Justin Leov's Diary Episode 4 - EWS Samoens

EWS Samoens

July 2015

The Weekends You Have to Fight

Preparations for Samoëns couldn't really have gone much better for me. I've had plenty of good riding in Finale both on and off road and temperatures have been in the mid to high 30's every day so it's been great for getting used to the heat.

Family life has also been great with Tory and Luca settled into our apartment and getting into the Italian way of life. We have had the opportunity to experience a Sagra in the village and plenty of local experiences of both food and culture.

So leaving for France I was in a good head space and excited to be back into the Alps on the longer more demanding courses. These are typically my favorite courses of the series and my preferred racing format for Enduro.

The weather was looking good once we arrived but forecasts suggested we could be in for a thunder storm or two over the weekend. From previous time spent in the Alps I've experienced this all too well and knew what to expect. It was going to be important to have both dry and wet weather eyewear ready to go at all times. I've been caught out without the right eyewear before and it can be a costly mistake so I had my Roll Offs, ID2 goggles with the dual lense to handle the cold or hot conditions and my Evil Eyes Evos all setup ready on standby for what ever was going to be thrown at us.

Being able to walk only one stage of the course this year was a new aspect to this style of racing for me. The stage we walked would be raced without a practice so again a new format which would be an interesting challenge.

I felt a bit rushed actually when race day one came around. I'd spent the day before running about the town getting organized and the day seemed to disappear quicker than expected. Actually finding stage 3 to walk took longer than planned and then hopping into bed knowing I needed to be at the pits at 7:15am was all a bit rush rush rush. I was running a million miles an hour in my head and sleep wasn't coming, one of those nights you wished to have an on/off switch.

Up early for the first day of racing and on the lift for a practice run on stage one. This would be a physical and demanding course, but I was excited as it would be a tough one on the body and serious time could be made. A totally dry course which had rocks, roots, fast and slow sections a real mix. Looking at the sky it was black and temperatures just started to drop...I knew what was coming!

Yet before I left the pits for race stage 1 the rain started and as we were half way up the gondola ride the lift was shut down as thunder and lightning began. Waiting in the lift when you see that kind of activity around is always a bit of a nervous time. They won't run the lift until the storm clears and you could be waiting a long time. We were lucky this time and within 10 minutes we were away again and the sky looked like the storm would be passing soon and fine weather would follow. A bit of a course delay would also hold up things so to get everyone through the day, one stage was cut from the race.

Dropping into stage one I started on the attack. The roots in the dry were slippery and having not practiced in the wet there were some bits you needed to hold on for. I felt really good and my run was going to plan when I came to a wooden bridge which prior to an uphill section. As soon as my wheels touched the bridge I knew I was going to crash and I hit the ground hard. My saddle was twisted and I had to knock that back straight before taking off again. Due to this bring before an uphill section I had no speed and was forced to run it. Now the heart rate was on red line and I needed to be fast and clean for the rest of the run. Coming out of the woods for an open section of grass there was a helicopter picking up the injured rider that had been our course hold. It was extremely windy and the course tape and grass was blowing everywhere. Slightly distracted for a second wondering what was happening I misjudged the next corner and could see I was either going to clip the marker pole or go through the tape. Aiming for the pole I hoped to shoulder it and carry on but it jammed between my forks and bars and I was thrown over the handle bars and onto the ground. Getting up I noticed my stem and bars were twisted so I kicked the front wheel to try straighten it out. Nothing with the first two kicks, and the third buckled my front wheel so I jumped on and tried to finish the run with it twisted. I was gutted, it was almost impossible to ride and I was a lot further from the finish than I thought. I didn't hear a rider catching me coming into the finish but Jerome had caught me and he was third off so that meant I had lost a minute!!!

Riding back to the pits I was totally gutted, my weekend had gone from hero to zero on the first stage! I needed to ride fast in every stage now and there was no chance to crash again, and the body was feeling the effects of the tumbles. I pressed the reset button and went up for a practice on stage 2. This was a shorter more DH style stage, I really liked the dropping turns and it was a lot of fun to ride. You needed big brakes and clear vision on this one! With the sun now out again the conditions were also improving and it would be less slippery for the race so things were looking up!

The heat had returned for stage 2 race. On the line it would have been around 30 degrees and I was keen to push on for a fast run. Things went to plan and crossing the line I had put in a solid stage to finish 4th. This was a much better effort this time but still some work to do.

Now onto stage 3 this was a 40min ride from the pits with no lift access to the start; this was the stage we walked yesterday. To be honest it was a stage I knew would be my weakest link for the weekend, it had some fun sections but I knew it wouldn't be a race winning stage for me. Being 1.9km in length I planned to ride it smooth and not let a mistake cost me with any crashes.

Dropping in things were going well but I was braking too much and fighting the bike in sections. Hitting my rear derailleur on a tight switchback corner didn't help either and now I had only had the biggest gear to deal with. Entering the main rocky area I braked quickly as there was someone on course walking up! With everyone yelling at her I actually thought she was trying to stop me as a rider has fallen. Not the case, she didn't know I was on course and soon jumped off. I finished out the run disappointed in my stage and losing another 11 seconds. What a day!!!

Going into day two I was sitting 17th overall and I had the series lead slipping from my grasp. My goal now was to attack and try get some positions back. If I could get closer to the top ten then maybe I could keep the series lead and that was my principle motivation for day two.

Stage 4 was a longer stage, a good mix again of everything and very freshly built. It would be a stage to push on but also one to respect as the tight switch back corners would be hard to ride on the limit without a moment or two. I set off smooth and made sure to be slow enough for the danger bits. One small misjudgment and I couldn't slow the bike down enough to make a corner....not crashing but I went through the tape. I pulled the bike back on course and didn't lose a lot of time. The rocks were coming out of the corners and the blown out lines were hard to push on without risking a lot. Another corner caught me out and this time my front wheel pushed and down I went. I was up super fast and able to finish the run without any more problems. I was able to still put in a top ten finish for the stage so with one more to go I needed to keep up the pace but be on two wheels!!

Stage 5 was a middle length stage and I liked the style a lot. Fast, some great rocky sections and a lot going on. I hit my lines all the way down and put in a good effort to be clean. Another top ten finish but not what I had hoped. I'd certainly fought some battles this weekend and came out second best a few times so to see I had at least pulled myself back to 12th overall was something positive to take away. Richie Rude put in an impressive ride to take his first overall victory so I was stoked for him, and I knew he would be getting closer to me in the series points. A quick math calculation would reveal I had managed to keep the series lead by 40 points so that was another positive for me to take away.

Heading to Colorado it's going to be some exciting weeks of racing coming up. France you have been a tough one to me!!

Words by Justin Leov.

Justin Leov Episode 2 2015 EWS Round 3

It’s Not Over 'til it’s Over!

With back to back EWS weekends I think everyone knew it would come down to who could recover the best from Ireland. It was in Peebles last year where I managed to score my first podium ever and with two days of racing so much can happen, so it's an exciting race. Coming from near perfect conditions in Ireland it was almost a given before I checked the weather forecast that we would see some typical Scottish weather over the week. It was pretty much what we expected but with extreme changes, we would see everything from blue skies to sideways rain with ice, axle-deep mud to fresh dusty loam! The week would see a lot of woollen clothing, rain jackets and waterproof gloves and our nutrition requirements would be huge this week.

So with the Tweedlove EWS there are basically two aspects, day one on the Innerleithen side and day two at Glentress, a few kms up the road. The first day at Innerleithen would see the more DH style trails; we would start with a physical stage but once through that it would be tight trees, tree roots and who could stay on. Day two on the Glentress side would have a mix of technical stages in the woods and flat out hammer to the wall endurance stages. This is where I learnt last year the race is won or lost and carrying speed while being in top physical condition would really make the difference. With these facts I had a simple game plan. Get through day one without any major dramas and then put all my energy into day two where the freshness would pay off.. Hopefully!

Practice this time around was over three days, it allowed a day on each side and one day of ‘choose which ever stage you want’. Learning these courses requires energy and there is always the fine line of how many times do you want to climb back to practice versus saving the energy with a single run. This time around we chose to ride both stage 1 and 2 twice and then a single on stage 3 and stage 4. For a first day of practice this was around 2000 meters of climbing. Getting the morning done with mild conditions we soon got to experience our first weather patterns coming in and rain showers to play in.

For the second day of training we would see rain on and off all day. This would break into blue sky moments at about a ratio of 20mins dry to 10mins wet. The climb back out from stage 5 would also show us sideways rain and being blasted by ice which felt like being on a windy sandy beach! Today we opted to start with a single on stage 6 , then ride stage 7 twice then stage 8 and finish with a couple of stage 5. This meant we could learn the fresher DH style courses and save energy on the longer more physical stages by only riding once.

After our morning roll down stage 6 it was evident this would be a key stage. It was nearly 13 mins long on the camera footage and had three decent climbs which would totally break up the field. I knew there would also be some controversy about this stage. It was so physical and basic in terms of technical aspects that some people would be struggling to be able to handle it. None the less I was happy, physical is what I train for as well as technical. We're not just racing Downhill, Enduro is meant to be in my opinion a mixture of both. With another 1800 meters climbed today in the rain I was starting to once again feel the body.

The morning of the last day of training I was feeling quite tired so I canned my original plan of a run on stage 1, 3 and 4 and opted for a single run on stage 1 and then put the feet up and rest the remaining day. It was the right call for me and by evening I was feeling human again and ready for the abuse I was going to get the following days.

Race Day 1: Innerleithen 4 stages with a forecast of blue skies! Happy days.

With around 7 hours from start to finish, this would be a stress free day in terms of liaison times. Each stage would allow us to cruise up and not have to drop the hammer at any point in the day to make a start time. Beginning on Stage 1 this would have us pedal straight out of the gate and then hit awkward speed zapping rocks before settling into the run on freshly cut wooded sections and steep chutes. It was a bit of shock to the system for first stage of the day and for some reason I felt a bit flustered. Crashing on right hander near the top of rocky section I instantly swore to myself and pushed on for the rest of the run annoyed. Not the start I had hoped for.

Stage 2 was wide open fast and some bar grabbing trees which were damn close at high speed. I liked this stage a lot and felt good in training going fast. This time around I threw down a fast run without crashing and slotted into 2nd for the stage behind Richie Rude. Back on track.

With a timing check and a feed station I didn't bother refilling my bladder as there would be water 30 mins up the next climb at another feed station (well I thought there would be at least) arriving there I was gutted to see all the water had gone and I would be on my own for the next hour before they hopefully refilled the water if I was lucky!

Stage 3 was flat out fast up top above the tree line then a moment of darkness as we entered the woods Clear and sharp vision is essential in our sport, in such conditions even more. High quality lens is a must. I had a clean run with no mistakes so another one checked off and happy for the final stage of the day. Climbing back up for stage 4 had us pass the previous empty feed station once more. Luckily for me this time there was water and I was a happy man. Neglecting fluid is something that you never want to do in these races.

Final stage of the day and this one would race us further down the hill than stage 3. It would be a similar terrain with tight woods and plenty of roots to deflect the wheels off line. Unfortunately for me it wasn't to be a clean run and although I felt my riding was well under control, I misjudged my speed into a right hander and down I went for the second time of the day. Finishing the stage I was annoyed again with myself for giving up some more time to leaders. Official time check would show I was 20 seconds down for the day behind Richie Rude and in 9th position.

Frustration didn't last long though and my focus changed to day two and how I would need not only a clean day but there would be no way I could leave anything on the stages. #fullgas!

I woke on Sunday to read some really disappointing news. The event would be cut from four stages today down to two due to some predicted weather and high winds that could potentially bring trees down in the forest. I could totally understand the safety aspects and knew the call needed to be made but still, I was gutted. I thought at this stage I could bring back enough time in two stages to maybe get back to a podium finish but that would be riding the socks off it so to speak. I thought my chances of being able to win would be a far push.

Setting off for the day we had much colder conditions than our previous day of blue skies. Cold winds and rain showers reminded me of the practice days before and with only stage 5 and stage 8 it was going to be super short day in the elements. Stage 5 would be a short fresh downhill stage that finished on slippery roots. The ruts were deep in practice so everyone was going to have a mission of stage for the race. It didn't take more than a few corners and I realised this was going to be a tough one to stay clean. The mud was incredible, every rut wanted to grab your wheels and if you slowed your speed down too much the mud was so thick it could throw you off as well. It was one of those stages you had to go fast and hold on and whatever you did, keep your feet on while in the ruts! I managed a fast clean run and 3rd for the stage. Richie had had a real problem In this stage losing his lead and with my clean run I had moved up the ladder to around 5th. I needed to empty everything I had for the final stage of the day if I was to achieve my goal of clawing myself back into a podium position.

There was a couple of key points to stage 8. It started further up the hill than previously planned due to the day being shortened. It now would have about 2 mins of stage 6 on the start of the stage and this is all bike park style corners where speed carrying is really important. We then would climb a short section before hitting the wide open part of the run and where it got fun! The middle of the run was again all about carrying your speed through flowy turns before the most aggressive short climb followed by a fire road downhill and then grind up the last short hill to have a fast and flowy descent to the finish. I needed to be aggressive for this one and I planned to hurt myself massively on the pedalling.

I would say this run was on the edge for me, I had some moments where I was at the seat of my pants but just held it together and then the hurt I put though my legs was incredible. This was one of those runs when I was in constant fight between wanting to stop pushing so hard because it hurt so bad and the desire to want to win so bad it pushed me to hold it at the absolute limit. I remember the feeling of not enough oxygen as I crossed the finish line but with nothing left on the stage I was totally happy with my day and super exited to see how I had done with the weekend’s standings.

A short 10min ride back to the finish arena and with the final time check I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on the timing board. I had bloody done it! I had brought back not only enough time to hit the podium but had just sneaked past Florian Nicolai and Greg Callaghan to take my first ever EWS victory! It was my biggest dream come true, speechless it didn't really sink in until the podium and hearing my name called out as the winner, I couldn't wipe the cheesy grin off my face. What a bloody weekend and what a bloody day!! Taking over the series lead from Jerome was another unexpected surprise and with a dominant ride from Tracy and another solid ride from Rene once again we were the top team for the weekend. You just can't ask for anything better than that!

I feel hugely proud to be series leader. It’s something to hold with respect and I've always looked up to the riders holding it. Heading into a short break it's now time to have a regroup and freshen the mind and body again. The next round in France will be another battle and will have its challenges but getting back to the higher mountains is something I'm really looking forward to and seeing some long stages again will be a lot of fun!

See you out there

Justin Leov's Diary Season 2 Episode 2 - EWS Emerald Enduro

It was almost like offseason again after the Rotorua EWS. Being back at home and training away, days were getting shorter and the change in temperature was turning towards winter. Seeing regular race coverage starting to pop up on the all the social media feeds got me excited to leave NZ and get back to the racing. With an eye on the climate in Ireland I was starting to prepare myself for what could be a muddy race, in similar conditions to the autumn.

New Zealand I was about to leave. This year is a bit of a special one for the Leov family; when we leave NZ we will be gone as a family until October. Usually with Tory and now Luca left at home we have made plans to setup base in Finale Ligure, Italy, and be able to enjoy our downtime in an Italian summer instead of a New Zealand winter. Packing for 6 months is always a challenge but once your on the plane, that's that.

Landing into Ireland just over a week early was my plan. I wanted to be able to chill out and get over the jet lag before practice kicked off.  Leaving NZ, Luca and Tory had been sick with colds and mine came as soon as I boarded my first flight. I thought I would try and blow it out with a good ride with the locals but all I did was make it worse.  Bed for a few days was the smartest call after that. With time up my sleeve I was able to recover and I was feeling back on track come the first practice day.

First impressions of the courses showed a mixture of fast, flowy and technical, importance to carry speed and blind roll overs you needed to learn.  Elevation was clearly a lot lower than our European locations but none the less the courses looked good. The event quickly got named the "social enduro" due to the liaison climbs being between 5-7 percent grades and easier transition times.

Practice was a bit like dusting out the cobwebs but my speed was there and it didn't take more than a couple of stages and my speed and comfort were back where they needed to be. I decided to ride every stage twice in training and although it would be big days I hoped the extra course knowledge would help more than the extra fatigue. This meant for a 2000m vertical day on Friday and 54km of off road goodness, and on Saturday 1600m and 45km. You can imagine my meals have been extra large after those days!

Race day was forecasted for perfect weather. The weather obviously influences the whole way you deal with the race, starting from choosing the right lenses for your goggles.

Stage 1 was a mixture of wide open, hold the handlebars tight and don't brake type of riding and carrying speed the best you can over tire grabbing rocks. It woke the body up and had potential to really bite if you got it wrong. I started the day with a clean fast run and finished 2nd behind Barel.

Stage 2 was the most physical and longest of the stages. Big rock slabs at the top and then fast pedalling straights. This was crazy with the crowd presence, and there was even a helicopter filming us from the start, so it felt very "rock star" for an enduro event. I put down great power through this stage but could only manage 4th this time around.

Stage 3 was again on the rock slab start but this time a head wind and the flattest stage of the weekend. Lots of cut of stumps were reaching for your pedals and sharp rocks to cut the tires. I was hurting in this stage but held it together to get my first stage victory of the weekend.

With Stage 4 coming up and then a quick lunch break I must of been in hurry to get back to eat because I backed up my stage 3 win with another win and started to have a small lead going into the remaining 3 stages. On entering the pits I found out I was leading but knew it wasn't going to an easy afternoon. Plenty of tough terrain to come. I've been in this situation before and you can't count on anything until you cross the finish line!

Stage 5 and I pushed a bit too hard off the start into the first woods. I nearly crashed on a root and needed to gather myself losing some valuable seconds steering off course. I told myself to calm down and the rest of the run was good. With that moment I dropped down a little to finish 8th for the stage.

Up to stage 6 and this was my favorite for the weekend. Fast and rocky and with the crowd it felt like my DH days again! My start was almost a mirror from Stage 5, this time nearly crashing on the upper rock section and losing my flow. This time a little bit better into 7th but not the perfect run.

We were now on the final stage of the weekend. Energy levels were good, bike was holding together and I was happy with my riding all day. I decided a smart clean run was what I should do for the final. I had no idea where I was sitting in the overall at this point but a crash or puncture would be devastating ( I've also been-there-done-that!). It was an enjoyable run, I hit my lines and rode smooth, so it was a great finish to a fun day racing bikes!

The finish line atmosphere was out of this world! Local boy Greg Callaghan had out ridden me in the last three stages to take the win but my consistency had landed me in 2nd overall and jumped me from 4th overall in the series points to 2nd, right behind Jerome. An awesome experience and an awesome crowd!!

Another big race for my team mates as well , Tracy taking out the woman's category and Rene back from injury to ride into 7th saw us the fastest team of the weekend. I now head to Scotland where it all begins again on Wednesday with the first day of practice! Got to rest these legs... See you later Ireland!

Offseason Time Warp to Kiwi Carnage in the Rotorua Forest

(Words by Justin Leov)

I often find the offseason comes and goes really fast! This year even more so with an earlier round landing in our home land for once!

The offseason was a time warp blur for me. I had a lot going on as usual. Tory, Luca and I jumped straight into moving towns from Christchurch to Blenheim. This is where mountain biking first started for me as I grew up in The Malborough Regine, so this really is coming home! I had a lot of work finishing our house with a few weeks off the bike, and these turned into long days on the tools.

With the house finished we moved in just before Christmas and my next challenge was to get stuck into recovering the knee and wrist injuries I was carrying through the latter part of the 2014 season. With the help of the All Blacks doctor and my coach we were able to figure out what was going on and put to work a plan to correct my weaknesses in the muscles which were contributing to these injuries. Back into the training and some work to be done!

My training has been strong this offseason but it was touch and go if I would be able to even race in Rotorua when 2 weeks out I crashed while out on a training ride and tore my calf muscle. This is a painful injury and it came at the worst possible time in terms of where I needed to be coming in. Skipping the NZ Enduro event to focus on physiotherapy and recovery was all about getting strong enough to be able to race the opening round of the EWS! These are the type of things that do happen in our sport and managing them is something I've had plenty of practice with during my career of racing.

Looking toward EWS #1 and building up a fresh rig for the season I decided to ride my old trusty 29er. This year I have stepped up to the 160mm fork up front (up from the 150mm that I ran last year). With a little time on the bike I felt ready and rearing to go!

Course maps were released which I really liked the look of but with the forecasted weather I knew this race would be a tough one and that it had the potential to take out a few people.  It's always gutting to see your fellow racers with injuries and when the current Enduro world champ and good friend of mine Jared Graves announced he would be sitting out the race due to an injury he sustained at home I was really disappointed for him, and also for the race to not have his presence. See you in Ireland buddy!

I woke up on race day feeling excited, being a home race I had my wife, son and coach all trackside and I was pumped for the event. We had our most technical and dangerous stages first up so I had a plan to ride it smooth and try to keep the wheels on the ground. 

I started my day messy but with no crashes and a 4th place stage. With short liaison stages there wasn't time to muck around so straight onto stage 2 and a more flat out and go stage. I nailed this stage and felt happy to have a good feeling on the bike. I ended up winning this stage but I wouldn't find this out until after the race (a bloody good surprise!) with another "pin it" stage coming up my consistency was there and I rode clean. 4th stage of the day and this would be a physical one. I was just pipped by Jerome and I knew he had been training like I had in the offseason! Now it was time for a sketchy stage, stage 5. A short stage but deadly roots and commit or die type sections. I had nailed this stage in training every time but I had respect for it; it could bite on any run. Unfortunately my luck ran out this stage and I hit the deck, knocking my head hard enough to put my full face to good use. I knocked my visor back up and re-adjusted my goggles, as perfect vision is key in a fast sport. With a final whack to my brake levers I could then finish the stage. With two stages remaining I knew I needed clean runs now to make back some time. Stage 6 was a DH stage and I knew that would be a good one to ride clean. I managed to piece together a solid run. Now to get back to the pits before the final stage which was going to be in front of the Crankworx crowd and live on TV. This stage had a good mix, super tech up top and easy to crash, then wide open on the DH track with space to let it go, then a pedal in the middle which would spin your gear out and some good sized gaps. Leaving the pits I forgot to tighten my pedals and as soon as I got on the hill I remembered but being the last stage I didn't take any tools with me. With the TV broadcast we would be held some extra time before dropping in and the light was starting to fade especially in the dark wooded section right off the start this was only going to add to the already tech woods!

Dropping in I struggled in the first corner or two. I had my game face on but it required a settled approach so I backed it off just a little bit. Hitting my lines I got out of the first woods clean and set out to attack the DH part of the course. Boosting the upper jumps felt like my DH days and I had the 29er humming. With clean riding I was making up time but my cleats were loose enough to be giving me a few wild moments. Coming into the finish line I was trying to hit a gap I knew only a few people were clearing but I had to pull the pin when I lost my foot out of the pedal and nearly threw myself away. Finishing in 3rd for the final stage I was surprised to see I had finished 4th overall but only 1 second from Wyn Masters who had bagged himself his first ever EWS podium.

I was stoked to see how close the racing was, it was a battle not just with the times but with the conditions and the terrain. Surviving was a good feeling!

With round one in the books I’ll now be working hard for the next round in Ireland. There’s plenty to do with planning and training but I'm totally happy to have begun the season once again. See you out there!

Photos by Ale Di Lullo

Justin Leov's Diary 2014 EWS Whistler

August 11, 2014.

I've had hard weekends before, weekends when you just will yourself on to get through, but this was the toughest week by far in my Enduro career. Rewinding back to Colorado, after the race we spent two days testing with Fox and Trek and had some great results from suspension tuning. I was then on-route to Quebec to be at the Downhill World Cup to help Trek World racing in my coaching role. It was as always, a busy week and in hind site I didn't get the rest I really needed after having such a demanding race in Colorado.

Landing in Vancouver Sunday night I caught an early shuttle up to Whistler Monday morning and checked into our condo. I was still getting some knee trouble so I booked in for some sessions with the Physiotherapist at Back in Action and arranged a sports massage as well. Through the week things were going great, finally my knee was starting to get back to normal with the help of acupuncture and taping. I was getting great power in my training sessions and my bike was fast as a result of the tuning.

Thursday morning I got up to do a few short sprints to get my legs into race mode and on my warm down ride back to the condo I suddenly started to feel low on energy and sick for the first time. By time I got back to the condo and had a shower I was trashed and rolled myself into bed for the rest of the day with a fever. I figured it was possibly a result of the Physiotherapy and massage sessions releasing toxins into my system. With some heavy days about to approach rest was my only option.

Friday morning I woke with a really sore throat, my fever had reduced so I made the decision to try and practice a little bit on Stage 1 and 2.  I have learnt that when I am sick it is so important to rest as much as possible, but with limited practice I needed to be on the hill. I rode both stages 1 and 2 twice then a slow run down stage 5, keeping my heart rate on or below 120BPM in an attempt to look after my body as much as possible. Even with taking it easy I still found it a challenge and after 5 hours of riding my body was telling me it was more than it wanted to do.

When I got back to the condo that afternoon I noticed my throat was getting worse, I was getting tingling in my fingers and toes and a rash was starting to come out on my face. I had an early night and woke the next morning to all the cuts on my body looking inflamed and sore. Despite this I got my kit on and headed over to stage 3 to practice it twice for the morning. With the climb taking just over 40mins I did the same as the previous day with keeping my heart rate around 120BPM or lower, not an easy task on a steep climb!

I had one more stage to practice and I could access this one from the top of stage 5 for one run and then ride back up from the bottom for the second run. After completing my second run I headed home and felt pretty hammered. The tingling now was a lot worse in my hands and feet and getting my gloves off was a now a bit of a challenge.

I rested up for the afternoon, but come the evening I went to the bathroom to check my throat and when I opened my mouth was horrified to see blisters all over it. By this time it was 10pm and I knew I needed to see the Hospital. Ray my team manager took me down the Whistler Medical but being after hours and with limited staff around we weren't able to get any treatment, a blood test with results not to come in until after the race would mean I was on my own. I was told by the doctor that it would be unwise to race, this wasn't the first time and probably not the last time that I have heard this in my career. I got out of the hospital around 1am I headed home and went straight to bed.

Race day- I woke up and was actually pretty nervous. Not because of the courses or how I would be for the races, but the thought of what if something did happen to me as a result of the big effort I was about to put my body through. I shut that off in my head and got organized for the day. My plan was to listen to my body on the stages and not take risks where I could risk crashes. I didn't need any other hindrances this weekend. Just survive!

Stage 1: We had about a 1 hour a climb to reach the start, I managed to ride feeling okay and had a descent warm up on the steep terrain. Stage 1 and 2 would be similar terrain, loose, fresh and hard to carry speed. Dropping in for stage 1 I was surprised how blown out the course was. Being freshly cut and with the high volume of riders it had seen every corner had huge holes. It was easy to get caught up and the feeling of going over the bars at any moment was there. I took it very easy and finished out the stage with the taste of blood in the back of my mouth.

We had a 40 min climb back up for stage 2 so keeping the water and nutrition on the climbs was really important. Around 30 degree heat always meant staying cool was difficult so searching for the shadows and staying out of the sun was also something I was mindful of.

Stage 2: It felt very much similar to stage 1, awkward and blown out with some tight and technical rocky lines. I felt a little better in the run but was still on safe and steady mode.

The transition to stage three was a longer one, we had to cross the valley and climb up a reasonably steep four-wheel drive track. Luckily most of this climb was in the woods so it was cooler, at this point in the day the heat was over 30.
 
Stage 3: This was a better suited track for me, it was a little more open and not as freshly cut. Dropping in once again I was really surprised how blown out and wreaked the trails were. I had a much better run and had an opportunity to put in a good time. I had also just found some confidence in the fact that my body was holding up. I kept thinking just get through the next stage then we would have a gondola and chairlift for the final stage.

The transition to stage 4 was across the other side of the valley so it meant a good hour of climbing in the roasting sun. I drank over 2 liters of water on the climb and was nearly out by time I got to the top. I have to admit I was starting to hang, the heat was getting to me a little bit and my hands and feet really starting to hurt where I had the rash

Stage 4: This was the most technical of the weekend in my option. Really dangerous terrain if you got it wrong and a lot of bike wreaking sections. My plan was to ride smooth and look after my bike. With the last stage being so long (over 20 mins) it was important to have a good bike for it. Dropping in, my run felt good, I slowed myself down in a lot of the sections I would normally have attacked and I keep it a clean safe run. My throat was on fire when I crossed the line and I was glad there was icy water at the finish line to cool me back down.

We had a 30 min transition to get back to the pits and then a little bit of time before we had to be up for the final stage (top of the world). Having the condo's so close to the pits allowed me to come back and make some quick food, shower up and get my bike checked over. Pulling off my socks was now difficult and the blisters had come up all over my feet and between my toes. All I could think was just one more stage!

On the Gondola and up the hill for a final time it was a better feeling being able to watch as we climbed up the mountain from the gondola instead of sweating our way up. For the last stage I had one plan, flat out from the start to the finish and give everything I had. This stage would suit my Remedy 29er, it wasn't as tight as the other stages and being longer I knew if I could hold on I would improve some positions.

Stage 5: From the start of the stage I seemed to straight away find a good speed, my hands hurt before the start but when I was in my run I didn't feel them anymore. I worked on being as smooth as possible and let the bike carry speed out of the corners. Everything seems to play out to plan. Coming into the finish line I felt like I had put in a solid effort and was super surprised I had made up enough time to sit me in 6th overall for the weekend.

I couldn't believe I had been able to pull off a day like that, let alone finish inside the top 10.  My next stop after the race was straight back to hospital. They had my results and were able to diagnose me with Hand, Foot and Mouth and prescribed the next week to be in bed recovering. After that massive effort I was happy to oblige!

I learnt how tough the mind and body can be this weekend, you can push yourself a lot further than you think. I also learnt how important it is to hang in there. Points are points and you need to fight for every single last one of them to stay in the chase! I've had a few rounds now where things just haven’t worked out, but that’s racing and I know its just a matter of time before one will go my way.

Next and final round will take place in Italy next October. In the meantime I'll be visiting home - New Zealand - and I'll be back in Europe for the Bluegrass Enduro Tour of Castelbuono in Sicily end of September. See you there may be!

- Justin -