Not All About Cycling - Work, Money and Commitments

I thought it would be about time I answered to everyone who has asked me the following:
- "Are you still riding?"
- "Have you been racing?"
- "Have you stopped biking?"

It's not quite as simple as it seems to explain!

1. I have been riding, just not very much unfortunately. I would love to be riding more and more but I have come to realise that I need to sort out a few things from the past and for the future. We don't need to go into detail but it's getting there!

2. I haven't been racing. One of the most recent races I did was the Hutt City Crazyman. While it seemed like a good idea, it really wasn't. I had an amazing kayaker (Kurtis Imrie) and a very fit runner (Laura Robertson). During this race, I had several problems. All of them were self inflicted though so nobody to blame but myself!
I had a great start when Kurtis came through first and I held that lead until mid-way up the first hill (a killer!). By then, I had bonked and felt like crap.
I held the pace as long as I can until I woke up on the ground (twice).
After feinting for the second time, I knew I needed to back off. So I did.
Rider after rider came past me and while I was pushing so hard, they hardly even seemed to be trying. By the time I got to the finish, I was pretty well gone and for some reason went away in an ambulance with Phillippa.
They said that because I had been recently sick, my body was still trying to fight off the illness. As I was pushing myself while my body wasn't 100%, things took their toll.

After all of that, I spoke to my parents, mates, colleagues and girlfriend. The guys at Iride have always been so supportive and all banter aside, they've given me some of the best advice ever. It was time I backed off racing and just had some fun without the pressure.

3. As I stated before, I haven't stopped biking! I never will! I love the sport and everyone within the cycling community. I will always support my friends and family with their cycling because I know it has done such good for me.



Earlier this year, I started my own business and I had a crazy amount of support from everyone! It started off just mowing lawns and pulling weeds but as my goals started to expand, it very quickly became something bigger. There is always going to be pressure when starting something like this but being me, I enjoy the challenge and I think it makes me work harder.



I know that as I get older, I must become less reliant on 'the olds' and become more self sufficient. So thats where I'm headed!



Also, very proud of Phillippa for her Silver Medal in one of the PNP rounds and for smashing it up the Wainuiomata Hill!

We're hoping to get up north this summer and have some fun in Rotorua, Taupo and Auckland on the bikes. Like always, we couldn't be any happier with our precious bikes.

I hope this answers some of the questions and gives people a better insight into what's going on in my life.

PNP Round 2 + Club Champs

PNP Cycling Club put on a great day today at the 2nd round of the PNP Spring XC Series as well as the PNP Club Championships. The cross country track was pretty awesome with a great rooty downhill. It was super slippery due to the 2 days of rain prior to the event.

I had an average start in the cross country and had to pass a rider before being able to put down the pressure and hold a decent pace. By this time, the two lead riders had already opened a gap and I was unable to catch them throughout the rest of the race. Solid effort from Jack and Eden which left me in third place.

The Super D was great fun and a bit slippery in places. Went pretty hard and had a lot of fun.

As soon as I started the criterium, I could tell the legs were empty and I felt sick too! I think it was probably due to the cross country in the morning. Came away with another third and I'm happy with that.

Overall I came away with a third place medal. I am stoked with that effort due to the chest issues I have had throughout winter.

Well done Phillippa on your first gold medal today!

Thanks to iRide and Specialized New Zealand for supporting me with my racing and training.

FFC Fridays and End of the Cyclocross Season

 I recently attended the Fat Fathers Club (FFC) ride from iRide. Every Friday at 6am, a bunch of keen guys get together at iRide and ride road bikes. It's awesome fun and it's more social than competitive (unless you want to attack) so come along and give it a go some time. If you've got any questions, get in touch with iRide!


It has been a great cyclocross season with both the Huttcross series and the Waikanae AvantiPlus series.

I managed to hold some solid results in the Huttcross series and finish top 4 most of the races. The last one held today the most enjoyable course so far. I had a good start and the legs held out well allowing me to hold a good solid first place until the end. Super stoked to win A-Grade in the last round!

Jumping the barriers the easy way!

The Waikanae AvantiPlus series was great fun with steps, barriers and lots of mud! I'm stoked to have won 2 of the 3 rounds up there.

Also, a big congratulations to my girlfriend Phillippa for finishing her first cyclocross series after starting cycling earlier this year. Her numerous riding faces have been awesome and a great laugh.

A great shot of iRider Phillippa Skeet

Good luck Alex Revell who left for China today!

My Crux Experience

I managed to borrow a Crux for the cyclocross this weekend in Waikanae. I was worried as I had never ridden a cross bike. Still, I stuck to it and raced for my first time on a Crux.

The start was interesting and we had a solid straight run to sort the riders out before the real stuff began. I had a quick fall but managed to mount back up and not loose any time. Not late after, Calum and I broke away and he held the pace high with several attacks every lap. As he was a strong runner, I had to have my game on every time we had to run the steps or barriers.

I managed to sit on Calum's tail for nearly the whole race (to my surprise). After hearing that I was about to enter the last lap, I decided to attack. I passed him about 30 seconds in to the 4 minute lap. He put on a show and stuck himself to the fencing after trying to get me off the bike. It was a good laugh! He was stuck to the fence for about 5 seconds and I opened the gap by a further 3 seconds to the finish. I am happy to finish in 1st in my first cross race on a cross bike!

We got everyone to do a chilled warm-down lap and it really finished the day in good spirit. Thanks everyone for turning up and being so supportive!

Huttcross Round 3 - Moonshine Park

After a glandular fever scare and a bit of wet fun on the bike, I managed to turn up and race at the Huttcross Cyclocross race this weekend. Andy and the boys managed to sort out a great course with a lot of running and off camber sections. It was the most fun cyclocross track I've ridden so far.

It seemed like a good idea to race on my mountain bike until I saw the muddy course. The cross guys seemed to cut through the mud and my near bald Fast Traks slid across the top (this made it so much more fun!). I had an alright start and gained a few positions until I got into about 3rd or 4th. It was great to be up there with Dave Sharpe and a few other Top Guns. I held this position right through to the finish.  Brendon Sharratt was smashing it out there! One or two more short laps and he would have lapped nearly everyone.

Thanks Mike Molony for the photo and thanks to iRider Johnny Barnes for the last lap.

One of the best parts of the day was seeing all the iRiders at the race. Keep it up guys!

Porirua Grand Traverse 2014

Awesome race! I did the Duathlon with Ricoh from iRide. I had a good start getting straight out front with Brendon Sharratt just behind. I knew Brendon was fast and it didn't help that he was riding this fast course on a cross bike. Thanks Ricoh for an awesome run and Brendon for keeping me on my toes!

Straight into the first climb and I had opened a small gap between me and the main group. I managed to lead the first loop and get straight out into Belmont for the suburban loop. On the next decent climb I had a 15 second lead over Brendon. I managed to extend that gap throughout the race, catching all but one of the triathlon riders. It was awesome to come away with the fastest MTB time of the day and even after several timing and marshal issues with the run, our team still got first place. Had a finishing time of 1:07.24

Woohooo!!

Karapoti 2014 Race Report

This year, Karapoti was a lot different for me. I was unable to do the 50km Classic due to the risk of injuring my ankle again so I did the 20km Challenge.

Started with the classic river crossing where I managed to get through with the first few competitors. After I mounted I was away. I attacked from the start expecting someone to join but after a quick glimpse at the field behind me I had already gained a massive gap.

Solid start in the river!

I held the pace high as I entered the rocky gorge section and it wasn't until 4km in that I started catching the end of the 50km riders. Weaving my way through the riders I finally got to the section where the 50km riders and 20km riders split. The first decent climb was solid but passed by much quicker than expected.

I continued on alone on the loop until I got back to where there is two way traffic. Got a bit gnarly from here on. I had to keep the pace high in order to beat the 20km record but make my way through the oncoming riders headed up for their loop. I was relieved to know the last 6km should be rider-free and all downhill.

I was feeling strong as I came out of the gorge and back on to the road toward the main river and finish. Some of the marshals seemed surprised to see me out of the bush so early though! I had a good river crossing with no falls (luckily).

It was crazy to find out I had beat the record by 1:20 over the 20km. I had also placed first by 12 minutes which was just as crazy!

I had so much fun in this race and made the most of not being able to do the 50km. I can only do what my ankle is allowing me to do so this race was a good little test. Feeling good and happy to be slowly coming back!

Cross Country National Championships - Rotorua

First proper race back since breaking myself! I had so much fun and it was awesome to catch up with everyone again.

Pain face on after first lap!

I knew I didn't have too much in the legs for this race so I decided to smash it from the start, have fun and see how long I can hold on to the pace. I had an awesome dusty and drifty first lap with lots of attacks as the group spread out along the technical track. My second and third laps felt good but then I started to lose the pace. Lost two places and lots of time as legs just couldn't hold up. I still managed to finished though!

Thanks Phillippa Skeet for this photo!

Pre-race mini photoshoot with Wayne Jones-Nevrilk. More photos from race day at www.nevrilk.com

Of course Sam Gaze and Anton Cooper were up the front battling it out making the spectating even more amazing. Those two have worked so hard and continue to out-do the expectations of everyone. It was good to be back racing, especially with some of the top guys in the world. Well done to Sam for the days win!

Cooper and Gaze testing each other up the front

This race was a great opportunity to identify my weaknesses both up and downhill after breaking my ankle. 15th place in Elite Men isn't perfect but I am happy with that result after a 5 month block of nothing. 

The new bike was awesome! My new kit thanks to Specialized New Zealand and iRide went well with the bike and felt great.

So keen to catch up with all the guys again and thanks to everyone who turned up to the race (despite the hike up to the start). You made the day even better!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We are now in 2014! What a year! Ive had some awesome times and some horrible times but it has all helped me to learn and improve. 2013 started well with a relatively good handful of nationals results which allowed me to race overseas. World Cup racing is definitely the coolest, most enjoyable experience available to a rider.

While the year may have started well, I managed to finish it not so well. An operation on my broken ankle and 8 weeks entirely off the bike surely wasn't what I had in mind but I am rebuilding and improving myself from this experience. After a lot of physio and strength exercises I am nearly ready to get back into full training again. I still have a bit of pain in the lower leg and ankle but every day it's feeling better. I'm looking forward to the coming season and enjoying being on the bike again.

On the 29th of December 2012 I had a bad road crash in the wet. This year I hoped to set things right and  get back out there. However, I came down with food poisoning which has stopped me from riding (and everything else!) as it has been so violent. I managed to lose 5kg in 15 hours! I still find that impressive but it sure did hurt!

I have been to all the PNP Wellington MTB series races and it has been a great turn out. Its so cool to see the sport developing in Wellington and seeing more people out there giving it their all. I got  few good yarns in, met new people and most of all, had fun!

I am also super stoked to have this awesome Christmas present to complete the year! Thanks mum and dad!

 

Ive taken it out a handful of times on some of the most demanding (XC and all mountain) tracks in Wellington and it rides like a dream. With slight changes to the setup, this fits me and my riding style perfectly. I cant wait to be able to race on this bike! 

Thank you Ricoh for putting this together for me, Luke for setting everything up, Andrew Young from iRide!! Also thanks to the rest of the iRide family, Specialized New Zealand and my family/friends for all the support and encouragement.

Cheers to everyone else for the continuous support! 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Recovery, Planning and More Recovery!

I haven't been able to do much for the past 6 weeks and I am looking forward to being able to stand normally. It is tough going from riding and exercising every day to close to nothing. During the operation they found several fragments of bone throughout the ankle joints and another shard had snapped off. I have two screws holding the bone back in place and all the fragments have been removed. It shouldn't cause any future problems going forward. Its feeling much better this far down the track and I only hope for further improvements.

Being off the bike has given me plenty of time to focus on my studies. I have also had more than enough time to find things to improve on in this coming season. Looking ahead, I know it is going to be a hard road but I just cant wait to get outside on some solid training.

I managed to bling up my bike a bit thanks to iRide Wellington. I am now running 1x10 and a few other goodies have been put on. Even while injured, I have had so much support from iRide with everything I do and I look forward to the 2014 season.

Cheers Kirk at iRide! Looking and feeling awesome!