Pukete Winter Fun Series Race 5

Two in a row! I actually got to two races in a row! The 5th race of the series was held yesterday at Pukete MTB Park. The weather was amazing, lovely sunny day with a bit of cloud and a cool wind. The inner track was dry and grippy - perfect for racing. Luckily we haven't been using the outer track in the park area for the races, as I hear it is really boggy out there - perfect for the upcoming New Zealand Cyclocross Champs (NZCX Champs).
After registering, I went out for a little warm up ride. This time around I was riding my cyclocross bike, in an effort to familiarise myself with the different riding position and get some practice in before the NZCX Champs. I had set the bike up with some second hand Continental Twister tyres of dubious condition (they are pretty worn and one even has a hole in it!), and an 18-tooth freewheel, giving me a ratio of 39:18. The bike felt fast - almost too fast. I was having trouble braking with my hands on the brake hoods, and felt like I was going to overshoot most of the corners. A couple of braking hollows in the track also did their best to throw me off into the ditch, but I hung on and kept things going straight. Needless to say, my warm-up lap didn't do much to allay my fears that things could go horribly wrong.

Race 5 started with a shouted "Go!". And once again we flew off the line. Spinning around the grass and down the gravel drive was no problem. Going slightly slower through the Gurney track meant I had no worries of overshooting the corners. I also tried to use the brakes more - not being afraid of heavy braking, as I was finding it hard to lock the wheels up at all! The mountain bikers ahead of me all turned off down the 'hard' line (I really must try it out one day), but I opted for the 'easy' line on my CX bike. Through the tight turns then climbing up the hill, I jumped off and ran to the top, just edging in front of the person I had been following. It seems that the 'hard' line is only a time advantage if done successfully.

Back on the bike and back into rhythm. The parts of the track I found difficult on my warm-up lap seemed a bit easier now. All good. I enjoyed spinning my gear up to a decent cadence on the more open sections, and realised that I was probably going faster through the corners than I did on my mountain bike with its lower gearing of 32:20. Even though my tyres were less than half as wide!!

I jumped off my bike to run up the sand chute, but I tripped and fell! I dropped my bike on its handle bars and rear brake lever. I picked myself and the bike up and ran to the top of the chute and jumped back on. I really need to practice my CX dismounts and remounts...

I started to grin and realised that this CX setup was actually pretty enjoyable. Back in to lap two and I tried to settle down and find the flow. The tight turns in the Gurney trail were easier this time with no one ahead to interrupt my flow.

As I decended into the gully section I realised my rear brake was not working very well. Moving my hand to the drops and squeezing the brake lever told me the whack it got in my little fall had cause the brake cable to slip. I had to pull it in really close to the bars to get the brake to work. From then on I did a lot of riding in the drops, so I could brake more effectively.

By the end of lap 2 I was feeling pretty spent. The track felt a lot rougher on the rigid bike, and the different riding position put a lot more force through my hands, arms, neck, and back. Not to mention the gearing being a little too big for my puny legs. I rolled through for lap 3, content to just ride at 80% and avoid straining my back or anything else! I had a cunning plan in mind to head away to Rotorua for a day, and I didn't want to jeopardise that!

I think I finished my 3 laps just after the 45 minute mark, so I didn't have to go out for a fourth lap this time. Even though I was slower, I was happy with my efforts and the learning curve I'd gone through with the CX bike.

Once again Michelle Philburn was out with her camera, and got these great shots of me looking awkward and tired. Thanks Michelle! :D