Faultline 100km MTB Race NZ – Training, Tips & Gear for Riders

The Faultline 100kms is the junior to the 100 miles conducted at the same time. It’s funny how a 100kms race suddenly takes a back step to something larger. That shouldn’t make the 100kms edition, aptly named Pandemonium, any less confronting.

 After a horrible week of Wellington weather, the skies cleared, wind disappeared and the weather warmed. How good, or lucky. The 6am start was no easier after a tough work week, and 6am translates to a 3am anticipation-based wake up anyway. Arriving to the start line is always fun. Usual faces appeared from the darkness, looking sheepishly excited.

 Bang on 6am we were off. My old mate Gav and I took to the front, his pace and cadence higher than mine. Legs felt good. We plodded away, setting a good pace, third place nowhere in sight. The glorious Belmont Hills greeted us, my bike started to shift badly, after a year of flawless electronic shifting was this payback time? Turns out yes. Read on.

 I forged onto the back of Porirua weaving through the back tracks on Canons Creek, third place had caught up and past me with ease, I put this down to having no gears I struggled along with the 4 middle ones. Mrs Silversky greeted me at the first aid station. With the sun up the jacket and light were exchanged for a backback/food and gels. Off again. Gears by this stage were terrible, I tried to adjust via the app on my phone, no better. However, given the strain, it had flattened the battery. Thankfully, I looked at my phone. Quick call to daughter no1 and a new battery was enroute to the next aid station. Again lucky. At the top of