Traverse Transition for Mountainbiker Savage

Takaka’s Lisa Savage is hoping to complete her transition from mountainbiker to adventure racer when she lines up for Team Port Nelson in the Southern Traverse, starting in Hokitika on Monday.

The former national mountainbike representative made an impressive adventure racing debut when she was a late inclusion in the sixth-placed Team High Country in the 2001 traverse. Savage finished fifth in the Marlborough Southern Traverse the following year while her team withdrew due to illness after racing into contention last year in Otago.

Now that Savage has served her adventure racing apprenticeship, she’s determined to break through for her first win in the sport. She joins Nelson’s Tony Bateup, Blenheim-based Angus Jennings and Richard Anderson of Christchurch in the Port Nelson-sponsored team which she says is well prepared for the 400-450km multi-discipline event.

“We’ve done a lot of weekend missions and spent a lot of time on our feet,” Savage said. “Three of us did a night trek through the Richmond Ranges and and we did a paddle down the Arahura River.

“I’m definitely a lot fitter, physically and mentally, than last year. I feel I’m ready to go now.”

Savage said their team also had the experience to compete against what will be a solid lineup of New Zealand and international teams. The world’s elite teams may have by-passed the event but there’s still plenty of well-performed racers in the 26-strong field.

She predicted Team Kathmandu would surprise on home territory while defending champion Icebreaker Bridgedale has been reinforced by veteran racer Bill Godsall. Kathmandu’s Duncan Hamilton and his younger brother Hamish have joined forces with Coast to Coast champions George Christison and Kate Callaghan making them a formidable combination.

But the US-New Zealand Team Golite-Timberland is possibly the best performed team in the race after finishing sixth in this year’s Subaru Primal Quest. Led by US ski patroller and river guide Billy Mattison, GoLite includes talented young New Zealand racer Aaron Prince.

The 24-year-old national orienteering champion first raced in the Southern Traverse when he was just 17. Three years later, Prince joined Nelson’s Nathan Fa’avae, Kathy Lynch of Motueka and Steve Gurney of Christchurch in the winning Star and Garter team in Nelson.

But Savage said previous form may not be a reliable guide on the West Coast where the steep terrain, dense bush and wet weather present a unique set of challenges for the racers. She considered that good navigational skills would be imperative because many of the tracks had been overgrown.

That’s why Anderson’s experience will be critical to Team Port Nelson’s chances. Anderson was a member of Team Discovery-The North Face which finished 10th in the Primal Quest in Washington State where conditions were remarkably similar to the West Coast.

“It’s so steep and there’s swamps, mud and scrub – it’s really tough country,” Savage said. “It won’t matter how much training you’ve done if you can’t navigate – navigation will be the big issue.”

Although the course will not be revealed until tomorrow, it will include trekking, ocean, river and lake kayaking, white water rafting and mountainbiking stages. The race starts at 9am on Monday.