Riding around

[bob_summers]

Oh well we came 5th in our vets Category(1st open mens team came 40th overall) and 16th overall in the 6hr out of 223 teams and 53 solo riders.

That's a really good result, especially given how little prep you had to play with. Now to find a couple more vegan MTBers and really kick ass next year!

[Alistar]

Cheer's Bob! Each year I see that podium slip through my fingers!

Yeah want my "soon to be" fifteen yr old son to come and do it with me next yr (more for the experience and to spark up an interested, more than anything else). Just need him to grow a bit more(he's not far away) so I don't need to put my seat down for him each lap

However being from the "playstation generation" can't see him blitzing out super times but still reckon he'd be faster than at least one of my team mates

Good news today. My daughters hard work paid off and she beat her nemesis in the 1000m run at her school athletics day for the 1st time ever in her last year

[bob_summers]

Great news re. your lass, you're raising a pretty competitive brood!
Don't worry about him being PS generarion, after all I'm the same (well, technically Commodore 64 generarion ,-) ) and I'm still on 2 wheels!

[Alistar]

What?! You missed out the ZX81 and the Vic 20 and went straight to the '64 Bob?
Need to get him a bit more active though...

Oh well had the "Zones" athletics on Tuesday. Daughter was in the 1200m and the 60m sprints. She ran really well in the 1200m running a bold race but unfortunately due to inexperience wasted too much energy at the front of the chasing group in 3rd place the whole way in the wind, accelerating and not letting anyone past her so by the time she got to the last straight had used up all her surges so had nothing left coming in 6th. Oh well only 2 girls qualified in that race anyway, and the 2 "Gazelles" out the front are a class above(well trained) and win it every year.

Usually she's pretty quick at the 60m which was only a few minutes after the 1200m, but unfortunately but her legs were cooked poor thing, so she was a bit upset she couldn't get them working and was put out in the heats.
Good learning experience going into the future though

Tough ride to work and back Tuesday. Work was next door to the athletics track which was a bonus. Found it hard due to such fickle riding of late. Hadn't slowed down much just struggled a bit more towards the end of the ride

59min flat there
1hr00:07 back
14:28 Govs SOK
18:57 Dyers
Last hill 4min27

51.3km

Thursday. Got scared trying to hammer my star nut into my steerer as was harder than expected trying to get it in, so took it to the LBS and with the proper tools they did it for me in about 30secs. When I got home put my mtb back together and then did a short blat up to the top of the Purau saddle and home on the roadie. Felt really quite good after struggling on Tuesday so enjoyed riding quite hard.

13:08 Purau
17:29 Kicker
35:26 Top (420m)

23.91 km 55min38

[Mr. Cleetus]

What?! You missed out the ZX81 and the Vic 20 and went straight to the '64 Bob?

ah man, I can still feel my friends Vic 20. I was never lucky enough to touch the sinclair. However, I was lucky enough to start out on an Osborne tho!!

oh, and well done to you and your daughter

[bob_summers]

hehe yeah my Dad refused to buy us a zx, but by the time the C64 came out he was doing a computer course at work and used that as a justification to get one!
Still got it as well, I'd even use it but it's easier to use an emulator.

[Alistar]

Ha! Thanks Mr C.
Yeah guys, remember going around to my friends house and thinking how crappy it( the Sinclair) was even back then. Give me a calculator watch anyday
We had an Apple 11e growing up. Even though the graphics weren't too flash had some great games.

Oh well tried out the new shocks yesterday with a ride up Mt Herbert(900m). Uphill from my place the whole way. Misjudged how long it'd take to get to the top so had to turn around before the last 10/20min push to the top(probably got to 850m) as I needed to pick up my son. Tough going and had to use the 28 quite a bit, thinking perhaps I should have got a 32 cassette afterall. A few challenging sections through narrow tracks and rock gardens with a fall on one side so had to get off and push a bit.
Just have to get my confidence up and push through at least when descending the same sections. Went the wrong way at one stage following a worn sheep track going back down instead of up, as a few marker posts had fallen over. Distance between tussocks got smaller and smaller and I ended up getting hooked up falling heavily and bashing the inside of my knee quite hard on the top tube I think?. Spent a few minutes yelling expletives and walking it off , but glad no real damage done so was fine riding. But soon found the track again. Really cool looking down on the Purau/Port levy saddle and over the Port Hills and Christchurch behind them. Had a fun ride back down and shocks seemed to work well saving my hands. So much smoother on the rutted stuff and able to handle a much faster descending speed than on the rigid when I let my speed get up a bit. Still a bit cautious being used to the roadie.

GPS on the cell said 19.4km and 2hr20 so I suppose I'll believe it.

[bob_summers]

Sounds like a nice route. What forks are they?
I think with rigid forks your speed is limited by how much abuse your wrists can handle, so you should be moving faster now!

[Alistar]

Yeah took some nice photo's too which I'll share at some stage Arrggh! sick again. "24hr flu's" been going around so no riding for me

They're SID RLT's with pushloc (added bonus? from CRC) Bob.
Yeah, will help me keep the pressure on to the chasers and lose less time on the descents. I've gone down there before on the rigid and its not much fun watching my buddies on suspension leave me for dead while I shake myself to bits. One of those descents which is actually quite a workout with suspension as very hard clay and basalt and lots of rutts.

[Alistar]

Took my daughter to a Duathlon today. Run Bike Run. She had a great time and did pretty well. Was more a participation thing than a race and there were so many ages of kids doing different number of laps(her 12 to 15yr old group did the most) so pretty impossible to know where she came. But she's pretty sure none other girls her age passed her. But had a good time and even won a spot prize sowas more than happy

Wanted to get completely over my cold and get my energy back before biking again. In the garden yesterday tidying things up, and finally getting all my tomatos in
So just headed up to top of Mt Herbert 919m(3015ft) via the backroads and the Port Levy saddle, and heading along under the ridge. After seeing this warning sign to climbers about unstable rock got a bit worried under this big rock formation that took about 20mins to clear that we'd get this random reasonable EQ (haven't had a decent one for ages) and I'd be dodging boulders as big as houses. A lot steeper than I thought it would be for the first 1 or 200m above the saddle so was walking quite a bit. But after that wasn't too bad. Really sheltered from the cool easterly up there and I was sweating buckets and only had 1 bottle(needed about 3). So cool to finally get near the top along a ridgeline and the whole Peninsula vista opened up and could see the the topography of the whole thing and the sea on all sides as well as kaitorete spit and Lake Waihora/Ellesmere. A view which I missed last week due to the more direct route. A lot more at home on the bike this week and a bit more confident which was good. Came down the same way as last time. Only took some crappy photos on my cell though unfortunately. Pretty smashed when I got home.

20min Purau
24min Kicker
47min top Saddle( a lot harder slower than on the roadie!)
2hrs4 to the top after a bit of scouting around
Took some photo's etc
Home in 3hrs

[bob_summers]

Nice, just looking at that part of the world in GoogleEarth. Looks like there's some pretty challenging terrain.

Are you always out solo?

[Alistar]

Cheers Bob .
Yeah usually on the roadbike as I find my cycling buddies are too slow. Quite like a bit of company on mtb rides just in case anything happens but live quite a way from the mtb tracks in town, and don't like driving to go cycling too much if i can help it. Also don't want to ride there and wear out my tyres on the tarseal. Anyway half the tracks are closed due to rockfall dangers still .

Find it easier just to fit in my rides when I can as I like a sleep in, and quite like going at my own pace. Also my mtb buddies in town have this idea that where we live is miles away due to the psychological barrier which is the hills so would rather go closer to home.
Oh well looking forward to my mtb race in Waipara in the weekend! Will have most of the best mtb riders locally racing so will be pretty competitive. Not particularly fit atm so wil just try to enjoy it and not worry about my placing too much

Just to work and back on the roadie today. It felt quite weird and low down and long. Think I need to put my seat up a bit too. Still not very fit but seemed a bit stronger today so was a bit faster overall than I have been. Felt pretty tough up the last hill though but didn't eat enough during the day so probably why I started running out of puff. Only took 2 sammy's and an apple and a kiwifruit to fuel me the whole day working as well, so minimal calories in for my expenditure.

57:49 there
58:25 back
Dyers( Govs) 14:20
Dyers 18:05
Last hill 4:25

51.3km 1hr56:16 26.47kph Av 74.7kph Max

[Alistar]

Shit that was a hard race today! Wish I'd had a bit more training in the legs. Got a stomach bug yesterday so wasn't feeling too flash. Couldn't eat dinner but felt a bit better at about 11pm so ate my dinner then. Spent the morning on the toilet with the runs but at least felt I was getting it out of my system.

Anyway the mtb race started straight up a hill and from then on was up and down the whole way. The climbs were very steep and in many of them was doing all I could to keep the front end down and turning the pedals. Lost traction on a few climbs so had to get off and walk a bit. Wouldn't have been too bad if we'd had decent downhills, but the trouble was there was long grass with rocks hiding in it on the tracks which you couldn't see until you hit them. Either that or very rutted and steep stuff so you couldn't get any decent speed up, bouncing around all over the place and trying just to keep in control. The top guys all went the wrong way so suddenly up the long hill to the 1st drink station they started going past. I'd swear the guy who got first was hardly even puffing as he said something to a mate as he went past! On the last cimb I was sure I was near the top so made a break and got a decent gap from a few people I'd been riding with. Unfortunately over the next rise ,was another rise, and then another rise so I started slowing down quite a lot and the legs started tying up. The jr Womans World champ went past me just a couple of k's or so before the last downhill, so then I passed her, and got a bit of a gap. When the track finally went downhill it was extremely steep and full of humps and bumps and ruts so she passed me going down there because of her much higher skill level and lack of fear. I was riding within my limits to keep in control as the last thing I was going to do was fall off. After that we entered the first bit of smooth ground all race in this forest but it didn't last long. The last section was this long fast section of gravel 4wd track. I was steaming down there to try and catch her and this other guy but couldn't gain on them.


Oh well got 4th in my AG and 18th overall out of 147 starters. Only 19 minutes behind this World class mtber (even if he did go the wrong way )

26km 1007m 1hr 51:16

[bob_summers]

Good result Al, shame you got ill before as it must've had some effect on your performance, you'd have gone even better if your body was properly rested.
1000m is a lot of climbing over 26km, not many places to recover eh?

[Mr. Cleetus]

Well done Al! Looks like you went quite well. Enough of that walking stuff though!