RACE REPORT - Taylor River Rumble - Thursday February 26th

From Ron -

The course for this evenings ride took in the newly formed tracks along the upper river reserve.  Single tracks and river beds have been transformed into wide 4WD tracks and new gravel sucked away at tyres making progress hard work.  Other parts of the track were rough with big stones rattling the bodies of those without full suspension, or fat tyres a la Justin.  The course crossed the river several times and took in the top of the Taylor Dam track, and started and finished at the picturesque transfer station.  The length of each lap was measured at just short of 10 Km.

Another good turnout of junior riders and a welcome return to Asha.  This tiny 8 year old lady rode the longest time of the evening and took in 2 full laps, a great effort and a big smile at the end.

Not smiling were Joel or Bruce, a broken chain and a flatty spoiling their evening.  Bruce ran a good part of his lap but was not keen to run a second despite his prowess in this form of transport.  Meanwhile Kiel was churning out some good lap times and young Zahkhan not that far behind.  Multi sport specialist Sam was closely followed by Brendon, these four completing three grueling laps.  Justin chose not to take his fat tyres on a third circuit, the bike built for comfort rather than speed and a big engine required to drive those wheels.  Matt showed some speed on lap 1 but with his back recovery in mind he buttoned off for lap 2.

Josh and Tyler found a short cut on lap 2 but still managed a solid ride.

Thanks to Peter for sorting out the track.  Next week’s ride will be at Picton, 6:30 registration for a 7:00 start.  We will be checking out the course to be used for club champs on 15th March.

Last nights lap times attached. 

RACE REPORT - Thursday Feb 19th @ MTB Park

From Ron;

Hi there

I have acquired your details from the mountain bike club members list.  Until the club website reaches full efficiency in producing reports and results I have proposed that reports and lap times be sent directly to club members.

If you do not wish to receive this info on a regular basis please REPLY to this email and I will delete you from the list.

Last evening’s event saw a couple of new faces racing around the dusty trails, so welcome aboard to Sean and Leo.  Sean comes from a roady background but has seen the light and donned the fat tyres.

We also continued the upsurge in junior riders and had plenty of the younger set represented.  Was good to see the successful riders from the Coppermine getting rid of the lactic acid and performing well here.

The J 11’s and J 9’s were offered a shorter lap and most chose to ride this, some with parental guidance.  Then there were those who did the big lap followed by the short lap, so confusing the lap times.  Not to worry though, as long as everyone had fun and those serious riders can see how they faired on the attached lap times.  Mikey Luff put in a good effort to ride the BIG lap.  Megan and Pat both had breathing problems triggered by the very dusty tracks.  We need to do the rain dance very soon.

Kiel still had plenty in reserve after his success at Coppermine and screamed out of the blocks.  Justin had his serious face on and riding his single speed machine managed to cling on to Kiel’s wheel for four hectic laps.  The lap times showed that the timer’s arthritic hand was too slow to press two buttons in time to truly represent the closeness of this battle, there was no more than a second separating the two at any point in the race.

Sean was next best after a slowish start getting used to the unfamiliar track and passing Joel, Zahkhan and Tristan in his progress to third.  Tristan was having trouble keeping his chain on and had to un-jam it three times.  Five riders managed to complete four big laps including the big climb up to Skyline, so a good workout in warm dry conditions.  There was thunder and lightening threatening as the evening wound up but unfortunately just a tease as far as the rain went.

Thanks to Peter for setting the course, NEXT WEEK we will be at a different venue just west of the recycling centre on the river bank, so hope to see you all there.  Should be a reasonably flat course.

Lap times attached. 

Attachments area

RACE REPORT - Thursday Feb 12th @ Condors Bend MTB Track

It is a busy time for mountain bikers at present.  The Coppermine is a popular ride scheduled for Saturday and with the DoC ride at the Branch River on the same day it seems all categories are catered for.

21 riders donned race numbers at Conders Bend with a few extra helpers also riding making for a fun evening.  Sorry to hear that our new recruit Asha couldn’t make it after a nasty accident during the week.  Hopefully she is on the mend and will be joining us again soon.

Dad Tristan was in fine form after riding to the event and putting in three sub 15 minute laps, he also rode home.  This was part of his preparation for the Coppermine.  Others were taking it easy in preparation for the same event.

Brendon flew out of the blocks and was quickest on the first two laps with Tristan within striking distance.  Joel was a little further back in third followed by a group of six riders having a great scrap.  Justin was just in front of Jim with wily old fox Robert plotting his attack just ahead of Sharn and the juniors Zahkhan and Bailey.  Jason Peterson Clark was struggling with a noisy binding front brake and called it a day after one lap.  Young Cody chased the field into the first block on his wee wooden motorbike with mum Rachel trying to keep up on foot.  He completed a lap of the first block in not too bad a time.

Great to see so many juniors enjoying the ride with Tyler, Josh and Mikey being joined by Georgia who seemed to be handicapped by mum holding her back.  Georgia was keen for another lap, mum not so much.

On the third lap Tristan made a break to take over the lead and Robert also found some clear track to take over third place from Joel.  Justin was in cruise mode in fifth spot with Jim riding well just behind.

We ended up with an impressive 8 riders completing four laps, a good effort on a nice warm evening.

Next week we are back at the MTB park and looking forward to big numbers turning out for that.

Lap times

RACE REPORT - February 5th @ MTB Park

Race Report for Thursday 5 February 2015

The turnout for the hot Thursday night ride was a down on recent weeks but the enthusiasm was there – well for most. Tristan, Gavin and Sven battled it out over five laps. Tristan managed to consistently complete his laps just a bit quicker than Gavin who was just that bit quicker than Sven. Matt Mitchell plugged away getting slightly quicker with each lap. Justin’s tractor overheated again and Jason found it a bit difficult to ride with just one pedal clip after other one fell off.

Khan (JM) turned in a steady run to complete five laps and Liv Bishop just held out her father, Jut, even after his two quicker mid-race laps.  

Ride of the night is given to Asha Claridge (Very Junior Women) who chugged away doing three laps of the shorter course (we think!).

The one armed bandit (Andrew Benger) and Kevin Wilson did the timing and Peter Webster set the course.

SPORT RIDE REPORT - SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1st - BLUFF STATION

Coverham and Back

It could have been a sports ride to hell and back had the temperature on the day matched the previous few days.

But after a hot start, it clouded over and the breeze came up making for pleasant riding conditions.

Five set out from The Bluff Station Homestead, Kekerengu Valley on Sunday morning. The easy first 800m changed suddenly into a steady but relentless up.

Justin’s tractor motor soon over-heated, remedied by taking out the thermostat. A four plus k climb provided great views of the coast and then provided a great view of Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku.

Three landform saddles latter, the well surfaced road turned into a good downhill. Sven unsuccessfully tried his hand as a heading dog on some cattle that persisted travelling on the road instead of taking to the scrub. After 18k we arrived at the Coverham house and yards where Zac replenished his water bottle and Justin chatted up a bird. Good progress was made on the homeward  journey with the round trip of 36k taking just over four hours. Interesting landscapes to be seen and a good ride – no pushing the bike required. Thanks to the Murray family for access.

The next sports ride is the Bikefit Challenge on Sunday 1 March 2015.

Picton race report

Two options were on offer for this evening’s ride.  For the dedicated mountain biker who wanted a real test, the longer course had it all, it was long tough and at times technical.  Add to this the temperature, the cacophony of cicadas and obstructive manuka trees, it was easy to appreciate the blood sweat and tears the dedicated few had endured.  Yes there was blood, the trees do not yield and ripped clothing added to the spectacle of a tough ride.

For those not quite ready for that challenge, a shorter option was available and a dozen riders set out on the “pink” course.  There were seven juniors and a couple of parents in the mix and most went for the fifty minutes without stopping.  Jimmy and Mikey Luff made up for the disappointment of last week and gave their new bikes a good workout.  Mum Megan was also enjoying a good hard ride along with Abby Emma and Donna representing the ladies.  Geoff Blake was showing his kids around before unleashing for a couple of free laps.  Asha was back after  a week away at camp.  Her enthusiasm has not dwindled nor her smile.

A third category created itself on the night with four riders opting for the big lap initially, but then were attracted to the shorter option to spin down.  Sure as hell confuses onlookers and time keepers but as long as they are having fun we have succeeded in our objective.

Thanks to Peter Sven and Justin for setting up the courses and to Jim for helping retrieve the arrows.   An enjoyable night all round.  More next week, venue TBA,  just wish it would rain and make all option available.

Lap times

PICTON RACE REPORT - Thursday January 29th

Two options were on offer for this evening’s ride.  For the dedicated mountain biker who wanted a real test, the longer course had it all, it was long tough and at times technical.  Add to this the temperature, the cacophony of cicadas and obstructive manuka trees, it was easy to appreciate the blood sweat and tears the dedicated few had endured.  Yes there was blood, the trees do not yield and ripped clothing added to the spectacle of a tough ride.

For those not quite ready for that challenge, a shorter option was available and a dozen riders set out on the “pink” course.  There were seven juniors and a couple of parents in the mix and most went for the fifty minutes without stopping.  Jimmy and Mikey Luff made up for the disappointment of last week and gave their new bikes a good workout.  Mum Megan was also enjoying a good hard ride along with Abby Emma and Donna representing the ladies.  Geoff Blake was showing his kids around before unleashing for a couple of free laps.  Asha was back after  a week away at camp.  Her enthusiasm has not dwindled nor her smile.

A third category created itself on the night with four riders opting for the big lap initially, but then were attracted to the shorter option to spin down.  Sure as hell confuses onlookers and time keepers but as long as they are having fun we have succeeded in our objective.

Thanks to Peter Sven and Justin for setting up the courses and to Jim for helping retrieve the arrows.   An enjoyable night all round.  More next week, venue TBA,  just wish it would rain and make all option available

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THE BIG EASY - Kevin Wilson reporting from the scene of the punishment

The Big Weekend

I kidded Andrew Benger and Eugen Stark that it would be a good idea to go to Wanaka for the weekend of 24/25 January and compete in the “Big Easy”. It was a good idea and a great trip was had. We overnighted in Christchurch on Thursday, took the scenic route to Geraldine and then to Wanaka on Friday.

The event was 49k cross country ride, mostly on four wheel drive tracks, starting at 1520m asl at the Cadrona Snow Farm and finishing in Albert Town. The route headed east from the Snow farm climbing to 1915 m asl (or 6,280 feet in the old language) and just under the top of Mt Pisa (1963 masl). I had about 300m of pushing the bike to get to this point as motor ran lean on rarefied atmosphere and wanted to stall on the loose and rough surface. The route then veered north along the top of the Pisa Range.

The first of the quite rough ‘downs’ followed by another ‘up’ with another 200m of pushing the bike. To say it was all downhill from here (about the 19k mark) would be to lie. There were some more sharp ‘ups’ but they generally got shorter.  Short sections of the ‘down’ were ‘interesting’ to say the least. The last 12 ks from the McKay Station yards (behind Luggate) to Albert Town was a mix of gravel road, paddock and a little single track completed in 30oC plus heat.

For the record, an Under 19, Paul Wright was first in 2hrs 5 min and 2 minutes ahead of the first Open Man (35-49). Five of the first 10 places went to Under 19 Males. Testosterone cutting in I think. Andrew clocked up 3hrs 6 min to be 60th overall, Eugen got a puncture early on and was 113th in 3 hrs 54. I made in 4 hours on my clock but officially 4 hrs 2 min to be 125 out of 144. Achieved several objects (or nearly): home in 4 hours, no damage to man or new machine, had some great photograghs, was not last like the last big cross country race I did, and was not completed wasted although the orange light was blinking. Did have to re-hydrate with a couple of the sponsors fine products and we were forced to have another refuelling stop in Wanaka on the ride around the lake back to our accommodation.

Drove home Sunday via Hokitika reaching Blenheim just after 7pm. A great ride and scenery in near perfect weather and a ‘big’ weekend.

Kevin Wilson

RACE REPORT - Condors Bend MTB Track - Thursday January 22nd

An array of different machinery fronted the start line for this evening’s ride, with Dylan on his CX bike and Jason Harris on a tractor tyred bike, quite a contrast.  Jason had ridden to the venue on this fat thing as did Justin and Sven.

Jason and Justin also rode home after the event so we are obviously not catering for their needs.  Sven took the attractive option and accepted a ride from Kathryn.

Another unusual bike was Jason Peterson Clark’s which had an attachment on the rear with a wee passenger who could not quite manage to rotate his pedals.  Its only a matter of time before he will be contributing to the effort and then he will be demanding the front seat.  Big brother Joel and mum Rachel were also among the starters.

Geoff and Jamie Blake were another family team and the unfortunate Luff family had to be dragged away screaming when Jim was called in to work just as the start gun was about to go off.  Jim had to go fix the boiler to prevent it from becoming Blenheim’s first space shuttle.  Jamey and Mikey were so keen to try their new bikes and left with very long faces.  Jim didn’t look that pleased either.  Next time guys, next time.

Also keeping it in the family were Glen and Nathan Vile, with dad Glen too good for an out of form Nathan.  Must be the trappings of university life preventing the dedication to training.

As usual the start at Conders is important and Justin made the most of the open track with a scorching first lap of 14:13.  Joel was next just ahead of the tight trio of Gavin Tristan and Kris.  Tristan was frustrated by the lack of overtaking opportunities and it wasn’t until lap 3 that he managed to make a break. 

Justin completed four impressive laps at the front of the field before pedaling away home into the sunset.  Tristan finished second with Gavin and Kris keeping close company right until the end.  Joel slipped back to fifth spot with the fatigue from his Wellington effort beginning to take affect.  Bailey and Zahkhan were also joined at the hip for three laps until Zahkhan decided enough was enough after lap three.  Bailey went on the complete the fourth lap.

Our three ladies all completed three laps with Rachel getting lost on lap 1.  It had been a while since she lapped Conders.

All round a very enjoyable night and with Picton on the menu for next week we look forward to more big numbers. 

Lap Times

A pair of glasses were left behind so if they belong to you give Ron a ring on 027 3552484.

Lap times for Thursday January 15th

Lap times

1st Thurday Evening Race of 2015 - Race Report

A 7 o’clock start gave ample opportunity for the real workers to attend this evenings proceedings and a good number turned out.  Sven missed the start by almost 6 minutes so maybe a new alarm clock for his next Christmas list.

We welcomed a fresh new face in Asha Claridge, just 9 years old and riding with Dad, she shunned the proposed shorter lap after lap 1 and took in the full downhill section for lap 2.  The grin was noticeably wider for this experience.

Peter set a tough course with a good hard climb to help shed those Christmas kilos.  It was obvious that some had enjoyed Christmas pud more than others, no names, you know who you are !

David Drake shot out of the blocks with Sarnim in hot pursuit, the two ending lap 1 in close contact.  At the end of lap 2 “THE SARNIMATOR”, (great name Kathryn) had taken control, he left everyone in a cloud of dust and gravel as he descended with lightening speed.

David pit-stopped for air for his deflating tyres, lungs and hopes, before continuing the hopeless task of trying to catch a very determined leader.  Justin inherited second spot circulating without raising a sweat with Brent borrowing a mountain bike from somewhere to impress in third spot.

Juniors Zahkhan, Bailey and Josh had their own wee contest with Josh crashing on the third lap.  The only visible damage was a big laundry bill, no not in his shorts !

Great to see the old masters out there too with Robert showing a few how it is done and Eugan riding well after a tough weekend.  Peter’s second lap included a long conversation. 

Peter says we will be at Conders Bend next week and probably Picton the week after.  The later starts should enable a good attendance so look forward to seeing big numbers for these.

Big on Blairich - Rec ride Dec 21.

Blairich Station is a bit over 3,000 hectares. Ten riders saw a fair part of the property and a lot of surrounding country from high view-points (highest at 980 m asl) today in fantastic weather.

There were some great moments. Ieva from Latvia showed the boys how to ride both up and down hill on an older bike with no suspension! Justine (the younger) and Eugan got their new bikes dirty – shame really. Justin Kenward and Sarnim Dean decided to ride to the start from Blenheim. Paid for it by joining the ‘pushing the bikes’ group on parts of the 800m climb. They then scrounged a ride back to town with Jason. New-comer Rob rode nearly all the hill after recovering from an early puncture. Denise had minor mechanical issues and did a bit of mumbling about getting her bike serviced before the next ride.

The organiser’s navigation skills were questioned several times when there was yet even more ‘up’. Early on he had said we had to go past a big rock that was visible high on the skyline – just forgot to mention there were several big rocks to go past. There was a short debate about turning back after a k of the first decent down-hill turned into another ‘up’ and it was clear we would not be back in town by 1pm. Quote of the day at this point came from Peter Webster “Well there is still nine hours of daylight left.” We carried on.

We finally got the big down-hill and stopped for another lunch at the Willows Hut which is an old well maintained cob hut in a marvellous location. A short stiff (at that time of the ride) climb got us over a small saddle for a mostly down-hill ride back to the cars at 2.15pm at with 24k of travel under the wheels. Another great outing in my view and I’m not biased!

Thanks to Ron and Sue Small and family for access.

Kevin Wilson

Picture1

Pictures

Thursday eve race report

Another busy night for the mountain bike park with the BikeFit demo attracting big numbers and bikes rushing around in all directions.  Lets hope that someone’s Christmas came early.

Rider numbers were steady at 19 with one rider so distracted by the shiny new bikes that his last minute rush to enter held up the timing system.  This did not deter the man counting down and the riders were away about two minutes before the start button was pressed.  Lap 1 times are very flattering but untrue.

There was a choice of courses, pink arrows or yellow arrows.  Some riders chose to ride a different course for each of their laps so lap times could be misleading. 

First past the post at the end of lap 1 was Sarnim with David breathing down his neck.  These two swapped places on the second lap with David having the downhill advantage on a full suspension machine.  In third place throughout was Justin on his single speed, no suspension at all, machine.  Legs that long were never meant to rotate that fast, but he hung on for a clear third place.  On the fourth lap Sarnim put in a burst and David could not respond.  Sarnim was a clear minute ahead of him at the finish.  Tristan followed Justin home with Sven, Sharn, Andrew and Stephen all completing four tough laps.  Stephen was unlucky to find the clock just a few seconds short of the fifty minutes cut off at the end of his third lap.  He valiantly trudged round to complete four.

Kathryn represented the ladies with Haleigh, and another great turnout of the young and the reckless. 

Peter is taking us to Picton next week.  He will be unable to set a course so there will be no timing of laps, just the opportunity to try out those awesome tracks.  Then on Thursday 18th it will be back at the MTB Park for a treasure hunt !!!  Refreshments will be on the menu to round off a very enjoyable year.      

Lap times

Thursday race report

Geoff Blake took over junior watch duties guiding daughter Haleigh, son Jaymie and young Jimmy Luff on a lap of the shorter course set by Peter.  The longer course took riders well up into the heights of the wind blown park – it will be so good to get some respite from these persistent puffs.

Geoff managed to get a lap of his own in after returning the juniors to the start/finish area for play time.

There were nineteen riders on the start line with several notable absentees.  There are lots of bugs going around and mountain bikers are not immune.  So it was Ollie Radford showing the way with a lap of some 16 minutes leading Aaron Bleakley by around a minute and Matt Squire a further minute back in third. 

Young Hugo Kennington was making fast progress on the shorter course and was unchallenged throughout the evening.  Brother George was contesting the longer lap with fellow junior Zahkhan Beamsley.   These two completed three laps, as did most of the rest with the exception being Ollie, who managed to start lap 4 before the 50 minute deadline.   Aaron was best of the three lappers despite the wind blowing out a contact lens on lap two.  Aaron timed his laps at 17, 19 and 21 minutes.  For everyone else lap times will remain a mystery as the timing computer ground to a sticky halt after just 31 minutes.  CPR and all other efforts failed to revive the machine and all recorded times were lost forever.

Other casualties were Jim Luff who blew a spoke on lap 2, Matt Squire blew up on lap 3, Brent Thompson punctured on lap 2 and newcomer Nigel Pettigrew lost his chain twice and also had two ugly dismounts on lap 1.  Better luck next week Nigel. 

Jason Harris, Sharn Davies and Matt Mitchell circulated in close formation and kept each other honest and Tristan Claridge was ahead of this trio claiming third place behind Ollie and Aaron.  Peter Webster completed three laps while admiring the new direction arrows kindly provided by Aaron (www.fortrin.net). 

Alana was the only grown up lady present, she enjoyed the climbing nature of the course and completed two laps. 

So it is same time same place next week and hopefully the timing issue will be resolved.  Come along and try out the bikes on display.

Spray valley rec ride report

A depressing cloak of East Coast cloud shrouded the hills as 8 keen mountain bikers accumulated at the confluence of the Spray and Waihopai rivers. Usual formalities followed involving mtb banter and rapid consumption of energy gels and bananas!

We cruised off up the valley across smooth grassy paddocks that eventually became a rocky farm track with some creeks and small climbs, plenty of gates provided opportunities to stop, chat and take photos.

The first hut appeared after about 8km, morning tea was scoffed here with Jason and Andrew entertaining the crowd with stories involving cell phones and long drops etc!

The farm track continued at an easy gradient meandering through gullies and around outcrops above the river, the cloak of cloud was cast aside as the sun appeared with some intensity thus increasing the sweat flow!

We enjoyed the newly revealed view further up the valley to scree covered ridges beyond which lay Molesworth and Muller stations. Arriving at "Top Whare" we munched some more food and investigated the old cob hut and a newer hut complete with shower, hot water and power supply.

Attempts were made to continue riding past the hut on what looked like some choice singletrack but this quickly ended in a field of matagouri! (working bee anybody!?) So an about turn had us rolling back down the valley finding nice flowing descents and a cooling breeze, arriving back at the start around 1.45pm.

All in all a very relaxed cruisey ride in a great bit of country worth exploring more.

Thanks to the riders, Andrew, Phillip, Peter W, Kat, Stephen, Jason, Gavin for entertaining company and to the Mackenzies of Waihopai Downs for access, much appreciated!

Justin.

Nov 20 race report

Firstly a big THANK YOU to the Marlborough District Council and whichever department is responsible for the maintenance of the Conders Bend recreational area.  The car park area has been tidied up with a nice flat surface and tightened fencing so that the whole car park is now obstacle free.  The innovation of protecting the banks with those huge concrete blocks and wire ropes is a great idea and could be used to block off 4WD access to the mountain bike areas when time and budget allows.  Perhaps the club could approach a sponsor to finance such a move, just an idea !

Another great turnout with riders enjoying a break from the enthusiastic winds experienced earlier in the week.  We had more young ones with their infectious enthusiasm circulating around the tracks, this is very encouraging for the organisers and the future of the sport.  With six year olds managing laps with big smiles and finding energy to carry on riding after the event can be very tiring for the casual observer, phew !

We also had Keith with a trailer and passenger.  Keith had been around Conders at the weekend with this configuration and completed a couple of laps but tonight it wasn’t to be.  A broken chain ended his plans so he spent the remaining time running around encouraging Callum, Zara and Emma.  He even borrowed a bike in this quest.  The bike donor was an unlucky Sharn who succumbed to gravity in a big way.  He landed on a meaty part of the body and would have had an exciting shower when he got home.  Will not be sitting comfortably for a wee while with a graze like that.

Joel also had a fall on lap 1 and was not his usual enthusiastic self after this.  Rest up and recover Joel, next week is another day.

Cheryl no longer leads the young ones around, she now tries to keep up, so her coaching is showing results.

Matt and Justin were wheel to wheel for the four laps, Matt, sans camera, holding on for the victory.  Tristan managed to get past Brent on lap 2 for third place and Jim, Jason, Joel and Stephen managed four laps in the 50 minute cut off. 

A great evenings fun and more to come next week at the MTB park.  We will be having two weeks at the MTB park as BikeFit are having a demo evening there on 4th December.  Peter is contemplating moving some of the rides to Picton in the near future.  With daylight drawing out there is plenty of time to get there for a later start.  Watch the website for details.

Lap times

Thurs eve race (Nov 13)

The first battle was for car park space, the local harrier club was using this area for one of their regular events, but no serious issues here.

If we had a disco set up for tonight’s ride I guess the old favourites would be playing, Fleetwood Mac “You Can Go Your Own Way” and The Beatles “Magical Mystery Tour”.  With Sven setting out the course using a new marker system and Peter explaining the course without actually riding it first, it seemed inevitable that the odd navigation error may be on the cards. And so it was.

There is not enough room in this report to detail every comment but the common theme was that it was fun and no matter where each rider ended up, they all enjoyed the fine evening with the sun shining and no wind to speak of.  It wasn’t too long after the event that the skies opened so we got lucky again.  Sven realised he had missed a marker on an intersection and so stopped after lap one to pick up some marker tape.

For those who found the right way Aaron Bleakely shot away from the start with Kiel in hot pursuit, with Matt and Justin eating their dust.  Justin was having a birthday but was showing no signs of getting older despite a harrowing day at the office.

Andrew B was another having after effects of an arduous day of employment, riding a mountain bike over a bumpy track was a breeze in comparison.  After lap 1 Aaron was just holding out Kiel with Matt forty odd seconds back and Justin not far behind him.  Matt was using his GoPro and hopes to have his video available to link to this report shortly.  Will be of interest to those who did not follow the prescribed route if only to point out the error of their ways.

Justin took over third place on lap 2, wonder if this will be on the video Matt ?  Todd returned from a short lay off to circulate in fifth place with Zahkhan impressing next and first junior.  Phil Hurren seemed to be one of the worst affected by navigational problems with his first lap taking over 21 minutes.

This was fast compared to Steph Blackmore who found herself down by the Rotary Lookout.  Cheryl was also leading the young ones astray and Aaron was showing concern after 38 minutes of absence.  Aarons team of young ones Josh and Tom put in a couple of genuine laps so the Black’s are cultivating a nursery of next generation riders.  We hope that they still manage to get some serious riding in during the rest of the week.

So the ride went on and Aaron gradually drew away from Kiel and at the end of the allotted 50 minutes only these two and Justin managed 6 laps, a fine effort and a good workout.  Alana was quickest of the ladies and newcomer Rose was next.  Mica Drake managed three laps following his Dad so another good effort for a first timer.  Lap times will obviously only reflect when the rider passed the start finish area and not how far each rider had been on each of their laps.  This technology is not being pursued by the club at this stage.

Lap times

Video

Thursday race report (Nov 6)

It was pointed out that we need bigger car parks at our Thursday venues with the popularity growing and numbers increasing.  Sure puts a smile on the organiser’s dial.  So good numbers again despite a very chilly southerly breeze and rain threatening, luckily the rain held off until the riders were finished.

A good number of juniors were supervised again by Aaron and Cheryl.  Aaron was the pied piper leading a train of eager young things around two laps of the 5+ km track, a good effort all round.

The race to be first to the single track was hotly contested with Kiel, Matt, Justin and Ollie holding their nerve as they filtered down to single file.  Ollie had been worried that a solid day behind a chain saw may have sapped all his energy but at the end of lap one he had a slender lead over Kiel with Justin a further 20 seconds back ahead of Matt and Luke in a close scrap for fourth.  Melanie was showing the ladies the way and Zahkhan and Bailey best of the juniors.

Lap 2 was business as usual up front with the gaps slowly increasing but after lap 3 Ollie had dropped off the radar.  His worries had proved real when his energy levels fell away and he was forced to flick the cruise control switch.  Kiel inherited the lead and did not look back.  he managed to negotiate his way around Aarons junior group while Justin had to wait patiently for a passing opportunity on the skinny track.  Matt scorched away from Luke on the last lap to claim 3rd with Sven a creditable 5th after his ride out from town.  Ollie seemed to recover from his melt down and went screaming off riding back to town.  He will be joining a couple of other club members at the Kaiteretere race on Sunday so we wish all club members taking part a successful and enjoyable race on that awesome track.

Lap times

Rec ride report

Sports Ride Sunday 26th October 2014.

Eight set out at sea level from Moetapu Bay on a KW tour. Quick warm up to get back to the Portage Rd and the down the seal to Ohingaroa. From there it was a steady climb on forestry roads to 400m asl and the saddle over-looking Anikiwa. Young Mitchell was having an off day so he and Dad retired part way up the hill. Next time Mitchell!

An out and back trip along the western side of the ridge provided views over to Kenepuru Sound and beyond. Back at the saddle it was up again, as you do and because it was there, to gain different views again.

A great downhill eventually brought us back to the tar seal and even more downhill to Double Bay. A short nasty climb told you how fit or otherwise you really are before arriving back and our cottage at Moetapu Bay after a total of around 24k. After beers/tea/coffee and biscuits it was off home for the visitors and a couple of zeds for me.

 The next Sports ride is scheduled for Sunday November 23rd

Thur race report - mbt park

After a 22 degree day a cool breeze made for interesting riding conditions on this shorter course set by an ailing Peter.  His chest was rattling like a concrete mixer but he still managed a lap or two.

24 riders registered but the development squad of Josh and Tyler Black, Tom and Georgia Morrison and Mitchell Blake chose not to have their times recorded.  Cheryl and Aaron were ably leading this group round some shorter laps while the big guns were firing up the hill.  Kevin had volunteered to do this job but his CV must have been inferior and he was persuaded to ride with the big kids, a late entry without a number.

So the gun went off and away they went and after a lap with some technical diversions Kiel was proving that last weeks result was no fluke.  After lap 1 he had a handy lead of 21 seconds over the close group of  Ethan, Matt, Luke and Ken, a good mix of young and not so young.

The gap at the front had increased slightly after lap 2 with Luke moving into 2nd followed by Ethan, Ken and Matt.  Lap 3 and Ken had moved ahead of Ethan proving that the wiser old head was on a fit old body.  On the next lap Ken overtook Luke who was starting to feel the jet lag after his trip in from Picton.  Great to see Luke make the effort, must be a rush with an early race start.  Peter is looking at later start times as daylight permits which hopefully will encourage a few more along. 

Lap 5 is when it all started to turn to custard for Kiel.  He was seen frantically trying to get some air into his rear tyre.  Ken had a handy lead over Luke and Ethan had a wee pit stop to re-hydrate allowing Matt to get away to a 27 second gap ahead in 3rd spot.  Lap 6 and Kiel had fixed flatty number 1 and was back circulating but Ken and Luke were relentless at the front with Ethan closing right in on Matt for 3rd and 4th.  And so to the final lap and the status quo remained for Ken and Luke but Ethan put in a good burst to take out 3rd.  Kiel finished way down the field carrying his bike for a good part of the last lap with flatty number 2 impeding progress.

Among the ladies young Liv was impressive using her CX experience to good effect.  She just puts her head down and rides, and rides and rides.  Alana had a few navigational issues on lap 1, Peter says she wasn’t listening, but I would hate to stir up any ill feeling here.

Sven also had issues with a binding front brake and a pit stop after lap 1 failed to improve the situation.  His answer to this wee problem is to buy a full suspension bike, I am sure many of you will follow this logic.

Sarah Gunningham registered for the ride but felt more comfortable without a number as this was her first go.  Hope that you enjoyed the experience Sarah and that we haven’t put you off.  Conders Bend next week should surely encourage you.

Lap times