Down but not out.

I talk about adversity a lot because the definition of the word seems to plonk itself in front of me in block letters along my journey. Over the past weekend I got dished out some more for lunch. The setting was a gloomy day in the Swiss alps, Finals day for a Swiss national. The rain was heavy and fog blanketed the mountain thick like tranny's exhaust fumes. Focus was the trigger word for the weekend and the wet and cold was not phasing me. As planned I hit up a run just before practice finished, Last minute lift run timed perfectly. I was putting together my last run perfecting my race plan until Half way down I clipped a rock and got ragged, Couldn't make it around the next turn and rag dolled into the bushes. During the ragdoll I felt my shoulder dislocate but then swing itself back in just in time to land heavily on a bed of rocks, Long story short after a less than helpful and expensive trip to a Swiss hospital I found out I had also fractured my scapula. Throughout the rest of the day I went through the normal stages of Grief we all experience and after a lot of disbelief and anger I finally came to acceptance. In the past this would have lingered in my mind for weeks, negatively breaking me down bit by bit. Although these days I have a more skilled mental arsenal. After some time I started to find positives. As bad as the situation went it couldn't have gone any better, Only a small fracture of the scapula and a dislocation that popped straight back in with what feels like little muscle damage. Only time will tell with the dislocation tho. I have decided to wait it out in Europe and see how my body recovers. To get to this point has been hard work and im not prepared to get on a plane home bound yet.La bresse world cup is in just over 2 weeks now and I don't feel very confident of a return then. Who knows tho the human body can do some amazing things. If not I will be putting some major effort towards achieving my ideal performance at The last world cup in 5 weeks time. I am growing fairly resilient to failure these days and its not without the help of some inspiration. Some athletes have had it as rough as it gets but then there success at the end of it seems to be worth so much more. Ben Townley is one kiwi athlete who never seizes to amaze me with his never say quit attitude. That's it too, your attitude! I'm not done yet.

Europe round 2, Phase 1- Germany

After all the preparation you do for one of these trips its a bloody good feeling to check your bags in at the airport. After nearly 30 hours travel I made it to Rudolstadt Germany where harriet rucknagel and her brother kimma so kindly let me stay for the week, Thanks for helping me out again this year! It was a surreal feeling to be back there really. Sometimes you don't think too much about whats going on and it kind of feels like a series of uncontrollable events just led you to where your standing. But looking back its definitely a big achievement for myself just to have made it to this point. When i came home after last season I thought racing had me beat, I overcame some big obstacles over the past 12 months and to be here is success in my own right. So i have been here for just over a week now and already the first race is done and dusted. After spending the week in rudolstadt getting organised and putting some training together i fired up the one and only Super tranny for a short journey to Ilmenau. The Venue for my first race of the season a IXS German cup. Barely 10 mins after I got on the road i got pulled by the German police, This is a fairly common occurrence. It seems they just cant help but stop such a magestical vehicle to check its modifications. After being stopped several times last year I have got a good story sussed although these officers where very thorough and spoke great English. Got me sweating a bit but i sweet talked like only a kiwi could and managed to continue. Had to have a wee laugh, great start to the trip. So yeah made it to Ilmenau eventually and parked her up in some random forest for the night. Awoke the next day for first practise session, The course was kind of unusual it was really short and hard to find a good pace. Either seemed like you where going to slow or trying to hard. Managed to work it out for Qauli the next day and put together a smooth run sliding into 2nd position. I Let myself down in the end with a disappointing run in the finals on Sunday, 4 seconds back in 9th. I made costly mistakes and then tried to hard to make the time up which caused me to make more errors, That kind of snow ball effect. Initial feeling was of course gutting because i should have been on the box but this is the kind of shit the derailed me last year. Got to keep on the positive, Believe before you achieve. I showed good speed on the bike and the only thing that really brought down the overall quality of the weekend was the final run. Sounds wierd right? thats the only thing that counts? not at all. I achieved my race weekend goals and focused on controlling only what i can controll which is something i have struggled with previously. Got to keep my head up and focus on improving at the next one. I am back in rudolstadt now for a few days. Going to get some solid training done then head south For another IXS Cup in Wiriehorn, Switzerland.

Getting your equipment to the other side of the world is always abit of a headache. Heres a pic of the haul this year

Tranny. In all her glory. Parked up in some forest car park for the night, No worrys.

When i tell people i am going to travel around Europe racing i get the impression they think it sounds kind of glamarous... Think again! living in a van is messy at the best of times.

Surgery success, My life - Further Insight.

Nothing in my vocabulary can describe how relieved I felt when I completed a full downhill run without experiencing a crippling like pain in my forearms for the first time in my life. It was Unbelievable, Yes for those who know of my situation or who read my last entry I am pleased to say my surgery has really improved my condition. I no longer develop that chronic numbing pain in my arms while riding which has held me back for so long. This has been just a massive detour on my Journey and its such a relief to be back on course. Its kind of funny you know because no one can really grasp the heart ache this has caused me for years now or understand quite how much effort it has taken to get to this point. I find it really important to convey my approach and my real attitude towards racing through this blog because sometimes our images as a rider or person at the races lead to false assumptions to who we really are or our true ambitions.
We are all Mountain bikers and that’s what brings us together, But apart from that we don’t have much In common in my opinion. Of course there is obvious athlete type traits installed within our personalities like Competitiveness, determination, Perseverance etc. But at the core we are complete strangers. We all have our story and a real reason that is underlying in our passion, Some people are just yet to find that out yet or haven’t dug deep enough. I am blessed that I have found my true passion. I discovered it through adversity as I have not had the easy road, In fact I have had it bloody hard. I have been at the lowest of lows with drugs and alcohol which took over my life at a young age. I clawed my way out of that hole and decided to change my life. I am also not afraid to tell people about this because it is a massive part of who I am today and one of the main driving forces in why I am pursuing this dream. Its never been about proving to someone I can do it its about stepping up and truly taking hold of my life. In many ways its not even about the sport. I live in Oamaru isolated from mainstream NZ dh scene and no one really sees the blood, sweat and tears I am putting into this. Its not just what I am doing its completely who I am being. Also I want to make it clear that recognition is not what I am trying to achieve. It is far from that. Like I said its about proving to myself I can really break the mould and be free from the constraints of modern society, Challenge myself and go all out. No regrets uno just give it everything and if I fail well hell at least I gave it a good shot. Lately I have been training mega hard for my up coming Euro campaign and organizing all the logistics. Starting to get real excited about getting back over there and stuck into the racing. Here’s my race itinerary for the season..

Depart NZ 02.07.2011
Arrive Germany. 02.07.2011

09.07/10.07- IXS Cup, Ilmeau Germany
16.07/17.07- IXS Cup, Wiriehorn Switzerland
30.07/31.07- Nissan Euro Cup, Oz en Oisans France
06.08/07.08- World Cup round 6, La bresse France
13.08/14.08- IXS Euro Cup, Pila Italy
20.08/21.08- World Cup round 7, Val Di Sole Italy

Depart Germany 08.09.2011
Arrive NZ 10.09.2011

Peace,
Jed.

Adversity

I have been so caught up in my missions of late I almost forgot I even had a blog. I don’t even know if this blog is beneficial or if anyone follows it? I mean words don’t capture real world feelings but I guess it feels good to attempt to put them in writing. So for those who care here’s what I- Jed Rooney have been doing with myself of late and my plan of attack for 2011. Oh and my usual philosophical ramblings. Adversity- definition: distress;affliction;hardship, an unfortunate event or incident. In every human beings life they face This 9 letter word in many different forms and on a broad scale of significance. I think athletes in particular grow a healthy respect and appreciation for this feeling. In a round about kind of way it is the difference between a good athlete and a great athlete. In my case making it as a professional downhill racer or falling by the waist side like so many talented riders do. The way you deal with the low blows, injuries, financial hardship, bad luck I mean the list goes on. My point being that its all in your mindset! Who is to say you cant achieve your dreams? I am sure as hell majority of people seem to measure success in the amount of money they have or the sometimes superficial image they portray. They lead themselves to believe successful bussimen and athletes the world over sort of just ‘ stumbled across success’ when reality is they are dedicated, realistic people with a strong sense of who they are. They have an ability to self evaluate and constantly redirect there path to reach there goals. Good quote “ If you don’t know where you are going, chances are you’ll probably end up somewhere entirely different” this year I face my own form of adversity. Throughout My career as a downhill mountain bike racer I have had a major performance hindering problem commonly known as arm pump. It was only when I spent a season racing internationally that I realized my desire to race as a professional would never become reality if I did not address this problem. The theories are so broad on this topic I would rather not dissect it. After returning home to New Zealand I have spent a tremendous amount of effort trying to get to the bottom of it all. I tried every solution under the sun and nothing worked. Eventually with the help of my specialist we came to a conclusion I had acute chronic compartment syndrome of the forearm. Compartment syndrome is common in the legs but not in the forearm. In brief it is when the sheath or fascia covering your muscles is abnormally tight causing a loss of feeling in the hands when blood pressure builds and begins to crush the nerves. A procedure can be performed to release the fascia and allow more blood flow to the muscle. I immediately began to put the steps in place to organize the surgery so I could try salvage a late season campaign in Europe. I have since had surgery on February 10th. Results from the surgery are varied as not all individuals recover the same, I have yet to test myself but I hope to ride my MX bike in the following weeks to see if it was successful. So where to from here? Staying on the positive side I would like to think that the surgery was successful. I am currently planning a 6 week campaign in Europe throughout July/August with my target races being rounds 6 and 7 the final stages of the world cup series. My focus is clear and with the help of the Academy of sport Otago I am preparing for the trip in as much detail as possible. But this year is not the be all end all, Its much bigger than that. A lot of people don’t know how much of a big deal racing is to me, I was going down some dark no exits roads in my life and racing is what turned me around. People just don’t know the meaning of ambition, I know its not going to be easy and I don’t care how long it takes. I am determined to be professional one day. I don’t give a shit about image or social status I just want to give this everything I have got and be the best I can be. That’s all I could ever ask for. ‘’Life battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man, But sooner or later, the man who wins Is the fellow who thinks he can’’

I will try keep this thing updated with some happenings along my journey, What will it have in store? I don’t know. But I do know you make your own luck in this world. To be continued…
Post surgery pic...

Windham World Cup & World Champs

Sorry for the delay on this update its just writing has been the last thing on my mind since being home. To Recap on Windham world cup and world champs it was another up and down series of events. My mother and sister traveled with me so they made sure we included some tiki touring along with our travels. We spent some time in New York City before Windham world cup. That was pretty cool even though I can’t stand cities. From there we rented a vehicle and drove North to Windham NY where the sixth and final round of the World cup would be held. Upon arrival sparked a few laughs, A very stereo typical small American town with little more than a service station and a few shops. All the kiwi juniors where in town which was good to see. After an inspection of the event arena and a track walk I think the general consensus was good. The Track was short but packed full of things to keep you on your toes. Through first practice the track was rather slick but still riding fast and I felt fast also. Come qualifying on Friday I knew what had to be done and qualified safely in 69th place. The last two world cups they have run an extra practice session on the Saturday instead of straight into the final. I really like this format as you can get the track that much more dialed in. Sunday the Track was running prime and pretty much dry top to bottom. I usually struggle to get into a run straight of the bat but I listened to some music at the top and got real pumped up. It worked well as I hit the top section aggressive and put in a good first split of 39th. I faded at the bottom of the course and made one mistake, which cost me big time. I ended up 62nd overall and 6th junior. I was gutted after seeing my split time but at least I now know I have the speed to be kicking it in the top 40 and that will defiantly be one of my goals for next year.

World Champs. Mount Sainte Anne, Quebec Canada. The Host city of this prestigious event. The Track at Mount saint Anne is legendary, 5 minutes long and rough as hell. This year’s world champs marked the 20th year of Mountain bike competition at the Mountain so there was history rich in the soil. This was my first world championship
So the whole Event format was new to me. We had a whole week of small practice sessions each day to prepare for Sundays race. It was difficult to decide how many runs to ride because you didn’t want to peak too early or tire yourself out. Through out the week we had some amazing weather. The course was a dust bowl and getting beaten up every day. Along with myself, I took one huge digger on a high-speed section and got lucky when I walked away from it un-broken. Not so lucky was some of my NZ team mates, A few Sprained ankles and a suspected broken wrist where sustained during practice. Not to mention broken bikes left right and center. When the weekend finally rolled around I felt good on track and focused for Sunday. The great weather hit the fan and the typical race day rain arrived. I headed up the hill for my run around lunchtime. Unusually I wasn’t nervous at all while warming up for my run at the top. I run through the track in my head over an over and felt set for a good run when in the start gate. Before I knew it I was half way down the hill and something just wasn’t right, I was thinking too much or something, I just wasn’t flowing and my arms where hurting like hell. I crossed the line head down in disappointed. Biggest race of the year and I blew it. 12th junior. After so much preparation and build up 12th was just not good enough at the end of the day. I felt I had let myself down big time and struggled to comprehend what the hell went wrong. After some time I put it behind me and continued to keep my attitude I learned in Europe. You just can’t let shit results get to you, if you want something bad enough and put in the effort then eventually it will happen. Post Race there was a sick after party where I drowned my sorrows. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way this year. In particular Mark Angus from the bike fix Queenstown, Everyone at Bike Otago, Eddie Masters, Banshee Bikes, Formula Brakes and most of all my parents. Bring on 2011!

Fundraiser Race, Thanks for your Support!

I would just like to say a huge thanks to everyone who came out to my fundraiser race over the weekend despite the conditions. I hope everyone had a good race. The race would not have been possible without the huge help from Bike Otago and Eddie masters. The amount of effort these guys put in just to help me out was above and beyond and I appreciate it a lot. Also a huge thanks to all the distributors that donated bike parts for the auction which ended up being a huge success.

The man behind the idea, Eddie masters. Cheers broA legit Auctioneer. Thanks for coming along! The Weekend wouldnt have been possible without all the help from Greg leov and his wife Nola.Good Turnout, Thanks to all for coming along.

Reminiscing on the times...

Home sweet home. After 3 months fanging it around Europe non-stop racing bikes It was a happy time to arrive home to the long white cloud, New Zealand. Although my time here is only short lived, 1 weeks time I will be back boarding another steel Bird jetting far abroad to another new and exciting place. First up will be Windham U.S.A for the last round of the world cup series before heading north to Quebec Canada for the World championships, the big one. I had always planned to return home before heading state side and im stoked with that decision. After spending so much time in Europe it was easy to lose focus of my goals and what im trying to achieve. I think coming home has already recharged me and im keen as ever to hit this last and most important leg of my 2010 missions at full pace. Since being home I have had a lot of time to think and reflect on myself and the way I raced overseas. Looking back there is so many mistakes and situations I have learned from which have changed the way I perceive things. I had such high expectations of myself so when I did not exceed or reach my goals it was easy to put myself down. The thing is you have got to try your hardest to look at the bigger picture in times like that, Continue to chase down whatever it is you want from life, because if you don’t then one day it will all pass you by and no one is going to make it happen for you. No matter how many times I fall down, I want to be that guy who never gives up, that guy who charges on and one day hit’s the big time. So to sum up my European race season is was definitely a success. I finished on a high note when I qualified and finished 64th place at world cup #5 in Italy. I brought back more knowledge than I had when I left and therefore I achieved something. From here its definitely not over for 2010, As I said earlier I still have one more world cup and the one race I have set all my hopes and dreams on for the year. The World championships. Its going to be one crazy race, the build up through out the week for the final run. That run that everyone wants to lay it all down. I cant say I know exactly how I will fare against the worlds best juniors. But I do know what I am capable of in myself and my potential. I am excited yet nervous with anticipation for this race but I know what I need to do. Over the next week I will continue to train and prepare for these up coming races. In a sport like this where globe trotting is just part of the game funding is a constant battle. I would just like to say a huge thanks to my parents, Keith at banshee bikes, Mark Angus at the bike fix Queenstown, the Leov family and everyone for the contributions and support. Without all your help I would not be able to keep chasing my dream. Wish me luck in Canada! I hope to make you all proud.

Thanks,
Jed Rooney
Val Di sole, Italy. World Cup #5, 64th place. 5th Junior