Hi, thanks for visiting our website. I don't know if you ended up here on purpose, by accident via some Google malfunction or jumped here from www.fab1.co.nz, just have a look around while you're here and check out our blog as we ride around the Highlands. Note, we head away on 3rd June 2007 so there won't be too much action until then. Also check out the links to the "10 Under the Ben" and the mountain biking in the Fort William area.

Update 2 June 2007: We're off! Packing is about sorted and we've had our last rides so it's all go. Thanks for all the good wishes and I'm sure we'll catch up on everyone when we get back. Also keep an eye on the Southland Times during the next week!

Update 24 May 2007: Well just over a week before we depart, the training has peaked and we've had our first look at the track for the race - albiet a plan view only. Have a look at it here. The course features purpose built downhill, loads of singletrack and a bit of climbing. It also includes some the the World Champs Cross Country course which will be interesting.

Offbeat Bikes have organised a couple of great bikes for us for the week, a Specialised Epic for me and Specialised FSR xc for Nicki. I'm sure the full suspension will be much appreciated after 10 hours in the saddle. It also sounds like the guys from No Fuss Events are planning a huge party during and after the race, check it out on the 10 Under the Ben webpage.

So what's the site all about? Cross country mountain biking, literally, New Zealand to Scotland.

Over the past 12 months I've been pedaling around parts of Southland and Otago competing in a few of the great mountain bike races held in the South of the South Island of New Zealand. At the inaugural Hokonui Moonshine Trail race held in late February 2007, Iconic Adventures were offering a trip to compete in the "10 Under the Ben" endurance mountain bike race to be held near Forth William, Scotland. The trip is part of a reciprocal agreement with the "10 Under" organisers No Fuss Events, where an entrant in the 3 10's events will win a trip to the 2008 Moonshine Trail race. As a middle of the pack rider in the masters (over 40's) category the only hope of me winning a trip like this was if it was a spot prize. At the Moonshine Trail prize giving my name was called out and now we're heading for the Scottish Highlands to compete in the race on the 9th of June this year.

The plan is to have a good time and give the 10 hour race a good nudge. All going well I'll do the first stint for 3 laps then Nicki will ride a lap. I'll do the next few then Nicki can reel off another. Hopefully we'll be able to complete 7 or 8 laps of the 10 mile circuit which is based on the UCI Cross Country Witches Tail track with heaps of single track, open firebreaks and a few tricks thrown in. The guns will be completing laps of the circuit in under an hour and will knock of 11 or so laps. Thanks also goes out to the guys at Offbeat Bikes in Fort William who are supplying bikes and helmets for us during the week.

Until we head away we're building up our training miles every week. I've done a few races but I'm no expert on preparing for an event like this. Googling the internet bought up a couple of training schedules on the Avanti Bikes website that look okay. Nicki is doing the 12 week 40km competitive plan and I'm doing the 12 week 100km completive plan. They help you to build up the miles on the bike each week and provide you with a weekly goal. Currently most of the training is on a mixture of gravelled and sealed roads but we hope to get a few rides in at the Southland Mountain Bike Club tracks at Sandy Point to build on our technical skills.

Anyway have a good look around and maybe we'll see you on the trails sometime.

Regards

Dave Brookland

Contact us: mtb@fab1.co.nz