Marina Duvnjak

So this week is yet another turnaround!! I feel GREAT!! 

I’ve managed to get in 2 motorpacing sessions, and 3 more standing starts with the TP girls, and was finishing all the efforts too!! yay me!  I can honestly say I’m soooo excited about going to the nats.  Not sure what it is this year, but I’m really looking forward to it! Like when I was younger.
My first event was supposed to be the points race on the Thursday night, but I’ve decided to do the pursuit on the Wednesday morning, wake the legs up!

Righto, will hopefully be back on here before I head to Invers, I’m sure things will pick up this week!!

So I’m a high right now….. Bevs tour was pretty cool!!

So as I sit here infront of the TV, C4, Boys to men singing their hearts out I think to myslef…. I have to write on my blog….. finally I have something to report!!  I have no idea what the two have in common, maybe its the soothing love songs that settle me down….

Anyhow…. as I was saying,  there has been a fair bit happening over the past week and a few more coming up!The week just gone we had the Auckland track champs. I have walked away with 4 silver medals, points race, pursuit, 500m and scratch race!!  Pretty cool huh!! I got quite used to standing on my little spot on the wee podium, but then something amazing happened……. I won something…… yussss!! I won the overall points trophy for the elite women!! hahah….. Prob more the fact I did more events then anyone!! But hey I’ll take it!! hahha next year might even do the sprints and some training!!!! So yeah the week was pretty good, I had fun!!Track nationals are in 3 weeks in invercargill, so thats gonna be cool!!Indoor track, wood, smooooth…. ahhh its faaaaasssst!!! Can’t wait!!

Tomorrow I’m off to Morinsville doing the 20th anniversary of the legendary Bev May tour!!  I remember doing that tour when I was a wee sprog like over 10 years ago, ok more like 12 years ago!! sheesh….. I can remember it like it was yesterday tho
It’s been about 2 weeks now and I haven’t heard back from bike nz about the women’s tour of Wellington,  so I’m taking that as I’m not doing it this year!! Will do the Rev 120 next week instead…

A few people wonder what I do outside of cycling. Well I own and operate a small, ok tiny, cleaining business!! I don’t employ anyone or anything like that, but I work for myself. Its pretty cool, kinda scary I actually quite like my job!! Always been more of a physical type of worker rather then sitting at a desk or somthing where I have to be in one spot…. I get to pick and chose my jobs and the hours I do, and with most of my clients they know I ride/race bikes and are really cool with it if I miss one or two days!! In the past I have worked  hand painting ceramics, a bike shop, a gym as instructor and then receptionist which was cool! Then as a delivery person for my dad’s old company , and one of my favourites is renovating houses!! That was cool hard but rewarding!! Painting, plastering,sanding….. but for now its just good old cleaining!

Ok so now Lady Gaga’s, eh eh, eh eh.. singing and its annoying/scaring me what the hell she wearing…. I’m off…. hope everyone’s good! report after Bevs…..

Well just to say gidday and that I’m in one piece!!  Last time I wrote I was going to and from the physios doctors etc, well thats slowed down now, still getting a bit of trouble but it will sort itself out eventually I guess ay!!

So the last 2 months I have managed to do 3 road races and 4 Friday night track races!! 1st road race was the crit nats in CHCH, that sucked… prob one of my worst crit performances in a wee while.  2nd road race was the Elite nats in TA. well what can ya say, think next year Im gonna train for a 100km TT and I really think next time its gonna work……. either that or I have to work on my patience… we’ll see!!  I just get way too frustrated…. :(   But for those who might have been wondering to do a repeat of last year wasnt on top of my lst, it was just to race and race hard and see what happens really……
The 3rd race was this Friday just been, the Takapuna GP.  I rode as part of the Kiwivelo chicks team and we rocked!!  First of all there were 24 women on the start line!! Its pretty darn good!! And I hope that next year we can get double that!!! Anyway it was a pretty aggressive race right from the start, but we were able to work together and we pulled off the win!!  yay us!! :)  Cheers for everyone that came out to support the race and added to the wicked atmosphere!!!  I’m sure the local pubs were stoked too!!

So over the next weeek Im racing in the Auckland track champs, last night was the 20km points race.. holy crap that was hard!! I really dont think 5 visits to the track in 2 years really cut it!! I’m gonna try focus on the track nationals in March so the first step is to qualify for the Auckland team, and a top 3 placing would hopefully guarantee that, so I got 2nd last night I think thats awesome!! woohoo!!  Will see how the rest of the week pans out, butI know I have alot of work to do still!! eeeekkk!!

So anyway, I’ll tell ya something that I find really F***ing rude!! Last night at the track once the medal ceremony was over everyone just packed up and left from the middle of the track to the grandstand, and the amount of rubbish that was left over was disguisting….there was one guy walking round with a black rubbish bag picking it all up!! Now why the hell should someone have to do that!! All the people that are at the track running the races are volunteers and after all the time and hard work that they put in for the riders just to show up and ride their bike is amazing and the people that leave shit lying round should be ashamed, seriously, pick up after yourselves and have some respect!! It really aint that hard!! Even if there is no bin near just take it home with you!! Grrrrrr!!!  It really gets to me!! Some riders think the world revolves round them and have no clue what goes behind the scenes in making events happen!! Just wanna slap them!!!  ok, I better stop… hope you all know what I mean tho right!!??!!

Anyhow, the mens kilo and 500m tt for most people are on Wednesday night, if anyone wasnt to see some short but immense suffering I think you should all come out and support the track and the have a good time!!  The rest of the events are on Friday and Saturday…..