My Precious

It’s funny to think that this was one of the best downhill bikes in 1994/1995. How things have changed!?!

During my ‘off season’ I set myself a goal of restoring ‘My Precious.’

The hardest part was restoring the front forks (Rock Shox Judy DH) as the elastomers had disintegrated.  I got there in the end, thanks to someone selling a pair of Judy XC SLs that had springs in them which I was able to use.

Servicing the damping cartridge



Comparing elastomers to springs









New springs!

While this bike isn’t 100% accurate to when I raced it, it’s pretty close.  The tyres, Panaracer Smokes, were my favourite in the early 90s and I couldn’t resist putting them on.

Specifications:

Frame – Specialized FSR – First generation.

Forks – Rock Shox Downhill Judy with a whopping 3” of travel.

Forks - Rock Shox Mag 21s with 2 1/2" of travel.

Components – mix of Lx and Xt, 8 speed with a few anodised bolts.

Brakes – Magaura Race hydraulic brakes with break beefers to save the frame.  They still feel great.

Tyres – Panaracer Smokes.

Pedals –Shimano XT – First generation.

DCD – Dave’s Chain device was used to keep tension on the chain.

Chain – Sachs, great chains in the day.

Grips - ODI mushrooms.

Do you still have your downhill bike Mr Steve Owens?

Custom Cycling Apparel (clothing)

Late last year I decided I wanted to design my own cycling gear so I started shopping around.

I looked at what Ultimo, Tineli, Champion System and Amapop had to offer.  In the end I went with Amapop and was very impressed.

The whole process was very simple.

I came up with some ideas for my design (big thanks to Andy Brown for designing my kiwi) then emailed it to Toni.

Toni turned my ideas into a design and emailed them back to me.

I modified the mock design and emailed it back.

The whole design process was extremely easy!  The hardest part was deciding on which material to use, either:

Cooldry - a high quality material which is extremely light and has fantastic moisture wicking capabilities.

Coolfresh Extreme – also a quality material but slightly heavier / thicker.

Thermal material – This material is almost too good to wear on the road, let alone mountain biking.  It feels like silk, beautiful!

I went for one of each.

Once the design, materials and sizes were confirmed, I received my gear.

Toni aims to have the gear delivered within 2 - 3 weeks.

 If you think you’d like to have a go at designing your own personal cycling gear or get some designed for you, email Toni at cycletoni@live.com  or visit his website

Wellington Scottish Athletics Club 3 Peaks, Event 1

The Wellington Scottish Athletics Club holds a series of races where you are given a map and three hill tops to reach. Any route can be taken. For event 1, the hill tops were Johnstons, Chartwell and Tinakori.  Click here for the results and information on the next two races. 

Cross Fit Training – Only Four Spaces Available

After many years of researching and experimenting I have devised a set of exercises that target specific muscles for runners, mountain bikers, triathletes and multisport folks.

These exercises should not be attempted unless supervised by a highly skilled coach such as myself.

The first exercise targets: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower & Upper Back, Shoulders and Biceps.




I need these moved to the wood shed

Lifting Logs  

First you stand with your feet apart, crouch down, put your arms around the log, (some logs require two people to carry them) stand up and walk from the driveway to the woodshed.

For advanced athletes, you can lift the log to shoulder height or above your head. 

The second exercise targets: Quads, Glutes, Lower & Upper Back, Shoulders and Biceps.

   



Greg working hard

Chain Sawing Logs  

Again you stand with your feet apart, holding the chainsaw, cutting the wood into appropriate size rings.  For best results, push down with your lower back and engage your abdominal muscles.




Me having a go





For advanced athletes who want to get an extra challenging back workout, once the chainsaw is in full revs, hit a stone which will take the edge off the blade causing the chain to be less effective which requires more back strength.


The third exercise targets: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower & Upper Back, Obliques, Shoulders and Biceps



One day we will look like this

Splitting Wood With Axe 

Once again, you stand with your feet apart, lift the ring of wood onto a chopping block, pick up an axe and proceed to chop the wood into suitable size pieces for your wood burner.

For advanced athletes, either use a blunt axe or focus on rings with large knots.  Both of these will require extra strength, physically and mentally.



The fourth and probably the most important exercise targets: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower & Upper Back, Obliques, Shoulders and Biceps.



Great form

Stacking Wood

Again, stand with your feet apart, bend at the knees, reach down focusing on the side ways twist which targets the obliques, pick up one or two pieces of wood and stack in an orderly fashion.

For advanced athletes, either reach further for the wood and/or focus on heavier pieces.

Greg's weekend run about



You may expect to pay hundreds of dollars for this sort of workout or even thousands if you joined a gym but I am offering four lucky readers the chance to take part in this Cross Fit Training Session for the small price of a couple of cans of coke and that includes my professional guidance and motivational speeches when you want to quit. 



 

Off season

  

This unique training session will only take place once a year, normally the first weekend after Crazyman or as some may say the start of the off season. 





Crazyman Race Report -Chasing My Own Shadow

I had a few issues with my new toy (Gopro 2 Outdoors).  As they say, never try anything new on race day, guess the same applies to digital gear as well :)  Hopefully have the fogging issue sorted now so looking forward to the next race.  I can't imagine the Wellington Marathon will be as exciting though.

Race Report

I grew up reading about Steve Gurney and how he was willing to try new things during multisport races, so when the new course was announced for the 2012 Crazyman, I’d thought I’d push the boundaries.  To cover myself, on the Thursday before the race, I emailed Michael Jacques (the Race Organiser) asking if I could switch bikes, he was very supportive of my idea.  He replied, “No rule against it Ed... Yet  :-)  I like races that leave things open to a bit of tactical manoeuvring...”

Hmmm, wonder what I can do next year?

I knew I didn’t have the leg speed on my mountain bike to stay with the front bunch as they raced up the Hutt River Trail, so I decided to start on my cyclocross bike and switch bikes at the start of the hill climb.  There was no point in using the cyclocross bike for the entire race as my mountain bike would be both faster and more ENJOYABLE on the downhills.

The 2012 course was switched to the other side of the Hutt Valley.  It started in Petone and returned through the hills of the Belmont Regional Park.  The bike leg started with everyone spread out across a soccer field which soon narrowed to a gap under a bridge.  A great way to start a race and it must have looked impressive for the spectators.

I don’t know about everyone else but my heart was red lining right from the start.  I managed to slowly work my way up to the back of the front bunch just in time for the first major obstacle, a sty.  There were a few of these, on one hand they were frustrating as they allowed the bunches to split, on the other they gave us a chance to catch our breath.  These little stops worked out perfectly for me because it gave me a chance to get my heart rate down.

At the bottom of the Dry Creek climb, Greg was waiting with my mountain bike and ready to attach my new camera to my helmet.  It was a smooth transition and the last chance to catch my breath before the most challenging climb of the day.

While climbing up Dry Creek to Boulder Hill the weather was stunning!!!  The views were fantastic and the downhills were superb.  I spent most of the ride chasing my shadow.  Sadly the ride had to come to an end and it finished with a fast descent then a short ride beside a creek to transition. 

As I neared transition, runners were going the other way.  A few people that I didn’t recognise shot past.  Then I heard those spine chilling words in an American accent, “Go Ed!”  Bugger! Matt was in front and he was looking strong.  How far was transition?  How long would it take to get my running shoes on?  How long would it take to run back to this spot?  These were all questions that were running through my head which was crazy.  Matt and Jeff were a team and were a sure bet to beat me, yet I still hoped Matt’s, ‘lack of fitness’ would slow him down.  It didn’t, we ended up running similar times.  Next year boys!!!

The run started off by going down the same track that I had just biked up.  It was a nice warm-up before we had to start running up the Belmont Trig Track.  Luckily it only went for 1km, the whole time I was thinking, don’t walk.

Once we turned left, we were running along a narrow walking track, mainly downhill to Korokoro Dam.  It was a fantastic track to run on, beautiful forest and lots of small creek crossings.  From the dam I thought we just had to run out Mills Stream Track (a track the follows Mills Stream until it almost reaches the harbour).  Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware that a detour had been included.  It meant that about ¼ of the way out, we took a right and had to scramble up a hill face.  It was a fun detour, one I hope no one else was able to run as I found it difficult.  The descent was great, a fast open track with slightly wider stream crossings.  We popped back out on Mills Stream Track and it was a case of holding my position.  There was one person in front of me that I tried to run down but we seemed to be going the same speed. The gap remained the same until the finish line which was on Petone Beach.

Xterra Rotoura Festival Race Report - Coked!

Race report to come.
Long story short,Gary and Susie "Coked" me, meaning they smashed me and I now owe both of them a can of coke.

“Emergency services, what is your emergency?”

Still jaded from the Traverse, I thought I’d check out the Crazyman bike course.  It was another beautiful Wellington day.  I parked at Dry Creek, which is at the bottom of the Haywards between Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt.  There, two ladies were also getting ready to practise the same ride.  After a bit of small talk they wished me well and I gingerly made my way up the gravel track.  About half way up I stopped to adjust my cleat and a guy rode past.  I had no interest in chasing him so I didn’t think I’d see him again.  Fate would say otherwise.

Just before the top of Boulder Hill I saw the mountain biker in the horizon. I continued to climb, hoping to catch him on the downhill.  I caught him sooner that I had expected ... only he was lying flat on his back.

Long story short, he had a broken collar bone and needed to be airlifted out.  The two ladies I met earlier (Jo and AJ), arrived and very kindly stayed with us while we waited for the helicopter.  The pilots and medic were great and  AJ kept eveyone entertained. 

Once the helicopter left Jo, AJ and I carried on practising the course.  In the end we took a wrong turn so didn’t really get to ride the course like we had planned.  Maybe in a few weeks I’ll get another chance.  

I never had my GPS watch with me on the ride, I wish I did as one of the first questions I was asked was, "What is your location?"  Trying to tell someone in a call centre in Auckland that you are near Boulder Hill in Belmont Regional Park wasn't very helpful.

The next day when I ran up to collect his bike, I'd thought I'd have a look.  South 41.15, East 174.93.