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Multisport
BayTrust Motu Challenge
by James Kuegler
Richard & Elina Ussher comfortably defended their BayTrust
Motu Challenge titles in what many have dubbed the toughest
Motu Challenge yet. Torrential rain in the days leading up
to the race threatened to cancel the kayak stage. River
conditions, coupled with high winds and a polar blast made
for testing race conditions.
350 Mountain bikes graced the start line between the multisport race
and the inaugural Motu 160 cycle race. As is traditionally the case, the
intensity rose when riders reached the first of three climbs, an ascent
in excess of 1000m. Teams competitor Tim Wilding and Motu 160 rider
Dave Mann set a very hot pace throughout in conditions described
as “brisk and buffeting.” Wilding (‘Team Discover Health’) led the field
into the remote Motu settlement. Richard Ussher was the first of the
individuals, with a healthy margin over Dwarne Farley, Sam Goodall,
Carl Meyer, and Cam Durno.
You might have expected that competitors would escape the wind on
Suppliers of Kayaks to
Competitors in the
Speight’s Coast to Coast
the 17km run. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case. Richard described it
as “one of those days where whichever direction you turned, it seemed
to be into the freezing wind.” The middle 7km track, saturated and
slippery, winding through native bush, meant it wasn’t going to be a day
for run records.
Like the other land stages, progress on the first half of the 55km road
cycle was challenging. Cyclists were greeted by a full-bore headwind
for 10km while on an uphill false flat from Motu – Matawai. Ussher
commented that he was pushing “300 watts and only managing a
miserable 23kph”. The second half, from the top of Traffords Hill was
a different story. For many, it was a case of self-preservation on the
descent through the gorge. Rounding each corner the swirling wind
made it impossible for cyclists to anticipate the direction from which they
would get slammed.
The usually pristine Waioeka River was a swirling brown torrent. The
high flow had washed out rapids and created an amazingly quick trip
down the river, The wind created carnage. Strong gusts blew a huge
Ruahine Kayaks
Designers &
Manufacturers of
Multisport & Adventure
Racing Kayaks
Benje Patterson: Speight’s Coast to Coast Two Day Individual winner 2006
Designed to be the fastest multisport kayak in the world.
The F1 has been paddled by Speight’s Coast to Coast
winners Richard Ussher and George Christison.
06 875 0043 / 021 273 0550
kevin@ruahinekayaks.co.nz
www.ruahinekayaks.co.nz
20 ISSUE FIFTY Three • 2 0 0 9
www.kayaknz.co.nz