Super V 2014: Never go full retard.

Enduro. Open-face helmet, goggles, kneepads, backpack, bright clothes, hashtag. Never go full retard. Never go full #enduro.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Actually it was just the best of times. I booked flights to Wellington to race Super V just for the hell of it. The best part was that Megan decided to come along, Michelle was flying up from Christchurch, Zoe was there already and Charlotte was my hostess.  Like a mini vorbette mobbing.

Travelling on Friday afternoon and getting picked up from the airport by Charlotte meant that we had time to build my bike and then head out for an evening ride at Wainuiomata Trail Park, WTP or Wainui as everyone seems to call it.

The park has a confusing network of trails with a nice variety of terrain and surfaces to keep me on my toes and help me acclimatise from the flat clay-based ground I'm more used to. Charlotte was a fantastic guide, taking me on a 10km loop of fun bits and amazing views.

More stunning views awaited at Tim & Charlotte's place at Days Bay - water on both sides, boats, mountains, beaches, and a beautiful sunset.

Megan arrived on race day, but we had plenty of time to build her bike and get ourselves ready to race. Anticipation was building, with us out-of-towners not really sure what we were in for. The Super D format means you're doing a long downhill run, but not on the same level of difficultly as a downhill track and it's possible to have some climbing sections too.  Super-V had been designed as an introduction to the Super format, aimed at encouraging women to get out an give it a go.

We got on the first shuttle up the hill to make sure we could get in a nice easy ride down the course to check the lay of the land and get to know the trails what we would be racing on.

I found the rocks challenging, Ardent Race tyres not really being the best choice for Wellington terrain. But, in the spirit of "run what you brung" and not wanting to faff about with changing tyres or spending money, I rolled with it.

At the bottom of the course, the race village was starting to hum.  Music was playing, registration was in full swing, and there were women everywhere in various states of #enduro, smiling, chatting, and laughing. It was really cool to see everyone out having such a good time together, challenging and supporting each other.

After a quick bite to eat and a swig of drink, we headed back up the hill for a second practice run. I got a bit more speed up where I could and tried to remember all the twists and turns from my first run.  The sun was out and while it was cold on the top of the hill in the wind, I was soon feeling the heat as I raced through the trees.

For our race run we were to "self-seed", sorting out our race order from fastest to slowest so that no one would get held up.  There was a funny moment at the top of the hill as Ricky quietly watched us telling each other, "no you go first, you're faster than me" and arranging ourselves in order.  He quipped that if it had been guys trying to self-seed themselves they'd all be trying to go first because they think they're faster than everyone else. Girl's are so nice!

My race run went without incident. I managed not to overcook the couple of corners that others had been wary of, and not carry too much speed into the entrance of Serendipity (a trap for the overenthusiastic). It was over all too soon and there was nothing left to do but sit around in the sun eating and drinking beers.

There were some prizes for the fast few and spot prizes for everyone else. And free beer. Shane was up the hill with his camera and got a nice snap of me looking tired towards the end of my race run.

There was celebrating and barbequeing and more beers at Days Bay afterwards, capping of a fun weekend with a fantastic crew of people. Good times and good memories.

If you're wondering about travelling away to a race or event, or just to explore another part of the country, then do it. You won't regret it!