Part of the Pukete MTB track photographed from the air
Pukete Spaghetti Header graphic - text looks like spaghetti Hamilton MTBClub logo showing Patrick the Evil Pukete Possum

"Six Hours of Saucy Single-track"

RACE HELD: Sunday 18th October 2009New Zealand Community Trust logo

Results here!
Story photos for 09 now here below

The (sunny) 08 Pukete Spaghetti
Racing in Pukete Mountain Bike Park in the Pukete Spaghetti 6 hour race

Mud Mud Mud

This was the year of the mud. Last year we had springtime, daisies, butterflies and warm breezes. This year, rain, mud, bursts of sunshine, more rain, deeper mud, but we slogged and squelched our way through the day somehow anyway. Sheldon Gorter won the Male Solo and Marguerite Ritchie won the Female Solo, both finishing looking muddier than you've ever seen anyone look. Marguerite won her race, despite losing an altercation with a tree she came too close to, while trying to escape the muddiest line. She rode the rest of the day with painful "tree bites" and bruises on her arms. Sheldon's face as he finished was not so much just mud-splattered, as thickly and evenly coated like one big mud-plaster face-caste with just two eyes peering through somehow.

Great to have taken the big step up to electronic timing - it sure made life a lot easier for our timing officials who stood around all day with nothing to do. It also meant that the results were out the same day and uploaded here to the website next morning.Thanks to NZCT for making that possible and to all our other sponsors for the part they played in the success of the day. Their links are all listed below so explore their web sites and get to know these friends of the club.

Perhaps the biggest thank-yous are due to the track committee of Dave Hudson, Doug Hope and their team who were put under enormous stress by the weather in the preceding week. These guys, all volunteer workers, had been preparing the course for weeks beforehand and then had to change it all around in the last few days to better suit the muddier conditions.
These pictures are cropped miniatures - click to see the complete enlarged versions.
 		Race briefing for Pukete Spaghetti 2009 Start of Hamilton Mountain Bike Club's Pukete Spaghetti event 2009
At least the sun was
shining on the Dole tent.		 LeMans start
Grabbing the bikes at the start Riding away from the start. Boys on podium Girls on podium
Grab ya bike 'n go Still clean at this stage Kids' race, boys
winners on the podium		 Kids' race, girl winners
on the podium
Muddy bike Muddy face Racing through the changeover Teams on the podium in bikeshop colours
Wonder what colour
this bike is?		 We're told this is Kerry Evans but we're
still not sure.		 Action in transition.
These are keen
youngsters		 Bikeshops well
represented as participants
and sponsors
riders approach timing mats Female solo winners Male solo winners Muddy riders contest the mud prize
Riders crossing the
timing mats
Marguerite Ritchie
1st Solo Female
on the podium
Sheldon Gorter
1st Solo Male
on the podium
Mud contenders
front view
Rear view of mud Girls under brollies on podium sheltering Pukete Spaghetti trophies Pukete Spaghetti trophy details
Mud contenders
back view		 Podium as good a place
as any to get away
from the rain.		 The trophies looked
good enough to eat		 Nutritional information
on trophies.

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Sponsors for the 2009 Event