In a little over 24 hours I'll be called up for my first UCI race - talk about exciting! I've done a few laps of a slightly revised course and it's super fun. Not much has changed - a little bit more technical downhill, a slightly less technical climb with more pinches. It looks like we will have 11 in the field tomorrow - pretty sure that'll be the biggest field I've ever ridden in, definitely for a race at this level.

Not much left to do now. Time for lunch, clean the bike (maybe - Gav has offered to do it for me - sweet!) then rest up til dinner, and then rest up again til bedtime. Might fit a nap in there somewhere

I've really just got the one goal - to ride faster than I ever have before (and we all know you get faster with age...). So I'd better go get fed and rested. Next update should be the race report...

all the best Lisa

Go Lisa!

Oh, and can Gav come down and clean my bike too?

Good luck Lisa! kick arse!

go Lisa!

Shit, that course looks faaast...Why does Rotorua have to be so far away

GOOOOOO LISA!!

(Did you happen to take any photos of me? )

*flitter flitter*

dented wrote: but I was flirtting about that time

I had to read that twice

They're awesome - thanks Craig Report will have to wait til tomorrow morning. I'm so tired it's type 3 letters, delete 2 cos they're back to front!

Lisa@vorb please

I wasn't smiling? Too busy trying to keep the pace on!

Hot, hard, fast, fun, smooth, flowy - everything a race should be!

I started the day with a leisurely breakfast and a new book purchase before heading out to the course with Gav to watch the start of the morning race. One of the things I knew I would miss about racing in the afternoon was being able to go out and give it heaps in support of other riders so I took a gentle walk up the sealed road and watched as grade after grade came past up the clay techy climb in to the first section of single track. There were so many riders and still a bit of moisture in the clay so most were off the bikes and pushing. It's a frantic start to a race!

I then popped over to exit jumps to watch everyone come flying down there - sooo much fun - before walking back down the road, one more chance to see everyone and shout a bit of encouragement. After that, I went and had some lunch and chilled out for a bit before heading back to get ready to warm up.

Over the last couple of season's I've watched the elite call-ups and starts and have always thought I'd be so nervous if that was me so I was surprised I just had a few butterflies in the morning, and I was able to channel them in to positive energy without any trouble. I hadn't had any with Chch or Opotiki either, but thought maybe the UCI thing would step it up a notch (and the super strong field) but it was just like any other pre-race. Eat when it's time to eat, chat when you feel like chatting, focus on your plan and when it's time, jump on the trainer and zone out.

The field was definitely class. Annika is making a return, Sonia was there, Gen Matthews who took out round 1 in Opotiki, Fiona McD is back on the bike, Kaytee was down from Auckland, Nina and Monique rounded out the force of local knowledge, Sam and young Katy who I know can climb out of their skins, Nicole, Michelle and Carrie McLachlan (new to me) completed the field.

I was fortunate enough to be called up in the front row, so you may be able to imagine my frustration when I botched my start by not getting clipped in for about 5 pedal strokes. I was furious with myself and entered the clay climb in 2nd to last place. The field split about evenly on the left and right line options - I took my tried and true right line and stayed on the bike while others were still getting back on but I didn't make up any places. Carrie was the only one behind me, Nicole was closest up ahead. Within a few metres Carrie made a call to pass but we went down a dip so I was able to hold her off, and then get safely clear of her up a technical climb around some trees. Until then I could hear her breathing as hard as I was (the old sulphuric Rotorua start-rasp) so when it was just my rasping I could hear I focused on Nicole up ahead.

I kept seeing her, tantilisingly close through the undulating section of the course, and then again as we wound our way to the top of rock drop. I knew I would close the gap some on the descent and was then planning on making a move on the technical climb. After the short flattish section after the descent (where we came past Kaytee having mechanical issues) I got to the climb and spotted her off the bike. We gave each other some encouragement as I got past (we are team mates) and I also saw Katy O off her bike at the top of the climb. My focus was now on her.

Up the switch backs, past the 2nd feed zone and down the non-technical challenge track downhill and up the non-technical climb she maintained her gap on me but by the time we'd descended exit jumps (woop woop woop, pump, pump, pump) and exit trail I had closed in by about half the gap even with my shocking line botches. I'd gotten painfully close to her entering exit trail that I'd even tried to quieten my breathing so she might not know I was there (why? I have no idea!).

Coming through the feedzone I got my next bottle and as I rode past Nic and Carl supporting up the road I signalled to them that I would have Katy soon. That was my next goal - to catch her on this lap. We held our positions through the undulating first singletrack section where she pulled away slightly. Coming down the technical descent of rockdrop I closed the gap again and held it through the flat. Up the technical climb and she did what I'd hoped after seeing her on the first lap - she was off the bike and pushing, which gave me the opportunity to ride past. I put in a huge effort up the switchbacks to open up a gap and also noticed Nicole just behind Katy.

Past the 2nd feed zone again and there was some great support up there. Back in to challenge trail - the descent in this had a HUGE berm that was a bit of a wall ride and you felt like a rocket ship when you nailed it way up high missing all the braking bumps on the track below - I looked forward to this every lap.

Back up the climb and in to big ring again to go and hammer down the exit jumps getting as little air as possible to maintain full pace with wheels on the ground - not as easy as it might sound when you're going that fast. I was out of there and back up old exit trail lickety split but again didn't clean my lines down the technical sections for some reason.

By the time I headed up the road for the 3rd time I remembered how strong I'd felt last year on my 3rd (and final) lap and harnessed some of that. I was still feeling good, had been drinking well and people were calling that I was looking strong. Nic and Carl said Samara wasn't too far ahead so down the head went again as I headed out on lap 3. I kept looking for her the whole lap but never saw her. She must have put the after burners on because not only did I never see her, but she also powered past Monique and I know she put the hammer down after that.

Coming up the switchbacks for the 3rd time I noticed that Nicole was closing in on me which encouraged me to give it another big push to open that up again. A good thing I did too because on coming out of exit jumps and in to the trail I dropped from big to middle chain ring and my cranks stopped on me when I was standing up to get up a switchback climb. I back pedalled to free it but it jammed again. I tried once more but to no avail. I jumped off, ran up the climb then went to work on it. Pedals still wouldn't spin, flick through the gears, no change, check things at the rear - all looks good, another spin - stuck, closer look at the front - the chain had got caught up between big and middle during my gear change. I yanked as hard as I could and it came free first time so I laced it back on to middle, pushed off, jumped on and hammered like my life depended on it. The whole time I was working on it I was determined I would not get passed and I would not mechanical out of this race. I had less control over whether I got passed or not and was stoked that I had enough of a gap.

Another dodgy run down exit, pick up the final bottle and head on up the road for the 4th and final time. Everything was feeling pretty much like I was heading out on the last lap of a tough race and I knew all I could do now was protect my position. I appeared to have a healthy gap but Nicole must have punched it because all of a sudden she was practically buzzing my tyre heading to the top of the rock drop descent. We might be team mates, but there's a competitive drive there and I was out of the saddle immediately and preparing to mow down the descent. I pushed a little hard on some of the drops and had some super dodgy moments coupling fatigue and something close to panic to mean I was very lucky to stay upright at one point but made it down in one piece and powered through the flat then called on everything getting up the technical climb again. On the switchbacks I could see someone was catching her but didn't know who it was. With just one climb to go I focused on extending my gap.

As I came out of the challenge climb for the last time the mystery rider was right behind me so I gave it one last everything on the descent and opened up a gap before the switchback. Thanks to another terrible effort down exit he (yes, he) caught me right before the line. I looked over, gave him a grin and sprinted him to the line. He won...

I finished in 8th place and there were some lapouts in there too - Kaytee with a broken chain, Michelle with injury and Carrie but I didn't get the details there. The top 4 spots were taken out by locals, none more impressive than Annika on a Santa Cruz Nomad with 36's! Fiona and Samara got in the way of all 5 local riders coming in one after the other.

I'm very pleased to be back home but I miss Rotorua already. I love multi-lap races up there!

Gav had a fantastic race to get on the podium again finishing in 5th in a classy men's field so he was stoked. Connor is the clear favourite in U23 men now with his 2nd win in the series and looking good for champs as well. Ricky had a good day at the office too but got mowed down by some nutter on a SS making moto noises down exit jumps to knock him off the podium. KC had some issues with her stans but her competitor in U23 women was none other than my Wild Wellington team mate, Raewyn, who is a natural on the bike on tricky descents. Celia and Nic didn't have such good races but Nic pulled out a 3rd place with Celia in 4th. A total of 6 in senior women was pretty impressive.

Scotty lined up for this race too, but after his first lap remembered that xc isn't his thing and switched to supporting instead.

After a soak in the mineral pool we all wrapped up the day with a 'picnic' in the park (ie, byo takeaways). It's the second year now that the road trip family has helped me celebrate my birthday post-race and it was a very good time with our crew, Nic and Carl, Sam and her tribe plus extended tribe.

Finally, on the drive home yesterday I awarded myself 'best use of a walkie talkie' after cranking up John Denver's 'On the road again' and feeding it through to Gav and Ricky in the Subie via walkie talkie - because I KNOW how much they love that song after many car trips with me