After Nationals I spent the week at home to finalise my preparations for the Oceania Champs in Toowoomba, Australia. I knew I was on good form so was keen to make the most of it and bag plenty of the UCI points that were on offer! I was happy to have received a dispensation to race in the Elite category instead of Under 23 but this also meant to race was going to be absolutely brutal as I would be going up against Dan McConnell the number 3 ranked rider in the world. The temperatures had soared into the 30’s and at around 80% humidity I knew it was going to be a long, tough day at the office. I had a great start and lead into the first single track. From there I kept the pace at a steady tempo as the field started to string out behind. Fellow Kiwi Sam Gaze came through on the second climb to keep the pace high and on the 2^nd lap Sam, Dan and I had established a lead over the chasers as we took turns at the front of the race. On the 3^rd lap Dan started to ramp up the pace and Sam dropped off, eventually withdrawing from the race. I managed to stick with Dan until halfway through lap 4 of 6. From there I eased up and conserved my 2^nd position along with my legs which I still needed for another 3 days of racing! Overall I was very happy with my second position in such a stacked field of riders.

Day 2 was the Oceania Eliminator Champs. I knew it would be a tough race to win but with UCI Cat 3 points up for grabs I thought I’d may as well give it a nudge! I was the fastest qualifier and progressed through each round easily. In the final I came up against the 2013 Eliminator World Champion Paul van der Ploeg and we had a great battle the whole way around the course. He had too much power in the end and outsprinted me to the line. Happy enough with that!

Day 3 was the final round of the Subaru Australian National Series, also held in Toowoomba on a very similar track to what the Oceania Champs were held on. I had another good start, slotting second into the single-track behind big man Paul VDP. I managed to overtake him before the first downhill section and started to open up a gap on the chasers before a dropped chain cost me precious time and dropped me back to around 5^th spot. I was quickly able to regain my position at the head of the pack before a couple of riders starting launching their own attacks which I was able to follow. I took it easy on the rough descents to prevent my chain from falling off again and lap by lap the field whittled down to just a few remaining riders. On the 4^th lap Dan took the front again and powered away from the rest of the pack. I chased hard to eventually come home in second position less than a minute back. Very happy with how my legs felt after such a short turnaround between races.

The final days racing was a UCI Cat 3 Short Track Race, 25mins + 3 laps. I kept amongst the top 3 at the head of the race as the laps wound down until with 3 laps to go it was just Dan and myself left to battle it out. I played my cards perfectly and led into the last lap before opening up the taps on the final descent to open up a 10m gap on Dan but heartbreakingly my chain dropped off JUST before exiting the single track onto the finishing straight. I popped it back on and crossed the line in second, pretty disappointed not to grab a gold medal on the last day of completion but nonetheless happy with how I rode! We then rushed back to our accommodation to shower up, pack our bags and bikes and escape to the airport. Time to replace a worn drivetrain I think!!

I will spend the next week at home taking it easy before jetting off to the California for 2 more races as part of the Sho-air US cup. Can’t wait!