Before the now infamous altercation I had with a wombat, I had entered the Graperide Mammoth which is a 1010km over ten laps of the 101km circuit, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Graperide event. I was confident of riding well at that time when I entered, however as I continue to rebuild strength in my right shoulder and attempt to regain fitness lost, and lise weight gained whilst injured - for the first time I will be starting an event that I do not expect to finish. It remains however, an opportunity on the long road to recovery.
I have made some bike setup changes, including a ridiculous 34-30 granny gear to enable me to climb without aggravating the injury. While I am able to stay inside the generous time limits of Randonneuring, I am sone way from being at "race" or optimum pace. With a 51hr time-limit the 1010km Mammoth's timecut is a full 24 hours shorter than a Randonneuring time limit for that same distance. It is also 9 hours less than an UltraCycling time limit set @10.5mph. As such I expect to see many DNFs or unofficial finishers among those that have entered this event as a challenge, rather than as a race.
Back in July, I travelled all the way to Alaska for the Big Wild Ride 1200k. Have to say, this was my favourite 1200k to date. The Big Wild Ride has to be among the crème de la crème of twelve-hundy’s. Big thanks to Kevin & his crew for organising this fantastic event.
It is midnight local time. The sun is still up and I have just landed in Anchorage, Alaska after a 26 hour flight, which is about a week quicker, and a whole load less exhausting than the annual migration of the Kūaka (Godwit). Connect to the Airport WiFi, you have new mail…
“… when the recent local black bear, grizzly bear, and forest firenewsbegan to gain momentum these past few weeks, we focused our attention on the one thing we could do with the BWR2013 to minimize the course's objective hazards, making the ride safer and more enjoyable for all the riders.”
And online links to follow:
“A bear killed a 64-year-old Fairbanks man late Thursday” “A three-mile stretch of Crow Pass Trail has been closed to hikers after a "brown bear charging incident" over the weekend.”
Not exactly the most reassuring news at the start of my five week visit to “Bear Country”! Did I really need to waste my money on the return ticket?
Spectacular!!
Prince William Sound, Alaska
Cruising on Prince William Sound
The Big Wild Ride is neither an out and back, nor a loop. The journey from Anchorage to the starting town of Valdez via the Alaska Railroad and Marine Highway was nothing short of spectacular! This provided a chance to meet the riders I would see over the next 1200km and observe the scenery and marine - glaciers, icebergs, whales, sea lions, seals, purpoises, orca, sea otters - spotted along the way.
Whale's Tail, Prince William Sound
Valdez, Alaska
Day One: Valdez to Delta Junction (436km)
It was a balmy 21 degrees at 11:59pm with the light more dim than dark. The snow-capped mountain tops were clearly visible despite the street lights shining.
Big Wild Ride Start, Mountain Sky Hotel, Valdez, Alaska
The first 10km was flat with a bunch of 44 riders gently getting into the ride, at times at only 20km/h. This was a bit relaxed for my fresh legs. I moved forward, presuming a small bunch would follow. Surprisingly I found myself at the front, but progress was good and I didn’t feel like I was burning any matches. I was soon joined by Damon Taffe and Scott Griffith on Cervelo P5. A little more flat riding before the 855m climb over Thompson Pass. Scott’s time-trial bike had received a bit of attention from other riders before the start. It was here for the simple reason that it was the only bicycle he owned. I was trying to hold onto his wheel when he led out at over 40km/h and I was in the unusual position of being near the front over a major climb.
The sun was already rising at 3:10am but at 9 degrees it was a tad chilly as we rolled down Thompson Pass. All my layers were now on. I had obviously acclimatised to the warm summer in Alaska, following sub-zero winter night training back in Kiwiland! My legs still felt good, but I was feeling mentally tired and lost a bit of pace through these early hours, although I was soon into the second control at Tonsina Lodge (133km) where a magnificent breakfast had been organised. This was a true testament to how Kevin, and his organising crew had worked with the lodges along the route to provide services to the riders. I wish I was feeling hungry. It all sure looked good, but I skipped the early breakfast and headed back out on the road.
Riders riding North, past the Wrangell-St Elias Mountains (Photo: Damon Taffe)
Taking in the views of the of the Wrangell-St Elias mountains to our right, we pushed on to Glenallen (191km). I had a large group of riders for company, including Craig Mathews, Kelly Smith, and Tim Wouldenberg. Craig Mathew’s ride almost came to an early demise when his derailleur snapped in two up a short pinch a few kilometres short of Glenallen. Meanwhile, Tim was riding strongly on his recumbent and doing a great job rolling back to draft riders back into the pack, that usually being me - thanks Tim!!
With few roads, and nowhere to ride but North we proceeded toward the 4th control at the Sourdough Roadhouse (243km) where we had to wait an hour or so while the status of road construction ahead was confirmed. This allowed plenty of time to eat and rest before 61km to the next ice-cream at Paxson Lodge (304km).
Travel got a lot steeper, with a bit of climbing up to Summit Lake. Tim and I were riding together a bit here, but were spreading when it either pitched up, or down. In Tim, I had finally met my match on the descents as he flew by on his recumbent and I didn't see him again before sharing moose (actually Caribou) stories at Delta Junction.
“I also don't trust Caribou anymore. They're out there, on the tundra, waiting... Something's going down. I'm right about this.” ― Joss Whedon
As I cruised along a road that was surely longer and straighter than any road in Aotearoa, I was pushing hard, head down trying to get into Delta Junction before midnight. And things suddenly got a little interesting. I looked up, and there was a large beast starring me down, on its hind legs and displaying its antlers threateningly. I slammed my brakes and backed off very carefully. I was in for a bit of a delay as the Caribou found the grass at the edge of the road to its liking, in between displaying its antlers if I tried to advance forwards.
Caribou, preferring the grass on the edge of the road to Delta Junction
With the excitement over, it was a gentle roll into Delta Junction for a few hours' sleep on my Thermarest in the High School Gym.
Day Two: Delta Junction to Healy (334km)
I woke feeling a bit drowsy as I scoffed some breakfast made by the helpful vollies (thankyou), before heading out in a small group. Not being a noted morning person at the best of times, alertness was a bit of a struggle. Tim kindly gave me some of his spare caffeine pills. These were helpful, although I personally prefer my caffeine presented via freshly roasted beans and an espresso machine.
The snow-capped Alaskan Range glows over the Tanana River
City of North Pole, Alaska
Santa Claus House, North Pole
The ambient light enabled great views of the Alaskan Range, and local wildlife with Elk, Moose and a Mink all sighted. With the benefit of a tailwind I found myself in a large bunch riding through North Pole (563km) and down to Fairbanks (593km). I was a bit slow at organising eating, ice cream and resupply at Safeway, and it took the rest of the day to catch up again.
There were a few more hills out of Fairbanks as we crossed the Alaskan Range for the second time. I was lamenting my lack of climbing performance with two other riders, before it suddenly clicked and hot and thirsty I arrived at the Skinny Dicks Halfway Inn (637km) - one of the ummm, more cultural bars. After a thirst quenching Ale and some potato chips shared with Steve Atkins, and against the advice of a few doubters who were unconvinced of both the nutritional and hydration benefits of the Ale, I rode on to the next ice-cream control at Nenana with the after burners on.
I soon caught up to the group I lost at Fairbanks, which was now almost one hundred miles behind us. I thought I would finally be able to drop in for some drafting, after a long solo slog into the wind -- only for them to turn off to a mountain lodge 100m later for dinner. Whilst I was invited, I wasn't mentally ready to eat just then and headed on toward Healy.
Approaching Healy (765km), Scott caught up with me and we rode together for the third late evening in a row. We were soon bouncing along a long stretch of road construction, with the road covered in rocks rather than gravel. Surprisingly, there were both signs "Double Fines while workers present" and a speed limit of 65mph. As a truck came by in the opposite direction and sent a rock flying past my right ear lobe, I finally understood why every vehicle in Alaska has a cracked windshield.
Day 3: Healy to Talkeetna (269km)
Tim rides towards the snow covered Denali
Shortly before turning toward Talkeetna, I had my only mechanical, with my front derailleur bolt becoming loose. It felt like a cable break, so I rode on in the inner ring before realising what was really up and securely fastening it just before arriving at the Swiss Alaskan Inn (1030km).
This was a very comfortable overnight control, where I was greeted by Tom Parker, whom I had met a fortnight earlier when he was marshalling at the Fireweed Ultra Race. Quite promptly I was enjoying a couple of, ummm, well, er recovery drinks with Tim, who was well settled in by the time I arrived and dinner was soon on the way. A 10 hour layover was about double the most time I had ever spent at a control in a randonneuring event.
We spent much of the morning riding toward Denali, North America’s highest peak and past Denali National Park to Hurricane Gulch (885km) and Mary’s McKinley View Lodge (948km) where Tim and a few others arrived moments after me - just in time for lunch. We enjoyed an Ale while arguing that hot foot was the only ailment shared by both recumbent and upright riders alike, and surely an Ale is the only known cure?
Naturally, after lunch Tim and I had the after burners on as we rode on to Talkeetna. As with the past 400km on the George Parks Highway avoiding rumble strips was an annoyance, covering most of the wide shoulder of the road. As oncoming traffic approached it was vital to use the mirror to check for tailing traffic and when to bounce on the rumble strips, which were the only downside amongst the awe inspiring scenery.
Day 4: Talkeetna to Anchorage (190km)
After a few days out in the wild, the final morning was less memorable as I rode toward civilisation, with breakfast inhaled enroute at the McDonald's inside a Walmart at Wasilla (1148km). A short section of freeway shoulder riding led to the most complex routing of the ride through an assortment of quiet roads and cycle ways through Eagle River and onto Anchorage (1212km). This complexity was a relative thing… there were more than two turns on this section.
I finished strongly and was feeling remarkably fresh considering that I was at the end of a 1200k and much of the previous 84h54m on the saddle.
Wrapping Up
During The Big Wild Ride I saw more wild life, had more sleep, and drank more beer than in the previous three 1200k rides I had ridden. It was also the most scenic, and my quickest 1200k to date.
A big thanks to Kevin Turinsky for organising this memorable ride, and to his dedicated crew of volunteers that helped it all happen! And for my fellow randonneuring brethren that I met on the ride - maybe we’ll ride together again soon.
Randonneuring has many great rides organised by our sister clubs around the world. Often, these rides are not only scenic but place us among creatures of which we are unfamiliar. This year, while travelling to 1200k events I have unintentionally cycled with moose and caribou; hiked amongst the grizzlies and wolves; camped out with black bears and sea kayaked near(ish) killer whales.
Next up was short excursion to Australia, a land known for the presence of creatures with both poisonous and large jaws. From the worlds most toxic snake, the Inland Taipan to the more common Eastern Browns, which are responsible for more human deaths. Add to that the Redback and Funnelweb spiders and the large jaws of the Saltwater Crocodiles and Great White Sharks - it’s a dangerous place out there in the outback.
Map of Australia and surronding nations
Ultimately, my short excursion to Australia for the Sydney to Melbourne 1200 had more thrills and spills than expected. Having not dropped my road bike for two decades, I first had a blowout at over 70km/h descending the Great Dividing Range, which whilst scary fishtailing on the rims only led to two small grazes and a damaged steed. Eventually I was rolling again, although shaken up and under some time pressure, thanks to some assistance from Chris Walsh & Graham Carthews including his spare wheel and a little patching up from Tom Aczel (thankyou all!).
That'll buff out!
While I had been eliminated due to the timecut, the ethos of Randonneuring is of self-sufficiency, so I pushed on with the aim of riding onto the finish in Melbourne. Unfortunately, while descending toward Mansfield at ~30km/h, I came to a rather sudden demise from one of the few species in Australia without a fatal bite. Lurking in the woods had been some cyclist destroying marsupials. With their extra tough posterior, the Wombats were launching themselves across the road like a missiles. I had slowed and drifted left to allow one of these missiles to cross in front of me. And out from the woods, aimed straight at my front wheel like a heat seeking missile came the second. With nowhere to turn, my last thought was "I am not crashing again. This is not happening!". Then it was time to pick myself up off the road (again) feeling a little sore. Whether it was due to adrenaline or male pride, I was oblivious to exactly how much I had hurt myself and without any cellphone coverage I continued on, for at least another 200 metres before admitting some pain to myself and putting on my warm clothes and stopping for a rest. I should have pressed the SOS button on my SPOT tracker instead, but I was only a little hurt right? Shortly following, with the pain in my ribs more evident, I could not back up.
Le Randonneur wears Prada (Photo: Annette Whitton)
Rolled onto the backboard (Photo: Annette Whitton)
Load him up (Photo: Tom Aczel)
I had been expecting some riders behind me, but they had opted for a sleep back in Whitfield, so it wasn't until a couple of hours later that I heard them fly past, probably thinking I was sleeping? A few minutes later Annette Whitton drove by to ask if I was alright, "Ummm, No". Shortly after which, Tom Aczel was summoned to patch up his loyal customer again, and then the Ambulance Service which delivered me to Mansfield Hospital.
Wombats of Mass Destruction: As proof that it is stopping that hurts more than the crashing - this lower speed crash resulted in five fractured ribs and a grade 3 separation of the AC Joint in my shoulder. It will likely be six* weeks before I am back on my bike - and that will be in wombat free, New Zealand!
Following the crash I was looked after by our fellow club members in Audax Australia. A special thankyou to Tim Laugher and Pat Dorey for taking such good care of me until I was able to get back to New Zealand.
My helmet did its job!
My PBP reflective vest looks like I've been mauled by a wild animal
My Physiotherapist has finally permitted me to cycle again, but only under a strictly progressive protocol. I have recently been accused as being a rules Nazi, and as such set the rules for the Super Randonneur des Récupération medal, officially sanctioned by my physiotherapist.
The Brevet des Randonneurs Récupération rides must be completed in order, and in order to homogate each ride, it must be completed pain free.
1. BRR20: A ride on the flat for twenty minutes.
2. BRR30: A ride on the flat for thirty minutes.
3. BRR60: A ride on the flat for sixty minutes.
Given that the only flat place in Wellington is along the waterfront, each ride will be verified by the presence if ice cream or coffee in the riders belly.
All riders who successfully complete the series will the full Super Randonneur des Récupération series will receive the Super Randonneur des Récupération medal, which is carefully handcrafted from unobtainium, a recently discovered weightless and wholly transparent metal.
I was hoping Santa was going to deliver the Audax AustraliaCheckpoint Magazine today, but he chose to surprise me instead . Thank you Mark, and perhaps Santa is from quite as far north as the North Pole, as previously believed?
Mark, was riding on Audax Australia’s Sydney Melbourne 1200k where I had a bit of a spill after a collision with a wombat (more on this blog soon, or see the Summer Issue of Checkpoint Magazine). Aside from five fractured ribs and a separated AC Joint on my shoulder, I did destroy some clothing and left a few scratches on my cycle. As I’ve previously noted, finding genuinely reflective isn’t the easiest of tasks, so it was wonderful to receive this surprise in the mail.
It serves an example of the camaraderie between Randonneurs around the world.
Merry Christmas everyone.
I followed along in the support vehicle as Gerry Eddlemon set about creating a UMCA record* for crossing the North Island. With no established UMCA records in New Zealand, Gerry selected a end points of Raglan and Te Araroa to set a course that travelled due west between each side of the North Island.
Riding in the support vehicle were crew chief Ron Skelton, Tim Neal, Di Chesmar, myself and UMCA officials Christine Couldrey and Tracy Parke. Add-in Gerry's ten laps of Taupo (1 x Extreme Enduro; 1 x Enduro) and there were 107 laps of the Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge crossing the North Island!
Long distance cycling is going from strength to strength in New Zealand. Now that there are some records set*, let's see if we can all encourage greater participation in the sport.
* These records are pending ratification by the Ultra-Marathon Cycling Association. Gerry also created a record* across the South Island recently.
It is June. This means only one thing. It’s RAAM time baby!
This is an epic race, with no stages, no domestiques with no contrived team tactics, nor team pharmacists. The strongest legs will win plain and simple. Some come to win, others come to finish this 3000 mile race, which is the pinnacle for an Ultra-Cyclist just as Everest is to mountaineer, the Olympics to a many athletes or a World Cup is to a rugby or a football player.
In the New Zealand corner for this years race is Art Schwencke (Team Riha) whom I met at the Lake Taupo Extreme Enduro in 2011. Like past years, I’ll be following the Race Across America very closely online, with a particular emphasis on following how our Kiwis are doing in the event. Bon Courage Art! I’ll endeavour to keep my spreadsheet of Kiwi efforts in the RAAM up to date as the race unfolds. The official race coverage can be found at http://www.ridefarther.com (Microsoft Silverlight is required to view the live tracking).
I've tried to embed the key bits of my spreadsheets below, so they will display on more devices. If you have an overlap issue due to site styling, click here.
One year ago, I allowed a blot on my record. The ugly consecutive letters of D, N & F. I failed to complete the 505k Graperide Ultimate. This remains the only time that I have failed to complete an endurance event (although, in one instance I completed the course but narrowly missed the final time-cut). I had to avenge this terrible blot on my record and complete the Graperide Ultimate in 2013 by completing the 505km in under the 24 hour time-limit. I have ridden over 500km plenty of times, but never within, or close to 24 hours before.
Leading into the ride, I felt I had been riding stronger. Strava agreed, with (“post-Strava”) personal records being achieved almost everytime I sat on my Brooks saddle and pedalled for the month beforehand. I also reminded myself, that to improve on last year, I just had to get less than three punctures on the first lap! Thankfully, I was able to carry this form into the Ultimate, which I successfully completed in 22h40m. I was especially pleased to finish strongly, even after this distance rather than suffering, hurting and stubbornly pedalling to the finish. This finishing performance has left me pumped and motivated for larger challenges coming up later in the year.
Many of the usual New Zealand Ultra gang were at the startline – New Zealand 24hr Indoor Record holder Eugene Collins; NZ 24hr Outdoor Record holder Stu Downs, the first, and fastest Kiwi to finish the RAAMJoshua Kench, defending Ultimate champion Greg Manson, Tim “the Potato Guy” Neal, Uwe Paschke, Brandon Skilton, Damian Day and few others I hadn’t met before, including Craig Harper who finished 2nd. It looked like a strong field, and the high pace was evident with defending champion Greg Manson riding 12 minutes faster than 2012, to finish third.
Lap One (3h39m +12m):
Lap one began with most riders in a bunch, rotating out the work off the front until some of the faster guys decided to step on the gas as Blenheim approached, at which time I quickly found myself spat out in my usual place - off the back. I was resigned to not seeing any other riders for a few more laps, but was surprised to come across Eugene struggling a bit in the vicinity of Queen Charlotte Drive, and the Linkwater straights. I has passed him, but he came back riding fast and strong along the straights. I joked to myself at getting him on the approaching right-hand bend (Eugene had recently obtained the NZ Indoor 24 hour record on a velodrome, only turning left) and sure enough I did. Eugene was still overcooked from his record breaking feat and withdrew shortly after that.
Matt Oliver kindly helped me refill my bottles etc (thankyou!) and I was back underway after about 12 minutes replenishing my food and drinks, and putting my hi-viz gilet in my pocket for use later in the lap.
Lap Two (4h14m +25m):
I rode the second lap in solitude, but recall Matt Oliver advising me that Tim was aiming to catchup to me on this lap. Surprisingly, even after a bit of faffing making sure I had the right spare clothing for the pending cold of night, I still hadn’t seen Tim anywhere.
Ugh! Punctured. Right outside the pub in Renwick to ensure that I got a running commentary as I changed the tube, and confirmed that bar patrons don’t know what Lance looks like (or that, he never had repair his own punctures). Following the repair in haste, I could feel a bump in the tyre as I rode off, and a short way down the road, I had to deflate and reseat the tyre into the rim wall correctly again. It was getting cooler, but the knee and merino arm warmer combo was working well.
Uwe passed early in this lap, on Queen Charlotte and I returned the favour between Havelock and Renwick. We must have been riding at a similar pace, with variance in speed depending on conditions, as this occurred a few times over the next couple of laps.
Definitely found maintaining speed in darkness an issue, especially without a high volume of cateyes and road-side post-mounted reflectors. Suicidal hedgehogs were all over the road to add some slalom action!
I completed the lap and arrived to Damian sleeping in the TPG shelter, and no sign of Matt Oliver (who I later learned had gone to fetch Tim whom had withdrawn due to achilles tightness late in his third lap). Pure self-service for refilling this time round. It was definitely getting cold. I placed a balaclava in my back pocket, for if it got any colder on my fourth lap.
Lap Four: 18:15 (4h45m +18m)
Ahead of me, was fast approaching behind me. The head to head duel for line honours between Joshua Kench and Craig Harper was on. I understand that Josh punctured, when Craig passed him. Craig passed on Queen Charlotte while I fought hard not to be lapped with my light battery slowly fading away. I swapped my battery over on the Linkwater straight and heading over Mahakipawa Hill where Josh came through and lapped me, on his way to a narrow three minute victory.
Lap Five: (4h07m)
I managed to depart for my fifth lap marginally ahead of the one-lap riders start and received some encouragement from Josh and others as I departed for my final lap. I hoped to make as much use of drafting as possible. This was good in theory, but the bunches that had just started had far too much enthusiasm for my 400km+ legs. I passed Uwe, for the final time on the way up Old Renwick Road to Blenheim. I received plenty of encouragement from other Onslow Tarbabies – Frank et al as they whizzed by. Gillian kindly offered some drafting assistance on the way into Picton until she was able to hold onto a bunch. In general, I was okay on the flats on this laps against those with fresh legs, providing they didn’t attack. I was grinding out the hills a bit more than usual on this lap.
I briefly saw fellow Tarbaby Rachel at Linkwater on her way to winning the two-lap Magnum – congratulations on your victory. Once over Mahakipawa for the final time, I was amongst split bunches of riders riding one lap in about 3h30 and was able to hold their wheels, and even lead the bunches at times. With the final hill about 6km from the finish I gave it a nudge and went hard for the line from there. When I saw Rick & Jo from the Tarbabies in their car next to me over the Wairau River bridge I knew I couldn’t let up and remained in the big-ring and down in the drops riding hard the whole way to the line – after all, this is where the cameras are, and it is important to look good for the cameras!!
All done in 22h40m13s. This is by far my fastest 500km or thereabouts. My trip data is showing a little less distance than the claimed 505km. Most likely due to both GPX file straight-lining, and not coming in and our of the Forrest Estate Driveway on each lap.
Strava is a GPS based training motivation tool. They reguarly have challenges, to ride at least a certain amount of time, or as far as possible within a certain timeframe. As a Randonneur, naturally the distance based challenges are well suited to me and during the “January Base Mile Blast”, while not at the top of the overall leaderboard, I successfully logged the longest ride. Not because I tried to, but because I needed a 600km brevet completed for qualifying for The Big Wild Ride 1200k in July.
It was nice to receive some goodies earn a small reward, after opening the Picton-Westort-Picton 600 with 300km of headwinds. I was impressed to get a handwritten note from a technology focussed company.
The Super-Randonneur award is awarded for the completion of 200km/300km/400km/600km rides within a Randonnuering year (Nov 1 – Oct 31). It is also the qualifying requirement for many 1200km events, which was my primary motivation. This is the second time I have completed a Super-Randonneur series, the previous time being while qualifying for Paris-Brest-Paris in 2011. Here is the 2011 medal, I’ll need to wait a while to see what the 2013 edition looks like.
Randonneuring (or Audax) rides have a low profile in New Zealand, which is a shame because we have found some nice rides, in very scenic areas. If you would like me on any of these rides give me a yodel or see http://www.kiwirandonneurs.org.nz
It is often argued that 400km brevets are the hardest to complete due to being longer than a 300km, but not reducing the average speed enough for a sleep break like a 600km brevet. So, naturally that is what I started with, jammed into the Christmas crunch, was our Marlborough Mayhem 400km brevet. With a desire to qualify for 1200km ride further afield later in the year, I promptly rescheduled my flights home for Christmas and booked a ferry across Cook Strait and back again.
As I rode up the long false flat that is the Wairau Valley the misty morning cleared albeit, not enough to allow us to see the mountain vistas of this area. As St Arnaud approached the false flat was replaced by real climbing as we made our way up to this alpine village. With Elaine's cafe which I frequented on many a past tramping trip no longer trading, I bought a snack from the general store, before heading to Kawatiri Junction and up over the Hope. It was soon obvious that I was not a climber as I struggled up the steep pitches.
I had a brief flat patch, with zero energy and feeling mildly faint just before reaching Nelson and had to stop for an emergency snack on the cycle way, just moments away from Nelson. I must say that I was very impressed with Nelson's integrated, and signposted cycle network.
Leaving Nelson required climbing the Whangamoa Hill, with sea fog set in on a warm and humid night. There was another bump before dropping into the Rai Valley and onto Havelock well after the shops had closed for the night.
I waited a few minutes for Rita to arrive but unfortunately it getting too late, and tiring, she chose to abandon and take a 20km shortcut back to Picton via the hillier route on Queen Charlotte Drive. Meanwhile I proceeded the flatter, but more distant route via Rapura Rd, although I will admit that I did sneek in a much needed needed a ten minute snooze to manage my tiredness en-route back to Picton.
After Christmas I returned home to Wellington and was joined by Tim and Simon. We were able to meet Paris-Brest-Paris ancien Ed Allen for a snack at our first control in Carterton. Before the devastating heat of the afternoon kicked in, with the thermometer well over 30 degrees for most of the day. In Wellington we think it hot if it reaches 20 degrees! This led to us many time consuming rest-stops to eat more ice-creams, in all contributing to over four hours off our bikes.
It briefly looked like we may have had up to five riders for the 600, but after late withdrawals, it was just ride organiser Rita and myself.
Two days beforehand we swapped the route around so that more services would be open, and the overnight rest stop at Murchison could be at 382km instead if 440km. This seemed like a good idea - until getting our bikes at 5am on Saturday morning and riding into a headwind up the long false flat that is the Wairau Valley. At the top at St Arnaud we were a mere 40 minutes ahead of the time limit, so it was starting seem a tad tight even at this early stage. Time for fruitful hours of sleep was already seeming unlikely.
We met up with Kiwi Randonneurs stalwart Duncan and Tony in Murchison, where after 290km into the headwind Rita decided it wasn’t much fun and chose to abandon. As for me, this was the only 600km ride I had available for qualifying so I pushed on into wind and rain down the beautiful Buller Gorge to Westport, where all businesses decided to celebrate my arrival at 9pm by either closing or ceasing to be serving anymore food. So, it was nuts and snackbars on a concrete step outside New World (thanks for the extra snacks Duncan – was looking grim).
Then it was a climb up to Murchison for a 90 minute sleep in the motel before setting off over the Hope and into Nelson. No sign of the rain of the Buller from the night before as a sun shone and the temperature soared, especially felt when climbing over the Whangamoa Hill. The strategic placement of a control point at Pelorous Bridge for a good pie, didn’t quite work out as all I wanted was anything frozen to help cool me down before the final push around Queen Charlotte Drive and back to Picton.
200km – Taranaki Spin
Riders: Andrea (12h30m); Craig (12h30m); Rita (8h45m)
Time-limit: 13h30m
This was “multi-sport” weekend for Kiwi Randonneurs, with Rita backing up from a half-ironman the day before, and myself from an ascent of Mt Taranaki. I mostly rode with Andrea who was visiting from Brazil, although I wasn’t sure if I was going to finish when I broke two spokes near Stratford. Thankyou ‘Z Stratford’ for the loan of some tools, which enabled me to loosen the in tact spokes so the wheel would turn between the forks and enable me to complete the ride, and my Super Randonneur Series.
Our route was a variation on the Round the Mountain which would have only been 150km. Ironically, some of the best riding was in the quiet rural roads, and the scenic finish along the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway (a shared path) which had been added to bring the distance up to the required 200km.
My post-Taupo thinking, now that have the full collection of helmet caps is toward not only finishing but being competitive. I am certainly no natural athlete and are unlikely to come close to that top step. The goal is to be competitive with those that choose to race. To not be making up the numbers, a few of hours off the back. I have more than proven I can finish events, including those with high DNF rates. Time to step it up. I have always said “ride" when others have said “race”. Can I change my mind-set?
As I have always said:
Never again until next year
But next year, the goal is set, and it has set both early and high. The goal is four laps in under 30 hours in next year’s Maxi Enduro. This is a high-bar, an hour per lap less than 2012. To achieve this I am going to have to achieve a few things that are foreign to me – proper nutrition and a methodical, planned approach to training. This should see me drop 7-10kg of the “insulation-wrap” that I carry with me everywhere.
I have always favoured adventure, over racing in my outdoor activities and this no doubt, will continue to be. But for multi-lap events, and events I have done before I think it is time to “step it up”. To step it up, I will need to be leaner, fitter and stronger. It is always important to me to keep the fun, the adventure in all things. It keeps you fresh. It keeps you inspired. To this end, obtaining the base fitness I’ll spend more time on the mountain bike finding new places to explore, tramping and climb the odd mountain. Dabble in some trail running (or more likely marginal trail-jogging) and use randonneuring rides into new and different places as a means of building the base. It will be about incorporating the desire and fun of adventure with a more disciplined training focus. Without fun, without adventure, the risk of becoming stale and bored in training is too great. In boredom all fitness gains are easily lost. With careful thought, adventures will build the base, but 10 weeks beforehand a tunnel-visioned focus must consume me. A time to focus on the specificity of training what is required to achieve the goal that has been set.
Then there are other races, that are simply unobtainium. I was a bit surprised when Tim kindly pointed out I was on the qualified list for the hardest, most gruelling and most epic of all endurance cycling races: The Race Across America. I would have thought I was many hours behind the qualifying pace, but as errant as my appearance amongst far stronger, and many truly great riders – could anything else possibly be a greater motivation to attempt to train to such toward such a high standard? [NB: I am unlikely to ever be of RAAM Solo standard, but I am huge RAAM fan!]
Buckle your seatbelts, and lets enjoy the ride, or is it a race?
For some final reflection on the 2012 Maxi-Enduro, few more photos…
More start-line, and Maxi-Enduro photos taken my Mum, Dad & nephew Jamie
