Tramp: The Moonlight Southern Crossing

After a few false starts on the fourth? attempt I finally completed the Moonlight Southern Crossing. Prior attempts having been thwarted by weather and well, a sheer lack of Moonlight.

Trip Data:
Distance:	37km
Time:	12:56:51 (moving)	21:40:31 (elapsed)
Elevation:	Ascent: 2,357m	Descent: 2,224m
Trip Data:	Garmin Connect
Location:	Tararua Range, NZ	24 July 2010

It is hard to say exactly what it is that gives this trip its magical appeal. Perhaps it is the statistical unlikelihood of having a clear night in the Tararua Range during the middle of winter? Let alone underneath the full moon! The Tararua’s are renowned for their imperfect weather,  as Geoff Spearpoint observed in his book “Waking to the Hills”

Weather plays a major part in Tararua affairs, mist normally covering the tops for 250 days of the year. Southerlies bring the snow and freeze them; westerlies bring the rain and wet them; and the northerlies blow until it is a marvel there is anything left.

I had arranged to do this trip with Mike and Sam, and we were all watchful of the weather forecasts and weather model information in the week leading up to July's full moon. The best weather looked like it would be on Sunday evening, but the storm passed through quicker than expected over Friday night, Saturday was a cracker of day.

 

Sam and I hatched a very approximate plan over the telephone which optimistically featured the fastest times we had travelled over each section of the route. Oooopps. Not the best way to estimate time! At least walking straight through, without staying in any huts saved me from having to splash out on the recently increased price for a new annual hut pass.

 

Flat battery number one: After seven weeks of being an incredibly fuel efficient Subaru - stationary on my driveway! The battery was dead and would not turn the motor over. Thankyou awesome neighbour Ken for helping me out so we could go tramping! I must say I do prefer to walk or to cycle, but must make sure I the car moves out of the driveway at least occasionally!

 

I collected Mike and Sam enroute to Otaki Forks. Oooopps battery issue two: I had not replaced the batteries in my SPOT after removing them before flying back from the USA recently.  Sorry - no digital breadcrumbs for the worrying family at home. No problem as long as we do not need that SOS button!

 

Shortly after crossing the bridge over the Waiotauru River we saw Spencer, whom I had not seen for a couple of years. He reported ice on top; crampons recommended; couldn't get into Kime Hut as it is frozen over. We noted that regardless of the not so balmy conditions he had reported that he had travelled without an ice-axe. After a quick chat Spencer kindly drove my car back to Wellington to save me the effort of returning to Otaki Forks to collect it!

 

A few minutes before reaching Field Hut darkness encroached as we travelled for our last few minutes in the bushline with the use of our headlamps. Once beyond Field Hut and above the bushline the moonlight provided enjoyable conditions under a beautiful night sky.

 

With Mike on the trip and his knowledge of astronomy we were able to celestials the prominent celestial body in the sky to our west. All without needing to refer to Wikipedia to pretend to be smart. Now above the bushline we had Venus as a prominent celestial body to the west.

 

The lack of snow was notable as we walked across Table Top. At this time it was difficult to co-relate with Spencer's crampons recommendation. There were a few patches of firm snow as we crossed Dennan followed by thin layers of snow leading to Kime Hut. There was substantially less snow than when I was here last year, however, on this occasion it was much nearer to frozen and a lot more slippery.

 

Upon reaching Kime Hut the door was frozen shut, just as Spencer had warned.  Sam used his ice-axe to remove the frozen ice from the large metal latch to gain entry. I was pleased to have thought ahead by carrying extra fluid with the Kime Hut water tank frozen solid, which was always going to be likely at this time of year.

 

Departing Kime it was onward and over Field Peak (which counter-intuitively is nowhere near Field Hut of course). Once reaching the descent of Field Peak on it's southern side it was icy and slippery. Once again, just as Spencer had advised. My ice-axe has been on many more trips than it's been required in the past. Tonight it was essential to assist my rather less than assured footing on this mixture of ice and rock.

 

There was some cloud about when we reached the summit of Hector and the memorial cross, but not enough to block the light of the moon, or as Mike would prefer to correct me, the light of the sun reflecting from the moon.

 

As we descended Hector and made our way through the Beehives, the track itself was a little treacherous having formerly being wet, but now was frozen solid. Where possible we walked on the safer route over the tussock alongside the frozen track. Where rock covered in 'black-ice' was the only option my steps were far more tentative, as I grovelled through with my ice-axe held by clenched iron-fists. This made progress pretty slow. Ideally there would either be lots of snow to make crampons ideal, or no snow at all. The mixture of snow and rock as tricky, particularly on

 

Once over Atkinson there was a lot less ice around as we continued around the Dress Circle and over Aston, now with Jupiter clearly visible to the south east. Once at the top of Alpha where there was no snow or ice at all. We spent a few moments relaxing on top of Alpha. Enjoying the night sky and the still air which is so rare in the Tararuas Range.

 

We approached Alpha Hut quietly, but found it empty on this glorious evening.  Without needing to worry about disturbing others, we had a reasonably long rest an a snack before departing a little after 4am. We were already a long way behind our intended, and optimistic time but only had the Marchant Ridge left between us and our destination at Kaitoke.

 

The Marchant Ridge an area of geography that often subject to much slander among trampers. I have often felt this is this isn't necessarily justified. Many trampers lament the lack of views on this goblin forest coated ridge, yet the goblin forest of the nearby Cone Ridge celebrated. With the Marchant so often described with, well lets just say with many short err, "adjectives". The current topographical map BP33 shows eight spot heights along this ridge, with a mere150m of altitude descended between the first last of these. It certainly seems to be with some justification that many describe this ridge as:

'Uphill in both directions'.

However, I believe that the real reason ridge is so despised is because it is both long and at the end of epic journeys. The Marchant Ridge often being the final stretch of a  Southern Crossing or an 'SK' and it is some 15km long. The mind says you are nearly there, but in reality you are not. The route from Alpha Hut to Kaitoke along the Marchant Ridge covers 40% of the total distance over the Southern Crossing route!

 

 

On this occasion, I stepped in a hole somewhere near the 'top' of Marchant Ridge. After wincing and limping for a few strides, at which time I felt like rolling over the ground screaming like a girl, I just kept walking. The further we went the more my knee swelled. I was unsure if I had an injury, or if a less ambitious trip would have been more desirable after not having been out tramping for a while.  I just kept on moving. The sun was rising by the time we reached the open area on Marchant that was created by a fire here some years ago.  and eventually we found our way to Kaitoke over 21 hours after leaving the car in Otaki.

 

This was a much slower trip than we had optimistically anticipated. That said the GPS data that Mike collected suggests we only spent about 13 hours actually moving - the rest of the time Mike and Sam must have been waiting for me? While they *did* spend a lot of time waiting for me, I’m not sure it was quite accurate!

 

 

Thankfully about a week later the swelling in my knee came down and I can once again see my knee cap – phew!.

Thanks Mike for the photos and GPX file. You can read more about this trip on Mike’s blog at http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/487#more-487

And thankyou for leading the trip Sam :)

Onslow Tarbabies Individual Time Trial (ITT)

 

Like the recent OTB Criterium, Mossy again worked his magic and ably assisted by Digger organised a time-trial for our members. Even for those, like me who aren’t quite fast enough to “race” but like to pretend all the same. :).

 

Whilst great claims can be made about rain-proof courses it is the middle of winter in Wellington right now and I must admit that I had my doubts about the allegedly non-rain affected course.

Event takes place even if wet. The course is not exposed and not affected by rain.

Ride Data:
Distance:	17.6km	821 Calories
Time:	32m 25s	32.6 km/h 39.5 km/h MAX
Heart-rate:	Avg: 94% of MAX	Max: 98% of MAX
Cadence:	Avg: 96 rpm	Max: 111 rpm
Ride Data:	Garmin Connect / RideWithGPS
Location:	Wellington, NZ	17 July 2010

… If only Mossy could organise the weather as well as the races?

 

This was the first tine I had ever ridden in a time-trial and at 18km it was contrast of extremes both in the weather, as well a the riding from my last event, the Grand Tour: Highland Double Century under the Californian sun.

 

The course was three laps of a 6km circuit. The first-half was more-or-less flat with a southerly tail-wind, whilst the second-half lap had a few minor bumps to accompany the return head-wind.

 

My laps got progressively slower, with recorded lap times of 10m29s; 10m51s and 11m05s.

 

Lap three began with Scott charging past me as if I was at home sitting on a stationery trainer. Perhaps he had thought it was a handicap race? Whether it was time-trial or handicap he certainly left us all in his wake (both figuratively and physically) on this amphibious day.  I could feel my legs as the final lap progressed, and the rain in my eyes after removing my completely fogged sunglasses certainly didn’t during this, my final and slowest lap. Unfortunately toward the end of this lap John F, and John H both passed me to convincingly destroy me against the clock having started 2 and 3 minutes behind me respectively.

 

Heart-rate Zones:
Zone 1:	0 min
Zone 2:	0 min
Zone 3:	0 min
Zone 4:	1 min
Zone 5:	30 min

Riding the short time-trial was at a vastly higher level of intensity than I usually ride with in the long endurance rides I typically participate in. Hopefully this will help me increase my capacity to ride harder during the pending spring endurance rides. Aside from the first few pedal strokes, I was riding with both high cadence, and heart-rate with the ticker running in “Zone 5” the entire time – great workout!

 

I recorded a time of 32m25s today for an average speed of 32.5km/hr. ‘twas atrocious weather, but as always I would have liked to have been a little quicker. To achieve that I'm going to have to add a lot more intensity to my training. Hopefully we’ll have another ITT soon so I have an opportunity to seek improvement.

 

 

Date	17th July 2010
Weather	Steady rain, light southerly, Temp approx 10deg C
Route	Liverton Road, Upper Hutt
Name	Start	Lap 1	Lap 2	Finish	Net Time
Kara	15:13	15.23.28	15:34.33	15:45.37	32:37
Jackie	15:14	15:24.32	15:35.34	15:46.33	32:33
Craig	15:15	15:25.29	15:36.20	15:47.25	32:25
Mike	15:16	15:26.35	15:37.13	15:47.52	31:52
Chris	15:20	15:30.08	15:40.34	15:51.02	31:02
John H.	15:17	15:26.45	15:36.48	15:46.45	29:45
John F.	15:18	15:27.34	15:37.30	15:47.23	29:23
Tim	15:21	15:29.51	15:39.13	15:48.24	27:24
Scott	15:19	15:27.48	15:36.46	15:45.47	26:47

Let’s make it a double – My first Double Century on The LA Wheelmen’s Grand Tour

Seeking a new challenge, instead of flying straight home after visiting my beautiful Yvette, I spent a short time in California and entered the LA Wheelmen’s Grand Tour: Highland Double Century. This provided an opportunity to enjoy the Californian sun during the New Zealand winter and to ride almost twice as far as I have previously ridden in a single day.

Ride Data:
Distance:	315.92km	15,002 Calories
Time:	13:01:11 (moving) 14:33:31 (elapsed Garmin) 14:40:10 (Official)	24.3 km/h (moving) 21.7 km/h (elapsed) 67.8 km/h MAX
Elevation:	Ascent: 2,589m	Descent: 2,588m
Cadence:	Avg: 78 rpm	Max: 166 rpm
Ride Data:	Garmin Connect / MapMyRide / RideWithGPS
Location:	Malibu, California, USA	26 June 2010

While  many questioned my sanity for my desire to ride 200 miles in a single day, I was determined to take up the challenge. After all, I may as well see the place while I am there.

The Grand Tour is the original double century ride in the United States and began in 1959 when Marge Gall suggested it might be possible to ride 200 miles in one day. You can find more about the origins of the Grand Tour here: http://www.lawheelmen.org/gtorigins.htm.

Today, the Grand Tour consists of options for a 200K (Double Metric Century) ; the Highland Double Century; the Lowland Double Century (a little less hilly) and extensions to make a Triple Century and a Quadruple Century. All courses to be completed within 24 hours.

I entered in the Highland Double Century route that would take from Malibu, up the Pacific Coast Highway to Port Huneme and inland through Westlake; Thousand Oaks and Ojai before climbing up past Lake Casistas and back down to Carpentira, and the Pacific Coast Highway to return to Malibu.



Staying only a few miles away in Santa Monica, I had resolved that regardless of the 200 miles in front of me, the most convenient means of transport to the start would be RIDE. The Grand Tour does not have a mass start, but my intention was to start at 4:30am - opening of the starting time window. This was to ensure I had travelled over the inland portions of the course before the heat of the day set in. The coastal sections being about 10 degrees C cooler.

Riding to the start was all fine until the dreaded pssssssst sound screamed out of my front tyre. Riding in the dark I had ridden over something that left a huge gash in the side of the tyre wall. Ironically, I had just been thinking about whether to cable tie the spare tyre in my backpack onto my bike before I started the ride. No need to worry about that now. Time to put it to use already! After a small delay I was moving again and eventually left the start at Webster Elementary School at 4:57am amongst a stream of well lit bicycles.

After the prior frustrations en-route to the start I was well warmed up and feeling strong at the start and regardless of darkness and nerves about not pushing too hard I was easily averaging about 19mph/30km/h when I rode over a rock in the middle of the lane and for the second time of the day I heard that awful sound of pssssssst. I was just about ready to sulk. A mere 22 miles, or ~10% of the way and I’m stopping for a puncture already. Fortunately, I could not find any damage to the tyre wall this time. Some volunteers on their way to Ojay (lunch/rest-stop) pulled up behind to lend me hand with a floor pump – THANKYOU! Surely this was the closest to a team car that I will ever experience. Just 5m14s to check the tyre for damage or embedded debris and change the tube was pretty snappy.

As the sun rose through thick fog my 900 lumen headlamp was no longer necessary, the coastal scenery came into sight at the first check-in/rest-stop at Port Hueneme (~mile 34). After registering my ride number at the check-in I was on my way again amongst a group of about 20 riders. I was looking forward to some pacelines and competitive encouragement up the pending hill of Potrero Rd. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite work out when I turned right with one other ride for the hill whilst the rest carried straight on for the Lowland Double Century route.

In hindsight I had probably over anticipated Potrero Rd, sure the last half-mile is one steep gradient, and no I don’t want to climb it every day. Yes, I did need my 34t chain-ring and 25t cassette granny-gear but, I have climbed far mightier beasts before. While I felt the hill in my legs, conscious of the remaining 150 miles I was probably far more conservative than required. The Highland Double may be hillier than the Lowland Double, but relative to distance is probably still flatter than most rides of this distance.
 


A little past the summit of Potrero Rd, I stopped in at a rest stop to top up my drink bottles. Spending less time at the rest stop than others I departed among a small group if experienced double century riders (most of them were wearing California Triple Crown jerseys) as we rode around Westlake and through to Thousand Oaks. Unfortunately I lost contact with this group amongst the many traffic lights through Thousand Oaks and spent much time in solitude. Not being used to so many traffic lights on an organised ride I consider it possible that I may have slowed down in frustration. Like the Californian location, travelling through more than two sets of traffic lights was completely new territory for me. I eventually ambled into the Moorpark rest-stop at mile 77 some 5h17m after departing Malibu.

After a little climbing on the way out of Moorpark a long descent offer some rest whilst winding down the Grimes Canyon. Once travelling through Santa Paula there was an eight mile gradual ascent somewhere near mile 100. This may not have been steep but it certainly was persistent. This is certainly an section I would like to travel to faster if I do this ride again. Having ridden this section, it is surprising how much it shows up on the elevation profile. Thankfully after there was a downhill before making it to the lunch stop at Ojay.

The lunch stop at Ojay was serving a mighty feast. Something I have never seen before. Recreational rides are structured quite differently in New Zealand. Not too keen on having a lot of solid food in my stomach I stuck to some watermelon and some fruit juice to make some variation from my diet of Hammer Nutrition gels (Although the new Montana Huckleberry is the best flavoured gel ever!) and sipping on a drink of Perpeteum as my primary food source.

The riding was initially flat and level when leaving the Ojay lunch stop. The climb up Casita’s Pass offered great views of Lake Casita and I have to say, while it barely registers on the elevation profile, I sure felt it having already ridden some 127 miles. The rapid descent back down to sea-level sure was appreciated. Once at the coast we reached the Carpintera rest area, where I well, rested for a bit and ate a few noodles.

The last 60 miles / 100K was mostly flat (thankfully) with a few rollers thrown in at the end. Now back on the Pacific Coast Highway with flat travel and less intersections I was able to pick up the pace for the last two sections. With some pacelines - mostly from a group riding together from Arizona, not riding in solitude sure helped me lift my tempo. It was a bit odd when after a 140 miles three groups merged together form the largest peloton of the day. Unfortunately one slightly dodgy moment as we moved into a left-hand lane to turn left and had a car accelerate rapidly into the gap we were moving into. Thankfully no contact and we were all well as we headed for our final check-in/rest-stop, and our second visit of the day to the Port Huneme rest-stop.

Leaving Port Huneme I tried to hold on the back of a tandem for a while but lost contact going past the naval base and rode the rest of the way in solitude, although I did pass some fellow cyclists on my way to the finish, and others did likewise to me on the way up the rollers approaching the finish. The left turn of the Pacific Coast Highway was difficult manoeuvre to get over two lanes of fast moving traffic into the left turning lane for the lights that didn’t seem to have a great deal of knowledge about the colour green.  It seemed like a long wait, and after analysing my Garmin data it was – five minutes! Once finally over the intersection it was back to Webster Elementary, my first double century complete, and lining up to sign in and get my official time.

Thanks to the LA Wheelmen for organising the event and all those who volunteered that were helping out with the timing, rest-stops and SAG support.

Double Century accomplished. Now, when can I ride another? Or do I make it a TRIPLE? :D
Genuinely epic rides like the PBP do not seem so impossible any more. Who knows what’s next my little worn out legs?

Rough Time Analysis
Time "on the pedals":	13:01:11
Time spent at rest stops & puncture repair:	1:05:31
Time at traffic controls:	0:26:52
Time between Sign-in/start ride & Stop/sign-out:	0:07:07
Total Elasped Time:	14:40:41

The R4 2010

After last year’s R4, I thought it had to be better weather this year. Well, perhaps not. Friday night’s sleep with interrupted by thunder and lightning and it was pouring down when I left the cabin for the ride. Apparently their fourth successive R4 in the rain! It was one of those days when you just were not sure where the balance between dryness, warmth and over cooking yourself once the ride started was. Thankfully it stopped raining on the start-line so I threw my rain cape to Dad on the side lines and swapped it for a wind vest to keep the chill off.

Ride Data:
Distance:	88.57km	4509 Calories
Time:	2:34:01	34.5 km/h (77km/h max)
Elevation:	Ascent: 422m	Descent: 702m
Cadence:	Avg: 95 rpm	Max: 120 rpm
Ride Data:	Garmin Connect Player
Location:	Rotorua, NZ	15 May 2010

I started near the front with a plan of holding onto the front bunch until the first hill and seeing what happened from there. I didn’t quite make it that far. 42km/h was a really smokin’ pace for me and after about 10km I couldn’t handle it any longer and drifted off the back of the front bunch.

Approaching the first hill after 16km, a large bunch started to form, although disorganised. I sat on the back catching my breath for a moment before hitting  the hill. A little behind at the top I needed a quick descent to get back in touch, during which I lost a water bottle riding over a pothole at about 75km/h. No harm done and I was soon a hundred metres ahead of the bunch prior to the road levelling out. I do find it odd that so few riders at my level try to get low and aero in events like such as this. Even more surprising are those riding on expen$ive, aerodynamic wheelsets worth far more than my entire bike. Surely any aerodynamic gain from the wheelset is lost from sitting up while descending?

A large bunch formed (32 riders finished together according to the results). Unfortunately there was not a lot of enthusiasm to work off the front of the bunch. This is a frustration I may need to used to now that I have improved my fitness. Wanting to improve net time from last time I found myself leading a lot, in a rotation at the front of the bunch with 3 others. No amount of screaming and hand waving was able to get others to come forward. Even when trying to peel off the front to the right, riders behind moved across the road following your wheel. I found this a tad frustrating but looking for net time, not placing I had few options.

Getting nearer the end the four of us leading the pack tried to get a break on in anticipation of what was likely to happen in the final kilometre….. Unfortunately, we could not hold it as the group behind soon closed the gap and most passed us approaching the finish with some dodgy moves over a narrow bridge amongst traffic. The traffic conditions at the time we went through pretty much made a mess of a good sprint finish. Those the did the work and stayed on the left side of the road over the bridge came in the back of the group. This ruined any chance of sprinting at the line, and finishing back of this pack felt completely unjust!

Afterwards another rider commented to me that I was a great tow truck etc. I couldn’t help but feel that we all would have been quicker if all of the group had worked together.

Regardless all that. My 2nd fastest average speed ever in a road funride/event, and my fastest for three years. All managed regardless of horrible weather and an uncooperative bunch.  I finished in 2h34m01s - about 40 minutes quicker than last year. Recently I have been working on smoothing out my pedalling technique.  An average cadence of 95rpm indicates that this has been very successful. This is the best ride I have had for years, felt strong for the entire ride and a higher speed than I have had in ages. The more hilly events in spring will be a greater test I just need to carry my fitness through the winter.

I feel gutted that it is winter already. I’m looking forward to flying to warmer pastures and great company.  And I can’t wait to get back on my bike and find new personal limits for myself.

Onslow Tarbabies Criterium – May 2010

My local recreational riding group organised a short criterium race for our members in a traffic free, yet to be developed industrial area near Trentham. The stated objective of organising this race was:

to foster better riding skills, better fitness, a chance to try something you'd otherwise be afraid of, but most of all to "flex your muscles" and participate in some friendly rivalry on a quiet road rather than down SH2.

Ride Data:
Distance:	14.14	800 Calories
Time:	23m16s	36.5 km/h
Ride Data:	Garmin Connect Player
Location:	Trentham, NZ	1 May 2010

For me, just riding without fear those steel cyclist crushing objects known as cars was a huge bonus!

 

This was my first ride in a criterium style race. I entered the “C” grade race which was set at the same level a those that I typically ride with on Sundays. My work colleague Phil, had been trying to get me to enter the “B” grade race with him. I suspect that this was because he was looking for the satisfaction of beating me head-to-head. With a damp day and limited numbers of participants the “C” & “D” grades were combined as were the “A” & “B”’s.

 

I had been given advance tips that criterium events can be very tactical and often if you get caught on the front for too long you can use too much energy and get destroyed in the final sprint. With this mind during the race I made sure I wasn’t leading for more than one lap at a time and made sure I was position to follow anyone who thought about making a decisive break. These tactics seemed universal in the “C” grade race with with any gaps the opened quickly sealed to ensure there were no breakaways established. On the couple of laps when I was leading I tried to increase the pace a little to get a feel for where the wind was, which could be critical on the final lap and to see how the riders around me were handling the pace. Ultimately no gaps opened and we increased our average speed and we built to higher speeds each lap around the course.

 

I was sitting comfortably in 2nd place when the bell went indicating two laps to go and then heading into the final lap assumed the lead. I initially tried a surge as I assumed the lead but the rest of the pack surged with me. I figured with the inside running in the remaining corners, meaning everyone else had to get around me  the biggest risk would be to go for a sprint too early and get run down. I thought the action would most likely occur into the wind on the straight prior to the final corner. I was wrong and Mark found an acceleration with half a lap to go that none of us could match. I possibly dropped as low as 4th as I made maximum use of my ticker into the wind and then down the final straight to take 2nd place with a comfortable margin back to 3rd and nowhere near running down fast finishing Mark. 

 

I was breathing pretty hard crossing line with my heart pounding. That 221-Age thing maximum heartrate thing is after all just an estimate :D.

 

The combined “A” and “B” grade race followed a different style altogether. Throughout their race there were various attacks trying to establish breakaways but while breakaways were established, they never actually stuck. By the final lap all the riders were together again with Phil managing a narrow victory in the sprint finish. Thankfully back at work he has contained himself enough to not have reminded us of his result more than 100 times (yet?).