Sandbagging FTW

PNP Round 1 at Makara

The start line of the was stacked with pedigree, pace and potential fail for punters like Angry and I. But what can ya can do but play the cards you are dealt, so off we went.

Up Arlington Rd where the Slackster steamed off the front... for 50mtrs at least, where after in surprising similarity to his date nights, he made his glory roar and slumped into the pain box. I found myself surprisingly at the front half way up the hill feeling great (The only other time I felt this great was when Davo changed his name to 'Great' and told me to grab a handful). So I let rip! Entering Rimu first totally dumb founded what I was doing in the lead and expecting the fufu valve to blow half way up Aratihi.


As the race went on my confidence grew and my puny pins did me proud. Top of Aratihi and I couldn't see a soul behind me (Ohhhh sh!t you say!, Oh sh!t I say!) Leaping Lizard things were about to change. Jonty steamed me down and by the bottom of LL he had caught me and asked to go past, I let him through thinking this was the end of my glory ride - it was fun while it lasted. Cruising through Nikau Valley I found myself knocking on Jonty's back door over and over again, reluctantly I asked if I could go through for the up hills and he could have the down back, good compromise I thought and he agreed. Off I went ahead up Nikau and dug deep, to make as much ground as possible before T3 & Ridgeline.

The Summit came and no sign of Jonty, thank f&*k for that. It was becoming hard work being chased. T3 he pulled time back, Zac's I pulled, Ridgeline he pulled, Swigg & Starfish maybe level pegging. Still having about 100mtrs on him coming into the 5th to last corner and I made the stupid mistake of looking back...Bam!! Lost control of the bike on a hairpin and ended on my ass! I jumped up and got the hell outa there, like Nick_K from a milking shed. But by this stage I had lost the 100mtrs I had worked so hard for and Jonty was on my tail again. We truck and trailer'd down the last part of Swigg and popped out onto the road for the 500mtrs road finish to the end. I thought it was now or never, Locked out the rear shock, locked out the front shock, locked out the drink bottle, let out a mighty Rooooaaaar and unleashed Bushlove Fury (Not unlike date night at Keith Mansions – Ed.). 200mtrs later I looked back and he had not responded. Woot Woo! - Ride on! Through to the finish with a huge smile on my dial, like the sweet arc of Slacky’s grubber.Masters 1 PNP Rd 1 = ADD TO CART
A celebratory beer from Slackboy, with Angry and my pregnant wife (Obviously she did not drink ;) (BTW - Baby Bushlove is due ON Karapoti day! Have a leave pass to race though, Win) ADD TO CART Thanks wife xx00xx

I am putting this win down to a bit of luck and a good winter for the boy with some cold days on the bike. Till Wainui when it’s all open again…

Also a big ups to Monochops for podium-ing at the N-Duro Series the same day, Bushlove Podiums - ADD TO CART

Chur
Tigerbone

oO---------------Oo

AngryBushlove

Against doctors orders and general common sense, I stupidly showed up on the start line. The track was dry and the conditions where good, so I thought why not put my balls in a vice and see what could possibly go wrong...

As TigerBone said, M1 was stacked with guns even having the mighty Hiskey coming down to read us our Horoscopes in M1. Slacky with his winter weight on was out to hold everyone up on the climbs but took off with a Roar!

Race starts and it was a smash fest from the get go, into Rimu I let Tigs go as a) He was faster than me and b)I didnt want to hold the big fella up on the downhills, as I didnt want to push it too hard on the downs, to save my fragile knees from assploding. "Left Man Card on start line!"

So it was Tigs, Jonty, Josh then me hot on Josh's tail into the lap of Magic Carpet all good, past a few of the other M1 riders coming back around. Blew Sifter a kiss with unlucky #13 on. Josh was feeling pretty good at this stage and considered a 2nd lap of Magic Carpet, he decided against it gifting me 3rd position going into Missing Link. I rode like a Short Spartan Stallion up Aratihi and down Leaping Lizard. On Nikau I pulled out a handy lead on Josh, before munting it a bit on the last corner, allowing Josh to get a closer look at the rose bud tattoo'd just above my crack line. I held him off till mid way along Aratihi for the second time before letting him pass as I didnt have his pace. I kept in touch until T3, where in knee preservation mode completely munted it up and allowed Hiskey to catch up not quite close enough to kiss the rose. By the time I exited onto Zacs, Josh had a huge lead, probably 3-4 minutes I reckon but I managed to nail Ridgeline, RLE, Swigg and Starfish to the bottom. Probably one of my best rides of that section ever and wound up about 1 1/2 mins behind Josh for 4th place. Bit gutted to miss out on 3rd, but at the same time pretty stoked as the other riders in M1 where no pushover.

Cheers
AngryBushlove