lisa morgan

Blue sky, dry tracks, home crowd, and still one of the toughest courses I race.  Each year there have been a few modifications to the course I first raced on back in 2007 as an age-grader, and whilst it hasn't gotten any easier, it's got a bit more fun and technical stuff these days and it's definitely a worthy UCI course.

I had a lot of rest after last week in Rotorua and I was definitely feeling a bit better, even if only mentally now that I'd reminded myself what I was in for.  It's felt a bit like starting out in elite again and recognising just how killer the jump is, but the mind and body are starting to react a bit better.  I'm not yet back to where I was, but feeling better about progress.

Elite women had 4 laps of the Mt Vic course and if nothing else I was confident about finishing, which had two meanings - one being that I knew I wasn't going to get lapped again, and the other that I knew my body could go the distance this year.

I was at the back again shortly after the start but had riders in my sights for the entire race.  I made up a place early on during the first climb and closed in on Jeanette by the first descent.  I was on her wheel when she took an interesting line in to the ski slope and I overshot the hotline and was forced down on to the lowline, losing a place in the process.  Then I had some problems coming out of the slope and was having a right 'mare, but got things under control again and expected to be able to pick the others up on the technical climb back out.  Sure enough, they were walking and I was able to ride up to their wheels again and get through during the next lot of climbing.

From that point I maintained my position except for the inevitable attrition victims on a course like Mt Vic on a hot day.  Jeanette ended up lapping out on her second lap (things really didn't seem to be going well physically so hope to see her back again soon), Katy was in survival mode to lap out as well with what sounded like a pretty appalling dose of a nasty virus, and after my third lap I saw Michelle waiting at the line as well after breaking her chain.  In my last couple of laps I was chasing down Catherine Dunn and the difference was the time I lost at the ski slope in the first lap, but even though I closed it to 30, then 20, then 10 seconds I just didn't have the legs or the will to shut it right down.

I ended up in 12th from a field of 17 starters (including U23) but results aside, for me personally it was an improvement and that's what I'm aiming for at the moment.

Huge congratulations to Mikey for his win in elite men, and Nic for comfortably taking out the women's title this year.

Next week, Karapoti.  Probably  unlikely to be the year I'll snag that elusive sub-3 but it'll be another good one to put in the legs to keep the building going strong, and it's going to be great to be back after missing out last year.

Photo credit to Chris Rasmussen