Race Report: Gravity Canterbury Enduro #1 - Godly Head

To 99% of my readers who are interested in life in New Zealand, immigrating, expat experiences, etc… I'm sorry. It's bike season again. I will truly try to write more helpful bits and pieces about expat life in New Zealand.

But today, not so much. The first enduro of the summer was a few weeks ago, actually the day before Scott's birthday. It was basically in our "backyard"- literally about 10 minutes up the hill. However, in true enduro fashion, we started at the bottom of the racecourse, down at a little beach called Taylor's Mistake. We climbed up a steep, twisty trail aptly named Anaconda, which we would later race down as the final stage. After this climb, we climbed for several kilometers on the road, right to the tip top of Mount Pleasant.

The weather, however, was anything but pleasant. We were greeted at the top of the mountain with wind and horizontal raindrops. The track was rocky, muddy, and slick. From the top of Mount Pleasant, we completed three different timed stages. The first was unbelievably slippery, and I quickly made it my goal just to finish intact. The second and third stages were much shorter than the first, and as we dropped in elevation, the weather lifted and the traction improved. Here's the course, uploaded from my Garmin:

It was a total of 13.9 miles (beginning and finishing at that checkered square on the right) with 2,500 feet of climbing. For anyone not familiar with the area (all of you?) I think it's pointless to try to break down the stages (plus, no one cares but me and I recognize that). But there's the map. It's nerdy and I like it.

I found the following photos of Scott and I, taken during stage 3 (the driest stage) of the race. Photo credit goes to Tony Brunt.

Gawd, isn't that 'stache horrible??? And the retro 90's kit to boot... Watch out ladies!

Below, a few photos of people I don't know. But it gives a nice idea of the course, weather, and scenery.

In the end, the wild weather still treated us pretty well. Scott ended up 1st in his class (Masters 30+) and 5th in the race overall. I placed 2nd in my class (Women's Open under 30) and 4th in the Women's overall.

Pay attention when you're on the podium!! Ha!

The next race is this weekend in Dunedin. It's supposed to be a big one. Full face helmets required and an urban race tomorrow night for seeding. Should be good!