lisa morgan

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.