K-Day

Nine weeks until one of my favourite races in the whole wide world. Yep, Karapoti.

 

For the 2014 edition, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. So, if you're setting a New Year's Resolution for K-Day (or you are looking for a race to target early in 2014 to help burn off some of those mince pies) check it out. 

 

 

Firstly, there's a must-do training camp over the weekend of 25th/26th January. This is open to everyone! Chicks, fellas, newbies, seasoned hardcore racers...anyone who wants to get round Karapoti faster than they have before, or survive it for the first time! Spaces are limited. Check out the itinerary below and click here to sign up.

Saturday 25th January - Jam packed with heaps of cool stuff:

We've got downhill maestro, mechanic extraordinaire and awesome bike shop owner, Ricky Pincott, to take you through a skills clinic so you'll carve those gravel corners like a boss. He'll also run you through bike set-up, tyre choice and the essential tools to carry for race day to make sure you make it to the finish line.

We've got a nutrition seminar sponsored by Em's Power Cookies to make sure you don't hit the wall on the last climb up Doper's and still have some fire power left to blast down the Gorge.

We've got Greg Lynch, awesome sports physio and director at Wellington Sports Medicine & Inform Physio (out in the mighty Hutt), to chat to you about stretching routines, injury prevention and all sorts of physio black magic.

We've got Cowbell Coach, Lisa Morgan, to talk about training for the event as well as a guide on how to race your best Karapoti.

And, there's me...chatting about how I've ridden every Karapoti faster than the year before for the last 4 years - to help you do the same!

The best bit is that Ricky, Greg and Lisa have all raced Karapoti themselves (in fact, Lisa is the chick in the Bicycle race kit negotiating Cedarholm Creek in style in the video at the start of this blog)! So, they know exactly what you're signing yourself up for and can help you get round faster.

We're spoilt with brilliant venues for the training camp too! The seminars will be held at the fantastic facilities of Wellington Sports Medicine and skills clinic will be held at the awesome Makara Peak MTB Park. And there's wicked coffee available at Mud Cycles now! Then we'll head in to town for dinner (included in the price - bonus!).

Sunday 26th January - Hit the trails:

You'll get a guided ride around the course you are planning to race (both Classic and Challenge options available) with heaps of tips out on the trails about how to negotiate the tricky up and down bits the best.

Not only is the training camp set at a bargain price ($100 for the whole weekend including grub on Saturday night, or an even better bargain of $75 if you are on a Cowbell Coaching programme) but your dollars will also go towards getting a kiwi mechanic to Scotland for the World 24 Hour Solo Champs in 2014.
 

Prizedraw!

And...I'm also sponsoring a prize draw for 5 womens entries for Karapoti Challenge and Classic events! Get your entry in before 1st February to be in it to win it. 
 

Photo credit: Craig Madsen

All part of sharing the Karapoti love. And pain. And glory. And mud. And quad burning climbs. And river crossings. And all the other stuff that goes along with the first weekend of March in the Akatawaras! Get ready to get your feet wet!

 

 

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Done & Dusted

That's a wrap, folks. Racing for 2013 is done and dusted. Eleven months, one stage race, two 24 hour solos, one 200 mile road race, several road races, heaps of cross country and marathon events, one new 40 kilometre time trial PB, many training sessions in the rain and wind, one very special Karapoti, some new course records, many friends, loads of Power Cookies and a whole heap of fun. This year has been awesome. Here's my list of the best bits.

#1 Racing My Own Bike

Summer '13 was all about getting over myself and getting my ass back on an elite startline. Scared? You bet. Sam Sheppard needed a bike last minute. I gave her my spare. My bikes had an epic battle and when it came down to the line that day, my other bike beat my bike. It's not every day you get to race your own bike.

#2 Performance Enhancing Doughnuts

I can't tell you how much I love the Coppermine Epic. Fantastic course, Nelson sunshine, cool race vibe, and a waffle cart at the finish line. This year, after some Performance Enhancing Doughnuts the night before, I set a new course record. And proceeded to refuel with waffles. Racing pre-fuelling and re-fuelling goodness. (Note: Performance Enhancing Doughnuts should be consumed in moderation)

#3 K-Day

If I could only have one day on the bike, Karapoti 2013 would be it. Smashed my PB, posted a solidly sub-3 hour time, became the first Upper Hutt resident to win, fourth fastest female ever, and snuck ahead of the legendary Karen Hanlen. It still makes me smile thinking about it now.

#4 Race of Truth PB

There is something special about time trialling. Yep, a special burning discomfort in your legs. This year, while fighting the feeling, I inched closer to a sub hour 40 kilometre time trial. While emigrating added a good 5 minutes to my time (crazy kiwi chip seal), the magic sub-60 minute number now only eludes me by 24 seconds.

#5 Day In Day Out

Wanna ride your bike day in day out? Go stage racing! This winter, I snuck in a trip to the Northern Hemisphere for my first time on North American soil and first stage race. Fuelled by lots of maple syrup, I survived encounters with bears, Fat Albert Racing Team, and a week long battle with Wendy Simms on the most insanely good technical cross country trails I have ever ridden. Best racing experience ever. Love you BC!

#6 Big Ass Medal

Size matters, especially when it comes to medals. It took 384 kilometres and 8,500 metres of climbing in a smidgen over 24 hours on my hardtail to earn the best bling I have won to date - gleaming silver with World 24 Hour Solo Championships 2013 etched on it. You beauty.

#7 Double Century

My propensity to seek out activities that tighten butt muscles and burn calories must be the reason I get the variety of Facebook diet adverts that I do (sadly, none of the ads feature Power Cookies or doughnuts). I can confirm ten hours of pedalling averaging 31 kilometres an hour leaves one with tight feeling cheeks. And smashes through 10,000 calories. That's a lot of Power Cookies. And one cronut.

Phew! What a year! Time for some down time so these guys can get some much needed rest...

 

 

 

Finally, as it's the season for setting new goals, resolutions or aspirations, here's a reminder from last year. This is me at Rice Mountain Classic - two years apart. Decide. Commit. Succeed. And don't forget to ask Santa for a carbon wheelset and Italian shoes (these photos are proof that a carbon wheelset makes you look faster and Sidis last forever).

 

 

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Round the Big Lake

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot"

Wow! Time flies. As usual, the end of November is heralded by the iconic kiwi event that involves circumnavigating a big puddle of water in the middle of the North Island. I've always loved the vibe on the journey up from Wellington for the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, as a procession of cars adorned with bicycles journey northwards. This will be my third time at the event, which feels like it is becoming something of a milestone for me. Lots has happened in the last two years.

The 2011 edition was all a bit of a last minute decision. I was mainly enjoying the occassional club road race and a friend, Rob Te Moana, egged me on to race in Taupo 6 weeks later. I first met Rob at a club race, initially because I was tactically astute enough to cotton on to the fact that hiding behind a big Maori fella on the flat just prior to a sprint finish wasn't a bad idea. I was contracting for NZ Army at the time and he was keen for me to join a military team. Six weeks doesn't leave much time for base training for a 160 kilometre lap of the lake (and these were my racing days prior to any structured training programme) so I opted to chalk up some of the "fun ride" events in the local area last minute, including Tour de Whitemans, Martinborough Fun Ride and Tour of the Wairarapa. Being fun rides, these aren't races (yeah, right). For Taupo weekend that year, the weather conditions were a tad blustery - in fact, several trees fell during the mountain bike race and it was called short. Accordingly, I was smug about my decision to ride on the road. I finished my "Round the Lake" roadie stint in 4 hrs and 36 minutes. All things considered, not a bad effort. I was the fastest chick round the lake and fastest military rider overall. The NZ Air Force went away with the military cup - a nice irony considering my retired Squadron Leader status. I decided then that the following year I wanted to race the Friday evening criterium (it looked like heaps of fun) and one day I wanted to tackle the two lap option (not sure the reasoning behind that decision, it just was).

Then 2012 rolled around. It had been a somewhat bizarre winter with the discovery of some additional horsepower in the legs (after some fabulous coaching guidance!) and some hidden cyclocross skills. Who would have thought riding around a park in winter could be such a revelation? And so much fun?! And that I could ride that fast?! I'm not the most observant person and provided some amusement for the Ultimo clothing boys at the expo in Taupo when I failed to notice the huge photo of my mug on the wall.

Just realised what I was standing under

I provided even more entertainment when I rocked a yellow bikini around the expo with Emily Miazga of scrumptious Power Cookie (and yellow bikini wearing) fame. True to my word, I raced the criterium and had a blast. Even managed something that resembled sprinting and finished 5th. Then jumped on the mountain bike the next morning and raced the Huka XL, taking third spot on the podium behind kiwi MTB legends, Karen Hanlen and Annika Smail. I had raced Annika years before. In the Fort Bill World Cup in 2006. Although neither of us would have known it - I finished 62nd to her 16th. The margin was a bit closer in Taupo (well done, coach).

Huka 2012

And here we are. Two years later. I've piloted my way through a good chunk of fun on two wheels in that time and, true to my word (just like last year), tomorrow I'm doing the two lap version of Taupo. A work colleague chuckled when I described it like that and said, "Two laps makes it sound like a 10 kilometre jaunt, not a 320 kilometre race" followed by, "How do you prepare for that?".

The answer for this week's preparation schedule seems to be run a heap of clinics, get through a load of meetings, fit in some time to sleep and eat and pack, squeeze in a couple of easy commutes to constitute a taper, work until 11 hours before you're due to race, grab a flight to Taupo, be re-united with your bike and dedicated support crew, grab a big pizza, drink coffee, maybe a nap, more coffee, throw on lycra, and jump on the bike...somewhat relieved that all you have to do for the next few hours is pedal.

Two hundred miles is a decent bicycle ride. It will be the furthest my road bike and I have travelled together (at least when its not been on the roof of the car). My personal best prior to that was the 284 kilometre Hutt to Palmerston North loop that I rode with young whippersnapper (I'm allowed to say that, he's only just over half my age), Ryan Hunt, before we both did our first 24 hour race back in April this year. It was an epic day out and heaps of fun. We experienced the bidirectional headwind which is customary for this part of the world and cruised over the summit of the Akatawaras just as the sun went down. Ryan is a great training buddy and has since told me that, one day, he wants to ride home. That's Wellington to Taupo. Three hundred and seventy kilometres. One day.

Old bird vs young fella legs after a long day out!

I have fantastic sponsors. Really awesomely fantastic ones. Ones that not only support my crazy plans but actively encourage them. Ones that make a custom high visibility gilet cos it's in the rules to wear something like that (high vis, not bespoke clothing that is - thanks Ultimo). Ones that launch an extra tasty bar just in time for a long race (pretty sure that's the best coincidence ever - thanks Em!). Ones that make sure your bike will run super sweet on race day (thanks Slackboy & Mud Cycles- again!). Ones that are willing to be support crews at all times of the day or night (you've only got yourself to blame, coach). As well as friends that are willing to join the support crew (thanks Charlotte Ireland - I will repay you with shuttling!).

The gun goes at 1:30am tomorrow morning. Lake Taupo is a bigger than average sized puddle to ride around twice - actually it's the same size as Singapore. For those back in the motherland, distance wise it's like smashing it along the M4 from London to Swansea (plus another 10 miles and 3,500 metres of climbing hilly bits too). Or Wellington to Napier in NZ. And I hope to do it in good time for lunch on Saturday. Make that four lunches.


 

Good luck to everyone on their journeys "Round the Lake" (once, twice, or may times), at the Huka, crit, or any other way you're getting out there on two wheels. Fingers crossed for PBs and sunshine all round! Go visit the Em's Power Cookies stand at the expo and be sure to grab some Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge merchandise from the Ultimo boys. And if you pass me in the morning say hi! 

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