First race of 2006 season in New Zealand

Despite not having a bike to ride yet and being troubled with my old hamstring/nerve problem my first result from yesterday's XC race at Palmerston North, North Island, NZ was very promising.

My new Massi Z-carbon is due to land here in 7 days or so......so I borrowed the bike of National Coach, Greame Herd. Put my trusty 'new improved' (better than best!) saddle and speedplay pedals on his bike and rode the race.

The full team raced...Ruth McGavigan came in 4th in Elite ladies - good result...Robin Wong(NZ) won her race. Gareth Montgomerie punctured twice and therefore did not have enough resources at hand to fix the second puncture. Robert Wardell punctured, then repaired the problem, and then rode on to finish the race but he also punctured near the end of the race again and so did not place well, but a good job in finishing.

I battled on working my way through the field after starting in my typical way (a touch slow possibly but comfortable with my plan). The field was only about 40 riders but of good quality.

If anyone was at, or saw pictures of the 2005 BC champs at Ludlow, yesterday was a similar course but more slippery! Basically a mud bath! But there was a river to dive into after the race; it was 6 metres from the finish line so I had washed Greame's bike and myself, got changed and fuelled up before alot of riders finished.

My only consolation for coming second was that the first guy, Clinton Avery (NZ Commonwealth representative and second to Kashi Leuchs in NZ), was on home turf and is in mid-season of his racing right now. Worth noting that Clinton is just 18 years old (15 years younger than me!) and so he is one to watch on a world scene in the next few years. He would have been -3 years when I started mountainbiking....Lookout Ross Creber!

I was decending very badly but climbing well; I was not myself on someone elses bike and missed my Hutchison tubless tyres. If you knew my home turf in Tenerife you would know why climbing is a strong point for me.
Confidence was severly lacking before the race as I have spent the last month without a bike here when most team members have two. With the injury niggle also it has been a bit stressful for me and had thought about sending myself home quite alot. Saying that, Greame Herd has been taking care of us all very very well and so I am getting the best chance to suceed in the next two races in NZ and then it is the CW games on the 23rd of March......

It is just unfortunate that my contractual obligations with Massi and the CWGC are not mating well but this is to be expected. A spanish XC team runs to a different schedule as compared with the CW Games, which are very early in the season this time.

Next race is on the 26th of Feb (UCI E2 near Napier) and is very close to our house so this will advantageous to us. The last race is the Continental Champs at Rotorua (this years World champs course) on the 4th of March after which I will return to Australia and go into the Games villiage soon after that.

Napier is a very nice art deco town. We are right in fruit season here so the whole place is laden with really good fruit and veg etc. That's all I need!

Many thanks for your thoughts and support. At the start of last year ABC, Blackadders solicitors (Forfar) and the SC, Dundee centre area played a crucial role in keeping me a float. Right now, Scottish cycling and C.W.Games Coucil for Scotland are doing a good job of supporting us all.

Cheers, James