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 RIDING OUR OWN TRAILS
 HARD'N UP - 9th April 2011
We heard the WAMOs had an excellent victory (by about 40 minutes) via Shane Easton at the inaugural Hard'n Up single-speed 12 hour event held on the Black Stump farm, so we pestered him to give us the inside story:
The race started with a le mans run start, after the famous Black Stump Shotgun Start. I managed to be third out the gate I think, with a couple of fast laps for the first part of the day. Stopping only once every two or three laps for the first 4 hours. Then started stopping once just about every lap after that.
I fuelled up on fruit and muesli bars and leppin sports drink, then having some leppin gels closer to the end of the night. I had to mix a couple of litres of drink up during the race, which lost me some valuable time . . . I found the track got a lot harder when it got darker, having to slow down on the sharper corners because you couldn't see far enough ahead to go fast! We saw a few rabbits and possums, even a beast in the middle of the track that had made its way out of a paddock.
It was a great event, with a lot of like minded single speeding riders! So happy with my 1st place win, my first trophy ever! I will be there again next year to defend my title. I must say, it would have been one of the hardest races I have raced, and most definitely the longest! I don't usually get off my bike and walk, but I had to up that last hill towards the end of the day!!!
Shane Easton
Thursday 10th March 2011- Riding our own new trails
(Photos below)
Ride Report and photos by Tui Allen
There were six of us on a beautiful cool evening that carried the faintest whiff of autumn. Amanda Haigh, Scott Miller, Jeff Tucker and Shane Easton (on single speed) started from the pub in the village and rode the long Sainsbury ascent to the trail gate at the top. Dave May and I drove up and joined the ride at the gate. Breathtaking views on the way up whether you loooked up at the mountain before you or turned back to look down over the rest of the world.
The gate was locked. Great, that keeps the illegal motorbikes out. Once over the gate, we first rode the new little kids trail, to give me a chance to photograph it in use. Then we headed off onwards and upwards, to give the main new trail a whirl. We rode the newly built one at the top and the older pre-existing one on the way back down.
Speeding down the mountain in the cool of the evening with the whole Waikato spread below us seemed a fine way to end a nice ride, so discussions were held about having the ride every Thursday instead of once per month. The idea got thumbs up. See you next week everyone. Newcomers welcome also. 6pm at the pub in Pirongia.
These are heavily cropped miniatures -
click to see the complete pictures |
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Looking up and
down
the mountain |
Re-grouping |
On the kids trail
going away |
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On the kids trail
coming towards
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Entering a sharp bend
on the kids trail |
Dave on the gnarly
new downhill |
Scott exits the
new downhill |
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