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Showing posts with label mountain bike races. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mountain bike races. Show all posts

Sunday, December 06, 2015

Myra Moller 3rd in first round of Aussie Mountain Biking Nationals

COOK ISLAND COURAGE

Posted by mtba, December 4, 2015

The Cook Islands.
The South Pacific archipelago nation lies southwest of Tahiti. Of its 15 islands, the largest is Rarotonga.
And it’s’ here where one mountain bike rider has begun her journey to improve not only herself as a rider, but the well being of her countrymen and women.
Myra Timena-Moller, is participating in every round of the 2015/16 Subaru National Mountain Bike Series.
At the first round in Mt Taylor – Victoria, the 31 year old New Zealand native finished on the podium, taking home bronze behind Jenni King and Karen Hill in the Elite Women’s XCO.
ElitewomenXC(Photo – Jaime Black)
Full article here


 About this website 
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Report: My attempt to win the World Masters Mountain Bike Championships, Norway 2014

I am in the business of health and firmly believe in walking the talk. If what I am promoting is good for health, then I should surely be one of the best ambassadors. 


Walking the talk


This is especially important because people seeking my services for their own health sometimes receive contradictory advice from other health experts, including being told that "Gary Moller is a Quack". I say to these people, 

"Look at me and look at the naysayer expert, then answer the question: who is the healthier?



"Who do you go with - the health expert with the pot belly, the one with the puffy, ashen face, the one on various drugs for this and that disease, or the one who is trim, strong, full of energy and not in need of any drugs to get through the day?"




As we get older, the best description of a good athlete 
is a very healthy person


Please read this article which gives a little about my personal journey from burnout back to good health:
http://blog.garymoller.com/2011/06/cardiovascular-disease-arteriosclerosis.html

Last year I resolved to take the "walk the talk" to the highest level - to become the World age group mountain bike champion. Why mountain biking? Because this is a brutal sport that challenges the extremes of cardiovascular capacity, strength, endurance, reaction times, balance and - yes - the ability to heal fast and completely! These are all qualities that decline dramatically with ageing and when I turned 60 last year I thought I would put my  anti-ageing nutrition (not medicine) and health practices to the ultimate test - to win the world mountain bike championships to be held in Norway August 2014.


I began my quest for age group world domination about one year in advance with attention to refining my nutrition and preparing my muscles with constant training and massage. I also collaborated with the mechanics at Dirt Merchants of Aro Valley to build one of the fastest and lightest 29 inch wheel mountain bikes.  For this exercise I also gained sponsorship of Laufforks of Iceland which supplied the lightest suspension forks in the world.



My beautiful super fast 29'er Laufforks racer

My preparation could not have been better and I was confident that I was going to be competitive against the best 60+ year olds in the world.  Read this article for example:
http://blog.garymoller.com/2014/03/karapoti-results-are-in-more-evidence.html



Smashing the Karapoti age group record


My final result at the Norway world champs was a mix of positive and negative. 


Lost in translation - Ha!

I got a shock, on arrival at Hafjell, to discover that the course for the Masters was at a different location from that of the Open Championships.  We were on a course above the town of Lillehammer about 20 km away from the course I had prepared for, including having designed a bike!  Far from being a groomed climber's course with a rock garden or two and a drop-off here and there, which I was prepared to handle, the real one was mostly glacial rocks, roots and mud, no drainage and some near vertical drop-offs.  It was not world championship standard, it was a substandard course that the "old farts" had been relegated to.  It looked unfinished and, with 300+ riders doing practice runs over it in the rain for four days before the races, it cut up really badly.  

Worse, it was totally unsuitable for my semi-rigid hardtail with light tyres.  I needed my full suspension bike which I had left in New Zealand.  Other riders were not happy with many of them inadvertently slashing their tyres on the sharp rocks during practice laps. I did not complain but resolved to focus on the race and doing the best I could with the equipment I had, remaining confident that I had the skills and the conditioning to foot it with the best.

In my daughter's NZ race kit, ready to do battle on a very
wet course in Lillehammer, Norway

The Big Race

I began my warm up on the day feeling very confident, despite the torrential rain that had turned the course into a rocky quagmire. I felt strong and this was my first chance to size up my opponents.  I couldn't wait to get the show on the road.
While its hard to tell by a photo, this is some of the easier parts of the
course and some of the riders are forced to run!  


Heeding former pro-elite rider, Paul Bishop's advice, I began the race conservatively, intending to pick my opponents off one by one. Unfortunately, I knocked my chain off in the mayhem over the first rock climb dismount, losing several places, then, at the next drop into a mud hole, which was marginally rideable, the Spanish rider who I was preparing to pass, suddenly stopped and I partially went over the handlebars, trapping a thigh between the frame and the handlebars! It was a struggle to get free and I lost a more few places - darn!  I've had better starts.  But the race was still young.



Things went well from there for some kilometers of bouncing over large, wet rocks and sliding off wet roots and diving into mud holes.  Good ground was made, eventually passing the Spanish rider who caused my flip and then finally catching up with the defending world champion, Linus van Onselen and quickly passing him with an impressive maneuver around a tricky corner. However, he got away on a downhill section, but no matter because were still in the first of two laps and I was settling nicely into my rhythm.  I'll get him later.

Ooh!  I really am missing my full suspension bike.
Talk about a "smash and bash" course!

Towards the end of the first lap I noticed that my rear tyre was beginning to bottom out on the rocks. I can't describe the horrible sense of impending doom!  As I entered the 2nd lap I began to lose ground on Linus, despite my feeling increasingly comfortable physically. Deflated is a very good description of what was going on with my tyre and with my brain!
Not a course designed with my minimalistic bike in mind!

Eventually I was forced to stop and put some gas into the tyre. However, the tyre continued to lose air, eventually forcing me to run. As fate would have it, this was the furthest point away from help. My race was over.


Post race and not looking happy (note even sadder rear tyre), with the only other NZ rider,
Paul McDowell of Rotorua (I think Paul finished a very pleasing 7th or 8th in the 55-59 category).

Linus went on to finish in 2nd place. The winner was Norwegian - the home advantage.

The positive side of the day is confirmation that I am competitive with the best of the oldies, for sure. If only the race had been held on the original course which I had so meticulously prepared for. I reckon I would have smoked it.  Not easily, but I reckon I would have been in with a damn good chance of the win.

Not all is lost.  I am home now and am highly motivated to give the Worlds another crack.  I have some unfinished business.  The champs are in tiny state of Andorra (Yes, I knew of Andorra but had to look it up to remind me where it is nestled).  Apart from the exorbitant cost (Anybody got a spare $10k?), the big challenge is that the race is at altitude.  I am up for that challenge because exercise physiology is my forte.  Further, the experience of the world champs this year and the training that went into it has taken my riding to a new level as evidenced in the most recent results from the local mountain bike series.

Gary Moller: Back to being a Big Fish in a small pond!  But let's not get too comfortable:
World champs 2015 here we come! (If we can afford it).

Clean, green Norway

Sorry, NZ, we are in no way the cleanest or the greenest as the advertising brochures might have us believe.  Norway beats us hands down for a pure and pristine environment.  Of course our economy is very different to theirs and much of their country is alpine in nature.  We have far more cows.

Yoiks - Yonder!  My destination beckons.

"Go this way!" (Fearless explorer).

I was told I could drink the water from any river or stream and the municipal waters are neither chlorinated or fluoridated.  This certainly seemed the case with Norwegians seen drinking from the streams and they sure look like a healthy bunch of people.  Few signs of thyroid problems which is an epidemic health issue in NZ.  I wondered if the lower exposure to toxic halides such as chlorine and fluorine might have something to do with this apparent difference in health? (Fluorine and chlorine damage the thyroid, leading to conditions like fatigue, weight gain, fibromyalgia and osteoporosis).  But I digress - Back to my travels!

Norwegian can be confusing, especially when translated into English

Norway, pristine clean and kayaker's paradise

My incognito camper: Discrete camping, I slept well each night and never got hassled
despite sleeping overnight in places like market and station car parks.
Highly recommended - http://www.nordiccampers.com/ Thanks Arna Hilmar and team at Nordic Campers.

Thanks heaps to Lauf Forks, Dirt Merchants, Leonie Reynolds, PNP Cycling Club, Andy Reid, Bike NZ - and to Air New Zealand as well for the fantastic and comfy service. Best airline.

And thank-you to my Norwegian hosts, Nina and Thor Nagell (foreground) for their incredible generosity and
hospitality (Thor was the coordinator for the very successful Hafjell World Mountain Bike Champs - not the masters xc.
This photo is of dinner with Thor and Nina's family and the management team for the Worlds.

Nina serving wild moose which, I understand, her father shot while hunting in the forest.

And special thanks to my partner, Alofa, and my four children, Myra, Mary-Ann, Kelvin and Alama, for their patience and support.




About this website 
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.
Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Saturday, March 08, 2014

Karapoti results are in - More evidence that nutritional balancing works better than drugs! (Updated 08/03/2013)



Latest news:I completed the 48km race last Saturday in excellent track conditions, setting my personal best after only about 24 years of on and off trying. I finally cracked the three hour barrier!  In fact, I smashed it, slashing more than 26 minutes off my personal best!

Over the last few months I have concentrated my focus on nutritionally supporting my adrenals and thyroid, using the skills and experience I have gained as a clinician in the treatment of thyroid and adrenal disorders.  Gosh - it is so effective, especially for older athletes! 

My PB was 2hrs 12min.  Only one 60 year old has ever broken three hours in the 30 year history of the race (The legendary Peter Reynolds in 2013 in a time of 2hr 55min).  Well, I reduced the record to 2hr 46min 44s.  That's staggering.  And I did it the easiest ever- not a single cramp - Just a badly bruised knee from a wee spill down the Rock Garden (Caused by other riders putting me off my line though the rocks).  I know I can go faster.

My goal has been to be one of the fittest 60 year olds anywhere and I think I am well on the way to achieving that.  I have chosen mountain biking for a number of reasons: I really enjoy it; it is intense and brutal (especially when you fall off) and it requires skills such as precise balance and lightening fast reactions - all of which deteriorate as we get older.

60 year olds don't bounce as well as a youngster and healing sure is slower


Well, I have set out to prove that its not all downhill from 30 years - We can still bounce well at 60!

How did I manage to make such a spectacular reduction in my times despite now being in my early 60's.  Well it was not from doing more and more training - doing that is futile unless the body can handle the stress and respond in a positive, anabolic manner.  Everything we have been told about the ageing process is that the body progressively weakens along with its capacity to heal and to respond to stress.  That is true; but does it actually have to be?

How much of ageing is due to uncontrollable degradation and how much of what we think is ageing is due to things that are within our control, such as nutritional deficiencies and imbalances and reversible scarring of tissues?

I have achieved this remarkable turnaround through a patient 10 year programme of targeted nutrition and equally carefully applied body work (not consisting of furiously lifting weights in the gym!)

The end result is that my ability to train and my response to training is estimated to be on a par with where I once was in my 20's.  How can I say that -To make such an outrageous claim?  Well I don't have to: The performances say it all!  I have had at least a 30% gain in performance over the previous 10 years; despite all that we know about ageing and the inevitable decline in performance.

Better than Lance, if I may so so!


My earlier article about this topic of anti-aging and reversing heart disease here:
http://blog.garymoller.com/2011/07/more-about-reversing-cardiovascular.html

Gary
(My previous article below (pre-race comments)

For about the last 20 years, I have been trying to break the magical 3hr barrier for the Karapoti Race (Refer to the article below for more about Karapoti).  My success has been less than glorious with my best a frustrating 3hr 12min - so far.  Is time running out, since I am a lot older than when I made my first attempt?  I don't think so.

My Karapoti goal this year, as a 60 year old, is not just to break 3hrs, but to break the 60 plus record of 2hr 55m.  And I am confident that it can be done.  In fact, I will be aiming for 2hr 50.

This summer has been one of fantastic successes on the bike and in duathlon, with several victories that have me way ahead of any other 60 year old athletes - so far.  Currently, I am ranked 2nd in the 50+ age category in NZ Mountain Biking Crown and finished 4th in the NZ championships, less than 1 second behind 3rd.  Calculating the difference between myself and the overall age group champion, Ian Paintin, who also happens to hold the 50+ record for Karapoti (2hr 42), I can work out what time I should be able to do Karapoti this year.  Which works out to be about 2hr 50m or less.

However, the current 60+ record holder, the legendary Peter Reynolds, is competing again this year and he is not about to let me spoil his party.  I have heard rumours that he has been training hard and even upgraded to a new bike.  He will be aiming to be the first Old Fart to break 2hr 50, I suspect.  That will be really something!  But my plan is to have my nose in front.

We will know the result by tomorrow midday.  As with most of my previous Karapoti races, I just hope the course does not have the final say - crashes, punctures, mechanical failures, or simply disappearing in one of its infamous bogs!

February 27, 2014 at 6:07 PM

The Race of Champions
A who’s-who of New Zealand mountain biking will go head to head in Upper Hutt on Saturday as more than 700 riders from eight countries line up for the Scott Karapoti Classic.
NZMTB14R2Cooper.jpgTwenty eight years ago 45 hardy souls lined up in Upper Hutt’s Akatarawa Ranges for New Zealand’s first annual mountain bike race. Almost 30 years later, more than 700 riders from eight countries and all ends of New Zealand will line up for what has become the Southern Hemisphere’s longest running mountain bike event.
Established in 1986,
Rest of article here:  http://www.sportzhub.com/news/karapoti-race-champions/



About this website 
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.
Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!





About this website 
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.
Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Ian ("Wheels") Gregson stars in Mt Fyfe Downhill Race of 1994

"Well it’s only been about 19 years, but I just got around to posting the footage from the Mt Fyffe DH in 94 onto youtube. About half way through they even mention me by name as the bozo who munted the crap out of himself…. Awesome times!" Ian Gregson (aka "Wheels")



About this website 
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.
Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

I love this one!


BUCS 2011 X.C Carnage! from Joe Bowman on Vimeo.

Other than being entertaining, this video demonstrates the need for faultless technique when it comes to braking  while going down slippery off-camber slopes.   You see in the video many examples of heavy use of the front brake without distributing the body weight sufficiently backwards and consequently going over the handle bars.  Thank goodness the landing surface in this race is soft!

Anybody, including children, who ride a bike should spend a good deal of time practicing again and again, their braking skills on a variety of surfaces, especially those that are off-camber.


_______________________________________
About this website
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.  Please give me your support by subscribing to my free email updates. Please shop at my Online Store. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. While we may not always be able to compete with the big operators on price, we aim to more than compensate through personal service!


Your email address:

Powered by FeedBlitz
Do you have a question?  Email Gary: gary@myotec.co.nz. Include any relevant background information to your question.  Please be patient and be aware that I may not be able to answer every inquiry in detail, depending on workloads (My paying clients take precedence!). I will either reply by email or, most likely, by way of an article (Personal identifying details will be removed before publication).

Friday, December 03, 2010

Moller Family wins the Taupo Huka 80km mountain bike relay race

Alofa cycling to victory
Yes, its official folks - we won!

Not without there first being an official investigation of the result.  You see, at 57 years old I should not be finishing the first leg (40km) in 1hr 49m, 40 minutes ahead of the next relay rider.  In fact, I caught the tail end of the Pro Elite riders who had started a 20 minutes ahead of me. I should not have been hammering over 99% single track averaging over 20km/hr. Not at my age anyway.


"Act your age Moller!"



Alofa put in a solid performance, despite repeatedly dropping her chain, to hold on for the win by about seven minutes.

So, there was an investigation into a "timing irregularity" which has delayed us announcing the results.

Alofa and I are the winners.  Its official: I did not cheat - No shortcuts.

Thank you Rex and your team at Rocket Bikes, Kilbirnie, Wellington, for the great mechanical support and technical advice which you have given us over the last two years.  Alofa and I are racing on Merida 96 mountain bikes purchased from Rocket Bikes.

These winning performances confirm that I have turned the clock back by about 30 years and Alofa is cranking along very well also.  I am definitely in better cardiovascular and muscular health than I was in my 20s.  The stop watch does not lie.

This is further confirmation of the effectiveness of the scientific application of the ICL Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis, plus our own special kind of body work.

And, did you know this: I am doing much less training nowadays as compared to what I used to do.  This process of recovery of health and rebuilding strength began at about 50 years age and is ongoing.

The goal is to die healthy - A long time from now!

For an athlete to perform consistently well over many years, the first rule is he/she must be healthy - Do so and the performances will come - Naturally.

_______________________________________
About this website
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.  Please give me your support by subscribing to my free email updates. Please shop at my Online Store. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. While we may not always be able to compete with the big operators on price, we aim to more than compensate through personal service!
Your email address:

Powered by FeedBlitz
Do you have a question?  Email Gary: gary@myotec.co.nz. Include any relevant background information to your question.  Please be patient and be aware that I may not be able to answer every inquiry in detail, depending on workloads (My paying clients take precedence!). I will either reply by email or, most likely, by way of an article (Personal identifying details will be removed before publication).

Monday, November 15, 2010

Finally - A win in the PNP Mountain Bike Finals!

.
No 57 hammering down the Aratahi Track, Makara Peak
It's been a long time coming - like just 20 years of mountain bike racing.  I won!

I am riding at about the same pace, or faster than I was in 1980 when competing as a Roadie with the PNP Club.  That's two age group wins in a row over the last few weeks.  Not bad for a 57 year old, if you don't mind me saying.

Marco Renalli, Gary Moller,
Ant Bradshaw
This is affirmation that the combination of deep tissue massage to restore punished and damaged muscles; plus nutrition as guided by the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis works and can give spectacular results.  And these sporting achievements are happening with less training than ever.

However; this process of restoring health and vitality takes time.  I have been plugging away at restoring my own health and getting the legs back into good working order for a good five years with this combination of therapies.  It has only been this year that it feels like the brakes are finally disengaging.  There is still more to be gained.

So, to all my clients who are following similar programmes, the message is this:  "Hang in there!"
_______________________________________
About this website
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness. Please give me your support by subscribing to my free email updates. Please shop at my Online Store. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. While we may not always be able to compete with the big operators on price, we aim to more than compensate through personal service!


Your email address:

Powered by FeedBlitz

Do you have a question?
Email Gary: gary@myotec.co.nz. Include any relevant background information to your question. Please be patient and be aware that I may not be able to answer every inquiry in detail, depending on workloads (My paying clients take precedence!). I will either reply by email or, most likely, by way of an article (Personal identifying details will be removed before publication).

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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

An update on my personal journey back to health fitness

My 30's and 40's were characterised by chronic fatigue and stress, as is the case for so many of us who are trapped in the rat race of paying the mortgage, feeding the family and getting ahead in business and careers.

The usual response to stress and fatigue is to go join a gym, run or cycle and further beat up body and mind!  I was no exception.

By the time I was 50 I was physically and mentally burned to the bone.  Running was a painful shuffle, cycling was not much better.  My enthusiasm for work was gone and there were disturbing goings-on with my health:  Blood pressure was up and down like a yo-yo, cholesterol was creeping ominously upwards and my skin was breaking out in raw patches of precancerous solar kerastoses.  I was unhappy about this state of affairs to say the least.

The last ten years have been a fascinating journey of discovery as I have sought to reverse these detrimental change.  I have had stunning success.  But it has taken every day of the last 10 years to turn the ship around.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

An Ageing cyclist seeking to remain fit and healthy -and strong!

Gary: PNP club race 1978, Aotea Lagoon, Wellington
"I am a keen cyclist but an an older rider, now 44 years old, Have already reached and past my best years. I raced in Europe as a younger rider,but still like to compete in the masters category hence my interest in keeping fit and healthy.
I'm not sure where to start, but I would be really interested in any advice you can offer, to help me be healthier and become stronger as a cyclist as I get older."
Joe


Thursday, December 10, 2009

Taupo Huka Challenge Mountain Bike Results are in

With the growing popularity of mountain biking, the Huka Challenge is an increasingly popular alternative to the boring grind that is the Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge.

The Huka Challenge is 83 km of single track that is not for the faint-hearted, or should I say, the unfit.

I entered this year, finishing 2nd in my age category behind a bloke named Hilton Forlong who is known to be quicker than a rat up a drain pipe. Gosh, he's a rocket on a mountain bike! He beat me by half an hour (My time: 5hr 26min). I was 84th overall out of 287 finishers. I would say there were quite a few DNFs. It was not an easy race at all.

What really excited me about this race has been the speed of my recovery. This was by far my longest ever mountain bike race and I am doing less training nowadays. Despite this, I was walking around okay after the race and was ready to be on my bike again just two days later. The following weekend, we rode a three hour course that usually leaves me feeling quite wasted by the end. This time, I got round the course no problems at all, other than feeling pleasantly tired. This was alleviated shortly thereafter with a hearty feed of fish and kumara chips.

Healing and recovery tend to slow as we get older. I have definitely reversed this process over recent years. Please refer to the articles here for more information about how this was done:




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Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Now here's an event worth tackling!

We did this race last year and it goes down as one of the most memorable and best organised events I have done in a long time! (Gun goes 9am 6th April!!!)

Sure there is hardly any time left to prepare; but what better incentive can there be to get out training than a looming challenge that has you cycling and running over some of the most scenic and challenging terrain in the Lower North Island! While there are three components for the Crazies (Mountain bike, mountain run and kayak), I am sensibly teaming up with my brother to do the duathlon option (Mountain bike and run).

See you there! (Go here for more information and to enter)