Coca-Cola Treasure Hunt...... Before Class

Two of my students challenged me to give up Coke for a week, (not sure where they got the idea from that I drink the stuff), the prize, they would buy me one. First........I had to find it.

Because I can......

For those who don't know Upper Hutt, it's at the top of the Hutt Valley, in the Wellington Region.
My favourite local hill to mountain bike up is Mt Climie (A) which I did before work.

At the other end of the valley, there is another good hill called Boulder Hill (B) which I did after work.
So many options and not enough time.

Both are fantastic rides and I highly recommend them both.

A- From the top of mt Climie at 6.50am Wednesday Morning

From the top of Mt Climie a few days later in the afternoon

B - From the top of Boulder Hill Wednesday afternoon

Bike Art

First up,I had a go at making a small clock

It is a XTR large chainring mounted on a piece of drift wood.

I really needed a wall clock so I went over board

It is a Mavic Ksyrium rear wheel with a 16 - 25 cluster on it.

It made sense that since I had a racing wheel clock, I needed a carbon frame  (cyclist joke).

All one offs and unfortunately not for sale 

Andy Brown Training for Kona

Andy had one request before he headed off to Kona, we do our traditional race simulation.

The only problem was, we were used to doing it in the dry heat of February, the mid autumn weather of cold rain and wind made for an interesting day.

***It must have paid off, Andy had a fantastic race at Kona.

The Big Coast Bike Ride

Final Round of the Bike Hutt Cyclocross Series

Cyclocross update

With 5 races done and dusted and only three remaining, the season is sadly coming to an end.

Race Two was possibly the best course I have ridden.


 Race Three was fun.  Due to discovering my headset had seized late Saturday afternoon and learning my frame needed a Specialized Mindset headset (which I couldn't get in time) I was force to ride my mountain bike.

Race Four was COLD and WET!!!! I seriously considered DNFing with two laps to go but carried on to finish.

Race Five was fantastic due to a great course and ideal weather conditions.  Having to race with a dead leg wasn't ideal!

Photo taken by Andy Brown, early on in the race

Photo by Andy Brown - Too many people smiling.

                                               

                                                               Photo taken my Lisa Morgan - Cowbell coaching 

Handle bar got caught up in the tape 

Tape didn't break and I came to a sudden stop

Race over, dead leg for the rest of the race and the following week.

The Cyclocross Season has Finally Arrived!!!

After a long waited hiatus, the cyclocross season has finally arrived.

Cyclocross races are well known for being held in cold and wet conditions but somehow today was an exception.  

During the week, New Zealand was hit by one of the worst storms in 40 years with trees, roofs and roads torn up in the Wellington area.

Image from Google of Petone foreshore

Image from Google of Lyall Bay

I was keen to race B grade but went against better judgement and raced A grade.  With four races already held on the course, it was always going to be a matter of survival and keeping the bike moving forward.  A lot / all of the competitors decided running the switch backs was faster than trying to ride.

Not sure on the final number in A grade, maybe 15 - 20 people.  I was extremely happy to only get lapped by Alex Revell (no shame in that) and not come last.

 

Photo taken by Danielle 

Photo taken by Danielle 

  

Photo taken by Danielle 

RACE VIDEO

Here is the information for the following races.

Start times and categories:

D Grade 20 mins plus 1 lap 9:00am

Kids 2 laps 0945am

C Grade 30 mins plus 1 lap 10:15am

B Grade 40 mins plus 1 lap 11:15am

A(lex Revell) Grade 50 mins 12:15pm

Venues:

23 June Harcourt Park

30 June California Park

7 July Moonshine Park

14 July California Park

21 July Moonshine Park

28 July California Park

4 August Moonshine Park

11 August Harcourt Park 

New Zealand Ironman Race Report - Better Late Than Never.

Rules, Rules, Rules.

The new rules made for interesting racing this year at the New Zealand Ironman race.  The new 10 metre rule was well talked about.  I was to discover some rules were still being changed the afternoon before the race.

Due to Achilles issues and 8 weeks of no running, I knew I was never going to be able to run the full marathon.  Next best option - film my race.  I scanned the rules, couldn't find any rule against filming and even asked.  So, with my new GoPro and emails from Ironman NZ and Tri NZ saying there was no rule against it, I was set to go.  However,  Friday afternoon JUST after I had racked my bike I received a phone call informing me that the Ironman corporation had made a decision that no cameras were allowed. Silly rule really!

Beautiful start to the day!

RACE DAY  

After many years of bad weather, today made up for all of them! Lake Taupo was flat, warm, calm and extremely clear.  I started slow, got into a good rhythm and was even managing to swim pretty straight.  I was actually enjoying the swim until some plonker, who had all the room in the world, decided to grab my wrist and pull me down.  He was wearing a yellow cap, 40-44 age group?

Where in the rules does it say you are allowed to do that?  It certainly rattled me and I guess that was his intention.  I was happy to finally reach the shore and see the clock say 59 minutes.  That is a personal best for me.

The run to T1 was a long one but with the crowd 3-4 deep the time flew by.  T1 was uneventful.

Biking along the foreshore, I could see a bunch just ahead of me and was torn between chasing them down or starting slow.  I chose to start slow and ease my way up the hill, as it turned out everyone else had the same idea.  As I was approaching the main road to Reperoa, still going up hill leaving Taupo, I saw someone get busted for blocking (he was riding beside or just behind another competitor and made no effort to pass).  It was reassuring to see the rules being followed through.  From that point on I made a conscious decision to ride on my own.  I thoroughly enjoyed the ride out and back, the first 90km was my fastest including my Half Ironman times.  

End of Lap One, All Going Well

End of Lap Two, Finally!!!

 The second lap wasn't so pretty, I missed a gel and struggled to key off anyone as very few athletes were in sight.  It wasn't until I reached an aid station where I got a bottle of coke that things came right.

It was a relief to finally reach T2.  Biking on my own meant I had too much time to assess things like my head over heating in my aero helmet.  It was such a great feeling to finally take it off.  I took my time through T2 and eased my way onto the run course. 

Start of the marathon

Easy to smile at the beginning

Again, I wanted to start slow and saw a bunch about 50 metres up the road.  I was wondering, do I chase and run with them or stick to my plan?  Interestingly, the gap stayed the same for quite some time.  During the early stages my main focus was to keep my body temperature down by grabbing as much ice as I could from the aid stations.  I was able to run for 33km, then my legs locked up.  It was an enjoyable walk home, the crowds could see my arm bands and appreciated I didn't have far to go.  The highlight of the whole race was the crowds cheering in the last km.

 

  Walking down the finishing straight was amazing; I only wish I had my camera to record it.

Later on that night Danielle and I went back to cheer home the athletes finishing in the last hour.  It was great to see Bevan Docherty mixing with the crowd.

Here is a short video of the last athlete to finish under the 17hr time cut off and become an Ironman.

Auckland 70.3 Half Ironman Race Report – A Gentleman’s Race

 This was the first time this race was being held so I was looking forward to a different course.

Danielle had organised some excellent accommodation which meant we were only a few minutes walk from transition. On race morning, I was able to get my gear set up quickly and with time to spare was able to admire all the different bike setups.  Most people were carrying two bottles, some one, I went for a three.  I believe my age group (male 35-39) were the luckiest age group in the entire field, we started straight after the pros. Pro men 6:30am, Pro women 6:33 and then us 6:38.

Getting ready for my wave start

The sea was warm and calm, though a little murky.  It was one of the most pleasant swims I have experienced, very little bumping. The five turns actually broke up the course and added to the pleasurable experience.  Being on the inside of a group as we approach a buoy is one of my pet hates, yet during this race when I was on the inside preparing myself to be swum over, it didn’t happen, the others stayed wide of me.

Spread out nicel

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?  This means, when I race and people are bashing into me, I now know they are not from my age group, the male 35-39 age group must be one of the most considerate age groups that race J.  Good work guys!

T1 was uneventful and I was quickly on the bike making my way north via the Auckland Harbour Bridge.  The climb up wasn’t too bad; I really struggled with my tri spoke and a slight cross wind going down the other side.  The time lost on the descent was quickly made up on the flat and through the hills.  The north loop was fantastic, fast smooth roads with a tail wind and the little loop through the streets brought out the spectators, even at 7am.  I was getting used to the tri spoke and was able to enjoy the ride back to the bridge with a head/cross wind.  Once over the bridge again we had to weave our way through some streets while crossing wet tram tracks as it had started drizzling.  The south side of the course was along the beach front and back twice.  The ride out with the tail wind was magic.  The first lap I rode with no one around and it was hard to gauge my effort/pace.  During the second lap there were a lot of other age groupers on the course and trying to catch them helped maintain some urgency.

 

I took my time with T2 as I was in no rush to start running.   The course went through the waterfront apartments then out a few kilometres and back.  We did this twice.  Like on the bike, when I started the run there weren’t many athletes on course, so when I acknowledged the spectators cheers they then cheered me on even more which was fantastic.  I did what I could during the run but it was always going to be a case of survival.  As I was running back for the last time, I looked at my watch as I passed the last aid station, 18km. I thought, only three kilometres to go, so I didn’t take anything from the aid station.  When my watch beeped at 22kms and I still wasn’t close to the finish line, I blew mentally.  Some say the run was 22.5km, others 23km.  My Garmin said 22.6kms.  That being said, it was a great day out and I’ll be back next year.

Ten Rounds with Mike Tyson

Ok, so it wasn’t quite like going 10 rounds with Mike Tyson, but it was HARD!

I arranged to have a ‘Boot Camp’ in Nelson with Gary and Susie.  They were fantastic hosts, nothing was ever a problem and they made sure I got on the plane with absolutely nothing left in the tank or my legs.

I thought about listing all the highlights but there were simply too many.  A couple of the ‘major’ highlights were:

Running the Abel Tasman

Kaiteriteri Beach



Doesn't get better than this!!!



It was a beautiful day, we caught the ferry from Kaiteriteri to Tonga Quarry .   The run was superb.  In the 2^nd to last kilometre I felt myself starting to blow, so I picked up the pace trying to drop them.  I not only failed to drop them, I got dropped on the last kilometre.  Mental note – never try and out run runners.  2:53hrs/27.2kms in the bank!

At the start

 

 

Another beautiful beach.



Long ride around the outskirts of Nelson – Another amazing day lead to a long scenic ride through the hills and valleys of Nelson. The coke stop near the end topped off the ride for me.

 



Snow capped mountains in the back ground.



Early morning swim – Susie and I went for a swim in Tahunanui, absolutely picturesque!





It was nicer to swim in than it looks.



Best Bike Ride in New Zealand – Downhillers pay for shuttle runs, I think cyclists would pay for this ride.  The three of us drove to St Arnaud (Lake Rotoiti), where Gary and I suited up and prepared ourselves for the fastest ride of our lives.  We were riding mostly downhill with a strong tail wind behind us – St Arnaud to Nelson.  There were times I felt uneasy due to spending so much time in the aero bars spinning out my biggest gear.  It really was a case of just holding on and enjoying the ride.





Gary and I at Lake Rotoiti