Mt Te Aroha Goat Challenge

This event popped up on my ride radar at quite late notice (the Tuesday before!), but luckily for me I didn't have to try too hard to convince Andrew we should give it a go. We decided to go as a family, and Andrew and I would take turns doing laps as a team of two, looking after the kids between laps.
It was a slightly early start for us, but we made it just in time to score a primo carpark spot right by the start/finish line (what a tin-bum!) and get our entry in before registration closed. We entered as "Team Mary" because we were both on our Haro Mary 29ers (Andrew with gears, me on singlespeed).

We arrived just as the kids race was getting underway. There were lots of kids there, some in child seats on their parents' bikes and some on their own bikes, including a couple of boys on balance bikes like Oli's one. Oli was pretty interested in watching the boys ride - they were very fast.

I quickly got my gear on and got ready to ride. I made the executive decision to ride the first lap. Then it was announced that it would be a Le Mans start. Bugger. Luckily it was only a 30m jog across the croquet pitch... now peppered with SPD shaped pock-marks from our cleated cycling shoes.

The start was pretty cruisey, and I knew I shouldn't go hard, or I would never last the distance. I ended up walking most of the long climb up the rocky road, and then got a bit held up on the singletrack. Pretty typical of any first lap really. I found my flow on some of the undulating sections of track, and the downhills were pretty nice too. The track used some of the walking tracks which were reminiscent of some Rotorua trails. The last section descending down to the geyser was by far the best. It was a slightly technical steep descent over roots and between trees. It was pretty tight in a couple of places - not something that you would want to get too overconfident with. I was a bit hesitant to ride it, but managed to slowly roll up to the top and view a good line all the way to the bottom, so I decided to give it a shot. Success! Whew! I was very happy with myself, because after all the time off I've had off from riding it can be a bit hard to have faith in my riding abilities - even if I have ridden much more difficult tracks before (like over 3 years ago!).

Oli the mechanic with Dad's bike

I arrived back at the changeover to find my cheer squad of Andrew, Oli and Ella all waiting. A quick exchange of instructions about the kids and the course and Andrew headed off for his lap. He admitted that he struggled with the same things I did. Uphills were hard, the rocky stream crossings seemed impossible, and he just couldn't bring himself to try the steep downhill bit at all. To be fair, he has ridden even less than I have over the past 3 years, and lately his riding has only been to commute to work. He did well to get around the course just slightly slower than me. I spent my time hauling the kids back to the car, and then hauling the kids and our campsite gear back to the changover area. I set the kids up with the picnic blanket and playtent, applied sunscreen and hats, changed a nappy, and then realised I hadn't had anything to eat or drink. Just then Andrew arrived back. Okay, gobble half an energy bar and get back out there... after the compulsory run-down on the status of each child (food, suncreen, nappies, etc). Needless to say, our changeovers were anything but swift.

My second lap went much better than the first. I rode more of the hills due to less slow traffic holding me up (you have to stand up and mash on the singlespeed, whereas the gearies get to sit and spin in a low gear). I still couldn't get the right balance of speed and mojo to get through the rocky stream crossings, but everything else flowed well. I conquered the steep downhill again, and felt good. I think this lap was about 5 minutes faster than my first one. Stoked.

Oliver and Ella compare lunches at basecamp

Arriving back for changeover, I discovered Andrew had moved basecamp into the shade - nice. Another briefing on the kids' current status and Andrew was off. I picked up the job of feeding the kids their lunch and this time I remembered to eat some too.

Our leisurely pace and casual changeovers meant that we would probably only have time for one more lap - my third lap. Andrew arrived back feeling and looking quite knackered. After one of our longest changeovers (about 8 minutes) I headed out on lap 3 with only 30 minutes remaining until the event was over. I wanted to get back before the race ended, but my tired legs were telling it wasn't going to happen. Trying to push hard just made me more wobbly and more likely to make mistakes. I decided to forget about the time, to relax, and just cruise along to find the flow again. After that things improved and I enjoyed the ride. I rode the steep downhill again, so that put a smile on my face. The smile quickly disappeared on the next uphill when I had to get off and push. Nearing the top I heard another rider coming up behind me. I waited on the side of the track for him to pass. As he passed me, I heard the air horn in the distance declaring the end of the race. The passing rider and I looked at each other and said, "bugger!"

Finished.

That was it. Game over. I enjoyed the last downhill bit to the domain, then wound my way back up to the finish line. We packed away our basecamp and waited for prizegiving. Andrew took Oli to the playground while Ella and I cuddled in the shade. Team Mary took away a tyre as a spot prize - unfortunately only a 26", not a 29". Oh well.

The kids survived the day surprisingly well. Oli tolerated not being able to go to the playground whenever he wanted, and Ella managed with only about 45 minutes of sleep. Lucky for us, both kids had a good sleep after we got home at 3pm.

At dinner time Andrew asked Oli what he liked best about his big adventure, he said "all of it". Then Andrew asked him what was the worst part, Oli said "next time I take my bike too". We've been told! :)