Nelson Top Gun

On the weekend I flew down to Nelson to race in the Top Gun, which was also the second round of the downhill and cross country MTBNZ Cup series. The Top Gun event finds the best overall male and female mountain bikers. On Friday and Saturday it was Downhill practice and race, then on Sunday it was the Cross Country. The Super-D event on Monday brought both the Downhill and Cross Country riders together to race for the final points in order gain the 2014 Top Gun title.

Loving my new bike in the Downhill. Photo Credit: Corey Russ Photography

When I got on the plane to Nelson on Thursday I was not sure if I would be able to race on the weekend, as my wrist was still a little weak after I hurt earlier in the week. Fortunately I borrowed a wrist guard from our family friends in Nelson, which gave me enough support to ride. Practice went well and I really enjoyed the track. There was not a lot of pedaling, it was straight forward, fast, steep and rocky! A really fun course to race with some cool jumps in the finish area. On Saturday morning I got a flat tire on one of the fast rocky shoots. I put a new tube in and got onto long rough shuttle ride up to the top of the hill. There was a chance to enjoy the views of Nelson's beaches, before dropping into the track for my seeding run. I finished my seeding run in 6th place in under 19's. I was feeling good for a strong race run, then within the first 20 seconds WHOOSH, I lost all the air in my back tire. It was disappointing not being able to finish the race on such a fun track, but that is part of racing.      

Keen as for the Cross Country...

After that I decided I had to race the cross country. I jumped on a borrowed XC bike and lined up to start in my baggies and downhill shoes. The racing was super fast right from the gun and with my lack of endurance I hit the wall on the third lap. It was still a lot of fun and I was happy to finish the race totally destroyed.

Totally exhausted after the Cross Country!

Then on Monday I got up for my third event in the long weekend! It was the Super-D, which is simply a longer downhill race that has more pedaling and a few small hills. The track was heaps of fun an took around eight to ten minutes to descend to the finish. Racing it required a lot of effort especially because I was the only person there doing it on a Downhill bike. Still I felt like I put in a solid effort and with two small off's I managed to get 5th place in the Junior's.  

Having an awesome time racing the Super-D. Photo Credit: Corey Russ Photography

It was really a fun weekend of racing down in sunny Nelson and I am now looking forward to a good race up here in Auckland, for the third MTBNZ Downhill Cup round in Hunua.