Taupo Challenge

[R6_kid]

Who else is doing the Taupo Challenge this year?

www.cyclechallenge.com

[Sparky Bills]

You know how I know your gay....?
Cause you wear Lycra!

Not enough mud and downhill bits for me mate...:whistle:

[R6_kid]

As a matter of fact I don't wear lycra. Not since I did rowing at school anyway. I need thick cycling shorts for my poor virgin arse, and I tend to wear 'proper' clothing as I don't like the cold :cold:

[Squiggles]

No but ill be down there :scooter:

[R6_kid]

No but ill be down there :scooter:

Where are you guys all staying? We've ended up getting a place in Turangi!

[Sparky Bills]

As a matter of fact I don't wear lycra. Not since I did rowing at school anyway. I need thick cycling shorts for my poor virgin arse, and I tend to wear 'proper' clothing as I don't like the cold :cold:



Ok.... Ill let you off just this once ;)

[malcy25]

Who else is doing the Taupo Challenge this year?

www.cyclechallenge.com

Double hard, I'm doing the 2 lap enduro.

[R6_kid]

I'm doing the Solo 160km... on about 10weeks training. Previously never done a cycle challenge/race in my life and longest ride before I started training was about 38km which was when I was 12!

I'm doing the Maunga Challenge this weekend in Te Awamutu which is 100km, so hopefully that'll give me a good idea of what to expect from the full 160km around Taupo.

[CyclistToo]

This'll be the 7th time round for me. If you haven't done it before I recommend driving the course to see what it's like - note the hills ;)

[trevf]

this will be my 9th one-havnt done one since 2000-starting to remember why i stooped doing them-all that bloody training:crybaby:

[R6_kid]

Took me 6hrs 26mins to get around the lake (6hrs 33mins including water stops).

How did everyone else go?

My goals in order were:
Don't fall off.
Beat Hatepe Hill without stopping
Finish.
Finish in under 8hrs.
Finish in under 7hrs.

I knew the first three were doable, I wasn't expecting to beat the fourth and certainly not expecting to beat the 5th. With a bit more training and a better organisation (like starting in the right 6hr bunch rather than the 7hr+ bunch) I reckon I would have been a lot closer to 6hrs.

If I'm around next year, which I should be, the goal will be under 5hrs 30mins.

[vtec]

Nice work Gareth.

I took 5 hours and 2 minutes officially, my speedo read 4 hours 55 minutes as it stopped when the bike stopped while I repaired a puncture. Was pretty happy for my first ever bicycle race, and on a steel single speed with a straight bar aswell :D

Started in the group predicting a finish time of 5:10 to 5:30, and holy shit it was so damn slow, in fact I had to work solo for the first 3 hours of the race until I finally caught some people worth working with. Then I got my puncture 5 minutes later and was so pissed off I ended up going ballistic for ages afterwards trying to make up ground and find some more people worth working with. Mildly annoyed by that. Next year, it's going to be on a geared bike starting in a group aiming at 4 hours.

I came very close to walking up Hatepe, had screwed my legs by going hard after the puncture, and grinding the single up all the hills before then had taken its toll by that stage of the race.

JRandom beat me by one minute, says a lot for bicycle couriering.

[Squiggles]

I rode around it, hard work with all the bloody cyclists on the road :lol:

[R6_kid]

I rode around it, hard work with all the bloody cyclists on the road :lol:

lol, did you cycle? I don't remember seeing anything I'd expect you to be riding!

[MisterD]

I took 5 hours and 2 minutes officially, my speedo read 4 hours 55 minutes as it stopped when the bike stopped while I repaired a puncture. Was pretty happy for my first ever bicycle race, and on a steel single speed with a straight bar aswell :D

Sh1t that's good for a singlespeed, what ratio were you running? From vague memory that'll be quicker than Ron (who I'll guess you know if you're in the couriering line) did it a couple of years ago on his ss.

I'm deffo gonna be back for it next year, target sub 4.30.

[CyclistToo]

I did a 6hr41 with one puncture about the 40km mark.

Seemed like they had heaps more people on the course this year - maybe shorter gaps between the starts.

[R6_kid]

I must have passed you at some point then! What group did you start in?

I saw a pretty good looking girl riding with a Rossi replica cycling shirt on! Couldn't stop to chat though :pinch:

[jrandom]

Man, what is it with all these people who put their actual finish time in brackets and focus on their 'finish time minus any water bottle filling / mechanical furtling / nose-picking / arse-scratching / masturbation stops'?

If only marathon runners could subtract any time they spent standing still on the course hey. One of yous fullas should find one and suggest it to him.

:cool:

[R6_kid]

Hopefully next year I'll be pro like you and do it in a respectable time so that I don't have to make excuses. :pinch:

[CyclistToo]

I was at the back of the group 5 start. Ride time was 6hr14 by the end of it - I did take a few breaks hehe. Should've trained more :whistle:

Marathon is different, there's no real reason to stop. You just go at different speeds here and there ;)

[jrandom]

Hopefully next year I'll be pro like you and do it in a respectable time so that I don't have to make excuses. :pinch:

Pfft, dude, last year I did 8 hours and 4 minutes including a half-hour stop at Turangi.

But that recorded finish time was what I posted, because the time between crossing the start and finish lines is what it's about, man.

That said, vtec, while he may have gone one minute slower than me etc, is still totally awesome for finishing in 5:02 on a singlespeed including having to fix a puncture. If he gets a proper road bike for next year's race it'll be all on.

But I'll still tentatively back myself, because he'll have spent next year sitting in an office, and I know how easy it is for good training intentions to go awry in such circumstances.

:D

However, I'll be pushing him to not slack off through 2010, because I don't want to be out there trying to win that shit on my own.

[Squiggles]

lol, did you cycle? I don't remember seeing anything I'd expect you to be riding!

Course i rode it, one of the only green visi vest riders going around :woohoo: