Huggie, or Brent Burrows as he’s sometimes known, is one of those guys who is just awesome to be around. His enthusiasm for riding and life in general is infectious and I’m yet to see him in a bad mood. Although he is older than time itself, he has raced competitively in several bike disciplines; this definitely shows in his riding style. Don’t let this guy’s age fool you, he’ll still ride any Young Gun into the ground! These days Huggie applys his extensive knowledge of bikes into the new Avanti MTB range.

NB. Huggie may or may not be as old as I have made him out to be.

How old are you (if you want to tell us)?
My hair is going grey so that should be a good indicator.

Where do you live?
The North Shore.

What do you like best about living where you do?

After 20 years in Wellington the warm climate is a real plus. It’s great to be so close to a beach and to have enough of the right weather to enjoy it.

What do you dislike about living where you do?
An off-road ride here generally involves a car ride. It was 10 minutes by bike to the trails in Welly.

How did you get involved in the mountain bike scene to begin with, and how long ago was that?
I raced BMX for a number of years and when these weird bikes with big wheels, fat tyres and gears started appearing I got interested. A Karapoti excursion on a BMX bike convinced me that gears on a bike made sense and I have pretty much been riding mountain bikes ever since.

What’s your ‘day’ job? What does it involve?

Bicycle Product Manager is the title. I lead the team responsible for designing and developing the Avanti Bicycles mountain bike product range. We have our own engineers and graphics staff here in Auckland which enables us the freedom to create what we want, the way we want. Designing our products here in New Zealand is an important part of the Avanti design process. It involves a fair bit of travel around the globe and and staring at a lot of spreadsheets.
What are five benefits of working with bikes all day every day?

1. My hobby has become my work and that’s not a bad thing.
2. Seeing and testing all the cool new stuff that’s being developed for the market long before it hits the shelves.
3. Most people are into bikes because it’s what they love. Through this you meet a lot of positive passionate people. There are too many grumpy buggers in this world already.
4. Riding bikes. There needs to be more of this.
5. There is a sense of pride in creating something from scratch, from concept through to testing and presenting to the public. Job satisfaction indeed.

How would you describe your riding style?
I had a customer years ago describe himself as a tractor. Not really that quick or stylish but would still complete every climb, that about sums me up too when it comes to hill climbing. I enjoy the challenge of a technical descent at speed although big jumps ore off the list these days thanks to a back injury a few years ago.

Favourite trail?
I don’t really have a favourite but any dirt trail where cars don’t exist is a good start. Rotorua always offers up great riding and the various trails around Wellington city strung together make for a great day on the bike, and that’s without hitting the trails at Makera Peak. Hook up with a local to get the best of this one.  I’ve been fortunate enough to travel and the trails around Whistler are awesome, and a recent trip to Morzine got the adrenaline pumping.
What’s one thing you’ve learned in the last 10 years?
Kids always tell it the way it is. There is no padding around to soften the blow. My 6-year-old does this a lot and he also has a knack of remembering things I’ve said that would probably best be forgotten.

What’s wrong with mountain biking?
Nothing at all. Anyone can do it, you can go your own pace and not get jibbed and post ride beers are always expected.

What are three things right with mountain biking?
It’s always progressing as technology develops. There’s a lot of tech in today’s carbon and full suspension bikes. Being able to cruise through country trails and singletrack and not having to worry about traffic signals and vehicles. It’s something entire families can go and do together. The families I’ve seen on the trails at parks like Woodhill and Rotorua show there is a strong future ahead for this sport.

Top two MTB developments in the last 10 years (bike park, part or whatever)?
Developments in suspension top the list for me. When I started riding, the suspension fork wasn’t even on the product horizon and bikes weighed a tonne. Now you can hit the trails on 6 inch full sus bikes that are easily lighter than those old clunkers and a lot more efficient.  What is happening with carbon is pretty exciting too. Who would have thought that mountain bikes could get as light as they are and still be durable.

All time favourite rider?
I don’t have a favourite but any Kiwi rider doing well on the world stage is worth following and riders like Gracia and the Atherton boys inspire for their ability to ride with style and skill whether it be downhill, dirtjumps or a Red Bull huck fest.

Top five favourite bits of MTB kit?
The latest versions of the Shimano XT brakes are a pure joy to use and have a tonne of stopping power.  Lock-on grips; if you’ve ever experienced a grip coming off the bars on a descent then you know what I mean. Troy Lee shorts; they fit well and I’ve had them for years and still cannot kill them. Shimano 646 pedals; I’ve had these for years too and they never seem to be getting old and worn out.

Who do you look up to?
People who just get on and get things done in this world. Everyone knows life can be tough at times; complaining about it won’t make it any better. Here’s to positive thinking people everywhere.

Other than your serious caffeine addiction, what are your vices?
My wife’s incredible cooking and baking, a glass or two of a great Pinot Gris and home renovations. I’m a serial offender on that last one.

Finish this sentence: “On a Saturday I like to get up and….”
‘Go for a ride’ should be the answer but the reality is I get intercepted by my son who wants a slice of my time. It can involve BeyBlades or Lego but generally it’s demands for breakfast pancakes. Claims that I make better ones than mum normally clinches the deal.

First we teased you with a spy pic, then we gave you the full rundown on what the production model would look like and now (well, when we build it up) we’ll have one to ride. The production models don’t arrive till the end of December so what Avanti have sent us is a large frame with the correct Fox 34s (set to 120 mm), the correct Fox rear shock and the same wheels that are spec’d on the final bike. We’ll be filling in the remainder of the build with parts we have lying around (see, we’ve already started) and a few more from Avanti. The whole thing should be up and running by the end of the week. It’s gonna give us a pretty spot on idea of what the final version will ride like. Saying we’re excited about riding this thing is an understatement…

We saw preproduction unridable samples at Avanti's product launch a while back but it looks like the Zero Force double lock-on grip is finally here. No word yet on what they're like out on the trail but they're the perfect size for my huge hands. Kinda like original ODIs (which I love) so I might be pinching these off the test rig...

I did start to photograph some details on the bike then I realised that we kind of did that at the product launch, so if you want the lowdown on the Vapour 29er you should check out the post we did on the Avanti 2012 product launch (just click the image).

The other news I can’t tell you because I’m not even allowed to know! Caleb has the scoop and signed the non-disclosure! I can however tell you that there were a couple of prototype bikes floating around which were sparking Caleb’s interest big time. Sounds like things are pushing forward for Avanti after the success of the Torrent and Vapour trail bikes. For now only time will reveal what the new bikes are!

If you didn’t figure it out from the teaser pics Cabin sent us last week, Mark “Cabin” Leishman is joining partner Nic Leary on Avanti bikes for the next two years. Cabin will be riding the brand new Avanti Team Competitor 29er, along with Avanti Road (how’s the black on black Quantum 2!) and TT bikes. Stay tuned for some more Avanti team news soon.

Avanti's new Competitor 29er Team

The signing allows Cabin to join forces with his partner Nic Leary to form a powerful combination as “CabiNic Racing” that will look to dominate the off-road scene in New Zealand. As arguably New Zealand’s most prominent and successful of 29er technology, Cabin was a natural choice for Avanti and is excited by the challenges ahead.

“This deal has actually been in the works for quite a while. To ride for a New Zealand company with such an exciting vision for the future is quite special. Obviously the stumbling block prior was the absence of a 29er in the Avanti range. But the new Team Competitor 29er is a stunning bike and I’m really quite excited about showcasing its ability in events this season,” said Leishman.

“I’ve got some pretty unique needs as an athlete I guess with MTB, XTERRA, Triathlon, and Multisport on the agenda. I’m pretty picky with my equipment and Avanti is one of the few companies that could possibly meet those needs.”

And it seems Avanti is just as excited, as spokesman Tony Rogers adds.

“Avanti is excited to welcome the hugely passionate cyclist and cycling advocate Mark “Cabin” Leishman to our family. Cabin has proved he’s one of New Zealand’s most versatile athletes with his ability to dominate the local MTB scene and secure podium finishes at XTERRA, triathlons and other multisport events. Avanti is looking forward to working with Mark on specific bike development projects in future.”

We’re convinced Cabin will more than do justice to his new rides—Avanti Competitor Team 29er, Avanti Quantum and Avanti Chrono. He’s super-active in the biking community at a number of levels—multi disciplined race schedule, coaching clinics and involvement in numerous bike media. Our new partnership will inject a new amount of energy into the cycling community.”

The public won’t have to wait long to see the new bikes in action. Cabin will be lining up at the Huka XL MTB event at November’s Taupo Cycle Challenge, quickly followed by Christchurch’s Festival of Cycling.

He then kicks into a busy season on both sides of the Tasman that includes Half Ironmans, National MTB and XTERRA Championships, the 3D Multisport Championship, before an international campaign culminating in the XTERRA World Championship.

After a great start to the season (where he recently won the Whaka 100 Marathon, and placed 4^th at the Singlespeed Championships), it would be a brave man who would bet against seeing the Avanti 29er on a podium near you very soon.

Richard's new blinging Avanti Competitor, SRAM XX and Zero bits and pieces.

Richard is a young, Under 19 rider from Blenheim in the South Island.  He has been racing Cross Country mountain bikes competitively for a couple of years now under the coaching guidance of Tony Catterick.  Since this partnership Richard has demonstrated his outstanding talent and commitment to the sport and gained his first National title at the Wellington National Championships in March 2010.

This year Richard and his Avanti Team Competitor are off to Europe to gain valuable race experience before heading to the World Mountain Bike Championships at Québec in September.  He is hoping that with his racing experience in Europe and the points earned this will enable him to have a front starting position on the grid.  “The World Mountain Bike Championships is what it’s all about and is what you want to be peaking for”.  From this point onwards Richard is looking towards gaining a mountain bike spot with the New Zealand Olympic team for 2012 and working with us on our MTB team concept .

Richard commented that “I’m very pleased to be involved with Avanti and proud to be representing a locally based brand.   The Avanti Team Competitor is the fastest bike I have ever ridden! It’s stiff, light and it feels great.  Importantly for me I have total confidence in racing it and I believe there has been no compromise when developing this top end bike”.

Richard's new blinging Avanti Competitor, SRAM XX and Zero bits and pieces.

Kane Alward, mountain bike product manager for Avanti, is rapt with the signing of Richard – “to have one of New Zealand’s talented up and coming riders who is totally focused on success on the world stage and is riding our bikes so well is fantastic and what makes developing these bikes so rewarding”.

He went on to say that,  “we are right behind Richard and his ongoing feedback will help us continue to refine and advance these bikes even further in the future ”.

Richard has also been testing and racing Kenda tyres and Zero product with some great results to date and has been supported since his junior days by the team at Peak Fuel.

For further information about Richard please view his blog at here.

’35th elite women’. It doesn’t quite have the ring to it that I was after. Did my aspirations outweigh my capabilities at this point in time? Maybe. I had a good race, and put together the best I could on the day, so I am happy enough. I shouldn’t get too hung up about the end result if the process was as good as I could deliver, so I won’t. End of story. Ok I will tell you about my race though…

The course was a tonne of fun. A few of you might be aware of the rock infested ‘cardiac climb’ for which I had made the specific ‘big ring off and bash guard on’ modification to my bike. It worked a treat and I was stepping up, around and over the 1-2 foot high rocks neatly in practice. Oh for practice… b/c come first lap along with O2 debt, deprived legs and fluster fest I suddenly lost my finesse!

The second half of the course had a beauty bermed descent, several table tops, short dual slalom sections and heaps of flow – wicked! But fast and therefore gaining a decent speed differential to pass was tricky.

During the week I had constructed a start plan, as you must. I was called up in 42nd – i.e. back of the grid. There was a bit of a chicane before we swung right onto a fire road that was a gradual incline of about 1km before we hit the narrowed singletrack of ‘cardiac climb’. Your position here would be crucial, and sure enough everyone had figured this too.

My master plan was based off a similar one I used at Mt St Anne that worked a treat. In this case I would line up in the left, stay out of trouble through the first bend then slingshot around the outside on the right hander into the fire road. Unfortunately as the big space opened in front of me to gap it up the side I got cut off and ended up braking hard to avoid a prang. I recovered ok, and pinned it to get across to the bunch that had formed up the fire road.

Note to self, female MTB bunch = absolute shocker. We surged, braked and sprinted for the next 500m and even managed a crash! No shit, a pile up on a 6m wide uphill fire road. Craziness. So my start was not brilliant and I was not where I needed to be as we hit cardiac climb. Hat off to Katie Compton (USA) though, she was on the same row as me and was apparently 6th going into cardiac. It can be done….

Out back there was a second section of fire road of maybe 500m, a great opportunity to pass. But again it was a gradual incline (not a strength of mine)… and the Euro/road girls just hauled up this section. I tried to hang tough, but I was eating dust. I need some road quads and a butt to boot. I’ll be working on it!

I definitely took a bit to settle, but by mid-race (lap 3 of 5) I felt I was riding better. I was enjoying the technical sections, taking the ‘hot lines’ and made a few passes. It feels so good when you romp a section, make a pass and the crowd goes wild. I had heaps of support out there, it was fantastic.

Another positive from my race was that in the 5-lap race my individual lap times differed only by 6-seconds! Yay for Miss Consistent, just need to get consistently faster now. I am excited, I feel I have a whole lot to look forward to in the next chapter, I have weaknesses to work on and strengths to build upon. Bring it!

Right now though, I have a short break from biking practice. In this time Cabin and I will get ourselves established in Rotorua, I will go hunting and spend some quality time at home on the ranch before settling into a new physio position in the big stink of Roto… yayaa!

Thank you everyone for your continued interest and support, it is hugely appreciated. Also to my sponsors… Avanti Bikes (DT Swiss & Kenda tyres) and Avanti Mt Maunganui, n-Duro events Rotorua, Balance Nutrition, New Balance, 2XU & Ridestrong… these people literally spin my wheels. Thank you all!

“We’re rapt to have an athlete of Nicola’s ability riding Avanti,” says Avanti’s Amanda Till. “Avanti hardtails have proven their performance in the Southern Hemisphere and we’re looking forward to her results in the Worlds in September and beyond.  She’s an on-form athlete with a whole lot more potential—a perfect match for the Avanti Competitor Team she’ll be riding.”

And like the Avanti Team Competitor she’ll be riding, Leary’s progress as an athlete has also been rapid. Only entering her first race in 2007, she has rocketed through the ranks of New Zealand mountain biking. Not only the 2009 New Zealand #2 in both XC and Marathon MTB, she is also the current NZ XTERRA off-road triathlon champion. With a diverse and busy race schedule Leary has also taken on sponsorship with DT Swiss (forks and wheels) and Kenda (tyres and tubes) to ensure a total performance package.

“We’ve combined these leading brands and technologies together to give Nicola the ideal performance package,” says DT Swiss/Kenda Spokesman Tom Sullivan. “It’s a great win-win scenario. We’re really excited to have such a dynamic rider on board.”

The future for Leary? In the short term the focus is on quality performances at the 2009 MTB World Championship (Canberra) and XTERRA World Championship (Maui) respectively. But they are just stepping stones to higher ambition. “I’m just trying to be the best athlete I can be. My big goal is the Olympics, so for now I’m chasing international experience and competition to develop to my full potential. And have a lot of fun, competing in cool races along the way.”

Avanti Bikes

Nic and Cabins Bog