Arrival
11 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
We have arrived in Rotorua, however without our bikes as they are delayed in Sydney. The LA connection was the longest but the transfer went bad there. The bikes caught the next flight to Sydney and will not be here until tomorrow. I have great hopes that the kind baggage staff in Auckland will properly transfer the bikes to Rotorua tomorrow. All will be well then. We managed to make a very tight connection between our last flight and our final bus to Rotorua with five minutes to spare after over thirty hours of travel! We stayed restful during travel and as soon as I have my bike I will be on with the adventure…
Ready for the Whaka… Time to see what the riding here is all about. The bikes followed us by one day and were delivered late in the evening. Tomorrow, I will enjoy a full tour of the local trail network in race format… My kind of ride. One hundred kilometers of off road racing on my single speed bike. The course will use some of the trails that I believe will make up the SSWC race next weekend.
With 5 hours of sleep, after building our bikes late last night, I stood at the start line of one of the toughest races I have ever competed in, and crossed the finish line 5 hours and 52 minutes later. It was amazing to ride through such a vibrant forest on some of the best built trails I have ridden or raced on. Towering California Redwoods, fern, palm fronds and pine mixed amongst thick bush creating a lush, dark setting. The race demanded concentration on the twisted flats and high speed descents as I became familiar with the unique flow of the winding, steeply banked tracks. Less braking is necessary than on trails I a accustomed to, as the banks, dips and deeply cut trail naturally guides my bike through the course. The fast flow was broken here and there as the racecourse used forestry roads to connect the network of mountain bike specific and directional trails. I raced without digging too deep, remembering the coming championship race and still represented our mountainous home well, climbing past other racers the way I know how to when the roads headed upward. At the 50km mark I was feeling as though I should have signed up for the half race rather than the full Whaka. I began to understand the reputation that the race had amongst the local participants. I stopped, laid down and raised my not so race prepped and travel weary legs up against a tall pine. Remembering the 35 hours of travel getting to Rotorua. My legs allowed the aches to drain and I regained my pedal speed as I quickly returned to the ride. It was great preparation for The Big Race next weekend, as the courses share the same network of trails. Huge props to Deb for putting up with me as I anxiously awaited our delayed bikes, the late night build and early morning race start! I love Deb!
