During my last year trip to NZ people were dissapointed for me to hear that I won't be going to see the south island. I kept on telling them that I can go and be turist when I'm 60 years old, but now I want to ride BMX. Luckily I didn't wait for another 30 years to experience this.

Short trip to south island made me think that people can't live their lifes without seen this. Of course they can, but what I'm trying to say is that I have seen lot but this was one of the most amazing places I have ever been! I travelled with finnish BMX girl who I randomly met couple of times at Helsinki BMX track. It's nice to see that BMX also brings new people to my life, who I'm able to travel with even without bikes. We both were pretty gutted that we did't have bike with us. This would have been wonderful place to ride. Pretty much with all sorts of bikes.

Ones we rent bikes to get to ride a bit, but still we were missing too much. I defenately will come back here with time and bike. I was glad to have many different activities, like the 1st bungy jump of my life. I thought I wouldn't even like it, I just did it coz people raved about it. It was over the top!! Unbelievable. Now I need more!! :)

Wuhuu! That was quite an exprience. Today I were at Cambridge new velodrome. I just randomly booked myself to join have a go group. I visited the velodrome last week and couldn't stop from wondering how those people can ride a bike on the wall, turns are almost as straight up as a walls.

Have a go lessons are hold about 3-5 times a day. One hour coaching in the group cost 15NZD. That also includes a bike and helmet. Pretty good deal I recon. Got to say it was worth it, for a big time!

The group started by learning to ride a fixed gear bike. Fixed gear means that always when bike goes forward also the pedals are rotating forward. For that reason the bikes doesn't have a brakes, you slow down by pedaling slower. After few try outs we got to go up on the velodrome. Well, ofcourse over there we started practicing on the flat part. That was good place to learn to communicate with other while passing. After that we moved on the beginning of the veldrome. Still almost a flat, only thing what changed was the color of the floor, but I was scared as hell to get up there.

Finally it was time to move on riding the actual velodrome. I moved up on the wooden floor but in the turn it pushed me down. The same thing happened again. I was going fast enough for sure. I just decided to let the bike rule and there we go. On the wall!! The problem earlier was that I thought I would need to be on 90 degrees ankle from the velodrome so I pushed my inside shoulder too much down. At the end of the day our coach asked me join him to ride MTB trails at next weekend. What a shame I can't do it. I'll be on watching BMX NZ Nationals. Or should I go anyway...

Before riding at the velodrome I were 2 hours on BMX track. Joined Matt Cameron on gate practice with timing system. That was awesome. Then hit the first jump few times with full speed. What a day!!

Other riding spots by velodrome:

I have three weeks left of my journey. Three months time till World Champs.

Where am I go now: I had rest week for last week. Meaning maximum one recovery training on day. It was wonderful. I did want to go to track, but I knew that my body needs this. So I was just totally useless for whole week!! :) This was also a test for my preparation for races. Today I had my last and biggest race in NZ. I hadn't been on track for 6 days. Ones I had done few gates, which was really good.

I was happy for my racing! It was better than it would have been if I would have trained the week before. My gate was good, sprint was good. Whole 1st and 2nd straight were good. Turns might have been poor and also I was missing something. Some anger, or some.. something? My test was success tho. There is nothing you can do one week before the race. All the work is done and you just gotta believe on yourself. Only thing you can effect is your speed. Max. 5 times 3-5sec sprints with a long recovery. That's it!

Scores from the races where between 3th and 4th everytime. I in the main group until 1st turn, where I guess I slowed down. I would have made the finals but surprisingly there was not finals at all.

I should have talked earlier about cycles of the training. Training is so easy and at the same time so difficult. For the start lets forget all the hocus pocus things, there is and will not be way to pass endurance work. Basically most of the riders would gain much just from doing endurance work out and abs and push ups. When the main races are closer you are supposed to shorten your practice time and go harder, with longer breaks. Easy as, aye? ;)

Oh, yes, and someone broke in to my car, so policeman came to take finger prints. Full on SCI :D At least in my head I have pretty good explanation and I almost know who is behind this..

(just shortly mentioning my own riding: I raced last weekend, 3 tracks in 2 days. It went all good. Not poorly, but not flashy ether. My strenghts are clear, and my weaknesses not, so in the end that sounds pretty good)

I found out some sad news from Finland. Our queen of all action sports, Elise Kulmala had have a bad crash with snowmobile about a week ago. She broke her back from 2 spots. Her back and hip has been pretty much renewed, even got spinal cord transplant or something like that. I don't personally know Elise, but as much as facebook tells me she is going with 100% all the time. At the moment she is having some problems of using her legs. Gonna be tough rehab to walk again. She will hear some expectation from doctors during this week. I'm sure her top fitness and personality will help her a lot. I just can't see her giving up, never!
 
This case took me back about 10 years to my own hospital break. I hadn't even think about it like that before. I can't remember much but I do remember lots of my friends and my relatives coming to visit me. It was a huge thing for me and I recon also for my family, they could have a small break. On the top of this still goes those friends who came by ones no one else was there. Once the first shock had past there was still few people who kept in touch. Elise's case is probably a bit different, but it's not gonna end to the point she rolls out of the hospital. Just that there wouldn't be any misunderstandings I wanna make it clear: I'm not bitter for anyone, I'm just being extra grateful for those who stayed by :)

From Elise, she is the man.. or the "miss small balls" as she calls herself. I have always loved her photographies: magnetphotography. She also has own fashion brand or clothing should I say. Her best known products are "hit it pussy" gear, but as far as I have understod there is more coming up. Go and check them design931.fi. Like always in America, we should support her to get back on her feet. Show her your support and order some of her products. I still haven't decided what I will get for myself :)

Has anyone happened to watch a movie called "Secret garden" from -93. On one part of the movie young girl encourages a boy in wheelchair to start to walk. At nights boy is screaming coz his legs are sore. I recon I know that feeling. I'm not screaming, but I'm also 20 years older than that kid. I don't even scream when my bones broke.. Pain is real tho. Last night I slept 2 hours because my legs were hurting so much. No need to cry about it, my own fault, I was the one to over do my training.

Besides my legs, my training has been awesome. My endurance is getting better, my hearth feels good, pull-ups are getting on good. On the track I'm doing better than ever before. I'm super analytical person, but that's also good in somethings. That helps me to analyze the good performance, which again helps my use that in mental practices.

Everyone keeps on telling me to push my legs in manual. Now when I get it, it doesn't actually feel like pushing them. Well, yes I do push them, but it's more like whiping them front. I find more important the time when you move from pumping to manual and swing your legs on front. It has something to with straigthening your body and pushing heels down. Ok, I don't even try to analyze that more :)

The strongest feeling from jumping is the feeling when your legs or actually tires are pushing against the lip of the jump. I'm thinking about to push my legs so hard that it will make my tires to get flat.

And the gate. My gate has always been ok, but never good enough. I has been missing someting and yesterday I found it. I'm super happy! Just forget the idea of snap and first thing to focus on is to get the shoulders front. On the video I haven't even get to train it yet, but still I'm keeping up with those two other girls. They happens to be last year 16 years old girls World Champ 2nd and 4th, if I remember right!!!!

Simply loving this. Just wishing I could ride as much as I want to... Is that the biggest problem of my life? Well at least I can't really make up any other problems. You can always find a problem if you look for them, but what would I gain from that :)