Helene Valerie Fruhwirth

The race is over and it was a great weekend. I ended up on the podium on the 5th place. I didn’t do some jumps which I should probably should have done but what ever it was my first race this year and I was off the bike for about 3 months. I am stocked to be here. It’s so genial to be at a warm place instead of sitting on my XC bike with long pants and long winter gloves.

The coronet peak track was super. Lots off burms and washed out corners. Lots of jumps… I really like the dry stuff. The after party was also nice. Lot’s of dancing to the sound of a hip hip band. I was a little bit handy cap because of my ankle, which is nearly fine now. Just when I have to walk far it hurts.
At the moment I am in Wanaka in Dan’s house a friend of an other friend from Napier. I am sitting in a very nice appartment my feeds on the chair and tipping on my very usefull laptop my neeeeeeewwwws and skyping with my lovely friend Kathi. She is injured and had 4 operations in one week. She broke her fibular and tibia and has now nails in her bones for 1 year or more. There were a lot of complications she could feel her leg and that’s why they had to operate her so many times. I feel so bad that I can’t be with her.

So yesterday we went for ride in Snow Park that’s the place where the next race will be. It’s a nice track very fast and long and the same as dusty as the last one. In the track are two road gaps which I will probably try today in the afternoon. Now I will just go for a small ride in sticky forest. Where ever this is…. I will see..

So I will keep you up to date.

LENE

The south Island cup is over and I did all right. I am so stoked to be here and I enjoy every second. I can take everthing so easy no stress and no pressure. I am sorrounden by my kiwi mates and I am everywhere very welcome. At the moment I am in Leons and Donas house in Wellington. Where I stayed to years ago too. I have my own room. YEAH I had luck every place I was up to now I had my own room and didn’t have to sleep on the kitchen floor like last time. So thanks to everybody who let me stay.

The last two weeks were just amazing. I saw a lot and raced a lot. In one week 3 races that’s my record. Maybe everybodys record here. I guess the NZ federation dated the races so close to avoid a lots of costs for staying and more…. When they would have asked me I had nothing to say against staying longer at one place. BUt what ever so I am back in WEllingto now with good results. 5th, 2th and 3rd and overall 3rd. Yeah I am satisfied and not injured.

I will go to bed now it was a long day and I need some sleep I will go tomorrow for a XC ride.

SEE YOU LENE

Brilliant weekend..yeah. Wakeboarding, Jet Skiing, Fishing (with no suxcess) and lots of other stuff happened the last weekend. It was great.

I was invited by a friend to stay in his father’s summer residence near Tapo. It was so cool. It’s a really nice lake and not too cold for a swim. I did some wakeboarding behind a boat… Yes behind. Not like in Austria on a lift. It was so much more difficult. The jet ski session was exciting too. The lake was so ruff and so Chris and I did lots of wall rides and spins….Great. We nearly felt off but just nearly. I have no idea how he managed that we didn’t fall into the  water because I hold fast to his Safty jacket and he just to the handle bars and the whole jet ski was so sloped.

Me on the boat.

We stayed there just over the weekend.. I did some Kaiserschmarrn for the family

Chris and I making Kaiserschmarrn.

After this weekend I spend more time in Wellington and did some runs with the local boys… Good tracks a little bit short but nice. I also did some good training runs on the national track in Wellington, where the race will be at the end of february.

So jep I am looking forward to race in Rotorua soon.

see you LENE

I am in Auckland at the moment in Kai’s house. I decided to go to Auckland earlier. It was time to leave for me. So I went by the Overlander train from Wellington to Auckland in 12 hours. The train left at 7:25 am from Wellington. I wasn’t sure at the beginning if I should go because it sounded like a nice weekend in Wellington but yeah now I am happy that I went away. The journey was relaxing. I just slept the whole time and between I organised my hundreds of hundreds MP3s which I got in the last weeks and did a press release for Miriam. My best friend, she got national Champ in Badminton. Very cool and thought about the last month here.

So yesterday I was digging at the national track in Dome Valley. It was okay but I would have prefered to ride my bike because at the end I got informed that it was the last training day before the race. Great and I did just 2 runs. I like the track it is short and good fun.

Today we wanted to go to Rotorua again to do some runs. But we went out and I danced a lot so I was very tired in the morning and slept tooo long to go to Rotorua. For that trip we should have left about 6 o clock in the morning to earn from the day… Whatever we are on the way to an other track I forgot the name … I hope it doesn’t rain because it has 95% humidy.

So so I will go on. see you lene

Last weekend was the Auckland national race. It was a good race and finally the weather was on the riders side. Saturday was rainy in the morning and so there was no chance to avoid a complet muddy bike, tires, clothes and bump. The ground was very slippery and the first part was very difficult to ride so I just started to ride in the afternoon. So I stayed nearly clean and my bike was good. In the afternoon it stopped to rain and it dried out very fast and I enjoyed it a lot. The track was not that long but very varied. Tracy Moseley was also there. She is travelling around NZ with her boyfriend and so she didn’t miss to race there. Sunday the track was nearly dry. Nearly everybody still ran the Mud tires in the race run. It wasn’t really necessary but nobody could bother to change and it wasn’t sure if the weather will stay fine. Dark clouds were still passing.. Tracy did a good job and won by 9 seconds.I came second. My seeding run was good (2nd) and my race was even better. I was 13 seconds faster than my seeding run. I was stoked. I didn’t made a mistake. I could have done the loge jump. That’s the only thing I can criticise. Gabby M. came third followed by other Kiwi ladies. Sam Blenkinsop won the man class followed by Skinner. More infos and reports on nzride.com

To sum up it was a very good race.

After the race I went back to Wellington with Hamish and Rita. It took us the whole day. It’s kind different to Europe, no motorways so it takes you much longer for „easy cheesy“ distances here. In Europe you jump in the car and you are in few hours in Italy… or wherever. Here it’s a whole day trip to go from Auckland to Wellington (650 km). Some places I passed 5 times. So also the one jumping spot in Tapo. There is rock where you can jump off. Pretty cool. Tired I arrived on Monday in Wellington. Happy to back „home“. Wellington became my home here in New Zealand. I was happy to see Chris and Hadley again and could await to ride on Hadley’s new 4 cross track. He did a very good job. He organised everything by himself. He designed, built and got the permition from the council for the track. Impressiv effort.

So yeah I was already riding on the track and it’s a good track. But what else did I expect from him. The only thing I doubt that it will work very well with 4 people on the track. It’s quite narrow in two turns. And one is the double first corner. I hope some girls will enter and I can compete too. With just 3 chicks I am not really interested to race or pay the entry fee. I would like to compete against the boys but I think that will not happen…national champs are more striked I guess.

I will get changed and go for some runs on the awesome track. see you LENE

In Byron and Kais back yard.

Me on the beach, PIHA, great waves

Yesterday evening I competed at the 4 Cross here in Wellington. It was sooo cool. Lots of people come to watch and race. In the woman class we managed to get one heat. I leaded the seeding run about 2 seconds. So I was really waiting get my first win in New Zealand. But yeah it’s 4 Cross and everything is different when four people racing down on the same narrow track. I got „gently“ kick out in the first corner and I crashed in Amy or she in me and went over my bars, twisted them and could ride on. Hariet Harper got first and hmm I have no idea who got second and I 4th. Anyway congrats to them. It was a good show for the spectatures and a good race I really enjoyed it. So many people cheared for me I couldn’t believe it.  Cam Cole won the man …second no idea.

So now I have to go and get ready to practice on the Downhill track… which I really like.

See you LENE

The weekend is over and hmm to sum up I am not happy about my result. I tried hard and gave my best but it wasn’t enough. The weather was crazy and the wind blew to hard. It was not possible to jump the jumps well and it depended on the wind if you got a good run or not. My seeding run was horrible ever move ever turn was hardly not to do because of the crazy conditions. At the start I got nearly blown of the star ramp…. BUt anyway it should be a big excuse I was not fast enough to win. I also made a mistake in a burm before a little uphill section so I had to pedal from zero and lost a lot of speed and this maybe cost me the victory. All women were in a 4 second gap. I ended up 4th.

No I am still in wellington, my plan was to do a road trip up to Auckland and catch my flight on friday. But the friend I should go with can’t go anymore so I booked a flight up to Auckland on friday and will fly straight home…I mean to L.A. to London and then Vienna. I really looking forward to see my friends and my family and back to my normal life. Hmmm I don’t know if I have this but at least for 2 month until the race season starts.

See you LENE

Hamish got 1 st in his class, congrats…

hadley and I

Racing ….

this gonna be a quick report. Today was raceday in Bromont (CAN) the next world cup- The track was good I liked it very much had perfect training runs and a good time- it was hard and every body had problems. I guess it was just luck if you manage to get down without a crash or technical defect.This time the luck was again not on my side. I crashed very very very hard in my qualification run and couldn’t keep on riding for a while I had to sit on the side of the track and wait until I could finish my run slowly. So jep that was my report short as same as short as my gig. LENE next stop Whistler…

crankworx I tell you now the real story about crankworx whistler and the Kiwi boys…not the usual basic reports which you can find on the ordinary bike pages. I came to whistler with a broken heart and just wanted to fly home. Broken heart -not in the way you maybe think broken heart because I managed to race so crap at both world cups the weeks before. The one was in Mont Sainte Anne and the other in Bromont. In Mont Sainte Anne I had a technical deffect and in Bromont I crashed so hard that I couldn’t ride on. I was so pissed of everything and I couldn’t believe why I am actually racing when just the podium makes you happy and to reach this is so hard. I said to myself forget it and keep your head up doesn’t matter what comes next it could be worse. I know it sounds kind of weird for people who are looking at my life as a racer. „Girl you living your dream how can you be sad?“ that’s what I hear when I’m disapointed about my results.But believe me racing has also shadow sides and when you don’t race you can’T understand that. Anyway I came to Whistler to enjoy the other spirit of riding your bike and I couldn’t believe how great it was. It’s the best place on world to ride your bike and have fun all the time.

Crankworx, one of the biggest bike event in the world, was running at the same time I was there. you must image a big hill with chairlifts – hundreds of bike trails. Okay maybe not hundreds but of course 1000 lines you can choose and hundreds of people with whom you can share your passion. Riding your bike. the two weeks in whistler were my official holidays this year and I rode everyday and pretty much non stop. I met so many awesome persons. EVeryone special on their way.

Chris Beverland a Kiwi boy with whom I rode most of my time inspired me to learn doing wips and style in the air.

Harriet Harper and her boyfriend, who gave me a ride to whistler in their massive campertruck.

Dan Frew, who went up with us to take great pictures. Katrina Strand, a great downhill chick from Whistler, who spreads out good vibes. Sheryl McLeod a Kiwi Lady who rocks her bike for years. All the Manitou/Sun Ringle crew who helped me out. Davis English and Jeff Bryson , two locals I rode with. TOm Hey, an England dirt jumper whom I met on my last evening.

Nigel, Rueben, Ryder, Kerrian and Cam, other Kiwi boys I stayed with and of course DAn Mc Millan who helped me out again. I crashed at his place. BUt this time I could help him too with this blog, which you are reading at the moment. These boys hmm how can I say…gave me the feeling of home. I mean not the house- the house was nearly all the time a big mess and I slept in the Kitchen/ living room on a big matresse on the floor. And I also don’t mean that most of them came home in the middle of the night, completly waisted and jumping around on my matresse and I also don’t mean that Ryder called me horse and other words which I dont wanna write down (in a funny way) I mean more that they listen to me when I needed someone to talk to- cooked for me- bought me a big cake forme birthday- Sang the happy birthday song and I was welcomed from the first second i walked up the stairs. Around the Whistler village centre are many little neighbour hoods with nice houses. The one I stayed wasn’t that nice but right next to the ALta Lake, Which was pretty awesome.

Where I went for a swim, lied around on the beach and jumped back flips of the jetty during my phenomenal riding time. Of course I wouldn’t be a racer if I wouldn’t have taken part in few Crankworx competitions. But I tried to take them not so seriously like a world cup and it worked for me I had a lot of fun. In one event I ended up on the podium. I did my longest downhill race ever. Called Garbonzo. It took me exactly 19 minutes from the top to the bottom in race speed. I ended up 5th in this event.

I wanted to do the Crankworx women event too but I got ill on my birthday and I didn’t feel for competing. On friday I raced the Giant Slalom which was hard work on my big bike, concerning that I was the only one with a downhill bike instead of a light 4x bike. I got 3rd. On Sunday I race the Canadian Open race. I like the track very much…hmm I nearly like every track so but anyway I crashed in my race run and ended up on the 11th place, which was excally the last. COmbined with the fact that I had to leave the bike paradise I was little bit sad. I will try to come back next year again and stay longer. Now I am sitting in the airplane number AC033 to Sydney to race there my next world cup. I hope it will work out better for me than at the other ones. see you your LENE

The last days, I spent in Sydney City. China town was my first stop and neee I didn’t like it at all. I walked around the city and did the typical sight seeing stuff. Took pictures in front of the opera house.

Went on the fairy…

I don’t like cities much so I wanted to get out of it and moved to Manly. It’s in the north of Sydney it’s a beautiful place. I stayed with Mick Ross. I met him because I met Chris Southwood the boss from the Australian bike magazine „Mountain Bike“. Chris is also the Morewood distributor from AUS and got his email address from Dan, whom I met in Dan McMullans house one evening, and who is a good friend from Chris. quite complicated… Yeah and on Saturday afternoon I met Nico a French guy who lives in Sydney and I got a ride with him to a club race not far from Sydney. I was soooo happy to get out of Sydney and see a little bit country and also race my bike. It was great. The track was very different to them in Europe. So very flat and a lots of pedal section. But I enjoyed it and it was good training for canberra. The race was finished by 3-4 and I drove back with other riders and did some shuttle runs somewhere else near Sydney or Sydney I don’t know where it was. BUt it was good too. ANd after that my day wasn’t finished I went to a dirt jump place.

It was the best I have ever seen in real. I could jump there because i had just my dh bike and I am not a good dirt jumper either.. but i watched the guys.  SO yes that was pretty much what I did the last days. Today I heading on to Canberra… I will meet Diana Magraff..I can’t await that she is so funny…

Welcome to another continent I want to introduce you in a world of richness and poorness, electric fences, household ladies, hospitality, good Downhill riders, (zentralveriegelung), huge spiders, poisoning snakes, security men, permanent sunshine, the fabulous mangos, a pudding called clusted…
I am here since 3 days now. I flew in to Johannesburg or Jburg, with British Airways which I can advise. One bike is for free and if you take two it still cost you less than with Egypt air or South African airline. The time difference to Austria is just one hour so I don’t have problems with the jet lag at all. But I couldn’t sleep very well during the flight. I was arriving about 7 o clock and Alexanders’ Dad picked me up. I stayed in a wonderful house with a big garden and a swimming pool. I had my own room and bed . The family had 4 dogs and 2 cats and they were all so funny. The biggest dog, a Schäferhund called Oliver, jumped always in the swimming pool when he got excited about something and the other small one a Jack Russell Terrier tried to catch rats and spent the whole morning to get under a cupboard or climbed up trees to run on the roof of the house to reach the mouse/rat whatever. I didn’t see much of Johannesburg but what I realized from the first second everybody tries to protect his house with high electric fences. I guess it is because of the high criminal rate. The family told me not to got for a run in the neighborhoods because it is too dangerous so it comes that the parents are driving their children everywhere and they stay all the time in their secured houses. I think when you grow up with that it’s normal but I would never want to live like that. But apart from that Johannesburg is a very clean city or the neighborhood I saw was very clean compare to other countries I have been so far.
I went for a walk with Alexs father in big park and there you could ride a xc lap and walked with your dog without any fear.
Alex studies in another town and he came home on Thursday night and we went on a road trip the next day heading to Pietermaritzburg. It was a nice journey and I could see a little bit of the backcountry and black culture. The poor black people are living in small round houses made of mud in a weight spread areas. The landscape from Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg is most of the time flat with massive straight mountain blocks, because of the tectonic earth movement.
We arrived in the evening and I met Patrick Morewood on the same evening to get parts for my bike from him. It was good to see the founder of the company I am riding for because before I was just in contact with Richard Carter.
And no I am staying with Dinkelman family in Pietermaritzburg. Just about 5minutes away from the World cup Downhill track. It is awesome and I am so happy about that. The family is so friendly as well. They are 4 kids. Two of them are riding downhill. The younger one (Simon 16) wants to become a professional. I haven’t seen him riding yet because he cracked his clavicular a bite again but he will be back on the bike soon I guess. The older one called Dave and Alex, Calvin, Mark and many others went for a ride on the DH course. I must be honest I didn’t feel very good. The new bike, new fork, new shock and new brake discs and the fact that I haven’t riding downhill since end of October turned the first run to big a challenge for me. The first part of the track is more technical the middle part is quite pedally and the last part is flowy. I like it. It is again much different to the tracks I have ridden before and I am sure I will find my line and rhythm soon. I also met a lots of riders and I think I can train a lot here with the locals they are all quite motivated.
So no I will get ready because we are going so again to ride on the track. BYE BYE LENE

The time is flying here.  And the world cup is coming closer and closer.

But up to now I had a great time with some ups and downs.  I had some big problems with my equipment but now I have sorted everything out and I just have to push myself back on the right way. Easy to say but I have people here who are supporting me a lot. One the one side the family with whom I am staying. The Dinkelmans are just incredible. I am so welcome here. And on the other side the Morewood people, Patrick Morewood, Richard Carter, Fabien and the others are helping me a lot here and look after me as well. 

The last day I was in Durban at the Aquarium with Steff and German woman who grew up here. It was so good fun and the variety of fish was impressive. I saw all the NEMO crew 😉 including the sharks. I was also for a swim in the sea and struggled with not loosing my bikini all the time forced by the wave power. But all good I walked out covered J Yes between riding on the track and training I went out for dancing. It was Fabiens birthday and so a bunch of people went out. So I got dressed up and was ready to shake ….It was so good fun. I love to dance nearly as same as riding my bike and so I danced non stop. Nearly crashed few times because the floor got cleaned all the time so it was wet all the time. We didn’t come home late but on the other day my legs were heavy…very heavy. I was dirt jumping the next day at Tims place. There was a small line and a big line. I was keen to try the big one but hmm better not because I have not so much clue about dirt jumping. The small line was good fun.
Yesterday I was training on the 4x and I think it’s a good course but I think far too small jumps for the men. They will over jump everything.   The downhill track is getting better and better the people are working hard to make it perfect for the race. This weekend are the nationals in four cross and downhill and I think there will be a lot of good people riding.

Bye bye LENE

Yesterday I was training on the 4x track and crashed hard. Got scratches on my shoulder and elbow although i was wearing protection and I crashed on my head as well. I didn’t sleep very well and woke up early. The downhill training was going on and many top riders have already arrived to train on the track. I decided not to ride DH today becaus I had head ache and felt so sleepy what I actually did at the end. It was raining a little bit and the track is so slippery, especially on the top section. The dirt turns just out like riding on ice and you slide without any control about your bike. So did Fabien Barel, one of the top top riders in the World. He dislocated his knee cap. I heard he cleared a road gab landed, slipped away and hit with his knee a stumb. I wish him a good recovery. In the afternoon I rode 4x and qualificated 3rd. We are 4 girl but big names like Fion Griffiths, Jojo Peterson and Emmelin Ragot. We were all in 3 seconds. 29,29,30,31 So appart from my position and time I was satisfied about my performance after crashing so hard the day before. I don’t know who came first by the men I went straight home… Tomorrow the weather forcast is better sun sun sun so it should be much better.  Bye bye LENE