Most excellent ride

Rotorua_70km
Originally uploaded by kiwipete.

Was up in Rotorua this weekend. Drove up Friday afternoon, stayed with Erik, Pauline and the kids. Lined up for a 70km mtb race on Saturday thorugh the Whakarewerawa trail network. Mountain biking doesn't get any better than this. Fantastic single-track for mile after mile.
I didn't have a great race...my lack of fitness started to become apparent at about the 40km mark. I had to wobble my way to the end from about 20kms out.
All the big guns are in Rotorua this week for the World champs. Quite a few of the pro teams did Saturday's 70km ride...for training. The winning time was 2 hrs 59 mins. I managed to stop the clock at 4 hrs 45 min! Ouch.

Pete Karapoti 06

pete_karapoti_06
Originally uploaded by kiwipete.

Finally got around to ordering my Karapoti pic. Only took me 3 months! Here it is.....the action shot. For the first time (since I've been doing Karapoti anyways) there was a photograher at the top of the Devil's Staircase. This pic is a bit deceptive....it looks like I'm jogging up the staircase....the truth is that I grovelled my way up most of it only put in a sprint for the camera. I collapsed in a heap as soon as the shutter clicked.

Haven't done a race since. But that's about to change. There's racing next weekend in Makara, and the following weekend in Rotorua. Stay tuned!

Just a quick update. ....


Rode with Jarlath and Tanja from work last night. Climbed Mt Vic a couple of times. Great views of the city from the top. Short ride though....<1>

Rode in today too. Light rain in Wellington today. Rush hour traffice was crawling along...but the bike lines were clear!

I'm looking to replace my messenger bag. The one I have now is appox 10 years old. I picked it up from A to Z couriers, NYC when I installed their "Kiwi Express" system for them back in the '90s. The messenger bag rocks. I 've been doing a bit of research on it. It's made by Globe canvas in NYC...here's what I was able to find...

"The messenger bag as we know it today, however, originated in the 1950s or thereabouts, being produced as a bag for telephone linemen, by Globe Canvas/De Martini in New York. The linemen needed a bag they could easily access while climbing telephone poles, and this design worked perfectly. New York bicycle messenger companies picked them up sometime in the 1970s, and initially were purchased one color per company, as identifiers of a sort. For a long while, NYC was the bastion of the messenger bag - until things started to spread in the 1980s".

I've checked in with Smilie....he keeps in touch with Mark at A to Z. Apparently they no longer use/provide messenger with the Globe Canvas bags....so I'm not going to be able to replace with one I have (at least not with one that has the A to Z logo on it).

Also....Mr De Martini (the original maker of the bag) is no longer alive...but before he died he sold his company on to Rod Hanson...who continues to make the bags. He has a website and an 800 number. I'll give him a call when I'm in SF and get a new bag ordered!

haven't been posting much lately. My broadband connection at home is in transition. I've cancelled my Slingshot service and signed up for Telstraclear (cable). It's not going to be online for a couple of weeks.....but will work out cheaper in the long run.

Have managed to get out a bit on the bike. Am doing a regular Sunday morning mtb ride with some Hutt Valley lads. Several of them are motocross demons and are lethal going downhill on the moutain bikes. I've got no hope of keeping up. Enjoying the ride though...it's 3+ hours in the hills up behind the house in Korokoro. Fireroad/road climbs...and sweet singletrack downhills. Good times.

Am also riding Tuesday nights with an Aussie chick from work. We're trying to get a 1-2 hour ride in at Makara Peak....which is awesome at night. A bit cold this time of the year....but still tons of fun.

Other than that I'm just doing my regular commute rides. Legs are starting to feel a bit stronger. Am hoping to peak when I get to California!

Oh....there's a 70km mtb race coming up in Rotorua (as part of the world champs) next month. A few of us from work have signed up for that.....should be interesting!