2012 ISSUE 3

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Pureroa

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Timber

Trail

Micro S240 - Kakepuku

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fAMILYfAMILYfAMILY Fun dAYSFun dAYSFun dAYS

Summer

Summer

Race ser

ies

Race ser

ies

Starts e

nd of Oct

ober

Presidents Report Hi Club Members Winter is hopefully a distant memory now, it wasn’t the best time of year for getting out on the old MTB but hopefully you are getting some riding in and making the most of the season. A few hardy souls were turning up for our winter night race series - congratulations to those of you who turned up! I also spotted a few club members at the recent WAMO's Ngutunui Winter TT ride so I know some of you are still out there riding! Congratulations to club member Josh Parkin who won the TT! A great effort! We have had a busy few months as a club. We were able to help run another Kids Bike Jam event earlier this year and that introduced many children and their families to our club and the Pukete tracks. We have also carried out significant planting work over recent months and the track development team has continued work both on track maintenance and on developing changes to the track. Check out the new routes and on a dry day and let us know what you think. As well as running these events, the committee has worked hard to improve our facilities and our capacity to maintain and improve the Pukete trails. We have recently invested in some extra equipment that will make track maintenance and development a lot easier in future. Our club AGM is was held in August with a large portion of the committee staying on. I would like to take this

opportunity to thank the huge efforts of Angela MacDonald and Scott Sander who have stepped aside this year, your contributions will be sadly missed. A big welcome to the committee goes out to Luke & Angela Healey, Peter Dove and also our new junior representative - Connor Dove. A timely reminder, our membership year starts on 1 July so all club membership fees are now due. Summer is just around the corner, and this heralds the start of our summer series. We welcome back as our series sponsors - Scott & the Team from Avantiplus Cycology. See the calendar for both registration and start dates. Finally but most importantly, a huge thank you to all those who have helped out over recent months. The club wont work without its volunteer committee members, Kids Bike Jam marshalls, tree planters ... (the list goes on). Thank you to all of you. Matthew Peploe

for HMTB Club Members

Pay for the first panel,

get the second one free

Value $120 gst incl. Note: not to be used in conjunction with any other offer

(offer expires: 30th March 2012)

Special

Offer

www.hamiltonmtb.org.nz

Thanks Ross @ Chartwell panel & paint

for the paint to paint the container

Hamilton Mountain BikeClub Inc, P.O. Box 1113, Hamilton 3240

October 7 Family Fun Ride (Pukete Park, 2pm) 31 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series registration evening & pre-season non-points racing (Pukete Park from 5:30) November 7 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series registration evening and pre-season non- points racing (Pukete Park from 5:30) 10 The Taniwha (Waikato River Trails)

thetaniwha.co.nz

14 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 1 (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 11 Sunday Club Ride (Te Aroha) 21 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 2 (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 24 Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge/Huka Challenge - www.cyclechallenge.co.nz 28 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 3 Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) December 5 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 4 (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 12 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 5 (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 19 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 6 (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) January 5/6 Tour De Whaka (Rotorua) - www.tourdewhaka.co.nz

23 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series non-points race (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm ) 26 Sunday Club Ride (Pipiwharauroa Biking Trail, Raglan) 30 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 7 (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm )

February 6 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 8 (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 8 Cateye Moonride (Rotorua) moonride.co.nz

13 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 9 (Pukete Park from 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 16/17 Club event (details to be confirmed) 20 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 10 (Pukete Park, 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 23 The Rev (yes, it’s a road race, but it’s local!) or Whaka Fire (Rotorua) 27 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 11 (Pukete Park, 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) March 2 Merida Karapoti Classic (Wellington) 6 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 12 (Pukete Park, 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 9 Colville Connection MTB Races (Colville, Coromandel) 13 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 13 (Pukete Park, 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 17 The Highlander (Rotorua) - n-duro.co.nz

20 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series race 14 (Pukete Park, 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 23 Motutapu Dual (Motutapu/Rangitoto) 27 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series Fun Ride (Pukete Park, 5:30 - racing starts 6:15pm) 30/31 Weekender (Raglan/Waitomo) April 3 AvantiPlus Cycology Summer Series Prizegiving 21/21 N-Duro 24 Hour - www.n-duro.co.nz

HAMILTON MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB SUMMER CALENDAR 2012/13

(Note: events in italics are not HMTB club events but are events close enough to be of interest to club members)

Summer is nearly here, so dust the cobwebs off your bike and get down to the track... Registration & pre-season racing 31 Oct & 7 Nov ...

Racing commences 14 November @ 6:15

We gladly welcome onb oa rd C yc o log y Avantiplus as our summer series sponsor. A big THANKS to Scott & the Team

www.hamiltonmtb.org.nz

Pureroa Timber

Trail

We had

booked one of the DOC Cabins at Pureroa Forest Park for 2 nights. Cheap at $49.00 per night for 5 of us. http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-stay/lodges-cabins-and-cottages-by-region/waikato/pureora-cabins/

Look for this sign, this is the start point of the track, although when it is opened fully there will be better signage.

Volcanic soil, if you have ridden W2K at Taupo you will feel right at home.

The first 6 km are in the bush on new machine built track with bridges over small creeks etc, there is a side track

off to an old Caterpillar bulldozer abandoned in the bush... Check out the hole in the bottom of the engine block!.

And another track to a Quarry.

The last 2km are out in the open and you are exposed to the weather, this bit is steeper and the soil loose.

And at the end of these 2km the track ends near a small shelter. At this point the bush starts again but the

track looks to be rougher and more of a mud base but it is not finished so I am sure it will be improved.

View from the top...

What goes up must come down.

It seemed longer than 8km back down, this section had some tight corners, some off camber that will catch out a few riders going to fast.

Pureora is a bit over 2 hours drive from Hamilton and there will be

accommodation at the halfway point of the trail making a easy 2 day ride. Well worth a look.

Words & photos Rob Bull

SUBS: 2012/13 subs are now due - racing starts end of October

print out a membership form at www.hamiltonmtb.org.nz

P r e s i d e n t :

S e c r e t a r y :

T r e a s u r e r & M e mb e r s h i p :

C l u b C a p t a i n :

J u n i o r C l u b C a p t a i n :

C o m m s / W e b :

T r a c k M a na g e r :

T r a c k L i a i so n :

C o u nc i l L ia i s o n :

N e w s le t t e r E d i t o r :

G e n e r a l C o m m i t t e e :

M a t t h e w P e p l oe

A n g e l a H e a l e y

P a u l B i d l a k e

P a u l B i d l a k e

C o n n or D ov e

R o b B u l l

A n d r e w W e a l

S h a n e D a n i e l s

G r e g F i s h e r

M e l P a r s o n s

G r a n t S h a c k l e t on

P e t e r D ov e

L u ke H e a l e y

2012/13 Committee Senior Individual

( 18yrs & Over ) $ 35.00

Junior Membership

( 17yrs & under ) $ 25.00

Family Membership $ 60.00

www.hamiltonmtb.org.nz

Micro S24O - Kakepuku

I had heard of cycle touring, but what was bikepacking all about? After a bit of googling, I reached the conclusion it was essentially the same thing, but predominantly off-road and usually with much less gear. Lightweight and minimalist seemed to be two continuing themes throughout the sites I read. Then there was S24O. S-2-4-what? Sub twenty-four hour overnighter. Okay… More research revealed a whole new world of ‘fun with bikes’. New gear to buy, things to make or modify, new bike setups – gear junkies paradise. I started thinking about places I could go for S24O nearby, but came up with very few options, most of them not very exciting or

attractive. I wanted somewhere a little bit out of the way where I'd be unlikely to run into or be discovered by anyone else. I had a friend who was keen to try out this ‘new’ thing with me. An overnight trip out to Kakepuku would be an ideal test for our equipment and us. It's only 10km from Te Awamutu, so after parking my car at my parents place I met up with Megan at 5pm and we rolled out of town. We fought through a head wind all the way out. That was the easy part. We arrived at the Kakepuku track carpark and took in the information on the sign board. It didn't say "no camping" so my fears of being busted for illegal camping were immediately dissolved. The full name of the mountain, ‘Kakepuku o Kahurere’ translates to “the swollen stomach of Kahurere”. The map board shows a mountain bike loop track, but it wasn’t clear to us when we were riding up so perhaps it is now overgrown. From the carpark it was uphill all the way on the "mountain bike track". The grassy 4WD track was pretty easy to negotiate on our burdened bikes. This was the first time we'd been offroad with loads. The bike felt heavier, fell into hollows with more of a bump, and felt like it needed to be steered a lot more to keep on track, rather than leaning the bike over. Pretty soon the incline got the better of me and I opted to walk. It wasn't too much further up the track that I realised we would probably be pushing our bikes most of the way up. I figured the only way to get there was to keep going. I was excited. This was what I had been looking forward to for ages - going camping, with bike. Not the usual kind of thing to do; most mums would take a night away from the family to hit the town with their girlfriends - I was getting out of town. We could really only ride for a short distance before we ran out of legs, or the gradient

tipped up and we lost traction. The track was deteriorating. Two large channels had been carved out by the wheels of the off-road truck used to maintain and enhance the reserve. The mud got thicker, the track got steeper, the rocks bumped us off course and our wheels slid in the mud. More pushing. Megan had gone quiet. I was forging ahead. I just wanted to get to the top and set up camp. We'd passed a little grass flat a while back and Megan attempted to reason that we should go back and camp there. Nah. Reluctantly, Megan pushed on. We knew that we would return this way the next morning and would have to walk down too. Our tyres were big brown donuts by now, packed with mud and useless at providing any traction.

After one last steep pitch, some coercion, a text message, and the promise of somewhere to camp at the top, we made it to the end of the trail. There was a trail branching off to the left and connecting to a long set of stairs going further up the mountain. We found a nice flat area on the track and set up camp. Now we could finally test out our gear. The tents went up in a jiffy - mine a single person,

single pole tent and Megan's more of an oversized bivvy with a hoop at each end. Mats and bags were laid out and it was time for dinner! Megan had pre-packed tuna and rice, so ripped the top off the pot and was straight into it. I had brought along the alcohol stove I had made and hoped it would be able to boil the water for my dehydrated meal. I cleared a patch of leaf litter and set up the wind shield. We were quite sheltered from the prevailing wind, but occasionally a bit of breeze got funnelled along the track and through our camp. I poured a good 40mls of methylated spirits into the stove and checked that everything was sturdy with the pot in place. I inadvertently snuffed out the stove because I didn’t wait long enough for the stove to heat up. The

second firing was perfect and I was soon waiting the agonising 10minutes for my dehydrated meal to “cook”. It was worth the wait and the hot food warmed me up very well (and didn’t taste too bad). Before dinner I had changed into some leggings, an icebreaker 150 top and a lightweight polar fleece jersey. Keeping my socks on, I slid into my bag and tried to get comfortable. I

was lying on about a 5 degree cross-slope, so it made sleeping facing "downhill" a bit strange. I found my happy place and snuggled down. There wasn't much noise in the bush, but I opted to wear earplugs anyway... if I can't hear it, I won't be wondering what's making that noise! About 2 hours after falling asleep I woke up boiling hot. My hot dinner had done its job in keeping me warm and I had to unzip my bag for a while. I slept quite well for my first time in the little tent and woke up with the break of dawn. I pulled my sleeping bag up over my eyes and snoozed a bit longer. About 6:45am I decided it was time to get going as I could hear light rain on the tent fly. I was in no hurry though, and thought it was entirely appropriate to have breakfast in bed. I had muesli

with peaches which was super yum, even without milk and yoghurt. Megan had an OSM and a Red Bull and broke camp lightning fast, leaving me to catch up. I had a banana and reloaded my gear onto my bike. The dry bag fit onto the Freeload rack perfectly with the clip of the dry bag done up around the seat post and held down with a couple of Q-Spear bungies. My tent strapped across my handlebars and sat there pretty well with the help of a Q-Spear bungy to stop it bouncing around. There was plenty of room in my backpack for my small bundle of clothes and the 3 litre camelbak bladder. With everything in its place I set off down the mountain. Well, I rode for a few hundred metres before I had to get off and walk again. And that's how I got down the top third of the mountain: ride, walk/run, slide, dance around the edge of a mud bog, push to a clear piece of track, repeat. I caught up to Megan at the halfway mark where we got back on our bikes and rode down the grassy 4WD track to the bottom. It felt good to get back on the road and pedal our bikes. We rode around the mountain (into that stiff headwind) and took the slightly longer way home. After seemingly flagging at pushing her bike up the mountain yesterday, Megan had recovered and flew off ahead of me up all the hills (Red Bull gives you wiiiings!), while it was my turn to trail behind. We rolled back into TA at about 9am. With a brief exchange of thanks and a promise of "more adventures, next time" we parted ways. That was my first experience of S24O, or a bike packing overnighter. I was away from home for a total of 17 hours. It wasn't a huge ride, or a massive adventure, but that's not what this is about for me. It was great to get away on a micro adventure and to have someone along for the ride too. Hopefully I can get away for some longer trips, but doing S24Os fits in perfectly with work, family, and the other commitments we have in life. Hmmm, where to next?

Micro S240

Boggy track

“ Camp Kakekupu”

Words & photos Mel Parsons

The photo is of some of the kids enjoying one of the Sunday family fun rides. These will continue on the first Sunday of each month starting at 1:00pm. There is no cost and the day will be supported by Torpedo 7. The idea is giving it a go and get on your bike. There will always be club members present who will show you around the track and allow all skill levels to go at there own pace. We would encourage visitors and welcome suggestions of what you would like to do on these days.

There could be skills sessions riding particular parts of the track

Instructions and demonstrations on how to repair punctures

Basic bike maintenance

Instruction on basic bike setup

Positioning on bike, climbing, descending, cornering, braking etc

These are just examples of what could be done if the interest is there. You would need to have reasonable confidence on your bike and preferably a parent with you and obviously a helmet. If you love it and you are not currently a member we are happy to sign you up. For further details contact Paul 0274 932 529 or Rob 021 259 7980.

www.hamiltonmtb.org.nz

marketplace

grantshackleton Licensed Consultant REAA 2008

Anytime 0274 888 156

consultant

marketer

negotiator

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Thinking homes ? - see Shack

Cafe Cycle Workshop Cycle Hire

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(07)839 0985 Garden Place Hamilton

www.veloespresso.co.nz

hmtb club members - Mention your race No. &

receive 15% discount

Good, reliable, honest Electricians serving the

Waikato for over 30 years

Contact us for all your domestic and commercial electrical requirements Ph.849 8485

Thanks to Matt @ Velo Espresso & Andrew

Weal for again organising and supporting the

2012 Winter Night Series - despite some

dodgy weather, those that turned up

discovered these rides could be as social or

competitive as you like - and were brought to you

by the letter ’F’ for fun, fitness, fading light, fog ....

& of course the letters V & E for Velo Espresso

Now the rain has stopped you’ll discover the track is in relatively good condition thanks to the track fairies who beaver away keeping the track in good ride able condition for the public at large. A big thanks goes out to our elusive stealth mower man who attends to the regular trimming along the edge of the track - you know who you are, he’s like the tooth fairy... You don’t see him toiling away, but you appreciate his work, Cheers. There is work needed around the native planting to keep the weeds, gorse and blackberry in check. Anyone interested in helping out please contact us at info@hamiltonmtb.org.nz Dig Days will be coming up combined with a few evenings when the weather improves. Check the club notice board, facebook and emails for upcoming dates. Summer racing will be here before we know it, so we need to get track work done now in anticipation. If you haven’t been to the track for a while ( blame it on the rain, winter hibernation or lack of daylight ), the next time you are there you will see some track changes and the addition of some trail signs. Storage We have secured a storage unit to house our club tools and track maintenance items so they are easily at hand for track maintenance. Note: The Hamilton Mountain Bike Club Committee is always working to improve the mountain bike trails in the Pukete Farm Park. However, our club does not own the park and we have limited rights from the Hamilton City Council to develop the trails. It is particularly important that we, as a club, maintain a good working relationship with the Council. The Council has consistently supported our club and we do not want to damage that relationship. A number of new trail extensions and additions have recently appeared around the Pukete Farm Park. Some of the new trails are in parts of the Park that we have no rights to develop. These developments are jeopardising our good relationship with the Council and our ability to negotiate for more rights in future. The Council is already considering applications from other community groups to use parts of the Park. We do not want to lose the rights we have as a result of well-meaning but unauthorised trail developments. If you have an idea about how the trails can be developed, please contact the committee before doing any work. We are always open to good ideas and our experience, skills and equipment can help turn your good ideas into real trails. Please do not simply build trails without speaking to us first. If tracks are developed without proper Council consent and club involvement, we may lose the good relationship the club has developed with the Council and that could result in the loss of our existing trails, trails that many people have worked hard to build. Unauthorised trail additions may therefore be removed by the committee to ensure that we maintain our good relationship with the Council. Thanks for your co-operation. Hamilton Mountain Bike Club Committee

Track ReportTrack ReportTrack Report

www.hamiltonmtb.org.nz