Kiwi Dave

Forwarding this onto Obra land for those who want to read a great race report. Shadey is a Kiwi who lives down in Fairfax, CA. Hope you enjoy!

Team MotionBase/Jamis Bikes

Race Report

10th, March 2007

Long anticipated race day dawned beautiful with clear sky's with hot weather forecast. Jean and I camped up the road at my childhood camp ground Waikauwau Bay at the top of the Coromandel Peninsula. After a plate of Kiwi wheeties and a coupla cups of Shadey's cowboy coffee we hit the road and headed over the hill to the start line of the Kona Colville MountainBike Marathon. This race is a UCI marathon and also New Zealand's Marathon Champs with over 800 competers in the 72k event and 500 com peters in 24k & 40K. In typical kiwi style the competitors ranged from the seasoned pro to the mountain biker carrying a fishing rod who stopped and caught a fish on the rocks halfway through the race.

Since my repetitive mechanical failures have hounded my racing, I told my wife that my mechanic was treading on thin ice and that he'll be sacked on the spot if this happened today. My mechanic diligently and methodically checked over my race weapon and put the final touches on the rear brake repair from last weeks mechanical at the Karapoti Classic.

Turning up to the start of the race in our sponsored Toyota Hiace Van donated by Bruce the Goose Thomas, we were directed into a cow cockies paddock where we parked up with hundreds of other competitors preparing to suffer.

On the start line I managed to get a third row start in the pro/elite field - this was wishful thinking, but my legs the week before felt superstrong and I was hoping to peak for this race. With helicopters flying above and T.V Cameras stuffed in the front row faces, the race kicked off with a motor pace start for the first kilo. Once the van moved to the side, shit hit the fan with a self seeding sprint over a 300ft climb. The lead group was reduced to twenty which I managed to claw my way into.

With my heart rate finding all time highs in the first 3k, I sat in on the flats until we hit the first big climb. Clinton Avery rode to the front and then exploded the group to pieces. My legs would not respond to such a brutal tempo and I felt my self going backwards.

Being caught by the second gruop wasn't the greatest feeling and after feeling sorry for myself for the remainder of the climb I regained my order and lead a group of ten down the descent and across the flats into the next major gravel road climb. This short spell on the flats must have given the legs time to recover from the savage fast start. Hitting the base of the climb I concentrated on rhythm and tempo. Keeping it in the big ring, I slowy regained my confidence as the group started to snap. Cresting this long climb with only one other bloke on a single speed pushing a mean gear we decended pushing the limit down the long loose gravel road, as the road is open to traffic, we diced with becoming the latest "Coro" hood ornament. Hitting the flats, I kept it pinned as I felt this is where I could regain some time. Soon I spyed the first victim of the fast starting pace. As I pulled up beside him he told me his name was Karl and stated this happened last year and he still m
anaged to finish 4th. He nodded when I asked him - "Is your last name Jones"? I knew then my race wasn't over as this guy is a N.Z legend! Ah, empowerment in a name! All I had to do was stick to him like shit to a blanket.

After about 20 minutes, we hit the single track which turned out to be a 30 minute granny gut buster. Karl soon showed me why he's on the national team as he strongly pulled away. One lost but soon two more gained as I passed them off there bikes as it became super steep. I jumped off my bike for about 300 yards where it became too rutted and steep. Then, it was back on to catch one more dude on the summit. This summit happens to sport some of the best views in NZ, but all was going unnoticed on this particular day.

In past races I've descended on the safe side but today I pulled all the stops and went for broke. Descending through large rutted out sections, I thought some of those aluminium and ti bolt kits were sure to explode - not to mention the revo/stans wheels that Gravey had built the day I left for N.Z.!

After surviving the down hill in one piece I'd decided this was my day so I went from pinned to extra pinned with 2 hours down 1 1/2 hours to go. Blasting down the undulating gravel road I could see two guys working their way up the next major climb both looking back. A little birdie told me "Never look back in a race", right Olivier? Smelling their pain fueled mine. Driving solid tempo I finally caught them on the back side of this steamy hot hill. Attacking straight away did not win me a lot of new Kiwi friends. After my second attack, thinking I was the 'Cricket' - which these hardend racers responded to - I was caught and bluntly told to chill the F... out. So a truce to work together over the last 25k of rolling gravel road was made.

Each pull was hard and maxing the body out but the finish was near and the pain would soon stop. Over the second to last climb one of the two guys - a Junior N.Z rep dropped due to cramps - now there was us two. The last 300ft climb with 2K to go the cramps guy comes racing by us out of nowhere and suddenly Karl Jones comes into my site. Over the summit I manage to claw my way back to my pod as they were dropping me at the end of the climb. 1k to go and I'm sitting on the back of a cat and mouse lead out train. As we start snaking all over the road the cramp guy leads it out at a cracking pace staying on was hard enough. With 100m number 2 guy goes and then I went round him. Next thing you know directions were being changed, wheels were being crossed and I got a real good look at the tarmac and ate shit. I'm down. Cramp guy goes over the line unscathed while me and the other guy make a pathetic dash for the line. He is going way too slow for the big gear he is trying in vain
to push and I am running at the line dragging my bike by the bars. I was beaten by a hair but took the best 10th overall in my cycling career and walked away with the N.Z Master MTB title and for added bonus my first ever UCI points.

I'm really stoked and I know this was a long winded report but I suffered for it!

Thanks for all your help.

Shane "Shadey" Deal

p.s my mechanic still has his job but we are working on operator error in my training

p.p.s. once i return back to the US, I will download my garmin to motionbase for the Karapoti and the Colville race.

p.p.p.s. Colville time was 3h 16m, just under 6000feet of climbing, 72km, average heart rate was 169.

p.p.p.p.s. the cramps guy has a name and it's thomas reynolds. #2 guy was matt gorter

http://www.colvilleconnection.co.nz/