RUSH BROTHERS IN A HURRY

The Rush brothers will be doing just that next week, when the Oamaru pair of Tim and Kris take up the challenge of The Pioneer Mountain Bike Stage Race, seven days of tough riding from Christchurch to Queenstown over the Southern Alps.

26-year-old Tim has an extensive CV on the bike, on both road and mountain, and will likely be one of the strongest riders on the event. Already in recent times he has been a winner of the Gutbuster (Kris 5th), Naseby 12 Hour (solo) and the Bannockburn Classic in late December (Kris 4th) and was runner up to Commonwealth Games gold medalist and 2016 Pioneer winner Anton Cooper at the 2016 Macpac Motatapu.

“I have done a few events but this is the next level, it is the unknown for both of us, how we go and how we treat things day to day is different to a road tour, we are green on that side of things. It is about being smart about things, taking it day by day and not going into the red too often.”

Tim says he is improving with every ride, but admits the skills on the dirt are different to the road.

“My skills are on the improve, downhill is an issue but on the uphill I am comfortable. I love the suffering and the long climbs, but the downhill and technical parts we will struggle, albeit we are not going to have much of them which is good, but my experience is lacking race wise for sure – I have done half a dozen races only.”

Tim defers outright favouritism to former elite road riders Scott Lyttle (American based) and James Williamson (Alexandra), but says there are plenty to look out for.

“James and Scott would be favourites, the overseas guys will come out of the woodwork too so it is a case of having to watch them all. There are a few from Dunedin that could do something too, it is a long week and anything can happen.

“I am worried about the whole week to be honest and not knowing how we will handle it, there is no rest on the mountain bike, you are always working, you can’t sit on or have a break down a hill, you are always concentrating.”

Kris is certainly the ‘junior’ of the two riders, both in age and experience, only taking up riding just over a year ago, but the 22-year-old is fast learning the ropes and knows he must be at his best to stay with his better credentialed older brother.

“I started about this time last year. I used to be into my golf, playing pretty much every day at High School and University. But that kind of went off the rails a little at Uni and just decided one day to give a long bike ride a go – so off I went from Naseby to Timaru (150km) – with no training. It was harder than I thought, I was stuffed at about 50k, I ended up finishing but it took me seven or eight hours and I was completely on my own.”

It was Tim who started the family on the bike riding path, one that not only Kris has followed but also their father who got on a bike at around the same time as Kris, throwing himself into it with such commitment that all three lined up in teams at the 2016 Tour of Southland.

Kris says the partnership for The Pioneer just happened without a great deal of talking.

“Tim was pretty much saying if you want to ride with me you have to get a lot better. He is such a good climber so I know I have work to do in that area. He was looking to see who might be interested and I guess by default he has me. I am not really feeling pressure though, I remind him of how he started six years ago in a similar space to me and finally this year he is getting something out of it, so I remind him I am only a year in and I think I am going okay – but yeah, we have plenty of banter.”

Kris says the brotherly bond should be a help, not a hindrance during the ride.

“I think it is an advantage for us, I have only really started to get to know him lately, what with him being overseas and me being away. This is about the first time in our lives we have had that time and got on well with each other, we only really started training together this year.

“But we are in this to win it for sure. We are also being realistic – Jimmy and Scott must be the favourites and it is just some of the climbing that I am unsure of. Tim is a far better climber than I am, but I think with the days being long many of the climbs will be ridden at full intensity anyway.”

Pioneer Event – Summary

The event has again proven hugely popular and building already on its first-year reputation as a world leading mountain bike stage race, with entrants attracted by a combination of the stunning landscapes and trails and the Kiwi hospitality and welcome that is afforded to everyone by the organisers and the New Zealand riders.

The total of 338 riders is an increase of 6% on the inaugural event in 2016. Of those 338 riders, an incredible 45% are from overseas (17 countries), testament to the international reputation of the event and the attraction from all over the world (see countries below).

The event starts with a prologue at the all new Christchurch Adventure Park and then follows very similar trails (some changes to part of the course but not significant) to Queenstown, visiting Geraldine, Fairlie, Tekapo, Ohau, Hawea and Snow Farm on the way to Queenstown.

This year the event is partnered with the Absa Cape Epic, with qualifying positions up for grabs to secure entries to the 2018 race in what is widely regarded as the ‘world championship’ of mountain bike stage racing in South Africa.