Whaka 100 time again - with a twist....

This year I entered as a singlespeeder. I’d been keen to try out the Tranny’s prowess on the trails over this distance – and with Kiwi Brevet looming on the horizon it seemed sensible to ride the bike I would be using in that event, as a test of setup and comfort.

Life at home had been somewhat hectic, just the usual that you expect with a particularly active 3 year old...  thankfully this year we remained illness free in the lead up. The only key worry was my lack of trail time prior to this event. Apart from a Rotorua visit in July, my only other trail riding since the 24 Hour & National Singlespeeds in April had been one ride with Ling at Woodhill a few weeks ago. I’d successfully made myself look like a right plonker during that ride, going over the handlebars once and breaking my chain (replacing brakepads the night before a ride and not bedding them in is never the best idea). So the question going through my mind was ‘I’ve got the fitness, do I have the trail skills to match?”

Friday afternoon, Sandra & Emma arrive home from Kindy just as I’d finished putting the last of the things in the car. A slow drive south ensued as we escaped Auckland (with only 50% of other Aucklanders). Register & collect my Race Number, then arrive at camp. We were able to pitch the tent and get set up just before dark. Late dinner & then a decent sleep.

Saturday morning – race day! Sandra & Emma stayed tucked up & asleep while I quietly breakfasted & got ready, arriving at the start line with 20 minutes to spare. A few singlespeeders around – I took the opportunity to talk with one guy from Australia who had come over to race. Sandra & Emma arrived a few minutes before the start gun – I was able to give them a couple of quick waves.

Into it! Happy to be finally underway, I was a happy camper as I despatched the first few trails. The legs felt okay, ‘alive’ but ‘tight’. Tahi, Creek, Dipper, Challenge, Genesis & Grinder – no problems. Passed a couple of people on Piglet and Pig tracks, before an old favourite from the 24 hour – Mad if you Don’t. Caught up with Sandra & Emma at the end of Ball & Chain – my only request was to add the lube bottle to the stash of half-time snacks.

The next piece of the event disappeared quicker than I remembered from last year. I was thinking at one point “gosh this is a long way and I hope my legs hold up and I hope I don’t crash and I hope I don’t cramp and I hope I don’t.....” when the next thing I’m already at the start of the first significant climb – Kakapiko, on the way to No Brains. Walked a bit here part way up, then it flattened off & I was riding again, having a good chat with an Aussie guy while doing so. He wasn’t a climber, so I left him to it, fully expecting to be caught early in the descent. Amazingly, I made it 2/3rds of the way down before he cautiously picked his way past me.

Thankful to have the first major climb and descent over, I began the ride up towards Split Enz, gingerly at first, as this has always been the point where I have cramped in the past. No cramp – woohoo! Stopping for a minute to open a big bikkie might have helped too. From here there were about 4 of us moving in a loose group – Aussie guy, me and another couple of guys. I crept past the Aussie guy and one other before we made it into one my of my all- time favourite trails – Split Enz. It didn’t disappoint – lovely & flowy trail goodness! Pondy Downhill was up next – I was worried about riding the ‘staircase’ just before the main descent, (first time doing that on the Tranny) – but I needn’t have worried, the descent was trouble free and as fast as I could make it, riding the rough trail on my hardtail. Pondy and then the BEST trail from the 24, Old Chevy were despatched and I popped out at the transition point (63km).

Sandra & Emma were pleased to see me, Emma especially so – she had been having a lovely time playing in the sun on the picnic mat Sandra had set up. Chain re-lubed, a couple of filled rolls were wolfed down, snacks, water & gels replenished and I was on my way again, chasing after a couple of people who had been well ahead of me coming in, but were now within my sights.

It wasn’t long and the next section of singletrack was reached – Spring Roll and Sweet & Sour. I’d moved past a couple of riders and had another in my sights entering Sweet & Sour. It wasn’t long before I was on her tail, but decided to hang back & wait for a passing opportunity. Silly mistake! Following a bit too close, my view of the track was obscured and rounding a bend I failed to make the necessary swerve past a large branch sticking out into the track low down. Over the bars I went.... nutting myself slightly on the way through. I was less than pleased, but back up again in seconds. This time I moved swiftly and confidently past the rider in front.

The long haul around to Frontal Lobotomy went quite quickly. Time for some strategic walking..... I’d passed a couple of riders and was determined not to let them re-pass me – so walking the big climbs and half of Frontal Lobotomy was done at speed, while casting the odd nervous glance backwards to make sure I wasn’t being caught...... in the end only 1 got past – my friend from Sweet & Sour.... riding gears she could tackle the steep slope a bit better than my 1 gear and tired legs.

Billy T, G Rock & Rollercoaster were handled quite expertly, if not cautiously. Heading up the hill to the start of Hot X Buns I was back to walking again – in front of my Sweet & Sour friend for 2/3rds of the climb. I was nervous about Hot X Buns – I’d never ridden that on the Tranny, but it wasn’t long before I descended (actually smoother than I have ridden previously on Mojo). Picking off another couple of riders helped as well. Rude Not To and Lion Trail up next, then some more strategic walking near the top of the Katore Road climb. I’d managed to re-pass my Sweet & Sour friend and I managed to hold that to a respectable distance for both forward & back traverses of Tokorangi Road. The actual Tokorangi Track was great to ride, then finally into Exit Trail. The climb back up Nursery Road was done as fast as I could manage (getting tired now!) before the meandering Rockdrop trail. No worries, I didn’t have far to go (I thought), then finally Rosebank. These trails had been added this year to push the distance ‘over’ the 100km (it was slightly less last year and people complained!). Into Rosebank I confidently head – taking the ‘Hard & Fast’ line over a series of step downs, I failed to see the track turning right and headed quite confidently off a retaining wall – I just thought it was another step-down..... over the bars I went – again.... Winded & sore, I managed to stand up, only to see my Sweet & Sour friend approaching. No time for a thorough check of bike or body, male pride was at stake here – I quickly jumped on and rode the rest of the ‘Nana’ line to the creek crossing. I danced across the creek without wet feet and ran up the bank on the other side. Pedalling strongly (and in a bit of pain) I crossed the finish line...... 8 hours, 6 minutes.

Sandra & Emma had stationed themselves over the back of the crowd – Emma found me and led the way. Prizegiving started 10 minutes later. Despite not really being able to bend my right leg too much, I actually felt quite good and well satisfied with the achievement – 104km of Singlespeeding, not a bad effort! With the mental list of things to change on the bike before Brevet sorted, I enjoyed the eat, drink and recover while watching prizegiving. Major Spot prizes were Magellan GPS bike computers – guess whose name was called out? YAY! Pretty cool little gizmo, which I was grateful to receive.

Back at camp, dinner for all of us on the picnic mat by the tent. I bbq’d the meat up by the camp kitchen and had a surge of parental pride watching Emma carry a cold can of beer for me all the way from the tent up to where I was at the bbq’s – the first time that has happened. She was concentrating very hard, completely focussed on carrying that beer safely and without shaking it..... did a great job too! 

It wasn’t too long after and 3 tired but very happy campers headed for bed and were soon fast asleep. 

NDuro 24 hour - the missing link

Earlier this year it was announced – the return of the NDuro 24....... YAY! Finally an end to 6km slogs through churned up mud bogs and an endless loop of Lady GaGa’s greatest hits that has formed the bulk of my 24 hour events to date. Being ‘run by mountain bikers for mountain bikers’ NDuro events have a great reputation of having an interesting mix of challenging tracks and a chilled out, friendly, atmosphere.

 So we found ourselves once again in the car heading south to Rotorua, a couple of weeks after Easter. Summer’s awesome run of fine weather had finally broken and normal Autumn conditions were back – along with the uncertainty of ‘how much will it rain?’ that seems to plague my run of 24’s. The event was being run from an alternative venue – the old TITC facilities at Waipa. It’s the sawmill where people learn to be sawmillers – no mud bogs and proper flush loos being 2 of the key selling points. Pit tent setup done, off to camp where we had booked a cabin. Friday’s dinner was chilled out & relaxed – for some reason I was not ‘feeling the hype’ of previous 24’s and was just ready to accept whatever came on the day. It was also great to meet and chat to a fellow sufferer of many a Moonride, Jodi McMahon & her partner, staying in the cabin next door.

Race Day Saturday – the midday start time being of real benefit. Arriving at the venue, Emma immediately made friends with the team at Registration, being the lucky receiver of many a Natures Valley ‘freebie’ (Muesli Bars & Water Bottles) throughout the day. A small but very high quality field had assembled, basically the cream of NZ Endurance mountain biking. The overnight rain had cleared (for now at least) – although rain was forecast for later in the day and overnight. Pre-start routine completed, there was nothing left to do but take my place at the start line.....

Photo call, countdown and off! To my complete surprise I was quickly in the front group of half a dozen riders as we blasted our way around the tarseal loop of the event village. The Conti Race King tyres I had put on for this event gave a very low rolling resistance and combined with a sudden surge of startline adrenalin, I was flying! I did settle down and back the pace off somewhat after a couple of kilometres, telling myself ‘it’s a long way to go yet....”

The course was a figure 8, using the event village as the centre point between the 2 loops. From the Village, it was onto an old 4wd track, then forest road, crossing over the tarseal 8 Mile Gate Rd, then into a short steep climb on a logging track to the start of Pondy – the first proper singletrack. Pondy, Rollercoaster and then into Old Chevy (this track never seemed to end), Yellow Brick Rd, then back along the forest rd/4wd track to the Event Village. Pass through, then a gentle (but long) climb up Nice Rd to the start of Sweet & Sour. Cross over at the top and into Rude Not To, then Mad if You Don’t, completing the lap with a tarseal run into the event village. 22.5km total lap length – the longest I’ve ever had in an event like this.

Conditions were good – the rain had held off and even though there were a few muddy spots, it was great to be riding. For some reason I did not feel stressed at all – no ‘hurry up’ mode. It wasn’t long before I was back at the event village, demolishing a filled roll at reasonable pace, while keeping an eye out for an old friend from 2010 World Solo, Andrew Jamieson, who was somewhere behind me.

Lap 2 & lap 3 pretty much followed the same formula – just ride and enjoy the scenery. Because of the long lap length and the low number of competitors, I was riding completely alone for quite a lot of each lap (something I had expected would happen). After lap 3 Sandra gave me a stressed out ‘hurry, hurry’ talking to in the pits. I’d been just quietly getting on with it, not mucking around and certainly not dilly dallying when I stopped. Guess it was just the high quality field (some of the top riders – Thomas/Megan try not to stop at all  in the pits – whereas I still needed to in order to survive). It had been drizzly off and on – yet for some reason I felt completely happy. It’s a weird thing to explain – but out in the forest on my own I felt a presence, a something that was keeping me warm, happy and safe.  I don’t know what it was, only that I did not want ‘it’ to go away.... I knew I would be okay if I just carried on doing what I was doing.

I did – and lap 4 was complete. It also signalled Sandra & Emma’s exit for the night back to camp, leaving me as a ‘solo solo’ until morning. It was also around that time (dusk) when the first big lot of rain came through. Thankfully I had the sense to grab my jacket just before it started (mainly at that time to keep warm). Again the presence was there, guiding me forward, along with a never ending song loop in my head – Tim Finn’s ‘Staring at the Embers’ remembered from way back in the early 80’s and recently discovered on MP3 download.

Out on my own again, I had a sing-song “Staring at the embers, all that’s left of me, trying to remember just what you meant to me, now and then I’m falling, Alligators crawling, staring at the embers...” and along with Talking Heads “Wild Wild Life” this propelled me around the course again.

Stop at the pits - toilet, lights, lube, all the while munching food. Sandra had done a great job of setting up a trackside food stand for me, so it was simple to lift the tarpaulin, grab some food, gel and a swig of coffee, then go.

Approaching half way at midnight, time for a big pit stop – fresh batteries, food and a clothing change were in order. I also found the battery charging station, as I needed a top-up to get me through until dawn. Jodi found me and assumed the role of pit manager, looking after my battery charging and giving me some assistance over the next couple of laps whenever I came into the pit. It was actually an awesome feeling, having Jodi and another couple of random helpers at times during the night – the ’24 hour community’ looking after each other.

3am – now I knew I would make it through to dawn. There was rain off and on, thankfully the track was holding up well. I only had 2 concerns – mud in my eyes and a steadily declining amount of gears available on Mojo. Realising my vision was blurry and my eyes hurt I managed to find someone to flush my eyes with a water bottle. Great globs of dirt came out.... the same could not be said for my drivetrain – it was really hurting my hand trying to force the shifter to engage a rear derailleur shift. Just the mud and dirt clogging everything up. Easier just to leave the chain somewhere in an easier gear on the rear and just front shift instead, giving me 3 ‘usable’ gears.

Now I was really tired – somewhere not far from the start of Pondy I stopped, turned the lights off and put my head down on my arms on the handlebars for a few minutes. Asleep, but awake – still straddling the bike. Continuing on, the Marshall stationed at the exit of Rollercoaster was witness to my next power nap, again just a couple of minutes.

Old Chevy – it’s a track I had visions of entering and never exiting... just the way the trees form this forboding entry at the start of the track. Now with my 3-speed Mojo I was forced to walk several of the steeper pinch climbs, as I didn’t have the legs. Some of the short descents were a bit sketchy too, the rear of the bike trying to overtake the front on a couple of occasions previously – I’m not sure if it was safer to walk down a couple or not.... pretty slippery underfoot too! Finally completing Old Chevy and into Yellow Brick Road, (which was now the track that seemed to stretch on and on......) by comparison Old Chevy seemed to have gotten shorter....

Quick stop at the pits for another gel and swig of coffee and on my way again. Another 2 powernap stops later (the start and finish of Sweet & Sour) I was back in the pits and really looking forward to dawn. Setting off on the next lap, there it was – the glimmer of light turning the sky from inky black to smudgy gray. Not long after - a few bird calls – yeehaa! Riding through the night is something that I haven’t achieved in every 24, making the feeling of achievement just that more special. It lifted my spirits and provided a surge to get another lap ticked off.

Breakfast – more filled rolls, coffee and something sweet. Back out I went again, wondering if the girls would be there when I completed the lap. The course was a bit muddy, I was a bit muddy, but at least I was still circulating (the night had taken its toll on the field, with several riders electing to finish early).

Calculation time – how many more laps would I get in the time allowed? NDuro were running the event under ‘International Rules’ with riders allowed an extra hour to complete their final lap beyond the midday 2400 time. Looking good for a couple more.....

Crossing through the event village mid way through the next lap and there they were – my girls were back! Sandra had seen an un-slept in tent and could see I was a happy camper, so after a good dose of  ‘Go Daddy!’ from Emma I was back out there.... Geez it was starting to hurt though. Uncomfy and down to walking a bit as I searched for any further gears beyond my 3, I was still positive and happy – especially when ripping through Rude Not To, doing the entire top section without braking – awesome!

Final lap! Again a bit of a walk and a grovel, urging myself on. Quick stop half way for more food, then into the final run through Rude and Mad if You Don’t (another favourite). Popping out onto the tarseal at the start of the event village, I spied Ra, the event director – both of us with ear to ear smiles. I even managed to co-ordinate an awesome high-5 while still riding –yeah! A final burst around the village and DONE! The happiest I’ve ever felt finishing a 24 – it had been a real test with the long lap length, the rain and mud, but I had happily survived! 10 laps, 225km. AWESOME!

Banking thoughts of sleep until the car ride home, it was time for prizegiving, a catch up with other riders, pack and into the car. Having a definite case of the ‘munchies’ (Emma included) we headed for the Fat Dog cafe, downtown. Fish & Chips + some frenzied eating saw me well satisfied and ready for a long nap while Sandra drove..... didn’t quite happen – the storm that had been threatening all weekend finally broke as we neared Matamata and with torrential rain it needed both of us on full attention just to stay on the road!

For what I had thought would be my final 24 hour solo, it all went exceptionally smoothly and with minimal stress, producing one of my best results. Final 24? We’ll see...... 

Otago Rail Trail - Family Style (Feb 2013)

We could do that.” Not quite the 4 words from Sandra I had expected! The journey was about to become the adventure....

I’d earlier been thinking about our problem – how to have a decent family holiday in the South Island, camp, bike and explore, catch up with family there, all without costing a bucketload. Car hire was proving expensive! Slightly off tangent at work, I found myself drawing a line on a map. A quick ‘get directions’ search confirmed the distance was smaller than I expected. Why not forget about car hire, just take bikes and camping gear and let the journey be the adventure? Driving home from work, I was excited at the thought – 3 weeks, no car, just Sandra, Emma and Me with whatever we could carry. Would Sandra take much convincing?

Sandra’s agreement sealed the deal – to be honest I’d expected a much harder sell! The fun began as we sorted the logistics. A Child trailer suitable for Emma (age 2 & ¾) was investigated then purchased, flights booked and shuttle organised. While we never really discussed it, we decided to do the trip ‘Bikepacking’ style – carrying all our own gear and making use of whatever we found along the way, rather than using luggage transport services and pre-booking a lot of things.  The perfect excuse to hit the outdoor stores, hunting for smaller/lighter gear! The route was finalised – Shuttle from Queenstown to Clyde, build the bikes then ride the Otago Rail Trail to Middlemarch. Jump on the Taieri Gorge Train from Middlemarch to Dunedin, then a pick up from Dunedin to Sandra’s parents place at Kakanui. No rental car required! While hardly rating on the ‘gnarly singletrack’ scale, using the Otago Rail Trail meant that food and services were never too far away. Training began – all of us getting experience with the trailer, while Sandra improved her bike fitness by going riding (a lot). A number of ‘test’ camping trips were done in December, the amount of gear being used growing smaller each time.

Queenstown – a ‘postcard’ day heralded our arrival. Airport logistics sorted, it was off to our accommodation for the next 2 nights – the Novotel. Handily located very close to town and the lake meant we could be pedestrians for the first couple of days. Arriving at the hotel we were gobsmacked – a ground floor room (with a small courtyard), 200 metres from the lake and 500 metres from the CBD. As the Hotel was right next to the main swimming beach, we headed for the lake......

Lake goodness and beach fun, the Gondola experience, fantastic dining and stunning scenery summed up our time staying in Queenstown. Sunday afternoon we were relaxing at the beach (along with a lot of others...) when along comes a bunch of guys wheeling a flat-top BBQ and toting a DJ rig. The ensuing ‘pop-up’ party was great fun – fantastic dance music, pole dancing (yes, really!) and a couple of slack lining setups. People everywhere - young, young at heart, locals & tourists alike. Everyone was drinking something – but the atmosphere was just so chilled out that at no time did it feel unsafe. At 10pm (when the liquor ban kicks in), the music stopped – and people just packed up & left, putting their empties next to the rubbish bins for collection. Unreal! (Try that in Auckland – the riot squad would have turned up..... I saw 2 Police the whole evening). It became a real talking point the next morning at the Hotel breakfast!

Monday morning’s shuttle to Clyde had us a bit nervous – not because of the driving, more because all of sudden the real adventure was about to begin. We set a slowness record for unpacking the bike boxes, building the bikes and bagging/attaching all our kit. I think in the end the bike shop guys were taking bets on how long we would last.....

Underway – finally! Thankfully only a short ride today – the 8km from Clyde to Alexandra. Still took a while, though – not having completely assembled all our kit before meant that we had ‘luggage issues’. Getting lost while trying to get to the Clyde Railhead (start of trail) didn’t help much either (Clyde is not that big!!). Thankfully by the time we had done a few km on the trail we settled down and began to appreciate our surroundings.

“Are we there yet?” mode kicked in just as we reached the Alexandra end of the days trail. 8km of dead flat, dead straight travelling was over with and it was time to head to a campground. Alexandra’s selection of camping seemed a bit on the underdone side, but with tent up and (seemingly) most things accounted for we were happy (okay, tired and happy-ish). I did the Supermarket express run for dinner supplies while the girls made friends at the camp playground. Dinner began to sort itself out, albeit with a bit of frustration and some over-tired tears (we got much better at the dinner/end of day routine and by the end of the trip we were one slick operation). Emma safely in bed & Sandra resting, I began to pull apart all the gear, sort and repack in order to balance out the loads and make each days pack/unpack less time consuming. Load logistics sorted, time for bed.

Day 2, our first ‘real’ day on the trail. Breakfasted, loaded (Sandra now with the tent (5.8kg) on her Freeload rack and we were off. Today’s frustrations were the (secure) attaching of Emma’s bike to the trailer so that the foam packing did not fall out and the trailer hitch slipping. Both of these niggles eased out over the next day or two (learning which webbing strap goes where to provide secure attachment and not standing on the pedals going uphill were the fixes to the problems).

It began to get hot – having numerous photo/snack stops didn’t help speedy progress in the heat, but we were also wary of cooking Emma in the trailer. Emma was enjoying herself, already identifying that the regular Rail Trail passport stamp stops were a great opportunity for a snack and a run about. Slowly we left civilisation behind and began to appreciate the wild area we were in. Lunch time found us in a shady spot (although still really hot). All of sudden popping out onto a tarseal road at Omakau seemed an intrusion....

Omakau campground/sports field – what a fantastic find! Cheap camping (only $20), great facilities and beautiful grassy sites! Arriving at 2pm we took up the camp attendant’s suggestion that we spend some time checking out the industrial sprinkler setup that was watering the sports field. Standing on the wet grass and getting blasted by the rotating sprinkler was a fantastic way to cool down and have some quality family time. The looong walk to town (about 2km – we should have ridden) had us all famished and soon we had settled on a takeaway feast – Burger for Sandra, Toasted Sandwich for Emma and the classic Fish & Chips for me. A visit to 4 Square for tomorrow’s breakfast & lunch supplies, then the walk back to camp. Emma tucked up, Sandra & I just spending time relaxing and talking a few other campers. We were beginning to unwind, leaving behind the stresses of early in the trip and appreciate the simplicity that bikepacking brings.

Day 3 – the morning pack up taking ever – less time (learning what goes where and how) and we were underway, with Oturehua the intended destination. Today was ‘tunnel’ day, with the trip up to the Poolburn Gorge and through the 2 tunnels there providing the day’s highlight.

It also seemed to be ‘bad karma’ day – Emma grizzly and wanting to ride, us wanting the ‘get there’ and out of the heat. Emma did do some great riding on trail today, managing an uphill kilometre onwards towards the gorge.

Tunnels! I added lights and led our troupe through. Emma had a short break from the trailer and explored, the small patches of shade at each end of the tunnels providing some respite from the relentless heat. Easily the hottest day we had so far – the heat reflecting off the rock walls of the gorge increasing the temperature further. Finally clear of the gorge, a downhill(ish) run towards Oturehua along a straight that never seemed to end. ‘Are we there yet’ and a couple of ‘bad karma’ moments later, we finally arrived in Oturehua – hot, tired and a bit scratchy.

Accommodation took a bit to sort – the backpackers/camping area at the end of the village looked deserted. The girls rested in the shade while I located the owner. $40 for camping – double our previous night’s accommodation cost. Breakfast - if we wanted it (Cornflakes and Toast) - continued the overpriced theme, being $15 each. Grudgingly paying the $40 and assuring the owner we would not go near her precious cornflakes, we were directed to the ‘camping field’ – a dry, sunburnt field of stalks, with not a tree to be had - versus the lush, spacious, well watered and shady grounds of the backpackers.

Tent up and the girls resting in the shade at the backpackers, I jumped onto Sandra’s bike in my sandals and began to ride along the wide, deserted footpath the 400 metre journey to the only shop – the General Store. Mr Plod obviously had nothing to do that day – stopping his passing ute to remind me of my lawbreaking recklessness (no helmet and on footpath). Not wanting to sully his obviously impeccable record of maintaining law and order, I almost did as he instructed – electing to scoot and side saddle on the wrong side of the road for the direction I was heading, next to the kerb (I’d had that kind of day).... The much touted General Store held little joy – just bought a couple of (overpriced) Breakfast things, then wandered (I just couldn’t be bothered anymore) back to camp under the steady gaze of the overworked Mr Plod.

It seems the ‘bad karma’ day had one last treat for us – Emma having a full on melt down when it was time to leave the pub after what had been an excellent dinner in the Garden Bar area (complete with playground). Even carrying Emma (still kicking and screaming) back to camp was hard – and the tantrum continued back at camp. Finally we got Emma to settle down – walking with her back to the Pub to put away some of the toys she had been playing with there (this seemed to be the cause of the upset).

I had my own mini meltdown – I just didn’t want to do the trip anymore. The heat, the ‘hurry up mode’ and the tantrum just made me want to bail out, get a car, load up & go back to Queenstown to chill out. We weren’t really appreciating where we were – it was always ‘hurry, hurry, hurry’. Sandra talked me round and by the time sunset arrived (which was spectacular) I was feeling a little less sorry for myself (but still scratched, bleeding and a bit down).

Thankfully the next day brought a new sense of calm and purpose to our tent – we were just going to ride each day and not worry about time. If it got hot, we would find shade. If Emma wanted to ride, she could. With that in mind, off we went – the guidebook promising an uphill 6km first, before the long sweet downhill to Wedderburn & Ranfurly.

Uphill is what we got! Quite rough and hard going in places, especially so on my singlespeed hardtail, hauling the trailer. Emma coped with the bumping & bouncing easily though and despite a little anxiety (the old ‘hurry, hurry’ again) we arrived at the trail summit in good time. Emma & I posed for summit photos, before we made for a decent shady spot next to the trail for a celebratory morning tea. Another family were also there, Mum, Dad & 2 children (one slightly younger than Emma & one a bit older). They also looked laden with camping gear (so maybe we weren’t the only ones crazy enough to haul all our own stuff!). Had a bit of a chat before they rolled out, heading in the opposite direction to us. More chilling out time, then time for us to go, too.

Down, down, down! The trail getting smoother the further we descended towards Wedderburn. I (mostly) kept the descent under control, although as it smoothed I eased off the brakes, hitting 40kph in the process. Emma had taken to singing in her trailer – the descent was accompanied by ‘Old MacDonald haaaaad a faaaaarrrm’ as she bounced around in the back.

Wedderburn – explored the old Goods Shed and had a reasonable lunch stop under some pine trees. Emma enjoyed an escape from (her now very hot) trailer. The last double handful of km for the day were along a pretty straight and flat trail into Ranfurly, where we checked into camp. Hotter than a hot thing today, with the friendly camp owner directing us to a shady spot near a shelterbelt hedge to set up camp. Time to explore – the well stocked 4 Square for afternoon tea, before we all headed to the town swimming pool – indoor and partly heated, a very refreshing swim for all of us. Great way to finish off the day! Dinner and breakfast shopping done, back to camp where one of the locals reckoned the temperature had hit 37 degrees today – sizzle!

Setting out from Ranfurly on what should be our second to last day we were a little uncertain as to the night’s destination. Services for the day would be sparse, with just the promise of a cafe/hotel at Hyde – where camping/accommodation options were heavily restricted. Today marked a distinct transition in the trail – away from following a course between rocky hills towards traversing open valleys dotted with farms and green fields.

We managed to find the DOC picnic area just south of Daisybank around 1pm. Sited above a river, there was a lovely shady spot complete with DOC composting toilet. After eating a bit of food I went for a walk & discovered a track down to the river. Emma & I explored further and found a lovely riverbank, shallow river edges and a beautiful flat sandy spot on a terrace just above the river – could we camp here the night? Sandra came down and inspected and quickly agreed – it was off trail, near a toilet, peaceful, next to the river with just the right amount of shade (today was another scorcher!!). Decision made! I managed to get the bikes and trailer down the track and we quickly set up camp. We took stock of our food – enough for afternoon tea, a small dinner and breakfast, perfect! That emergency can of spaghetti was going to come in handy after all! The only thing we were short of was (clean) water – being we were back in farming country I was dubious about the river water quality. We decided I’d jump on my bike for a fast run down to Hyde, where at least I could refill all of our water bladders with clean drinking water.

Back out into the heat again – I forgot how hot it was, as under the trees by the river we had shade. Thankfully the 6km to Hyde disappeared reasonably quickly and I arrived at quite a nice cafe. I rehydrated with Powerade and a coffee, demolishing a cafe snack in the process. Just a cafe here, with a hotel (country style) attached. No camping or other options. Good call on our wilderness camp!! I loaded with water and some extra food for us all then hightailed it back to camp.

All I can really say about the evening was it was just fantastic quality family time. Just us, wilderness camping. Going to sleep with the tent door open (bug screen zipped in), looking at the stars and hearing the sound of the river made for a magic end to a special day.

It was hard the next day to leave (we did openly ponder the merits of another night here), but with a 1pm train to catch on Sunday at Middlemarch unfortunately we had to shake a leg. We stopped at the tunnels before Hyde for a short explore, then carried on to the Hyde cafe, where we did a very good job of stuffing ourselves silly. With some emergency food tucked away in our backpacks, we set out for Middlemarch. Bit of a nosey around Hyde station (by some quirk this is located 2km from Hyde township). Huge potential here, as the station building and some remaining wagons are all in good nick. Cafe/Campground business opportunity? It gave us something to talk about for the next little while (the land and buildings were for sale on trademe).

Definitely into farming country now – the trail passing through green pastures. Another station, another stamp for Emma – and another jelly snake. Yes, we’d succumbed to the lure of shameless bribery and by the time the final station before Middlemarch came around that bribery was in danger of losing its novelty value. After 5 minutes of skilled negotiation we had Emma back in the trailer and on our way.

There in the distance, we could see Middlemarch – end of the line. About 1km out we stopped, let Emma out of the trailer and the 3 of us rode our bikes together to the finish. Otago Railtrail – done! Some photos, then the all important need for food and a campsite took priority. We rode the short distance to Middlemarch camp, set up, then back onto bikes for a quick nosey around town. Not a lot here at all! Stopped for dinner at a new-looking cafe/bar, before a quick stint in the local playground, then bed.

Waking the next morning, breakfast despatched, we had some time before the 1pm train. So back to the cafe we went...... Train arrived and without too much difficulty (Emma charming the freight wagon guys) we had bikes, trailer and gear all aboard. The train trip itself was interesting – although in some respects different to what I had thought it would be. Having just spent 6 days IN the landscape, it was different being slightly removed from it to be ON the landscape, passing through it by train. Still a pretty journey though!

Arrival at Dunedin – took a little time to get ourselves re-loaded, then a 10km ride through downtown Dunedin to the beach campground at St Kilda. Roads, cars, trucks – welcome back to civilisation!

Our holiday continued – Kakanui, Waimate and finally an especially magical final few days in Wanaka, riding the Outlet and Lakeside tracks from Albert Town, as well as many trips to the lake for picnics and swims. Sadly we received news that our cat Ollee had passed away, while he was staying at Bookby Lodge. It was hard saying goodbye to our dear friend, especially from afar. I learnt that sometimes a child’s perspective is best “sorry about Ollee, Daddy. We can get another one.”

A very special journey – we have all discovered something new and truly beautiful.

A 'Labour' Weekend experience....

Labour weekend – yay! Traditionally marking the start of ‘summer’, it’s also a great weekend for a great race – the Whaka 100.

I’d first had a crack at Whaka 100 in 2011, taking 8hours and 8 minutes to do the 100km through Rotorua’s Whaka forest. It’s a brutal course – covering all the major climbs (and descents) in the forest - a singletrack feast! This year I had high hopes of a fast time – I was much fitter than last year (thanks to all the singlespeed work commuting) and coming off the back of a good ride at Taupo 12 hour I was hopeful of a low 7 hour time.

The week leading up to race weekend was busy – work and home. Work was work, but on the home front we had several things going on – we had bought a trailer for Emma on the MTB and a new Macpac down sleeping bag for Emma’s camping activities. Fantastic - except that the trailer ended up being a splash & dash pickup on Thursday night before the race and the sleeping bag gave all of us a sleepless night.... picked this up on Tuesday, Emma was full of excitement (as only a child can be) and of course she wanted to sleep in it. Easy – except that the bag and Emma would do a slow motion slide off the bed onto the floor. After the 4^th unplanned exit from her bed (at 2am) enough was enough and even Emma happily agreed that getting into (rather than onto) the bed was a better idea. We all were rather worse for wear on Wednesday. This was compounded by all of us having a cold – Emma first early in the week, then me, then Sandra – oh dear. The weather forecast (like all forecasts for holiday weekends) was extremely variable, leading to some stress. Do we not camp and find an alternative? With a 2 degree low temperature forecast for Friday night, camping was a marginal call (especially with Emma in an untested sleeping bag).

Friday was packup & drive time. Seemed to take a lot longer than usual to hit the road, very strong winds on the trip down to Rotorua – leading me to question the reliability of the 2 degree forecast (the wind would keep the temperature up). Managing to score the site we had wanted at camp, we pitched tent & settled in. Sunny and not so windy – lovely! Bedtime for Emma and sure enough, the temperature started to drop just as fast as the wind. By the time Sandra & I ate dinner it was very still and cold, but still quite a pleasant evening. With all of us tucked up in our sleeping bags, we were quite cosy. Just getting to sleep (after a bit of coughing on my part) and Emma has a nightmare. Nearly an hour later & after a walk with Emma through Little Red Riding Hood’s forest (the name we gave to the tree lined walkway to the facilities block) we settled down again at 12.30am. Emma coughed, Sandra quietly raged and I accepted that as the root cause of all this suffering I should be suitably chastised. The coughing fixed by using a blanket over Emma’s Portacot bed (to warm the air) and eventually things settled and we all managed a few hours sleep.

A 6.30am alarm and I climbed out of the tent. Ice on the outside – yes the forecast had been accurate. A quick breakfast & it was off on a 2km sprint to the start line, turning up about 10 minutes before race start. Sandra & Emma arrived just in time to give a quick wave to send me on my way.

Straight away I knew I would be in for a long day – my head definitely was full of illness rather than mountain biking goodness. The legs felt okay, but definitely not ‘alive’.

The first tracks were despatched reasonably quickly – the newly rebuilt Dipper trail bringing a smile, with lovely pumpy, flowy lines, then it was up the hill through Challenge, Genesis & Grinder. For some reason I took an alternative line on Grinder around the log drop – bad move as it had hardly bedded in and the corner at the bottom was very cut up.

Saw Sandra & Emma again as I exited Ball & Chain, grabbing a Mars Bar ‘roadie style’ from Sandra’s outstretched hand before starting on Yellow Brick Road trail. From there it was on the gravel roads out to the Green Lake & Mossy trail.

Managed to get a break on a group I was riding with heading into Mossy, held that all the way until I somehow managed a wrong turn at the Tikitapu Rd Aid Station. Thankfully only a 500m return journey, but the lost time & position was an annoyance. Was a much easier climb than I remembered up Kakapiko to the start of No Brains. This trail was the one ‘jungle’ trail of the ride – seemingly permanently damp, as well as being rocky & rooty in parts it needed my full attention.

The ride up Moerangi to Split Enz dragged a bit – legs started cramping soon after the climbing began. Ride a bit, walk a bit to ease the cramps, remount & try again. Eventually the legs behaved and progress came quicker.

Split Enz – always a lovely trail to ride, then Pondy Downhill, which was fast & smooth. Pondy New disappeared quickly, then Old Chevy, popping out at the 63km team transition/refreshment point. Don & Denise had arrived & were keeping Emma entertained, while Sandra stuffed food into my pockets, I stuffed a full waterbladder into my pack & kept stuffing food into my mouth.

Part 2 – featuring just as much climbing as the first 60km, but in a much shorter distance.  The Chinese Menu trails weren’t much of an issue. Out onto the gravel road & around the back, not too bad getting into Lentil Link, before the big climb up to Frontal Lobotomy. Started to feel pretty rubbish again, but was motivated enough to keep riding – passing a few people, which gave me added motivation to stay in front of them. A walk up the last steep bit of Frontal Lobotomy, then a slowish walk the next 200 metres up to the start of Billy T.  

Billy T was completed in a ‘bash through’, rather than ‘dance over’ style (fatigue and illness taking their toll), but managed to survive incident free and onto G-Rock and Rollercoaster, which provided the one major scary moment of the ride. Cresting a small rise at speed, my chosen line down the other side was about to take me over a bank and into trees below. Some emergency braking and creative dabbing with one foot saw me back on course again.

Rollercoaster complete (not my best work), a short section of non-uphill gravel road was completed then the steep climb up Direct Rd to Hot X Buns. Sheer willpower made most of the climb disappear, however I truly felt awful. I walked the top quarter of the climb, eating as I walked. Hot X Buns = fun, in a challenging way. It’s a trail I always have a sinking feeling in my stomach about before I ride it (not sure why – it’s not that bad). Glad to get it over with, I headed sedately down Rude Not To, not having had many runs through there since the trail was rebuilt after harvesting. I’m sure I can do it with no braking – just need some practice (and no illness or so knackered)!

The final big climb was a short (compared to the other hills) climb up Katore Rd to the horse track. Instead of going down Gunna Gotta (last year) it was a long slog all the way across the ridge (mostly uphill) to the Tokorangi Pa track intersection (the hike up the steps to the actual Pa site is worth it – from my running days). Afterwards, “are we there yet” mode kicked in, with the steady and at times uphill descent to the refurbished Exit Trail.

Exit – love it, although the refurbishment got rid of a lot of the techy bits, so now it’s a lot smoother. Up Nursery Rd Hill and finally onto the Mudpool Horse track to the finish line. YAY! 7hours 55 minutes – feeling a mix of achievement and disappointment. While I beat last year’s time by 13 minutes, it was nowhere near the time I had hoped for. It was also quite apparent to me that I’d completely emptied the gas tank – the usual post race bounce back to being in the land of the living taking a good 20 minutes and not the usual 5.

Accepting a lift back to the campground (2km away – I was definitely not well!) it was a splash & dash to get ready for Prizegiving at Pig & Whistle pub in 40 minutes time.

Emma’s first visit to a pub – the garden bar area crowded with mountain bikers and the lack of a PA made hearing the proceedings a little difficult. We all loved the (extremely) large platter of curly fries that I’d bought and demolished them fairly smartly. Emma enjoyed the dishes of Aioli & Tomato sauce, although by the end it was impossible to tell which had been which as she loved dunking a chip into first one and then the other.

Thankfully the bedtime routine at camp passed without incident and Sandra & I enjoyed a late supper of fried bacon (which was supposed to be Sunday breakfast) before completely and solidly sleeping the night away.

Postscript – one month after, fully recovered. I was pretty bad for a week afterwards, gradually improving from there. Now actually enjoying getting back on bike and having fun!