Lab Cabin

Who can map a short course real nice?? Cabin can.

Some wrong turns saw me 2 minutes off the pace for a place. Thinking I may stick to the short courses this year because A) Going as hard as I can for an hour and a bit is real fun B) I like not carrying stuff like a pack C)It's all about the stolen moments this year as it's gonna get really busy D)It's a pleasant change from the anxiety provoking death marches.

I found myself with the following song on repeat in my head the whole way round. which on balance wasn't at all unpleasant.

Jan. 2010 Deconstructed.

I have a debt of thanks to this guy (whose blog I stumbled upon and was hypnotized by most of my shift last night)for the idea, which I will now duly "appropriate"

Days worked in January so far = 12
Days commuted by bike = 11 (352km)
Days commuted by car = 1 (last night)
Off Road Rides = 7 (200km)
Races = 1 ( 25km)
==============================================
Total Km's thus far in 2010 (577km)

Neat! more at the end of the month. With some guesswork included therein as I lost my computer during today's race. Gah. Death to the short, steep, bottleneck geared pile up.

To Do List 2010.

In no particular order (except number three)

1. Post Graduate Study
2. Full Time Work
3. (My wife is going to) Have another baby in August
4. Build nu Wheels (with help)
5. Race some Races
6. Explore burgeoning love of short track events
7. Get some wool
8. Continue to be car-free and commute as much via bike
9. SSWC 2010
10. Write more, Take more photos.

Grateful Bros.

I used "Headology" on Saturday to my great advantage. Much like "thinkmatics" "Headology" was very useful in A) keeping me from excitedly spiralling into the red within minutes of the start and B) helpful in allowing me to finish the race in the time that I set for myself. Of course, by far the best thing about "headology" was being able to C) Go the right way. Despite course tampering.

I remember the following things from the race; Sun. Rotokakahi. Muscle cramp. Yelling along to my soundtrack around said Rotokakahi. Muscle cramp. Mud. Hills. It was great.

There was a fair amount of swanning around whilst waiting for my team mate to come in. I rode out to the end of the Exit Trail to sit under a tree, cheer people on and generally enjoy myself. It was one of the happiest times I've had around a bike.


by this time I'd had coffee, beer, ibuprofen, a good warm down, a change of clothes and some nice food. I was feeling well chipper.


my view of the trail. I didn't get any shots of Damo, as he flew through and I was too busy scrambling to get camera/bag/bike sorted and get after him that he was gone before I had the chance.


I love my bike.

I'm a slave to the celestial bodies.

I don't make the rules...although I wish I did.

Thanks Sticker Robot

This is one of those weeks where I'm flying somewhat solo as the wife and children are in the big smoke for the week. This means two things A) TV on all the time in the background for company and B) Riding a whole bunch.

Monday I was lucky enough to host Jules on a "Greatest Hits" ride through the forest. It was wet and we literally rode through the clouds.Split Enz was surreal, completely closed in with cloud, almost headlamp material at times, all at ten in the morning. Awesome. Three hours of riding, putting the world to rights (er,lefts actually) and conceptualizing a Woodhill 12 hour team meant that I was in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Tuesday dawned with a creepy fog, then the sun came out so I bailed straight away into the forest. It was gravel roadie time for me, and a planned scout of the parts of the 60km that I'm riding on Saturday that I'm unfamiliar with. A beautiful if not eerie two hours around the forest, Green lake a(or Rotokakahi if we're being correct)and surrounds. The lake is Tapu (sacred) and no one save for the Iwi (tribe) whose princess is buried there is allowed into it. I wouldn't go into that thing if you paid me. Makes for a great photo though.



The double track out by the lake was awesome, loamy and in some places a tad rocky, with a beautiful heartbreaker of a climb up out of the lake. I'm really looking forward to Saturday, feeling rested and hopefully will have more form/legs/headspace than my last debarcle of a race.

Now? The vaccuming. I'm having guests you know.

Oh. YEAH!! Go to the 2010 Singlespeed Champs page. Be friends with it. Await further instructions.

Watch me fail

A proper commute to work via bike is a great thing...... Gotta get some mudguards, but.
Next year for me there are only two events that I'm excited about....

The Worlds

and the Rest of the Worlds.



Also, has anyone seen my cat????

I'm taking every August off.

I had terrible nightmares last night that the woman whose life I was trying to save yesterday had died. She was on the hospital bed and was pale, naked and cold. She still had her airway tube, naso gastric tube and catheter in. The Dr who was working on her was saying 'Everything is alright, I don't know why you called me, I'm justifiably angry at you'. Great start to the morning....

Here it is. We stayed in Rotorua. Although we've moved further out.We're all very very happy and we now are the proud parents of one school aged child. I've become a one man army and have reasoned to begin the Tikitere Singlespeed Nation I've not ridden much for most of This August, Much like last August actually, Had a terrible last round of the Winter series (again, much like last August) although did knock a whole hour off my time last year.

The Mahi on the bike has been strong and continuous for the last three weeks however, as I've entered the Teams event at the Whaka. Vishnu Clarke and I will be riding our rigid, single speed 29'ers into the history books# as The Grateful Brothers. Should be mean. Vishnu is haaaard and stripped 23 minutes off me on the last race we did (which I should mention was his first on an SS). I'd ridden approximately twice in the month leading up to it, but still. Dude can ride.

Back to the nightmares. Oh, yes. Proper ones. Never had someone nearly die on me before, so with Wife and children out visiting a farm it was time to train/heal/process.

The season's have turned, it's proper spring and everything was gorgeous today. I took a hike up Hill Rd to Tuhoto Ariki and felt better after the climb. I'm reiterating my stance that Tuhoto is a king amongst trails. Technical as you need it to be? Check. lot's of fun up and down? Check. Awesome native bush? Check. Get the feeling that the namesake is somehow somewhere around while you're riding? Check.Opportunity to get your "trials chops" down?? Check. Just like this guy...



That done and dusted I had the opportunity to turn left and cruise back up the hill to Split Enz et al. It was a blast, and for the latter part I had the company of a bunch of guys on "all mountain" rigs who had (all but one) shuttled up. I had the pride of the Tikitere Singlespeed Nation to uphold and did us proud. "Pace on the Peace" was the comment that was passed at the bottom of the hill, which was nice. Totally derailing the already derailed nature of this post LOOK AT THIS. Ah yes. That's right. Here in 2010. I've gotta go get my outfit sorted.....

Ugly/beautiful 90's music to train to?
Yes...