Amelia has landed back in NZ :)

Wow, what an amazing experience! John and Stephen pre race and Amelia ready to race to the first beer stop. Have been traveling home since Sunday and just thinking about the places we have seen and people we have met. Still can't believe the basketball game that took place - shear madness but so much fun! Single Speeders are a bike mad culture who love to have fun. Thanks Durango!

Look out the worlds are coming to NZ!

Yup after a mission of trying to find a basketball team today to beat Italy - we did it! Thanks to Jon, James, Kaveh, Greg and Damo from Aussie!!! What a party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look out NZ the 2010 NZ World Single Speed Championships are coming to town - you better get ready to ride and party!
PS race when to plan, rode to first beer stop and opted to enjoy the day and save the body and bike from the rocks! I didn't really want the tattoo and someone had to take photos. John came in at 3.45 - legend!

in the light of the morning

both John, Stephen and I have very sore and rough throats! We met at the Expresso Bar this morning, yes finally found a good coffee shop! Have had breakfast and just resting up before race start oops - I mean the ride starts at 11am. Had a quick catch up with the Italian team at breakfast made up of French guys (nice guys but gave them some grief about their nationality) as we are playing them in the finals to host the 2010 World champs in NZ. Playing basketball tonight at 6pm after the 'ride'!!!!!! Its going to be another hot one and some damage will be done on the course - hopefully not by the rocks. Durango is full of bikes, sort of like Taupo when the cycle challenge is on. Except they are mostly MTB and single speeds - lots actually heaps of 29ers! Off to get dressed into my outfit! Chow

We are through to the finals!

Yup John done good! I managed to find a cool Freddy hat today in town to complete the white singlet and pants look he had and he put his all into it! We now have to play off Italy in a game of basketball tomorrow night after the race.
Did try the course or half of it today and its mean! Rock climbing up and down, lots of pushing the bike - thanks Jamie cause your bike is nice and light. Only have headaches with the altitude and mean stinging throat when I push it. Looking forward to enjoying the ride and meeting some more neat people :)
Just need to beat Italy now - represented by french guys, I know dodgy! Then Rotorua start preparing for a show for 2010!
Better get some sleep now, cheers Vicki

party on ....

tonight was a compulsory ride your bike to the party where the teams competing for hosting next years worlds had to sing for their supper. So Steve hired a bike and we headed up to a canyon with some jumps set up and food and beer stalls around the outside. Yup several thousand bikes rode down the main street, over the bridge up to race central! Fantastic, the band was great, man these guys know how to party!

Durango

is like a an oasis of green and bikes after several days of driving in desserts. Wahoo we are here, now excited and nervous! Had a drink in town with the rest of the world and met John, my team mate before heading home for an early night. Lucky as one guy lost his bike last night, got lost going home and then can't remember where he left it! John and I went out with Hilary and Rhonda and some other dudes to ride the course - lets just say they don't call it the Rockies for no reason and that if you like rock gardens you would be in heaven - MY $^&$&$%^& god, what sort of course is this!!!!! Wicked, wicked, wicked - don't think I have ever been on a harder hike a bike course ever. It will be a fun day meeting people tomorrow I think, coupled with the elevation, 6000ft here and prob another 1000ft of climbing tomorrow!!!! I hope I make cut off for the second part of the course, I have not idea how it will go but think Karpoti and Triple Peaks with rocks everywhere and you would be close. But before that we have a party tonight and have to sing with a band, we have to do the Queen song called 'I need your loving' - I have talked John into that one :) Managed to find a black chain hat and a tiara just. Off to party, this place is Bike City and heaps of fun!

Monument Valley

is a place that has been viewed in a picture on my wall for many years and to actually see it was amazing. A beautiful serene place - stunning. The photos do not show the size of these rock formations. HUGE! We spent the day then travelling over the dessert, crossing from Arizona to New Mexico and then into Colorado. A day of driving in the wild west, not many cowboys but lots of indians. Again the extremes, today of poverty and barren landscapes.

Grand Canyon

Today has been a day of extremes to say the least. From leaving the Venetian Casino to where I guess they have 1000 plus rooms easily and I would imagine never get booked out, with split level rooms, bathrooms with shower, separate toilet, bath and make up table/ stool, floors all in marble and with pool views and then to the GreyHills Inn in Tuba. Greeted by a pack of wild dogs, \ up what seemed a desserted road for a simple double bed room, tv, heater and table, with shared shower/toilets down the hall.
The day began leaving the Vegas strip and ending up here in a town just out from the Grand Canyon and into Indian reservations. From the bling to the down to earth – dessert earth. From endless accommodation options to struggling to find a bed for hundreds of miles.
We started by crossing what seemed like desserts over the Art Deco Hoover Dam, through more desserts, Route 66 and finally found ourselves on sunset on the edge of the Grand Canyon.
Truly amazing! Such a beautiful, deadly, stunning, peaceful place. A fantastic time to see this wonder of the world.
We went from breakfast at the Venetian Canals, man made, ceilings that looked like blue skies with clouds floating (24 hours!) and stunning to dinner in the dessert with genuine Indian headpieces on the wall. From heat to nearly 100 degrees to temps dropping on sunset requiring to pull out the jackets for the first time this trip – were wondering if we were going to need them. We saw road signs of all sorts, warnings about deer, elk, cows, mountain cats, falling rocks and Indian road stalls. Nevada to Arizona.
A day of extremes! PS have still yet to find a damn CD shop, the gas stations only have country music here!

Vegas is done .... nearly

Have just arrived back to room with very sore feet. Love KA - stunning! About describes this Cirque show. Got a drink before the show and can still feel effects, I should be learning they do it big here, had to stop drinking half way through show as bladder told me too :0 Had a wander/bus home past some more casinos and now time to retire .............

Vegas view

Just about to catch a nap after a days wandering around the strip, shopping and experiencing this Disney land for adults, need to recharge the batteries before the night life, dam hot here today. Heading out tonight to see the show Cirque KA at MGM. Photo is the view from room window - nice :)
PS slightly disturbed as it looks like I have to sing with a band at Friday night World Champs Party in front of a crowd to try and bring champs back to NZ - damn as John and I had both hoped to stay karoke virgins - may be worse as with a band - don't these guys know I can't sing! Have to do "Queen" - I need your lovin! May need to trap a singer from Vegas and take them on a road trip :)

new ride ...

will look like this :)

Vegas Baby

We arrived in Vegas late last night after travelling all day from Hawaii. Yup up at 4.30 from Honalulu and off. Picked up the rental, Shephen managed to get an upgrade so drove in this kick ass huge Chevy 4x4 that makes all those other ones look small. Damn near looking eye to eye with trucks. Hit the strip and did a crawl down it as there are road works! Got to Venetian, which was stunning and had a drink and relax before getting some sleep. Photo of me wandering around the Venetian trying to find our room - this place is huge!!!!!

Paradise left :(

Aloha! We left Maui today :( what an amazing place, would recommend for holiday, so much to do, people are lovely, sea and mountains stunning. We went to Mama's Fish House for lunch at Tracey's recommendation, pricy but worth it and she was right. Right on the beach, photo is me walking down to restaurant, just around the corner. It really is a slice of paradise, we had an amazing seafood lunch while we watched kite surfers and wind surfers through the palms right outside. Surf amazing, very cool. Did manage to catch up with Tracey, brown beach babe, can see why she lives here, itching to get out in the surf on her windsurfer - good on ya Trac!
Flew out to Honolulu where we stopover briefly before heading to LA and the road trip begins :)Mahalo

Altitude training began

LOL and started with a drive up the volcano this afternoon. Yup sea level to 10000 feet in an hour from the passenger seat of the car! Stunning, such an island of contrasts. Stood at the top above the cloud level and looked into the crater. Photo is me training hard, bit under dressed in boardees and T shirt at the top with observatory in background ;) Back down the road, from where they ride down on mountain bikes, past all the switchbacks and through the cattle that roam the lower area. Lots of pheasants on the road.

Breakfast

Went for bike ride after I got kicked out of bed, to find a suitable place for brunch on the beach, found a superb spot just down the road. View is from breakfast table, its a hard life :) then off course off to the beach for sunbathing, reading books and watching Kite Boy have a blast in the first of the big winter swells. Wind steady but the surf BIG - he came back in fizzing! Every day there have been 30-40 kites out on the water, kite surfers heaven and about the same number windsurfers. Maui is fantastic!

Actually

this was me training hard today. Walking off brunch on the beach, at the lovely port of old Lahaina. Breakfast was at an old bar/guesthouse, not disimilar to Whitianga, that dated backed to the1900's, while watching surfers on the break though the marina. Then a quick wander around town and an attempt to drive around the rest of the volcano. We turned back after the road got VERY narrow, the warning said locals only and we were following a damn slow tourist. It was a day of contrasts, huge new high rise apartments/cities/shopping vs volcanic nothing and old port towns. Again temp in high 20's early 30's so it was time to hit the beach! Kites and sunbathing - we're having fun! The thought of staying has crossed our minds .... would recommend Maui as a holiday spot! Can see why Tracy lives here.

Training hard

to have fun :) Yup took the single speed for a spin today - up to the top of this one, the little one - nah only kidding.
This on one of the volcanos on the island but don't be fooled! Maui is a island with two f##@#$$%% big hills with a wind tunnel in between. This has caused much confusion for both of us. Yesterday it was my turn to get it wrong and today Stephen's. Because when the top of them is covered in cloud we haven't learnt which one is which. So you can end up driving in wrong direction as we found out - funny!

First stop

after some much need zzzzzz was a spot of shopping for swim ware, as it was about 30 degrees - nice! Then between the volcanos we went and back to kite beach to check out the afternoon sea breeze. We arrived to find WIND! lots of it and small kites the order. At least 40 kiters on the water! Big, small, experienced, beginners, male, female, g strings, topless. We opted to drive up to next layby as local guys said cleaner wind to launch - game on. Stephen was off! Vicki was on the beach with book in hand. Met a few other tourists including a french guy called Oliver who lives in San Francisco and was here for the kiting. Afternoon spent was enjoyed by all and then back for shower and off to a local spot for margaritas, coronas and mexican! Areabaaaaa, oops Aloha!

Sleep depravation

is not good. After arriving at airport to pick up a car. Yup a line up of 5x corvettes waited, which one - red or yellow???? Yellow? We tried valiantly to stuff bikenkites in back but to no avail - a silver KIA awaited us. So with car packed we headed out. A quick stop at kite beach, just around the corner - no one was there at 6am, funny that. So after driving in circles we opted to see if we could get an early check in and catch some much needed sleep before we melted down. As luck would have it we did and the morning was slept :)

budget accomodation

was in Honalulu airport. Decided we only had a few hours so why not camp at the airport, we arrived very late and had to take the 5.30am flight to Maui. Hmmmm, I can say I have now lived like a street kid, sleeping on seats proved very uncomfortable, best bet was the hard concrete seating but proved difficult to fall asleep I found. Stephen found the art of sleeping easier - just. The idea of heading into town was dashed when we realised we needed to lug a bike bag and kite bag via bus service. Would be a bit difficult to take into a restaurant also. No vending machines at airport that took our large bills so no food. So the day started, with bloodshot eyes at 3.30 am, headin over to the domestic airport baggage in tow, we had slept at international where the security guards had recommended.
A quick whizz past customs, followed by a guzzle of Burger King for breakfast - yummmmmmmmm - not!~ but tasted good after a night of no dinner. Maui next stop!

The support crew is getting excited .......

Stephen is nearly wetting his pants cause our trip goes via Hawaii, home of kite surfing - yup he beat Steve Lachlan there. Looking forward to some tapering of training - watching kite surfers while lying on the beach working on tan, hehehe. Thats if Tracey doesn't drag me off to ride some Hawaii single tracks/volcanos!

Hawkes Bay, my training ground :)

World SS machine is weighed in.

Tonight the beast was weighed. Yup the Specialized Stumpjumper 29er that Jamie from Avanti Plus Hastings has kindly lent me for the worlds got on the scales. Only 11kg so I will have space in the the bag to pack the helmet, Art Deco outfit and shoes :) Oh and a bikini! Thanks Jon and Jamie, your support is kindly accepted.