tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27300539102922497772011-07-31T07:50:42.176+12:00Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-85127114005542471052009-06-29T11:46:00.004+12:002009-06-29T11:50:17.516+12:00

I've changed everything over from Blogger to WordPress so now the www.celiaridesbikes.com URL will point to WordPress. http://psychavoc.blogspot.com will point to here, but I won't be updating this blog anymore.[CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE NEW BLOG]

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-42884399309537168632009-06-22T11:14:00.007+12:002009-06-23T10:46:01.776+12:00

That was our team-name for the Southland MTB Club's BNZ 8 hour Mad Winter Enduro race held on Saturday in Invercargill. (From the Simpsons for those who are a tad confused). After the race a couple of weekends ago, I was happy to enter as a team and not solo – there was hardly anywhere you could recover on course, which would have made a solo effort extremely difficult, gears or no gears!Scotty

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-43750178472554635152009-06-09T17:17:00.003+12:002009-06-09T20:02:38.896+12:00

I headed out to meet the usual crew for the weekly womens ride. This week, we went to ride Pineapple track (a walking track at all times except when booked officially through the Dunedin City Council). Some lessons learnt about winter night-riding:1. Check the weather forecast, track conditions, and pack a windproof jacket. Especially when heading up to where there's frost/ice on the tracks at

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-5986573251742531682009-06-08T12:25:00.001+12:002009-06-08T12:29:24.192+12:00

As part of my cunning ploy to keep riding over winter, we decided to head two and a half hours down south to check out the riding in Invercargill and enter Round 2 of the Southland MTB Club’s Winter XC Series out at Sandy Point. I’m not quite what I was expecting but the weekend didn’t really live up to my expectations. We arrived in Invercargill, hungry, at almost 2pm on Saturday afternoon and

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-35516947960437371552009-05-28T17:17:00.003+12:002009-05-28T17:23:09.652+12:00

A photo I hastily took before heading out on my first ride yesterday:The frame is a bit bigger than the pink one I had, which is good because the pink one was a tad on the small side. I now feel like I'm riding a Celia-sized bike and not a slightly oversized clown bike! The eccentric bottom bracket is AWESOME because it means I don't have to run a chain tensioner. No more dropped chains! Sweet!

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-47470313645798733582009-05-21T18:48:00.005+12:002009-05-21T18:52:31.551+12:00

And I am happy!!

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-9841884785212494672009-05-18T21:14:00.004+12:002009-05-19T08:08:26.910+12:00

Throughout the past week, I was umming and ahhing about doing the Milton Jailbreak (35km or 50km options), or Round 2 of the Dunedin winter multisport series (2.5km run, 15km mtb, 5km run). Up until Saturday afternoon, I still hadn't decided on what event I was going to do. By Saturday evening (as we ate far too much food at a potluck dinner), I had finally made up my mind - the 35km "Rec" option

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-25493468928134847952009-05-10T13:38:00.006+12:002009-05-10T13:54:13.293+12:00

The weather gods were being a bit indecisive yesterday with alternating patches of sun and rain, in amongst a general cold overcast day. By early afternoon, I was sick of sitting around inside and waiting for the weather to play ball, so I said to Scotty "let's go exploring!" and we rugged up warm and headed out for a ride.We had popped into R&R Sport the night before to buy some warm winter

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-89483795104240266262009-05-08T11:01:00.012+12:002009-05-08T16:34:39.248+12:00

As we get into the colder, darker days and nights in the depths of winter, I begin to ponder how much riding I will actually do. So, nothing like a few events to keep the motivation up!Here's a few that I'm eyeing up over the next few months: http://www.miltonjailbreak.co.nz/I hear it's long, and it's muddy. The former probably suiting me more than the latter, but I suppose there's only one way

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-87439146176546526052009-05-05T21:42:00.006+12:002009-05-06T18:53:51.526+12:00

They say good things come in threes. Actually, I'm not too sure who said it and whether it is often true, but in this case I can think of three good new things:1. New blog layout. I like change every now and again. This is the third layout I've used since www.celiaridesbikes.com started on 18th September 2008. (The reason I remember the date is because it's the day before my birthday).2. New

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-18174939867335470532009-05-04T20:17:00.012+12:002009-05-05T10:42:59.532+12:00

Yesterday, Sara Macdonald organised an awesome day-adventure for the Dunedin weekly womens MTB riding group. Normally, we meet every Monday evening and head out for a ride (usually led by Sara), but a couple of times a year, Sara organises a longer day-trip that takes place in the weekend. The last one I went to was to Pulpit Rock and back before I left Dunedin, so I was looking forward to some

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-79196981835575712292009-04-27T13:24:00.002+12:002009-04-27T13:27:47.772+12:00

http://www.mountainbikingotago.co.nz/2009%20Results/2009-naseby-12hr-results.txtLooks like I was one of three solo singlespeeders that finished on 12 laps, and I would've come 3rd in Solo Women if I was put in that category - sweet! :)

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-11968368424230801102009-04-26T15:45:00.013+12:002009-04-27T22:35:46.271+12:00

Ahh the Naseby 12 hour race. I've been looking forward to riding this again since I rode a couple of laps back in 2005 at the first Naseby 12 hour event. As I ummed and ahhed about whether I should join a team or go solo, the word got out that all the team entries were full. Bugger! However, I emailed the organisers and was lucky to get a spot in the 12 hour solo singlespeed category. This was a

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-15210537870744124862009-04-18T08:36:00.008+12:002009-04-18T08:53:10.968+12:00

Scotty decided that my singlespeed needed some loving (and some parts borrowed from my other bikes..) so here's some pretty pictures:Before:The lowdown: An old Giant ATX890 frame which had been powdercoated a few years back (but with a pretty crappy powdercoat job), and a mixture of old parts we had lying around..After:The lowdown: A repainted frame with hand-drawn bunny stickers, the Fox

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-83029781652208402692009-04-10T21:29:00.003+12:002009-04-10T21:38:25.236+12:00

Just a quick update. My "training" since deciding a couple of weeks ago to ride 12 hours solo on a singlespeed in the Naseby 12 Hour MTB Challenge has involved a couple of singlespeed rides, and one run. Eeep! We're heading out to Naseby tomorrow for a day trip to check out the course. Let's hope the 32-20 I'm running will get me around Naseby in one piece. My main concern is my lower back, which

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-65466802233726869422009-03-25T16:39:00.003+13:002009-03-25T16:41:35.529+13:00

I've just signed up to do the Naseby 12 Hour MTB Challenge ... Solo ... On a singlespeed.Eeep.

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-42497854405126287572009-03-11T10:07:00.009+13:002009-03-12T16:08:11.945+13:00

It's been a while since my last blog post so I thought I'd better make one!The past few weeks I've spent exploring Dunedin by bike. It's been great riding old tracks that I hadn't seen in a couple of years and looking to see how things have changed over the past couple of years. Whare Flat for example - the trees were barely knee-height when we left. Now they're taller than me! The XC trails at

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-44116284739314675832009-02-15T21:50:00.006+13:002009-02-15T22:28:28.756+13:00

The final race of my 08/09 season took me back to where it all began. My very first "Nationals" XC race was two years ago at Coronet Peak, where I'd tagged along with R&R Sport riders Sara Macdonald and Erin Greene on their road trip to Queenstown for the first round of the 2007 Natioal MTB Series. I headed out on practise day to scope out the course and decided I'd give the Sport race a go the

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-61197408834403559952009-02-09T12:00:00.009+13:002009-02-16T15:48:21.236+13:00

Take the hottest day of the NZ summer and most people would choose to spend it hiding from the heat indoors in a nice air-conditioned building, or on the beach working on their tan and splashing around in the waves..For those of us who were doing the second round of the South Island XC Cup race in Timaru on Sunday, there was no choice. It was out and about in the heat and humidity, for two (or

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-77540601170007540562009-02-02T22:07:00.010+13:002009-02-16T15:51:37.190+13:00

The first round of the South Island XC Cup series was held in Dunedin yesterday, and acted as a kind of homecoming of sorts. It was held in conjunction with the Otago Peninsula Challenge, a 43km point to point race on the Otago Peninsula in it's third year running. In it's first year, the race was run in the opposite direction (from north to south), and Scotty and I tail-end charlied for the

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-29275667413463054832009-01-19T11:25:00.011+13:002009-01-19T12:31:09.010+13:00

Well, I guess it was just one of those days..I woke up at 4am on Sunday morning to hear the sound of rain beating down on the tin shed roof outside. Great, just great. The track had been dry the past couple of weeks so I had only had the chance to practice it in the dry. I knew a few sections which I could ride in the wet, but the rest I was going to have to see about when I got there.The usual

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-1050483679825224472009-01-05T15:45:00.013+13:002009-01-06T16:58:00.779+13:00

The New Year began with a road trip to Rotorua to compete in the first round of the 2009 North Island XC Cup Series. I had decided a couple of weeks ago to tag along to this race in order to redeem myself somewhat after last year's effort at the North Island XC Cup round in Rotorua, and with the impending move back down south to Dunedin for Scotty and I, it was going to be my last time in Rotorua

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-10296322491288814002008-12-29T14:54:00.007+13:002008-12-29T15:12:37.853+13:00

Wow, time flies when you're on holiday!Have just spent the past week down in Dunedin (and surrounds). Flew in Sunday 21st, back Sunday 28th.On Monday morning, I had a job interview at the University of Otago for a Teaching Fellow job in the Psychology Department (where I did my PhD). Monday afternoon I got a phone call offering me the job. Sweet! Looks like we'll be back down in Dunedin next year

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-28505314728484951602008-12-21T11:20:00.005+13:002008-12-21T11:47:52.172+13:00

So, nothing too exciting the last couple of weeks (hence the lack of blog updates.. sorry!). No races for another couple of weeks yet so I've just been out on the bikes training away. Last week, I had four road sessions, and two MTB sessions. I spent last Saturday marshalling the Rice Mountain Classic, a road race run by PNP out in the Wairarapa. After setting up my intersection with an hour and

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-65795105031254765312008-12-07T21:22:00.006+13:002008-12-07T22:27:25.722+13:00

Another local race done and dusted! :)Like last year's Rally, Welly put on an awesome day today. But with a predicted high of 22 degrees, I was looking forward to it being slightly cooler than the 27 degrees it was last year! I spent the morning hanging around the event tents/start-finish line watching the Relay riders battle it out in the Creek to Peak Relay....then headed back home for some

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-38351006036193973872008-12-02T18:20:00.007+13:002008-12-02T18:44:18.716+13:00

Yup, just like the song by the Eagles (and I'll admit to the fact that I had to do a google search to figure out exactly who sung it.. and it turns out the song is called "Take It Easy" but you get the gist!), I've been taking it easy the past week or so.Last Sunday's crash left me with a few bruises here and there, a rather large one on my right leg just below the knee:.. but the main thing

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-91374208657950517572008-11-23T12:52:00.008+13:002008-11-23T13:48:31.896+13:00

Mountainbiking can be such a strange sport. People enjoy it for many different reasons. For some, it's about getting away and escaping from everyday life - when you're out of the office and away from the family - up high on a mountain somewhere surrounded by nature, your time is your own to reflect, ponder, take in the scenery and the sounds of your wheels rolling, your chain rattling, the sound

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-66817640578387226102008-11-19T21:37:00.009+13:002008-11-19T21:50:14.984+13:00

I take my cellphone along on training rides. Mainly for the safety aspect of being contactable and also being able to call for help when I need to. The cool thing about my phone is that it's got a built-in 2 megapixel camera, and sometimes I can't help but stop to admire the scenery and snap a couple of shots from my training rides. Here's a few I've taken in the past week or so.Today: MTB up

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-23157555458682834732008-11-16T14:14:00.007+13:002008-11-17T13:30:27.670+13:00

What an awesome race!Today was the final round of the PNP MTB Series and my first season of racing it in Senior Women (there's no pro-elite women's category in the series so the pro-elite racers generally enter Senior Women). There's been a fairly decent-sized women's field in the series, which has been great to see. It's also given me a chance to race against some very, very fast local riders! I

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-26642309440870349332008-11-10T12:48:00.011+13:002008-11-19T22:04:17.071+13:00

Wow. Monday already huh? The weekend sure flies when you spend half of it riding bikes!Saturday was the second Wild Wellington MTB Relay. Last year, I was in a social 4 person mixed team, the Cocktail Queens, and we had an awesome time - raced hard when we felt like it, and chilled out and relaxed drinking "mocktails" throughout the day. We had the tent all decked out with fairy lights, a disco

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-2808861437949303302008-11-02T20:12:00.007+13:002008-11-02T21:19:52.956+13:00

I'll admit it. I was not looking forward to this race. I had a rather shocking pre-ride of the course on Thursday evening - I was riding with two riders considerably faster than me which didn't help my self-esteem when I kept falling back so far behind, I had too much pressure in my tyres, my disc brake had an annoying squeak from the get-go, plus we managed to get lost in a few places and got

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-65479565063156046942008-10-27T16:58:00.011+13:002008-10-27T17:40:10.169+13:00

So this weekend didn't quite go to plan. Aside from the weather (which was pretty average on Saturday and Sunday), my poor hubby managed to catch some type of stomach bug on Thursday which left him feeling rather crook the next day. So crook in fact that I headed home early at lunchtime on Friday to make sure he was OK and we didn't have to take him to the doctor or A&E! (Read Scotty's account

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-12801251807427806462008-10-23T14:11:00.007+13:002008-10-23T14:30:13.935+13:00

In celebration of our one year wedding anniversary, we're off to Rotorua (aka Roto-vegas or just Vegas!) for a weekend of sitting around in hotpools and heaps of riding in the Whakarewarewa Forest. Oh, and we're also picking up a Santa Cruz Nomad frame and Fox forks that I bought earlier this week aswell..Yes, I do seem to have a thing for Santa Cruz Bicycles! Actually.. I don't think I've

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-66936370387336955922008-10-20T21:42:00.003+13:002008-10-20T22:09:06.473+13:00

Week 1 of the training programme has been and gone. There's something quite familiar yet different about the routine though! I guess I kind of know what to expect this time around. And some days it's easier than others to head out for that scheduled ride. Luckily, the weather played ball for most of last week as well :)Last week was a "moderate" week, with 11 hours of riding all up - around 10

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-69673987317588984672008-10-14T13:39:00.004+13:002008-10-14T13:53:49.971+13:00

Just a short post. I'm back on a structured training programme now. Am working with Lisa Morgan, a good friend and a pro-elite XC mountainbiker who also coached me last season for Karapoti. Am looking forward to how I go this season with one season of training behind me (apparently it takes more than one season to get fastererer!). First day of the programme yesterday and it was a nice, easy

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-55982581694648116082008-10-12T21:01:00.012+13:002008-10-13T07:45:40.968+13:00

Wow. What an awesome weekend! Great weather both days (cliched I know, but you really can't beat Wellington on a good day), good riding (with good company), and just a generally fantastic couple of days. Went out to dinner with my hubby on Friday night to Great India (awesome service, and their $5 house white wine was lovely!), went on a nice sifty MTB ride of the PNP course with Jude and

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-21325847117487391352008-10-10T21:15:00.002+13:002008-10-10T21:18:03.085+13:00

I have no patience! Since writing my wish list a couple of weeks ago, I have bought the NZo top/shorts combo, a second-hand pair of Fox 36s, and have ordered a pair of the Pearl Izumi shoes.Sorry Santa. There's still a few more items on the list that I haven't bought! But I'm sure I can come up with a new list if necessary :)Love from Celia

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-726521259511671762008-10-07T20:56:00.016+13:002008-10-07T21:45:57.675+13:00

Mountainbiking serves different purposes for everybody. However, what got me really hooked to the sport was the social aspect of it all. And while I spend a large part of my time training these days by myself, I still enjoy social MTB rides and trying to help out the local mountainbiking community. Back when I was living in Dunedin, I was a regular of the R&R Sport Weekly Womens MTB riding group.

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-79748495124402510792008-10-05T16:44:00.006+13:002008-10-05T17:08:41.725+13:00

The third round of the PNP MTB Series is exactly one week away, so for me, the past couple of weeks have all been about practise (with more practise!). Since the last PNP race 2 weekends ago, I've been up on Mt Victoria riding the course every second day or so. In the first week, I was up there four out of 7 days. This past week I've only been up there three times.. and there's still another week

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-61850216323952316072008-10-02T20:37:00.012+13:002008-10-02T20:58:39.883+13:00

OK.. it's a bit early to be thinking of Christmas presents, but I do have a little wish list of things I've been eyeing up the past few days..A Polar FT60 heart-rate monitor in purpleA new pair of Pearl Izumi MTB shoesFox 36 Talas for my HecklerSome American Classic race wheels for my SuperlightNZo Active Scuffer shorts/Janna top comboPlease, pretty please Santa! I've been good this year (and

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-58801528090037371802008-09-27T19:39:00.012+12:002008-09-27T22:08:13.379+12:00

I was rummaging through some old photos in the weekend and found a photo from one of the first mountainbiking races I did back in 2005. I'd just started going on the occasional MTB ride then, and was roped into riding for one of the R&R Sport social teams for the 2005 Naseby 12 Hour MTB race. I ended up doing maybe two or three laps, and it wasn't a particularly fun experience. I was passed so

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-52757175824769260122008-09-24T15:21:00.009+12:002008-09-24T15:49:56.166+12:00

So Scotty calls up on Monday afternoon and says "Hey! I've got a whole lot of GT demo bikes here! Wanna go for a night ride?" and of course I said yes. I waited patiently for Scotty to get home to see what I was going to be riding.. and it was a 2008 GT Marathon..First thing I did was drop the seat height almost a foot, then let out half the air pressure in the forks and the rear shock, put my

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-2111384133999576572008-09-21T17:48:00.018+12:002008-09-24T15:20:55.603+12:00

OK. A bit of background: I entered the Recreation grade last year at the 2007 PNP MTB Series and was fortunate enough to win all four rounds that I'd entered. This season, I'm stepping up and racing in the Senior Women grade (which essentially is an "Open Women" grade as there is no Pro-Elite Women grade at the PNP series). So it's always going to be tough and a learning experience that's for

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-52901256575292724712008-09-21T14:43:00.005+12:002008-09-21T14:51:08.569+12:00

OK.. I'll admit I'm a bit of a geek. I bought my own domain name.. (well for $10US, it was a bargain!). And besides, http://www.celiaridesbikes.com/ is slightly easier to remember (and spell) than http://psychavoc.blogspot.com/. Both addresses should work though. Raced Round 2 of the PNP MTB Series out in Wainuiomata this morning. Will post a race report a bit later.

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-50059166759240584082008-09-18T10:57:00.017+12:002008-09-18T12:58:57.894+12:00

Race report written for my first 6 hour solo MTB race, the 2008 Jamis Day Night Thriller. Report written September 2008.Wow. What a race.24 hours since I finished and I'm still feeling pretty jaded from the whole thing. I originally contemplated doing this in May as I wanted to see how I'd go on a longer XC race than I was used to (most races between 1-2 hours, with Karapoti being the longest

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-18915279528102281142008-09-18T10:55:00.001+12:002008-09-18T13:50:13.767+12:00

Race report from the 2008 Karapoti Classic (50km). Report written March 2008.My first time racing the 50km Karapoti Classic went pretty well - got off to a good start through the gorge and even climbed most of the warmup climb. Had to dismount the bike on the techy warm-up climb downhill section because there was a rider down with first aid being administered. Deadwood was pretty unmemorable, but

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-45755854023712916752008-09-18T10:54:00.009+12:002008-11-20T08:59:54.083+13:00

Race report from the three rounds of the 2008 North Island XC Cup series, held January/February, 2008. Report written February 2008.Wow. Three weeks of racing really flies huh? And it's not over yet - still got the National Champs in Wellington plus my major race for the season, Karapoti, to go! But here's a re-cap so far:Race 1 - Opotiki: The course: 21km lap around forestry roads, sheltered

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-71905781590433950532008-09-18T10:53:00.016+12:002008-09-20T18:30:58.080+12:00

Race report written for the 2007 Jamis Day Night Thriller. Report written September 2007.Wow - what an awesome and well-run event! Kudos to Event Promotions!For me, it was my first 12 hour race which I'd taken "seriously" (meaning I wasn't a last minute ring-in who did a couple of "fun" laps like the previous 6/12 hours I'd "done"). We arrived on Saturday morning and immediately I spotted my team

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-47653462661361686342008-09-18T10:53:00.015+12:002008-09-20T18:27:18.187+12:00

Race report from the 2007 Makara Peak Rally - I entered the "Super Sport" category (every track in Makara Peak MTB Park, Wellington, except for Vertigo and Trickle Falls). Report written December 2007.Overall, the Makara Peak Rally was the hardest and the longest race I've ever done. I've always competed in shorter lap/Recreational events beforehand, which are generally over in 1-1.5 hours.

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-47728812728712527462008-09-18T10:52:00.002+12:002008-09-20T18:47:23.278+12:00

Race report from the 2007 Karapoti Challenge (20km). Written March 2007.The 3rd of March marked the 22nd Annual Karapoti Classic, held just north of my home town of Upper Hutt, north of Wellington. This race is the longest running MTB race in the Southern Hemisphere, and with a limit of 1000 riders riding the Classic (50km) course, and 300 riders riding the Challenge (300) course, it is not only

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-88954084230593510442008-09-18T10:51:00.007+12:002008-09-24T15:10:04.229+12:00

I wrote this near the end of 2007 this as part of a nomination for Dunedin based XC rider Sara Macdonald for Cycling Champion of the Year. She runs weekly women's riding groups from R&R Sport in Dunedin. Check out http://www.rrsport.co.nz/ or http://www.mountainbikingotago.co.nz/ for more details. I think it captures the starting point and progress of my riding since 2005 :)Nomination for Sara

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-6077766004654503822008-09-18T10:50:00.003+12:002008-09-20T18:26:46.326+12:00

An introductory post I wrote in 2005 on New Zealand's best cycling website, www.vorb.org.nz. Hi, My name is Celia. I was born in China but moved to New Zealand when I was three. Lived in Johnsonville for a couple of years before we moved to Upper Hutt. Did my first year at Victoria Uni, planning on majoring in Chemistry and Maths, but decided I liked Psychology better. Moved down to Dunedin after

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-83580328585353201822008-09-01T21:56:00.001+12:002008-10-02T21:58:58.634+13:00

A slide-show of some of my biking photos. More photos to be added at some stage..The photos can also be found here.

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-91626544735687600172008-09-01T21:31:00.006+12:002009-04-28T22:22:53.455+12:00

In my current stable of two-wheeled objects, we have:My Santa Cruz Superlight (XC race bike)My Santa Cruz Nomad (trail/play bike)My singlespeed bike (old Giant ATX890 frame, custom painted with hand-drawn stickers and parts currently borrowed from my other bikes)And my Cannondale Synapse 3 Feminine road bike

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-2807102263739066962008-09-01T16:02:00.012+12:002009-06-22T13:31:20.743+12:00

Here are some links to the race reports on my blog (from oldest to most recent):2007:Karapoti 20km ChallengeJamis Day Night ThrillerMakara Peak Rally2008:North Island XC Cup SeriesKarapoti 50km ClassicJamis Day Night ThrillerPort Nicholson Poneke MTB Series - Rounds 1 & 2Port Nicholson Poneke MTB Series - Round 3Port Nicholson Poneke MTB Series - Round 4Wild Wellington 12 Hour MTB RelayPort

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-52245036092460596632008-09-01T14:25:00.030+12:002009-05-05T22:00:44.573+12:00

Some random media appearances:3 News video on the 2008 MTBNZ Hill Climb Championships - I appear very briefly around 28-30 seconds in! Mmmm. Charming!Sportzhub's article on the 2008 Jamis Day Night Thriller - I get a mention in there somewhere!Finish line at the 2007 Karapoti - a very short video clip of me finishing the 2007 Karapoti Challenge. If you turn up the volume and listen closely to the

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-50351636197566902222008-09-01T13:27:00.014+12:002009-04-28T22:14:33.344+12:00

Races I am planning on partaking in:Autumn/Winter 200925 April. Naseby 12 Hour Race, Naseby17 May. Milton Jailbreak, MiltonRaces I partook in this past season:Spring/Summer 2008-2009:August 2. PNP Balfour Pennington Handicap Road Series - Round 1, WellingtonAugust 9. PNP Balfour Pennington Handicap Road Series - Round 2, WellingtonAugust 16. PNP Balfour Pennington Handicap Road Series - Round 3,

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730053910292249777.post-90281331256684603582008-09-01T11:34:00.027+12:002009-05-28T17:34:09.796+12:00

20091st woman (6th overall), 35km option, Milton Jailbreak8th overall, Singlespeed Solo (only woman entered), Naseby 12 Hour Challenge2nd place, Open Women, Moana Pool Bloke Free Duathlon (bike/run), Round 22nd overall, Senior Women, MTBNZ New Zealand Island Cup Series3rd place, Senior Women, MTBNZ South Island XC Cup, Round 33rd place, Senior Women, MTBNZ South Island XC Cup, Round 22nd place,

Celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14853970848924849071noreply@blogger.com