Jed Rooney

Down but not out.

2011-07-21T03:05:00.000-07:00

I talk about adversity a lot because the definition of the word seems to plonk itself in front of me in block letters along my journey. Over the past weekend I got dished out some more for lunch. The setting was a gloomy day in the Swiss alps, Finals day for a Swiss national. The rain was heavy and fog blanketed the mountain thick like tranny's exhaust fumes. Focus was the trigger word for the weekend and the wet and cold was not phasing me. As planned I hit up a run just before practice finished, Last minute lift run timed perfectly. I was putting together my last run perfecting my race plan until Half way down I clipped a rock and got ragged, Couldn't make it around the next turn and rag dolled into the bushes. During the ragdoll I felt my shoulder dislocate but then swing itself back in just in time to land heavily on a bed of rocks, Long story short after a less than helpful and expensive trip to a Swiss hospital I found out I had also fractured my scapula. Throughout the rest of the day I went through the normal stages of Grief we all experience and after a lot of disbelief and anger I finally came to acceptance. In the past this would have lingered in my mind for weeks, negatively breaking me down bit by bit. Although these days I have a more skilled mental arsenal. After some time I started to find positives. As bad as the situation went it couldn't have gone any better, Only a small fracture of the scapula and a dislocation that popped straight back in with what feels like little muscle damage. Only time will tell with the dislocation tho. I have decided to wait it out in Europe and see how my body recovers. To get to this point has been hard work and im not prepared to get on a plane home bound yet.La bresse world cup is in just over 2 weeks now and I don't feel very confident of a return then. Who knows tho the human body can do some amazing things. If not I will be putting some major effort towards achieving my ideal performance at The last world cup in 5 weeks time. I am growing fairly resilient to failure these days and its not without the help of some inspiration. Some athletes have had it as rough as it gets but then there success at the end of it seems to be worth so much more. Ben Townley is one kiwi athlete who never seizes to amaze me with his never say quit attitude. That's it too, your attitude! I'm not done yet.

Europe round 2, Phase 1- Germany

2011-07-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

After all the preparation you do for one of these trips its a bloody good feeling to check your bags in at the airport. After nearly 30 hours travel I made it to Rudolstadt Germany where harriet rucknagel and her brother kimma so kindly let me stay for the week, Thanks for helping me out again this year! It was a surreal feeling to be back there really. Sometimes you don't think too much about whats going on and it kind of feels like a series of uncontrollable events just led you to where your standing. But looking back its definitely a big achievement for myself just to have made it to this point. When i came home after last season I thought racing had me beat, I overcame some big obstacles over the past 12 months and to be here is success in my own right. So i have been here for just over a week now and already the first race is done and dusted. After spending the week in rudolstadt getting organised and putting some training together i fired up the one and only Super tranny for a short journey to Ilmenau. The Venue for my first race of the season a IXS German cup. Barely 10 mins after I got on the road i got pulled by the German police, This is a fairly common occurrence. It seems they just cant help but stop such a magestical vehicle to check its modifications. After being stopped several times last year I have got a good story sussed although these officers where very thorough and spoke great English. Got me sweating a bit but i sweet talked like only a kiwi could and managed to continue. Had to have a wee laugh, great start to the trip. So yeah made it to Ilmenau eventually and parked her up in some random forest for the night. Awoke the next day for first practise session, The course was kind of unusual it was really short and hard to find a good pace. Either seemed like you where going to slow or trying to hard. Managed to work it out for Qauli the next day and put together a smooth run sliding into 2nd position. I Let myself down in the end with a disappointing run in the finals on Sunday, 4 seconds back in 9th. I made costly mistakes and then tried to hard to make the time up which caused me to make more errors, That kind of snow ball effect. Initial feeling was of course gutting because i should have been on the box but this is the kind of shit the derailed me last year. Got to keep on the positive, Believe before you achieve. I showed good speed on the bike and the only thing that really brought down the overall quality of the weekend was the final run. Sounds wierd right? thats the only thing that counts? not at all. I achieved my race weekend goals and focused on controlling only what i can controll which is something i have struggled with previously. Got to keep my head up and focus on improving at the next one. I am back in rudolstadt now for a few days. Going to get some solid training done then head south For another IXS Cup in Wiriehorn, Switzerland.

Getting your equipment to the other side of the world is always abit of a headache. Heres a pic of the haul this year

Tranny. In all her glory. Parked up in some forest car park for the night, No worrys.

When i tell people i am going to travel around Europe racing i get the impression they think it sounds kind of glamarous... Think again! living in a van is messy at the best of times.

Surgery success, My life - Further Insight.

2011-05-14T02:41:00.000-07:00

Nothing in my vocabulary can describe how relieved I felt when I completed a full downhill run without experiencing a crippling like pain in my forearms for the first time in my life. It was Unbelievable, Yes for those who know of my situation or who read my last entry I am pleased to say my surgery has really improved my condition. I no longer develop that chronic numbing pain in my arms while riding which has held me back for so long. This has been just a massive detour on my Journey and its such a relief to be back on course. Its kind of funny you know because no one can really grasp the heart ache this has caused me for years now or understand quite how much effort it has taken to get to this point. I find it really important to convey my approach and my real attitude towards racing through this blog because sometimes our images as a rider or person at the races lead to false assumptions to who we really are or our true ambitions.
We are all Mountain bikers and that’s what brings us together, But apart from that we don’t have much In common in my opinion. Of course there is obvious athlete type traits installed within our personalities like Competitiveness, determination, Perseverance etc. But at the core we are complete strangers. We all have our story and a real reason that is underlying in our passion, Some people are just yet to find that out yet or haven’t dug deep enough. I am blessed that I have found my true passion. I discovered it through adversity as I have not had the easy road, In fact I have had it bloody hard. I have been at the lowest of lows with drugs and alcohol which took over my life at a young age. I clawed my way out of that hole and decided to change my life. I am also not afraid to tell people about this because it is a massive part of who I am today and one of the main driving forces in why I am pursuing this dream. Its never been about proving to someone I can do it its about stepping up and truly taking hold of my life. In many ways its not even about the sport. I live in Oamaru isolated from mainstream NZ dh scene and no one really sees the blood, sweat and tears I am putting into this. Its not just what I am doing its completely who I am being. Also I want to make it clear that recognition is not what I am trying to achieve. It is far from that. Like I said its about proving to myself I can really break the mould and be free from the constraints of modern society, Challenge myself and go all out. No regrets uno just give it everything and if I fail well hell at least I gave it a good shot. Lately I have been training mega hard for my up coming Euro campaign and organizing all the logistics. Starting to get real excited about getting back over there and stuck into the racing. Here’s my race itinerary for the season..

Depart NZ 02.07.2011
Arrive Germany. 02.07.2011

09.07/10.07- IXS Cup, Ilmeau Germany
16.07/17.07- IXS Cup, Wiriehorn Switzerland
30.07/31.07- Nissan Euro Cup, Oz en Oisans France
06.08/07.08- World Cup round 6, La bresse France
13.08/14.08- IXS Euro Cup, Pila Italy
20.08/21.08- World Cup round 7, Val Di Sole Italy

Depart Germany 08.09.2011
Arrive NZ 10.09.2011

Peace,
Jed.

Adversity

2011-03-10T17:46:00.000-08:00

I have been so caught up in my missions of late I almost forgot I even had a blog. I don’t even know if this blog is beneficial or if anyone follows it? I mean words don’t capture real world feelings but I guess it feels good to attempt to put them in writing. So for those who care here’s what I- Jed Rooney have been doing with myself of late and my plan of attack for 2011. Oh and my usual philosophical ramblings. Adversity- definition: distress;affliction;hardship, an unfortunate event or incident. In every human beings life they face This 9 letter word in many different forms and on a broad scale of significance. I think athletes in particular grow a healthy respect and appreciation for this feeling. In a round about kind of way it is the difference between a good athlete and a great athlete. In my case making it as a professional downhill racer or falling by the waist side like so many talented riders do. The way you deal with the low blows, injuries, financial hardship, bad luck I mean the list goes on. My point being that its all in your mindset! Who is to say you cant achieve your dreams? I am sure as hell majority of people seem to measure success in the amount of money they have or the sometimes superficial image they portray. They lead themselves to believe successful bussimen and athletes the world over sort of just ‘ stumbled across success’ when reality is they are dedicated, realistic people with a strong sense of who they are. They have an ability to self evaluate and constantly redirect there path to reach there goals. Good quote “ If you don’t know where you are going, chances are you’ll probably end up somewhere entirely different” this year I face my own form of adversity. Throughout My career as a downhill mountain bike racer I have had a major performance hindering problem commonly known as arm pump. It was only when I spent a season racing internationally that I realized my desire to race as a professional would never become reality if I did not address this problem. The theories are so broad on this topic I would rather not dissect it. After returning home to New Zealand I have spent a tremendous amount of effort trying to get to the bottom of it all. I tried every solution under the sun and nothing worked. Eventually with the help of my specialist we came to a conclusion I had acute chronic compartment syndrome of the forearm. Compartment syndrome is common in the legs but not in the forearm. In brief it is when the sheath or fascia covering your muscles is abnormally tight causing a loss of feeling in the hands when blood pressure builds and begins to crush the nerves. A procedure can be performed to release the fascia and allow more blood flow to the muscle. I immediately began to put the steps in place to organize the surgery so I could try salvage a late season campaign in Europe. I have since had surgery on February 10th. Results from the surgery are varied as not all individuals recover the same, I have yet to test myself but I hope to ride my MX bike in the following weeks to see if it was successful. So where to from here? Staying on the positive side I would like to think that the surgery was successful. I am currently planning a 6 week campaign in Europe throughout July/August with my target races being rounds 6 and 7 the final stages of the world cup series. My focus is clear and with the help of the Academy of sport Otago I am preparing for the trip in as much detail as possible. But this year is not the be all end all, Its much bigger than that. A lot of people don’t know how much of a big deal racing is to me, I was going down some dark no exits roads in my life and racing is what turned me around. People just don’t know the meaning of ambition, I know its not going to be easy and I don’t care how long it takes. I am determined to be professional one day. I don’t give a shit about image or social status I just want to give this everything I have got and be the best I can be. That’s all I could ever ask for. ‘’Life battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man, But sooner or later, the man who wins Is the fellow who thinks he can’’

I will try keep this thing updated with some happenings along my journey, What will it have in store? I don’t know. But I do know you make your own luck in this world. To be continued…
Post surgery pic...

Windham World Cup & World Champs

2010-09-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay on this update its just writing has been the last thing on my mind since being home. To Recap on Windham world cup and world champs it was another up and down series of events. My mother and sister traveled with me so they made sure we included some tiki touring along with our travels. We spent some time in New York City before Windham world cup. That was pretty cool even though I can’t stand cities. From there we rented a vehicle and drove North to Windham NY where the sixth and final round of the World cup would be held. Upon arrival sparked a few laughs, A very stereo typical small American town with little more than a service station and a few shops. All the kiwi juniors where in town which was good to see. After an inspection of the event arena and a track walk I think the general consensus was good. The Track was short but packed full of things to keep you on your toes. Through first practice the track was rather slick but still riding fast and I felt fast also. Come qualifying on Friday I knew what had to be done and qualified safely in 69th place. The last two world cups they have run an extra practice session on the Saturday instead of straight into the final. I really like this format as you can get the track that much more dialed in. Sunday the Track was running prime and pretty much dry top to bottom. I usually struggle to get into a run straight of the bat but I listened to some music at the top and got real pumped up. It worked well as I hit the top section aggressive and put in a good first split of 39th. I faded at the bottom of the course and made one mistake, which cost me big time. I ended up 62nd overall and 6th junior. I was gutted after seeing my split time but at least I now know I have the speed to be kicking it in the top 40 and that will defiantly be one of my goals for next year.

World Champs. Mount Sainte Anne, Quebec Canada. The Host city of this prestigious event. The Track at Mount saint Anne is legendary, 5 minutes long and rough as hell. This year’s world champs marked the 20th year of Mountain bike competition at the Mountain so there was history rich in the soil. This was my first world championship
So the whole Event format was new to me. We had a whole week of small practice sessions each day to prepare for Sundays race. It was difficult to decide how many runs to ride because you didn’t want to peak too early or tire yourself out. Through out the week we had some amazing weather. The course was a dust bowl and getting beaten up every day. Along with myself, I took one huge digger on a high-speed section and got lucky when I walked away from it un-broken. Not so lucky was some of my NZ team mates, A few Sprained ankles and a suspected broken wrist where sustained during practice. Not to mention broken bikes left right and center. When the weekend finally rolled around I felt good on track and focused for Sunday. The great weather hit the fan and the typical race day rain arrived. I headed up the hill for my run around lunchtime. Unusually I wasn’t nervous at all while warming up for my run at the top. I run through the track in my head over an over and felt set for a good run when in the start gate. Before I knew it I was half way down the hill and something just wasn’t right, I was thinking too much or something, I just wasn’t flowing and my arms where hurting like hell. I crossed the line head down in disappointed. Biggest race of the year and I blew it. 12th junior. After so much preparation and build up 12th was just not good enough at the end of the day. I felt I had let myself down big time and struggled to comprehend what the hell went wrong. After some time I put it behind me and continued to keep my attitude I learned in Europe. You just can’t let shit results get to you, if you want something bad enough and put in the effort then eventually it will happen. Post Race there was a sick after party where I drowned my sorrows. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way this year. In particular Mark Angus from the bike fix Queenstown, Everyone at Bike Otago, Eddie Masters, Banshee Bikes, Formula Brakes and most of all my parents. Bring on 2011!

Fundraiser Race, Thanks for your Support!

2010-08-16T00:55:00.000-07:00

I would just like to say a huge thanks to everyone who came out to my fundraiser race over the weekend despite the conditions. I hope everyone had a good race. The race would not have been possible without the huge help from Bike Otago and Eddie masters. The amount of effort these guys put in just to help me out was above and beyond and I appreciate it a lot. Also a huge thanks to all the distributors that donated bike parts for the auction which ended up being a huge success.

The man behind the idea, Eddie masters. Cheers broA legit Auctioneer. Thanks for coming along! The Weekend wouldnt have been possible without all the help from Greg leov and his wife Nola.Good Turnout, Thanks to all for coming along.

Reminiscing on the times...

2010-08-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

Home sweet home. After 3 months fanging it around Europe non-stop racing bikes It was a happy time to arrive home to the long white cloud, New Zealand. Although my time here is only short lived, 1 weeks time I will be back boarding another steel Bird jetting far abroad to another new and exciting place. First up will be Windham U.S.A for the last round of the world cup series before heading north to Quebec Canada for the World championships, the big one. I had always planned to return home before heading state side and im stoked with that decision. After spending so much time in Europe it was easy to lose focus of my goals and what im trying to achieve. I think coming home has already recharged me and im keen as ever to hit this last and most important leg of my 2010 missions at full pace. Since being home I have had a lot of time to think and reflect on myself and the way I raced overseas. Looking back there is so many mistakes and situations I have learned from which have changed the way I perceive things. I had such high expectations of myself so when I did not exceed or reach my goals it was easy to put myself down. The thing is you have got to try your hardest to look at the bigger picture in times like that, Continue to chase down whatever it is you want from life, because if you don’t then one day it will all pass you by and no one is going to make it happen for you. No matter how many times I fall down, I want to be that guy who never gives up, that guy who charges on and one day hit’s the big time. So to sum up my European race season is was definitely a success. I finished on a high note when I qualified and finished 64th place at world cup #5 in Italy. I brought back more knowledge than I had when I left and therefore I achieved something. From here its definitely not over for 2010, As I said earlier I still have one more world cup and the one race I have set all my hopes and dreams on for the year. The World championships. Its going to be one crazy race, the build up through out the week for the final run. That run that everyone wants to lay it all down. I cant say I know exactly how I will fare against the worlds best juniors. But I do know what I am capable of in myself and my potential. I am excited yet nervous with anticipation for this race but I know what I need to do. Over the next week I will continue to train and prepare for these up coming races. In a sport like this where globe trotting is just part of the game funding is a constant battle. I would just like to say a huge thanks to my parents, Keith at banshee bikes, Mark Angus at the bike fix Queenstown, the Leov family and everyone for the contributions and support. Without all your help I would not be able to keep chasing my dream. Wish me luck in Canada! I hope to make you all proud.

Thanks,
Jed Rooney
Val Di sole, Italy. World Cup #5, 64th place. 5th Junior

Life on the other side

2010-07-14T02:28:00.000-07:00

The old blogspot has been missing abit of attention lately, Mostly due to the fact i have just been slack. So where do i start, The past few months have been a whirlwind adventure through the motherland of Europe, here one weekend there another. Racing bikes all over the show and having plenty of laughs along the way. As for the racing itself if i was to put it in perspective it has not been a great trip so far. I had high hopes and expectations of myself but Injuries and mechanicals have plagued my season, Although there is nothing you can do about this sort of stuff it is easy to let it get you down. I am keeping positive tho as there is always something good to take away from things , I am learning allot about how to manage myself and race smart overseas. One way to look at it is stepping stones along the way to the main goal which is to perform at world championships. I just need to start putting it together then the confidence will come back and i will be on track. As for keeping positive my new banshee legend frame arrived a few weeks ago and i have been loving every minute on it. Big thanks to keith scott at banshee bikes for sorting me out. Of late Myself and the rest of the kiwi clan have been hanging out in Portes du soleil. A huge network of chairlifts and gondalas on the border of France and Switzerland with MTB tracks galore. An amazing place to ride and train. With only four weeks until i come home it seems like the trip has gone quick and im looking forward to coming home to the long white cloud. But its not over until its over and i still have two world cups to attend and i really want to step up and show what i can do. Thats about all i have to say for now, just wanted to let everyone know im alive haha. Next time i throw some words up it will be a race report from the weekend, We are heading to Wiriehorn Switzerland for a European cup and hopefully all will go to plan.

Jed

The New rig

Watching the tour de france come through morzine

on the road again

the privateer life

New zealand Stand up

Schladming Austria, Stopped in for abit of riding.

more tour de France madness

Europe Phase 1, Mud in Maribor.

2010-05-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Over the past week things have been pretty full on in my neck of woods so i will give the run down right from the get go. So after some quick repacking at CHCH airport and a flight that seemingly took a lifetime Freddie king and I arrived rather jet lagged in Frankfurt Germany. Thankfully all our bikes and gear arrived with us, From there we caught a ride to our friend Harriet Rucknagel's place in Rudolstadt, Germany. This is where our magical white tranny had been lay rest for the winter. After Harriet kindly let us stay the night, thanks! We packed tranny and programmed maribor, Slovenia into the GPS and set off for our first big outing. Throughout our 10 hour drive we got pulled over by German customs and searched for drugs, Got held up in a 4 hour traffic jam on an autobahn and seen numerous displays of shocking European driving which has lead us to believe they are all on crack. Other than that and driving on the right hand side of the road our first roady went pretty smooth i think.

We arrived in Maribor on the Wednesday afternoon and spent a good couple hours trying to find the apartments at the top of the hill we where supposed to be staying in. At one stage we where full on off roading the tranny up some bandit 4wd tracks which made for some good laughs but definitely did not lead us to our accommodation. Eventually we met up with the playbiker boys and followed Edo Franco who showed us the way, The place we where staying was right next to the chairlift at the top so that was super handy. We stayed with some aussie boys to get the cost of the room down for the week and it worked out pretty good. Thursday Was course walk day and the rain had arrived which was predicted all week. The track looked good but with the weather and the mud i knew it was just going to be forever changing all weekend so line choice was sort of just wait and see the next day.

I awoke fresh and early the next day and the rain was still pelting down. Keen as ever just to get on the bike i geared up in the wet weathers and hit it down for first practise at 8.30. Throughout the day i felt like a fish out of water and rode like a special kid. I Just couldn't find my flow and took more downksy's than i can count on my fingers. The track was becoming cut up like nothing else, derailleur deep ruts and fork swallowing holes. The rain stopped and it dried out for top 80 practise which didn't worry me as i knew the forecast was even heavier rain for qualy the next day. That night back at the motel was spent washing and drying kit which became the general hassle of the weekend.

The big day, Qualifying. Another early start and more heavy bloody rain, I managed to smash out 2 runs in morning practise and felt a hell of allot better on the bike. The course was about as loose as its gets but for some reason i had this feeling of control for the conditions which gave me confidence. Back to the motel and a 3 hour wait for my run, Time went slow as i sat and waited. When the time finally rolled around i was definitely ready to go, Warming up at the top i felt level headed and calm and knew what had to be done. Poised in the start hut ready to smash it when those world cup start beeps counted me down. Once i hit the first section it struck me how blown out and knarly the track had become with all the riders who had gone previous to me, I was getting swapped left and right but hitting all my lines good. But it all went pear shaped before i knew it. 30 sec in there was a nasty wooden huck that had been giving me grief all weekend, I got loose on the roots before it and high sided of the lip which sent me down like a sack of potatoes. Whilst sliding down the hill i caught on a root which felt like it ripped my tailbone clean from my ass, not the best feeling at all as i only just managed to pull my bike from the track. By now she was all over rover, I ended up with the big DNF down at the bottom of the results page along with the DQ's. At first it really pissed me off as i know i could have qualified if i just stayed on the bike but at the same time i had no real expectations for my first world cup and shit happens. from here i just need to keep moving forward and one day it will click.

So with that all in the books Fred and I have just been kicking back here in maribor this week living the pine life with tranny, Enjoying the sun which decided to turn up. This up coming weekend we have the Slovenian national champs which will keep us busy. I have put up some random photos below, Sorry for the lack of riding pictures i Couldn't find any of myself from the weekend. Cheers to all back home who have helped me out, All the boys from blue shark and mark at the bike fix. Keep checking back i will be sure to update this sucker when i have time.

peace,
Jed

Mt Pohorje. We missed the gondola one night and had to hike up to our apartment at the top, Good training haha.

Slovenian driving.

Back of tranny. 5 star living

This is the carpark we have been living in this week.

European Race Schedule

2010-03-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

My First ever International race season is approaching fast so lately i have been busy organizing the final few stages of my travels. When you are a privateer organization is essential as every dollar spent is from your own back pocket. I have spent a fair bit of time on making sure the races i plan to hit up are the most bang for my buck. Also they are structured so the next race is never to far away because we all know how taxing traveling around in a vehicle non stop can be. Anyway i am starting to get really excited about going away and i have a positive feeling things are going to go well for me. Check out my Euro race Schedule...

9 May- Depart NZ, 3.55pm
10 May- Arrive Frankfurt Germany, 1.15pm
13 May- Maribor Slovenia, WC #1, Day 1
14 May-Day 2
15 May-Day 3, Qualifying
16 May-Day 4, race
22 May- Maribor Pohorje DH
23 May- '' ''
29 May- Scopello, Italy. Alpe Di Mera DH
30 May- '' ''
12 June- Verbier, Switzerland. IXS Euro Cup DH Rd 1
13 June- '' ''
17 June- Schladming, Austria. WC #3, Day 1
18 June- day 2
19 June- day 3, Qualifying
20 June- day 4, Race
26 June- leogang, Austria. IXS Euro Cup DH Rd 2
27 June- '' ''
28 June-15 July - MORZINE TRAINING
17 July- Wirie Horn, Switzerland. IXS Swiss cup
22 July- Champery, Austria. WC #4, Day 1
23 July- day 2
24 July- day 3, Qualifying
25 July- day 4, race
29 July- Val di Sole, Italy. WC #5, Day 1
30 July- Day 2
31 July- day 3, Qualifying
1 August- day 4, race
5 August- Depart Frankfurt Germany, 10.20 Pm
7 August- Arrive CHCH NZ, 2.20 pm

2010 Oceania Champs, Dunedin Report

2010-03-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! All the people involved with hosting the event deserve some huge props, 2010 Oceania championships in Dunedin was off the hook and definitely raised the bar for mountain biking events here in New Zealand. The course was excellent and weather held strong so it made for some Really good competitive racing with our Australian counterparts. After an up and down National season I am stoked to bag a solid result at such a recognized event. On not such a high note I am writing this on the couch foot up with a sprained ankle I suffered yesterday on a stupid crash at the bloody BMX track of all places! Not such a good end to the weekend but I will be back charging in no time.Anyway here’s a brief take on what went down.

Photo credit: Max carter-smith

With having two days practise at this race I definitely paced myself, although I ride Dunedin a lot they had built a lot of new stuff so the track was fairly new to me. The course was fast and taped wide the whole way with the usual Dunedin rock gardens and some new open off camber sections, It then joined on to the 4x track towards the bottom. This was the only thing that let the track down in my own opinion. The weather had been mint all weekend so when I arrived in Dunedin Race day morning to Rain and set in looking dark clouds I was a little gutted. Luckily it didn’t last long and the sun turned up which made course conditions actually improve with the dust settling. I hit one lap in morning practise then felt ready to qualify. I went out pretty hard in qualifying hitting all the tech sections good
And stayed smooth going into 4th place. Times where really tight so I knew it was going to be a close race but I defiantly had a lot more in the tank. Race run didn’t get off to the best start, I clipped my pedal in the first rock section which sent me down the following section 2 feet off. I managed to keep it rubber side down and from there I was on a mission, charging hard trying to regain some speed and rode really aggressive. I crossed the line in 2nd place behind George Brannigan and my time was a lot faster than I would have predicted for that run, I held 2nd place from the last few riders just edging out the young Australian pinner Troy brosnan who took 3rd. After that the pro men showed us how its done with Cam Cole taking the top spot followed by Nathan Rankin and Wyn Masters.

All in all it was a positive weekend and im happy I caped off my NZ season with a solid result. From Here its time to get down to business and train hard for my upcoming international season which I am Really looking forward to. Whatever goes down over there will end up on here so keep posted. Last but not least Thanks to Tomac bikes.

Peace out,
Jed Rooney

NZ cup Round 3, Nelson

2010-01-25T00:07:00.000-08:00

The South island cup is done and dusted, With Well not so much dust this year. The series was wrapped up over the weekend with round 3 on the infamous kaka hill, Nelson. After some some sick riding and plenty of bloody sand fly bites here is my take on what went down.

Arriving in nelson to pooring rain on Friday afternoon was a bit shit. Kaka hill is mostly rock based ridgeline and does not get affected much by the rain so i wasnt to worried. The rain cleared up that night which allowed for a quick track walk and it was much the same as previous years. Varied with a native tree section at the top then out into the open hauling ass down some rocky ridgelines before dropping down the last section with a bunch of switchbacks lined with gorse either side. Most people ending up picking this gorse out of there ass for the next few weeks haha. With close to no pedalling and big grins for the ballsy Its got to be my favourite track of the year and one of the best in the country.

The next morning i was keen as to get into it when i arrived at the hill. Shortly after gearing up for first run it started to rain again but didnt last to long, Showers would come and go all day but not changing track conditions a hell of alot. It was loose but still fairly controlled and everyone was loving every minute of it. Shuttles where charging all day and everyone got enough practise runs in. Line choice was simple as the fastest lines where resonably obvious. I felt fast on the track and good results there in the past gave me good confidence for the race the next day. Thanks to Cam johnsons Mum for cooking us a beauty of a feed that night!

Race day i got out to the hill bright and early so i would get a good park. Same as the day before it started to drizzle just as morning practise was schedueled to start. It didnt come to much and i got up there with the first few to go down. Having rained over night it was wild down the rocky sections but the sun came out and the course was becoming quite dry in time for seeding runs. As for seeding i went out pretty hard knowing i was sitting 2nd overall in the Si cup and needed as many points as possible, I went alittle to hard and crashed up top which cost me my run and ended up 2nd. With abit of luck and a win in the final it was still possible for me to take the overall. But it wasnt to be, I stacked on the fastest bit of the track. I got up quick and rode hard trying to salvage the best result i could and took another 2nd. I was fairly pissed off with myself but what can you do. As for Pro men it was another hot contested race, Nathan rankin made an appearance and after qualify first he took a downsky in his run. Mathew Scoles took the Win with Frenchy Fabien Pedamaund in 2nd and Jr World champ Brook Mcdonald in 3rd.

Post race there was an after party at horses pump track although not alot of pump track sessioning went down. With the Si cup in the books there is now a couple week break before the Ni cup kicks off in rotorua. Big thanks to everyone involved with the organising of the Si cup over the past few weeks, There has been some good times had by all for sure and it wouldnt be possible without all the volunteers who put there hand up to drive Vans and blow whistles etc. Also thanks to Tomac bikes and everyone who is helping me out this season.

Cheers,
Jed

Nz Mtb Cup Rd 2, Dunedin

2010-01-16T23:18:00.000-08:00

After what seemed like a bloody long week at work I was stoked to see the weekend roll around once again and hit dunners for the 2nd round of the NZ Mtb cup. Having been told the weather was crap all week in Dunedin I prepared for the worst. The track on signal hill is sick with a bit of everything and is always keeping you on your toes. Especially the big rock garden at the top of the course which would prove to be wild over the weekend in the wet conditions, A few big crashes and plenty of sketchy moments had in their im sure! Signal is my local and I know the hill pretty well so I was pumped to try and bag another good result.

My hometown of Oamaru is only a 1-hour drive to Dunedin so I decided I would just make day trips down on practice and race day. Up bright and early Saturday morning I fueled up the Trusty old transit and headed south to dunners. With registration out of the way vans started shuttling everyone up the hill and the general vibe was everyone loved the track although a bit loose in the rocks. The shuttle turn around was short so blasting out heaps of laps wasn’t a problem at all, Not doing too many was the key. Over the course of the day the track proved fairly unforgiving with a few riders being claimed including myself, I took a nasty digger towards the end of practice which left me with a tweaked wrist and a mild concussion. I iced up my wrist pretty quick and headed home unsure if I would be able to ride the next day.

Seeding run, Managed to go down in exact same spot in my race run. Cheers to Max carter-Smith for the pic.

Sunday morning I arrived in Dunedin to wet roads and low misty rain covering the hill. I was their super early keen to get up for first runs to see if my wrist would hold up. Sure enough the car park filled up pretty quick and transport got underway. Course was super slick and the weather looked set in, my wrist was holding up all right but Im sure the painkillers where helping a lot. Morning practice went quick from 9 am to 10.30 and one run extra for the pro boys. Following a rider briefing they got straight into it with seeding runs. Most of the course had dried out by now but the rocks in the trees where still wet and wild. My plan for the run was to take it easy and save my wrist for the final, I ended up crashing and bending my rotor pretty bad cruising in out the ass in about 9th. Which wasn’t to good for points. Putting that behind me I got myself sorted and felt confident about putting down a good race run. I started off well but went down in a heap in the rocks, don’t know how I didn’t get injured but I got up quick and rode the rest of the course all right. I ended up 3rd in Junior which I was still pretty happy with. In the big boys class local man Justin Leov Took it out with a fast 2 min 43. Cam Cole in second and current junior world champ Brook McDonald in 3rd.

Dunedin put on a great race and the track made for some awesome racing. Also MC for the day Eddie Masters was good for a few laughs. For me its Back to work for a few days then I will be headed north to the top of the south island for round 3 in nelson. Cheers to Everyone who put on the Event in Dunedin and my sponsor Tomac bikes.

Cheers,
Jed

NZ MTB Cup Rd 1, Christchurch.

2010-01-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

So with new years and 09 in the books my 2010 season kicked off with the first round of the Nz national series, living springs Christchurch. Having just built up my fresh new tomac primer 220 I chucked my gear in the van and headed north to Christchurch. Arriving on Thursday afternoon I headed up the hill keen to check out the much-anticipated living springs track. I had already seen the course prior to the event but it was only half built so didn’t really no what to expect. Straight off the start line she was full on weaving right down the guts of a steep valley covered in rocks roots and native trees then opening up into some pinned grassy ski style turns. Was a mission just to walk down the top section but I couldn’t wait for practice the next day.

Top of the old track

I arrived at the hill nice and early the next day for first practice, After catching up with a few old mates I hadn’t seen in an age it was time to load the vans up and head up there. First run down had my eyes wide that was for sure! If you got off the brakes for any more than a moment you where getting wild and out of control haha. It was scary stuff but I was loving it nonetheless. Unfortunately by lunchtime the course had claimed half a dozen riders and was just too difficult for the majority to get down, Riders being stopped and banking up at every marshal point because ahead someone had gone down in a heap. The event organizers stepped in at this stage and came to an agreement that the track had to be changed, it was disappointing to hear but understandable under the circumstances. After lunch they had quickly taped out an alternative track that traversed across the hill and joined up with the lower open grassy section of the old track. It was not the best racetrack as the traverse made for some gut busting slightly uphill pedal sections and only one main line, but still pretty fun to ride. After a few runs I had the new top half dialed and was feeling fit for the race.

Race morning I got out to the hill pretty early again after getting pumped watching some downhill DVDs and charging some strong brews of coffee. After a couple runs and a race briefing it was time to get into it with seeding runs, I got up the hill way too early and ended up sitting around for 45 min waiting for my run, I guess better to be early than late. Anyway the plan was to save my legs for the race run so I didn’t go all out but still put down an alright run with only a couple of mistakes, I went into 2nd place in a time of 4.04.39 only a couple seconds behind Daniel franks. I felt confident for the final as I estimated I could take 10sec of my seeding time. Before I knew it lunch had passed and I was up at the top warming up for my run, going over my run in my head I was ready to get it done. I put down a solid run and pedaled hard taking 9 sec off my seeding going into first place on a 3.55.77. With only Dan franks to go. He came down on a 3.56.80 so I took the win and was really stoked. After that saw a stacked pro men’s division with plenty of internationally ranked riders racing it made for some tight times, Blenky took it out With Justin leov and Cameron cole in 2nd and 3rd. Turns out my time would have held out for a 10th place in pro men which was an added bonus.

All and all considering the chaos on practice day with carnage and track changes it was a good weekend with some great racing and top-notch weather. Not to mention some wild d1 action at the go carts after the race! Also My new tomac was rad and I was really happy with the way I handled my race. My result has given me plenty of confidence for the rest of the series. Looking forward to round 2 next weekend in Dunedin. I would like to thank all the boys from the gravity Canterbury crew I hope in the future we can race the awesome track they have built so all the hard work they put in building the course wasn’t for nothing. Also I would like to thank my sponsor’s tomac bikes and all the people who have me helped me out.

Cheers,
Jed Rooney

Intro, A little about myself..

2010-01-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

Sup guys, Just thought I would let you know a bit about myself and my plans for 2010. My name is Jed Rooney 17 years of age born and breed in the one and only Oamaru, NewZealand. Love to hang out with mates and ride my bike downhills. 2010 is going to be an exciting year for me traveling the world riding my bike and meeting some new people. My racing season kicked off with round one of the NZ national series over the weekend and it could not have gone any better, Check my Review on the race. After my great start to the NZ MTB cup I want to keep focused On achieving my goals I have set for the season and stay consistent. With this being my last year in junior a huge part of my motivation is Defiantly the opportunities to represent NewZealand at the world championships come September in mount saint Anne. I work full time and have been saving like mad for the past six months trying to get together enough funds for a privateer attempt at the European World cups and some IXS rounds. Coming from NZ makes it very hard with our exchange rate its not cheap and I pride myself in the fact I am getting there off my own back and not relying entirely on Mum and Dad. Anyway keep posted for some reviews on what should be some sick racing here in NZ at the Moment.

Cheers,
Jed