Changing Gears - PNP XC round 1 and more

Waggers rambles on and attempts to catch up on 6 months of remiss blogging...

I wasn't expecting to have so much form coming into the first round of the 2012 PNP MTB XC Series. Standing on the top of the podium for the Master 2 category I was certainly pleased to have the fastest time across all Master 2, Master 1, and Senior Men. But I also had that niggling doubt that I might be riding a little too hot so early in the season. Looking back at how I got to this point takes me all the way back to the last real XC race I entered, the eventful 2012 Karapoti.

My preparation for Karapoti was pretty good. Well, as good as can be expected while also having a full time job, solo parent duties, and a life. I was entered in the single speed category and I'd done a couple of conservative ~3 hour pre-rides and felt I was good for a 2:50, or maybe 2:45 if all went well. However events conspired against me, first the weather caused a two week postponement. Then one week out I hurt my back - perhaps stooping to cut a lawn with hedge clippers and a 40-something year old body is not a great idea. I found later that night when I lay down then I couldn't get up without help. Rest and active rehab had me at about 90% on K day and although I did an annoyingly just-over-3-hours loop I did manage to enjoy myself, even with lots of mid race stretching and a few lie downs.

The night before Karapoti I was digging through the competitors' swag bag and pulled out the entry form for the Wellington marathon. Hmmm... I've always thought I'd like to do a marathon one day, and the timing and location was good. I like the idea of running but it's not something that comes naturally to me. With over 25 years of mountain bike racing and riding my heart and lungs are strong but my legs are just not suited (yet) to running. Every time I try I end up with some niggling injury. I tried to be super careful to ease into it and the build up was going well. I was quite comfortable running for nearly two hours. Four weeks out from race day as I got back from a gentle but long flat run I noticed a strange numb pain in my ankle. No particular injury event occurred but I had just done too much too soon and it was black and very swollen. X-rays revealed no breaks - yay - but I couldn't walk properly or even ride - boo. My marathon hopes were done for another time.

During this on-off time I watched the lovely Marjolein train and prepare for the world mountain running champs. This included a great little fund-raiser event to get her to the start line in Italy at the end of August. The Bushlove boys being a chivalrous bunch and cursed with testosterone, turned out in force to support her. A fun little course had us riding a Makara Peak grand loop followed by an off-road petite grand-loop run. Bushlove were 1-2-3-4 over the summit and into the run but then things became a bit unsightly. While both Ed McSteamer and Tiger are strong elegant runners, the same cannot be said for Angry or myself. In the end we did ok though and held on for 5th and 4th respectively. Luckily there is very little photographic evidence of said arm flapping and leg flailing. Ed and Tiger chased each other hard over the hills for first and second place. Well done.

The guy behind me is a blur because he is reeling me in so fast...

Benefactor, women's winner and event organiser Marjolein makes sure that Men's winner Ed cleans *my* bike properly, nice!

Now there is also a secret splinter group in Bushlove. A small sect of shoe fetishists. A strange troupe who would rather wear skimpy floaty running shorts than have a small pointy bicycle seat up the jaxie for hours and hours. In a moment of weakness I was discussing such foibles with this dark force and found myself aligning with their wicked ways. I had signed up and committed to running the Mukamuka Munter. My build up for the Munter has been much better than my marathon training effort. And way more enjoyable. Actual off-road trail running and hills has helped keep my focus and attention. A five hour fun and wet pre-Munter WOF run up Mt Matthews with the Bushlove dark side team was a highlight.

Getting out on the tracks and hills as a tramper was how I first got into mountain biking. For me the fundamental draw is standing on the top of a hill soaking in the light, air, bush, sounds, and views. Mountain biking allows me to get on top quicker, with a good workout, and as a bonus it's about 20 kinds of fun coming back down.

This winter in Wellington we have also had the benefit of two fun cyclocross multi-race series. The four race Hot CX events with round 2 doubling as the inaugural leg of the NZ National CX Series was a rude shock for my body. This series dove-tailed beautifully with the 4th (?) annual Bike Hutt series. Never have so many pleasant city parks been wrecked so quickly by so few scantily clad folks on skimpy bicycles. Much fun and skidz were had and even some top 3 results were had by Angry, Potter and myself.

It's not a proper workout unless you challenge yourself - "seating is cheating"

Mid race carbo loading.

The not-so-pretty side of too much "mid race carbo loading".

The intense short format on-and-off the bike style of cyclocross is great fun and a serious work out. I have not done any proper speed work prior to the PNP series but I think these events, cross-training runs, plus a few tip track "tests" have come together nicely to plop me on top step of the Master 2 podium.

On the day Master 2 Men started in the second wave. I took off chasing what I thought was a Senior Men rider. We went back and forth a bit and then I dropped him down the Super D section as I was descending pretty well. He then caught me and got about 10 seconds climbing up Jungle Gym and on to the 3rd pylon. Then just before the Spoonhill descent he vanished. I charged on and got close to him on our second time up Jungle only to have him disappear again down Spoonhill, mystifying. It wasn't until the results were published that I realised that he was riding a different and shorter course than me!

Quality duelling with the young Simon Lawson, cheers dude!

Now I switch gears again and eagerly look forward to pleasant weather (www.youtube.com/watch?v=okbHIClMvt4) for next weekend's silly run. Then a week to shake my legs out before PNP round 2, that is if I can still actually walk after the Munter.

PNP Round 1 stats:
Angry, 3rd Elite burglar
Waggers, 1st Master 2 burglar, and 7th overall Super D
Slacky, 6th overall Super D

Till next time, Waggers
mysportsresults.net/results/jonny