The Big Finish Line Party

The Big Finish Line Party is the brainchild of Andy Chalmers. A bikepacking event that doesn’t have a start, only a finish. 

.... well, it does have a start but that’s up to you, where and when you start, and with who you ride. Don’t like rules? There is only one rule. Don’t be late. See you at the finish line. 5pm Saturday. Born from the idea of maximising camaraderie and letting people chose their own experience and level of difficulty, the Big Finish Line Party is in it's third year.

I had limited annual leave so it would be a short trip for me, time enough to catch the evening Ferry from Wellington to Picton in Te Wai Pounaumu, (the South Island) and get in 2 and a half days riding before the finish, then catching up with my family who live in Marlborough. The link Track parallel to Queen Charlotte Drive was my starting point, with the  Nydia  and  Archers  Tracks being the ultimate destinations for the day, time allowing.

I asked around and people seemed to think that the Nydia Track, despite being a Black Diamond Trail, was rideable in the opposite direction, which I was intending to do. I had no idea how far I was going to get, but I had a new tent and there were plenty of opportunities to camp in the Marlborough sounds. I was riding by myself so had to be very careful from a safety point of view.

The Nydia track was beautiful. It would have been a lovely place to hike, or run. But rideable segments were less than I had hoped for. Waterfalls crossed the track in many places and required 100% concentration to cross. Despite this I lost my footing, and almost lost my bike on one of them. A good reason to remember to carry your personal locator beacon on your body.

Archers track was more fun, following the coastline closely with a lot less tree-fall on the track. I saw a doe disappearing up the bank at one point and nearly hit a mother goat and her kid as they launched off the bank to my side. I rolled into Elaine Bay at around 7pm and set up my new Big Agnes tent at the DOC camping site. There was a long-drop toilet and hand basin nearby so pretty civilized. I was immediately visited by a very inquisitive Weka and as I started to nod off was startled by a strange noise. Sure enough, in the morning I noticed pig-rooting sign all around my camp site. Thankfully not fresh.

The climb out of Elaine bay was on the seal but still very steep. A similar climb out of Okiwi Bay followed with more seal, then a diversion to get off the main road onto a nice quiet gravel B-road. The mussel pies and and hot chips at the Brick Oven café in Rai Valley beckoned, and as I parked up a nasty cold squall raced through. Timing is everything. I stocked up for my next segment which was to be the  Waikakah o Track via Pelorus, Havelock, Linkwater and Cullensville.

I got to the start of the Waikakaho track at around 1:30 pm. The sign said 5 hours walk. Usually track times are a lot less than they state on signage. I figured, I have a bike obviously I will be a lot faster. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s an old narrow gold mining track, like many, hacked out of the side of the hill. Initially there were some rideable bits but there was a lot of elevation to cover, and walking turned out to be just as quick as riding.

It got colder and darker and eventually I came out on a crazy little clearing. Apparently an old mining hut site and probably the only place you could pitch a tent on the whole ride. What I thought was rain turned out to be light snow so I kept moving. A quick look at my app had me still a long way from the finish with no idea on what the upcoming terrain would be like. I eventually found the track exit from the clearing and came across the shell of a  Powelliphant a, the giant snail that can live up to 20 years.

The terrain just seemed to get gnarlier with a fair bit of tree-fall across the track. I realised I wasn't going to break any records with all my bikepacking gear on, and had to stop a lot for micro-breaks, observing all the wild pig-rooting sign. What were they hunting, snails? Eventually snippets of rideable track appeared off and on, and before too long I could tell I was descending a bit. I overshot the track and came across an abandoned mine shaft, back-tracked and tried to carefully enjoy the rooty descent.

I rarely bikepack by myself so had to be very careful not to spear off the track and end up down a bank, it's not like anyone was going to rescue me if I did something dumb. Coming across an old homestead site told me I was getting closer to the trail's end. The final descent was mostly wet clay, but surprisingly I had no offs. It was a wet cold drag all the way out of the valley, but I was happy to be out of the bush. My original plan was to camp at Whites bay on the Beach, and do the loop there on my final day, but I was wet and cold and couldnt see myself warming up much, even if I did get the feeling back in my cold hands. I rung my brother to see if I could crash at his place the night. Sorted. Remember there are no rules, well just one - dont be late.

Obviously I had a luxurious sleep in the next day and decided on a new route. I was done with hikeabiking. A nice 76 km gravel loop of the Taylor and Redwood passes seemed like a much better option. I had barely started when a random guy catches up and says, "Hi there Jeff, I work at the Council with your brother". I think we had met once before at the start of the 2012 Kiwi Brevet, small world. He was my personal escort for the next few hours and showed me a few local short-cuts. It was great to have someone to chat to after riding solo for two days. Of course, the best was yet to come. We were all to meet at the Dodson Street beer garden, 5pm - don't be late. 

This is where you find out who else was doing the ride, and like any other decent event in New Zealand, there are always a couple of top 5 Tour Divide riders there. Not that it matters, it's not a race. There is a lot of catching up with familiar faces and talking about who went where, with who, and where they stayed. It's a great concept, and it works well. It really takes the pressure off. One group's members split off in different directions on multiple occasions depending on wellness, fitness or fatigue - some of them had been riding since the Monday. 

The Big Finish Line Party concept could be the best thing to encourage newbies into bikepacking since the 6 hour stand-down periods that were introduced when Simon Kennett brought bikepacking to NZ in 2010. There has to be a reason for its popularity across the ages and genders in NZ, and knowing that you don't have to indulge in sleep deprivation is a definite plus. 

 A brief AGM was held to choose the location of the next Big Finish Line Party in 2024. 

 Watch this space.  (Better pix here)

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I went for a 24 hour ride and this is what I ate

I went for a ride the other day. Just one ride. 310 kms. From Wellington to Wellington via the south coast and Ngawi and back over the Remutaka incline. We left home at 9:50pm saturday night and got home 9:50 pm sunday night, no sleeps, 24 hours for me. A bit less for Matt who lives in the Hutt Valley.

https://caltopo.com/m/7ND9F (click for map)

We had a small gap in the weather and we had to go for it. It was an idea I'd had since doing the same ride over 2 days a year or 2 earlier. I had asked my buddy Matt Dewes if he was interested, he was. That sealed it. If he had said no the idea would have probably died a natural death. 

The plan was to leave early, midnight initially, so that we could finish in the daylight and and not get in too much trouble with our families. 

As spring weather came upon us it was getting harder and harder to find an opportunity to get out for 24 hours of less than crappy weather.

The problem with leaving so late was that there were no shops open anywhere, not Pirinoa, not Waimeha, so we had to take all our own food and water. There was actually one water stop at Corner Creek camping ground on the South Coast, and no food until returning through Martinborough. So, in order to stave off the dreaded bonk, this is what I ate, as much a record for me as anything.

• Chocolate Up n Goes x2  Calories =195 each
  
• Cokes 3x 250ml Calories = 105 each
  
• Jelly beans 1x packet Calories = 870 each
  
• Peanut M & Ms 1/2 packet Calories = 954
  
• Cheese and bean toastie pies x 3.5 Calories = 324 each
  
• Powerade 750 ml Calories = 187
  
• Muesli bars x 2 Calories = 166 each
  
• Water 3 litres
• Grainwaves x2 Calories = 700 each
  

 Total calories for 24 hours riding = 4928

Didn't eat.

• 9 spare muesli bars
• 2 litres of water.
• 1 packet frog sweets
• 1 packet fruit & nuts

The real winner in very long rides is the cheese and baked bean toastie, sometimes with some salami. Your tongue can get very tired of sweet things and the humble toastie somehow feels like real food by comparison. It has protein and fat for saiety and carbs in the beans and bread.

A cheese toastie can live happy in your shirt pocket wrapped up in a bit of lunch wrap for a very very long time. I think 3 days is my record. When cooked correctly the cheese works like a resin in a carbon fibre mould and impregnates the bread, sealing all the good stuff inside!  Try it on your next hike!

The humble cheese and backed bean toastie pie

 

See below some piccies from our ride. 

A moody night on the South Coast

Streams were cold and swift

On the road to Pirinoa

Pirinoia, about 5 degrees at 6 am.

Matt making us a coffee at Ngawi at 8 am. We sure needed that.

Heading to White Rock

Near Mataopera Stream

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UrbanGrinduro - 2023

 UrbanGrinduro - 2023 - July 30th

Congratulations to everyone that turned up to do the second Urbangrinduro!

We had mint conditions and a great vibe among underbikers and overbikers alike.

Here is the course if anyone wants to do it again, maybe even set an FKT !
https://www.strava.com/activities/9546752050 also, the segment here:
https://www.strava.com/segments/35038454

Thanks heaps to all the people that took photos and especially the guys at Shed 22 who fenced off an area for us so we didn't stink up the joint too much!

The Urbangrinduro course from 2021 can be found here:
https://www.strava.com/segments/29989611

Cheers, Jeff

LAST UPDATE 2pm 29/07/2023

I just did a reccie of the second part of the course, most of which I had not done. It was very cool. A couple of things to note.

The course is so squirrely you will have to follow your GPS very closely if you want to follow the course exactly, not that it really matters! Set the resolution to 50m if you can. 300m was not doing it for me on one of my two GPSes.

It's also wet out there. The CX riders will enjoy a few bits of wet off-camber after Mt Albert !

Also, the course is only 37 kms, but the climbs, though short are sometimes steep. Bring stuff to eat and drink !

There are also a couple of tight twisty downhill segments on wet asphalt. They also have green lichen and wet leaves on them. Be very careful on these bits. I am probably going to walk some of them. Steep ashphalt can be very unforgiving.

Please remember the trails are used by others, in particular, dog walkers near Tawatawa reserve, and walkers on Highbury Fling, so please be courteous.

Ikigai/Serendipidty is probably your best place if you want to go fast. Mt Vic looked good today but as usual will have lots of walkers. 

If it gets a bit much at any time you know you can always straight to Shed 22, (Macs brew bar).

Hit me up with any questions. 

Cheers, Jeff

LAST UPDATE:  6:25pm Monday - 24/07/2023 

Summary-

• Starts 9am at Transient Track, Polhill/Waimapihi Te Aro
• Finishes at Shed 22 Queens Wharf pub (Macs Brew bar).

Hi folks. Here is the latest update for the Revolution Bicycles Urban Grinduro! In exchange for naming rights Jonty has promised to make you all an expresso if you visit him at 69 Ottawa Road in Ngaio. Jonty is one of Wellington's original MTBing pioneers and knows a few cool trails.

9am Sunday 30th of July- we start at Waimapihi (Polhill) at the bottom of Transient, ride up Clinical, Highbury Fling, Sawmill Track, down Ikigai Serendipidy and then back up Transient.  From there we head down and across Brooklyn and head into a completely new to me trail that pops us out on the Golf Course in Island Bay. We take in some cool new uphill singletrack over that way before hooking in to Mt Albert, eventually taking in some more new stuff (that I haven't ridden), and ultimately exiting via Mt Vic to visit a pub in town - Shed 22 on the Wharf, opposite Circa/Te Papa

Download GPS files below
If you have an old school Garmin like an Etrex, you can drag n drop the GPX into your GPX folder no probs. If you have a modern Edge styled Garmin you will have to upload using Garmin-connect or RidewithGPS or however you do it. We will endeavour to have a regroup at the tops of some of the climbs so we don't get too strung out. Although maybe strung-out might be good. We don't want to make nuisances of ourselves.

What the course looks like
https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/display/20230723165504-15130-map.html

What it looks like in RidewithGPS 
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/129066027

• Download the GPX file from Dropbox here  
• Download the TCX file from Dropbox here

If you can't load the GPS file onto your GPS or phone you could just try to wing it and ride with someone who has the GPS course loaded! 

The course is around 37 kms with around 1100 metres climbing. 

Cheers, Jeff

Revolution Bicycles >>

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Somebody has been eating SRAMs lunch

 For the last few years somebody has been eating SRAM's lunch, and SRAM have finally caught onto it. When they launched their 12 speed road groupset in 2019 it was wireless only. The heavier and way more expensive wireless kit was financially out of the reach of a lot of people. SRAM had officially turned its back on cable gears for 12 speed road/gravel and left a big hole in the market for people who didn't think that you should have to pay a premium just to charge their derailleurs.

Enter Ratio-Technology. Armed with the knowledge that SRAM road levers are actually an easily tunable item for the home mechanic, they started making solutions to fill the gaping hole that SRAM had left them. Starting with a redesigned cable fin to change the leverage of the derailleur and a new ratchet that now had the ability to shift 12 gears, it was game on. 

 Not only did this upgrade work on the modern hyraulic SRAM road system, it also worked on the older groupset, SRAM Red - 10 and 11 speed, probably the lightest modern road gruppo there ever was, before the advances of hydraulic braking and electric gears became popular, forcing the weights up.

Timing was good and with gravel becoming mainstream people were doing all sorts of really cool things empowered by Ratio-technology's hot-rodding of SRAM's "cabled" ecosystem. Mullet derailleur set-ups were now doable in cable, not just wireless.

An MTB rear deraillieur with road shifters was a pretty cool thing, especially with a big increase in Bikepackers going to drop-bars. But Ratio-tech didnt stop there. They next built a replacement cage for the SRAM derailleurs so you could increase the range. A "gravel" derailleur that originally shifted to a 36 or a 42 could now shift to a 52 with their new cage. That is some serious climbing ability right there. 

So thanks to Ratio-technology, you have a massive range, and the ability to shift to 11, 12 and wait for it, 13 gears. Yes, they also build a ratchet that lets you use the Campagnolo 13 speed cassette and chain in an otherwise completely SRAM set-up. They also build their own special chain-rings and a lighter  replacement cage for damaged SRAM AXS derailleurs.

And that's not all, they do kits that let you swap out the way the cable enters your derailleur. Why is this important? A lot of gravel bikes have the derailleur cable exiting at the very end of the chain stay, which is not compatible with the cable entry point of a SRAM MTB derailleur.

SRAM have finally read the memo and a few weeks ago announced that they are now launching a new 12 speed drop-bar cable solution at the Apex level. It seems to fill some of the gaps but if you already have an existing system, what not just upgrade the internals?

Ratio-technology is a solutions based outfit so it will be interesting to see what they do next. All the kits they they build are presented with comprehensive instructions on their site here.

I recently gave up on 2x on my gravel bike, concerned that my chain drops were going to eventually wear a hole through my BB, mostly due to not having a clutched rear derailleur.

I ordered the Ratio-tech extender cage which I mated with an existing Rival derailleur body and have had a trouble free run with it so far using a Garbaruk 11-50 11 speed cassette. I didn't want to shell out for 12 speed compatible wheels at this point given my current stock of barely worn 11 speed cassettes. The option is there with the purchase of Ratio-technology's 12 speed ratchet when I need it. Folks want options!

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Dawn chorus phone alarm download

 One day as I awoke half groggy I said to my wife - "Did you hear the birds this morning, they were so loud", then I realized that it was actually my phone alarm that woke me up. I had recorded the Tui's in our back yard, and was using the recording as an alarm on my phone. So I decided to make a nice "Dawn chorus" ring-tone/alarm to share. All of these birds were just recorded by myself on my phone and I have joined them in order, with the most mellow first. They progressively get more raucous.

Riroriro >> Tui >> Kaka

I also have some cool Tieke calls, and seagulls fighting over fish and chips, but I wouldn't want you to wake up to that. 

You can download the file below via my Dropbox.
m4a file (best for Apple) also works on Android.
ogg file Android.
mp3 file Android.

You don't have to be a Dropbox member to download stuff, even though it can try to confuse you into signing up. The "download" experience (from Dropbox) varies a lot from phone to phone, largely due to what browser you use, and what flavour of Android you have. Ditto if you are downloading it on a computer. The experience for enabling the new sound file in your phone also varies a lot. 

You have 2 main goals. 

1. Download/get the sound file onto your phone.
2. Open your alarm app, and go into the settings to add the new sound file. 

How to
If you click on one of the links above on your Android Phone you should be able to play the sound, see if you like it, if you do, look about on the Dropbox webpage to try to "Download", "Save" or "Export" the file. Then "Save to device/Downloads". It should then save in the Downloads area of your phone. From here you could move it to the "Notifications", "Alarms" or Ringtones folder on your phone. Or maybe your phone will let it work from the downloads folder, YMMV. Some phones are more fussy than others. Most Samsung phones have a file manager called "My Files" which lets you move stuff around, just like windows does.

The next thing to do is to go to the app you use for your clock/alarms and select the downloaded sound file by navigating back to where you stored it. All clock/alarm apps will be different.

For Iphone users I believe you will have to save the sound file into Itunes and sync it over to your phone.

Koha
Feel free to make a small koha using the Paypal link on the right, its not compulsory. Just share the love of our amazing birdlife!  Questions - contact me here.

This is George, or L-44155.  That's probably his call at the end of the recording.
When George says wake up, you should probably listen. He can get pretty raucous.

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The Renegades Muster bikepacking event.

The Renegades Muster -  day 1

The Renegades Muster is the brainchild of Tahi Cunningham. An 840 odd kilometre loop that starts in Wanganui and takes in Whangamomona, Ohura, the 42nd Traverse and a bunch of other trails, crossing through private land on several occasions. It's the access to new routes via private farmland that makes courses like this, and the Tour Te Waipounamu so special. It takes a lot of effort to develop the required relationships needed to pull this kind of event off, as if there wasn't enough opposition from the climate. Tahi was continually building alternative "plan-B" routes in case a particular trail was still inaccessible due to the slips and washouts that kept popping up. 

My buddy Chris Shaw had said that he was keen to do it again, as it was running in the opposite direction to previous years and there had been a few changes to the course, including the addition of the 42nd Traverse segment, which was added, in the "uphill" direction of course, just to make it a bit more spicy.

I knew Chris would be good company, as the only builder I know with a Phd there is always plenty to talk about. And Neil Adersley, Chris's buddy was also fun to ride with. Banter is pretty essential on these rides, as the time just flies as the BS flows. I was surprised to find that Neil's political views and musical tastes were compatible with mine so we probably spent the whole ride going "I know, I know!" and finishing off the next verse of whatever song the other was singing, although I never did get "Camptown races" nailed in its entirety.

Chris is the ultimate planner and assured me that we could crack it out in under 4 days without trying too hard, which I was happy with. I was content to just wing it as far as accommodation went, but Chris had some spots in mind that proved invaluable. The pre-event accommodation he sorted for Neil and I in Wanganui was also top notch.

One of the best parts of the Bikepacking scene is catching up with the usual suspects, and there were a few there. Bryce Lorcet and the Coastal crew were present and there were a few names I'd only seen as dots while following other events, Grant Guise being one. 

The start of the event was neutralized because of some work being done on a bridge about 20 kms out of town so we had to all stick together until then - in theory.

The first bit of the ride was very scenic and relaxing and as we hit the bridge it became obvious that some folks were already gone. 

I ended up chatting with Amy Kwong from Paper Roads Aotearoa for a bit. The Bikepacking gear she has been building is really fresh and as we chatted she was wondering out loud about potentially quitting her day job.

Later on I met a guy who it transpired was Evan Wolfe. He'd done the Tour Divide a few years back with a guy I'd ridden with before, Greg Galway. We chatted for a bit and Evan shared with me some hilarious stories about the competitive nature of Greg, or "Mosquito" as he is sometimes known. 

We emerged onto the seal and before long we were heading head on into a pretty firm headwind. It seemed to go on for about 100 kms, but we were able to lap it out a bit at times. We passed Nathan Mawkes who was having a bit of a nana nap on the side of the road. We moved on to fuel up at Patea, then soldiered on to Hawera, where we had a lengthy stop for a Chinese meal. Luckily I ordered some chips as Chinese doesn't come with rice in Hawera it seems.

As we left town we saw Andy Hovey and Eileen Schwab just behind us but we seemed to lose to them on the next hill I think. Eileen and Amanda Wells were both riding incredibly strongly. Amanda's blog is a good read so I hope she posts her story one day.

We rode on into the night and the hills became a bit more prevalent. I started to have a minor bonk, as I had lost a water bottle on a decent, and my new set-up meant I had poor access to food while I was actually riding. A real rookie mistake. 

I had decided to ride my OPEN UP gravel bike, rather than an MTB, but the cockpit was too short to allow room for my feedbags and knees, while standing out of the saddle. Having food in a pack on your back is very inefficient when it comes to eating while you ride. We stopped at the Toko school so I could fill up my water bottles but I stumbled around in the dark, too addled to have gotten out my torch, so rode off empty handed. 

As a result of Chris's excellent research we ended up stopping at a country hall at Tututawa, obviously once a single room country school. Chris set up his tent outside, under a tree near the swimming pool, Neil climbed into his bivvy sack on the deck, and I slept in the toilet, let's call it an ensuite. We had covered 256 kms, largely due to the smooth roads we were on for most of the day.

OPEN UP with 700 x 43 Panaracers and K-lite Dynamo set-up

The "usual suspects". Around 65 started.

It's always great to catch up with Bill Brierly to see what phantasmagorical creation he has created for his Bikepacking rig. This is his own carbon created aero-bar designed for speedy removal.

There are rumours that Bill turned down a job on the New Zealand Americas cup team in the carbon fibre division.

Renegades Muster - Day 2

Our digs were first class and we rode off around 6am I am guessing. There was a fair bit of sealed road on this segment too, as we made our way to Whangamomona. We were all looking forward to this as we knew that the event organiser, Tahi, had set up a base there where riders could call in and refuel. Food never tasted so good. Although, luckily we weren't the earliest people there, as somehow when driving to the accommodation a pair of lithium batteries made it into Tahi's coffee machine. I am sure it would have knocked any bikepacking induced "mood swings" on the head straight away!

The amazing spread at Whangamomona put on by Tahi Cunningham

I didn't manage to get photos of any of the many tunnels that make up this route but it was a largely uneventful morning with some very lush farmland traversed as well.

With too much time on our hands and nothing else to do but ride and talk, we invented the term "Gate Fu". "Gate Fu" is that flow state that you can get into when riding in a group, and constantly stopping and starting to open gates through farmland. I couldn't tell you exactly how it works, you will know it when and if you experience it, probably something like this.
Rider 1, opens gate.
Rider 2, rides through and takes rider 1's bike.
Rider 3, rides right through to the next gate which he opens.
Rider 1 closes the 1st gate and gets his bike from rider 2.
Rider 1, rides on and takes rider 3's bike.
Rider 2 rides through to the next gate which he opens.
Rider 3 closes the second gate and gets his bike from rider 1.
Rider 2 gives his bike to rider 1.
Rider 3 rides right through to the next gate.
.... or something.  A person could potentially save seconds over a whole farm, but it's really more about experiencing poetry in motion, or at least sharing the role of "gate bitch". We all know that the more people there are in your group, the more downtime you will have.

We had emailed our requests for food into Michelle at Ohura and when we arrived there some time around 8:30pm we we were treated to some yummy wraps and the last new food we would get for a while. We would have struggled without Michelle enroute. Search "Fiesta Fare Ohura/B&B" * if you are passing through. We rode on into the night and had some pretty nice 4wd type climbing through some forested areas, followed by some fast descending. Managing your temperature late at night can be tricky when sweating up the hills, and then descending into the cold night air, as you don't really want to be stopping and starting all the time to put layers off and on. 

Still working on our "Gate-fu".....

You saw it here first, a completely bald horse. Freaky.

Once again Chris had done his research and we found a nice spot near an old hall at Otunui around 11 pm. Chris and I set up our tents while Neil bivvyed on the steps. We slept the sleep of the dead, although a few Ruru and dueling roosters tried their best to spoil that. We had managed another 232kms.

Renegades Muster - Day 3

Day three. We awoke, feeling a "little bleary, worse for wear and tear" but steeled in the knowledge that the Taumaranui Mdconalds was only about 15 kms away. 

 

 

We cruised in, made our orders and sat about checking the trackers. Before long Brian Anderson rolled up. And then Jason Gestro. We had come across Jason on a few occasions and I think Brian was a bit ahead of us when we stopped riding the previous night. Brian was not faffing about and said "see you later" as he rode off. We never did! I think at that point the next person in front was Brian Alder. Not that we were trying to "beat" anyone. We were just riding at our own level. 

 

A friendly bambi enroute

I seem to recall a bit of climbing through farmland and eventually around 10am we arrived at Owhango, gateway to the 42nd Traverse. We did a bit of a resupply at a Cafe and noticed around 60 off-road motorcycles ominously hanging about. Sure enough, like us they were also riding the 42nd Traverse. I have to say I was pretty disappointed in this segment. I'd heard about it over the years but in my mind I was expecting something more scenic. It was basically a 4wd/trail bike track, plus, we were doing it in the uphill direction. The steady stream of motorcyclists that passed us were pretty respectful on the whole. This was also the point where I wished for some lower gears. My OPEN's 34/42 lowest gear was not optimum and I looked enviously at my buddies using their 26/42's. 

Pride comes before a fall, and at one point I was mentally congratulating myself on my mad skills when I got into a skid while riding down the crown of a rut and went over the bars. I bounced pretty hard but my biggest fear was that my carbon bars would have been broken by the impact, especially given the extra leverage on them from the aero bars. Luckily they were unscathed, but my derailleur hanger was bent. We kept rolling to keep the blood flowing into my tenderised butt, until we reached a river crossing where I got out my tools, replaced the hanger and road link, and had a snack. I think Strava told us we got through the Reverse 42nd Traverse in around 4 and a half hours. A pretty grunty ride with some good elevation in its own right. 

Don't leave home without a spare hanger!

We called in at National Park for a resupply around 4:40pm and hit Fishers track which was a pleasant change. Next stop for water and ablutions was at the Blue Duck Lodge where we also picked up a sheep dog who ran ahead of us on the trail, causing us to take a wrong turn at one point. We were getting pretty tired. In the dark, with light rain and a very narrow slightly uphill track it was safer, and just as fast to push rather than ride. Head lights were strapped on for this low speed stuff. We eventually made the shelter around 9:30 I think. I cant recall being that tired for a very long time. It was lovely warm night, deep in the bush.

Day 3 over, 164 very hard earned kms.

Renegades Muster - Day 4

We awoke and I think we were moving by around 5:30am. It's hard to tell as the tracker pings were pretty dodgy. Brian Anderson had pushed on a bit further and slept at the top of the hill it appears, and got a much earlier start. The other Brian, Alder had pulled the plug at National Park after he developed a niggle in his leg. The climb out from the shelter was nice, with native bush poking out through the fog and a gradient that seemed to suit my gearing. I remembered it from the Tour Aotearoa, in a good way. It was probably drier than then. 

Neil's in the mist.

We eventually descended down out of the bush onto gravel and then sealed roads surrounded by more farm land. The next memorable piece of off road was the Old Coach Road near Ohakune. Surprisingly, this was actually the roughest piece of track on the whole Renegades Muster. I know because this was the first time I was noticing that I was getting more of a hammering on my 700x43 Gravel Kings than my buddies on their 2.1 Conti Race Kings. Not that bad, but it made me realise how this event was completely doable on a gravel bike if you wanted to do it that way.

Old Coach road

Old Coach Road

Whangaehu River

A while later we were taking in some very steep gravel roads under a baking sun, riding alongside the Whangaehu River. We even passed a pond with living frogs in it. I don't know when I last saw frogs in the wild. 

I sensed Chris was getting itchy feet as he had some prep to do before he got back to work on tuesday so we told him to put the hammer down while Neil and I had a leisurely appointment at Ohakune with some pies and coke. 

The trip from there was largely uneventful, but somehow Tahi found a whole bunch more hills for us to climb, and a gentle headwind for the last 20 kms.

Neil and I rolled into the finish about 7:10 pm. There was a bunch of people hanging about at the finish and shaking hands, including a guy I didn't recognise initially. It turned out to be Evan Wolfe, or Wylie E, on his tracker. According to his tracker, he hadn't actually stopped to sleep for the whole ride....! Chris was there to pick us up already and drive us back to Welly. 

It was a pretty good long weekend. About a third of the entrants dropped out, so it wasn't for everyone. Would I do it again on the gravel bike? At my age, probably not, but if I was younger, for sure. I could have run wider 650B tires for more comfort but I wanted to use my 700c dyno wheel.

I am embarassed to say that on the way back home my nana-nap in the back seat of the truck turned out to take a full 2 hours, leaving only Neil to make sure that Chris didn't fall asleep at the wheel. Sorry guys !

Day 4 - 190kms.

Job done.

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