people of the whaka pt.2

​Lining up at the start of the Whaka 100, there’s an air of nervousness as the morning mist lifts to reveal a clear, crisp morning and a sea of hardy souls gathered at the start line of a big day on the bike. Some will know what they’re in for, others will not have a clue. I know what I’m in for, but not exactly ready for it.

Sitting atop a bike in the middle of this crowd and scanning the scene, it’s obvious there’s quite the cross-section of society on the starting grid. I’m seeing every embodiment of nervousness, from nail-biting to full-belly laughs and a load of people generally fidgeting with nervous excitement.

Just who are these people, I wonder? My mind drifts, and I make my own assumptions:
See Part 1 here!

​Holly, the Determined youngster.
Holly’s new to this bike game, introduced to it by her neighbour she’s now keen to get out on her bike as much as possible. The screen saver on her iPad (which she’s allowed to use after her homework is done) is a picture of her idol, Sammy Maxwell, racing to the top ten at a very muddy Crans-Montana Cross-country World Cup. Holly’s birthday was last week, and her parents got her her first set of lycra; a team replica kit to match Sammy, so today, she’s dressed for success. Holly’s not on the best bike or got the fanciest helmet, or even from a particularly sporty family; the determined look on their face is thanks to some input from enthusiastic riders who’ve seen how keen she is and a handy afterschool MTB program. She’s going to be the best she can be today and will grow up to be the Sammy Maxwell of her time but first she needs to get through today.

Tracey the Tech CEO.
Tracy is the cliche Tech start-up CEO. She’s on the bleeding edge when it comes to everything; from business and daily life to mountain biking. Tracy leaves no stone unturned when it comes to optimising everything. This will be his first Whaka experience, and she can rest assured that she’s done all he can off the bike to prepare. Everyone wishes they could do more time on the bike but Tracy’s relying on her off-bike preparations to get her through. Her days begin facing the rising sun with some yoga and breathwork, followed by a hearty GF, DF, RSF, Alternative Milk, Organic, Fair Trade, and Living Wage prepared breakfast. Although her company has been losing millions annually; thanks to some friendly Angel investors, she’s still afforded the latest X-Worx racing bike and a subscription to an online AI training platform, which she generally ignores in favour of some Cold Plunge and Sauna. With a lifestyle as busy as hers, recovery is more important than training itself. Let’s hope her investors don’t follow her on Strava.

Barry the bike mechanic.
“Get a job in the bike industry”, they said, “it will be fun”, they said. They never said, “You’ll ride more”. This industry insider is just happy to be on the start line at all. Thankfully he applied for his leave early, and the date was on the calendar for months, ensuring he wasn’t rostered on to work retail this Whaka weekend. With buckled wheels on his bike and bulging discs in his back from lifting weighty e-bikes into the work stand, he’s keen to give the day an honest nudge. It’s been a few weeks since Barry last rode his bike, but he’s just thankful to be off the tools and in the forest. He’s looking around, greeting familiar faces on the start line with a raised eyebrow here and a nod of the head over there. He knows their bikes intimately and could tell me when they last replaced their chain or their fork pressure, but can barely remember their names. Barry knows better than anyone that although he’s out for his own Whaka adventure today, it’s likely he’ll be stopping at some point to help a fellow rider repair a mechanical issue, such is the bike mechanic's drive to keep everyone's bike rolling well, aside from their own.

Imogen the influencer.
She’s got a selfie stick in hand, a POV camera on her chest and an unlimited data plan on her cell phone.   I’ve followed her preparations on her YouTube channel, she’s enthusiastic thats for sure! What she doesn’t have in technical skill, she makes up for with stoke for riding her bike. Chasing unique content, she’s lubing her chain on the start line with her latest freebie. Skillfully balancing the bike, filming herself, and getting the lube on the chain; not just anyone can multitask like this, only seasoned influencers can get the job done efficiently and have the proof uploaded to Youtube before the start gun goes. Like, share and subscribe!

Pete the midlife crisis Podcaster.
Pete’s an ex-semi-pro downhiller, now in his late 30’s he considers himself as aged out of downhill racing and no longer wants to hang out with the downhill groms at races on the weekends, instead he’s spending time with his own kids, and on the occasion he gets time to ride he’d rather be on his bike than waiting in a shuttle queue; this is what’s lead him to the Whaka startline. Any excuse to spend over 7 hours out on his bike in a single day is a good excuse; heck, that’s basically a months worth of riding in one go for him - ideal! Pete lives in the past, reminiscing on the days of old and revelling in past experiences. A few mates and him sit around a Zoom call every few weeks to record a podcast, mainly telling stories of “back in the day” racing downhill, cracking inside jokes that noone other than them will understand, and dishing out bike based banter for the poor sould who chose to listen. Thanks to his years downhilling, Pete’s no slouch on the downhills, but thanks to a well tuned dad bod and a general distaste for any trail sloping uphill, he’s not so fast up the climbs. “Gotta get up to get down” is his motto, so needs, must. “Tune in next week for a full recap!”

✒️ Lester Perry
Lester is a Whaka 100 alumni, co-host of the OTB Podcast and is finding his way into endurance MTB after a life of gravity focussed riding. He writes for New Zealand Mountain Biker Magazine and New Zealand Cycling Journal. His favourite trail in the Whaka is Kung Fu Walrus. Find him: @lesterperryNZ

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PS. The legends featured in the photos in this article are not the basis of Lester's musings.