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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Change your Dropbars to flat bars in 5 mins with DaVinci cable splitters

 Swap from drops to flat bars and back again with DaVinci cable splitters.

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UrbanGrinduro

UrbanGrinduro : Like a Grinduro, but with amenities!

Thanks to everyone that came, I hope you had fun. If you can tag your IG photos with #urbangrinduro, that would be cool. I just generated a new segment from my ride, and it seems to have picked up most of us. see below. https://www.strava.com/segments/29989611 

Contact me here.

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Come for an adventurous ride around some of Wellington's Urban trails. Link up some Single track, back-streets, and town-belt. Bring your gravel bike and indulge in some #underbiking. Drop-bars for the most fun. It wont be much of a challenge on an MTB.

Record your ride with Strava if you want to compare your time.

Download the GPX file below.
You will need the GPX file as there are no course notes.
(gone)

The route is only about 40 kms but it will take you 3-5 hours depending on how many cafes you stop at. It's not a race, it's a casual ride. Bring at least a 1:1 gear as there are a couple of short steep bits. Easy to walk them though.

Location
See you at 9am at the foot of the Transient Trail at Polhill, Aro Valley. 
If you are worried about being slow, start earlier! If more than a few people turn up, we can start them in waves. 

If it's a nice day, afterwards we can roll around to the Rogue and Vagabond and Twist and Pour for refreshments.

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Q and A with Ollie Whalley on the Tour Te Waipounamu 2021

A chat with Ollie Whalley, rookie winner and record setter of the 2012 Tour Divide, on completion of his winning ride in the inaugral Tour Te Waipounamu.

So Ollie, it's been a few weeks now since your very successful ride in the inaugural Tour Te Waipounamu and on the surface it appeared to be a fairly trouble-free run. With the amazing weather we had it will take a special effort to beat your time of 5 days and 10 hours. Were there any issues that happened that we may not have noticed? For instance, we heard that there was a GPS cable issue? 

Yep a fairly trouble free run with the most significant issue being that my GPS (Garmin Edge 800) wouldn’t take charge from either my dynamo or backup battery. Turns out it was a dodgy USB cable, which may have fatigued from all the bumps. I used my back-up navigation (app on my phone), which while frustrating at times got me to the finish. 

I finally ran out of GPS battery in Methven so had to try and optimise my phone for navigation after that. I put it in battery saver mode, turned off the lock screen and dimmed it as much as I could 

 

Did you have an actual holder for your phone or were you constantly getting it in and out of
your pocket/gas-tank?

No phone holder so initially I just stashed it in my pocket. First the pocket of my jersey, but at the end when the terrain got mellower I put it in the handy side pocket of my Ground Effect limousine shorts. I was really paranoid about losing it! For my long stint on the last night I Macgyvered up a system where the phone case was taped to my gas tank. This made it a bit easier at night but was pretty floppy so I put it back in my pocket for the final ride to the finish.

The other thing I noticed riding down from Stag saddle was a cracked handlebar, probably from an earlier off-track excursion. Again they got me to the finish but have been retired from bike packing duty. 

 

I saw earlier that you went with one of the new Shimano dynamo hubs which are supposed to make more power at the lower speeds compared to the SON and SP hubs. What was your experience and if you were to do it again, would you recommend the dynamo approach?

Dynamo was awesome especially with the Shimano DH-UR700-3D hub which as you say puts out some good power at low speeds with the K-Lite charger. At 20 km/h I could charge my GPS in two hours, and 10,000 mah powerbank in 8 hours. I never ran short of charge despite the higher power usage of using my phone for navigation, and didn’t need to use my power socket USB charger at all. 

 

What supplementary lighting system did you go with for the slower stuff where the dynamo
wasn’t able to give you enough light?

I used an Exposure Diablo Mk7 which puts out 1300 lumens when required. I usually dialled it right down so it would last for 24 hours. USB charge, super light and simple to use. 

 

What about tires, did you err on the robust side, or did you go lighter and ride more conservatively?

I changed at the last minute from some butty Exo wall Ardents for some Specialized Renegades in 2.3 width. Super fast tread but quite thin sidewalls so I rode pretty conservatively, which is normally the best approach anyway. Would love to go back on my enduro bike and properly shred some of those downhills!

The only issue was a slow leak which wouldn’t seal on the Hawkdun range. I put in some goo (still no sealing), then a tube which got me to the finish. I got lucky with sharp rocks. I saw Martin’s deflating experience up Rainy River road where an innocuous rock massacred his sidewall and went on to cause him no end of drama. 

 

Is it more of a hassle if you get a rear puncture with a Rohloff, than a typical derailleur set-
up?

Not really. Similar amount of faff to a rear derailleur once you learn the tricks to the Rohloff .

 

Was going with the Rohloff something you did specifically for this event, or was it just what
was on your bike at the time.

Didn’t put it on especially, it is my preferred transmission which I’ve run on my hardtail since my first Brevet in 2010. Like no other bike part it seems to get better the more I use it! 

 

I noticed that my tools alone weighed more than half a kg. Do you feel like you took any risks in this department or did you treat it extra seriously, given that there were not really many places you could get help enroute? Did you take any spare cables, gear or usb, spokes or sidewall mending kit?

I took my normal spare parts kit which I think is pretty conservative. It included 2 x brake pads, spare chain links, spare bolts, tire plugs, spare goo, 2 x tubes. I did agonise over the last decision but remembered when I’d double flatted once in the past and how much it sucked.

I’ve never taken spare cables as if my shifter crapped out the hub effectively becomes an adjustable singlespeed. You can just hop off and change gears manually at the hub. I did leave my spare spokes behind this time, logic being that I could true the wheel to get it running straight enough without having to replace spokes. I love building wheels and personally rebuilt front and back wheels before the race to give certainty that they were less prone to breakage. 

 

What were some of the things you dropped from your kit that you might have taken on an event that required less carrying and pushing?

The only thing I can think of here is my Z-Packs tent which I replaced with a water resistant bivvy based on the good forecast. After a summer of lugging buckets of gravel up stairs at home for a landscaping project the weight of my bike and gear wasn’t much of a concern and I feel like I didn’t take too many risks. 

 

You mentioned in your story on the Ground Effect site that at different times you rode with Steve Halligan and Martin Strelka. Do you enjoy riding in the company of others or are you equally happy riding by yourself?

I squeeze most of my riding into my lunch hours, and have found that trying to squeeze in a decent loop around Nelson’s hills in this time isn’t that conducive to social riding. So I’m used to riding by myself and do enjoy this, but also relish the opportunity to ride with others, especially awesome riders like Steve and Martin. I was in a pretty low spot on Day 2 and reconnecting with Steve before we tackled the Dampier crossing was pretty cool and helped me get my head in a good space for the rest of the ride. 

 

Early front-runners Steve and Martin both had shoe issues, did you have any problems yourself?

I was running Specialized Rime 2.0s which were just awesome. Super grunty vibram sole, not too hot, super fast drying, boa with lacing backup to adjust fit and a good sized toe box. I still had sore feet especially when they didn’t get a chance to dry out, but I think these were great for the course. Mark and Hana also ran them. 

 

What do you think works for an event like this with such a large amount of hikeabike. A stiff
sole or a more flexible sole?

I think a moderate stiffness is good, provided there is still a bit of toe flex for when the walking get really steep. The Rime 2.0s came it at 6 on Specilaized’s stiffness index, whatever that means! 

My shoe choice worked really well for me but it may not for everyone. Martin planned it pretty well with sending himself some shoes to Boyle River, and planning to send them back in Tekapo. 

 

What part of the event did you find the most challenging? For me it was the hikeabike, probably on the Dampier Range, but the frustration of being on beautiful trails and having to stop so often to drag your bike over logs was also exasperating.

The most challenging part for me was following the poled route from Royal Hut to Stag Saddle. I may have taken some hot lines between poles which meant I was almost rock climbing in places. Definitely a relief to make it to the Saddle! 

 

Do you agree with the theory that having the Dampier Range up first was possibly a good thing - if you could deal with that then everything else would be easy by comparison, or is that only obvious in hindsight?

Dampier came at a really good time for me to just reset the kilometre hunting mindset and refocus on just surviving and making it through the course safely. As Steve and I did it we were just gobsmacked at how steep and difficult the carry was, and picked there would be a few people cursing Brian as they pushed and dragged up the ridge. 

I've decided that you can ride your bike for a long time, and not get too injured, but riding without resting is problematic. I listened to a recent interview with Kurt Refsnider -  He now only rides events of limited distance because of the damage they cause to his body. Is this something that worries you, long term damage? 

Definitely, this is something I’m very conscious of after some previous medical issues. This has included achilles tendonitis and nerve damage in my hands. In some ways the tough walking heavy course made this a healthier race for me as there was less time in the saddle and lots of chances to stretch different muscles. My hands are actually really good, with no numbness and just a little bit of lost strength. I put this down to a higher front end on my bike (140mm travel) which put more weight on my bum.

 

Time-lapse photography of a micro-nap

For you, is there a particular time of the day when you enjoy riding the most? For me it’s typically the evening, but I have to say, this time, if I happened across a hut at 8:30 then wild horses couldn’t drag me away!

My favourite time to ride is in the early morning, just before sunrise and the proceeding hours. Everything feels so fresh and new and I get pretty stoked on being out there at this time. Riding up out of Lawrence was a good example of this for me, the rollercoasters of Breakneck Road with the morning mist clearing was a highlight! 

 

Brian Alder gave us a lot of detail on what to expect in the TTW. Where do you feel you underestimated the level of difficulty the most? For me I think it was the amount of hikeabike through the Hawkdun Range.

The Dampier crossing was definitely a rude awakening for me and after that my level of ‘normal’ difficulty was reset to the point where I didn’t perceive the subsequent hike-a-bike as being too difficult. 

 

There were quite a few adventure racers that did very well in the TTW. What do you think it was about them that made them so competitive? Was it their creative bike carrying skills? 

Lots of good crossover with adventure racing. I would say the course they race on can be pretty difficult, and the amount of hiking required in TTW would play to their strengths. It was cool to hear about Georgia’s sneaky tricks in the Pedal On Podcast. Those are out of the bag now so she’ll have to come up with some new ones! 

 

In the gnarliest stuff, were you a pusher, a carrier or did you use a carrying harness? 

I pushed where I didn’t need to lift my front wheel, then when things got slower I’d lower my seat and hook the nose over my shoulder (either from the front or the back). I’d made a special foam and plastic protector and fitted it under my seat rails which worked with my bony collarbone. This meant I could carry hands free. I was lucky to be tall to get ground clearance, and could twist across the slope to get more. It took me some fine tuning to get this working but it is my preferred way to carry now. 

 

Hawkdun Range moonscape.

At different times, different people had problems digesting their food. Are you someone that has no problem eating on the run, or do you have to stop every so often for a more relaxed meal to give it time to digest?

I struggled on the second day. It took me about a day to get through a packet of Full-o-fruit which I normally wolf down. I’m happy to eat on the run, but would treat myself to a 10-15 min stop for lunch most days to have a proper meal. (mostly wraps and flavoured tuna packets). I’ve had some digestion issues in the past and it is pretty awful so feel for those people! 

 

You mentioned that since you started a family that your bikepacking activity has slowed down a lot. A quick look at the entrants shows quite a few people without kids. Do you feel extra lucky to be able to get out there on such a big adventure while you still have family commitments?

Absolutely. I’m super fortunate to have a supportive wife Heidi who saw how excited I was at the prospect of this big adventure and helped create some space for me to prepare. They get some benefits too as I’m a bit more chilled out during the recovery phase, lots of stories in bed and sedate family rides are enough to keep me content.  

 

Is there one piece of equipment that really stuck out for you as being something you would be lost without? 

Definitely my Ground Effect Limousines. A big fear for me was that my butt wouldn’t stand up to the abuse given the lack of chamois time, but with these amazing shorts I was fine and came through with no drama. I used the sidepockets heaps too and being merino they weren’t even (that) stinky after 5.5 long days. 

Thanks heaps for sharing Ollie!

 

Slope Point. The end.

• Liam Croziers Tour Te Waipounamu thoughts
• Ollie Whalley's report on Ground Effect site
  
• Tony LeSueur's report
• Brendon Pheasant's Report 
  
• A previous Te Waipounamu story, (this site)
• https://www.highlux.co.nz/ (Mark Watson's ride)
• Lewis Ciddor interviews Brian Alder after the Tour Te Waipounamu
• The Pedal-On Podcast: The Follow-up. 1 of 3 TTW podcasts
• Hike-Bike-Cake : TTW riders and rigs

 Ollies kit, (Thanks Ben) from  https://hikebikecake.com/tour-te-waipounamu-2021-riders-and-rigs/

EXPERIENCE: Tour Divide winner and record holder 2012, Tour Aotearoa etc.

BIKE:I’m riding a Lynskey Ridgeline SL 29, my front wheel is a Shimano DH-UR708-3D dynamo hub on Light Bikes carbon rim and the rear is a Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 on No tubes Arch. Brakes and crankset are Shimano XT. Handlebars are Carver MyTi carbon and forks are X-Fusion Trace 140m. USB charge/light are kLite Ultra.

BAGS:The frame pack, chaff, handlebar roll and top tub garage are Bike Bad Dude with a Blackburn Outpost Elite saddle bag

SLEEPING: Titanium Goat Ptarmigan Bivy, Western Mountaineering HIghlite sleeping bag and Thermarest NeoAair XLite mat.

NUTRITION: Snickers bars

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS / STRATEGIES: Ground Effect clothing

Website: mountainpedalernz Instagram: @whalleyollie

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