Nothing much

In the last couple of months nothing much has passed under my wheels. My bikes have hung in the garage, caked in mud and grime, cobwebs and dust. Life has been moving on. The kids have been growing bigger, faster, louder. My Aunty passed away after a brief battle with cancer. She is dearly loved and sadly missed, definitely not forgotten. I have been busy doing "nothing much". Just life, rolling on. I have been on a handful of rides, all of which I enjoyed immensely.

I rode my fixie along the river path with Megan, in the rain, for a coffee and cake in town. It ruled. I felt like a badass, and it felt good.

Not a Bianchi

I snuck out to Pukete a few times, with conditions ranging from drifting around dry sandy corners to sliding through mud bogs and getting wet feet! I love it all, but it really showed me that I need to work on my mud riding skills. Part of my riding was to test out the Alfine hub after a few shifting and gear skipping issues. It appears to have been a smidgen out of adjustment - a smidgen that is all too important for the smooth running of the IGH. Hopefully no permanent damage was done.

I did a couple of the Do It In The Dark Night Races at Pukete - thankfully, it wasn't raining. The few times I was working, work seemed to get in the way and make me late so I didn't make it to the start in time (even though it starts at 7pm!). There are still a few more races left, so I hope to make it this week.

I met up with my sister and we went for a ride on the trails up Sainsbury Road in Pirongia. It started with about 2.7km of mostly uphill forestry road, which turns into a four wheel drive track and gets a bit slippery near the top. The track itself flows downhill between the trees and scrub. It's really muddy at the moment and full of holes from horses, but over time it should pack down nicely (provided the horses are kept out). There was evidence of motorbikes being in there too, so there are obviously some access issues to work out yet. We loved it and hooted all the way down. We didn't feel like climbing back to the top once we'd done the two short bits of track, so headed back down to the car. It was quite a long way back down to the car and I think if we'd known how far up the hill we were, we might have done another loop to the top. Anyway, Sainsbury Road is highly recommended if you're looking for somewhere different to ride. The area is still in development, but at the moment it has a good climb and some nice muddy trails to help you hone your skills.

New Twin Six Metal kit

An unexpected opportunity presented itself to me after I sent an email to my favourite cycling apparel company. I was offered their sponsored riders kit at the sponsored riders price. I'd been shopping around since Christmas, looking at what was available in NZ and couldn't find anything I wanted to spend a few hundred dollars on to test out. Enter Twin Six. I've had one of their Deluxe jersey's for a while and it is definitely my favourite. Needless to say, I'm very happy. Actually, I may have found the best shorts (and bib shorts) ever! More time on the bike will confirm this.

And so... it's time to ride. Soon.

Good colours for winter

So what now? I've decided against doing the N-Duro Winter MTB Series, instead I'm going to do a triptych of rides around the Waikato. I'll ride on the same days as the N-Duro races, so I can book out the time in my diary and have a concrete date to work towards. If anyone feels like joining me, please feel free to contact me to find out the details. These are not races, just rides - rain, hail, or shine.

Toru de Waikato 2011

Sunday 12 June - Karioi loop (45kms on gravel roads) a good warm up ride before the Karioi Classic on 31 July

Sunday 17 July - Ngutunui ride (basically the 53km Time Trial route, but leisurely)

Sunday 21 August - TBA (suggestions welcome, possibly Te Miro if it's not a hydroslide!)

Hopefully I'll squeeze one or two trips to Rotorua in over the winter, so I don't completely forget what singletrack is like. I've decided against travelling to Queenstown (oh, how I love Q'Town!) to defend my NZCX Champs title, but the cost of travel is just too high and I could do 3 or 4 rides closer to home for the same amount of time away from the family.

So what's with all this saving money by not racing? Well I've had hardly any work over the past 6 months and the piggy bank is getting rather empty. The recession has finally caught up with me, and the Civil Engineering and Construction industry as a whole. I'm hoping it will be short-lived, but I think another 6 months of little to no work is very likely. I may be able to pick up some other work along the way, but I'd have to say that my current employment arrangement is the best I could ever imagine and it is my colleagues that make it so enjoyable. I don't want to walk away from that, but I guess if there is a job elsewhere I need to seriously consider it.

For now, I will carry on with "life" and try to work through my "to do" list as quickly as possible so I have some time left for the fun stuff.