PNP MTB Spring Series - Race 4 Belmont

After last year’s dramatic and muddy race I wasn’t too keen on going back. The week before I did the pre-ride and realised that Danzig was way better this year (huge thanks to all the guys who worked on that), and my own riding ability has improved. This was also a very important race for me, because if I lost to Caitlin Pilcher then she would win the series.

Race day turned out to be beautiful and sunny, we couldn’t have asked for better. Danzig was pretty greasy, and both my wheels ended up covered in slippery clay, which made getting over all the roots difficult. I got up there ahead of Caitlin but only just. We were riding together for most of the steep grassy climbs (man that was a killer!), but somewhere after where A, B, and C split from D (the Waitangirua Ridge), she left me for dead.








The rest of the race was hard but enjoyable. Going down Danzig I had a number of scary moments, but luckily no crashes. I ended up four minutes behind Caitlin, so not the win I was hoping for, but still a good race. I thought the route planning was brilliant and my memories of Belmont are now good ones. I’m looking forward to the last round at Makara, it should be great fun.