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!
For tva are sen gjorde jag mitt forsta mtb race pa flera ar, 35 km traverse i Lake Hawea. Jag hade kopt min cykel tva veckor innan, sa inte mycket tid att trana. Det var en snabb och rolig bana, men nar jag sag alla lortiga, leriga, trotta, glada cyklister komma in fran de langre banorna sa onskade jag sa valdans att jag ocksa var sa dar trott och lortig! Forra aret gjorde jag 95 km for forsta gangen. Mitt mal var att cykla under 7 timmar, och jag slutade pa 6.30 (det tog mig ett bra tag att fatta, min klocka var fortfarande pa sommartid, sa jag var valdigt saker pa att jag slutat pa 7.30).
I ar campade jag med var lilla husbil utanfor Hotel Lake Hawea, fixade till de sista detaljerna pa cykeln pa kvallen, laddade med en stor, fet hamburgare, och sen upp 4.30 pa morgonen (jag sov anda inte mycket), for att ta bussen upp till starten vid Kidd's bush. Stamningen vid starten ar fantastisk, och klockan 7 satter alla 250 cyklar ivag medans de spelar Eminems "Lose yourself". Den forsta delen ar ganska lattcyklad, sen borjar berg-och-dal-banan, det gar upp och ner hela tiden och floderna och vattendragen ar iskalla. I pre-race informationen sa de att floderna skulle vara knahoga, men det maste ha varit for en valdigt lang person. Jag fick da min rumpa blot.
Det ar riktigt stenigt och stokigt runt Hunter river passagen. Den sista delen, efter Timaru creek, ar ganska lattcyklad, aven om backarna branner det sista ur benen. I ar overraskades jag anda inte av backen vid Timaru creek. Jag var mentalt forberedd pa den, och den kandes minsann mycket mindre i ar! Vid Dingleburn station serveras det scones och te, jag hade inte tid att stanna men min polare Mince at 6 scones. Efter runt 80 km horde jag nagon ropa "That's a damn good-looking bike! Hook on!". Det var Kath the legend som for forbi som en kanonkula. Jag var trott, och hade just tvingat i mig en energi-gel, och sag hennes fighting-face och bestamde mig att jag skulle kampa jag med! Jag sag hennes ryggtavla en bra bit innan hon forsvann i ett moln av damm mot sin 7e seger i "epic". Den varsta backen av dem alla ar den sista, pa vagen in till Lake Hawea och malgang. Den lilla vagbulan kanns som ett helt berg!!!
Pa vagen hem fran 35 km traverse for tva ar sen sa jag till Rafa: "Inom ett par ar sa kommer jag att vara inom topp-tre pa 95 km". Och har ar jag nu! Jag kickade min tid fran forra aret med 40 minuter. Jag hade varit supernojd med vad som helst runt 6 timmar, och slutade pa 5 timmar och 51 minuter, en tredjeplats i min aldersgrupp och femma av alla brudar. Och jag som trodde att jag inte tranat tillrackligt! For mycket surf pa senaste tiden, och det ar inte alltid superenkelt att gora en PhD i fysik, vara mamma och trana infor ett langt lopp (speciellt inte nar det ar bra surf dessutom). Jag overraskade mig sjalv den har gangen. Jag har ocksa lart mig att ata under racet, vilket gor att jag kanner mig mycket battre efter malgang.
Det har ar ett fantastiskt arrangemang, det ar avlagset, langt, utmanande, omvaxlande, men framforallt ar det roligt for man traffar sa manga trevliga glada manniskor att surra med och cykla ihop med. Jag och tjejen som slog mig med en minut cyklade, surrade och skrattade fran start till mal. Jag drog henne uppfor och hon gav mig mer mod att slappa pa bromsarna nedfor (hon var riktigt duktig nedfor!).
Jag horde flera fantastiska historier darutifran. En tjej fragade en helt okand kille om han ville ha en kram, da han hade det riktigt jobbigt och med tarfyllda ogon kampade pa uppfor backarna. Han sa ja. En annan brutta hade 6 (!) punkteringar. Hon fortsatte och sa vitt jag vet sa kom hon i mal. Snacka om att vara envis!
Jag ser redan fram emot nasta ar och jag maste satta upp en ny tid for mig att sla.
Two years ago, I took part in my first mtb race for years, the 35 km traverse in Lake Hawea. I bought my bike only two weeks before, so I didn't have much time for training. It was a fast flowing course and it was fun as. Then I saw all these dirty, tired, happy bikers coming in from the longer courses, and I so, so, so much wanted to be as dirty and tired as them! Last year I did the 95 km for the first time. My goal was to go under 7 hours, and I almost managed to convince Rafa that he was wrong when he told me that I finished in 6.30. It took me quite a while to realize that my clock was still on summertime, and I was certain that I'd finished in 7.30, so that extra hour was just a bonus.
This year I camped in my camper outside Hotel Lake Hawea, finished off the last details of my bike in the evening, loaded myself with a big, greasy, yummy burger, and then up 4.30 in the morning (I didn't sleep much anyway), to catch the bus to the start in Kidd's bush. The feeling at the start line is so exciting and at 7 am everyone is off to Eminem's "Lose yourself". The first part is pretty easy, then comes the roller coaster, it goes up and down pretty much all the time, and the river crossings are ice cold. The pre-race briefing said that the river crossings are knee-high, but that must have been for a very tall person. I had my bum wet.
The part around the Hunter river crossing is pretty rough and rocky. The last part, after Timaru creek is pretty easy, but the hills still burn the last out of the legs. This time the hill at Timaru creek didn't scare me though. I knew it would come, and it felt much smaller than last year (ha! I got you Timaru creek hill!). At Dingleburn station there are scones and tea, I didn't have time to stop but my friend Mince told me that he had six of them. The little girl asked him "do you want a scone?". He replied "do you want 10 dollars?". After about 80 km I heard someone shouting "That's a damn good-looking bike! Hook on!". That was Kath the legend who past me like a bullet (I'm riding her old bike, and it is a damn good-looking bike indeed). I was tired at that time and just squeezed a gel into my body, but saw her fighting face and decided that I should fight too! I saw her back for a wee while before she was gone in a cloud of dust towards her 7th win of the 125 km. The worst hill of them all is the one on the sealed road that leads into Lake Hawea and the finish of the course. That little bump feels like a whole mountain!!!
On the way home from the traverse two years ago I told Rafa: "In a couple of years I'll be in the top three in the 95 km course". And here I am! I slammed my own time from last year with 40 minutes. I would have been stoked with anything around 6 hours, and finished in 5 hours and 51 minutes, and a third place in my age group and fifth woman overall. And I didn't think that I had trained enough! Too much surfing lately, and it's not always easy to try to manage a PhD in physics, being a mum and have time to train for long races at the same time (especially not when surf is on). I surprised myself this time. I've also learnt how to eat during the race, which made me feel much better after finish.
This is a fantastic event, it's remote, long, challenging, changeable, but most of all, it's enjoyable because people are so friendly and happy. I find the most amazing friendly people to chat with, and to bike along with. Me and the woman who beat me with a minute, biked and chatted and laughed from the start to the end. I dragged her uphill and she gave me courage to go faster downhill (she was really good!).
I heard about some awesome stories from out there. One woman asked a guy, a complete stranger, if he wanted a hug, since he tearfully struggled up the hills in the end of the course. He said yes. Another women apparently had six (!) punctures. She kept on going, and she finished, as far as I know. Talk about having a mind made of steel!
I just can't wait until next year and I will have to set up a new time for myself to beat.
Check out more great photos from Studio5.
I ar campade jag med var lilla husbil utanfor Hotel Lake Hawea, fixade till de sista detaljerna pa cykeln pa kvallen, laddade med en stor, fet hamburgare, och sen upp 4.30 pa morgonen (jag sov anda inte mycket), for att ta bussen upp till starten vid Kidd's bush. Stamningen vid starten ar fantastisk, och klockan 7 satter alla 250 cyklar ivag medans de spelar Eminems "Lose yourself". Den forsta delen ar ganska lattcyklad, sen borjar berg-och-dal-banan, det gar upp och ner hela tiden och floderna och vattendragen ar iskalla. I pre-race informationen sa de att floderna skulle vara knahoga, men det maste ha varit for en valdigt lang person. Jag fick da min rumpa blot.
Det ar riktigt stenigt och stokigt runt Hunter river passagen. Den sista delen, efter Timaru creek, ar ganska lattcyklad, aven om backarna branner det sista ur benen. I ar overraskades jag anda inte av backen vid Timaru creek. Jag var mentalt forberedd pa den, och den kandes minsann mycket mindre i ar! Vid Dingleburn station serveras det scones och te, jag hade inte tid att stanna men min polare Mince at 6 scones. Efter runt 80 km horde jag nagon ropa "That's a damn good-looking bike! Hook on!". Det var Kath the legend som for forbi som en kanonkula. Jag var trott, och hade just tvingat i mig en energi-gel, och sag hennes fighting-face och bestamde mig att jag skulle kampa jag med! Jag sag hennes ryggtavla en bra bit innan hon forsvann i ett moln av damm mot sin 7e seger i "epic". Den varsta backen av dem alla ar den sista, pa vagen in till Lake Hawea och malgang. Den lilla vagbulan kanns som ett helt berg!!!
Pa vagen hem fran 35 km traverse for tva ar sen sa jag till Rafa: "Inom ett par ar sa kommer jag att vara inom topp-tre pa 95 km". Och har ar jag nu! Jag kickade min tid fran forra aret med 40 minuter. Jag hade varit supernojd med vad som helst runt 6 timmar, och slutade pa 5 timmar och 51 minuter, en tredjeplats i min aldersgrupp och femma av alla brudar. Och jag som trodde att jag inte tranat tillrackligt! For mycket surf pa senaste tiden, och det ar inte alltid superenkelt att gora en PhD i fysik, vara mamma och trana infor ett langt lopp (speciellt inte nar det ar bra surf dessutom). Jag overraskade mig sjalv den har gangen. Jag har ocksa lart mig att ata under racet, vilket gor att jag kanner mig mycket battre efter malgang.
Det har ar ett fantastiskt arrangemang, det ar avlagset, langt, utmanande, omvaxlande, men framforallt ar det roligt for man traffar sa manga trevliga glada manniskor att surra med och cykla ihop med. Jag och tjejen som slog mig med en minut cyklade, surrade och skrattade fran start till mal. Jag drog henne uppfor och hon gav mig mer mod att slappa pa bromsarna nedfor (hon var riktigt duktig nedfor!).
Jag horde flera fantastiska historier darutifran. En tjej fragade en helt okand kille om han ville ha en kram, da han hade det riktigt jobbigt och med tarfyllda ogon kampade pa uppfor backarna. Han sa ja. En annan brutta hade 6 (!) punkteringar. Hon fortsatte och sa vitt jag vet sa kom hon i mal. Snacka om att vara envis!
Jag ser redan fram emot nasta ar och jag maste satta upp en ny tid for mig att sla.
Two years ago, I took part in my first mtb race for years, the 35 km traverse in Lake Hawea. I bought my bike only two weeks before, so I didn't have much time for training. It was a fast flowing course and it was fun as. Then I saw all these dirty, tired, happy bikers coming in from the longer courses, and I so, so, so much wanted to be as dirty and tired as them! Last year I did the 95 km for the first time. My goal was to go under 7 hours, and I almost managed to convince Rafa that he was wrong when he told me that I finished in 6.30. It took me quite a while to realize that my clock was still on summertime, and I was certain that I'd finished in 7.30, so that extra hour was just a bonus.
This year I camped in my camper outside Hotel Lake Hawea, finished off the last details of my bike in the evening, loaded myself with a big, greasy, yummy burger, and then up 4.30 in the morning (I didn't sleep much anyway), to catch the bus to the start in Kidd's bush. The feeling at the start line is so exciting and at 7 am everyone is off to Eminem's "Lose yourself". The first part is pretty easy, then comes the roller coaster, it goes up and down pretty much all the time, and the river crossings are ice cold. The pre-race briefing said that the river crossings are knee-high, but that must have been for a very tall person. I had my bum wet.
The part around the Hunter river crossing is pretty rough and rocky. The last part, after Timaru creek is pretty easy, but the hills still burn the last out of the legs. This time the hill at Timaru creek didn't scare me though. I knew it would come, and it felt much smaller than last year (ha! I got you Timaru creek hill!). At Dingleburn station there are scones and tea, I didn't have time to stop but my friend Mince told me that he had six of them. The little girl asked him "do you want a scone?". He replied "do you want 10 dollars?". After about 80 km I heard someone shouting "That's a damn good-looking bike! Hook on!". That was Kath the legend who past me like a bullet (I'm riding her old bike, and it is a damn good-looking bike indeed). I was tired at that time and just squeezed a gel into my body, but saw her fighting face and decided that I should fight too! I saw her back for a wee while before she was gone in a cloud of dust towards her 7th win of the 125 km. The worst hill of them all is the one on the sealed road that leads into Lake Hawea and the finish of the course. That little bump feels like a whole mountain!!!
On the way home from the traverse two years ago I told Rafa: "In a couple of years I'll be in the top three in the 95 km course". And here I am! I slammed my own time from last year with 40 minutes. I would have been stoked with anything around 6 hours, and finished in 5 hours and 51 minutes, and a third place in my age group and fifth woman overall. And I didn't think that I had trained enough! Too much surfing lately, and it's not always easy to try to manage a PhD in physics, being a mum and have time to train for long races at the same time (especially not when surf is on). I surprised myself this time. I've also learnt how to eat during the race, which made me feel much better after finish.
This is a fantastic event, it's remote, long, challenging, changeable, but most of all, it's enjoyable because people are so friendly and happy. I find the most amazing friendly people to chat with, and to bike along with. Me and the woman who beat me with a minute, biked and chatted and laughed from the start to the end. I dragged her uphill and she gave me courage to go faster downhill (she was really good!).
I heard about some awesome stories from out there. One woman asked a guy, a complete stranger, if he wanted a hug, since he tearfully struggled up the hills in the end of the course. He said yes. Another women apparently had six (!) punctures. She kept on going, and she finished, as far as I know. Talk about having a mind made of steel!
I just can't wait until next year and I will have to set up a new time for myself to beat.
Check out more great photos from Studio5.
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| Hunter river crossing, 2016. Photo Studio5. |
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Pre-race, 5.30 in the morning 2015. Photo; Rafael Moser.
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| Post-race, 95 km 2015, Photo Rafael Moser. |
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| Traverse 35 km, 2014. Photo Studio5. |
