An early morning wake-up call rang out through the Hawks camp in the New Zealand high country.
Southy, the camp manager, prepared the boys in a menacing fashion.
“We’ve got a big day ahead.”
The previous days’ hike over the massive Mount Peels gave players some idea that this training trip was the real deal.
Walking up towering mountains had been hard, yet their second challenge tested the teams further, this time on mountain bikes.
A high-intensity run to the bike station saw some teams start the day losing points.
Coach Alastair Clarkson shot out an announcement; teams that didn’t run as a group had lost a point from their teams’ overall total.
Helmets secured and bikes sized up, the Hawks were ready to be the first group to cycle over the Ben Macleod Mountain Range.
As part of the camp’s ongoing points system for coloured teams, the bike ride was divided into three races.
The first race saw teams venture up Coal Hill, the steep ascent forcing players to push and carry their bikes for over three and a half hours to the first peak.
The second leg of the race journeyed along the ridge of the mountain range. The unfamiliar terrain varied from grass and sand to gullies, pebbles and larger sharp rocks.
The tough environment paired with a constant incline had players and coaches off their bikes and over their handle bars, with seven bikes unrepairable for the remainder of the trek.
Rain hit hard during the last hour of the descent; bikes were held permanently braked with aqua planing pushing at least five people over their handle bars.
Rata Peaks station at the base of the range formed the third part of the race.
The exhausting 70km challenge pushed many players physically and mentally further than any training task before it.
Assistant Coach Adam Simpson was inspired by the resilience of the team.
“The bike ride proved to me humans can do extraordinary things.
“You thought you couldn’t go any further two hours in, and seven hours later you’re still going,” Simpson said.
Hiking victors the previous day - the green team - finished on top again.
Assistant Coach Ross Smith was impressed with their consistency, saying “they were the team that really stuck together, motivating each other the whole way. They deserved to come out on top.”
The green team finished first in two of the three race legs, coming second in the third leg.
“It was great to see younger players have the opportunity to show their leadership qualities, the coaching staff were very impressed,” added Smith.
Read previous Hawks in NZ reports:
New recruit Will Langford.
Lance Franklin peddles hard leading young Jack Mahony for the white team.
The navy team have the purple team in their sights - a short distance further up the mountain.
