Words | Caleb Bottcher
On the 27th of February Christchurch played host to the cross country mountain bike nationals. The course consisted of multiple short, steep climbs and plenty of exciting man-made features on the downhills. The course layout was very compact, making ideal viewing for the large spectator turn out.
Photo | Cleland Wallace
With the help of my coach Matt Miller (MTB PhD) and further support from Event Ready Bodies, we had set an ideal training build for this race. Following a short break mid November, we trained with a tempo and threshold focus to build a big engine, before shifting to some more cross country specific workouts to sharpen up for the races. This was complemented well by some power work in the gym and targeted recovery exercises.
Having had successful races at Arapuke Classic and North Island Champs, everything was progressing nicely for Nationals. I arrived to Christchurch on the Wednesday and was really enjoying course practice on my Blur. Unfortunately, during Thursday's session, I didn't quite pump down hard enough as I rode over a rock-roll. This kicked me sideways over the bars and into the take-off of the next jump, cracking my helmet and injuring my wrist.
Photo | Cleland Wallace
Following this, I was fortunate to get the all-clear from a wrist x-ray, have a new POC helmet sent overnight and see a hand therapist who set me up with a wrist brace to race with. Everything was tracking for me to be able to start, until the hospital called me to say that I had in fact fractured my radius and that I needed a cast. I tried riding with the wrist brace regardless, but quickly found how painful it was and that I would be unable to race.
A rather anticlimactic way to end the season, and certainly disappointing given both the training completed and generous support from others in preparation. I look forward to making a quick recovery and getting back out on the road bike in a few weeks. Until then, I'll be Zwifting!
Photo | Cleland Wallace
My next goals will be to make a quick recovery for my wrist and be back in action for April races. I’m also aiming to plan, train for and undertake a European race trip, covid permitting. It is daunting given the current circumstances, but a challenge and an adventure that I look forward to. Otherwise, we are fortunate in New Zealand to be more isolated from it all and still have quality domestic races to target. Alongside all this, I'll be continuing with my accountancy studies.
That's all from me. Catch you on the trails!
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