The end of one year and the beginning of another always result in reflections on life. On goals achieved and not achieved, on the celebration of new friendships made and old ones strengthened. Plus there is the joy in mapping out a new year, a fresh start and a new beginning.
For me personally, 2012 was a great year on and off the bike which has resulted in even bigger dreams for 2013 and beyond. One of the highlights for me was working with a new coach, New Zealand Olympic cyclist Matt Randall who my partner, Ray, found on the internet whilst google-stalking XTERRA athletes and coaches. It really showed me how important team work is between a (wannabe) athlete and a coach. Matt helped me believe in myself and my ability and with a change in training and attitude, results followed.
As a means of preparing for the XTERRA World Champs, Ray and I started competing in the 50km Marathon MTB races and before I knew it, I’d discovered a new passion. By lining up at each race and forcing myself to dig deeper than ever before, I achieved results I never thought were possible. I fell in love with Marathon (XCM) racing, everything about it really and I would encourage anyone who loves riding a bike to have a go.
With great respect I looked up at the elite girls like Jenny Fay, Jenni King, Peta Mullens, Jodie Willet, Naomi Hansen to name a few and made a pact with myself: If I managed to be the first female home in a 50km event I would step it up to the Elite full length events in 2013.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to achieve that, but it happened at the final race of the year, the Highland Fling. This was probably the biggest highlight of my sporting year.
Nienke closing in on the finish.
In all this chasing of podiums, I also managed to make some great new friends, the lovely Kath Bicknell was one of them who was kind enough to introduce me to Mike Blewitt. One thing lead to another and I feel unbelievably lucky to join the Subaru-MarathonMTB Team in 2013.
So my plans for 2013: I still have unfinished business at the XTERRA World Championships and will be focusing on returning there by qualifying at either the XTERRA Phillipines Championships or XTERRA Australia Championships. If all goes well, I will be preparing for the Worlds by racing an XTERRA European Championship later in the year. Whilst training for XTERRA I will pick races which have a MTB leg in it such as the Mt Baw Baw Seasons of Pain series and a few adventure races where I can. Although I love mountain biking (and it’s probably my strongest leg), there is something about triathlons and multisport events which I find very rewarding. For someone who gets easily bored it’s also nice to be able to exchange hours on the bike with running and swimming.
Another vet on the team!
On the mountain bike I will be stepping it up, racing in the elite category in the National XCM series. I’ll also be racing my first stage race in Alice Spring at the ICME which I am very excited about.
I feel very lucky to be part of an experienced team like Subaru-MarathonMTB in my first full season of XCM racing as I will be racing against some super strong girls and I will need all the advice and support I can get!!
In between all this racing of my own I will be working on horses to get them as fit and healthy as I can for their own race days, whilst being lovingly cared for (and competing against!) my biggest fan of all – my partner, Ray, who is an amazing athlete in his own right.
Nienke Oostra – racing for Subaru-MarathonMTB.com in 2013