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I was thrilled when Jack Bauer crossed the line to take the 2010 RaboPlus Elite Road National Championship title. I think I may have given a little squeal and punched the air in celebration. No doubt you would have read a race report (or was following my live blogging!!) so know how the race unfolded...
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If you are a cycling fan, which no doubt you are if you are reading this, then Christchurch is the place to be this weekend. The RaboPlus 2010 Elite Road Nationals starts tomorrow and continues through until Sunday. Take a look at the start list and you will see a star-studded line up of New Zealand's...
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Today was the first time that I have cycled solely for transport. One of my New Year's resolutions is to cycle to and from work. Not necessarily making all ten trips a week on two wheels (I am not that optimistic), but as many trips as possible. Cycling to work makes sense. I am saving furiously...
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Taupo... What a ride. The worst bit of the whole day came first. Waiting at the relay interchange point for my first rider to come in was horrible. It was cold, it was raining, and I was dreading the 80km to come. My rider underestimated his time (as do most people) and so I was left waiting and wondering...
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I hope you are getting excited . . . I went for my last ride before Taupo yesterday morning - it didn't go well (story of my life...) I had a couple of unwelcome visitors - lead legs and this annoying person in my head the whole ride who just wouldn't shut up "your legs are sore" "you're...
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Yesterday was meant to be my last big training ride before Taupo. I was relying on this ride to go well, thus giving me confidence for Saturday. The big challenge of my ride was meant to be the climb up Hayward's Hill. My planned ride was meant to be flat with a big hill to emulate the type of ride...
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Sunday was a stunning day for a ride in Wellington. While there was a little bit of wind, for the most part of the ride it always seemed to be coming in the right direction for me - from behind! Do you ever have those days when you know that you are going to get a puncture? I had one of them. 16km into...
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Taupo is six weeks away. I am yet to enter. Have you entered? I'm not sure why I keep putting it off. But that is the plan for this weekend - enter Taupo. And ride my bike. Hopefully the weather cooperates. Next week, while every other university student in the country is going to be frantically...
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My heart went out to Ali Shanks when I read about her bike being stolen. The bike stolen was the bike that she was riding when she became individual pursuit world champion. The bike is worth over $15,000 and had just been tested in the San Diego wind tunnel to perfect her positioning. Imagine having...
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If I told you that Wellington was plagued by gale force winds, you would believe me. If I told you that I fell off my bike while riding on the wind trainer, you probably would not believe me. Well, as embarrassing as this is to admit it, I fell off the wind trainer. It occurred on a day when Wellington...
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I had an amazing ride over the weekend - the longest I have done this time on the bike, and also the fastest. It was wonderful, amazing weather. It was one of those early morning rides that leave you on a high for the rest of the day. It was a 60km ride. Only another 100km to go....sigh. After my ride...
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A friend told me that I am the reason that bike shops make money. At first I didn't agree - I don't have all the gear, I don't even have clipless pedals! However I need to admit that there is truth to that statement. There are two main reasons I go to a bike shop. One - to talk to any cute...
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So it is that time of year - the Tour de France. A time when cycling fans all over the world get excited. Unfortunately for us New Zealand cycling fans, it means late nights and early mornings if we want to catch the Tour live. I was lucky enough to escape the winter weather and spend a week in Cairns...
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I had written a blog post about my experiences learning to change a tyre tube, but on rereading the blog, I realised that it actually wasn't very interesting. It was a description of the way that my flatmate and I struggle to change a tyre tube after I had broken the valve thing (yeah, really technical...
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I once decided to attempt the ride around Lake Taupo. I was in an idealised state where I thought that I could spend the year at university (gaining the fresher five!), hop on my bike at the end of October and then get around the lake a month later. Yeah right! A lot of the blame for this silly idea...