In my usual style, this blog is a smidgen late. A weekend or two ago saw me head to Rotorua once again for one of NDuro's fine events. They really turned on the sunshine for this one and the trails were bone dry and FAST.
I did the 45km course which took us all the way up to the top of Billy T via No Brains and back down to Waipa Mill again. One of my favourite tracks, Corners, was in there, although I never feel like I ride it as fast as should be able to! It felt great to be back on the bike and whilst the legs felt a little heavy and a little slow, I generally felt pretty good. The organisers have gotten a bit creative this year with the long course and there are a couple of timed sections now... A King of the Mountain (KOM) and then a time trial section on an undulating piece of trail. To be honest, I missed the start of the time trial piece of track (I don't think I was paying attention... I was having too much fun) but might try and pay more attention at the next one for some good speed training half way through the race.
Next one is this Sunday, after the 110km Tour De Ranges in Clevedon on Saturday... A weekend of fun! Here's hoping the weather is kind to us all!!!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Training With No Bike...
As some of you would be aware, the relationship between my saddle and my bottom hasn't been completely amicable since my last 24 hour race, and after being back in training for a month, it became apparent a few days ago that I would have to hang up the bike again for a few days, hook into the antibiotics and let these saddle sores sort themselves out. With the amazing weather we've been having and the fact that I finally have days off after being a slave to retail trading patterns over Christmas, I don't think words would describe how frustrating it is to be laid off the bike... I'm sure I'm not the only one, either... For many of us bike junkies, simply giving up the bike cold turkey results in many withdrawal symptoms including crankiness, loss of appetite, whinging and emptying our wallets with a bit of retail therapy at our favourite bike shop (hopefully Bike 75)
So, for those of you experiencing the same pain as me, I thought I would devise a list of awesome ways to keep bike withdrawal at bay during times of injury and illness:
1. Running... Yup, I hate it too... My legs are way too short, but it keeps me fit and is an excellent cardiovascular workout, not to mention it keeps my legs relatively strong to jump back on the bike when I can
2. Pump track... Not an option for all of us, but for me, perfect. I can play on the bike and not have to sit down and those pump tracks are a damn good workout! I highly recommend the one at Muriwai Beach on coast road near the tennis courts (if you feel like giving something back, do some weeding while you're at it) followed by a nice dip at the beach afterwards. The great thing about pump track is you can hang with your mates of all skill levels and run competitions as to how many times you can get around the track without pedalling. Guranteed to get the quads burning!
3. Weights... The gym in Summer doesn't really appeal to me much, but a great way to build strength off the bike.
4. Core stability... You would be surprised how much of an impact this has on your bike handling abilities.
5. Update your blog... Enough said.
6. Work on organising your race schedule, training plan and all associated details such as sponsorship and team mates... An excellent way to give yourself a goal to work towards when you do get back on the bike.
7. Read a good book. I just finished reading 1000 Hour Day by Chris Bray. I also highly recommend anything written by or about a cyclist... We're an intelligent and well-spoken bunch of people with some interesting stuff to write.
8. Read a good magazine... Issue 39 of Spoke has come out recently and always has some good stories and reviews to offer
9. Spend money on your bike.
10. Make sure you do the exercises/ take the medicine your doctor or physio has told you to!
With that in mind, I have plenty to go and do right now. Enjoy the sun!!!
So, for those of you experiencing the same pain as me, I thought I would devise a list of awesome ways to keep bike withdrawal at bay during times of injury and illness:
1. Running... Yup, I hate it too... My legs are way too short, but it keeps me fit and is an excellent cardiovascular workout, not to mention it keeps my legs relatively strong to jump back on the bike when I can
2. Pump track... Not an option for all of us, but for me, perfect. I can play on the bike and not have to sit down and those pump tracks are a damn good workout! I highly recommend the one at Muriwai Beach on coast road near the tennis courts (if you feel like giving something back, do some weeding while you're at it) followed by a nice dip at the beach afterwards. The great thing about pump track is you can hang with your mates of all skill levels and run competitions as to how many times you can get around the track without pedalling. Guranteed to get the quads burning!
3. Weights... The gym in Summer doesn't really appeal to me much, but a great way to build strength off the bike.
4. Core stability... You would be surprised how much of an impact this has on your bike handling abilities.
5. Update your blog... Enough said.
6. Work on organising your race schedule, training plan and all associated details such as sponsorship and team mates... An excellent way to give yourself a goal to work towards when you do get back on the bike.
7. Read a good book. I just finished reading 1000 Hour Day by Chris Bray. I also highly recommend anything written by or about a cyclist... We're an intelligent and well-spoken bunch of people with some interesting stuff to write.
8. Read a good magazine... Issue 39 of Spoke has come out recently and always has some good stories and reviews to offer
9. Spend money on your bike.
10. Make sure you do the exercises/ take the medicine your doctor or physio has told you to!
With that in mind, I have plenty to go and do right now. Enjoy the sun!!!
Round Rangihoua 4 Hour - A Tops Day on Waiheke
OK, so my blogging has been very slack over this busy Christmas period (thanks to the many emails and conversations pointing this out to me) and I best thought I'll start where I left off and give you a race report of this tops little race I did before xmas.
This is the third year I have done the Round Rangihoua race and as per usual, Mother Nature turned on the weather for us, while the good
folk at Waiheke Mountain Bike Club turned on a good race. The track was the same as it has been the last couple of years (without much reason to change it... Totally wicked fun!) and was for most of us, between 15-18mins long. The trail followed a solid climb up the side of the mountain before descending into sweet singletrack goodness flowing through some lovely berms, corners and kicks through native bushland. I was also quite stoked that I actually got to chase a chicken down the trail named "chicken run".
This was the longest ride I had done since World Champs and was really intended as a bit of a kick-start to
my training again after a a couple of months chilling and cruising around on the bike. For the most part of the race, I felt pretty good. I drank really well, and actually felt pretty strong. I felt like I hadn't lost any base, as my legs ticked over pretty well for the full 4 hours, but I felt a little slow on the climbs and flats, which I suppose was a lack of speed and power training over the last couple of months. Being (once again) the only solo female, I took out the win and took home a lovely bottle of wine which went down rather well with Christmas lunch (Ladies take note, I'm
keen to see some good competition out there next year!).
I hear a whisper the club are looking a running a more extensive race calendar this year and it would be awesome to see the club get some support. Department of Cycling (DOC) are pretty keen supporters of the event, too, so ke
ep an eye on their website for details of how you can jump in with a group of people for a fun day out. It really is quite a sweet day out over on the island and such an easy trip over, too. You don't need a car... The distance to Onetangi Sports Park is very ridable with a backpack for your day's worth of goodies.
This is the third year I have done the Round Rangihoua race and as per usual, Mother Nature turned on the weather for us, while the good
folk at Waiheke Mountain Bike Club turned on a good race. The track was the same as it has been the last couple of years (without much reason to change it... Totally wicked fun!) and was for most of us, between 15-18mins long. The trail followed a solid climb up the side of the mountain before descending into sweet singletrack goodness flowing through some lovely berms, corners and kicks through native bushland. I was also quite stoked that I actually got to chase a chicken down the trail named "chicken run".This was the longest ride I had done since World Champs and was really intended as a bit of a kick-start to
my training again after a a couple of months chilling and cruising around on the bike. For the most part of the race, I felt pretty good. I drank really well, and actually felt pretty strong. I felt like I hadn't lost any base, as my legs ticked over pretty well for the full 4 hours, but I felt a little slow on the climbs and flats, which I suppose was a lack of speed and power training over the last couple of months. Being (once again) the only solo female, I took out the win and took home a lovely bottle of wine which went down rather well with Christmas lunch (Ladies take note, I'm
keen to see some good competition out there next year!).I hear a whisper the club are looking a running a more extensive race calendar this year and it would be awesome to see the club get some support. Department of Cycling (DOC) are pretty keen supporters of the event, too, so ke
ep an eye on their website for details of how you can jump in with a group of people for a fun day out. It really is quite a sweet day out over on the island and such an easy trip over, too. You don't need a car... The distance to Onetangi Sports Park is very ridable with a backpack for your day's worth of goodies.
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