I’m just wondering if there is a list of SPR riders in the various grades that are going to Pemberton? I’m going to go myself and I would like a bit of collaboration with others on some tactics prior to meeting on the start line.
mat.
EDITORS NOTE:
please add your name to the comments below if you are going to pemberton and what races (crits/road) and what grades you are doing. there seemed to be quite a few hands go up on saturday for those heading down so it would be good for everyone to catch up while down there. if anyone wants to take the tent down with them, let me know, but you must have it manned at all times so it doesn’t blow away (e.g. have a partner going down with you).
Day Seven Stage 12: Hamilton to Glenn Murray – 73km
The mornings stage started at Terapa and goes to Ngaruwahia, Waingaro and takes the back road to Glenn Murray. The first 25 kms is falt and then there are 3 good climbs over undulating terrain. After yesterdays sort out for the yellow jersey I was expecting a fight back from the kids at some point. That would mean that they would need to break away in the hills. I thought that being the last day in all, I would attack on both stages and see if anyone would care or not as my GC placing wasn’t going to threaten anyone. From the gun I attacked and got chased down. I did a couple of roll-throughs on the front with 6 other guys and then they made some indecision and didn’t want to keep rolling. I attacked again and got away. I couple of half hearted chasers got reeled back in and I settled in at a pace between 40 – 45km. I lost sight of the bunch and just kept pedalling at a constant sustainable pace into a slight head wind which suits me a bit more than the guys chasing. I kept away for 25km and then got caught on the first climb as my legs were feeling a bit pumped by then. I got spat out of the lead bunch and then clawed my way back. This happened to me more times on various hills. I got spat and got back on. Finally I got busted on the final big climb and I was determined not to get caught by the next chasing group. I stayed away from them and helped an old school friend of mine stay away from them as well, which ultimately improved his GC by 5 places. I felt broken after I rolled over the line but I thought that the possibility of a stage placing at this point in the proceedings is better than defending 33rd spot in general categorisation. This descision cost me 4 minutes on the winner and 1.40 on the lead bunch but I was determined to have a stab.
Stage 12 results
Mat: +4.25. 31st place.
John: +1.48. 18th place
Day Seven Stage 13: Glenn Murray to Pukekohe – 38km
This is the final stage of the Wellington to Auckland race. It has an undulating start with some more climbing to do and then a fast down section to cross the Waikato river with more climbing back to Pukekohe and the finish on the race. Armed with sore legs, I smashed it out of the blocks and got away again. 2 others came with me this time and we made good distance between us and the chasing bunch. We were caught about 7km down the road on the first good climb. They must have put the hammer on because the chase group was down to 15 guys. I had to battle big time to stay on as it was battle royal for the yellow jersey wearers. I got spat on another hill but just managed to stay in the cars and get back on. More attacks started after we crossed the Waikato with the kids throwing everything at the yellow jersey, and counter attacks being dished out in return. I had one last bash at it and got reeled in again. I stayed with the lead group to the finish and with munted legs I opted not to battle for the final sprint. Today was really hard and a lot of people lost a lot of time and GC spots.
Stage 13 results:
Mat: +0.14 25th place
John: +0.14 14th place
Overall placings:
Mat: 13th out of 34 in grade. 32nd out of 130 riders in overall GC. + 48.48
John: 6th out of 20 in grade. 26th out of 130 riders in overall GC. + 34.36
The ride was very competitive with ex-New Zealand champions in the field such as Stephen Carton, Blair Stockwell, Jack Swart, Stephen Swart and a bunch of other ex-pro bike racers. I’ve learnt a lot during the last 7 days, most of all that it is a special type of person to be able to contend for GC. John and I finished in the upper 25% quintile and considering we were riding against teams, and me losing at least 12 minutes on stage 3 due to a flat we did very well. To contest GC in this race you have to be able to climb with the very best or you just aren’t going to be there. Even at my very best in the hills I am average. I through everything at the stage from Kakatahi to Ohakune up fields track and hung on to the top of the first 7km climb but paid of it severely the next day over Pihanga. I am resigned to domestic helper category I reckon.
The race is superbly organised by Stephen Cox of Dynamo Events. He is also ex- NZ champion and knows a fair bit about what a weekend warrior’s bike race should be. Without doubt this would be the best cycling experience that I have had to date. The fact that there are presentations each night and dinner, and all age groups have a yellow jersey is really great. The KOM and Sprint Ace were also strongly contested as well and the camaraderie was great throughout the event. If you have every dreamt about riding in a grand tour, this is probably the closest experience that you could have to it. Just finishing is a fantastic achievement it it’s own right as it is still 720km of racing in a single week.
I will come back next year for another crack. If anyone has any interest in this (I mean anyone from recreation riders to racers) let me know as it would be really great to go back with a contingent of people.
Today there is only a single stage of 95km which is different for a change. It follows Old Taupo road from Tokoroa and crosses the Arapuni dam, then follows lake Karapiro through to Hamilton. I was talking to Lee Johnstone last night and he was sitting about 30 secs in second place in overall GC. The general classification has been held all week by one of the young guys and Lee is in 40 – 49 category and is an animal on the bike. He and a few of his mates were going to smash it out of the blocks, so that is what happened from the start. The kids missed the break and 2 of them were forced to chase. None of us offered any assistance because the kids had been dealing to us in the mountains all week and now we were back to the flat / undulating lands. The 2 young guys put in a good effort for the first 40km and then cracked. We had a good strong cross wind today which was taking its toll, so I kindly got on the front and feed it a bit for good measure and to string the bunch out which was about 70 riders. The other ploy was to ensure that I was on the front or near the front coming into Hamilton because there were several right and left hand turns to be made at intersections. Out of each corner I punched it hard and we wilted the lead group down to 20 riders. The ride into the finish was mainly downhill and twisting and winding. We had the pace wound right up – hard to the guard in animal gear. Lee and another guy Mike Henton stayed away for the entire stage and took the yellow jersey from the kids and they came in +5.23 ahead of the field. John and I crossed the line with the other guys in the lead group with a ST (same time) finish. We both picked up some more spots on GC today. I think that tomorrow will be brutal because the morning stage is brutal and hilly and the young guys will be battling Lee and Mike for the yellow jersey again.
Stage 11 results
Mat: +5.23 24th place. 33rd in overall GC. +44.04
John: +5.23 19th place. 27th in overall GC. +32.26
This morning’s route goes from Ohakune and climbs steadily to National Park over a 40 km stretch. National Park is at 925mtrs and Ohakune is 400 mtrs. Turning right at National Park the run is all down hill until the climb over Pihanga saddle which is a 4km climb up to 7% in some places. Quite a brutal beast when the legs are sore!
The morning was rain. It was cold as well and I thought charming – this is not going to be much fun today. One of the elderly statesmen made an announcement and suggested that the kids should behave until the first of the 2 sprints sections on this stage which was a really good idea. We all rolled at 30km into a hideous head wind with driving rain, sprint point done and hammer on. My legs were wrecked from my individual TT efforts earlier in the week, plus the climb up Fields Track yesterday. They just didnt want to go around at all. I sat in and hung on until Pihanga. The kids smashed it and got away. The run down the other side was great as it descents about 500 mtrs and then it is flat into Turangi. I was grovelling by the time I got to the van for lunch and I was wondering how on earth I would go on the afternoon stage, as this has another crippling climb half way through it. John hung onto the bunch in front of me and finished 58 seconds behind the stage winner. I was 2.33 back.
Stage 9 results:
Mat: + 2.33 36th place
John: + 0.58 20th place
Day Five, Stage 10: Turangi to Taupo – 49km
This stage follows State Highway 1 from Turangi to Taupo and is scenic as it follows the lake for a large part of it. It is punctuated by the Hatepe Hill which is a 3km climb at 6 % gradient – not really what I needed right now. We set off again and I tucked myself in to try to preserve myself for the Hatepe Hill. The pace went on occasionally but mainly sat between 40 – 45kph. We got to the Hatepe Hill and the kids smashed it again. A bit of a theme is happening with this, but that is the challenge of hilly courses. I went up the hill ok and kept myself together. John slipped back a bit due to his morning’s efforts. I formed a group of 10 riders at the top of the hill and then we started the chase. At about 15km from Taupo we were caught by a group that John was in and there were now 25 odd riders chasing 15. It was reasonably flat and the pace was wound up. It appeared that we weren’t going to catch them and I though about a long break away coming into town. We passed the 1km to go sign and by this time I ended up on the front. I punched it as hard as I could and got a good break on the bunch. It was up hill at about 2% and I stayed out of the saddle in animal gear as I didn’t want to get swamped over the line. I was caught by 3 guys just on the line but put a large gap into the rest so that was good. I ended up down 58 seconds. I seem to be going better in the afternoon stages than the morning stages so tomorrow will be interesting because it is a single stage of 95km. We had a swim at the Taupo Hot Springs Spa as the old pistons are well and truly broken. 3 more stages to go. My aim is to finish the race and reflect back on what it is like to ride in a tour. We both picked up some GC spots so that was good.
Stage 10 results:
Mat: + 0.58 20th place. 36th in overall GC. 14th in grade
John: + 1.00 24th place. 29th in overall GC. 7th in grade
The morning’s stage takes the inland route back towards the central plateau. It was 3 big climbs, and actually climbs all the way up the Para Para road from sea level at Wanganui to Ohakune at 700 mtrs. We all assembled in the velodrome for the start and rolled out of there. It was raining so I got myself right on the front behind the lead car as I didn’t want to get caught up in any carnage. After the neutralized zone we were off and racing. I put a good turn on the front and no one rolled through. I then punched it and got away. A good result in GC is out the window so the least I can do for the remainder of the ride is to put some hurt on – even if it hurts me more than anyone else! 4 others came with me and we got about a 1 km lead on the bunch. The bunch finally start to work, and worked there way back. I was on the front again, and no help from anyone so I stab it again and got away. 3 other fellas came over and we were caught at the bottom of the first 5km climb. Already maxed out I thought that the climb would take its toll and it did. I got snapped off the leaders and grovelled my way up the hill. We formed a group of about 15 riders once over the other side and carried on. There were 2 more similar climbs and I suggested that we all make our way up best we could and continue and that worked fine. We had some more road works which no one fell off on so all was good. The final climb up to the finish was about 1 km in length. It was step at the bottom and then levelled out to about 4% grade. I was on the front and punched it about 400 mtrs out from the line and stayed away from the group which I was happy with. John stayed with the group ahead of mine so he did well.
Stage 7 results:
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Mat: +3.03. 40th in overall GC at 28.53
John: +0.32. 35th in overall GC at 1951
Day Four, Stage 8: Kakatahi to Ohakune – 52km
It was still raining at lunch time so we managed to keep out of it by hiding in our van. After a change of clothes and a feed I was feeling a bit better and preparing myself for the crippling climb up fields track. After a neutralised 3km the race began. We started to first big climb of 500 mtrs elevation. The road was one lane with on centre line. The surface was like corrugated iron and we had a head / cross wind. I did well up the climb and got popped just before the top by the lead 10 guys. I started the very windy and tight descent in the rain and a few of the front guys had crashed out because it was still wet. I cruised my way down the hill and let a few others past me. I was using them as my Navman – if they crashed or went off a cliff I had plenty of time to slow down and avoid the carnage. Half way down the winding descent I got stung on the arm by a bee. I grimaced a bit and though I’ll get over it. 1 minute later I had 2 more fly into my top and sting me on the back. I couldn’t get them, out at speed as the road was really bad so I had to stop. That made me lose touch with the second bunch in which John was in. I ended up with 3 others and we made or way up the next climb of 10km. When we got to the top the race was stopped in the middle of the road. There was a herd of sheep (spare the jokes) being herded down the road. Most of the guys got off their bikes and sat on the road trying to shelter from the wind. It reasembled the TDF drug protest sit in! Rather than letting everyone go together, they held us back in our respective groups for a timed start. They didn’t do this yesterday which I thought that they should have to keep things consistant and because I was in the lead group! John’s group got set away and 3 of us were left to chase 1 minute. We picked up 2 more and had a really hard ride into a howling wind and rain by to Ohakune. We didn’t catch them but we didn’t lose anymore time. I took the bunch sprint so I was happy with that. We both made some ground in GC again today but I don’t think that there are any easier gains to be made because the people in front of us have at least 2 minutes better time. The stages today were short in distance but big in climbs and pain!
Stage 8 results:
Mat: + 7.08 37th in overall GC at + 36.01, 14th in grade
John: + 6.02 31h in overall GC at + 25.53, 8th in Grade
Day Three, Stage 5: Palmerston North to Hunterville – 63km
The morning’s stage has a long uphill pull of 450mtrs elevation over 45km, with a few sharp pinches in the middle. Then the course descends into the Rangitikei River and then climbs Vinegar Hill which is a sharp climb of around 10%. From then it is 5km of flat to the finish.
We started off neutralized for the first 5km to get us out of town. The normal jostling was going on with people trying to get to the front. The problem is that when the hammer goes on they get killed off and make large gaps. This is what happened and John and I managed to get back to the lead group of 15 just before it had to stop for a train. The rest of the group caught back on so unfortunately the effort was wasted. The same thing happened again and we were back in the chase group with 6 of us working and the ones that made it fall apart sitting in. We got to 100 mtrs of the lead group but just could make the gap. We had a really fast and winding decent into the river valley which has a few one lane bridges and nasty little pinches just for extra punishment. The climb up Vinegar hill took my legs and John got away with 5 others. I crossed the line about 1 minute down on them and my legs were feeling broken, due to yesterdays 35km time trial and the chase this morning.
Stage 5 results:
Mat: + 4.13. 41st in overall GC at + 23.02
John: + 3.08. 36h in overall GC at + 16.31
Day Three, Stage 6: Hunterville to Wanganui – 60km
The afternoon’s stage runs from Hunterville to Wanganui through another back country road. It has 3 KOM climbs which were sharp, but generally runs down hill back to sea level at Wanganui. The start was much the same with people trying to make up places on the start line and then get killed off on the first climb. We got going and the first climb sorted most of them out so I though great, we are way with about 20 others. We had some really fast and winding descents after the first climb with a bunch of one lane bridges to make life interesting. About 20km into the stage the race was neutralised due to 1.5km of road works. I was deep gravel that road bikes sunk into so the decision was a good one. We waited for all in sundry to arrive and the yet again, the tail markers worked their way to the front again. We were neutralised for another 5km due to pot holes and lose gravel. We got to the bottom of a sharp little rise so I punched it straight up the outside and passed about 60 riders and got back on the front by the top. We broke away form the rest and there were around 25 riders in the lead group. The kids smashed us on the next KOM climb and our group was down to about 15 riders. We worked well together for a while and then they gave up. I launched a few attacks to encourage some action which resulted in them chasing but not rolling through. John was behind in the next group back chasing hard. The next KOM climb was nasty at 10% as well and I was starting to gag a bit but held on. I came good after that and 5 of us started to put the hammer down and shelled a few out the back for good measure. We finished in Wanganui in the second bunch with a + 3.01 ST finish with around 15 riders. We went to the Cycling Club for the day’s presentations and the Royal Hotel for Dinner. I was pretty happy with the day as I managed to claw back 14 places in GC from the Stage 3 disaster yesterday, where I was in 55th place after it and 26th place before hand!
Stage 6 results:
Mat: + 3.01. 39th in overall GC at + 25.38, 14th in grade
John: + ST. 35h in overall GC at + 19.05, 9th in Grade
John and I are in New Zealand to ride a tour from Wellington to Auckland. It is 720km over 6 days with 13 stages. I have never ridden 720km in a single week before so I was interested to see how I would hang together. The tour has 126 entrants across various age groups with the majority in the over 40’s age group, and quite a few good younger chaps.
We drove to Wellington on Saturday after catching a few trout fly fishing in the Tongariro River at Turangi. Quite a pleasant way to begin a cycle race I reckon. The weather on Saturday was terrible and the forecast was for worse. We picked up Johns brother Steve at the Wellington airport. He came up from Christchurch to be our driver. Steve actually used to race with Hayden Roulston, a kiwi that rode in the TDF last year and is now with HTC Columbia.
We found our motel in Upper Hutt and then went to registration. The organisation of the event has been great and we opted for the accommodation and food package to save us finding something to eat at the end of each day. After checking in, we drove to the top of the Rimutaka ranges to check it out. The wind was so bad that it felt like the van was going to get blown over and we were driving around in the clouds. The climb has 2 climbs. The first is at 10% for around 2km and it is gruelling. The second just keeps on going to the summit of the Rimutaka Ranges and has multiple switch back bends and literally just keeps on going. The total climb is 525 mtrs elevation over a 10 Km stretch, so it is a beast. Great way to start a tour.
Day One, Stage 1: Upper Hutt to Rimutaka Summit – 17km
After a good nights rest we awoke to find it drizzling a wee bit but the wind had calmed down. John and I had a bit of a warm up and headed to the start line for briefing and commencement. We had a neutralised zone for 5km to get us out of town and then the race proper began. The first small hill shelled a few out the back and then we were soon at the bottom of the Te Marua K.O.M points climb. I let the kids have it and just did my best to knuckle my way up the hill. A small lead group got away and I was with about 10 others. We just kept on grinding away best we could and kept the tempo going with no silly attacks. The hill was too big to have a rush to the brain and then pop. John was just in front of me and then he fell off his bike on one of the sharp corners. I asked if he was ok and bar a bit of cursing he said keep going as I wasn’t too far from the finish at the summit.
Results:
Winning time 57.04
Mat: + 3.41. 28th in overall GC and 11th in age category
John: +4.35. 35th in overall GC and 6th in age category
Day 1, Stage 2: Featherston to Masterton – 64km
This was the afternoon stage and takes a back road from Featherston to Masterton in the Waiarapa region. We had a break for a couple of hours prior to racing which is actually quite good. We had our van well decked out and brought some $15 fold out chairs and a kettle so we could make coffee. The good thing with a big van is that you can just through all of your crap in it and not run out of space.
The course is an undulating course with a few hills but nothing to cruel you like Stage 1. My legs were actually feeling shattered after the first stage and I was wondering how they would handle being smashed on a flatter stage. We set off and I elected to go to the front and roll through and do some work rather than getting stuck in the bunch. After about and hour a guy beside me dropped his drink bottle and this caused 6 riders to go down. John was stuck behind the carnage and headed off into the paddocks to avoid coming off. Unfortunately he couldn’t get back on to the lead group which cost him time. I finished in GC over the line with the lead group so I didn’t lose any time.
Results:
Stage time 1.43
Mat: GC Finish. + 3.46. 26th in overall GC and 11th in age category
John: + 9.53. 47th in overall GC and 12th in age category
Day Two, Stage 3: Masterton to Paihiatua – 73km
This was the morning stage from Masterton to Paihiatua. It is similar to stage 2 yesterday with a couple of sharp little climbs along the way. We set off at 9am. I worked my way to the front and encourage all of the Jersey holders from day one to be proud of their new glory and ride like the champion they are! The ploy is to wear them down a bit. The smash came on a few times and shelled a few out the back and the group was down to about 50. Someone in front of me decided to fall of their bike. The guy beside him went down as well and I had an evasive sideways lock up to avoid it. I heard a few blood curdling screams as some others went in but I stayed up right and still in the lead group which was now about 20. John was still in as well so we were doing alright. About 10 minutes after my back tire exploded like a bomb going off. I managed to hold a straight line and keep it upright and when everyone had passed, I pulled of to the left hand side. The evasive breaking manoeuvre had torn my tire apart and the tire pando wasn’t going to do much. I was standing in the middle of no where without a spare tire. Great. The ride is not supported by wheel wagons so the norm is to take spare tubes ect. After about 5 minutes, a lady pulled over and asked if I would like a wheel. The wheel god had arrived! I looked at it – yes, shimano gears – cool. I bolted it on and I was off again but this time solo. I had to ride by myself to the finish for about 40km. Try as I might, I couldn’t catch the group again. I cam across a couple of other chaps that got dropped and told them just to get on. I didn’t ask them to do any turns as they were blown. After this I lost 12 minutes on GC even though I averaged 35.5km per hour by myself on rolling terrain. I now have a 15 minute deficit so GC aspirations are obviously out. It is quite amazing how one mechanical failure can cripple your chances, so I will chalk it down to experience. John did well and finished with the bunch.
Day Two, Stage 4: Paihiatua to Palmerston North – 31km
The afternoon’s stage goes over the Taraua ranges via the Paihiatua track. It has another beast of a climb in it and just not what I needed considering the beating I gave my legs on the stage before hand. We set off for about 15km flat before the climb. On the climb a lot of chaps started going backwards and my legs were still going around so I just kept grinding away. I summated the hill and looked back and I could see John coming with a group. I was trying to catch the next small group in front of me so I began smashing it down the hill. There were some sharp 25km/h bends half way down which made my sphincter twitch a bit as I went in a bit quick on one of the bends. After a while I was joined by John and 4 others. We had a few other smaller hills to climb before the finish. After my morning’s effort and recent prior effort down the hill I felt inclined not to do any more work for the day. We came around a bend with a slight uphill to the finish. The 3 guys in front of me started to have a bit of a stab and a few attacks. While them we looking at each other I zipped around to the right hand side and punched it. It was about 250mtrs out and normally a bit soon, but I gapped them by about 50 mtrs and they could respond. John was on my wheel over the line so all ended well. I need to figure out over the next few days what I am going to do. Maybe save myself for a few days and then give it a bash latter in the week if my legs are up to it. John improved his position from yesterday and mine deteriorated. Both were unfortunate circumstances due to people crashing in front of us, and flat tires.
Stage time 55.31
Mat: + 2.28 for stage. 44th in overall GC at + 15.09 and 17th in age category
John: + 2.28 for stage. 40th in overall GC at + 13.26 and 10th in age category
About 5 months ago I thought about going to NZ for another annual cycling trip. I have done so for the last 2 years since moving to WA, and it is a good time to fit in a race or two and catch up with family and friends. This year I wanted to do the Ruapehu Classic (“Roo-a-pay-who” in Australian). It is a 160Km circular race around Mt Ruapehu in the central north island with a lot of climbing in it. Ruapehu is the largest volcano in the Tongariro National park and rises to some 2,800 mtrs.
Mt Ruapehu from the start in Ohakune
I managed to convince John Gilbertson to come with me and race the Ruapehu Classic as well as do a 13 stage tour from Wellington to Auckland starting next Sunday. The flight over was reasonably uneventful and hassle free. It is a direct flight on Air NZ from Perth to Auckland and they dont shaft you for taking your bike. We arrived in Auckland and had picked up our bikes and were outside by 6am Friday morning (1am WA time)! We hired a large, cheap van for the purpose of being able to open the door and fire all our junk into it without any worry about how it was going to fit. $50 a day auotmatic toyota van – what a weapon.
We drove from Auckland to Taupo (toe-paw), and then onto Ohakune (O-ha-coon-e) and booked into our motel at 1pm in the arvo. I had a sleep for a few hours as I was feeling a bit shattered. I got up about 4.30pm and prayed to the bike god that my bike would be in one piece. Both of our bikes were fine, so after ½ an hour of assembly and adjustment they were good to go. We had a bit of a spin after to roll the legs over in anticipation for a flogging tomorrow.
The weather on Saturday morning was fantastic. There was a bit of a morning chill because Ohakune is an alpine ski village but great all the same. The briefing was at 6.45am for a 7am start. The start style is a “grand fondo” start, where all of the competitors regardless of grade start at the same time. The pre-race brief was in a car park at the Ohakune club. We turned up at 6.50 and there were about 300 people ready to go. In a mass start you need to start at the front or you will get dropped with the crowd 5 minutes into it. My plan worked because we were last in, so first out. We were in a good position on the start line so pre-race mission achieved.
At 7am, the support car rolled out and the race was neutralised until we got out of town. The pace wound up to 40 – 45 kph. I was about 10 back. Just far enough not to do any work but close enough to encourage the young fellas to keep rolling through and keeping the pace on.
The first attack came after 25km just before Waiouru. There was a climb of about 2km and the hammer went on big time. The group was broken apart and I was the last rider to hold on. I thought if it goes like that on the next climb up to the summit of the Desert Road, I will get killed off. We turned left at Waiouru and there were about 30 riders in the lead group. There was a flat section of 2 km, and then the 15km climb to the summit started. The grade was between 4 – 6 % and rises around 600 mtrs. The steepest section was at the start of the climb guess what? The kids smashed it. I hung on for ¾ of this step section and then cracked. I wasn’t alone. Some blew up in spectacular fashion, with one guy stopping to blow out some carrot. The lead pack was now down to about 15, and I was in with 4 other guys. I looked back as I was topping the final climb and a group of 25 was coming so I sat up a bit and climbed in with the bunch.
I figured that most of these guys must be reasonable so rather than being noble and killing myself on the front, I would ride tail-gunner at the rear. The ride along the desert road was great. Mt Ruapehu to the left and the Kaimanawa ranges to the right. The desert road is the highest point on State Highway one in the North Island and there is no trees, just some tussock grass.
We passed through the 3 sisters which are 3 really windy sections of road in close proximity. The last sister was in road work repair. I slowed up some as riding at 45km on lose gravel down hill is not my thing. Most people smashed it past me so I had a little bit to do on the next climb to catch up, but no problems at all.
We descended off the desert rd down toward Turangi. Before Turangi, we turned left at Rangipo and started the climb towards National park. This section of road is 50km long and climbs about 600 mtrs on average, with some down hill sections as well. Most of the road was 3 – 5%, with some sections at 6%. Nothing too steep, but certainly enough to hurt your legs.
A few of our group had a rush to the brain and attacked. We all let them have there 300 leash and left them out to fry. They ended up back in the bunch after 5 – 10 mins. It was a situation where as we were all in the same group because we were all the same to that point in the race. No one was just going to ride away so as gallant as it was, it was a waste of energy.
I moved from rear tail gunner to front gunner and I stayed either on the front, or second wheel back. I like it like this on these sections of road. Keep it hard enough so that no one either wants to attack or come over the top of you, but not so hard as to waste too much of your own energy. There was also a breeze from right to left, so even though I was one the front, I was sheltering from the rider beside me and obviously not going to given up my posse. 2 other guys and I worked this 50km section of road and then one of them made a comment that the group was getting smaller. We kept it sane and constant and by the time we reached National Park village our group of 25 riders was now about 12 riders. We could see the front end of the race in the distance on some of the straights but we couldn’t catch it. We picked up a few guys that got blown out of the front group and some couldn’t get on with us because they were smashed.
The final run from National Park back to Ohakune is mostly down hill except for the climb out of the Mangawhero viaduct. My legs were feeling a bit tired by now so I resumed tail gunner once again and the group was finally starting to roll through. I refused to have a turn because I reckon I had given enough. One guy had a problem with it and dropped back from the bunch with me on his wheel. 50 mtrs back from the bunch, he predictably sprinted back to the group. I stayed seated and followed him. He looked puffed and I asked him if that was all he had or what? A bit of a pathetic effort I thought.
We came into Ohakune and one of the guys tubular tires exploded. It sounded pretty cool. He managed to stay upright, but he was understandably pissed. I didn’t have a sprint at the line due to a mixture of jet lag, lack of sleep and not wanting to crash on the line for minor placings as the main objective was the tour next week.
I was pretty happy with the overall result, finishing 9th in my grade. There were actually 7 of us that finished with the ST of 4.37.00 in my bunch but the timing system gives results to the millisecond. The winning time was 4.30.24 because two cunning old fellas got away with the fast young fellas so that was the difference. The decisive move came on the second climb were I got dropped.
John finished a very credible 22nd at 4.49.09 having lost touch from my bunch on the way up to National Park. He injured his knee the week beforehand and it was touch and go if he could even ride or not. I suggested a straight week off the bike before hand and then turn up and handle it. He did and it was a great effort not having ridden for the week.
All in all, it is a fantastic event and one I think I will do again. Logistically it is no harder than racing in the Eastern States and probably no more expensive either. I prefer long, large circular races, or point to point races because you need to suck it in an deal with it, rather than tearing a heart string and pulling out. There is no point stopping becuase you still need to get home!
I would like to encourage a group from SPR to come next year so I will gage a bit of interest later in the year. It is a ride literally for everyone, whether you race or sport ride.
I will update our progress for our tour on Sunday (First stage climb over the Rimutaka Ranges from Upper Hutt to Masterton should see the end of my GC aspirations).
