El Gringo

Well, I completed the Karapoti on Saturday - my fifth time doing the race. The weather came through and the track was dry and fast. A great crowd turned out - both competitors and spectators. My goal this year was to relax and enjoy the ride with an achievable target of sub 4 hours. I almost blew things though with the tactical blunder of fitting new rear brakes pads the night before.  This caused some rubbing on the disc for the first hour, making the bike (and me !) feel a bit lethargic. Luckily it was just a matter of time before they bedded in though and I settle into a nice steady rhythm. I got cramp at about the halfway mark while walking up the Devil’s Staircase but stuck to my plan of keeping forward momentum - any moment resting will always punish your finishing time.  The last big hill (Dopers) was tough and I started to hit the wall although I did manage to ride all the sections that I trained for.  Although getting to the summit of this last hill signifies the turning point for home, the last big downhill and sprint down the gorge are hard on the body and mind - it’s easy to lose focus and crash bigtime or get a puncture on the sharp rocks, making the whole effort very disheartening. My legs and back were killing me by now but I knew if I just kept going at this steady pace I would sneak in under 4 hrs.  Getting to the last river crossing (2 rivers actually) is one of the greatest feelings, knowing you are only a few hundred metres from the line, and to have Jess and the crowd there cheering gave me that extra burst of energy when I most needed it. Once I got over the line I felt buggered but very satisfied at the same time.  I knew I’d gone sub 4 by about 10 minutes and that was all I needed to know. A final plunge into the river to cool down was so great - as was the beer ! After that it was time to chill and hang out, bike demos, prize giving (I think I was the only “steve” in the comp not to get a spot prize !) and home time. Phew, another Karapoti done and dusted.  The results came out yesterday and confirmed my suspicions abut my time.  They also have all the other years up there so I’ve dug out all my times which you can see below. Thanks to Jess for all the support during my training and for being there on the day - it makes such a difference to have someone there cheering you on !
1996
Stephen Grenside 05:27:32 
2003
Stephen  Grenside 4:11:21 
2004
Stephen Grenside  4:02:21
2005
Steve GRENSIDE  3:33:12 
2006
Steve Grenside  03:52:28 

Well, I’ve just picked up my Race Entry Pack for the Karapoti Classic.  This is the most famous mountain bike race in NZ and this year will be the 21st year it has been held. It’s a gruelling 50km race with 3 huge hills, waste deep bogs and knarly rocks that will cut you up big time if you get loose and crash.  I’ve been training all through summer and tomorrow will be the moment of truth. With 1000 entrants it gets pretty hectic at the start and the pack doesn’t thin out until about halfway around (at the top of Devil’s Staircase !).  I hope to complete the course in under 4 hours.  se you on the other side !