Wellington MTBO rider and National Champs Runner-up Craig Starnes featured prominently on the back page of the Evening Post last night, and in the online version. The story had to take its turn while we beat out breasts over imagined olympic "failures", but here it is, and a great picture as well. We like the bit about meditating Craig, and we'll put some things to meditate about on the web!
We've borrowed the files because we are not sure how long the newspaper keeps its stories online.
SEEING THE WOOD TOO: Wellington rider Craig Starnes sees a
wide appeal for the fledgling sport of mountain bike
orienteering. Photo MAARTEN HOLL/The Evening Post
New way on wheels
17 OCTOBER 2000 By DAVE BURGESS
Wellington's Craig Starnes became lost in his first mountain bike orienteering race. Three months later he placed second at the sport's inaugural national championships at Hanmer Springs. In a field of 28, Starnes was three minutes behind the men's open winner, Queenstown's national orienteering squad member Bruce McLeod, over the 25km course.
Like traditional orienteering, the mountain bike variety involves the use of a compass to visit sites marked on a map. The cyclists have to make their way on a track network to find the various destinations.
A former New Zealand mountain bike representative, Starnes, 39, overcame his hesitant start to mountain bike orienteering and is committed to the sport.
"It's a thoroughly enjoyable variation on mountain biking and it's probably got wider appeal than a straight-out race.
"I am quite keen to support (mountain bike) orienteering because it is a fledgling sport and I enjoy it," he said.
One of the first things a convert to the sport must learn is also one of the most obvious, how to attach the map to the bike. For Starnes, this caused problems in his early races. "I didn't tape it on particularly well and the whole thing fell off . . . I just shoved it in my pocket," he said.
He now has a more reliable method, using the lid of a three-litre ice cream container.
"I attached the lid (with the map on it) to the handlebars with a nut and bolt so it can rotate 360 degrees . . . you can just flip the map around depending on which way you're travelling," he said.
Starnes prepares for the cycling side of the sport by training on the tracks around Wellington's hills. However, he's not so clear about preparing for the orienteering side of it. "I suppose you'd meditate if you knew what to meditate about," he said.
The championship, held on September 30, saw a field of 70 compete in the men's and women's open and veteran classes.
The Wellington region provided 20 competitors, including Dave King, who came second in the men's veteran race behind Christchurch-based Ray Pratt.
This page was written by Dave Burgess of the Evening Post
and was installed on 18 Oct 00
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