Mono's Highlander

After a fairly average Karapoti I decided to put a bit of effort into the next race on my calendar for 2009 - the NDuro Highlander. 75km of primo Rotorua trails (Well, maybe 30km of primo trails and a fair bit of 4wd). This would also be the first race for me on my lovely new Litespeed Obed 29er.

Even during the week I wasn't 100% sure if I would even make it, due to work commitments, but luckily for me I was able to head up Saturday morning with Nicko and Whacko. Shortly after arriving we decided to head out for a wee ride in the forest to get a feel for the trails and wake the legs up after the long drive. This was when Whacko found out he had left his helmet at home... many lulz ensued, followed by a decision by whacko to ride sans helmet. After a small ride we had a feed and eventually headed for bed for some much needed sleep.

The morning of the race dawned fine - clear skies, no wind, and not too warm (yet). After an SOS call to Dean from Wide Open to bring a helmet for Whacko we were on our way to the Blue Lake, the Start/Finish for this race. The Highlander race included the NZ MTB Marathon Champs, which used the same course, and there were also 40km and 20km options for those not wishing to suffer as much.

After some excellent pre-race sifting and a double short black (cup'o'win) I headed to the start line with the rest of the 75km racers. After a neutralised start up the road (wtf?!) we hit the dirt. Because of the traffic jam at the start everyone was very tightly bunched, and almost immediately we were riding along in a huge dust cloud - I could feel it in my mouth, nose and eyes. After a bit of jostling we reached the first singletrack - Be Rude Not 2. An awesome trail, normally super fun and scarily fast in parts. Normally. Unfortunately a couple of non-thrillseekers made it into the trail in front of me, and we rode at a fairly cruisy pace. I hollered at them to up the pace a bit or let me pass, which was met with a better pace for the next 50m, before slowing again. Grrrr. Out of BRN2 we were meant to head up "Lion Trail", but I could see around 5 riders in front heading up "Pig Track" (Which is a couple of minutes faster to the same point). I turned up towards Lion and passed the group I had been riding with so far. Up Lion, along to Turkish Delight, then down and into the lower part of Genesis, all on my lonesome, trying hard to catch the lead bunch. I figured they would be miles ahead already after the pace we rode down BRN2 at... oh well. Through Genesis, then Challenge, and into Grinder (Awesome fun) before getting into the end of Creek Track. At the start of Creek I heard someone behind me, who turned out to be Rotorua legend and New Zealand Singlespeed Champ Garth Weinberg. We had a bit of a natter through here, then carried on up to Mad If U Don't. From here the course flattened out a bit, and I put a bit of a gap on Garth (Seeing as he only had 1 gear!). Along Nice Road and into Sweet & Sour. This was part of the North Island Cup XC course in January, so I went pretty well along this bit. Upon reaching the top of Sweet & Sour we had the first climb of the day, up Direct Road and Frontal Lobotomy on out way up to Billy T. I went OK up here, and managed to maintain the gap I had on Garth.

Into Billy T, and I was really looking forward to seeing how the big wheels would handle this trail. On my previous XC bikes it's always felt like a bit of a battle getting down here. With the climb over and the big wheels up to speed I was really enjoying myself - there was oodles of traction in the corners, and my mad huck skills were in full effect. I was having such a good time down here - I may have made some "WOOOOOO" noises, but I don't think anyone heard. After the short climb up to Split Endz I kept the pace going, and had an awesome run down. While it's a sweet trail, I'd never really nailed it as fast as I should have until yesterday. Cue more "WOOOO"...

Continuing this awesome combo of downhill trails is Pondy DH. I've never been at all fast down here, because some of the braking bumps are just so damn rough I was afraid I'd break something on the bike. On the 29er, yes I could still feel them and get thrown about a bit by them, but could carry so much more speed through the trail. At this point Garth caught back up (I was getting bored talking to myself anyway) and into Pondy New we had another gas bag. Pondy New was uneventful, as was Rollercoaster. Into Old Chevy, which is a favourite of mine - very undulating, lots of small sharp climbs, and fast flowy downhills. I still had Garth near, so made sure I gave it some gas when I could. Through the feed zone at the end of Old Chevy and straight into Yellow Brick Road - easily the nicest climb in the forest. After Yellow Brick Road we had a long 4wd section to the top of the last climb. Garth and I rode side by side for a heap of it, and he pointed out where they spray poos onto the pine trees in the forest. With a bit of yo-yo style, he eventually started getting a gap on me, and by the top had around 30 seconds advantage.

The last real descent of the day, No Brains, kept me on my toes, especially the double log rollover bit at the end. I had an epic spill last time we raced this trail, so I was pleased to get to the exit without any dismounts. Once on the road I saw Garth had about 50 seconds on me, and I pushed hard to reel him in on this fast section. I didn't see him again.

The last part of the course involved a couple of short, sharp climbs, before putting us on a 4wd track skirting the Green Lake. While it was fairly easy track, the small undulations made it feel tough. I knew there was one more small climb, only a few minutes long, before the finish. Out of food, low on fluid and cramp-stop in hand, I tackled the last few kms at a reasonable pace. The walking track we got to ride at the very end was great - roots, steps, fast bits, slow bits - a great way to finish a ride. Through the finish area I could only see a few racers loitering - some of the Marathon Champ racers had already finished, and Garth ended up a few minutes ahead of me. I think I was 7th(?) overall, but not sure. My goal was to ride the 75km in under 4 hours (Last year I rode 80km in 4:28). I rode 3:37, so well under the 4 hour target.

I stood around talking some more, watching other racers cross the line, all in various states of pain. Some looked a little sore and tired, others were completely broken, struggling to get off the bike.

Turns out Nicko punctured about 1km from the end, and his spare tube had a hole in it... so he lost a huge chunk of time waiting for someone with a tube to come by. Once he finished we grabbed our towels and headed to the lake for some Brokeback Bushlove. Seriously, a swim in the cool water was one of the best ways to finish the day.

We figured Whacko must have stopped for a pie and a ciggie, but eventually he rolled in, looking a little stiff*. He had an epic spill early in the race, hurting his back a bit. Apparently when you head-butt a tree and thereafter have an unscheduled dismount for the purposes of lying down for some time, it can cause you to forget things. Jack thought he'd hit his shoulder - the HUGE cracks through the (borrowed) helmet suggest his head was more likely given the good news first. Ouchies. Whacko sought comfort from fellow single speed nutter Garth, who prescribed vodka and ibuprofen. Nifty.

Unknown to me, the organisers had split the Marathon Champ "Open" class and the Highlander "Open" class... so when my name got called at prize giving I was a little surprised. Still not sure on overall placing, but 1st in Open Men in the NDuro Highlander is a decent result.