Round 1 – Dunedin
The announcement that there was an Oceania Continental series came late and was very unexpected. Nevertheless, it was a welcome surprise and gave me a great opportunity to score some much-needed points to boost my ranking after a tough 2024. I had low expectations performance wise for the race in Dunedin, considering I was still early days with training and it was only early January.
With some tough competition in Ben Oliver and a muddy track I knew I would have my work cut out! I took the lead early on and Ben and I quickly opened up a lead on the rest of the field. We traded turns at the front but neither of us were able to drop the other, leading to a last lap shootout.
I played my cards well, making sure I lead into the first switchback, single-track climb and running up the steep and unrideable A line, which took a toll on the legs but also opened up a few seconds gap into the next single-track descent which I held to the bottom. From there it was an all out 30 or 40second sprint up a wide, dirt road before dropping into the next single-track section. With half the lap still remaining it was key to defend the position through the single-track, even though it would be difficult to make a pass for the lead. I lead onto the short finish straight and sprinted home to take a hard fought win.
Rounds 2 & 3 – Canberra
Rounds 2 and 3 of the Continental series were held at Mt Stromlo, Canberra, a place I hadn’t been to since watching the 2009 MTB World Champs held there from the sidelines. On race week it was super-hot, dry and dusty which was a far cry from the summer we’d been having in Christchurch. Mid 35-degree temperatures with very little shelter and wind meant that good cooling strategies were essential, with lots of cold water and ice for cooling during the race.
Race 2 on Saturday featured some of the classic World Cup and World Champs course sections such as the Cardiac Arrest Climb and Hammerhead Descent. It was a fun race course with lots of single-track and technical rock features to navigate, which was a challenge when cross eyed from the climbs and heat. I pushed the pace and got away on the first lap with young Aussie gun Jack Ward who had been dominating their national series rounds. I kept pushing a solid pace but couldn’t open a gap up on the key sections of the course which meant he was able to sit on and recover on the flatter, easier parts of the course.
I knew I would have to change up the tactics a bit and trusted that being patient would pay off. Jack attacked to lead into the final steep climb and I knew the last chance to pass him would be halfway down the descent where it opened up to a short fire-road sprint, before entering the singletrack again to the finish line.
We hit the fire-road and I started to sprint, edging up the inside before Jack’s rear wheel kicked out and we both swerved not to hit each other. This meant I had to immediately get back on the gas and we were side by side as we hit a hard right corner into the last singletrack. I was on the inside and was able to force my place to be first through the turn. From there I lead to the finish to take a close and hard-fought win in tough conditions.
No time to rest however, as the next day was the third and final round of the series on a much different track. By this stage it was my 4th race in just 8 days after Nationals XCO and XCC in Rotorua the weekend prior. With a lot of travel and busy days I could tell my motivation and form was starting to wear a bit thin, however I was keen to go home with another win and gain the maximum points.
After the hot and hard race the day prior, I wasn’t feeling the freshest, and on a much faster rolling track it was going to be hard to break away from the pack. As we came into the last lap there were still 5 riders at the front of the race and it came down to a fire-road sprint into the final descent at the top of the hill. I hesitated a bit too long to open up my sprint and got a bit squeezed into the thick gravel and weeds on the side. In the end I wasn’t strong enough to come around Jack as dropped into the descent and I had to follow him down to finish line to take second place.
It was a bit frustrating to lose out in a close race as you always think of the ways you might have done things differently if you had another chance – but that’s always the way it is! Happy to come home from Aussie with a 1st and 2nd place against some tough competition and bag points to boost my UCI ranking.