National Champs - Nelson - Fringe Hill - 27-29/01/12

Since it was national champs we had 1.5 days of practice and then race day. Friday was the half day of the practice. I flew in Friday morning and landed just before the first lot of shuttles had started. By the time I had got to the track and got ready and everything I had probably missed the first hour of practice. Unfortunately the turn around for runs was about 1hr and there was only 1 wave of transport going instead of the 2 alternates that are normally run at races. I managed to get 3 runs in though which I was happy with. After practice was finished we went up as a team and did a track walk but there weren’t really that many lines that weren’t obvious/the main line. After the track walk I got the boys to drop me off at the Super D so I could have a go at racing that. Probably wasn’t the smartest idea and was considering dropping out after doing a run of the track due to the stupid amounts of pedaling, and also because of my huge amounts of unpreparedness. (I raced it on my little bike with street tyres and a front brake that pretty much went into the bars). I decided to stick it out though since I was only doing it as a bit of fun and had already entered. Got my two practice runs in and was looking forward to racing it apart from the uphill. I pretty much died on the uphills, but was feeling good on the downhills until I got a little off line coming into an off camber section and ended up in a tree. Ended up 3^rd place in the open women which I was pretty stoked on. Was feeling a bit better about racing the downhill on Sunday as I figured I had now gotten rid of my race run crash.

Saturday was a full day of practice but I only managed 4 runs which I wasn’t too keen on as I hadn’t made up my mind on some of my line choices or kept missing lines due to coming into sections too hot. Don’t think I managed a run without a crash of sorts or at the minimum a stuff up. On my 4^th run down the hill I stopped and looked at one of lines I kept missing and realised that I needed to slow down coming into it and take a bit of a different angle into it. I was planning on doing a 5^th run to try it out and just focus on making a decision on what lines to take, but the team boss told me to not do anymore runs. I now decided I had to make up my mind on my lines from the team tent and remember them for Sundays practice runs. Despite this it was a good days practice as I didn’t over do the runs and managed to hit the step down that I needed to do and was feeling pretty comfortable and good on the track apart from the few places mentioned above.

Sunday practice runs went good. I was feeling good and hit all the lines I had wanted to do yesterday. 1^st run down I took it a bit slow just fully focussing on getting my lines as good as I could and doing a full run. 2^nd run I did the same again but tried to hit them faster while trying to keep up with my main competition and biggest rival this weekend Harriet Harper. After doing that run with her I knew that I was going to have to put it all on the line if I wanted to walk away with the win. Seeding run came and went and it was a pretty mint run apart from a stupid crash for no reason in the 2^nd corner of the track, getting caught behind two riders in front of me and having to follow the first for ages as she wouldn’t pull over and ended up having to pass her on a jump and then crashing while trying to overtake the 2^nd person not long after. Ended up about 50 seconds behind Harriet and somehow in 2^nd place. I was feeling a bit more relaxed coming into race run and knew that as long as I kept it upright and went a bit faster I would stand a chance at taking the win. (Figured I had lost about 30-40 seconds overall due to the two crashes and getting caught behind people.) Race run came and went pretty painfully. I gave it everything and lets just say I nearly lost it a few times but managed to hold it together. Was pretty much dead by the time I reached the bottom. Sitting and waiting and staring at the timing board waiting for Harriet to come down and see her time was pretty nerve wreaking as I knew I had made a few mistakes but had done the best I could. Ended up winning by about 3 seconds which I was well entirely stoked on as I wasn’t expecting to win at the start of day. So for now I still remain undefeated in the Elite Womens field which I hope to keep that way.