Anton Cooper

Information

Age: 14
Sponsorship: Cross Country MTB
Season Goals: Win all of the South Island MTB cup rounds and the NZ National Championships in Nelson.
Other sports interests: Duathlon, cross country running and tennis.
Best results: 7^th Place under 19 Canberra World Cup Australia (Support Event) – 2008, 1st 2009 South Island MTB Cup U17, 1st U17 National MTB Championships 2009, 14th (Overall) Karapoti Challenge 2009, 1st U19 Canterbury XC Series 2009, 1st U15 National Secondary Schools Championships 2009.
Favourite ride/ tracks: Anaconda and The Flying Nun, Port Hills Christchurch. Vulcaniser (Waipara), Hanmer Hammerhead (Hanmer Springs) and the Yahoo Challenge (Hurunui).
Average weekly training/riding: 3 to 4 rides a week consisting of a mixture of road and mountain bike, and 1 run per week.
My Bikes: 2009 XTC Advanced SL, 2009 XTC 1 for training and racing, and a Giant 2007 TCR C2 carbon road bike.

Race Reports

After an early start to the day we arrived in Hanmer and started to prepare for the race. The race started with a run from down at the Hanmer domain to the Summit of Mt Isobel and then back down to Jacks pass for the transition onto the bike leg. My run started well but I lost a few places higher up towards the summit and arrived at transition in about 20th place overall. The first 8 kilometers or so on the bike were spent pushing into an icy cold gale but as we turned off and headed over Jacks pass it became a bit more sheltered. The bike from here onwards was much more interesting as it wound its way through some bush and over a few hills and through a really cold river. A few km on a marshal warned me of some ice on the next descent. The warning went straight to the back of my head and I carried on climbing. I sped down the next descent and rounded a very slippery corner. ICE!  I reminded myself to always listen to the marshals and took the next few corners a bit more casually. I was soon out of the icy patch and going as fast as I could. I really enjoyed the last few steep climbs and descents and crossed the finish line in 1st place in under 19. I was 30mins ahead of second place and 6th individual overall only 9mins behind the winner Andy Reid. I was stoked with my result as this was my first real multisport event. I can't wait to come back next year and try knock a few more minutes off my time. Thanks to Norm from Peakfuel for all his support and to Richard for lending us the van yet again. 

Yahoo Challenge - Round 4 Canterbury XC Series 3rd May 2009

I've raced the YAHOO Challenge for the past four years and this was my second year racing on the new course. The first time I raced the YAHOO I came mid-pack in the sport under 19yr men’s race which was held on the old track. It was one of my first ever races and as soon as I had finished the race I knew I was hooked on mountain biking. A few rainy days leading up to this year’s race had left the track nice and greasy which some people found a bit difficult but made it fun all the while. The day started cold and frosty and it turned out to be a nice day. The rivers had risen to around knee height and were a great challenge to ride through. Even walking through them would have been a mission. I had a great race with Brad Tilby and Brad Hudson and we all pushed each other to the limits. Brad Tilby was unlucky enough to puncture and had to keep stopping to put air back into his tyre. Brad Hudson and I had an awesome race and he just beat me to the finish chute by 1 second. Everyone that I talked to loved the track and the chocolate fish. It was awesome to see 200 people lining up on the start line and having a ball out there on the track. There were plenty of wicked spot prizes being handed out even though I didn't get one. It's good to see people coming back year after year to do the race.

National secondary schools MTB champs Levin 18th-19th April 2009

We woke up to fine weather and after breakfast headed down to the event village for the XC event. While I waited for my race to begin I watched Brad and the other under 19's battle it out in the perfect weather. My race (under 15's) had to do 4 laps of the short course which was just a tiny 3.5km lap. My race started out well and I went straight to the front with Nigel McDowell of Rotorua hot on my tail. He stuck with me for the first climb and I put a small lead on him on the downhill. Near the bottom of the downhill my chain slipped of the big ring and made a good job of wrapping itself around the crank! Nigel flew past me and then another two riders not long after him. I finally managed to pull my chain back onto the big ring and took off again down the track. I caught Nigel back up and managed to pull away on the climb. I steadily pulled away over the remaining laps and finished approx 1 and a half minutes ahead of Nigel in second place.
The Hillclimb was held at approximately nine o'clock the next morning. We started at the base of the downhill access road and climbed to the near the top of the downhill track. I had a great race with Nigel and we both pushed each other extremely hard. I really started to wind it up towards the top half of the course and I pulled away inch by inch to finish 9 secs ahead at the finish. I took 2mins approx off my time from last year. My time was the second fastest overall which I was very pleased about.
In the Downhill I had a nice smooth and fast run with no mishaps. I finished in 16th position out of 66 starters which was good enough to get me the overall win for a second year in a row. Overall it was a very pleasing weekend and I acheived all my goals. Thanks to Richard for the use of the van, Horowhenua College, Levin MTB club and all the organisers. Well done to Craig and Brad for their awesome efforts and results and thanks to Dad for driving us up and to my mum and sister for coming.

Hanmer 12hr 4th April 2009

Logan, Brad and I all rode down to the event village after breakfast for an easy warm up. Logan had the great job of starting of with the crowds of riders while the rest of us started to get ready for our first of many laps. Approximately 20mins later Logan had finished his first lap and it was my turn to suffer. Throughout the day the our 4 man team of Logan, Brad, Craig and I held our lead and steadily increased the time between us and the second place overall team to finish first in under 19 and first overall as well with two laps more than the second place overall team which we were all very pleased about. I enjoyed spending the day with the other pushbikes riders and racing in another 12hr! I enjoyed racing on my new 2009 Giant XTC Advanced SL for the first time which performed very well. I also used 'Peakfuel' recovery formula after most laps which helped keep my energy levels topped up. Hopefully we will see a few more teams racing next time!

Living Springs - Round 3 Canterbury XC Series 28 March 2009

It was great to be back on the track again, this time in good weather. I raced in the under 19 yr expert race which meant I didn't start until the afternoon when the sport class riders had finished. I had to ride 6 laps this time. I had a brilliant start and entered the first section of the single track just behind Brad Tilby and Oliver Whalley. At the start of the climb I was in third place and soon moved up to the front of the group and put about 10 seconds on the rest of the field. On the second lap I started to pace myself a bit more and Brad soon caught up. Throughout the next 4 laps he was right on my tail and giving me a good hurry up. We were both putting good time on the riders behind us as the laps went on we put more and more distance. On the final lap Brad and I were both pushing hard down the hill towards the bottom of Zanes when Brad had to stop momentarily as a lapped rider got in his way. This gave me a small gap which I took advantage of and absolutely went for it, trying to get to the finish line before him. I was going so hard that I managed to set the fastest lap of the day on my last lap. I finished a successful day by staying on to the watch the single speed race which was really entertaining. Congratulations to Brendan for winning while riding in pink pyjamas and to the three Pushbikes riders.

Canterbury Secondary Schools MTB Champs (Huxster) 21st-22nd March 2009

This year the Huxster Secondary School MTB champs were once again held at Living Springs. I entered both the XC and DH in under 15 year category so I would be eligible for a position in the overall placings (XC and DH combined), but decided to also race a third lap in the XC so that I could race against Logan and Brad.
Saturday morning was the XC race and the weather looked like it might hold off, but it started raining at the start line. Fortunately it was only on the third lap that the track became greasy and slippery in the trees. The XC race started off pretty well and I got into the single track in 3rd place just behind Brad and Logan. At the bottom of Zane's Brad unfortunately burped all the air from his tyre and was the end of the race for him. Disappointing for him, but also for Logan and I as this meant we wouldn't be able to be pushed along by him (not that we thought so at the time!). This meant that Logan and I would have to race each other for the next 2 & 1/2 laps.
I managed to get into the Pines ahead of Logan which put me in a good position for the rest of the race. By the end of the second lap I had a safe lead over Logan and continued on to the end of the third lap and the finish. I've spent a bit of time helping to build this track and have ridden it a few times, so enjoyed the chance to race the full lap for the first time. Thanks to Craig and Rebekah Tregertha for designing and building the XC loop. If you're ever out that way it's definitely worth a ride.
After prize giving we practiced the downhill in the afternoon. We woke to heavy rain on Sunday morning so Andrea shortened the number of practice runs and only allowed one timed race run instead of the two. While I'd had some good practice runs in the dry riding the track in the wet was going to be good fun and challenging. Waiting around at the top of the hill for my turn felt like it took forever especially in the freezing cold. My run started well but about a third of the way down the course I slid out on a really muddy corner and went flying into a large gorse bush. Ouch! It took awhile to extract myself and drag my bike back up the hill before I was on my way down the hill again. I made the most of the sections that I could pedal on and enjoyed drifting and sliding in the mud. In the middle section of the course I passed a few riders who had crashed and fallen off the edge of the track, which was entertaining to watch. (Check out vorb for crash videos). The lower section of the course which had some awesome big jumps was more high speed, which meant you were just hanging on. I crossed the finish line caked in mud and with what felt like half a gorse bush still stuck in my thigh. I was stoked to come second as I hadn't expected such a good result. This meant that I won the overall 15 yr title. Thanks to Andrea Murray for all her work to organise the event; to all the downhill track builders; and to all our parents for their support.

Karapoti Classic 7th March 2009

We arrived in Wellington the night before the race and spent most of that evening trying to decide what hydration system we would use. Brad went from drink bottle to backpack, to drink bottle before finally settling on a backpack. We stayed the night in a small cottage not too far from the race start which was handy, as the next morning Logan, Brad and I rode down to the event village and finished getting ready for the race. After a brief warm-up the 'elite' starting bunch headed towards the start line at the edge of the river. While we were waiting to start some guy asked me if I was in the right group. That's the trouble with being small. The hooter went and we all ploughed through the freezing river, which almost rose up to my shoulders (maybe your waist if you are tall). We then rode up the sealed road and hooked a right onto a wide gravel track which was absolutely littered with puddles. Within 5mins I was wet and muddy from head to toe, but shortly afterwards we hit a few hills and I warmed up and settled into a good rhythm. I caught up with Patrick Avery on the first major climb, and we rode together for the rest of the race. By then I was used to being soaked.
After the first climb the track turned into a massive rock garden, which was great fun to ride. The second climb was called Devils staircase which is basically a 4WD track of solid rock, which meant quite a lot of 'hike a bike'. It felt good to be running using some different muscles before we jumped back on the bikes again and flew down Big Ring Boulevard to the start of the last climb of the day. At this stage I felt that I was still feeling fresh which meant I could push it hard for the last part.
We reached the top of the final hill which was a relief and enjoyed the final flowy descent before pushing it hard back through the gorge, then along the road for a final wash off in the river. I was really pleased with my time of 2 hr 44 mins especially in the wet conditions, which was 14th place out of 865 finishers. I'm looking forward to trying to improve my time next year. Thanks to Richard for driving us again, and dad for sorting us three boys out.

National MTB Championships XC Nelson 28th February 2009

The night before the race I went to sleep with a bit of indecision on what tires I should run during the race due to some conflicting weather forecasts. I woke up, had breakfast and headed on down to the course in the van. Shortly after we arrived at the event village the rain started to pour out of the threatening clouds and soon the course had turned into a mud bath. That answered my questions on what tyres to use and soon I had the wheel set with my Medusa mud tyres on it sitting on my bike ready to go (thanks Richard). I could feel the nerves building up as the time until start of the race slowly counted down. The nerves were gone though as soon as the race had started and straight away we were heading up the first climb. I arrived at the top of the hill and entered the first downhill single-track in first place with Nigel McDowell of Rotorua hot on my tail. At the bottom of the track Nigel punctured which was disappointing as I'm sure it would have been a very tight race if he hadn't (Not that I found it very disappointing at the time though!). The track then climbed up a fun muddy track full of switchbacks, descended a bit, then went along a flat single-track then along a greasy single-track named fireball and then descended back down into the event village and to the beginning of a new lap. As the laps wore on the track got muddier and muddier and after 3 laps the race was over. I finished first place in under 17, four minutes ahead of second place. I enjoyed watching the Elites and under 19's race and finding out that I had the fastest average lap time of the day. Thanks to Mum and Dad as without them I probably wouldn't make it to the start line of most races and Richard for looking after my bike and also for helping me out when I need it.

Coronet Peak Round 3 South Island Cup 15th February 2009

We drove up the hill to Coronet Peak on the morning of the race, unloaded our gear and headed of for a cruise lap of the course. My race was the first to start which meant there was a clear race track for the first lap or so. I came in from the first lap with a healthy lead on the rest of the under 17 field and managed to drop my drink bottle which created a bit of a hassle. I carried on and completed my 4 laps and finished 8mins ahead of second place. The track was very fun with little gaps to pump or jump the whole way down. My average lap time was the 3rd fastest of the day which was an added bonus. Thanks to dad for driving us all the way there and to Peakfuel for their recovery formula which was certainly needed after today's race.

Timaru Round 2 South Island Cup 8th February 2009

After a quick warm up we all headed of to the start line in the near 36 degree heat. Everyone started together and there was plenty of pushing and shoving as people jostled for positions. The course then climbed up a short tar seal hill and dropped off the road and back through the event village. I drafted in approximately tenth position overall on the first flat section of the course and picked up a few more places and soon found myself in a good position as the track started to wind over some hills. I was feeling a bit sick (I think I was over-hydrated) and did not feel like drinking very much even in the extreme heat. By the second lap I felt fine again and was feeling fresh until Logan and Adrian Retief flew past me both under 19. I tried to stick with them but they dropped me for a while but I was able to catch back up through some of the tight single-track. I stayed with them up until near the finish when Adrian managed to break away up a short rocky climb and pulled away on the flat 4wd and towards the finish. Logan was also to strong for me to hold on to and he finished not too far ahead of me. Adrian played a very tactical race and basically just outsmarted us. I finished 7th overall in the end which I was pleased with. The Maxxis Crossmark tires I was using hooked surprisingly well in the dust. Thanks to Mark Richards and Simon Coventry for showing some of us the course prior to the race.

South Island Cup Round 1 Dunedin 1st February 2009

After a long but entertaining drive to Dunedin with the boys it was time to get to bed for the night. The next morning I got up went to the toilet and had breakfast in a huge rush because apparently I had spent too long in the toilet and we were now running late. It later on turned out that I had the start time right and it was not the 9:30am start that some had thought (thank goodness). After a quick 5 minute drive to the start line we all jumped out of the van and were greeted with cold wind and and a wet fog that was blanketing the coastline. Brad and I went for a warm up around the start loop and then headed to the race briefing. By now the wind had picked up but fortunately it was blowing in the direction that we all would soon be riding. Shortly after briefing we all made our way to the start line. This year was the first time that the race would be used as a round of the South Island cup. It was a big field with many riders not choosing to race in the South Island cup. The South Island cup racers got the privilege of starting ahead of the rest of the field and we were all soon racing around the first bend. The track then carried on up a steepish climb which then flattened out a little as the road turned into gravel then tar seal. As we were climbing I could see a lead group starting to form and I realised that if I could get into that group I would have it easier on the flat gravel sections and we would pull time on the chase groups, so I upped the tempo a little and had soon bridged the gap to the lead bunch of approximately ten riders. We then descended down a wet grassy walking single-track which was great fun to ride and then hit the flat around Hoopers Inlet. The bunch worked well together and I managed to get some protection from the raging crosswind which threatened to blow me into the ditch on several occasions. One time I even had to unclip and momentarily lost contact with the group but thanks to Craig Tolson who pulled up alongside me I was able to drag myself back into the group. Everyone rode very well on the hills and only a couple of riders were dropped from the bunch. The next flat section around Papanui Inlet was easier for me as it seemed the crosswind wasn't quite as strong as the previous section. I positioned myself well in the bunch and a couple more riders dropped off the back. After a rolling beachfront section the remainder of the group were faced with a very steep and relentless, grassy climb which zig-zagged all the way up the hillside. The top of this hill marked 5km to go and the track carried on with short ups and downs until the final climb which drained the last of the energy out of your body. I crossed the finish line in 2hrs 22secs exhausted but ecstatic with my result. I had been at the front of the lead group right up until the 2km to go sign and finished 5th overall and first in under 17 and in junior men (under 19 as well). This was a challenging but enjoyable ride and everyone that completed the full course did extremely well. My Maxxis Crossmark tyres gave surprisingly good grip on the wet grass and had virtually no rolling resistance which proved to be the perfect tyre for the race.

Vulcaniser 24th January 2009

I was picked up in the Pushbikes van by Vaughan and driven to the start of the race. We all jumped out of the van and after a very easy warm up lap in the heat it was time to get ready to start. The race started on the flat and then climbed up a couple of short hills before it hit the single track. The start was fast and furious and I could already feel the burn in my lungs and legs. I was fourth place into the single-track and moved up to third on the first major hill. As the climb wore on the heat of the day started to take its toll on everyone's legs. We then climbed up a very steep grassy hill in the well over 30 degree heat to the top of the "Boars Nest" just one of the super fun, rooty, technical descents found at the Vulcaniser (and also where you can find Aaron Allen behind a camera and a speakerphone yelling support in your direction). We then popped out onto a very steep 4WD track which climbed up to the start of the dreaded Trimble track. This is just about the nastiest thing you can imagine after you have just recently half died riding to the top of the Boars Nest. All the riders then climbed back on up to the lap changeover and to another cold water bottle (thanks mum).
A large percentage of riders were not able handle the blistering heat and were forced to pull out after the first lap. As the laps wore on the track somehow managed to get even dustier than it was already which meant everyone was on the edge especially down Slimline and the Boars Nest. The next couple of laps continued with no major drama with the top few riders staying in similar positions right up until the finish. A big thanks to the guy at the entrance to Trimble Track who poured a cup of cold water down my back. How refreshing!
This was the toughest race I have been in since last year due to the extreme heat and toughness of the course so I understand where you are coming from if you pulled out. Congratulations to all the riders that finished the race but the biggest cheer has to go to the rare few who went the full distance on single speeds.
A big thanks Ross and Bruce Little and their families for allowing us race on their property and to Craig & Rebekah for organising the event and building the track.
It was great to see a big turnout and I'm looking forward to seeing many of the same faces at rounds 3 & 4.