lisa morgan

This is the story of the best news I've had in over a year...

About a month ago I made the mistake of attempting to race a crit - it was a special race at the end of a crit racing workshop for women that Laura headed as a Capitelles event.  Numbers weren't ideal so I thought I'd be ok to try and sit in and make up numbers.  I have no concerns about coming last (it wouldn't be the first time!) and if I expect other women to just get out and give it a go why not show them it's not all about winning, just pushing yourself.

Unfortunately, what I hadn't tested in my slow recovery from multiple concussions, was exercise at high intensity.  I'd managed rides of varying lengths at a very very easy pace over the last few months, and in CX you can do your own thing and still feel like it was a good day out.  In a crit the whole point is to try and stick with the bunch and contest the sprints.  Hannah saw to it that no one had a show at a sprint, lapping everyone at least once (I think she came both first and second in the end) but for the first few minutes I tried to put a bit of effort in to my attempt.  Then BANG... my vision went.  I sat up and rolled around til the end and figured a good amount of rest would set things back on track like it had been doing.

After constant headaches and vision and vertigo issues, 3 weeks later I woke up and couldn't move for the pain in my head, cloud in my vision and earth moving under my feet (and I'm not in Christchurch).  Finally I admitted it was time for another consultation with a medical professional - generally with my history and symptoms the advice has been rest, rest and more rest - not easy for a pro-active/want to fix it now type personality but I'd done my best for well over a year and just sent myself hurtling backwards.  I needed to know if there was something more that could be done now.

I went away with a script and plans for bloods and probable referral to a neurologist.  Neuro referral is underway, bloods are the same as they were 18 months ago which is ok, but the hugest thing has been the treatment I walked away with has cleared up all my symptoms!!!  All my headaches appear to have been migraines, most likely caused by the impacts to my head, and all the other symptoms have been migraine related symptoms.  The consistant fatigue has probably been a result of the chronic pain. 

So all of a sudden, within the space of 24 hours, my vision became clear and it didn't hurt to open my eyes on a sunny day without sunglasses, it was as if a fog cleared from inside my head, and I felt energy flowing through both mind and body again in a way I'd forgotten it could.  I've had to take a few doses of the meds to maintain this wonderful new (and yet, in a way, old) state of mind and body but it means we are on to something and the future suddenly looks a whole lot brighter!

I've just spent the long weekend in Rotorua.  I rode 3 days in a row (being cautious and taking the shuttle to get to the more distant, fun tracks) - something I haven't done since I don't know when.  I'm tired, and my seriously unconditioned butt hurts, but I haven't had any of the nasty effects I would have had if I'd tried it any time in the last year.

It's a strange position to be in.  My injuries took over my life for a long time and now it looks like I might get control back.  I'm loathe to count my chickens, but can't help but think how amazing it will be if I can in fact get back on my bikes in some real way.  I'm in a state of disbelief at how I've felt over the last week and hoping to have more good news as things develop.  I simply can't explain the total transformation I'm experiencing at the moment but I felt it was worthy of a post, if only to mark what I hope is a turning point in my recovery.

It just goes to show... never give up (even on the days when it's really, really, really hard).  And don't stop looking til you find a great Dr!!!

It seems like a REALLY long time ago since that first race!  I guess it was about 15 weeks ago since there were 8 races 2 weeks apart each and it finished last weekend.  Despite the fact that I didn't do as many as I'd hoped (and certainly didn't blog as regularly as I intended) I did manage to ride in 4 of the 8 events and get pics of all the grades for a 5th when I just wasn't up to the effort of riding (get to pics from the link at the bottom).

With those 4 events I experienced all 4 of the local venues used through the series, all of which provided quite different terrains for the course setters to use to devise equally different yet challenging courses.  Here is a bit of a summary...

The first Trentham Memorial Park course was very flat but had plenty of gloopy mud to make things tough (and of course the barriers).  I missed round 2 as I headed down south for a holiday in Queenstown that happened to coincide with the CX national champs - awesome to spectate a race with so many CX bikes!  Pics here.  I was all ready to go for round 3 until I got hit with a nasty flu but finally made my way back on to the bike for round 4, held at Moonshine park.  The course had a triple personality with a good stretch of flat road for attacking (or recovering in my case), three climbs up the riverbank on varying angles requiring different techniques (eg. make use of height on the off camber, dismount/shoulder bike/run (okay, walk/crawl)), and long grass over bumpy ground or 'the barriers'.  I really struggled.

Round 5 I left the bike at home but took a whole lot of photos (on The Bike Hutt's facebook page), this time including C grade which I usually missed being on the bike myself).  It was at California Park on a course similar to the first race I saw in 2009.

Round 6 was another California Park course but very different and very, very cool with a couple of nice flat sections to roll nicely on, a few tricky pinches, what was essentially a 'technical descent' comprised of very muddy, slippery switchbacks, stairs (!) and barriers seemingly all over the show!  I particularly enjoyed this course.

Round 7 I was a no-show again.  I still have bad days with my long term recovery but they are very few and far between these days, and getting fewer and farther between.  It was back to Moonshine Park and from stories and photos I'm pleased I didn't ride it as I probably would have wrecked an ankle trying to run along the rocky riverbed in cleats!  Mean, nasty course setters...

The final was also the North Island Champs which attracted all the usual suspects, gave some the final nudge needed to hop on a bike after spectating all season, and a crew from Hawkes Bay out to contest the title, including national champ Dan Warren who impressed in Queenstown with a significant winning margin.

The course was brutal.  Slippery climbs, off camber slippery descents and corners, tricky tree roots, little barriers, big barriers, mud and a specially designed and constructed 'stairway to heaven' (see facebook pics) AND a gravel pit!  So UCI.  It definitely got tougher every lap but at the same time was kind of fun!  There were only 2 CX bikes in the race and the other one gave me a fine battle in which we switched places 3 or 4 times before I ran out of steam right at the end, literally metres from the finish.  So much fun and my body is coping with the effort so much better that I can't wait for the summer series that has been talked about.  How often do you get stuff like this practically in your back yard!

The championship race was awesome to watch, and make a bit more interesting with the inclusion of 'beer laps', literally down a beer, receive a lap on your total.  The first 3 riders over the line on the day were one of the Bay boys, Dan, and our own Ken Feist, but they were all put back a place for sipping nothing but sports drink when it was revealed Alex Revell had found time for 2 beers amidst a flat and a small crash and was awarded the title and the fairly impressive trophy.

I've had a blast all series and am really looking forward to more cyclocross and being able to do more, improve my technique, learn some tricks, and hopefully move up a grade and continue to progress in my own recovery.  As far as cyclocross goes, huge thanks has to go to Mike and his crew at The Bike Hutt for making it happen, and basically bringing CX to Wellington and introducing us to this awesome variation of our sport.  It's great for anyone - so achievable - just have a look at the kids in the photos - if they can do it anyone can!  Also big thanks to Ken for storing his spare bike in my garage so it's there for me any time. I'd probably still do it on the mtb but it's great that I can do it a bit more properly.

In an effort to participate in some form of regular riding, now that I know my body won't break down on me after nearly a year of recovery, my plan for the winter is to do the Bike Hutt CX series.  It would be a bit rude not to as half of the races are 2 blocks from my back door, and the rest not much further.  Don't be fooled - I'm not training or following any form of structure!  I just think it's a fantastic and fun way to be on a bike, particularly through a time of year when there is not much else going on.  It's been around for years in Europe and North America, but the first race locally was just 2 years ago, thanks to the crazy Texan who is healthily obsessed by the discipline. 

So my plan is to head along for the 30 minute race and cheer on the 45 minute race that follows (since it looks like there won't be a separate womens race due to low numbers - but that could change!!!).

CX is typically raced in brutal conditions - wind, rain, snow, hail, freezing cold...  Upper Hutt turned on it's usual sun and blue sky this morning but in the spirit of Cyclocross dumped a significant amount of rain on the park over the last couple of days.  With a running race held in the park yesterday we were at least treated to a good amount of mud.

With slick use of the soccer fields, Bartons Bush, a bunch of barriers, a set of stairs and the river bank the course was perfect.

I'd hoped there would be enough women to warrant a womens race but with all of 4 or 5 across both races it wasn't worth it, which meant I arrived almost in time for the first race and joined it a few minutes after the start (woops!).  There was a good number in the race and a great mix of riders - young and old, all types of bikes, just not enough women unfortunately.

As planned and with favourable weather I stuck around for the long race and snapped a few pics while cheering the riders on.

Many thanks to Mike and all the crew for making it happen and growing this awesome sport.

That's Mike, the instigator, leaping the barrier coming back the other way like a gazelle (I do not do such a good imitation of a gazelle myself over the taller barriers as the leg length to barrier ratio does not suit).

Yep, I've been living the quiet life lately while I continue to recover from the impact of one (or two or three) too many crashes that left me pretty messed up and unable to train and race since August last year.  Life on the bikes now, when I get out on them, is all about fun - and often about training Moose up to be a great bike-dog.  The last thing I did before picking him up back in January was ride at Makara with the girls:

Saturday just been was his first 'ride with the girls', also at Makara.

He goes pretty fast for a little dog, and he's still getting faster.  He's a great way to spend time now every spare minute isn't spent on or about the bikes, but even better he can be a part of it too!

Another thing keeping me busy is a bit of coaching.  I currently have Emma - an XC U23 rider, Charlotte - an endurance specialist, and Ken - the crazy CX'er.  With three such different disciplines, not to mention personalities (!) I am constantly challenged and absolutely loving it.  It's a real privilege to coach and I was lucky enough to have such a fine example in Robyn that it keeps me motivated to ensure my riders are getting the best out of me and themselves.

I've got a few adventures planned over the next couple of months and I'll be keeping one or other of the cameras handy at all times so hope to have some more footage to post in future.

It's a long time since my last update in here and the reason is simply that I haven't been doing very much riding!  But in the last few days I've picked it up a bit, and yesterday was a bit special as I had a crack at the 'longest day ride' which serves as a fundraiser for arthritis.  More here.

It's fair to say I was not well prepared for a lot of riding (an 8 hour in July and 6 hour in August doesn't really qualify!).  Over the last few months I've slowly come to the realisation that my days of high level training and racing are over - the last couple of concussions have left me with pretty awful ongoing symptoms when I try to ramp it up.  It's devastating in it's own way but I'm so grateful for the years I did have and it opens up a new chapter in my life - one in which bikes will still feature a lot!

I've always been up for a good challenge and recently Ken built one of his spare CX bikes up again for me to use for a bit.  A social ride on Saturday at Makara Peak with the girls was the perfect time to take it out for a spin and despite a bit of wet stuff it was an absolute blast.  It's a good thing there is now such and awesome alternative to Ridgeline to get back down these days because I'm not quite up to that yet, but Northface was amazing to ride on it.

On Sunday I joined a large group of PNP riders for an introduction to the new Tora track over in the Wairarapa.  Ken and I loaded up the CX bikes (and I took the Felt as well just in case) and headed over.  The plan for the day was a social loop in the morning followed by one or two laps of racing in the afternoon, but after the social ride took a lot longer than expected, and the loop wasn't quite the family friendly, smooth, flowy track a lot of people were prepared for the race was dropped to one lap and I'd had quite enough of getting beaten up!  I opted instead to lead out the kids race so they all knew the little lap before sending them off at full noise for a couple more.

So with my 8 and 6 hour races and a couple of rides on the cross bike I was as ready as I was going to be to hit the dirt at sunrise on the longest day.  It's a long time since I've been up at that hour and I couldn't believe I used to do it all the time just to fit a ride in or get to work early enough for a decent ride later in the day - the sacrifices of an elite athlete - so worth it at the time!

I was buddied up with Ken again for the day and while I was a bit more sensible for 15 hours of riding and took the Felt he was once again on his CX bike with standard roadie crankset - the man is a machine!  We'd initially considered a lap of Karapoti but a LOT of rain had fallen in our neck of the woods in the last couple of days so we opted for the shorter and safer Challenge course.  It's pretty nice to be able to do a loop like that from your doorstep and only spend about 15 minutes on sealed road.

Including a coffee stop, some quick photo stops, calling in on the guys at Bike Hut where I picked up some of my favourite endurance food, Sharkies, and doing a lap of the bmx course on the way home we managed to spend about 4 hours before getting back home for pie and extra caffeine.

Next up was the Crazyman course.  On the way we called in to see Gav at VIC who wasn't terribly impressed with our meagre progress after about 5 hours at that stage (some people are very hard to impress but he didn't even offer us a snack!).  Then it was over to Wainui Hill where we were very lucky to have a tailwind almost all of the way up before very cautiously crossing the traffic to head down Snail Trail and in to the Wetlands.  By then it was time for a can of coke from the local fishie store before heading up Jungle Gym and Labyrinth.  True to Wainui form I started to struggle to breath a bit in there and that continued for a lot of the ridge section as well - it was very humid, a bit wet at times and occasionally the visibility was very limited - the rest of the time it was just pretty bad.  I stopped taking photos because there was nothing to see but I did snap a little bit of footage.

Having ridden up the singletrack and feeling a bit off I wanted to stick to the new Crazyman course so we skipped the descent in to (and climb out of) Moores Valley.  I'm enjoying the freedom of riding what I want rather than what I need or have to - it's still a novelty

We made it through the only technical little section unscathed before bombing down to Kingsley St and dropping down to the Retreat behind a digger - that section is steep - it's impressive what a digger can get up and down!  There were some workers down there who were very cheery in letting us through while they were hunting around for a pipe they'd recently put in but apparently weren't too sure where - somewhere under all the mud!

Once we got back to ground level my lungs came right which made my legs wake up but I was pretty keen for a good break, some food and a change of kit so took about an hour out to do all of that (including caramel slice - I like this non-elite thing!) before heading in to town.

We met up with Jude who was doing a solo longest day mission and had just finished a meal after battling with the wind and trail-alligators up on Skyline.  I was keen  for her to come with us because with about 4 hours to go and conditions getting worse I was struggling to stay motivated.  Ken seemed like he'd just be able to keep going no matter what - even on a bike that leaves you feeling very abused after a short period of time.  But Jude was headed in a different direction so I sent out an emergency text to get some people to come out after work but they were also all going in different directions or had already ridden.

In the end we headed up the grand loop but at the top things were pretty rough in the wind.  I managed to stay on with the help of my non-training bodyweight but Ken was looking like being flown to Palmerston North against his will so we headed down North Face and waved the white flag at the carpark.  It wasn't such a bad idea because it meant we got to spend the last couple of hours before official sunset having beer and wedges in the pub with a bunch of others who'd done varying lengths of rides throughout the day as well - and in some ways that seemed very much in the spirit of the day.

• We did just under 130km of dirt riding (the first 115 or so in the first 9 hours) and were out for about 12 hours total including breaks
  
• We didn't drown in the lake on the Challenge course
• Ken didn't get whisked off to Palmerston North in the gale winds
• We were stalked by a bunny who appeared twice up at Karapoti and twice more in Wainui - Jude also saw him on Skyline - they are fast, bunnies are
• I nearly turned down an offer of beer from an Irish lass but quickly thought better of it because you don't turn down an offer of beer from an Irish anything
• It was awesome seeing the updates from people doing the same or similar things all over the country for both a good cause and a lot of fun
• There is life after elite and it's a hell of a lot of fun but I'm glad I did my time

Next up of course is Christmas which I will finally spend with family for the first time in 5 years and the bonus is I'll get to ride in the forest in Rotorua for Christmas - that's a bit special!

And in the new year... keep an eye out for this smiley little chap!

With a flurry of job vacancies opening up that suited me well it was time to leave the long, hot summer and make the trip south to where it's still cold, and very very wet!  But before I left I spent a few weekends out of Ottawa (where apparently it rained while I was away) heading south in to the US a couple more times to race under sunny blue skies.

Wildcat Epic 100

In it's first year of what will no doubt be many based on my experiences, the Wildcat Epic 100 is based in New Paltz, New York, about 500km south of Ottawa as the crow flys (but not as the Interstate drives).  This being my 3rd border crossing in a few months the interrogation was over much quicker than in the past - I'm beginning to feel like a local!

The Epic is a 2 day stage race of 50 miiles each day.  80km.  That's a pretty big day for me on the dirt but the terrain makes all the difference and there wasn't too much of technical which is what takes more time.

Day 1 consisted mostly of carriage way (gravel road) with a bit of XC ski trail riding thrown in.  It also included a fair amount of climbing, most of it all at once - around 2300m.  I hadn't paid any attention to course profiles so the amount of climbing all at once was a shock to me but the views on top of the ridge were spectactular.  We were treated to stunning scenery for most of the first day and able to split the distance up with well place feed stations.  We were however warned to keep an eye out for rattle snakes as apparently they like to sun themselves on the carriage way (who can blame them?).  I didn't see any and I could be wrong, but there were an awful lot of rattley noises that weren't just my hub while I was coasting.

Neutralised start

This was the gateway to the loop we rode on day 1 - I never even noticed on the way in!

Awosting falls - we rode around and up to the top for the view from up there too

Them thar hills - that's where we're going!  (It's worth it for the views)

Day 2 was much flatter but still had it's share of climbing.  It was an interesting course starting out flat with the neutralised start taking us on to the local rail trail for a few miles of flat before heading on to private farm land.  The owners of the land had cut tracks in to their land that we could use and had been riding round and round on a 4-wheeler to try and bed the tracks in.  It had sort of worked... but there were a lot of thick stalks threatening to pierce tyres, plenty of little apples on the ground in the apple orchard that felt like big marbles to ride over, and big pipes from the irrigation system that required a bit of bunny hopping to safely navigate.  It was unique riding for sure - after the fruit orchards we hit the vege patches - carrots to my right, pumpkins and potatoes to my left!

After that section we were back on to the rail trail in the opposite direction for a good 10 miles or so.  But any thought of settling in to a dirt TT position was thwarted by the numerous road crossings (sealed and dirt) we had to dismount for - good for practising the CX skills but rough on legs with over 100km in them already.  After we left the rail trail for the 2nd time we were on to some of the best riding of the whole 2 days - rocky, technical singletrack - but most were too knackered to really enjoy it.  The most unique section up this end of the course was the big cave we rode through.  The caves in the area were created by excavation of the rock that has been mined out of them and besides being a tad eerie, it offered a nice respite from the heat for a few seconds.

The last climbs of day 2 were nasty - short, but steep, and one was a hike-a-bike.  We finished of with just a few more miles heading back along the rail trail (wildlife count = chickens and a bounding deer) to the start where we were able to shower and enjoy a few snacks that were provided, along with a keg of blueberry beer for those who think it's ok to turn fruit in to beer.

All up the event was fantastic and though I was a fair way back from 1st I managed 2nd place with a handy gap over 3rd.

Day 2 - it 'rocked'.

Post -race bonding

There were a couple of Jamis riders who took out the mens race - they had time to take photos when they took an energy bar along on day 2 worth a look.

The weekend after this I tried to find a ride to a marathon event but couldn't.  My alternative was to accompany a friend to the final Canada Cup race in Bromont.  I didn't want to race it but was happy to go back after 2008 and ride the course.  First, it was dry.  Second, it's improved 10-fold and is now a really fun course.  The best improvement is the old opening climb is now a descent (the way it was designed) and I had a ton of fun doing that.  The technical stuff was still challenging in sections but being dry was 100% rideable and a lot of fun.  I enjoyed a couple of laps before giving in to the heat.  The next day I went for a roadie around the lake and surrounding towns to reminisce before meeting back up with Joanne to watch the elite race before her race.  Between Canadians and Kiwis I had plenty of cheering to do!

Vermont 30

It started out as a 6 hour on a 6 mile course, but these days the course is a tad over 9 miles because they keep building more awesome trails the organisers can't bear to leave out - and it's a good thing they don't because despite the long laps for a 6 hour, the trails here were super awesome!  Heading south once again but this time through a different border crossing (3 of the 4 US trips were through different crossings) and I was only asked one question 'where are you going' before being waved on through - I think they're even starting to like me!

The race was based in a very small town called Pittsfield, not far from a couple of popular ski resorts and near the southern border of Vermont.  Vermont is the smallest of the states that I've visited and compared to many it is tiny - I drove almost the length of it in a few hours (and in Vermont they stick to the speed limits!).  The New England area is very picturesque with a lot of rolling hills and a few high peaks, plenty of green.  I'd love to see it when the season changes but that will have to wait for another trip.

The race was a toughie - it was basically an up, along, down lap.  5+ miles of up, a few tough minutes in some super fun technical damp, rooty stuff once at the summit, then nearly 4 miles of one of the most wicked descents I've ever experienced.  They've gotten right in to building some of the sweetest berms I've ridden anywhere - big and high and just begging to be railed at pace despite the fatigue of the previous 5 1/2 miles.  After climbing for 45-50 minutes and working the bike for another 10 or so the reward is 20+ minutes of amazing descending.  By my 4th lap I was starting to hurt a lot on the climb - I've never been a fan of sustained climbing and in my untrained state this was really testing my limits.  Had the descent not been as awesome as it was it would have been hard to get motivated to keep heading out.  I knew this was my last race and I wanted to finish on a high so despite the fact I'd been gaining on 2nd and saw her heading out as I came in to finish my 4th lap I decided to pull the pin and finished up in 3rd.  The winning woman completed a massive 6 laps - one of the USA's top 100 mile racers (top 3 I was told).  They love the long distance stuff in that country - that could keep me busy for a while to come!

Le mans start - 1/4mile (400m), much of it uphill - wrong I tell you!

Bermy goodness

Farewell and a quick day trip to Montreal

During my final weekend in Ottawa I had a fantastic catch up out in the Byward Market with most of the amazing locals I'd met during my trip - rest assured I invited them all to come and visit, but I know I'll be back that way in the future too.

My last trip out of town was a quick one to meet a friend in Montreal - what a different place.  It's not like Quebec City, but not like anywhere else I've been in Canada either.  But pretty cool in it's own right, and loaded with parks, cafes and restaurants.  Despite it being my 3rd trip to Canada and having driven through and sat in the traffic at least half a dozen times in those trips I'd never ventured in to the city until now - a great catch up and nice way to finish off my last weekend of hot, sunny weather (probably until the next time I head to Canada!).

Back in NZland!

So I've been back a week and a half.  It was 41 degrees when I left Ottawa.  It's rained more often than not and my down jacket came out within 30 seconds of leaving the airport.  I was treated to airport to door luggage service which was quite nice (ie, my bags arrived on the next flight - all of them).  Given what I was charged for excess and a bike I think it's the least they could have done!

I've spent some time catching up with people but still lots to go, and this past weekend I was in Taupo supporting Jude in the 12 hour solo which she took out for the 3rd year running as a final warm up for solo world champs in Canberra in a few weeks (what, I have to get back on a plane???).  Was nice not being the only person fresh back from the northern summer and complaining about the wet and cold.

Idle hands are the devils tools and many will know I like to get up to a bit of mischief if I have the time, so it's lucky for any potential targets that the HR field is vacancy happy right now and I've been letting some organisations fight it out for my skills off the bike which will see me once more gainfully employed in a few days *sigh* - summer really is over.  Until then, I've been too lazy to put the Felt together so have not so sneakily stolen a SS to play on for a bit - I don't get the attraction so far, but I'll keep trying

Last weekend was a long weekend meaning some friends had more time to play than usual, so a group of 6 of us headed south in to NY state for a camping/riding trip at Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid.  The area hosted the 1932 and 1980 winter olympics and when looking for things to do in the area one of the first things I found and quickly became fixated on was riding in a bobsled on the 1932 track.

We all headed down on the Friday night and a couple of hours after my usual interrorgation at the border had set up camp and were keeping warm by the fire on what was a decidedly cold night after temps of 30-40 degrees for weeks.

On Saturday morning Tifenn, Seb and Tim loaded up to drive the 2km to Whiteface (downhillers...) where they were attempting the 10 run challenge - meaning if you got 10 runs in in a single day you got a free day pass.  With the lift open only 9-3:30 and these guys being prone to more mechanicals than... anything ever!... it would be a worthy challenge.  Laura and Ros enjoyed a sleep in before sightseeing and shopping.  I packed my back and rolled out of the campground, destination: Bobsled!

The 17km rolling, winding road to Lake Placid was nice to ride, at times with a shoulder wider than both lanes, past people fishing, rock climbing spots, water falls and hiking/riding trails.  It was a further 10km out to the sliding park where I purchased my Passport (entry and discounts to lots of things in the area) and bobsled ticket.

I've wanted to ride a bobsled since first seeing Cool Runnings way back when and finally I had a chance!  Not quite the same being summer so on wheels rather than rails, but riding up those curve walls hitting 90 degrees I think I got the idea!  The track for the experience is the half mile track but still included 3 corners that had us right up there.  They send you down with a driver, 2 paying passengers and brake man.  Travelling at 55mph feels pretty damn quick when your helmet gets forced down over your face with the g's in the turns.

The track is in the pic below - the blue squiggle on the right and the half mile start is just after the sweeping curve at the top far right.

Not the bobsled we rode in, but they used to use these!

We were just under 42 seconds for our ride (most I saw while I were there were over 42 - no I haven't been eating pies!) and I wore my batshit-crazy-grin from start to finish.  It was INTENSE and super awesome :o.  Still want to do luge and skeleton...

After my ride I waited in the sun for the next tour ride which took us up the new combined track (meaning it is used for bobsled, luge and skeleton) explaining what the different start points were for.  The main bits I remember were a series of curves called death valley, and that the 2-man competition can't start at the top because if they did the g's generated by the end of the track would cause the top guy to crush the bottom guy because they lie pretty much on top of each other - that's fast!

Death Valley

Finally, when we got to the top we were told we were able to walk down inside the track - none of us knew about that so it was a nice surprise and man, those curve walls are crazy high.  Also, we were told that in winter you can do luge rides - solo!  Our tour guide said 'we give you a luge, a roll cage and a helmet - and trust me, you'll make it to the bottom'.  I HAVE to come back here in the winter!

After all that excitement I headed back to the jumping area where I caught the very end of the daily freestyle competition off the 90m ramp - in summer they land in a pool.  The ski jumps were imposing from every angle and distance I saw them, and you can see them from a loooong way off.  I took the chairlift and elevator up and am not afraid to say I got that giddy feeling in my tummy looking down the ramp - you can't even see the landing!!!

From the road

Bottom of the ramp and drop off to landing (the other green is the landing of the next jump over)

I have nothing but respect and awe for the athletes who can do this sport.

On Sunday I left the camera behind and headed for the XC trails.  I was given a trail map for Bear Den Mountain which is right next to Whiteface but after about 2 miles it stopped making any sense at all.  The first intersection I got to was a 3-way when on the map it was 5-way, so I was following my nose, which took me a few miles further to a reservoir over some of the most technical stuff I've ever ridden to the point where I was thinking it was more like a walking trail than riding!  Strangely enough when I turned to go back the same way I saw a little trail marker that said 'foot trail'.  Weird, as I hadn't seen any in the other direction, but I thought I'd better be good and find a multi use trail to get back, but everything I took finished in a dead end so I ended up going back the same way anyway - it was getting pretty challenging by this stage as I'd been out in the heat for a couple of hours and was running out of liquid.  The riding was awesome though - I love that technical stuff.

After finding my way back to Whiteface I stopped for a bite to eat and caught up with Tifenn, Tim, Seb, Laura and Ros and a couple we had met the day before who were also riding the mountain for the weekend.  While I was eating Seb showed me a different map which had XC trails on Whiteface itself so after a break and some hydration and filling my bottle I headed off to check them out.  They were awesome - mostly descending because the trails in the park are generally accessed by lift, but these were low enough down to get to all of them via the VERY steep and VERY loose access road.  Like Karapoti, but steeper, and looser, and I'd already been riding 3 hours!  Fortunately it didn't take too long to ride them all and I could take my weary self back to the campground for a well deserved rest and night of hotdogs and smores.

Besides the bobsled there had been one other thing that had stood out to me and my passport included the fee ($5 for bikes).  There is an 8 mile Veterans Memorial Highway that goes almost to the summit of Whiteface.  All I knew was the distance - I hadn't checked out the gradient at all.  8 miles with an average of 8% (max 11) - I was very pleased I only had the mountie with me because I would have been cursing the standard crankset on the roadie I'm sure!  Including stops for photos (yeah, that's it, photos) and to admire a little snake (!) I took 1:26 to reach the top.

Toll booth at 3 miles

He was just a little fulla

The sign says 'participants should be in good physical condition' - wasn't totally sure I qualified after riding up!

At the summit (about 1.1km higher than the start - at times I felt like I was riding to the moon!) there is a walking trail to the very summit, but in the 1930's Roosevelt was President and being in a wheelchair couldn't access it this way so had an elevator built in to the mountain so everyone could get to the top.  The tunnel to the elevator is set at a year round 7/8 degrees C which believe me, feels VERY cold when you've climbed to the top at 31 degrees on a bike!

Unfortunately, after all the effort to get there I wasn't treated to much of a view!

But I still had the descent to look forward to!  I'd met some guys who'd done it on road bikes the day before (1:22 up not including stops) and they'd taken about 20 minutes to descend because the road was so rough and I could see why - it was horrendous for the first 5 miles for a road bike - mtb definitely the order of the day I can promise you that.  It was a brake-free, 12 minute, let it loose downhill - even the cars were good enough to wave me past - absolutely the fastest way down.  I peaked at 66.9kph - not bad on a 26" mountie with knobblies.

After all that effort I headed back to Whiteface for lunch but I hit the wall hard just a couple of km away - I haven't had that happen in many years but I guess the combination of climbing in the heat and my empty bottle told the story... so I stopped off for a great lunch when I got there.

Pulled pork sandwich, strawberry yoghurt and a rootbeer - just the ticket

Finally, my passport also included a ride up the Whiteface Gondola so I filled in my remaining time doing that.

Gondola goes up on the left

The summit I'd just come from and ski runs

It's time for a change of pace for me here in Canada - a bit of a break from structured training and the strict routines that go with it and the pursuit of results in pure XC racing, hence the reference to ' a change of pace'. 

With a few weeks left to simply enjoy I first spent a few days with the NZ U19 team as they raced the Ottawa Grand Prix (which I raced in 2008,) in preparation for Tour L'Abitibi which has just finished and in which they managed some great results.

The boys training in Gatineau Park and feeling the heat

Start line smiles at the Grand Prix

2nd place ahead of the field for Nick Sutton - the boys took half of the top 10 spots in the junior race.

I had a great time meeting these young guys and helping them out for a couple of days, and learning about the road programme that's been in place for a few years now, which is obviously working pretty well!  I'll be watching these guys over the next few years, that's for sure.

While I was out at the Grand Prix I ran in to one of the Tall Tree riders who was waiting for his race to start.  He asked if I was going to do the 8 hour the following weekend.  I'd heard about it, and briefly considered it, but hadn't made any attempts to get a ride to it, but when he said he was going alone we touched base later and confirmed I'd better get my entry in because it'd be silly to go all that way and not be able to race.

That's right, I said 8 hour.  And by that I mean solo.  Again, refer the title of this post: 'change of pace'.  I've ridden a bike for 8 hours twice before.  Once in the 2004 Moonride where I managed 11 hours of a 12 hour solo, and again in 2006 when I managed only 8 of the 12 hours in much harsher conditions in the same event.  Those efforts were done without any formal training, or knowledge of how to ride such volume and especially no idea how to fuel my body for them, but I survived - so I could survive this, right?

The race was on Saturday so on Wednesday I thought I'd better wake my legs up (I'm not training remember - the bikes and my legs have been in sleep mode since Edmonton) and spend a few hours pedaling.  I cleaned up the Felt and headed over to Gatineau Park to explore the trails outside of the Camp Fortune trail area (ie, the more recreational trails).

Mama deer ran in to the bushes but these little guys were curious enough to wait for me to get my camera out.

4 hours of picture taking and wrong turns on a mix of sealed paths, easy and intermediate trails left me feeling pretty good, so I felt confident about surviving the 8 hour so long as I paced myself and prepared to be in a world of pain for the last couple of hours (hopefully no more than that!).

On Friday afternoon Mike and I packed up and drove to his friend Ben's place - very conveniently located all of half a kilometer from Hardwood Hills and smelling like freshly baked cookies (chocolate chip and VERY tasty!).  Ben is one of the mechanics at Hardwood and is involved in coaching the junior development squad, plus runs guided tours and training camps in South Carolina in the spring.  He's also a fairly handy elite XC racer.  It's safe to say he knows his way around the sport!

Mike and I arrived in the solo pit area around 8:30 and were given some space under the ezi-up of Matt, another of Mike and Ben's friends.  I went and registered, laid out my bottles and food, and basically got ready to go.  Not long before 10 there was a group of riders at the start and I saw Tanya who was racing this event in a 2 person team, or 'tagging' as they call it here.  She introduced me to the girl next to me, Robyn, and said she was one of my competition and they discussed who else might be here.  They both seemed to agree that Sarah was likely to be the easy winner.  I reiterated that my goal was survival, pure and simple.  Racing and competing isn't on the agenda while I'm on my break.

When the gun went I set off nice and easy.  I didn't know the course at all but did have a feel for the nature of the trails after the Canada Cup here (the DNF...) so I knew there would be some fun out there.  The first lap included a 4km start loop of fire road which spread things out really nicely - very few bottle necks or hold ups in the first lap - imagine that at the moonride!  But still enough people around to sit behind and prevent myself from going too hard early on in such a long race.  I went with the strategy I used at the '09 Moonride 6 hour of sitting behind people for much longer than I normally would to make sure I was saving my energy.

The 9km course was so much fun.  The first lap was my first look at it and for the first half or so it seemed like it was going to be very tame, but after that a few climbs kicked in and there were some tricky little bits with logs, rocks and roots made trickier by a bit of moisture that stayed all day, and there were some wicked awesome descents that made it fun to go out lap after lap, including what must be the parks best trail - Coffee Run.  After 3 or 4 runs down there I had that thing so dialled the fun was over too soon!  As a bit of a comparison to the Moonride course, in 2009 I was in big ring for most of my 6 hour.  Here I never went in to it and even used granny from the first lap for the steepest of the climbs - they were short, but killer over and over and over.

My first objectives were to pace myself and to make it to the 4 hour mark without doing any real damage to myself.  The first lap was HOT (29 degree average over the 8 hours) and I was sucking back a lot of fluid thinking if it stays this hot I'm going to run out of drink.  I started out with my camelbak on for 2 reasons - first because I didn't have enough bottles to last 8 hours!, and second because it meant I could get a solid start without stopping to pick up a new bottle for at least 2 or 3 laps.  So I rode the first 3 laps straight through, by which time it had cooled down enough for me to feel comfortably warm all day.  It was humid, but almost 3 months of Ottawa living prepared me for that!

After 3 hours I started to feel a headache coming on so upped my fluid intake and it eased after a lap or 2.  By 4 hours my hands and fingers were hurting from all the gear changes so I started shaking my hands and arms out every now and then.  My next milestone was 6 hours and once I made that it didn't matter too much what happened because when you've done 6, another 2 is a drop in the ocean.

At the 8 hour mark approached I had to start doing some maths.  The last lap had to be started before 6pm (8 hours) and completed before 6:30pm.  When I came through after my 11th lap I had 50 minutes to complete another lap before the cut off time and my longest lap until then had been 42 minutes, so it was easily doable.  But I'd just lapped Robyn in 3rd place so I knew I didn't need to do the extra lap to maintain my position.  The question was whether I could gain a position - which it turned out would put me in first place.  I checked the timing (special laptop set up for solos at transition giving place, time behind leader and next place time behind leader).  When I went out on my 11th lap I'd been 4:25 down but after passing Robyn I'd pegged it back a whole bunch - I wasn't super keen on another lap but knew I could do one if Sarah made the mistake of finishing before I came back through.  So by the time I finished my 11th the gap was out to 8 minutes - not a gap I could chase down in a lap, but she'd still had to go out on another lap to ensure the win, while I went and got nice and cleaned up and had a burger - YUM!

Points of note:

• Endurance racing is good for asthmatics - trouble breathing?  Just peg it back a notch and you don't lose 15 places!
• Multi lap endurance races rock because you know the course so well you can impress people with your grace and skill after 7 hours of racing simply because you know every root, rock and divet.
• I never had to go in to the XC hurt box or redline - made a nice change.
• Watermelon ROCKS!!!!  From laps 4 to 10 they were handing it out to solo's as we came through transition and it did the trick super well
• Having a cute guy cheering you through transition every lap doesn't hurt either
• 1km to go signs are awesome
• 1km to go signs at the bottom of one of the toughest climbs on the course are not so awesome...
• Your host for the weekend cooking up a feast of ribs for after the race is the BEST EVER!!!  Oh.  My.  God.  That was one amazing meal!
• I also caught up with Mandy (from Kamloops and Canmore in 2008,)!  She was meant to race solo too, but the cast on her arm when I saw her after the race explained why I hadn't seen her out there.
• 8 hours and 100km of riding in nice weather on a wicked as course with great marshalling and friendly other riders makes for a great day out on a bike

So what's next on the agenda?  It's kind of nice not knowing!  This weekend I'm going down to Lake Placid (back to NY) for a few days (another long weekend in Canada).  There is great riding and a ton of activities at the Olympic Centre - including bobsled rides so I'm going to see if I can't get the timing right to jump in one of those! 

A river runs though it - that's why Edmonton has some pretty awesome riding.  It also seems to attract Kiwi's in spades!

While eastern US/Canada was in the middle of a heatwave (think hot, then add 10 degrees for humidity - humidex 45 degrees the 2 days before I left) it was a good time to head west to give things some time to cool down.  Edmonton was a bit of a 3-seasons in one day kind of place - it would cool down a lot over night, warm up considerably during the day, rain heavily for short periods, and of course being as far north as it is, the days are long!

I arrived last Wednesday and not expecting the course to be marked out went for a spin to find the event venue and check out the local bike paths and trails.  My first challenge was to work out which bridge I was trying to get to, and how to get to it!  Edmonton is basically split north and south of the North Saskatchewan River and the River Valley is home to a myriad of multi-use trails and paths.  The river has created a ravine which provides the necessary elevation to host a Canada Cup (they don't need much to make tough courses over here) - and it's heavily wooded providing the necessary roots and mud to make things interesting.

I've often wondered how many cities in the world would be lucky enough to have great trails minutes away from the city centre and now I know there are at least 2 - Wellington (Mt Vic) and Edmonton.  My hostel was on the other side of the river, 2 blocks from 'downtown', and it took 5 or 6 minutes to get to the park the event was based at.

At the end of the ride on Wednesday I found a small section of the course by following some faded yellow arrows, which were very difficult to spot when painted on green grass!  What I found was enough to convince me the course had a lot of promise.

On Thursday I found the rest of the course, including a section that they must have used in the past but has become too difficult (seriously, 100% not rideable - you'd end up in the river!).  I got a bit worried for a minute or 2 as I'd been directed there by a yellow arrow.  I climbed down on to the trail below to see if I could spot a line from that direction (nope) and followed it for a short way to see where it went.  Sure enough the correct line was down a bit of a chute.  Over the next few days with pre-riding while it was wet some of this area was eroding pretty badly, but being dry on race day it was all good.

I also found the 'boggy climb'.  Thick, stinky, deep, black mud on a climb - kinda ick, partly unrideable.  It had rained very heavily the previous day so I was trying to calculate how much drying time it would need to be rideable on Sunday.

Before and after that section had been fast, dry, smooth singletrack, but the next section was very rooty - would have been a nightmare in the wet but luckily race day was mostly dry.

All up, the course was pretty cool -  a short section with some tough climbs and tight corners to start with before heading along the river along the fast singletrack then back via the more technical rooty trails and someone's driveway - talk about urban racing!

During the time I was there the Edmonton Street Performers Festival was on only a few blocks away so I went to have a look and wouldn't you know I ended up watching a basketball juggling, super-tall unicycling Kiwi performer - a great show, very funny.

And he rides Maxxis!

When I went to registration on the Friday I met Greg, another Kiwi who's been in Ottawa for 2 years with his wife.  He was going to be racing earlier in the day.

Race day arrived and things had stayed pretty dry for over a day and when I got to the park I could see racers were looking pretty clean (not like I had my first couple of rides!) which was promising.  It was mild with a cool breeze, but heated up plenty for the 2pm elite race.

I caught up with Greg (it was his birthday) and his wife and friends, tracked down a feeder (thank you Nathan) and went about the business of warming up.

My legs were feeling super fresh and I felt pretty good in the warm up.  Katie O'Neil and a couple of the guys have arrived in Canada and we were called up her in the front row, me in row 2.  It was her first race over here and she was pretty impressed with the set up.  The stand out feature for me was the music they blasted during the countdown to race start - as the boys were gearing up they managed to play bits of The Final Countdown, We Will Rock You and Eye Of The Tiger to get everyone pumped up.  We were also lined up right next to the beer garden that had been set up for the event - a real party atmosphere.  It's the second year these guys have hosted a race and I'd pick they'll host plenty more too - they're doing a great job.

My race... did not go as well as I'd hoped.  I got off to my traditional slow start but in the first lap and a half had made up a few places and was going pretty well and feeling good at that stage.  Halfway through the third lap I had a big stack on some tree roots - I'm not really accustomed to crashing so it was a stark reminder as to how much it HURTS!!!  I took a while to pick myself up and check that everything still worked before getting back on.  I found it pretty tough to get going again and rode terribly for the rest of the lap.  On my 4th lap I started losing the places I'd gained and just near the end was lapped by eventual winner Amanda Sin, who was leading Emily Batty, which meant the end of my race.  It wasn't all bad but it didn't finish well and I was certainly feeling the effects of the crash and was very quick to gather my things and head off to get cleaned up.

Last weekend I had originally planned to do a US pro race in Wisconsin, but working through the logistics it was getting a tad pricey, so I found something a bit closer, the Raccoon Rally.  The race was held in Allegany State Park in western NY, a few hours drive south west of Ottawa and was part of a bigger weekend festival that included a road race, downhill, trials, short track and 3 distance options for the main XC event, plus a bunch of kids races - a fantastic weekend of racing during which the weather held out brilliantly.

I had a little drama a few days out when I went to ride the main loop of the course.  It was a 30 miler split in to a long loop and a shorter loop that cut out bits of the long loop.  After only 1/2 an hour I managed to put a gash in my tyre that wouldn't seal, had to walk over an hour back, and spent the rest of the day finding a shop that hadn't closed down due to the recession!  Lots of small towns...  Fortunately the first open shop was a Maxxis dealer and the Ignitor he had in 26" (more 29" than 26" in some places over here!) was perfect for the mud on some parts of the course.

The next day I managed to get the full loop in and discovered the main climb was quite the slog and very muddy under the grass.  It was also very hot in parts on what wasn't the warmest of days.

On Saturday I felt the need for an intensity hit-out after days off with the sciatica before the marathon, then a nasty gastric bug after it, so I entered the short track race after a morning driving through the local Amish area.

The course was very cool including some very tight singletrack in the middle and lots of features to make it interesting.  I was the only woman entered in the 30 minute event but took 3rd overall and had a blast!  There was still some trials happening after that - all set in natural rock features in a different area of the park.  I love watching these guys do their thing - such an amazing combination of strength and skill.  Even a chick giving it a go which you don't often see...

The main event on Sunday was a heap of fun too.  I'd been a bit worried it would just be a slog because there was very little singletrack but it turned out as a race course it was a lot of fun.  During the first lap there were a lot of people around including those from the other categories doing different lengths, and a lot of the tail ender beginner class riders were stopped resting and forming a bit of a cheer squad (lots of kids on half bikes with parents - guess the parents needed a rest...).  Between that and the guys handing out water at the summit and having a bit of a party about it it was a fun loop.  The second loop was a bit lonlier but still a good time even as the hurt set in in a big way heading up the 4 mile climb with plenty of sucking mud to sap the energy even further.

I'd traded places with a couple of girls early in the race and after about 20 minutes was in second place which is where I finished, utterly smashed but happy with how I went.  In that sense, I felt the Kiwi came out on top versus the Raccoon ;o)

Monday was a long drive home via Niagara Falls and tonight I went out and did a local womens TT race - a 15k'er close to home.  Met lots of cool chicks and went pretty well.

At the moment things are gearing up for Canada Day (1 July) which I'm really excited to experience in the Capital - everyone keeps saying it's a huge event - there is a 4 day festival starting tomorrow so I'm looking forward to getting out and experiencing what I can around my training - I've been out and got my flag and my t-shirt