Riding Blind & Being Fit
Comments on the 6 Hour
Castrol Honda 6 Hour
Conditions were perfect for the Power Adventures Castrol Honda 6 Hour event in Matata yesterday. The rain on the Thursday meant it was a bit slippery at first but there was no dust. Riders could opt for the R1 class (one bike and 2 riders), the R2 class (two bikes and two riders) or the solo class (one bike and one rider).
The course had hill climbs, flat paddocks and slippery clay but the trickiest parts for the around 70 starters were the topsoil sections under the deeply shading pines where flashes of glare followed by sudden darkness proved disconcerting.
“In the morning, we were riding in the dark, it was like riding blind, some of the guys weren't even wearing goggles” says Tauranga rider Keith Paterson. Keith, who, with team mate Jared Koningsveld, came fifth in the Open Race behind the unassailable Power pairing of Karl and Chris in first place and runners up Reece Burgess and Phil Singleton, was pretty proud of his second fastest lap time of 26min 14 seconds over the 18km course.
“I did a couple of really fast laps towards the end of the race,” he says. “After 6 hours, anything can happen, so I was pretty stoked to pull us back into contention for that fifth place.” “In fact”, he added,” the race Jared and I were having was probably one of the more exciting bits of the race – a race within the race as it were - really motivating. All the way we were fighting it out for second place in the R2 Overs class with the Mark Fuller / Daniel Hoskings team. They were 2 minutes ahead then we were one minute ahead, then it reversed etc, the lead changed 3 or 4 times but we got them in the end. We were lucky too. Jared had a sudden attack of intuition just before the end of his lap, stopped his bike to see how far away the opposition was. That one minute stop was crucial. It meant we clocked in at just the right time to avoid another lap.”
Keith was also impressed with the number of vet solo riders doing the 6 hours and posting consistently fast times. Sharing the 6 hours requires fitness. Doing it solo requires fitness plus.
Another local rider, 16 year old James Donaldson from Ohauiti, did do it solo. It was his first time at the 6 Hour and he recognizes he needed to be heaps fitter.
“I made the mistake”, he admits “of trying to keep up with the fast guys. I was first out of the gates but rode beyond my abilities in the first laps and then was totally drained. I need to learn to pace things a bit better. I landed up stuck in the bog but got out of that. The ruttiest bit was in the dark through the pines. Couldn’t pick lines so I just looked at the top and rode hard. I was glad I had my new goggles.”
This was James’s first attempt at the 6 Hour and he was pleased with his effort. He definitely wants to do it solo again next year. He likes the challenge.
Also pleased with their effort were the Manning brothers, Jordan and Javarne, (pictured) who competed in the R1 class. It was their first 6 Hour and, in fact, their first ever race. "Pretty intense but great fun", they both agreed.
Tauranga rider overall results are as follows:
2nd Reece Burgess & Phil Singleton (1st R1 Overs)
5th Keith Paterson & Jared Koningsveld (2nd R2 Overs)
13th Luke & Rhys Henry (4th R1 Unders)
19th Craig Ryder & Bryce Fisher (3rd R2 Overs)
23rd Neville Trow & Peter Garrett (4th R2 Unders)
39th Tim Salter& Brad Jonson (6th R2 Mixed)
42nd Jordan & Javarne Manning (3rd R1 Overs)
47th James Donaldson (5th Solo Unders)
For full results, go to www.silver-bullet.co.nz
