Things are happening in Gore- MLT Moonshine trail 2016

Welcome to my blog about biking in New Zealand! Note that it's written in Swedish AND English, with the Swedish version first, followed by the English version in italic font. Enjoy your reading!

Det 10:e MLT Moonshine Trail mtb racet i Gore holls for tva veckor sen. Det var forsta aret for mig, och jag ar glad och motiverad over min andraplats i Southland Isuzu 39km, bara tva sekunder fore trean, vilket race! Energy-gelen som jag fick av en snubbe i sista uppforsbacken maste ha varit laddad med 2 sekunder for benen! Moonshine Trail ar en rolig, malande, backig, harligt ben-brannande cykeltur i Gore, med en bra blandning av grusvag, traktorvag, och nagra vattendrag att korsa, lagom for att kyla fotterna. Jag kanner mig i bra form, dessutom hade vi tur med bra vader och glada funktionarer och fantastiskt arrangemang. Gore ar inte alls sa trakigt som vissa pastar! Jag hoppas komma tillbaka for Ships cone nasta ar, 3km och en sista harlig uppforsbacke extra innan mallinjen.

The 10th MLT Moonshine Trail mtb race in Gore went off two weeks ago. For me it was the first year and I'm happy to be the 2nd woman in the Southland Isuzu 39km, only two seconds between me and the 3rd woman, great fun racing! The energy-gel that I got from a nice rider in the last up-hill must have been loaded with a two-second boost for the legs. The Moonshine trail is a very enjoyable, grinding, hilly and wonderfully legburning ride in Gore, with a great mix of gravel road, farm tracks and a few river crossings, enough to cool the feet down. We were lucky to have nice sunny weather, happy cheering merchants and fantastic arrangement too. Things are happening in Gore- I'll be back for Ships cone next year, which adds an extra 3km and nice climb to the course.

Thanks for great photos from Gore camera club: Bob, Allan, Glennis, Leanne.

Farm track.

Race-face is on!

River crossing.

Southland Isuzu 39km. Great happy racing!

Knobby's range and Mt Benger A&P show

Welcome to my blog about biking in New Zealand! Note that it's written in Swedish AND English, with the Swedish version first, followed by the English version in italic font. Enjoy your reading!

I helgen var det Mt Benger A&P show (en show de har varje ar dar de visar gamla bilar, traktorer, har hasttavlingar, djurutstallningar, baktavlingar, karuseller, mat, ja allt man kan tanka sig). Det var ocksa den sista dagen for Goldfield karavanen, runt 400 hastar och fotgangare som har varit pa vandring en vecka, med start runtom i Otago, och slutar i Roxburgh. I ar ville Mt Benger A&P show arrangorerna att vi mountainbikare fran Roxburgh och Alexandra skulle gora en gruppcykling fran Alex till Roxburgh via Knobby's range, och sen vara med i paraden. Vilket tillfalle att utforska Knobby's range! Tyvarr blev det bara 5 av oss som cyklade.  Knobby's ar en fantastisk tur, lite over 4 mil traktorvag som ar lite knolig pa sina stallen, den ar perfekt for mountainbiking! Det var roligt att se sa mycket folk i Roxburgh, for showen. Jag hoppas att cykelturen som vi gjorde over Knobby's kan bli en arlig tradition, och jag hoppas att fler kommer med nasta ar.

Last weekend was the weekend for Mt Benger A&P show. It was also the final day for the Goldfields cavalcade, around 400 horses and walkers that had been on the trail for about a week, starting from around Otago and finishing in Roxburgh. This year some of the organizers of Mt Benger A&P show asked us mountain bikers of Roxburgh and Alexandra if we wanted to do a group ride from Alex to Roxburgh over Knobby's range and then join the parade. What a great opportunitiy to explore Knobby's range! Unfortunately the turn-up wasn't that great, only five of us ended up biking. It's a great ride, around 40 km 4WD, a bit rutted in places, over a few hills,  perfect for mountainbiking! It was a great day out and nice to see so many people gathering for the show in Roxburgh. I hope that this could be a yearly thing, to do a group ride over Knobby's range, and I hope that more mountain bikers would turn up and join us next year.

Roxburgh seen from Knobby's range, with mighty Mt Benger in the background.

Hogs back

Welcome to my blog about biking in New Zealand! Note that it's written in Swedish AND English, with the Swedish version first, followed by the English version in italic font. Enjoy your reading!

Vilken harlig dag ute i Castle Hill i Canterbury forra helgen! Vadret var strunt i Christchurch, men pa den andra sidan om den forsta bergsryggen som leder in till Sydalperna var det klarbla himmel. Helt fantastiskt att det kan skilja sa mycket. Fotona nedan ar fran Hogs back, en superrolig, intermediate niva, inte jattelang men valdigt vacker mtb trail. Den finns i Castle Hill, 50 km fran Arthurs Pass. Annu en fantastisk del av Nya Zeeland, och annu en fantastisk dag ute i bergen.

What a nice day out in Castle Hill in Canterbury last weekend! Weather was crap in Christchurch, but with a snap with the fingers it turned into a cracker day, once over the first climb into the mountains. Amazing. The photos below are from Hog's back, a superfun, intermediate level trail, not very long but scenic, in the Castle Hill area, 50 km from Arthurs Pass. Another amazing part of New Zealand, and another amazing day out in the mountains.

The Big Easy

Welcome to my blog about biking in New Zealand! Note that it's written in Swedish AND English, with the Swedish version first, followed by the English version in italic font. Enjoy your reading!

Forra helgen var det dags igen, for Big Easy mountainbike race i Wanaka. Jag gjorde den forra aret och har sett fram emot att gora den igen. Min syster Marie var har i Nya Zeeland forra aret, och hon och min son Isaak skjutsade mig upp till starten vid Snowfarm (hon cyklade inte, men var fantastisk support). Jag ar ganska imponerad av att min gamla van orkade hela vagen upp utan att koka. Bra jobbat lilla van! Min syster ar tillbaka i Sverige sen lange, och det var valdigt tomt utan henne i ar. Jag hade hela tiden min lycko-sten (som hon gett mig i present) i fickan, sa hon var anda med mig hela vagen over berget.

De ganska snabba nedatlunatande kilometrarna i borjan, som tar oss fran Snowfarm till Roaring Meg ar en bra uppvarmning for klattringen upp till Mt Pisa summit pa nara 2000 m. Jag minns att jag var valdigt nervos for nedforsbacken forra aret. Vissa forstar inte hur jag kan vara nervos for en nedforsbacke nar det ocksa ar mer an 1100 m uppfor att oroa sig over. Jag ar ingen nedforsakare, och jag tar 2300 m nedfor (ackumulert vertikalt) over sten och elande pa storsta allvar. Jag minns att jag nastan hade kramp i fingrarna forra aret (fran allt bromsande) och mina ben ropade efter en uppforsbacke som omvaxling.

I ar kandes banan mycket lattare. Jag ar antagligen mer tranad (hoppas jag), jag har en ny cykel, har gjort mer nedforsbackar och jag var mentalt forberedd. Istallet for att bli overraskad av en till uppforsbacke runt hornet, sa blev jag overraskad av att vara pa toppen nar jag trodde att jag hade en bra bit till att cykla. Jag lar mig ocksa att ata battre da jag cyklar, det hjalper att ta gelen vid ratt tillfallen (eller att ta dem over huvud taget).

Vyerna fran toppen ar helt fantastiska och naturen med, och det ar otroligt att vadret var sa perfekt i ar igen. Nedforsbacken kandes inte lika svar som forra aret, det var riktigt roligt (sa lange jag far satta farten sjalv, utan att ha for brattom). Jag ar anda glad att nedforsbacken avbryts med nagra sma uppforsbackar da och da. Det ar anda fortfarande en hel del bromsande, atminstone for vissa av oss. Jag uppskattar de sista 12 km fore mal. Det ar jamforelsevis platt och otekniskt, och benen har fatt ny energi allt nedfor. Det ar alltid en sa fantastisk frihetskansla att komma nersusande fran ett stort berg.

Jag cyklade nastan 20 minuter fortare i ar och jag var riktigt nojd med mitt race. Jag cyklade i mal med energi kvar i benen, och superstokad efter en fantastisk rolig cykeltur. Det har racet ar antagligen det basta av de jag gjort hittills, det ar superroligt och inte for langt, inte for kort, inte for svart, inte for latt, och fantastiska vyer. Jag ser redan fram emot nasta ar. De har bra spot-prizes ocksa, och lunchen ar supersmaskig! En tur upp till Obelisk ar bra traning infor Big Easy, nedforsbacken liknar Prospect hill track (las om turen jag och Blair gjorde i Januari har).

Jag har tyvarr inga foton fron i ar, sa alla foton fran 2015, tagna av Silver Vision Photography och Marie.


Last weekend it was time again for the Big Easy mtb race in Wanaka . I did it last year, and this is one of the rides that I have really looked forward to do again. My sister Marie was here in New Zealand to visit me last year and she and my son Isaak drove me up to the start at the Snowfarm that time (she didn't do the race but was a fantastic support). I'm pretty impressed that my old van made it all the way up without overheating, well done van! Marie is back in Sweden since long, and it was very empty this year, without her. I carried the lucky-stone that she gave me though, so in some way she was with me all over the top of Mt Pisa.

The pretty fast going down(ish)-hill slope that takes us from the start at the Snowfarm down towards Roaring Meg is a good warmup for the climb up to the top of Mt Pisa at almost 2000 m. 

I remember being pretty nervous about the downhill last year. Some people didn't understand how I could be nervous for a downhill when there's a 1100 meter climb to worry about... I'm not a downhiller at all, and I take a 2300 meter descent (accumulated vertical) over rocks and rough surfaces quite seriously. I remember my fingers being almost cramped at the end of the downhill last year (from using the breaks) and my legs screaming for an uphill for a change. 

This year the course felt much easier. I'm probably fitter (I hope), I've got a new bike, done more downhills and I was mentally prepared. Instead of being surprised by another uphill around the corner, I was surprised by being at the top when I actually thought I had quite a bit to go . I'm also learning to eat better during the rides, taking the gels at the right time helps (or take them at all). 

The views from up there are just fantastic, the nature is rough and amazing, and I couldn't believe how lucky we were with the weather again this year. The downhill didn't feel bad at all this year, it's actually pretty fun, as long as I go my own pace. However I'm glad the downhill is interrupted by a few smallish uphills. It is still quite a lot of breaking though, at least for some of us. I actually really enjoy the last 12 km on the flat(ish) part before the finish. It's as if the legs have new energy after the long downhill, and it's just flat and easy. It's always a special refreshing feeling of freedom coming down from a big mountain. 

Isaak camping in
Albert Town.

I did almost 20 minutes faster this year than last year, and I was very happy with my race. I finished with quite a lot of energy still in my legs and feeling very good and stoked from a great fun as ride. This race is probably the nicest I've done so far, not too long, not too short, not too easy, not too difficult, fun and amazing views. I already look forward to next year. They have good spot prizes too, and the lunch is healthy and tastes awesome, yum! A trip up to the Obelisk is a good preparation for the Big Easy, the downhill is very similar to Prospect Hill track. Read about the New Year adventure that Blair and I did to the Obelisk here.

Unfortunately I have no photos from this year, they are all from 2015, some from Silver Vision Photography, and the rest from Marie.

Breakfast with Marie and Isaak in Albert Town, before the race last year. Photo: Maries camera.

Bikers gathering before the start of the Big Easy 2015. Photo: Marie.

Downhill, Big Easy 2015. Photographer Silver Vision Photography.

Me and my old green bike, Big Easy 2015. Photographer Silver Vision Photography.