Merida Cup, Hukou, November 2008

This Saturday a couple of us went to Hukou to take part in a very wet Merida Cup MTB race. What started out as an overcast, but pleasant day, turned to chilly and wet weather later on.

The race was held at the military base in Hukou. The opening ceremony was an impressive display of military vehicles.

The racing kicked off with the elites doing 4 laps of the off road course. The course wasn't especially technical. There was only one part of the course that was a bit rocky, but nothing too serious.

The first couple of groups had a dry track to race on, but by the time it was my group's turn to complete the 4 laps, it started to drizzle. The first part of the race was fairly dry, but then the rain started coming down a little harder and things got slippery.

Three of my friends , Attie, Ceri and Wade competed in the M40 race. By the time their race started, the course was very wet and muddy. The knobby wheels on their bikes quickly clogged up and it meant virtually no grip.

In spite of the fact that we had to wait for a very long time for our races to start, it was a fun day. I finished 3rd in my age group (my group was very small with only about 11 people!!). Ceri placed 1st in the M40 group, with Attie (5th) and Wade (7th) also doing really well.

It was nice to take a break from triathlons to do a MTB race.

The next race is the Olympic Distance Triathlon in Pingtung on the 22nd of November. Really looking forward to that race.

Wugu Biathlon, November 2008

On Sunday we went to Wugu for the 'Brave Without Fear' (yes, that's really the name!!?) biathlon. The rules stated that you had to use a mountain bike with off-road tires. I put a cheap set of tires on my hybrid that slowed it downed considerably.

The format of the race was as follows: 5km run, 20km bike and another 5km run at the end. The first run was almost all the way uphill to the turning point, then all the way down again (very hard on the knees). Then we jumped on the bikes for a very tough ride. Mostly uphill for about 14km (serious hills up the side of a mountain) and then 5 km downhill back to the transition area. The last 5km run was mostly flat and quite fast.

I started off feeling quite strong on the run. That was until we hit the first hill. I was taking it really slow and was walking at one stage.

I was struggling all the way on the bike. My saddle came loose and I was riding with it at the wrong heigth for most of the way. Instead of stopping to adjust it, I just kept going. Eventually I had to stop and tighten it. Quite a few people passed me on the bike, so I lost a bit of time there.
My friend Chris passed me and he was soon out of sight. Meanwhile, Josh, another friend from Taichung, was in the lead pack and way ahead of all of us (he finished 4th overall; well done!!).

The last 5km run was fine, but I couldn't really pick up the pace as much as I wanted to. I could see Chris running about 100m in front of me. I was hoping to catch up with him, but he was running at a very good pace and he was pulling away slowly but surely. I settled into a fairly decent pace and finished fairly strong.

This race was very tough for me. There is a good reason they call it Brave Without Fear. I was very surprised at how well the older guys did. There were some 50 year old's that came flying by me on the run and the bike. Respect to all those guys and to everybody who finished the race!

Our next race is in Hukou, very near to Hsinchu. It's a cross country mtb race. I am not so keen on the off road races, but I'm sure it will lots of fun.