Back on Team Torq

1/7/13

BACK IN ORANGE

I am happy to announce that I am now back racing as part of the Torq Team. It was exciting yesterday, to be racing in full Torq kit and aboard the Cube “rocket ship” equipped with Sram XX and RockShox forks. I headed out to Upper Beaconsfield to race the first round of the DirtRider’s Winter Series.  Riding at race intensity after an extended time off was certainly a shock to the system; however pain is always that much more bearable when you are lucky enough to be riding with some of the best equipment going around!

This last year has been a great adventure for me.  I was very lucky to have been supported so well by Richard Peil and Peter Dowse, while racing as part of the Target Trek Team.  If it were not for them and the teams’ sponsorship I would not have been able to compete in all the races I did in this last International and Domestic Season. Certainly, my decision to switch teams and go back with Torq, was not through lack of support.  These guys have set up an amazing team and most importantly have set up a pathway for the elite level mtbikers that this country currently has to offer as well as the aspiring junior talent moving up the ranks.  I would like to wish them all the best on their journey!

Torq Australia has been a long-term sponsor of mine. Even over this last year, while racing in different colours, Gen and Dean (Torq owners), have stuck by me and allowed me to race with the very best nutrition available!  Apart from the huge amounts of support these guys offer, they are also great friends of mine and I am excited to be working alongside them once again and over the coming years.

Racing as part of the Torq Team has added the advantage of allowing me to support all the sponsors whom have supported me so well over the years.  I am stoked to be back using all the quality products MONZA Imports bring into this Country. The Cube MTB, Road and Cross Bikes are mean race machines and when fitted out with SRAM group-sets and Rockshox forks they are super light-weight and a pleasure to ride! As well as producing quality product, SRAM Australia has a huge presence in the Domestic Race scene. They are certainly very generous with their time at races and are always ready to lend a hand!

I am also lucky enough to have continued Support from my personal Sponsors for the coming 2013-14 Domestic Season. Thanks so much to Momentum Energy, LifeCare, 4Shaw and Adidas for their ongoing support of my racing and coaching aspirations for busy year ahead!

DIRTRIDERS WINTER SERIES ROUND 1.

An added advantage of being back aboard the Cube MTB is that the 26er frame fits the 650b wheels.  While I have been a great fan of the 29er bikes, I have also noticed a slight lacking in acceleration around corners and over obstacles (including other riders!)  For someone of my size, and my style of riding, using the slightly smaller wheels on more tight and hilly courses could be an advantage.

The Club race held out at Upper Beaconsfield yesterday gave me a great chance to trial both the 29er and 650b over the same course conditions.  Of course there were many flaws to this experiment; the first lap is generally fastest,  hold-ups on some of the laps while trying to pass, different tyres etc.  However I suspect this will be the first test of many to come and it gives me the excuse to spend time on both bikes!

The trails out at Beacy are fairly tight and technical. Although saying this, the course for yesterday’s race used most of the upper region trails which were not as rocky and technical as the lower sections.  In fact, quite a large portion of the course was fast and flowy and this combined with the many small bumps made me think that the 29er would have slight advantage.

For these winter races we female’s race alongside the males.  I chose to race ‘A grade’ as this would allow me to race over 7 laps and give me opportunity to race 4 laps on one bike and 3 on another.  I started out on board the 29er and then swapped bike each lap. Both Ed and I timed each lap, excluding the transition area where I was jumping off one bike and onto another. The race laps were also being timed by the club officials; thus giving 3 separate time keepers.

Not having raced for over 2 months, I probably started out a little hard.  I noted after lap 1 that I would likely have to discount the time for this one as I was almost certainly going to slow down for the remainder of the race!  From lap 2 onward, I tried to keep a consistent pace, which most of us mtbikers know can be a hard thing to do when not entirely ‘race fit’. With small numbers out on course there was very little passing required and the conditions of the course held up nicely, making for consistent test conditions.

I was quite pleased with my actual race.   I finished up 9^th overall and 1^st female home, with the highly skilled April McDonough not too far behind. A couple of other Pedallab riders were also in action.  Like me, Bryce Young and Nick Bird chose to mix it with the fast guys in ‘A grade’. Both managed to beat their coach and finished 6^th and 8^th respectively. I had Nick in sights on the last lap, but he dug deep and managed to finish around 30sec ahead of me!

Bryce Young and Nick Bird carving it up around the corners!

As to the verdict on which bike was faster?  Well, I took out laps 1 and 2 because from lap 3 onward I had slowed a little but from then on felt consistent.  I also took out lap 6 as I had made a time-costing mistake and had to run a small uphill.  So I added times from laps 3 and 5 (on 29er) and laps 4 and 7 (on 650b) to reach my conclusion.  Would you believe that, going by both my timing and Ed’s (which importantly took out transition periods) the times for both bikes were exactly the same, or to be exact, 1 sec faster on the 650b.)

Aboard the Cube 29er

I’m sure there will be many tests to come and to be honest I think that the bike of choice will change depending on the race course.  Regardless, I can safely say for now that I am very happy to ride either of the 2 Cube MTB’s out on the trails!