Heaphy Track

Tim booked our Heaphy Track trip in December, soon after the announcement of the 3 year mountain bike trial. After 5 months of anticipation the trip kind of creapt up on us.

The plan was to fly to Takaka on Golden Bay Air on Friday, spend the night at Brown Hut, then ride through to James Mackay for Saturday night, spend Sunday night in Karamea and then ride to Westport to fly home on Monday. Things didn't exactly go to plan. The weather conditions in Wellington and Takaka prevented Golden Bay Air Flying, I thought this would be the end of our trip however Golden Bay Air flew us to Nelson, drove over and picked us up and then shuttled us to Takaka. I have to say they were fantastic and totally exceeded our expectations.

On arrival at Takaka we made a last minute decision to stay at the Junction Hotel, put our bikes together in the dry, and have a warm comfortable night. The weather in Takaka was very wet, and as we had got soaked through on the tarmac at Wellington staying was an easy decision.

The Golden Bay Air pilot kindly picked us up at 7am (on his day off) and dropped us ot the first ford on the Heaphy Access road. We used the farmers bridge to cross this one, the second ford was up to my waist and the water was moving fast, Tim had to rescue me from the main flow when I got stuck!

The rain was steadily falling and it wasn't exactly warm. All our gear was in plastic bags inside our dry bags, and secured to Freeload Racks. We both put most of the weight on the bike.

I wore a jacket, baggies, a merino base layer, and cycle top, Tim had the same plus his wet suit top, and long skins. By the time we reached Aorere Shelter we were both frozen. For some reason we found the climb, about 12km very slow, it was wet, with various sized rocks, but the gradient wasn't too bad. Due to the weather I spent most of the time looking at the ground.

At the shelter we were glad of the gas cooker we were carrying. I cooked us a hot meal and a hot drink, and we had a general purpose grizzle. We were concerned about our lack of progress and started to worry we weren't going to make it to James Mackay before dark. We made a conscious decision to up the pace.

After half an hour more riding we made it to Perry Saddle Hut, the gradient here was almost flat and we were heartened when passing the sign noting the "highest point on the Heaphy track." - 910m we think

After Perry Saddle the ride was down hill and rocky. On this part of the track the rocks were sharp so some care was required. The descent was great fun and it was wet enough for the mud on the trail to slow you. On reflection this was my favourite part of the ride. We were still focused on moving at a good rate and started passing people who had started over an hour before us.

We made it to Gouland Downs in what seemed like no time. The ride on the downs was undulating, there were big boulders and fast moving rivers. I am sure it was quite pretty, but we just couldn't see anything. We met the first two swing bridges on the downs - what a pain! They were hard to cross, energy sapping, cloth snagging, and dry bag ripping. We found out later that a rider in a group behind us had decided to cross the river with his bike, rather than use the swing bridge, he got swept 40m downstream and was close to drowning!

We had a coffee break at Saxton Hut and then headed up the climb so we could descend to James Mackay Hut. This section of the track floods regularly and we were lucky not to have a flood. The descent to the Hut was very wet and the type of mud seemed to change from grippy to slippery. Just before we reached the hut I caught a whiff of a coal fire - I never thought a coal fire smell would be so welcoming.

The first day took us 7 hours including all breaks etc. I think we had at least 1 hour inside huts and could have moved quite a lot faster in the first few hours. I ripped my dry bag on a swing bridge and so double bagging our kit paid off. The hut was warm and it was easy to dry our stuff, and we stayed warm in 2 season sleeping bags all night. We were comfortable in the hut and managed to consume about 1.5 litres of wine! (Thanks for carrying the cask Tim)

We were joined in the hut by 12 members of the Ground Effect team. Guy, Laurence, and the guys were exceptional company! It is easy to see why Ground Effect is such a successful business, the enthusiasm and positive manner of the group was neat.

Thunder and lightning entertained us overnight and we awoke to a southerly change and more rain. After a hearty porridge breakfast we were off. Both Tim and I put on every piece of clothing we had, we were both comfortably warm on the 1.5 hour down hill ride to Lewis Hut.

The descent was heaps of fun, and certainly the most technical part of the trail. I really enjoyed it, it challenged me but was still fun. We both had a couple of crashes, I was most amused to see Tim slowly go over the handle bars in one of those slow speed crashes you can't do much about.

After Lewis Hut we were greeted by 4 more swing bridges and a lot of energy sapping mud! We started to get cold at this point. We were both wet through and waiting at the bridges didn't help retain heat. I think I whinged a lot on this section. We lubed our chains regularly on this section but both still got chain suck. My drive train was brand new (wrecked now) and so I'm not sure what else I could have done to prevent this.

Finally we reached Heaphy Hut and we had lunch with the ground Effect crew heading in our direction. They were a lot warmer than we were (superior kit maybe?), I was pleased to be wearing my Helter Skelters, why I carried them all day on Saturday and never put them on is beyond me.

The terrain after Heaphy Hut was pretty much flat and coastal. There was a lot of getting on and off bikes to cross streams, sandy sections and more mud. I think this was the most scenic section with huge forests of Nikau Palms right down to the sea. After about 1.5 hours we reached the track end.

At the track end it started raining again and we realised our 16km ride into Karamea was going to be into a 100kph head wind! As we were riding past the very green coastal farms even the cows looked unhappy and Tim said to mention he was riding with his right eye closed to keep the hail out! (I was drafting and sheltering of course)

After an eternity we arrived at our motel, Karamea River Motels. These guys were excellent. Kay and Joe had the heater on in the room and the washing machine ready. Kay then took us to the Last Resort for a yummy dinner. When having dinner we mentioned that given the weather we would try and get a lift to Westport, Joe didn't hesitate to offer us a ride as he was heading that way anyway. If you are in Karamea I thoroughly recommend the Karamea River Motel

In the morning Kay and Joe drove us to Westport and we learnt a lot about the history of the area on the way. We managed to waste the day in Westport with coffee, food, beer tasting, coffee and food. We just about didn't make out of Westport as our plane had trouble finding a gap in the clouds to land.

It was a challenging weekend indeed mainly because of the weather, my advice is:

• double and triple bag your stuff when in dry bags
• wear polypro, merino is not warm enough
• take matches to light the cookers
• 2 season bags are warm enough
• take some extra brake pads just in case (neither of us wore out a set but nearly - we are not hard on brakes)
• take a little gas stove for emergency warm food
• candles are useful in the huts
• take lots of lube and use it, also make sure your drive chain is in good condition
• there are pots etc in most of the huts
• Hot chocolate sachets rock
• If you can keep your back wheel off the ground when crossing the swing bridges it is easier

World 24 Hour Solo Champs 2010

Waiting five weeks or so to write a race report is nothing but slack. I have discovered that it is easy to write when you are really happy with the result and very difficult when you are not.

Tim and I have decided that there will be another 24 Hour World Solo race sometime in the future - I have unfnished business. I really believed I had a chance at a podium finish in my age group and I am disappointed not to have achieved this.



My preparation was as good as I could have expected given the weather and the very major distraction of being made redundant! There are a couple of things I would change next time but nothing major. I would like to thank Lisa Morgan, my long suffering coach for preparing me so well for the event.

The race started well for me and I quickly settled into a relaxed pace. I can't say I care for le mans starts! I really enjoyed the course with the first ascent to the top being an easy gradient with a few rocks to keep you honest. Unfortunately there were not many places to eat or drink. The descent down the back through Western Wedgetail and Pork Barrell were rocky and reasonably steep. I am pleased to say I rode every section in the light and dark. I put my foot down once, I think, when a lady ended up down a bank in the dark, I thought it would be nice to pull her bike off her!

The 2nd climb to the top was mostly 4wd track, in my practise laps and during the first 8 hours or so this wasn't much fun – it felt very hot. After about 5am I enjoyed this climb as so many people were walking! It is great motivation to give a little more when other people have given up!

The descent back to the pits was fun, the first 3 corners of Rollercoaster got a bit sketchy after awhile and of course the corners on luge were always fun! I think the total descent time was 12 – 15 minutes.

The race fell apart for me early on, after about 9 hours. I just did not drink enough, it was quite hot and with the excitement of the race I just didn't drink. I came into the pits and said to Juliet and Tim that I was in trouble, at which point I was shaking like it was cold. It wasn't cold as both Tim and Juliet were still wearing t-shirts. At this point Juliet and Tim realised I was dehydrated and did their best to get me to drink. After an hour and a half I was back out there, after one lap I felt good however after the 2nd I was back in the state I had been a few hours before. This time it took me longer to get going. I stopped again about 1.30am and didn't get going until 4am. In total I had 5 hours off the bike – easily 2 laps and quite possibly 3 missed. I hate doing these numbers it makes it clear what might have been.

Once I got started again I started to feel much better. I was pleased to be still riding and was determinded to salvage something from what was a disaster for me. I kept riding strongly, and made sure I finished my bottle every lap, I also “paused” at the top at each pass to eat a gel. This strategy worked well and I got 5 laps in between 4am and just after midday.

I am disappointed with how I went, I am pleased that I got out there and kept riding at the end. How easy would it have been to pack up and go home?

A special thanks to the following, R&R Sport, Juliet for being my Pit Crew Manager, Tim for giving up his birthday to support me, my Mum, my Dad, Marc from R&R in Dunedin for tuning the Tallboy during the night, all the other people cheering and yelling and all the people back in NZ watching the event on the net – next time I'll deliver....

Wednesday in Canberra

I arrived in Sydney on Monday to rain. The drive to Canberra led to better weather, and it is sunny right now and was outstanding yesterday.

I am pretty busy doing nothing, it is amazing how much time you can consume by resting, building bikes and going to the supermarket at least 3 times a day! I am just about to do a proper shop - this is where I need to concentrate on what I am buying.

I rode a lap of the course yesterday. It is very dry, you could almost say some light rain would be nice. I am really happy with the course, there is nothing too hard when you are not tired. I enjoy the rocks as it adds a nice dimension and interest to the ride. Pork Barrell is pretty cool but I was say the best part is the descent at the end a good ten minutes of Skyline, Rollercoaster and Luge. The most disconcerting thing is the signs saying "snakes seen recently in the is area!" The climbing is ok, and there is one section on the 2nd ascent of the hill that will become a painful fire road climb

I am unsure how long each lap will be as I haven't yet done a complete lap without stopping, over an hour most certainly. I have a pretty good pit space and with my crew being able to see clearly on the course.

Juliet, my sister, and Pit Crew Manager arrives tomorrow, and Tim and my Mum on Friday. It's getting pretty exciting now and I can't wait to get going.

Five Days to Go

Last time I looked it was August, somehow it is now October!

The last few weeks have been spent organising gear, packing gear and spending endless quantities of money, however I found time to complete my preparation by participating in my first road race for over 5 years. The Wellington Veterans Cycle Club put a great event and fantastic weather in Featherston this year. I opted for the shorter 64km ride, there would have been about 100 people in this event and when I saw the amount of fluro I headed to the 2^nd row of the start.

Pretty soon there was a breakaway of three riders, four to five of us managed to reel them in after about 5 minutes, then we hit the first hill and I promptly got dropped! This left me in no mans land, I could see the first bunch but couldn't quite get there and when I looked back there was no sign of anyone chasing. I decided to put my head down and time trial and wait until I caught. In the meantime I was catching the tail enders from the 80km and I picked up a rider from my bunch who had also been dropped.

I pulled this guy around the rest of the course, I would do a heap of work and he would come to the front and give me a rest and then as soon as he slowed I would take the lead again. He kept saying he wasn't pulling his weight but it did help me as I certainly would have been slower without him.

In the end we finished in 2.03 and the 2^nd bunch never caught us, though at times I could see them. I had to do an epic 1km sprint at the end as a girl from the 2^nd bunch had bridged the gap and there was no way she was finishing ahead of me. The results aren't up yet, however I am sure I was 2^nd girl and in the top ten to cross the line.

I was really impressed with the roadie seen and might just join in a bit more!

I'm in transit to Canberra right now, by the time I post this I'll might even be there. I feel under control and maybe a little apprensive, whatever happens, it will be fun.

Last big Weekend

In three weeks today I'll be in Canberra putting my bikes together, and in three weeks on Saturday the World Solo 24 Hours Champs start. Time has got away from me and is now moving very fast and there is a lot to do!

Last weekend was my last big weekend of training. On Saturday I headed out for a 10 hour road bike. I was lucky with the weather, it was slighly damp in Whiteman's Valley, a little windy at the bottom of the Akatarawa's and mighty freezing going down. It was warm in the bus stop on the corner of SH1 and Peka Peka Rd when, I was changing a puncture, and calm and sunny behind Te Horo. At Otaki Beach people were swimming and between Waikanae and Paraparumu I needed a sail to take advantage of the wind and then a shelter as I changed my 2nd puncture! I was glad of the wind over the Paekakariki Hill and cursing the wind swirl on the Haywards, and then smiling all the way home. It was a great day out with 230 plus kilometres of riding.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny. I sprung out of bed and headed on my mountain bike towards Makara Peak for a planned 8 hours. At the very top of Makara the rain started, and oh did it rain! This is when I realised I was quite tired, and some mental fortitude would be required. As the rain poured down I really couldn't be bothered with whole thing and decided I was going home. By the time I was back at the Hutt River the sun was out again so I changed my mind, and headed along the Hutt River Trail, over the Kennedy Good Bridge and then home. Once home I decided I was soft and should try and resurrect my ride. After putting on dry clothes and gloves I was like a new person and headed off to Pencarrow Lakes with renewed spirit. It was great to ride in places I hadn't ridden for ages, of course I had forgotten about the evil head wind on the Pencarrow Road. I eventually returned home after 6 hours and 30 minutes satisfied that I hadn't totally given up.

I have a busy three weeks ahead of me getting ready for Australia - best I start now!

Stromlo Forest, Canberra

Last weekend I made a quick trip to Canberra to see what the terrain could be like for the worlds. A couple of months ago I found a 7 hour race that fitted nicely with my plans. My Mother joined me for the trip. We left Wellington at 6.45am on Saturday morning and finally arrived in Canberra about 1pm Australian time - wild life count, one dead Wombat!

After a quick supermarket stop it was off to Stromlo Forest to get a practise lap in. I was really surprised how wet the track was. It had rained all week and the hill was literally weeping - lucky we have had a lot of rain as this didn't phase me. There was a lot of panic from the Australians, an apology for there being mud at the race briefing, and the race marshall's putting wooden planks over the worst of the mud!

The race started at 7am on Sunday, with a very cold 3 degree temperature. The day was sunny but cold. I still managed some tan lines though. The first lap was a total pain. The course headed into single track far too early and there were very polite queues waiting to enter. The standard of riding was very high, everyone was polite when passing or being passed - a refreshing change from the aggression of Moonride or Daynight Thriller.

The course was neat, with lots of variety and plenty of rocks. This required concentration and so the time just disappeared. The course really didn't suit me as in the 10km lap there was 200m of climbing all at once, I am much better with a bit of undulation. By the end of the day the most of the muddy sections were unrideable however the downhill was still just fantastic.

I didn't have a good day and I didn't have a bad day, my head wasn't quite in it, and the early start the day before took its toll. I finished 7th out of 17 women and my only regret is deciding not to complete an 11th lap, if I had done this I would have come 4th. The field was strong with the first 3 finishers all contenders for the world 24 hour solo world title.

We headed back to Sydney straight after the race and I was home by 3.30pm on Monday.

New Sponsor, Taupo, and other stuff

It has been a long time since I posted anything and this probably reflects how pre-occupied I've been. I ridden my bike a lot, been to two 65 birthday parties, completed a lot of house renovation and got a new sponsor. R&R Sport have kindly agreed to sponsor me. I am greatful for this support especially given the present tough economic times. So if you need some new kit (tent for the summer perhaps, some skis, or a new bike) you know where to go!!!

Since the race at Santoft, I've done a lot of riding but no races. I completed my longest ride about 4 weeks ago - twice around Lake Taupo and a few deviations.

I started at 4am in a relatively mild Taupo, I had so many layers on I could hardly move. As I got close to Kinloch I rode into a freezing fog. I knew the road was a little frozen and so was exceptionally careful and also very slow. It was pretty cold and tough to drink and I was kind off my drink because there were "chunks" it - I was questioning my bottle washing ability. When it got light I realised it was ice and my drink was semi- frozen. It was so cold any moisture on me, on my jacket, gloves, shoe covers, cables and lights had frozen. It really didn't melt until I got to Turangi.

I stopped to top up my food at the Motel in Taupo and headed out for my 2nd lap. This seemed to take forever and I was pleased to finally reach Kuratau Hill. Near Pukawa I had a chat to a chap out on his road bike. He asked where I had been/was going I mentioned I was riding around the lake, he commented that I was looking good and riding well. If only he had known it was my 2nd lap! Just outside Turangi I got a puncture and managed to limp to the BP where I bought a pie and a hot chocolate, and fixed the puncture.

After Turangi I developed a severe dislike of the rumble edge strip used on SH1. Between Turangi and Motuoapa there has been two attempts at placing the edgeline. The first attempt has been ripped up and the next set placed slightly further into the lane. Unfortunately the actual "rumble" is has not been removed and so the ride is super uncomfortable.

Just before Hatepe Hill, a car cruised by, and I realised it was my car, out jumped Tim and Belle, with tonic water, sharkies, and Red Bull. It was fantastic and I flew up the hill I really hadn't been looking forward to. Tim also mentioned the rain in Taupo. Up until this point I had been very lucky with the weather.

When I reached Taupo I decided to call it quites as it was raining and of course dark again. After 15.5 hours, about 380km and 3000+ metres on climbing I was pretty happy. Tim had chicken and salad waiting as well as a hot spa and red wine.

The next day I dropped Tim off at the start of the W2K track and drove around to Kinloch to meet him. I felt so good that I managed a 2 hour walk with Belle!

It has been two months since I've raced and I'm really looking forward to my adventure this weekend...watch this space sometime next week