to north shore, drop offs to bmx style jumps that kept you buzzing all the way down. Parts of the trail were grippy for an Aussie trail, but every so often the sandy sections would leave you drifting wide as your tyres tried to find grip. There were a few short steep climbs towards the end of this section to remind you how painfully fun mountain biking always is, before more fast bermed sections that were such a pleasure to ride hard. Once you left the gum trees behind you faced a wide grassy descent that had huge deep gullies all the way down. Ian was jumping the lot of them in practice, and just letting the brakes off all the way down. I was a bit more conservative (or perhaps a little too chicken) to let the brakes off completely, as I had visions of nose-diving in the air if I got my timing wrong. There was a drop off at the end of this section as the trail widened, before a short piece of single track that opened up to the finishing straight.
I spent my entire warm up before the race imagining the course from start to finish and different scenarios that could take place. I knew the lines I wanted to take and even dared myself to let go of the brakes on the last grassy track, as that was the only section I was not riding aggressively enough in practice.
When the race started, as expected I was blocked, and not in the best of positions early on as I made my way into the first technical section between the trees. I was ready to dismount and run, as I knew there would be a bottleneck and somebody was bound to fall. As expected it was a girl right in front of me, so I jumped through the trees trying my best not to tread on her head and focused on riding the A line. All the girls in front were taking the B line, so I knew it was a good opportunity to make up some positions. However I didn’t have a lot of speed and as I approached the root the side of my body was forced into the trunk and I was on the verge of going over the handlebars. There were a lot of spectators watching this section, and as always you heard the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ as the riders passed by, including plenty of cheering. I didn’t want to kiss dirt in front of this crowd, so I had to think of Ian’s bad Yoda impression ‘Do or Do Not, there is no try!’. I looked ahead and somehow made it on to the fire road where I moved into 5th or 6th position…so three cheers for Yoda who made me think DO!
I started to make up more places on the climb, but found myself behind Dellys Starr who had about a 20 second gap on Rowena Fry who was leading the series and Tory Thomas the local favourite. I tried several time to pass the girls in front, but they held their line confidently and I remained buzzing on their back wheels. I felt like I could have ridden the climb quicker, but I was lacking any short sprint power to get by. On the descents they were both rapid, and I had to give it everything to keep them in sight. It wasn’t until half way round the third lap that I finally passed Tory and caught up to Rowena who was in second place. I remained on Rowena’s back wheel and encouraged her to get a move on up the climb, as I was certain we were going to be caught.
On the final lap I had to think about making a move, as I knew I had to be in front of Rowena going into the final descent. It wasn’t until the top of the final climb that I passed Rowena and then I just sprinted as hard as I could. I thought Rowena was still on my back wheel, and I knew I had to let go of the brakes down the last grassy descent if I was going to stay in front. I remembered Yoda and thought to myself ‘Do or Do Not! There is no Try!’. I pushed myself to find air over the grassy jumps and let out a little squeal in the process. I would like to say it was a squeal of delight, but I’m pretty sure it was one of ‘Holly cow, please let me land this…type squeal’ if you get my drift. I sprinted all the way across the finishing straight and took a very pleasing second place behind Dellys Starr.
I absolutely loved this race from start to finish. The course was testing both physically and technically. It wasn’t enough to be fit, you had to be able to ride a mountain bike to really enjoy this course. It was a nice feeling to have a good race, especially as this was the last national race on my 07 Cotic Soda, who has looked after me and been my own little brumby of a race bike. I have a slightly different Soda for 2008 that will hopefully be built up very soon, as I can’t wait to show her off to the biking world.
As always I’m very grateful to the Cotic Bontrager Team and loyal sponsors who continue to support my racing adventures in Oz, UK and across Europe.
Also a special thank you to Yoda for your inspirational words, and Ian Potter for being such a great team mate!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Mountain Mayhem :: To Solo or not to Solo, that is the Question?
Racing, riding or simply surviving a 24hr solo is an enormous feat, and one all soloists should feel great satisfaction in completing. This year at the 10th Anniversary of Mountain Mayhem I was facing my 5th 24hr solo experience. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert at riding this distance nor would I say I’m a novice, I simply pedal and hope to God I will keep pedalling until 2pm Sunday afternoon. I don’t have any set tactics or plan in mind, it’s just wait and see how the legs feel and fingers crossed I will pedal all the way. I’m often asked how on earth I can keep riding my bike for that length of time. Well to be honest, what I have learnt from these experiences is that I’m a fraud, and cannot truly say that I race solo. I love riding my bike for 24 hours because it’s the only time I can truly say I’m part of a team.....it’s just that I do all the pedalling.
This year, like every other year, I have dragged Mr Potter away from his beloved mountains in Luchon, to sit in a field for 24hrs to watch me ride around in circles, and ensure the bike is working in tip top condition. I had friends from across the UK who very kindly gave up their weekend to cheer me on and help Ian and other soloists in the pit area. I have an amazing coach Matt, who not only runs TORQ, but who found the time to talk me through a low point in the race when stomach cramp and nausea well and truly set in. I even had fellow soloists, and team racers, including elite men and women, who were racing very hard, who all found the breath to wish me well and cheer me on. What’s more I had a gorilla jump out of the trees, and I’m presuming all those monkey noises meant ‘PEDAL!!!!’, and no it wasn’t Ian J . All this support and team-work in the soloist pit area makes the whole 24hr experience a memorable one, and the real reason why I keep biking back for more.
Like every other 24hr rider who competed at Mountain Mayhem this year I have my own story to tell, one that may interest some, or provoke a few yawns, but one I’m very proud to be able to write about.
The start of our 24hr experience began on Wednesday afternoon for the Potters when we flew back to the UK and discovered my bike had been lost on the plane (gulp). It was a mad rush to sort out a full suspension bike for the event, but thanks to Cy I was going to be using a small Hemlock.
On Thursday and Friday morning we frantically made check lists, packed and repacked our bags, as the rain in Nottingham got heavier, and I kept adding more and more wet weather gear. By the time I finished packing Ian couldn’t physically lift my bags, and we realised I had packed more than our 5 month trip to Oz (woops).
On Saturday morning I waited patiently as Ian put the final touches to the Hemlock. I was quite excited about riding it, as last year in Luchon I would often steal Ian’s Hemlock prototype for the technical climbs and knew it was a great trail bike…I just hoped I was worthy.
As 2pm approached on Saturday afternoon I was nervously watching the seconds tick by. I know when I’m nervous, as I kept tripping over my feet, and forgetting peoples’ names (sorry Ian). Suddenly it was time to sprint, and in typical KP form, I ran straight into the back of a few blokes who had stumbled. After quick apologies and a helping hand I was back on my feet using all my mental strength to imagine I was running in true Olympic form to the tune of ‘Chariots of Fire’. After what seemed like an eternity, but what was really only a few minutes, I was back on my bike and ready to roll. From that point onwards I knew my KP 24hr battle had begun, and it was up to me now to survive the next 24hrs, 48 ginger bar bites, and over 10000 sips of my carb drink in order to make it back to Pat’s well earned hand shake at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.
Before I knew it, light turned to brighter light, as the night-time laps began, and my Lumicycle lights went into action. This was my favourite part of the race. I missed out on night riding this winter with the AQR crew, and had forgotten how much fun and scary it can be at the same time. However my lights were so good that I didn’t actually notice the darkness and that fear factor was taken away from me. I also managed to stay on course, which will please Mr Potter no end.
As the sun rose you could be forgiven for thinking the end was almost in sight, but there were still 9hrs left. I knew there were still thousands of pedal strokes to be had. I was focusing on reaching 30 minute intervals and rewarded myself with a pat on an aching back every time I reached that point. My legs actually felt good at this point, and I was riding comfortably within myself. I had survived the night without any problems and not even a sleepy moment had crept in. I didn’t want to over cook it at any point during this event, as I wanted to finish and not be forced to stop at all.
As the 17th hour struck, I rode through the pit area and Ian said it was a good lap. That gave me oodles of confidence and I could feel my legs wanting to start cranking it up a little, as they were feeling strong. However, the next lap was my worst and nausea, followed my stomach cramp, had well and truly set in. The next few hours were hell. I was fighting that little voice inside my head that begged me to stop. There were 4 hours to go, which is still such a long time, and I was struggling to pedal. It was then I noticed Matt and Ian appearing at different spots on the course, talking me through the pain, and helping me to stay focused. As each 30 minute interval drifted by more and more people appeared on the side of the track who were cheering me on. Well the pain didn’t subside, but I felt quite lucky to have all my team mates supporting me, and knew I had to keep going as I didn’t want to let the team down.
I had made it to the 22nd hour and Ian informed me to make this my final lap. I was slightly confused, as I knew I still had two laps still in me; Although, after past experiences knew to listen to Mr P, who usually knows best at this point in time (but don’t tell him I said that). I met up with Jenn Hopkins at the DJ stand, who had also decided to make this her final lap. How that girl rides 24hrs on a single speed I do not know, but who I have enormous respect for. Together we made the most of the final lap and finished our personal 24hr battle together…..well until next year rolls round and we start the clock all over again.
A huge well done, and pat on the back to all soloists and team riders who made it through the 24hrs. Thankyou Pat Adams and your fantastic crew for another great event.
If you really want a personal challenge then I can definitely recommend taking part in a 24hr solo event. There are quite a few to choose from, including the Bontrager 24/12 in a few weeks time. To really prepare for riding 24hrs then try and take part in other endurance events, and talk to people who have participated in these events before to find out how they have coped with the experience. Every 24hr rider has their own individual way of riding, and their own personal story, but only you can discover what works best for you.
If anyone has any questions or would like any information about riding a 24hr solo event then please don’t hesitate to have a chat or contact me at any time.
A very special thank you to my hubby and friends, for making this weekend a memorable one. Looking forward to the next challenge…will let you know soon enough where I’m heading.
Cheers Team – Ian, Cy, Andy Gowan, Matt, Abbie, Stewie, Paul, The John’s and Joh, plus Effin Rich, Niall, Kelvin, Kinger, Sarah, Ian and Beth, Jenn H and everyone out there who spared a cheer for me, really appreciated it.
Special thank you to my title sponsors –
Cotic Bikes (www.cotic.co.uk)
Bontrager Wheelworks and Components (www.bontrager.com )
Plus my co-sponsors:
TORQ Fitness (www.torq.ltd.uk)
AQR Holidays (www.aquickrelease.com)
Pace Suspension (www.pace-racing.co.uk)
Hope Brakes and Headsets (www.hopegb.com)
Nike Cycling Footwear (www.nikecycling.com)
SRAM Transmission (www.sram.com)
Catlike helmets (www.nemesisgb.com)
Endura Gloves (www.endura.co.uk)
Crank Bros Pedals and Tools (www.crankbrothers.com)
Lumicycle Lighting (www.lumicycle.co.uk)
Bigfoot bags (www.bigfootbags.com.au)
Cyclops Powertap (www.paligapltd.co.uk)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
British NPS round 3 :: Back on the Soda
FREERANGE SPORTS OPTICS BRITISH XC & TREK MARATHON SERIES
Margam Park
June 2-3, 2007
Round 3 of the British Mountain Bike Series was held at Margam Park in Wales. I have always counted Margam Park as one of my favourite venues, especially as every year I have raced here the sun has been shining bright. I also love the mountains, and although not being the Pyrenees, the climbs are long and in places quite steep to really challenge your lungs, and test your skill level; There’s also the added bonus of the fast and flowing single track and fire road descents that always leaves racers buzzing. However, the weather forecast didn’t look too promising as a large black cloud appeared to be heading towards Wales. With the taste of Sherwood Pines mud from round 2 still ingrained in my mind, and two weeks off from training due to a persistent cold, I wasn’t expecting it to be one of my best races. Nevertheless, I was really looking forward to taking part, but more importantly getting back on the bike.
The cross-country race began at midday, and after a good start, I was leading the group down the tarmac straight and into the first section of single track. I tried not to over cook it early on, as I reminded myself that my legs had 4 laps of climbing to get through and with little speed in the legs I was relying on my endurance to get me through the race. By the end of the first lap Amy Hunt and Jenny Copnall had a 20 second lead over Liz Scalia, Jenn O’Connor and myself. I soon lost touch with Scalia who was too strong on the climbs, but managed to break away from O’Connor and for the rest of the race maintained my fourth position. I really enjoyed the race and thanked the sunshine gods for being kind to me today.
One race down, and the 100km marathon to go. I awoke feeling perky and bright, but didn’t know what to expect from my legs today. After a good start, I tried to keep up with as many of the elite men as possible, but I suddenly suffered an intense stabbing pain in my stomach. As I hit the top of the first fire road descent I tried to breathe through the pain hoping it would subside, before the long steep rocky climb that I remembered from previous years….but it didn’t. Loads of people started passing me who were very sweet as they cheered me on and asked if I were alright. Thank you for your support as I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep going at that point in time.
By the end of the first lap I had lost touch with Jenn O’Connor who was looking very strong, but I had maintained second place. I knew it would be impossible to catch Jenn up, as I just didn’t have the strength to race hard, so I road a steady race as part of my training for riding solo at the 24 hour Mountain Mayhem in a few weeks time. I really enjoyed the rest of the race as the course had brilliant descents and challenging climbs. I ended up riding with a few different people and together we encouraged each other to keep smiling and spin those legs.
I crossed the line in second place after 5.38 hours on the bike and was pleased as punch that I got through it.
CROSS COUNTRY Top 5 podium
1. Amy Hunt (TrekVW)
2. Jenny Copnall (Subaru Gary Fisher)
3. Liz Scalia (Team Bikes Ragusa)
4. Kate Potter (Cotic Bontrager)
5. Jenn O’Connor (Patterson Training)
MARATHON Top 3 podium
1. Jenn O'Connor (Patterson Training)
2. Kate Potter (Cotic Bontrager)
3. Jenn Hopkins (Minx Kona)
A Special thankyou to AQR's Paul Dexter and partner Jane for giving up your birthday weekend to help me out at the race, and even helping me take off my grubby shoes, cleaning my bike after each race and as always all your support and friendship.
Also a special thankyou to Joolze Dymond and Dave for your hospitality and showing me all the back roads of Bristol :) Thankyou for getting me to the race, and always making me laugh.
Margam Park
June 2-3, 2007
Round 3 of the British Mountain Bike Series was held at Margam Park in Wales. I have always counted Margam Park as one of my favourite venues, especially as every year I have raced here the sun has been shining bright. I also love the mountains, and although not being the Pyrenees, the climbs are long and in places quite steep to really challenge your lungs, and test your skill level; There’s also the added bonus of the fast and flowing single track and fire road descents that always leaves racers buzzing. However, the weather forecast didn’t look too promising as a large black cloud appeared to be heading towards Wales. With the taste of Sherwood Pines mud from round 2 still ingrained in my mind, and two weeks off from training due to a persistent cold, I wasn’t expecting it to be one of my best races. Nevertheless, I was really looking forward to taking part, but more importantly getting back on the bike.
The cross-country race began at midday, and after a good start, I was leading the group down the tarmac straight and into the first section of single track. I tried not to over cook it early on, as I reminded myself that my legs had 4 laps of climbing to get through and with little speed in the legs I was relying on my endurance to get me through the race. By the end of the first lap Amy Hunt and Jenny Copnall had a 20 second lead over Liz Scalia, Jenn O’Connor and myself. I soon lost touch with Scalia who was too strong on the climbs, but managed to break away from O’Connor and for the rest of the race maintained my fourth position. I really enjoyed the race and thanked the sunshine gods for being kind to me today.
One race down, and the 100km marathon to go. I awoke feeling perky and bright, but didn’t know what to expect from my legs today. After a good start, I tried to keep up with as many of the elite men as possible, but I suddenly suffered an intense stabbing pain in my stomach. As I hit the top of the first fire road descent I tried to breathe through the pain hoping it would subside, before the long steep rocky climb that I remembered from previous years….but it didn’t. Loads of people started passing me who were very sweet as they cheered me on and asked if I were alright. Thank you for your support as I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep going at that point in time.
By the end of the first lap I had lost touch with Jenn O’Connor who was looking very strong, but I had maintained second place. I knew it would be impossible to catch Jenn up, as I just didn’t have the strength to race hard, so I road a steady race as part of my training for riding solo at the 24 hour Mountain Mayhem in a few weeks time. I really enjoyed the rest of the race as the course had brilliant descents and challenging climbs. I ended up riding with a few different people and together we encouraged each other to keep smiling and spin those legs.
I crossed the line in second place after 5.38 hours on the bike and was pleased as punch that I got through it.
CROSS COUNTRY Top 5 podium
1. Amy Hunt (TrekVW)
2. Jenny Copnall (Subaru Gary Fisher)
3. Liz Scalia (Team Bikes Ragusa)
4. Kate Potter (Cotic Bontrager)
5. Jenn O’Connor (Patterson Training)
MARATHON Top 3 podium
1. Jenn O'Connor (Patterson Training)
2. Kate Potter (Cotic Bontrager)
3. Jenn Hopkins (Minx Kona)
A Special thankyou to AQR's Paul Dexter and partner Jane for giving up your birthday weekend to help me out at the race, and even helping me take off my grubby shoes, cleaning my bike after each race and as always all your support and friendship.
Also a special thankyou to Joolze Dymond and Dave for your hospitality and showing me all the back roads of Bristol :) Thankyou for getting me to the race, and always making me laugh.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Australian National Point Series, Round 4, Mount Beauty Victoria - by Kate Potter
The final round of the Australian national cross country series was held at Mount Beauty, Victoria. Before I become all journalistic and report on the radical up and down action of the ladies elite cross country race, I just need to give this area a huge plug. If ever you go to Australia then check out the Aussie Alps. Mount Beauty is a real beauty and a must ride for mountain bikers of all shapes and sizes. For the skinny climbing wizards out there then you can spend all day climbing high and still never think you’re going to reach the top. Where the single track and variety of technical descents will leave other riders shaking for more, a few crying for their mummy, but many grinning from ear to ear as the descents feel never ending.
From Sydney the journey took 8 hours. After a 4am start and too many Aussie tunes crackling on the radio, Ian and I were well and truly ready to hit the trails when we arrived in Mount Beauty. It probably wasn’t the best idea to go for a ride, as the drive took so much out of me…even though I slept most of the way. How I have survived 24 hour solo efforts I don’t know, but to be fair you would sleep too if you’re husband started singing ‘Waltzing Matilda’. Boredom does strange things to the man.
The race course started on a wide draggy trail with a little grassy climb that really zapped your energy. It soon turned into a lovely flowing piece of single track, with a few roots and rocks to glide over, but nothing too technical. There were a couple of short steep sections that shocked the lungs into action, followed by more flowing single track, before the course widened out to a fire road trail of around 500 metres. The second half of the course is where your technical head was well and truly needed. The top section of single track was loose and off camber, before you rolled over some logs and made your way to a three foot drop off. There was a long section of single track that followed with a mixture of wide and tight switchbacks, with small jumps and drop offs to blast over. There were a couple of cheeky little climbs in between, before you hit the ‘Rock Garden’. The next 500m was extremely technical and there were longer B line sections for riders who decided not to brave the rocks.
The first section of the rock garden actually looked a lot harder than it was, if you had a bit of speed and your confident head on that is. First you had to ride across several SHARP rocks, before turning tightly on more SHARP rocks , before riding down more not so SHARP rocks, but sharp enough and steep enough to make you think twice about whether you really wanted to risk skin and bone for a few extra seconds. As you can imagine I looked at it for a little while - OK a long while! - before several slow attempts made me realise that unless I let go of my brakes I was going to lose some skin and look like a spanner. When I finally rode this section I knew speed was my friend. There were more rocky sections to follow, superb switch backs and a couple of bridges. I kept whispering ‘speed is your friend’ and my Soda responded swiftly. I felt invincible and could feel my endorphins pumping high. As race courses go this was fair dinkum!
I was mid sentence when I caught myself saying ‘I just want to ride the course one more time’. The first thing Ian taught me about mountain biking was that you never say you’re going to ride ONE MORE TIME. I whispered to myself ‘speed is your friend’ and decided to really attack the single track and go for gold on the drops offs and jumps. Perhaps my confidence was a little too high, as I sprinted at full speed, hoping to match Ian in the air, only to completely miss time the jump, forget to pull on the bars, nose dive (literally) and land ever so gracefully on my head. If only this was an exaggeration. I didn’t feel myself land, in fact I thought I was riding through space, as the stars drifted by. Then the pain set in and my head felt twice as large, if only it were a few more brain cells. Three Ian’s were staring down on me (scary thought!) and a strange tingling sensation from my shorts. From one pain to the next, I quickly moved into action as I had landed on a huge ant’s nest. I decided that for now speed would not be my friend and I just wanted to collapse into bed.
The next day I was black and blue all over and every muscle in the body ached. Then to really cheer me up it rained….a lot! As the girls lined up the rain stopped a little but the damage had been done and we all knew it was going to be a tough race. As we sprinted off I found myself behind Tory Thomas who was leading the series. I waited patiently to make my move on the fire road climb, but as I tried to find that extra zip , my legs had other ideas, and decided they were quite happy at the pace they were going. By the end of the first lap I was in third, but there were girls right on my tail. By the end of the second lap my legs felt happy again and I was making time up on the girls in front and I was really enjoying the single track. Every now and then I caught a glimpse of the girls in front, but they were too strong on the descent for me to make anymore time up. I crossed the line in third feeling a little bit disappointed as my legs felt too fresh for their own good. The fast twitch fibres just weren’t in action today, but it was a great course and one I hope to return to in the future. In fact an area I recommend any mountain biker to check out if they head to Oz in the future.
Tory Thomas won convincingly in front of her home crowd, and became the overall national series winner. Unexpectedly I managed to take second in the Australian series, after only racing three out of the four events. My pal Zoe King took third.
We were due to fly back to the UK shortly after this race, but have been advised by the Australian national coach to stay for the Oceania Championships. It was a hard decision as we have really missed the rain, sleet and cold this winter.....honest! Looking forward to a hard race and also two weeks of interval torture as I attempt to wake my legs up from their slumber.
As always I can’t thank all my family, friends and industry sponsors enough for all their support out here in Oz. A special thankyou to –
Cotic Bikes
A Quick Release Holidays
Bontrager Wheelworks and Components
TORQ Fitness
Pace Suspension Forks
Hope Brakes and Headsets
Bigfoot Bike Bags
Plus I can’t forget pit partner Ian Potter who has braved spider, snake and koala bear to help me race out here in the Aussie jungle.
Also thanks to the boys at Crank Bros, Cyclops Powertap and Endura.
From Sydney the journey took 8 hours. After a 4am start and too many Aussie tunes crackling on the radio, Ian and I were well and truly ready to hit the trails when we arrived in Mount Beauty. It probably wasn’t the best idea to go for a ride, as the drive took so much out of me…even though I slept most of the way. How I have survived 24 hour solo efforts I don’t know, but to be fair you would sleep too if you’re husband started singing ‘Waltzing Matilda’. Boredom does strange things to the man.
The race course started on a wide draggy trail with a little grassy climb that really zapped your energy. It soon turned into a lovely flowing piece of single track, with a few roots and rocks to glide over, but nothing too technical. There were a couple of short steep sections that shocked the lungs into action, followed by more flowing single track, before the course widened out to a fire road trail of around 500 metres. The second half of the course is where your technical head was well and truly needed. The top section of single track was loose and off camber, before you rolled over some logs and made your way to a three foot drop off. There was a long section of single track that followed with a mixture of wide and tight switchbacks, with small jumps and drop offs to blast over. There were a couple of cheeky little climbs in between, before you hit the ‘Rock Garden’. The next 500m was extremely technical and there were longer B line sections for riders who decided not to brave the rocks.
The first section of the rock garden actually looked a lot harder than it was, if you had a bit of speed and your confident head on that is. First you had to ride across several SHARP rocks, before turning tightly on more SHARP rocks , before riding down more not so SHARP rocks, but sharp enough and steep enough to make you think twice about whether you really wanted to risk skin and bone for a few extra seconds. As you can imagine I looked at it for a little while - OK a long while! - before several slow attempts made me realise that unless I let go of my brakes I was going to lose some skin and look like a spanner. When I finally rode this section I knew speed was my friend. There were more rocky sections to follow, superb switch backs and a couple of bridges. I kept whispering ‘speed is your friend’ and my Soda responded swiftly. I felt invincible and could feel my endorphins pumping high. As race courses go this was fair dinkum!
I was mid sentence when I caught myself saying ‘I just want to ride the course one more time’. The first thing Ian taught me about mountain biking was that you never say you’re going to ride ONE MORE TIME. I whispered to myself ‘speed is your friend’ and decided to really attack the single track and go for gold on the drops offs and jumps. Perhaps my confidence was a little too high, as I sprinted at full speed, hoping to match Ian in the air, only to completely miss time the jump, forget to pull on the bars, nose dive (literally) and land ever so gracefully on my head. If only this was an exaggeration. I didn’t feel myself land, in fact I thought I was riding through space, as the stars drifted by. Then the pain set in and my head felt twice as large, if only it were a few more brain cells. Three Ian’s were staring down on me (scary thought!) and a strange tingling sensation from my shorts. From one pain to the next, I quickly moved into action as I had landed on a huge ant’s nest. I decided that for now speed would not be my friend and I just wanted to collapse into bed.
The next day I was black and blue all over and every muscle in the body ached. Then to really cheer me up it rained….a lot! As the girls lined up the rain stopped a little but the damage had been done and we all knew it was going to be a tough race. As we sprinted off I found myself behind Tory Thomas who was leading the series. I waited patiently to make my move on the fire road climb, but as I tried to find that extra zip , my legs had other ideas, and decided they were quite happy at the pace they were going. By the end of the first lap I was in third, but there were girls right on my tail. By the end of the second lap my legs felt happy again and I was making time up on the girls in front and I was really enjoying the single track. Every now and then I caught a glimpse of the girls in front, but they were too strong on the descent for me to make anymore time up. I crossed the line in third feeling a little bit disappointed as my legs felt too fresh for their own good. The fast twitch fibres just weren’t in action today, but it was a great course and one I hope to return to in the future. In fact an area I recommend any mountain biker to check out if they head to Oz in the future.
Tory Thomas won convincingly in front of her home crowd, and became the overall national series winner. Unexpectedly I managed to take second in the Australian series, after only racing three out of the four events. My pal Zoe King took third.
We were due to fly back to the UK shortly after this race, but have been advised by the Australian national coach to stay for the Oceania Championships. It was a hard decision as we have really missed the rain, sleet and cold this winter.....honest! Looking forward to a hard race and also two weeks of interval torture as I attempt to wake my legs up from their slumber.
As always I can’t thank all my family, friends and industry sponsors enough for all their support out here in Oz. A special thankyou to –
Cotic Bikes
A Quick Release Holidays
Bontrager Wheelworks and Components
TORQ Fitness
Pace Suspension Forks
Hope Brakes and Headsets
Bigfoot Bike Bags
Plus I can’t forget pit partner Ian Potter who has braved spider, snake and koala bear to help me race out here in the Aussie jungle.
Also thanks to the boys at Crank Bros, Cyclops Powertap and Endura.
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