Not wanting to leave T Rex (Tim Wilding) out, I should mention that he too will be rocking a new steed for the Huka XL, but unlike Samara’s, his has clown wheels and is made of plastic. Well, carbon actually, and as you can see from these pics it’s a pretty sweet build. Tim says his gear selection and cadence hasn’t changed at all on his new Santa Cruz Tallboy with the switch to 29er wheels which can only mean one thing; he’s going faster than normal. And unlike the rest of the pro field racing at the Huka XL, Mr Rex has a little extra riding on it. You see he works for Contact (Taupo’s main sponsor) and I’m sure there is pressure round the water cooler to back up his Lake Hawea Contact Epic first place with a second win in Taupo (he did take the win at the inaugural event). So it looks like Cabin and T Rex will be battling it out for 29er supremacy this weekend which will be very interesting to watch (not that I’ll be able to see from the back of the field…).
