2nd April 2017, Grant McEwen’s, Upper Durham Road, Opunake
On Sunday morning I felt like I had just been hit by a truck. The last thing I wanted to do was move, let alone get on a bike. It didn’t help that it was drizzling. Once I was on the bike, however, things started to get a bit better.
My first lap could have been worse but still, it did not blow people away with its amazingness. Wayne, Luke’s dad, arrived near the end of the first lap for a look. Around the start of the second lap Craig, Wayne’s brother, also turned up.
The sections were down at the river, in a similar spot to the first day of the Nationals eighteen months ago.
The weather never let up. The drizzle persisted all day and, by the end of it, I was soaking.
Seven was my waterloo. Lap one was a stupid early slip on a mossy stone. Lap two was an even stupider fail on a boulder that I easily cleared the next time. By lap three I made it to the final bank where my nervousness stopped me committing fully. I don’t know whether or not I could have made it but it probably looked worse than it was.
My favourite section was three. A big boulder, up a bank, a right turn at the top on some small rocks, back down, veer left, up a bank capped by a small boulder that made the last 30 cm vertical, tight left, back down round to the right, and up an ugly looking bank, back down, u-turn, up a slope, over a rock, sharp right, left over some rocks, and then out.
The sharp right at the end was what stopped me clearing this section. I sort of needed to be turning almost in mid air to easily get round.
I keep having what seems like bad luck. I would have cleaned section four on the last lap except the bike slipped into neutral. I can’t remember whether it was because I hit a rock or because it wasn’t properly in gear. On section ten I wouold probably have got another one but my fingers refused to respond when I asked them to pull in the clutch. They seem to get tired. Either my technicque is wrong or I am just not strong enough.
In the meantime, Wayne was getting a little frustrated with Luke. Luke was great but Wayne is way more experienced. On the last lap Wayne took over. He was much firmer, especially about getting me to slow down on the rocks, etc. He also made me walk all the sections again.
Daniel got 12 cleans, Gabrielle got four, and I got one. More importantly, Gabrielle got seven fives while I got eight. She should have beaten me. I don’t know how I did it but I just managed to beat her by ONE POINT! So, my second clean in yellow, and my first win, albiet scratchy, over Gabrielle.
A huge thanks to the Thompsons, I wouldn’t have coped without you.