Another family update

Spring has arrived, and with it has come some good weather, good health and some fun times. We have been quite busy doing not much lately! With the kids at ABC's on Mondays and Wednesdays, it only leaves us 3 days together at home, and Thursday and Friday mornings are mostly taken up with Jumping Beans gym classes.

So our days are usually filled up with going to the park, riding the bikes, playing inside (involving lots of complaining, squealing and screaming, and learning to share!), or playing outside (involving Oli having a great time, while Mum follows Ella around and trys not to let her eat too much organic matter!).

Ella is growing up fast and is almost 16 months old. She is loving her two days a week at ABC's and has been moved into the Bambinos room with kids up to 2 years old. She has a total of 16 teeth now (adding 10 or 11 over the last 5 months!), and is trying to talk to us. She will say "choo" for shoe, "ba!" for bag, and "uh-oh". Sometimes she says "Dada", or "Mama", but it is difficult to tell if she is really using them as names for us - I think she is. It is lovely to hear her chat away to herself or anyone who will listen. She is not walking yet, but is pretty close. She will happliy walk while holding a hand, but is reluctant to go solo. We have caught her standing by herself a few times, much to our - and her - surprise! We have been going to Jumping Beans on a Thursday morning for Ella's class. She has taken to it very well and is usually very keen to climb and explore the equipment. She is much more trusting in me and adventurous than Oliver was.

Oliver is also growing fast. He is starting to show signs of becoming a helpful 3 year old (he's 2 years 10 months old) which I love! He still has his moments of independence and stubborness, but we are slowly working it out. Oli has just cut one of his last four molars - only three more to go. He is not toilet trained yet, he is resisting even trying it, but I have high hopes that he will come around to the idea over summer (he really does not enjoy having a dirty nappy, so that is a good start). We go to Jumping Beans on a Friday morning for Oli's class. He is doing very well with his climbing skills and is very cautious and almost methodical in how he explores the equipment. We are still working on his running and jumping skills, which are getting better all the time. I think he has too much going on in his brain to even begin to think about running and jumping! He is more of an intellectual than an athlete at this stage!

After a good few weeks without illness in the family, Oli picked up another stomach bug and had some time at home away from ABC's. It wasn't good timing, as Andrew was away at a conference for a few days that week. Then we had a week or two in the clear again before the kids came down with a round of colds and coughs. Ella's turned into laryngitis, so was fixed up with antibiotics. This coincided with our holiday to Rotorua. We figured we could be sick at home, or sick on holiday... we chose the holiday! We survived and even managed to have some fun. We took with kids up the gondola (Oli was scared!), visited the lions at Paradise Valley Springs, and I even snuck away for a bike race. Now that we are home, everyone seems to be well again.

Andrew has been busy at work in his new role and enjoying the changes. I haven't been very busy at all, but still enjoying what work I do get. And I enjoy the "time off" I get when there's no work to be done. I find myself almost unable to decide what to do, because there is so much stuff to get done! I had only been on one bike ride between the NZCX Champs and the race in Rotorua, so I need to work at that a LOT harder! I got a mention in this article on the Solo website too.

Since the last update (two and a half months ago!) we have managed to do a few fun things. We went to the Pukemiro Bush Railway for Fathers Day, taking a trip on the train, getting scared silly by the loud horn, and having a picnic lunch on the grass in the sun. Andrew got wined and dined and taken to the All Blacks game. I went for a night ride on my bike with my new light (good, but sketchy!). We have had quite a few nights out for dinners, with friends and on our own - it's been lovely! And you can tell from the previous posts on this blog that I did manage to ride my bike a few times (it's never enough!).

We managed to plant our vege garden in a few different things - mostly so the kids can see everything growing with the different colours and shapes... and how the snails like to eat it all. The kids don't seem to eat many veges, but we will continue to put them on their plates anyway! Oliver had a great time helping Dad "dig" things, and learnt about planting seeds and keeping things watered. He loved it.

It's taken me about three weeks to write this update, because I keep getting sidetracked and distracted onto other things. I'll do my best to find some photos to post next.

New Zealand Cyclocross Champs 2009

The second ever NZ Cyclocross (CX) Champs was held at Pukete MTB Park on Saturday 29 August. Contrary to CX tradition, the weather was near perfect with clear skies and plenty of sun.

The benefit of the beautiful weather was that the kids could come and watch me race, without fear of hypothermia and misery. We rolled into the carpark, unloaded the contents of our car, and somehow managed to carry it all through to the event village a short walk away.

Ella was dressed in her waterproof pants, so was happy enough to romp around on the grass or picnic blanket, playing with twigs, and inspecting the contents of the buggy. Oliver was on his balance bike, which kept him occupied, happy, and mobile (safely away from the race course). Dad had is face smooshed up against the back of a camera, and I was riding my bike. We were a happy family.

The first race of the day was a fun race - no timing, no results, just a way to get a feel for the course, have some fun, and try to win some spot prizes. It was kicked off with a Le Mans start, with a twist - our front wheels had to be removed! I had track nuts on my wheels (no quick release), so was luckily exempt. While we were out of view of our wheels (and my bike) the race officials moved everything around. Even though I jogged the start, I had a pretty easy job to spot my bike tucked in behind a tree and I found myself out on the course amongst the first handful of riders. I soon lost my good position, when I stopped at the top of the first bank (after clambering up it carrying my bike) to let a train of fast riders through.

The course was pretty flowy, with a mud pit (dubbed the "rhino pit"), a run up (up the bank), a long section on grass (with a few small bogs) that crossed the drainage culvert a few times, then another run up (bank), and more grass to take you back through the finish area. I did a few laps, did my best to grab a banana hanging from the tree, and tried not to tire myself out too much.

The best part about the fun race was riding past Oliver and Ella each time I finished a lap. At first Oli seemed to think it was a bit strange that Mum would ride past, wave out and shout "Hi Oli!", but by the third time past he was giving me a big grin. That was amazing to see him enjoying seeing me race and it really spurred me on.

After the fun race we stopped for lunch and spot prizes. We enjoyed our family picnic in the sun, under the pine trees. Oliver commented on how muddy I was - I was covered in mud from the knees down, with splatters everywhere else.

Andrew took the kids home for a sleep after lunch, and I stayed on for the main race. After a bit of faffing about with packing up the car and taking a friends bike home for them (while they took their family to the zoo!), I made it to the start line just in time. Datsane helped me out by bringing my bike out to the carpark, and telling everyone to wait for me!

The main race was a lot harder. I started at the back of the field (after a minor glove malfunction just as the race got started!). The pace was faster, more furious, and I was a little frazzled after the panicked start. I caught up, passed one or two people and tried to settle in to it and have fun. I think it was fun for two laps and then it got really hard. My ratio of 39:18 was too tall for me. I started getting bogged down in the soggy bits and could barely keep my bike moving forward. I walked/jogged/ran a few more sections to try to keep the speed up and conserve energy.

The leading woman passed me three times throughout the race... I forget how many times the leading men passed me! I was completely outclassed by the eventual winner - she was a Kiwi CX racer from Boston, over here for a holiday. Second place woman was a competitive road racer - she passed me a couple of times too! Third place was me. Hang on! What?!! Yep, I snaked in for third because quite a few people didn't bother racing in the main event. Crazy. And I was stoked. I scored some beers and bananas from the race sponsors for my efforts.

After prize giving I spent a bit of time clearing mud and grass from my bike before riding back home. It was about 10kms home, taking the most direct route, and seemed like a great way to loosen up my legs and prevent things seizing up too much. I got home to find Ella still sleeping, and Oli still NOT sleeping. After a beer and a shower, I got to relax with the kids and reflect on what had been a pretty good day in my books.

Thanks to Greg Gibb from Imagine Media for the photos.

Family conference - Oli is on his bike between me and the buggy!

Crossing the culvert for the last time on the lap.

Getting a bit sideways in the rhino pit.

Tired, dirty and happy!

Pukete Winter Fun Series Race 6

The final race of the Winter Fun Series was held on Sunday. The day had started out a bit cold with regular drizzle, but it slowly warmed up and dried out to deliver another cracker winter day. I turned up a little later than usual, spent too long chatting, and only managed a few laps of the paddock as a token warm up effort.

I decided to race sans water this time - as a test run for the following weekends NZ Cyclocross Champs - and left my camelbak in the car. So I rolled up to the start line feeling a bit lighter than usual.

Go! And off we went. I got a good start, then chickened out a bit and let some people pass me before we got into the Gurney Trail. Things were going fine until I got a bit loose on a little step drop through a dip in the trail. I had a bit of an "oh sh*t!" moment and thought I was going to have a big crash and get run over by the people following me. Luckily I kept things going forwards (with a slight sideways inclination) and thanked my lucky stars I didn't come to grief.

I recovered from my little mishap and continued on my way, albeit with a bit more caution. The lack of a proper warm up lap was showing. I felt really wobbly on the bike and totally out of tune with the way it rides. Every slight weight shift, or small turn of the handlebars and the bike would be moving in that direction.

And move it did. I may have felt slow, uncoordinated, and wobbly, but I was going at least as fast as in Race 5 (slightly faster, accorrding to the results here and here). I bumbled my way through and knocked out 3 laps in about 43 minutes... copping some flack for stopping before the 45 minute cut off! I decided not to thrash myself for a fourth lap because my lower back was starting to ache. I wanted to be fit to ride next weekend. Here's a photo of me as captured by Michelle Philburn (thanks!).

After we all waited around for Jack to finish his 5th lap (mad man!), we got into the spot prizes. I got one, pulled out some bar ends that I have no use for and put them back in the goodie bag for someone else to grab.

I headed home to my after-race routine of unpack, shower, beer, play with the kids, dinner, baths, stories, and bed (for the kids). Then after all that I got to read my messages to find that someone had found my wallet at the race. I didn't even know I had lost it! Thanks Greg.

I'm now feeling quite e sense of loss, and not for my wallter either - I got that back. I feel a loss for the winter series. I don't really have anything beyond the NZ Cyclocross Champs to look forward to. I think it's time to scope out some races and post off some entry forms. I need to make some commitments!

A huge thank you to R&R Sport for sponsoring the series, Matt Keen for giving up his Sunday afternoons to run the races, and the other members of the Hamilton Mountain Bike Club for their awesome support.

Mission: Vegas

My mission, that I chose to accept (it was my mission afterall), was to take a 'day off' and go for a ride in Vegas. And, bugger the consequences! What were the consequences? Who knew? Anything could happen on a solo mission - not to mention I was taking our only car over 100kms away, so if the kids needed to come home from daycare things were going to be awkward.

After dropping the kids off, I zipped home to pick up a couple of things I forgot to pack (including morning tea - important!) and set out on my mission. The drive over was uneventful, but longer than I remembered. I got myself kitted up and after scoffing a banana, I set out. I had scouted a route on the trail maps the night before, but wasn't sure how my legs would last.

I started on Tahi and Creek Track to warm up my legs (and everything else, it was 10 degrees). I did all of Creek, beacuse I wanted to get a few more kms in early on in my ride. As I was twisting and winding my way through the last few sections of Creek Track I decided to change my planned route. Instead of heading out to Mad If You Don't, I would go up the road and do A-Tail and Tickler. I really wanted to do these two tracks, as it had been almost two years since I had ridden them.

It was great to be riding the smooth buttery flow of A-Trail again. I got a bit sketched out when trying to negotiate the rutted downhill sections - realising that if I hurt myself, no one was there to help me out or drive me home! The recent wet weather (winter!) meant that the tracks had been carved up quite a bit - usually with one or 2 deep ruts down the middle, barely wider than my tyre and quite deep in places. These deep and skinny ruts are something that I have almost always struggled to ride, and would plague me for the rest of this ride.

At the top of Tickler I had two choices: head down B Rude Not 2, or try out Dragon's Tail. I had no idea where Dragon's Tail went, only a vague recollection from looking at the maps that it ended on either Red Tank Road or Larch Road. What the hell - it's all part of the adventure, right? I chose the unknown and went down Dragon's Tail. Woohoo! What a nice trail - swoopy curves and rounded rollers. Nice. I came out in a clearing with three options to exit. Hmm, what now?? Follow my nose, I guess? I went with the fun option, around a berm and over a series of small rollers. The trail continued on, with a slight upwards gradient. Then I heard, "Ssft, ssft, ssft, ssft...". Huh? Is that...? Oh no, the irrigators! I carried on, a little faster than before, hoping like hell the trail builders had planned for the effluent to not land anywhere near me! I survived untainted and ended up on Red Tank Road, just up from Larch Road. Phew!

I headed down Red Tank Road and on to Mad If You Don't to start the route I had planned to do. Out along Ball And Chain and I could hear, "ZZZzzzzzz!". What the...? I had stumbled upon a training day for the NZ MTB Team, preparing for the World Cup in Canberra in September. The noise was the sound of multiple wind trainers being wound up on warm up drills. They were going to be "racing" on the same trails I was riding. I had a bit of a head start, so got cracking. Up Yellow Brick Road and onto the grind up Sandy Skid Road. Thankfully Sandy Skid Road seems to get shorter every time I ride it (only 5 times so far).

Into Pondy New and I was relishing my choice of trail and loving the reward for climbing so much. I remembered why the singlespeed champs was so enjoyable... I did these tracks three times! Into Rollercoaster and the riding just kept getting better. Until I met another one of those skinny deep ruts. I decided I need a little more speed and a little less fear. Well, it didn't quite have a happy ending. I stacked. I got off balance, went a little sideways, and then over the bars. Luckily I managed to contort myself over and around my handlebars, rolled on my shoulder and saved myself from serious injury, with just minor indignity. Luckily there were no witnesses, so I picked myself up and straightened out my bike (rear wheel was askew), and got back into it.

I skipped the last section of Rollercoaster, and rode down Ring Road to the start of Chop Suey. I had a little 'moment' when I got abit hung up on some roots going down into a corner, but I survived. I did the rest of the Chinese Menu - Spring Roll and Sweet n Sour. I was pretty spent now. I had stopped a couple of times to eat and recover up until this point, but I couldn't stop for long because it was getting cold. My longest stop was on Sweet n Sour, to adjust my front brake (it must have got tweaked in my little crash).

Finally, I got to ride B Rude Not 2. And it didn't disappoint. I was a bit sketchy again in places, but I put that down to fatigue and a lack of mojo. My time was almost up, so I rode back down Wash Road, Nursery Road, and Pohaturoa Road to the carpark. Almost 3 hours and over 30km of riding, with at least 26km of that on singletrack. My computer stopped working for a while so exact figures are unknown.

It was a great day, despite the cold, regular drizzle, and a few rain showers. I got back in Hamilton in time to unpack the car and go pick up the kids from daycare. Perfect.

Now I'm looking through the event calendars and wondering what races I can make it to for the rest of the year. I see other people planning out their race calendar and get jealous... I think I need some events to aim for!

Hmm, maybe that offer of a place in a women's team for the Day-Night Thriller is not such a silly thing afterall... ?

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

Pukete Winter Fun Series Race 4

Yeah, I made it! I actually got to ride my bike again. So... what happened to races 2 and 3? Well, that was the six weeks or so we had of various coughs and colds and inclement weather. But race 4 was a beauty.

The sun was out, the rain had stopped, and the track was fairly dry - quite tacky in places (if that description can be applied to sand) with the odd soft wet muddy spot. I hadn't been riding in ages (apart from a couple of brief 'urban' rides), so I was out for a good time - not a fast time. Although, I had a few goals to achieve - start fast, get a good position into the singletrack, do four laps, and have fun.

I decided to start near the front this time, and found myself on row two of the grid. Hmm, possibly not the most suitable position, but I figured we would all get sorted out and seed ourselves on flat grassy start loop. GO! I was off, flailing my legs, spinning madly on my 32:20 gearing and surprisingly doing quite well at keeping up with the gearies. I was happy to let some of the keener looking riders pass, figuring they were fitter than me. We hit the singletrack and things slowed down. Nice. No, not nice that I was now being held up... but nice to learn that I wasn't any slower than some of the fitter and 'faster' riders - I am not losing too much time on these faster riders in the tight twisty stuff.

A bunch of riders in front peeled off down the 'hard' line. I still haven't ridden it yet, and after hearing it has been a bit soft through there, decided to play it safe and take the 'easy' line. Suddenly I had a clear track ahead of me and flowed through the tight curves, then climbed the previously slippery slope to merge back in with some of the people who had been ahead of me... there had been a bit of a mishap on the 'hard' line, causing a traffic jam. Sweet.

I was still following my "go like the clappers" strategy, so kept my legs turning over for the rest of the lap. I was certainly feeling it, but I promised myself I would settle down for the second lap. My second lap just flowed. It was great. I relaxed, rode as smooth as I could, but still tried to keep some urgency in my riding. Lap three... phew! Okay, now I was feeling a bit tired. Strangely though, I didn't feel completely knackered yet. More flow, a little bit of a struggle here and there, but I survived.

"43 minutes 20 seconds". Wow! I have beaten the cutoff time of 45 minutes. I have qualified to do another lap. But... what is this... people are stopping and getting off their bikes?!!

Now I had a dilemma... keep going, or stop now with everyone else. I had had a good ride and still felt alright. But, what about my goals? Start fast: check. Get a good position into the singletrack: check. Do 4 laps: ... Oh, yeah...

The fourth lap was hard. And it was slower than my others, but I had the warm happy glow that I had earnt the right to do that fourth lap and was going to bloody well enjoy it! I got back to the finish in 58 minutes 15 seconds. Not bad. And my checklist? Do 4 laps: check. Have fun: check.

My three achievements from the race were: 1. First woman; 2. DFL (I was the last person on the course!); 3. Proving that enthusiasm can outlast lungs and legs, and provide enough propulsion to keep me going!

I'm looking forward to the next one in another weeks time. :)

Thanks to Greg Gibb and Michelle Philburn for the great photos.

The cycle continues...

For the past month the winter cycle has continued for us. Runny noses, coughs and colds, rain, cold wind, wet washing, indoor activities, and toasted sandwiches. A lot of toasted sandwiches! Spaghetti and cheese is Oli's new favourite, and Ella enjoys them too.

The combination of bad weather and coughs and colds has meant I've missed two more of the Winter Fun Series races and have only managed a couple of urban rides and a couple of short walks. In fact the kids seem to be getting out on their bikes more than I am...

Oli performs a pre-ride safety check for Ella.

Oli has got the hang of it now.

Ella likes trikes.

A future 'boy racer'?

Oli has finally started to enjoy his "wobbly" bike, and it has become his "big" bike. He was sort of forced into it when I decided to take Ella out on the trike - if he wanted to come for a ride with us he had to use the balance bike. He did, and did it very well. And ever since that day he will always choose the "big" bike over the trike.

Oli is now 2 years 7 months old. He's doing very well at ABC's, continually surprising his teachers with the topics and detail in his conversations. Of course he's growing up fast which has meant new (bigger) clothes, and a serious lack of daytime sleeps. I have temporarily solved the problem of Oli not staying in his room for his sleep/rest time by installing a child safety gate across his door. I say it's temporary, because it is only a matter of time before he figures out how to open it, or feels confident enough to climb over it. But, whatever works. :)

Ella is 13 months old. She is not walking independantly yet, but is gaining a lot of confidence with her climbing. We have just started a Jumping Beans class for her too. She always seemed to love going along to Oli's class, so now it is her turn. Ella is also doing really well at ABC's, enjoying the activities they do there. She doesn't sleep well there (she gets less sleep than Oli!), but that has been improving slowly over time. Ella is getting quite talkative, babbling to anyone who will listen and pretend to understand.

This weekend I'm hoping to get along to the fourth race in the Winter Fun Series, but I need to decide what bike would be best to ride - my mountain bike, or my cross bike? The mountain bike has been gathering dust since the first Winter Fun Series race (about 6 weeks ago!), so it might be time to give it a spin again. Fingers crossed I will make it this time. I think I've given up on the idea of doing any of the N-Duro races, mostly because I don't feel fit enough. There are other rides and races coming up though, so I really need to get riding!