Things have been pretty busy lately, both at work and on the biking front, doing prep work for this year’s Nth Island 1600 in October. My big job in that area right now has been fine-tuning a route, then preparing the Rider’s Guide, which was all but done except for the sample checkpoint photos, (although it did have streetview photos in there for now)… So a plan evolved.
I decided to have a big weekend away, riding both the NI1600 and the NI800 back to back to get all the photos in one hit. The plan was to leave home at about 0800 on the Friday morning, get to Turangi by 1130, then continue straight into one ride (thinking that it might be best to do the 800 first), have a sleep overnight, then start the 1600 and continue straight home Sunday. That would be 1100+ Friday and 1900+ Saturday-Sunday ….but alas the best laid plans of mice and men!? The weather for Friday was looking like crap, so the plan altered and I dropped the 800 and worked Friday, but would leave home at 0800 Saturday morning and go straight into the 1600. Then the plan evolved further as it occurred to me that, “Who (in their right mind) would have ever done a continuous return trip the full length of the North Island?” (that’s about 1100km each way). Steve and I did Cape Reinga to Wellington in 12 hours on the 2009 Southern Cross, so this would just be the next step!? I’ve never been a Boy Scout, but I packed a bag with overnight gear anyway and hit the road just before 0800 with several options. a) to complete the NI1600 within 24 hours, which would get me all the CP pix and free me up to be a volunteer in October. b) ride from Wellington to Cape Reinga in back in one hit. …Oh yes, and did I mention that the route would include a scoot around the Kawhia Harbour! …just for good measure! Sedate and easy was the plan ….but the best laid plans of mice and men!? I hit the Plimmerton roundabout, transitioning from 50-60 kph to 100kph in a wonderful state of lean, then cruised up the two lanes within the allowable limits, passing a few cars and trucks as I passed Whenuatapu, where I noted a car and ute in front of me and some bogan in a big Holden or Ford, gaining on my rear. I figured I didn’t want him passing me and it would be quite good to get by the other two before Pukerua Bay and then the 80kph zone, so I tweaked it a bit. I hauled in the ute as we hit the single lane but he left me plenty of room, so I slid past, then the same thing happened with the car ….and then the bogan turned his lovely array of lights on!!! FFS! Talk about shit Trev! …well, not really …I just had that big sinking feeling and considered what a dickhead I was. *Sigh* …Apparently I hit 117kph and a quick bit of mental arithmetic figured that was worth about 35 points, on top of the 55 I was already sitting on. Hmmm…90 points and my licence was hanging by a thread. The man asked if the bike was mine, had my licence and was on the phone or radio or whatever, but I was still plugged up and helmeted so I couldn’t really hear what was going on, then he returned the licence, made some comment about obviously being experienced on the big truck and gave me a warning about being more considerate to the lesser mortals stuck in their cars!!!!!????? Well bugger me! I was gob-smacked! I can only assume that he had followed me for a bit, observing the generally sedate mode, then the unconventional but legal passing manoeuvers …and he was a senior man and not a young wannabe in search of a good quota? So I got off …but I did lose about 50 places in the queue! And so my quest resumed. I took the most sedate and easy riding route up SH1, arriving in Turangi at 1130 and because the bike was only down one bar when I left home, I still had three bars to go, so decided to continue to Taumarunui to fill on BP98 and get a discount. More easy riding and I activated the Glympse at Taumarunui, sending it to Hitcher, James and Ann (I didn’t have Mike’s number). More easy riding and I was pulling into Te Kuiti BP Truckstop to take the first CP pic, and now my ride was going to be fun, once I turned off to go past Waitomo. And so it was. I had a great time as I made my way past Te Anga to my next stop, which was the Kinohaku Hall at the start of the Kawhia Harbour. Pic taken, relief sought, snack snacked and water gulped and I continued. …and it was marvelous, even if I did encounter more than my fair share of March Roadworks. In no time at all I was around the harbour, heading in toward Otorohanga, then onto SH39, through Ngaruawahia and rejoining SH1 at Rangiriri for the trudge up the Auckland motorway to my next stop at BP Orewa. This has been timed to be a manned CP and will pull the ride away from the toll road, and according to my research, it was time to don the wets. Because of grabbing the extra 70 km to Taumaranui on the last fuel stop, I also didn’t need to fill so cruised on to Wellsford and that would make it an easy haul to Kaitaia. So another stop at Wellsford and I tried to reset the Glympse for another 4 hour stint but it wouldn’t oblige, so that was that. …and it was still dry …and I was cooking a bit, but I didn’t take the skivvy off because it would be night soon and get cold …yeah right! So on-on through Whangarei, Kawakawa, onto SH10 and up to the next CP at BP Kaeo. It was supposed to be dark by now, but I hadn’t accounted for the differential between Wellington and Northland, or the 1½ Hrs earlier than normal start, so it was dull, but still in dusk mode. …and although I’d encountered sporadic bursts of precipitation, it still wasn’t raining …suited me! Photo taken and more snacking etc, and I was on my way again. I’d been this way at about midnight on the 2007 GC, albeit in the other direction, and it was delightful to note that at times I was riding along the coast, although it was getting a bit dark to see at this time and I was soon heading north from Awanui on SH1 again. It was around this time that I straight-lined as I approached a massive wet slick section that encompassed the full width of the road and was about 10-15mtrs long. Holy Shit, I thought, as the front wheel, attired with brand new T30 did a shimmy on me! ..and I was just starting to like these tyres! The rear has been on for a few thousand Km, but the front was just fitted a couple of weeks ago and I shit myself on the first corner when it felt like the rear was going to step out. That was most disconcerting and it took a bit before I realized that the contour on the front was more vee-shaped than the Z8’s I’ve been running and that was resulting in the bike being keener to drop into the corners. I’m used to that now, but to feel the front do a left-right slide as I’m dead-vertical and heading dead-straight was NOT a nice feeling! …especially when the roads I’m riding are littered with exceptionally wide sections of slick wet tar! Oh well, get over it and focus on the job in hand. It was now dark, more wet than dry and I had a new problem as well. The glare from the road signs was so bad that I was often having to dip my lights …for bloody road signs! The upside being, one generally couldn’t see the slicks! A bit over an hour on SH1 and I was pulling onto the carpark at the ‘end of the road’. I half-pie (or should that be ½п) expected to see the odd freedom-camper parked up there, but it was totally deserted, and totally black with not a single light anywhere. That made it marginal to get a photo of the archway and there wasn’t even a light in the dunnys, but fortunately I carry a couple of LED torches, so I didn’t have any issues seeking relief …and I was over halfway (825 into the 1633km and 1150+ km total …and about 11hours into the 1600 and 14.5hrs all up on the bike)…and I was heading for Kaitaia. It still wasn’t raining badly but the weather was getting worse so more care was required and the pace reduced. I got to Kaitaia Mobil, filled, took the CP photo, fluffed around cleaning the visor etc and set out for the Mangamuka Gorge. It’s been a few years and it was just dry enough to enjoy a reasonably spirited pace and then I was into uncharted territory as I turned off from Kaikohe to take the road via Twin Bridges and the next CP. But the combination of weather, roads and marginal vision in the conditions had my average speed closer to 90 than 100 kph. Not a problem though as long as one keeps progressing at a steady pace. When I departed from Wellington in the morning, the GPS ETA (for Turangi) was 0645 (plus stops), but I was shaving more time off the ETA than I was expending at the stops, so by the time I got to Orewa, the ETA was down to 0604, however, I was now back to about 0640 and gradually losing, or barely holding time on the road. This was compounded by the combination of requiring more time at the stops to stave off the effects of fatigue (thanks to the 3½ hrs tacked on to the start) and the weather requiring more time spent on visor etc. This is just a fact of life that one lives with in the world of Distance Riding, and the key is not to get silly and try to make the time up. After all, I had 24 hours to do the 1600, so time wasn’t an issue …and I just plodded on. Twin Bridges proved to be another lightless black, damp hole but I managed a pic and made my way back to SH1 just south of Whangarei, then back down to Wellsford, where I took the turn towards Hellensville, but turned onto Peak Rd to cut down to the next CP at Z Kumeu. After that it was more motorway riding to the last CP and fuelstop at BP Bombay before hitting the last 280km for the 1600. By the time I left there, my ETA was out to 0748 and I determined that I was back to easy riding and would try to get to Turangi by 0730, for a 20 hour time on the 1000miler. This did two things because the fatigue was getting worse. It dragged me back into ‘the zone’ whereby one’s heightened focus helps stave off the effects of fatigue, and setting and monitoring the goal and progress also kept the brain occupied and more alert. The weather was much drier through here as well so my motorway scoot back to Rangiriri was steady, the fang down Te Ohaki and Hakarimata Rds was rapid, then the trek back down SH39, over to Te Awamutu and onto Kihikihi was steady. More steady through Waipapa Rd to Whakamaru and it was getting lighter and quicker down the Western Lake road and voila, I was back at Z Turangi by 0730 to photograph the odo and the bike in front of the sign. Decision Time: I had now done about 1967km in 23½ hours. I was buggered. Would I stop or continue? Being a drongo from wayback, I had a goal and I knew I could do it …and I could be home before lunch. I wouldn’t need gas until Bulls, but my new plan was for longer and more frequent stops, so the ride would now become a series of short hops, with decisions made on the fly. It was still only 13̊, so the first plan was to stop at Waiouru to remove the wets, then Taihape for fuel. The skies were clear by Waiouru, but the temp was only up to 14°, the heated grips were still on, so I continued and the plan changed to remove the wets at Taihape. By Taihape the temp was still down and I didn’t need gas, …and I felt OK so I shifted the stop to Hunterville. Hunterville came and went and the plan was now a definite fuel etc stop at BP Bulls. …and I pulled in there pretty shattered. I took plenty of time filling then peeling the wets off, snacking, drinking and finally, struggling to throw the leg back over because my rear inner thighs were feeling the effects of 26 hours on the seat …but otherwise I actually felt pretty good as I seemed to be bouncing into a second wind. …so from here on in it was easy going and I felt quite alert. This was probably thanks to the traffic and having plenty to occupy one’s mind doing the normal stuff and by 1132 I was hauling my sorry arse up the drive! I put the bike away in the garage, unpacked and dragged myself up the steps to collapse on the couch. …and that was my day pretty much done. I had a snack to accompany the most delicious nespresso coffee, exhaled and felt pretty smug. I’d just ridden to Cape Reinga in back, with the Kawhia Harbour thrown in for good measure. I’d only done 2267km and it had taken me 27.5hrs …but I’d just ridden from one end of the island to the other…and back! …and I’d just completed my 2nd 1000 miler for the year! …and my 10th in total! I had a moving time of 25:15 for a moving average of 90kph and an overall average of 82kph. The top speed was a little higher than expected …but that must have been a blip, or an aberration because the GPS has been playing up lately!!?? Bugger me! I relaxed, dozed a little, watched TV and finally went to bed at 2130 to watch some more TV, then awoke out of a coma at 0300 to turn the TV off, then got wrenched out of a coma at 0600 to turn the alarm off, then drifted out of the slumber at 0735. …and I still felt pretty good but the worst part was …now I couldn’t tell anybody until after the NI1600 in October …except of course a few non-bikey type mates and family that wouldn’t have a clue and would just think I’m a dumb bastard anyway! Whilst reveling in my smugness, I recalled that while riding in the middle of the night…??....Ok, at about 3 in the morning, as I was frolicking through the drizzle, carefully picking my lines through the abundance of slick, deadly macadam which was conspiring with the blinding road signs to try to put me on my arse, a question randomly popped into my mind. “What the hell are you doing this for?” As quick as a flash, certainly in no more than half a heartbeat and perhaps as quick as a quarter of a wrist pulse, the answer manifested, “Because no one else, or not many if any will have!” There was probably another retort that got lost in translation or buried under the myriad of activity being dealt with, that would have gone something like, “But why would they want to!!??” A day or two later when talking to a mate, he asked, “Would you do it again?” and once again, the answer just slipped off the tongue, “Umm…Yeah….but in good weather as I’d like to do it in under 24hours!!” Bugger Me! Us Distance Rider bikers are a sorry arsed lot!
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Are we there yet?...that's the motto of NZ Distance Riders (NZDR) and Yes Siree, we got there...we made it!...and had a shitload of fun on the way…..whew! Last weekend was the culmination of another year's planning for the 2015 Nth Island 1600. The creation of a route and selection of checkpoints, selection of colours for rider and volunteer T-Shirts, design of badges, patches and certificates, production of Rider's Guides, organisation of volunteers for selected manned checkpoints, scrutineering, catering at HQ and managers for the event, establishing a budget, sorting and provisioning the catering...then waiting for the entries to trickle in.....tweeking the route, tweeking the budget,...then waiting for the entries to trickle in …collecting checkpoint photos for the Rider's Guide...then waiting for entries to trickle in....worrying about the budget and lack of requests for accommodation ...and worrying that there weren't enough entries and the budget was blowing out...and waiting for the entries to trickle in!!?? Asking each other... “Are we there yet?” I don't know what the worry was because at the close of entries there were 50 nutters all wanting to crack out a thousand miler in 24 hours, a GC, or a Grandy, as some still refer to what is now the North Island 1,600 and there were about 24 volunteers eager to assist and monitor progress and the budget looked healthy. Of course, there were a few withdrawals, but come 1300 on Saturday 10 November 2015, the riders were rolling out of the Turangi cabins and embarking on their personal challenges, their epic adventures.....and a bloody good fang!! For me, the departure from Wellington at about 0900 on Friday morning was almost an anticlimax and relief that we were finally at the start, and since I had planned to be at Turangi by lunch time, I just scooted straight up SH1, to arrive at 1220, while Ann took the loaded car via Palmy to pick-up the all important pre-prepared post-ride meals. (supplied from Barney who was one of the riders) I checked in to the cabins and started to setup the hall as HQ, got the bike scrutinised by Brian, took a few photos, helped sort the supplies into the kitchen and HQ, then relaxed and enjoyed meeting and greeting new riders and old mates. We went for a feed at the tavern at 1700 to get back for the release of the route and issue of Rider's Guides and T-Shirts at 1900. It was hard case because once we were setup I had donned my volunteer's yellow T-Shirt when Theresa pointed out, “Should you have that on because it's got the route on the back?” ...and we all just looked at each other and started to laugh. What a bunch of dickheads! I put a jersey on and Brett turned his inside out, then we rearranged the issue of T-Shirts to coincide with posting up the route. The rest of the night was spent planning, or for us, assisting the planners to plan. Saturday was cruisy. I helped in the kitchen for breakfast, took photos, went down for fuel, water and bananas (I already had my supply of nut bars stowed), then hurried up and waited for the briefing at 1200 (but that was on Gremlin-Time which is a bit like Maori-Time...ie normal time plus a cup of tea, which was about 1215). Brett and Jane hit the road shortly after the briefing, then James led us out about 10-15 minutes later at 1241. We were both equipped with Sena S20s, so we could chat away while making good progress over Te Ponanga Saddle, across SH47 to SH4, and down the Paraparas to the first checkpoint that we were manning at the Upokongaro Tavern, his brisk but relaxed pace chewing out the 160km in 1:33 for a rolling average of 102kph (well within the allowable limits). Once the last riders were through, we kitted up and lit out for checkpoint (CP) 2, slotting straight into 'GC Mode', which is just a bit slower than that of a scolded cat, and by the time we had scooted through Fordell to the bridge over the Whangaehu River at the junction with Mangamahu Rd, we had passed a half dozen riders and found another 6 or 8 at the CP. A quick stop, pic snapped and we were away ahead of most at the stop, but fortunately, we were behind three riders on adventure bikes. I say fortunately, because we passed one rider, then sat behind/with the other two as they cruised along. It was one of those situations whereby, they weren't travelling quite as quick as we would have, but the road was tight and it wasn't really worth gassing it to get past. Next thing you know, the lead rider of our little group was two wheel drifting through a right hander on Mangahoe Rd, James alerted me as I entered the corner and he didn't seem to have too much bother, but the chap behind him was struggling for control as he tried to keep his bike upright and avoid the other two in front, while I was going, “ooooh, oooooh, ooooh” into the intercom as I straightened and headed for the fence while caressing the linked, ABS stoppers in an effort to pull myself up before tangling with the fence while avoiding the other three. My arse was puckering as I could feel the grit under the tyres trying to make them give way and initiate a slide, but the combination of 'soft' hands and ABS thwarted all efforts of the Turakina Valley Demons to ruin my day....and we continued on! The wee glitch left our two buddies a bit shaken and they dropped from ¾ to ½ Impulse, then the man in front of me almost ran tooo wide on another corner, so I passed him, then shortly after, the front man waved us through, so it was back to Warp Factor 1 and we were soon rocking through Hunterville, passing another three riders who were at the pumps, then heading up to Ohingaiti before crossing to CP3 at Pemberton Corner. Pemberton used to be a settlement along Rangiwahia Rd, but now all that remains is a sign on a fence, which we had soon photographed and pulled out behind Judge Dreds and his two Bailiffs. I don't recall why, but I ended up in the lead out of here so we soon passed the Africa Twins and GS and took to the lovely wee strip of road leading into Kimbolton, then negotiated the horrid straights to Cheltenham, turning there to make our way via Stanway (a hall on a corner) to CP4 at the roundabout in Halcombe. There were a few more riders here and I was so focused on the job in hand that I didn't notice the Hyde Bros repairing Grayson's FJR on the side of the road. Off again and we now took Halcombe Rd to SH1, then Makirikiri Rd to SH3 so we could scoot around the mountain to CP5 at Oakura. Our first fuel stop was planned at 460km for Z Hawera, but as it transpired, James was running 91 in his ST and between the pace and the fact we were now punching into a stiff westerly, he was well into his second-to-last bar on the fuel gauge and although I would probably still make Hawera, it would have been touch and go, so after a quick discussion and rethink (bloody great advantage of the Senas) we altered our fuel plan to fill at Whanganui and Te Kuiti before slotting back into the plan at Bombay. While we were filling a few riders passed us back, then we saw no one as we made our way to Hawera and around the Surf Highway. This stretch had us riding straight into the gales and setting sun, although from time to time we had the relief of a few clouds and we finally arrived at Oakura just before 1930 and we were 550km into the ride, enjoying some stick from Stretch (CP Marshall) as he cleaned my screen for me. Snacked, watered and relieved, I donned a couple of scivvies for the cooling night, before we were back on our way through New Plymouth and heading up SH3 for a date with Mt Messenger and the Awakino Gorge, albeit in the dark. It was a good but uneventful fang and I found it quite relaxing while James busted his guts to make good progress and I was able to just ride off his lights....Good on ya mate! At 2120 we were filling at the Te Kuiti BP, about 730km into the ride, then off for Otorohanga, where we turned off to take SH39 up to Pirongia and shortly after that, we diverted over Te Pahu Rd to get to SH23 and take that out to CP6 at Raglan...another rather nice curly road. While we were there, the Hyde boys and Dave rocked in, then we followed them out. Once again, I don't recall why, but I was in front of James and while our plan was to take Ohautira Rd to Huntley, I was sure these guys were going back through Whatawhata, to Ngaruawahia, then up the western side of the river to Rangiriri,....and they were doing Warp Factor 3, so I asked James, “Turn off on Ohautira or follow these guys?” and the succinct response was, “Follow them”….. and so it was that we got taken for a ride. At this point in the ride, our moving average was 97kph and ETA at about 0945 in the morning. I was really disappointed that when we rolled into BP Bombay a little before midnight that our moving average hadn't budged...but I was most pleased that Barney had shaved a half hour off our ETA. (??....say no more). We didn't linger, filling, snacking, watering and relieving and didn't bother putting the wets on even though we departed in misty drizzle as we figured it was pretty localised and we were soon back on the road, heading across SH2 to SH25, through Thames, then up to Coromandel and across to CP8 at Te Rerenga School. James was doing a sterling job, making his way through the dark at a respectable pace and I was doing a sterling job keeping just close enough to ride off his lights...enjoying an armchair ride if you will. We did pass the odd cop along here but James' spidey senses were active and we weren't bothered or interrupted...and then we were turning corners. It was marginal riding up the western side of the peninsular but, my word, what a ride it was across the top. I haven't been through these parts for over 20 years and back then I seem to recall that there was a fair bit of horrid, badly corrugated gravel roads, populated by arrogant SUVs, driven by spoilt-brat teenagers, but now this is the picture-postcard-pin-up motorcycling road (apparently) and I must say, I wouldn't mind attacking it in daylight but that would probably see the macadam populated with cages as well. We only met two cars, a truck and one motorcycle all the way from Thames to Waihi! After capturing our pictures of the Te Rerenga School sign, James dragged us across to Kuaotunu and down through Whitianga and Tairua to CP9 at Z Whangamata and all I have to say about that is that there were a few more corners. At this stage, James had upped to 98 octane at Bombay, but he was still running about 1.1km/ltr less than my economy, but that wasn’t going to be a problem as we were only doing about 380km from Bombay to Rotorua and he continued to lead through to Tauranga before finally giving me the nod that he needed a rest from lead. By this time the temp was plummeting and with fatigue taking its toll, we dropped down to a less than sedate pace over Pyes Pa Rd. I'm not sure if it was the cold, the drop in pace out of 'the zone', or because I'm slowly turning into an old fart that I was feeling the effects and getting a tad tired as well, but we crawled on and pulled into CP10 at Z Fairy Springs just after 0500. ...with only about 350km to go. We filled and James had a coffee while I went for a stroll and jumped about a bit, then put my wet jacket and glove liners on to help stave off the cold. I'd already been using the heated grips, but I really needed them when we pulled out and cracked them up to full. I was back in front and James wanted me to up the pace to get us back into 'the zone' but as well as the temp fluctuating between 3° & -1°, we were drifting in and out of thick fog on a night that was as black as the hobs of hell....and I was a still a tad tired too. I did my best as we crossed SH30 to Atiamuri, then Whakamaru and I decided I needed to stop for another wake-up at either Bennydale or the turnoff onto Waimiha Rd...but for some reason I didn't. Nor did I need to because Waimiha Rd is a lousy goat-track and we were hooning over it ….and that woke both of us up. We had been riding smoothly throughout the trip with minimal braking and nice roll-off – roll-on, flowy, efficient riding, but this was all brakes and acceleration and my precious economy was plummeting, but hey, when you’re having fun…. We cracked along to SH4, turned right to scoot up to Ohura Rd, at which point I got confused as to whether to take the first slip-road corner, or the main corner and ended up stopped in between the two, letting James resume control at the front while Gary hooked on behind. More high energy riding and I was soon getting uncomfortable wrists from the constant heavy braking, so I eased up slightly to revert back to a slightly more flowy style. This was the first time I’ve been through here in the dry as the Rustys tended to arrange for wetter rides and we were very thankful for the grip as our ETA continued to tumble. On arrival at the hall, we grabbed our photos and as per usual, dysentery-dog that I am, I felt compelled to mark my territory before continuing on. At this point Gary took the lead because he felt he needed to be back in Turangi by 0900 to complete inside 20 hours. James and I stayed with him to Taumaranui, then lost him as we resumed our ride on the much easier SH41, which I must say is in pretty good nick at the moment and we glided into the Turangi Cabins at 0901. On the basis that we effectively left as the last group, that put us more than 10 minutes under 20 hours, but apparently we looked like shit as we checked in, then eventually had a feed etc. etc. As it turned out, it was a pretty slow track due to the high volume of technical riding and I would have said that we would have ridden closer to an 18 hour pace than a 20 hour. Normally half of the field are in within about 20 hours and 90% by 22 hours. On this occasion, half were in by 22 hours but all were home by 23….and the quick quickies were still quite quick but not as quick as usual. Of the 47 starters, 43 finished with 4 retiring due to fatigue or illness (although I did hear a comment that one of the two to off, retired…but I’m not sure) I took photographs of several of the riders as they returned, we went for a soak in a hot pool around lunch time then eventually had a nap for a couple of hours at about 1500 before getting up to sort some dinner for those that were around. We then spent the night chatting and all was well. Monday morning we were up by 0630, scrubbed and in the kitchen for an early breakfast. I resumed scromelette duties, we cleaned up and were on the road by about 0930, riding back to Palmy with James and Ally in order to drop off the oven dishes and I got back to the office at about 1600. What a great way to spend a long weekend! Are we there yet?...I’m not sure because there’s some financial and such to tidy up, a 1KC to do in November and then we’ll have to start preparing for the next ride?! Three years between rides is a bit of a stretch, and I might be a bit biased, but God damn it, I enjoyed the shit out of the North Island 1600!! The last few blogs have outlined the prep' and the weekend before the big event had me in a bit of a panic to fix the stebel horn because I new BrianH was going to be scrutineering the bikes and if he can pick up, that the rear tyre on a Beemer has been fitted back to front, he was sure as hell going to pick up that my horn was neither squeeking nor parping. What a mission! I thought it was the switch contacts but stripping and disemboweling that proved fruitless so next thing the belly pan, lower cowl, inner cowl and right fairing had to be removed and a jumper lead from battery to horn had me jumping out of my skin.....bugger, I had a dud relay. Bike was booked for a service on Monday so old squeeker refitted, fairing replaced and Sunday saw an aux outlet fitted into the topbox so I could recharge the GoPro and remote whilst on the go. Monday saw a new Z8 replacing the 1/3 worn PR4, a new air cleaner to try to improve the economy and a super WoF ….and a new relay which I fitted that night and I was all good to go. Bike was packed Thursday night and after pissing around a bit getting ready on Friday morning, I finally got away from home at 0843, and rode out of BP J'ville at 0858.....yipeee! I was off on an adventure. The usual droll, boring, crap riding saw me exit from Levin with an average of 81kph, but now I had clear roads ahead and could wind up into GC mode (hmmm....I can't really call it GC mode any more but NI16 mode doesn't sound right ...so...) into GC mode and I had a date and a mission to get to Turangi by midday. Easy-peasy you might say, 312'ish km in 3 hours should be a doddle, but no, why would I go up SH1 when the Para's were just along a bit and I had 350km to do, so I cracked on. By 1023 I was slipping onto Speedy and Fagan Roads to bypass Sanson and the average was up to 92kph, then at 1052 I was negotiating Warrengate Rd for 96kph and I finally got onto SH4 at 1057, still averaging at 96kph.....Let the games begin!! Brilliant weather, mint empty Para's, I was warmed up and I was in biker heaven! WooHoo, next thing you know I was in Raetihi by 1143 for a 105kph average up the Para's and 98kph overall and I finally arrived at the Turangi cabins at 1228...that was near enough to midday and I was soon checking-in (queensize bed doesn't leave much room in a cabin) and setting up the hall for the arrivals of all the punters. Ann arrived in the car shortly after me and the rest of Friday was spent getting the bike scrutineered, shopping for the perishables for the weekend's menu, taking a few photos and chatting with other riders as they arrived. We went off for dinner at the truckstop after 1700, arriving back at the hall at just before 1900 to put up the map and start issuing the Rider's Guides. It was a bit strange to be missing out on the excitement and apprehension associated with the unveiling of the route and having to plan and familiarise oneself with it, but it was sort of fun to see all the other poor bastards struggling with it! …....and that was day 1. Day 2 dawned crisp and clear and we dragged ourselves out of the pit at about 0700, I scrubbed and dressed casually (ie out of any bike gear and with jandals), breaked fast, I packed the bike and setup the GoPro and GPS, faffed around chatting with other riders and went off to fill-up and check the tyres at about 1100. Basically, it's always the same and killing time until the start is a pain in the arse, but I finally kitted up just before 1230, the briefing was briefed and the four of us (Mr & Mrs Hitcher, XP@ and myself) hit the road to man the 1st Checkpoint at Z Waiouru. (One of the changes we made to how this event was run was to introduce a combination of manned and photo CP's, with more of them to leave little room for shortcutting and this one ensured a rider couldn't take the easier Napier-Taupo road). James & I finally departed a few minutes after Brett & Jane at 1247 and we enjoyed a quicker than moderate pace over the Desert Road arriving at Z Waiouru at 1323 and the 1st riders started coming through within 10 minutes. We should have been on our way by 1350, but alas, it transpired that a rider had had brake-pad issues and he was ½ hour late starting so Brett & Jane got on the way while James and I waited. My initial plan was to leave Waiouru shortly after the last rider through, then try to work our way through some of the slower riders and capture them on the GoPro....but that wasn't going to happen now so when James and I finally got away at 1409, we had plenty of time to make up and that set the tone for our ride. I led out at a rather brisk pace, but fortunately, James seemed to be hanging back a little so sanity prevailed and we settled into 'spirited ride' instead of 'outright fang'. It was hard not to let rip through here because the weather was great and the road mint and the Gentle Annie is such a great ride. It's like going back in time to the days when shearing sheds littered the landscape and there were cattle in some if the paddocks but they weren't the udder kind. It's also a great mixture of landscape with rolling hill country, speckled with small flat valleys and some rugged bush and forest.....and the road!!....it's mostly corners with a few straight bits to allow one to catch their breath!.....150km of mostly corners!! We managed to catch the Hitchers and were surprised to see a half dozen bikes at Kahukuranui Marae (Omahu/Fernhill), we took our pix and pulled out after a couple of other guys but they kept going straight (towards Hastings) when we hooked off to stay on SH50. I tooted but I guess they needed gas and that was two more we'd passed. SH50 is more good riding. It hasn't got much by way of corners though so the pace seemed to creep up a little and I don't know how but the average through here appeared to be 113kph??? Must have been an error in the GPS and the pace didn't fall off a lot on SH2 either. SH2 from Napier down to Masterton is pretty good riding whereby it's not totally straight but one can make really good time, which is aided by the fact that there's not quite the volume of traffic as elsewhere. We took the bypass just before Woodville and scooted down through the Wairarapa, catching more riders (Dredsy-Mark/Whatastoner and his mate) going into Pahiatua (where the BanditRider was filling), but XP@ didn't think he'd make Masterton so we gassed in Eketahuna and slipped behind those we'd just passed. The skies to the south were looking extremely gloomy at this point and James suggested we don our wets, but I pointed out that we were heading more east and it was clear there. It was an unusually quick fill, taking only about 4 minutes, and we were soon taking the turnoff onto Faulkners Rd to take the diversion through Mauriceville for CP3. I love that road too! Apparently, back in the day, the Mauriceville-Kaiparoro Rd used to be SH2 and although it's a minor country road, it's always mint, clean and a bloody good fang as one returns to Welly from a ride. There's only 4km difference and when you take the turn the ETA on the GPS jumps about 10minutes, but by the time we get back to SH2, we've usually only lost about 2 minutes.....and had a blast......so On On. Through Masterton, out past Te Ore Ore and on to CP4 at Wainuioru School (more spirited pace) then around the Water Towers and through Gladstone. I did stop at this point to put our wets on, because it really looked crappy to the south now and lucky because as we turned to cross to Ponatahi Rd, the heavens opened and it absolutely pissed down. We caught Dredsy and his mate again and hello, no sooner were we pulling into Martinborough than the rain stopped and the skies cleared. That was good so now we could open the taps for the scoot down to Ngawi. We encountered the first returning rider (IanF) before the turnoff and a quick calc estimated we were only about 40 minutes behind. More good riding and by the time we pulled into CP5, we were about half-way in the field on the road, 554km into the ride, it was 1915 and all was good in the world. Within 3 minutes we were back on the road to head over the Hill (the Rimutakas) and CP6 at the Caltex. It was dark by now and just after we had filled and checked in, Steve rolled up after going home to put the liners in his pants and he joined us for the rest of the ride. We pulled out of Caltex Rimutaka at 2041 and by the time we got to Pauatahanui I seemed to have 6 or 8 bikes behind me, but after endeavouring to achieve a 'spirited-no-brakes-ride' over the Paekak' Hill, we were down to four (I did have to jab the brakes a couple of times but!).....and now we had to endure SH1 up to Sanson! More of Friday riding, bypassing Sanson & Wanganui, although we did need to stop in Bulls for Steve to top-up, then a brief photostop at the Upok' Tavern for CP7 and it was up the Para's. It was about this time I started to struggle a wee bit. The temp had dropped significantly, I was getting cold and a bit of fatigue was starting to set-in, probably enhanced by the brisk start, and I was finding I was having difficulty with vision and picking lines. It slowed me down a bit and we only managed to average 93kph up the Para's this time and I was squirming in my jacket to keep warm, I had the heated grips on and keeping a close eye on the temp gauge as dipped to 3°! (I seem to have a dread for black-ice these days & nights.) We pulled into Z Turangi at 0034, 1,014km into the ride, I started filling when Ann strolled over and said, "You’re 4 minutes late!!" I was a bit tired and just looked at her a bit gobsmacked, but I guess she didn't see that as I still had my helmet on. As it transpired, James had been using his wee 'Ap' to check us through the CP's, as well uploading the pix to facebook. From that, Gremlin was able to estimate our pace and arrival at Turangi for Ann......and hence, my fatigue induced reduction in pace had us there 4 minutes late!! Yeah right...it should have been at least 7-10 minutes so get with the programme Gremmy! I thought we'd spent about half an hour resting up at Turangi, but as it turned out, it was only 24 minutes when we followed the Hydes and their 4 man group out. Our 4th man had done a runner as soon as he had filled, but Pete joined us, so we were still a foursome as well. We scooted around Lake Taupo, took the bypass, then headed for Reparoa. We had been warned of roadworks along there and I found them!.....I was still doing 120+ at the time and I shit myself. There were a couple of cars coming the other way and one minute I was cruising along, then the next thing you know, I spotted that the colour of the road was about to change, 1+1 clicked and like I said, I shit myself. Sensitive guy that I am, I was concerned that I might flick a few stones up at the cars, but of more concern was as the bike transitioned from hard pack to looser, thicker crap and the front gave a bit of a shimmy, but I was quickly back on hardpack.....only to transition to even thicker, looser crap and the front shimmied even more and the back started to twitch in response as well. I was just about to kiss my arse goodbye when I transitioned back to hardpack, then back onto the seal, the heartrate settled and we were back on track. The next BHM moment occurred on that road as well when we rocked up behind a big truck and one moment he veered off to the left, saved and settled, then the next he veered across in front of me, to the right, saved that and settled. I was a bit confused as to whether he was falling asleep or just trying to intimidate me, so when a passing opportunity presented I booted down to three and gave it death to get past him as quick as possible. We were soon back on SH5, then turning onto SH38 and heading for Murupara. It was 0157 by now and we took the opportunity to maintain our quickish pace, arriving at Kopuriki Rd at 0215, took our pix, pissed around for 8 minutes, then headed for Awakeri. The going got harder for me through here because the road was narrower and humpier, so I would find myself rising with a black hole in front of me and I'd have no idea if the road was still straight, or about to swing right or left, then I'd peak over the hump and all would be revealed as the front of the bike dipped and the lights came back to the road. Consequently, I found myself hovering around the centre line and prepared to swing either way. Not really good form but we made it through and pulled into Z Awakeri at 0304....and I was frigging freezing. We took our pix, I went for a stroll to see a man about a dog, then I stripped off my jacket to add another layer underneath and we headed out after another 15 minute break, but we were back on SH2 now, so the going was easier and we were soon heading into Tauranga when the dickhead that was leading took the Welcome Bay Rd. In my defence, I will just say that it was shorter and our mission was to do a minimum distance for the ride!!?? Out of Tauranga and staying on SH2 to Waihi, we got there at 0446, still freezing, still very tired, but still making progress. We filled snacked and rested for 33 minutes before embarking on the last two legs and the 250km run home. (Pete left earlier than us though) I felt much better after the break, enjoyed the run through the Karangahake Gorge and life was much easier for me after that as the roads straightened out through Paeroa, down to Matamata and the skies had lightened up by the time we crossed SH1 and scooted down Lake Karapiro to the Puketurua Hall at the junction of Pearson and Old Taupo Roads. A mere 6 minutes and we were heading for Whakamaru and down the western lake road for Kurutau. It's easy to keep a steady pace through there and we were soon turning onto SH41 and into Turangi, pulling up at 0758. What a relief. The GPS was saying we had maintained a rolling average of 100kph doing 1613km in 16hrs 9mins road time and correcting for our CP duties at Waiouru, we managed the trip in 18.5hrs. We always expected it to be a 'fast' (easy flowing) route but it was still a good ride with the right mix of twisties and highway riding. I felt OK but apparently the eyes looked like pissholes in the snow and I had made hard work of the night sections....We had a ball but!!! Photos were taken of odometers, we checked in, had a hearty feed, shared lies, some went for naps, but I just laid back and watched as the rest of the field came in, finally going for a snooze between about 3 and 5...or maybe 6, in the afternoon. Then went back to the hall for another feed and to socialise over a few beers. ......and so the inaugural North Island 1600 had been smoked.......but we still had to clean-up and get home. Sunday night saw me thrust into a coma whereby I could have been sleeping on a bed of nails and I would have got a good kip. We awoke and arose about 0630 to start preparing breakfast and we'd been fed, cleaned up the hall, checked out and were pulling out of the holiday camp at 1003. Stretch was leaving as we were so he joined James and myself, dawdling over the Desert Road. Unfortunately a dawdle was a little too sedate for Stretch, so he passed us and had soon invoked a car to turn on theri lights and hang a uee. Naturally, I pulled over immediately but she didn’t want me, so James and I continued to Taihape for our fuel and coffee stop. Stretch pulled in a bit later and I couldn’t believe he’d got pinged when he had a car in front of him and two bikes behind!? *Sigh*....oh well, thems the breaks and the vagaries of life. We continued on and because I had to go via Palmy to return some serving dishes to Robert Harris cafe on the square, James & I turned off at Mangaweka to take Rangiwahia Rd....and what a wee peach that is right now. By Kimbolton, all the cobwebs had been blown out and we settled back to our sedate pootle through Feilding and into the square, where we enjoyed another coffee with Barney, then headed for home, finally pulling into the office at 1403. What an adventure it’s been. James dragged four of us together about a year ago and things have slowly fallen into place. We nearly pulled the pin due to lack of entries at one point, but stuck with it and although the field was a little light on entries, we budgeted conservatively and should make it through OK. The feedback has been positive and the other nutters like ourselves, that just want to get on their bikes and stay on them all night, seem happy to have a big ride back on the calendar. There were heaps of volunteers to help make it run smoothly and a big thanks to them all. I enjoyed the hell out of it. I just have to get through the Capital 1,000 km Cruise next month, the TT2000 in Feb, and then we can start looking at something for next year. And finally, I’d just like to share an wee anecdote for any that are considering the next NI16. You may recall mention earlier of tyres being fitted back to front and buggered brake pads, why, there was even one silly prat that turned up without a current WoF (but no more shall be said about that.....aye James). Anyway pads and tyres and 30 minute delays was same guy and that would be enough to rattle ones wits. We’re prepping to leave Waiouru and Beemer Boy says, “It’s just down to Vinegar Hill from here aye?” I look at James and James looks at me and I turn to the chap and say, “Yeah...Nah, that should be Spooners Hill Rd and it’s about 15km down the road.” And away he goes with us following a minute or two later. After installing his pads (and forgetting to pay for fuel) Beemer Boy ends up tacking on to our rear out of Paaekak’ and whilst stopped at BP Bulls he asks, “It’s just up to Turangi from here aye?” to which I reply, “Yeah....nah, that should be Wanganui and the Para’s, perhaps you should stick with us.” Which he duly did until sprinting from the blocks after filling at Turangi. One might think that that was the end of it, but no, there’s more! I mentioned that we got in at 0800 and awaited the return of others, but when asking of Beemer Boy, there had been no report, until late in the morning I heard reports of someone calling from.....Napier.....&/or Whakatane....or maybe that should have been Gisborne, because our man Beemer Boy had ended up going through Waikarimoana!!!! Technically he didn’t complete the ride, but he did manage 1944km not completing....as opposed to my corner cutting 1613km. We were obviously too slow so he streaked ahead....and came in 4 or 5 hours after!!! The moral of the story is that in this type of riding, faster isn’t always faster.....and planning and preparation is everything! Getting There and The Extension Being the 25th GC (Grand Challenge – 1,000miles in 24 hours), the anniversary event was marked with a 900Km extension on the Friday, to make the event up to a 2,500Km Long Weekend. As soon as the event was promoted I registered my interest and must have got in pretty quick as I was surprised a couple of months ago, when I got my registration pack in the mail, to see that I was #1. Also, as per the 20th GC, a video was being made of this event. Having done this event five times before, I am pretty well prepared, the bike is always ready for a ride, it had its 120,000 Km service on 26/9, which included a new front tyre (Bridgestone 023), then after having rear tyre problems, it received a new rear on 10/10. I had also bought a new ST in October, but with only 3300Km on it, I thought I’d keep the red to do this job before trying to sell it. One change to my GC preparation this year was that I bought a GPS at the beginning of the year, so I tried programming previous routes into it from the old Ride Instructions. I did a couple and it took over 2hours for each route, so I ended up having to take the laptop as well!!....lucky I’ve got an ST with lots of luggage capacity! My other prep consisted of a few rides, starting with a 700Km Butt Burner and building up to include a bit of night riding as well. So, apart from that, it was just a matter of pulling my GC check-list, ensuring I had everything I needed, pack the night before, give Ann a kiss and a hug on Thursday morning and say, “I’m just off for a ride! I’ll be back in 5...... (days)!” The weather forecast for Thursday was dismal, so I arranged to meet Steve at BP Mana at midday to ride straight up SH1, it was an uneventful trip, except for the part where we were too early arriving in Levin and Steve didn’t stop to wait for James (Transalp). (I seem to be making a habit of leaving him behind?) We arrived at 1515, checked into our cabins, got the bikes scrutineered (with no problems), settled in, went to fill the bikes and had a coffee in town, walked down for a feed at the Truck-Stop and later that evening, found out what Friday’s route would be, so went off to plan for that, loading it into the GPS and organising fuel stops. As it turned out, it was a very informal affair in that we could leave whenever we wanted and just had to collect three Electronic Till Receipts along the way. There were 37 starters for the extension and IanF woke me when he started at 0330 in the morning....I figured....‘he must want to get back for lunch?’ Apart from that, I slept reasonably well, arising on Friday at 0600, scrubbed up, had a feed and we rolled out at 0746. Mike (ST) had left a bit earlier, as had James who was kitted out to video other riders on the road with forward and rear facing cameras mounted on the side of his bike, but as it was wet, and Steve and I were in no hurry, I led out at a sedate pace, over the Ponanga Saddle to National Park and down the Parapara’s to our first checkpoint in Whanganui. The weather forecast for Thursday was dismal, so I arranged to meet Steve at BP Mana at midday to ride straight up SH1, it was an uneventful trip, except for the part where we were too early arriving in Levin and Steve didn’t stop to wait for James (Transalp). (I seem to be making a habit of leaving him behind?) We arrived at 1515, checked into our cabins, got the bikes scrutineered (with no problems), settled in, went to fill the bikes and had a coffee in town, walked down for a feed at the Truck-Stop and later that evening, found out what Friday’s route would be, so went off to plan for that, loading it into the GPS and organising fuel stops. As it turned out, it was a very informal affair in that we could leave whenever we wanted and just had to collect three Electronic Till Receipts along the way. There were 37 starters for the extension and IanF woke me when he started at 0330 in the morning....I figured....‘he must want to get back for lunch?’ Apart from that, I slept reasonably well, arising on Friday at 0600, scrubbed up, had a feed and we rolled out at 0746. Mike (ST) had left a bit earlier, as had James who was kitted out to video other riders on the road with forward and rear facing cameras mounted on the side of his bike, but as it was wet, and Steve and I were in no hurry, I led out at a sedate pace, over the Ponanga Saddle to National Park and down the Parapara’s to our first checkpoint in Whanganui. Between James causing a rush of blood to our heads and the temp jumping at least 6° through here, all of a sudden I found myself expiring, so a quick change of plans and we stopped in Mokau for lunch and to strip off the ‘wets’. We arrived there at 1246, doing the 145Km at an average of 95kph. It was rather pleasant having a snack then relaxing in the sun for a bit before moving on at 1322, with Steve in the lead and we now had the Awakino Gorge to look forward to. There was a bit of traffic on the road and as we were preparing to leave, Toto passed through on his Hornet and we had him in our sights. He was getting along pretty well, albeit a little more casual on his passing than us and this was OK as we slipped up the coast, but as soon as we embarked on the gorge, still stuck behind a truck, I was concerned about not maximising the enjoyment of the road, so as soon as Toto & Steve seemed to hesitate on a passing opportunity, I was in like a robbers dog and took it for them. I did have to apologise to Toto later, but ……nah….I’m just an arsehole! Between James causing a rush of blood to our heads and the temp jumping at least 6° through here, all of a sudden I found myself expiring, so a quick change of plans and we stopped in Mokau for lunch and to strip off the ‘wets’. We arrived there at 1246, doing the 145Km at an average of 95kph. It was rather pleasant having a snack then relaxing in the sun for a bit before moving on at 1322, with Steve in the lead and we now had the Awakino Gorge to look forward to. There was a bit of traffic on the road and as we were preparing to leave, Toto passed through on his Hornet and we had him in our sights. He was getting along pretty well, albeit a little more casual on his passing than us and this was OK as we slipped up the coast, but as soon as we embarked on the gorge, still stuck behind a truck, I was concerned about not maximising the enjoyment of the road, so as soon as Toto & Steve seemed to hesitate on a passing opportunity, I was in like a robbers dog and took it for them. I did have to apologise to Toto later, but ……nah….I’m just an arsehole! It was all easy riding…..except for the bit where I was daydreaming, listening to the music and suddenly found myself having to make a decision of, left to Atiamuri, or right to go over the dam. Damn…..I stayed left and hit the piks, taking Steve with me while Mike cruised past thinking, “Bloody idiots!” (James had swapped to film another group from Paeroa). We scooted down ’32 and arrived at Turangi at 1831, doing the last 231Km at an average of 101kph. It was an easy ride and pleasant day in the end. The GPS had me a couple of K’s short of the 900 (I must have been taking short lines through the corners), while my speedo said 910Km and Steves said 933Km….go figure. The Total Avg for the day was 83kph and Moving Avg was 97kph, which was easy enough on our sedate pace. After all, we still had 1600Km to embark on the next day. We checked in, had a good Rusty Feed, chatted, then looked at the GC route. …..Whew! easy Navigation but gnarly!....so I headed off to programme the GPS for the next day, before chilling out, chatting with other riders and discussing fuel options with Steve, finally hitting the sack at about 2230. The GC and Getting Home The decent ride on Friday helped to get a good night’s sleep and I was up by 0600 again, scrub-up, breakfast, then prep the gear and go over the fuel stops again. We were surprised how dead it seemed at the Turangi Cabins as usually, the place is littered with bikes and there are heaps of people about, tinkering and chewing the fat, but this year it was very quiet and it turned out, there were only 67 starters for the main event. We had been pre-warned a month or so out, that the start had been brought forward from 1500 to 1300 due to fuel shortages on the route, so we pretty much expected a foray onto the East Cape and sure enough, that was what we got. The other odd thing was, that usually Saturday drags as we ‘hurry-up and wait’ to start, but this year, with the 2 hours less, the morning seemed to be busy prep’ing and it flew past….all of sudden I seemed to be rushing to kit up, get to the briefing and took my place in the start queue with a minute or so to spare. Steve, Mike and I were last out the gate, getting separated from the others by waiting for some traffic to pass and by the time we got onto SH1 to head for Taupo, the others were gone. The weather had been most pleasant all morning, but no sooner had we gone a few K’s out of Turangi and we hit intermittent showers, some quite heavy and as we came down into Waitahanui, the weather out over the Napier-Taupo Rd looked very bleak, so we pulled over to put the ‘wets’ on. Dumb idea! Not only did we lose a few minutes, but before long, we were back in brilliant sunshine and the temp shot up, causing me to get a little uncomfortable. About this time, we caught up to CameramanJames and of course, with his shenanigans, our pleasant sedate pace became rather brisk with us cranking up through some sweepers for the camera. We had a ball, but I’ll wait until I see the footage before getting excited about it!? We were having a ball anyway….and then I had a wee moment. As I pushed the 023’s through a corner I had one of those uncomfortable squirmy moments which felt like I was rolling on a flat tyre!!?? My first thoughts were that the rear had punctured and I couldn’t believe my run of bad luck was continuing, as that would most likely mean the end to my day. I wiggled the handle bars to twitch the rear to see what it felt like…inconclusive….so I pulled over to look and kick the tyre (as you do) and it was as hard as a rock….well, as hard as thick rubber can be, loaded with 42psi. Hmmm…I carried on, albeit a little wary and my confidence to push the boundaries dashed. (Oh yes…and I did get my picture taken by a parked van, but it was alright because he got my good side….the front!) Luckily CameramanJames found others to prey on and Steve and I got back to our moderate pootle mode, running down SH5 to the coast and turning left for Wairoa on SH2. More sweet roads, but our plan was to ride moderately, with plenty of stops, and hopefully come in fresh…so we exercised restraint. We pulled into Shell Wairoa for Steve to top-up at 1544 (doing the 274Km at an avg of 101kph) and I was approached for an interview from Tess (film crew). I thought afterwards, “That didn’t really come out right!” but we were probably back on the road within 5 minutes and I was cursing because I’d forgotten to take my wets off. Steve led out again (he would lead during the day and I’d do the night with the better lights on the ST), it was more good riding up to our next fuel stop in Gisborne and although I didn’t feel totally comfortable with the rear, it wasn’t causing any real concern, then as we dropped down into Gissy, I thought I should probably pass as I had the GPS set to take us to the servo. I didn’t bother though and sure enough, when we got to the first turn off at Matawhero, Steve carried on while I took the turn. It’s a bit longer but not much 50kph, so I was already filling when he pulled in with some others. (I pulled in at 1649 so we were making quite good time doing the 98Km from Wairoa at 102kph and our total avg so far was 98kph) From here we were on to the first checkpoint at Tokomaru Bay, departing at 1705 after a leisurely 15minute stop. We had split from Mike early in the ride when we stopped before Taupo to put the wets on, then passed him on the Napier-Taupo where he was putting his on, then he passed us when Steve was filling in Wairoa and he left before us from Gissy. At this time we’d picked up another rider though (Manu on a Blackbird), then caught and followed a Beemer rider. He in turn caught then followed a cage that was fanging along just off the pace we were doing, so we were happy tag along. It was more pretty easy riding through to this point and we did the 90Km from Gissy at 94kph. After 5 minutes, Steve and I got away again, a few minutes behind Mike and from here around to Opotiki wasn’t as easy going. I don’t know if it was due to riding off the pace or what, but we both had come to the conclusion that we had ‘lost our mojo’! For me I had lost a bit of confidence with the new 023 rear due to the occasional squirm and Steve just seemed unable to settle into a groove, so we were both happy to putter along....and of course, our mojo took a big hit when the ST and ‘Busa got passed by a big Suzuki Cruiser!! Steve did pop off the road for a breather whilst going around the Cape as there were quite a lot of spots where the road had subsided (one way or the other) leaving some drop-offs or bumps in the region of 3-6”. Steve hit a bump whilst engaging a very tight left hander. As usual, I was right up his date and it was severe enough to bounce him off the seat causing his feet to disengage from the pegs. Not a great look when one is keen to apply pressure to the brakes…and can’t find a foot, or free some fingers to use. Anyway, as I eased around the corner, look of disbelief on my dial, I saw Steve bounce, straighten, (WTF), brakes….back wheel locks (puff of dust and crap from loose shit), thoughts to the effect of, “Oh crap……I hope nothing’s coming…..is he going to ease it around?…..is he going to stop?…..Oh fuck! not again!! That’s a 3’ drop there Steve….and there’s a fence………………bugger he’s gone…..ooooh! nicely popped there Steve……..Holy Shit! He’s parked it......Hell, how are we going to get it back up on the road?....(looks around for somewhere safe to park the bike)…….Ooooh, nice one Steve! (he just rode it back up the bank!!) We exchanged notes, wiped brows and moved on! As we descended down the coast it got dark and that was time for the ST to move to the front and light the way as we continued to press on to Opotiki for fuel and the 2nd checkpoint. We finally arrived at 2059 and had a reasonable stop here, snacking, cleaning visors and so on. We were off the pace though doing the 237Km leg at an avg of 85kph. We were back on the road at 2119, heading back to Gissy over the Waioeka Gorge. I was back in the lead and it wasn’t long before we were on a long straight with a car coming from the other direction… and it had very bright lights. I wasn’t sure that he had his lights on full so gave him the benefit of the doubt and didn’t flash him, but I just focused on the area to his left to try to protect my night vision. As we honed in on him, it appeared he wasn’t moving and then I got a hell of a fright when at the last minute I realised the road swung away to the right of the lights and they were actually floods mounted atop some sort of harvester in a paddock on the left of the road....Talk about getting sucked into the rocks by a siren!! I got over that and we had quite a good ride through the gorge as, after the East Cape road, this one seemed wide and the surface was pretty clean, although it was a very dark night. With the temp dropping back below 16° at night, I seemed to feel more comfortable on the rear tyre although we still kept to our sedate pace and just pootled along. Apart from that I don’t remember a great deal of the section until we approached Gissy and there were red & blue lights flashing in the distance, and as we got close we could see there were several of them with a cop on the road so we pulled up to learn there had been an accident ahead and we had to detour around it. Luckily the cop advised it was a cage and not a bike so we continued, happy in the knowledge it wasn’t a Rusty Rider as we headed to the next fuel top-up for Steve at Wairoa. We finally pulled up to the Shell Wairoa at 2355 having only averaged 86kph to Gissy, but lifted that to 89kph for the 232Km from Opotiki. With Steve gassed and me relieved again (yep….still the Dysentery Dog) we were ready to move onto the next checkpoint in Havelock……more pootling over good roads in the middle of the night and steady as she goes. We got a surprise though as we trundled through what we expected to be a ‘sleepy hollow’ at 0141 on a Sunday morning and it was buzzing with heaps of revellers and bright lights. We’d managed 86kph over this short 137Km leg. We enjoyed a 15minute stop here to loosen up and have a snack, departing at 0155 to head along Middle Rd through Patangata, coming out at Waipawa and stopping for more gas at Waipuk’. Mike and Manu were still a few minutes ahead, but we seemed to be catching them and finally did so as we turned back onto SH2. We tucked in behind for the next few Km and arrived in Waipuk’ at 0236. (57Km at 84kph) The four of us stuck together from here on, departing at 0248 for the next Checkpoint at Eketahuna. We did have to do a wee diversion through Takapau and Ormondville (to note some stupid sign for Red Metal), re-emerging on SH2 at Norsewood and once again, Steve and I were happy to tuck in behind the others. We hit some roadworks just before Woodville and as Manu and I were following along the same rut as Mike, we got led through a decent size pothole, seeing it coming with only enough time to think, ‘Oh shit!’ but not enough to react and avoid. I’d also put my wets back on in Havelock Nth, expecting to ride into bad weather (although they also were keeping me warmer) and we did hit some heavy rain through here, but it was short lived and cleared for the rest of the journey. We were checking into an empty G.A.S. stop at 0412, doing the 128Km at 91kph and it was starting to feel like we were getting on top of the ride with only 360’ish Km and about 4 hours to go. We continued on at 0422, with Mike and Manu still leading but once we got onto the road through Mangamaire and over the Track, I thought it was prudent to take the lead to give the Northerners something to follow, through what I assumed was unfamiliar territory. It was unfamiliar to all of us though because as we climbed and went over the Track itself, we were plunged into a real ‘Pea-Soup’ thick fog with what seemed like little more than 10-20metres visibility. I figured I had some idea of where the road was going and could maintain a reasonable pace, but when I was thinking I was coming into the tight right hander hairpin and it turned out to be a lefthander….well??!! We were soon out of it though, through Ashhurst and onto Feilding to get a top-up for Manu to get his Blackbird to Taihape. We rode into the BP at 0514 and were out again by 0520, with the plan to have another decent stop at the BP Taihape where we would get our last load of fuel for the ride. We were filling by 0615 and had a good relax because after the 900Km on Friday, our butts were starting to feel pretty tight. I had been standing on the pegs to stretch as we went through 50kph zones, but by this stage, in order to stand, I would have to rock back and forth a few times to get enough momentum to get me out of the seat. I was also shuffling up onto the back seat for a change of pressure on the butt, but in order to even do that, I would have to put my left hand onto the back seat to lift myself off the front seat. I had also started to yawn, so the rest was welcome. We got back on the road at 0648 and I felt alert and fresh again, we only had 200Km to go it was light and I had removed all the ‘wets’ (one of the reasons my butt was so sore). Mike led out again as I declared I had done my bit and we meandered through Waiouru, across SH49, then onto the Whangaehu Valley Road to take Fields Track across to Kakatahi on the Parapara road for the last checkpoint. It was quite funny to be riding on the single lane Fields Track and to see a sign, “Road Narrows”!! It is quite beautiful through here though and the road is in pretty good condition at the moment, so by 0743 we had descended and were getting the cards punched for the last time. I had set a target of 20 hours for the ride this time around, and I was feeling pretty good after the easy riding and frequent stops. As we were heading through Wairoa on the way to Gisborne, the GPS had been advising a finishing ETA of 0600, but that had steadily crept out and by the time I hopped back on the bike for the last squirt back to Turangi, the GPS was advising an ETA of 0859. “Damn!” I thought, I can’t go over the 20hours, so a bit of fun was required….and the roar as the ST took of from the CP ……was as squeaky & whiny as ever! I flew past Mike who had left moments before me as I settled into a nice brisk, but sub-fang pace. I was still generally riding within the ‘Allowable Limit’, occasionally edging over it on the way to Raetihi, then I eased back a notch. There had been a few slips through here and apparently one of them had come down as the lead rider was passing. It put him off his bike but he had been able to continue and by the time we came through, it had been cleared, but they had left a very greasy film of mud and gray papas clay on the surface. Care was therefore required and although the bike felt like it wanted to step out, care and a good line kept it on track…and me in the seat. In no time I was scooting past Lake Rotoaira, through Rangipo and back to the camp with Steve in tow (He caught up at National Park) and we checked in at 0854. We had completed the 1616Km in 19:54 with a Total Avg of 81kph and Moving Avg of 92. What had seemed a rather gnarly, tight course on first look at the map, hadn’t actually been that bad after all, although we had tackled it sedately and that obviously had a lot to do with not getting too fatigued. We chatted over our hearty Rusty Finishers Feed, relaxed and chatted more in the sun, wandered down to the loacal Chinese for another feed and generally chilled out and chatted until finally retiring at around 2130, at which time I’d been up for nearly 40hours….and that certainly ensured I got a good 8hours kip. Monday morning I was up again by 0600, packed, fed, fuelled and on the road for home by 0845. Steve was off to Napier, so we rode to the start of the Gentle Annie together, and the rest of the trip back to Wellington was a bit of an inconsequential blur down SH1, getting back to the office by 1216. It was another awesome weekend, organised with the usual Rusty Efficiency. The rides and the feeds were great, and I now have 6 GC’s under my belt. I managed to do just under 3200Km over the five days and the bike is 40Km short of needing its 126,000Km service….that’s not bad since it only had the 120,000Km service on 26/09/11. Life is a struggle….and that’s why we divert our attention from the daily grind by taking up sports and hobbies….but sometimes that can be a struggle too! The 24th Grand Challenge (my 5th) was one of those times, but I persevered and finished. I’ve done relatively little riding over the past year, partly due to weather, but mainly just circumstances because weather isn’t really a problem when one has a good bike and gear. Anyway, over the last year I’ve only done 20,000Kms instead of the usual 30,000 so I wasn’t really conditioned for a 24hour ride….but I’ve been riding well, I was as keen as mustard and the wait leading up to the event just seemed to drag on forever. There wasn’t much to do in the way of prep’ because over the years I have acquired all the bits I need, I have the purpose built bike which is kept serviced and always ready for a ride and some of my gear is a little tired but still functioning well, so all I needed was a new Nth Island map to trace the route on for the display in my Board-Room (spelt Biker-Room) at work. The bike came due for its 96K service a month out so I asked the boys at Boyles to do the usual pre-GC super WoF at the same time, then I picked up the usual supply of water, nutbars and bananas the night before I left. Steve had dumped me for the ride up on Friday, to have a date with his wife, but that wasn’t a problem because Hitcher’s partner let him go up with me instead. Waiting…waiting…10am Friday and we were off, suitably attired in ‘wets’ as it was rather gloomy, I picked up Hitcher at his place, then we scooted down the hill for our first fill at Caltex Kaiwhara’ before hitting SH1 with Mr H in the lead. It was quite refreshing to follow someone who was doing it all proper-like…indicate – head-check – change lanes…and so on and I thought to myself, “Mr H, you should be the mentor, not me, ‘cos I’m more a do as I say sorta guy”. We had flagged a cruise via the Wairarapa due to the inclement weather and decided the choice of Parapara’s or SH1 would be made at Sanson, depending on how the conditions looked at that point. By the time we got to Tawa (10Km) the weather was clear, ...by the time we got to Paraparaumu I was getting a little warm, …and when we struck red lights in Levin, I had to leap off the bike whip off the ‘wets’ jacket and change to the summer gloves because I was expiring as the temp rose through 13-14°. I also suggested to Mr H that the Para’s looked the better option and I assumed the lead from there as we nipped up to Campion road, slipped around Ohakea then on-on’d to Whanganui, where we would pause for Mr H to fill his Aprilia Shiver. I signaled him to take the lead just prior to Whanga’s (just in case he had a preference on flavours for the Shiver) and as we were stopped at a set of lights, I noted the occasional puff of smoke coming from his machine. When we stopped around the corner, sure enough, there was an instant drip, dripping of oil on the pavement….dash, bother & blast…so it was on-on to Mr Honda’s shop. It was soon established that the oil was coming from the gearbox bleed valve and whilst we were in the workshop, the eagle-eyed mechanic spotted something shiny in the tyre. It was just a shard of metal that brushed off, but a inch or two further on was a fine piece of wire sticking from the rubber…..so they fixed the bike and we went for lunch on the ST. Unlike Lemony Snickets, this was a series of most fortuitous events, as the bike got fixed before there was a problem, we enjoyed a coffee and exchanged lies whilst sitting in the sun at a roadside Café, then continued on to have a delightful ride up the Para’s and over the Ponangana Saddle, getting to Turangi before 1600hours. We checked-in, got the bikes scrutineered, settled in and chatted, went for the usual feed at the truck-stop and returned after 1900 to check the route and start planning. What a doozy….there was only one section I hadn’t been on (being the inland route from Wairoa to Gisborne over Tiniroto Rd) so I got my bits and pieces and started planning the ride and gas stops….one lot of three stops for me on the ST and another of five, for Steve on the ‘Busa, as he wouldn’t have much time after arriving the next day. Also I wasn’t sure what group he was starting in and therefore if we would be riding together or not. (As it turned out, we were both in Group two, him at No.11 and me at No.12, so it was easy for me to adapt to his fuel schedule). I turned in about midnight and was awake by 0430…bloody marvelous! …so lay there going over the route and check-points in my mind, probably managing a few more naps, but it didn’t seem like it, then arose at 0645 to get ready for breakfast. After that it was hurry-up and wait as one would stand around and chat, go for a lie down to catch a few zzz’s but that wouldn’t work, so go for a stroll around the camp and more chats…and so on, until a freshen-up shower at 1315, the Ulysses Photo at 1400, rider briefing at 1430, then dive into the gear for the Group 2 start at 1503….and we were off…but more at a steady creep than a swoop. This suited me though as the bike’s motor and tyres were cold, so we warmed into the affair as we pootled down SH1, over the Desert Rd, at a sedate 110kph, behind three other riders. Neither Steve nor I carry a radar detector but I knew that it wouldn’t be long before we were ready to get on the pace as riders from later groups passed us, at which time we would leap from our comfort zone and hitch a ride (safety in numbers and all that jazz), so we were soon scooting briskly towards Mangaweka. As we turned onto Ruahine Rd, which had a liberal coating of that awful gray clay-dust, Steve & I were behind half a dozen other riders, who didn’t look that comfortable on the unfamiliar (to them) surroundings, so we were soon past them and free to engage and a ‘spirited-pace’ that was just a notch or two below a ‘good-fang’ (after all…we had all night to go) down to Kimbolton, then around the Apiti loop and into Ashhurst for the Time-Check. Meanie was their to say ‘gidday’, we clocked in (at 2 hours for the first 200Km). I sent Steve on to gas-up in Woodville as I wouldn’t need fuel until Waipuk’ and I took the opportunity to take a couple of pix as more riders arrived. I was tempted to ride over the Saddle road but restrained myself and went through the gorge, waited for Steve, then we continued down to Pahiatua. As we left Woodville, we ended up behind a cop, following another motor cyclist…bloody hell! They were sitting on 100-110 indicated, so took the bull by the horns and passed them both then maintained the allowable limit until the cop turned off at Mangatainoka and just down the road, we slipped off SH2 to embark on Pahiatua-Pongaroa Rd and Route 52 to the first Check Point at Waipukurau. I can’t remember the last time I did this road from West to East, as we would normally come out from Pongaroa, so I inadvertently rattled onto Ngaturi Aohanga Rd but immediately realised the error of my ways, backtracked the 100 or so metres and continued toward Makuri, but my error had given Gremlin the opportunity he needed to slip past us. The road around this area was littered with ‘loose stuff’ so we maintained a good pace whilst taking care by sticking close to the centre and ‘riding the ruts’ on both sides, but bugger me, next thing we knew, the ST and the ‘Busa (big 1300’s) were being passed by a GN250. The bloody ‘Ginny-Man’ had it tapped out and wasn’t slowing for anything as he scurried through the crap and corners, because he knew it took too much to get the pace back on what is probably the most sluggish of all 250cc learner bikes. It was a marvel to behold and I thought to myself, “Damn, we better get back in front of him before Waipuk’ or we’ll never live it down”! Just to make our adventure more exciting, no sooner had Ginny-Man disappeared from sight than we started to get bombarded with vicious wind gusts, but we managed to keep the pace on and those conditions seemed to settle once we had passed Pongoroa. From there the road surface improved as we ducked and dived our way through to Porangahau, after which we enjoyed a veritably wide, smooth surface and we could resume a more spirited chase to pull in Ginny-Man… and I soon had him in my sights. I sat behind him for a bit and enjoyed the show as he seemed to maintain around 115 to 118kph, occasionally tipping 120 if he got some downhill assistance, rarely touching the brakes as he deftly nipped along. I was so impressed, I passed him and signaled for him to slot in behind so he could enjoy a draught and drag behind the ST, although I wasn’t sure if I was helping or hindering him…probably a bit of both!? We were soon gassing up and checking-in at Waipuk’, enjoying a snack and ‘natural break’ as we watched Ginny-Man shoot off and other riders come and go. Before the start, I had hummed and hawed over what to wear earlier in the day and as the temp went through 15°, I had opted to remove the liner from my jacket to start the ride with a T-Shirt and skivvy on. As we arrived at Waipuk’ on dusk, at around 1930, I figured another layer would be in order and the easiest option was to throw on the ‘wets’ jacket and swap to the winter spidi gloves. That done, we were on our way again, up through Napier, Wairoa and on to checkpoint 2 in Gisborne. I led out and we were soon crossing SH30A, but there were road works at Flaxmere, with no signage, so I looked dumbly at 30A thinking, “I’m sure I should turn there??” as I led the others into Flaxmere, but we only did an extra few hundred metres before getting back on track with Steve leading. We were soon through Bay View and onto the sweet riding strip between Napier and Wairoa, except it was now pitch black and the storms over the last week had strewn crap all along the road, so much care was required. We were barely out of Bay View when we hit a bit of fog and it became apparent that Steve wasn’t too comfortable in the front. The ‘Busa light isn’t the greatest compared to the ST’s, but it transpired that he was also having problems with his visor fogging, so I resumed the lead. It was a nice wee jaunt all the same and we were soon through Wairoa and I can’t remember why, but we paused briefly at the turn-off for Frasertown. At this point the Ginny-Man passed us again (we must have passed him when he was fuelling at Bay View), then we passed him as he was checking turn-offs just prior to Tiniroto Rd. Sure enough, our pace wasn’t sharp enough for him so we let him through... again ...and I buttoned off a bit more to let him get away so I wasn’t constantly dipping my lights. All was fine, but we were soon climbing and sure enough, the poor wee Ginny was struggling so we were soon back within 100 metres or so and it was a pain in the arse as I was constantly up and down between high & low beams......and so began ‘The Struggle’! I buttoned off a bit more to see if he’d get away again, but we still held station about 100m astern and I didn’t want to pass him, so in the end I thought, “Bugger it! I need to close-up and ride off his lights”, so with that decision made, I opened up as we descended a slight decline and lined up to follow him into a left hander.....and then it all turned to shite! Ginny-Man was deftly pushing his wee bike to the limits and of all times he picked to overcook a corner, it was right when I lined up on his tail and although I was still a healthy distance behind, I was probably up to about 110 and closing quick when we watched him enter a left hander, brake hard and twitch as he struggled to pull up and keep control. At this point my brain went into overdrive and in the briefest of moments (which seemed an eternity) I remember running options. What the hell has happened? Is the road blocked with a slip and he’s aborted? Did he slip and save it? Has he overcooked? I can’t risk taking the corner ‘cos I don’t know what’s there and he’s too close to my line. (I’m sure he wouldn’t feel too good wearing a 450Kg missile up his date!) Danger! Danger Johnny Boy! Abort! Abort! There’s a small edge and a wide grass verge! Aborrt! I straightened and hit the picks....real hard!...deploying all the stoppage that linked ABS brakes can deliver, but my speed and position in the centre of the road were against me because although I had washed off about half of my speed, I could feel grit under the wheels as I rapidly closed on Ginny-Man and the edge of the road with a proliferation of BHM’s (Biker Hail Marys-“Oh Shit! Oh Shit! Oh Shit”...or words to that effect). At this point my heart and half my other organs were in my throat because I knew I still had way too much pace on and every bikers worst nightmare was upon me....I was going off!! As soon as the rear wheel hit the verge (I was probably angling in at about 30°) it lost all traction slipping out to the right, throwing the bike down onto its left side in a spin, with the rear coming around so the bike hit the grass sideways, still doing about 50-60kph. All I remember is the back starting to go, the bike starting to drop and the next thing I was slammed onto my back on the solid verge (but I can’t remember if I bounced 2 or 3 times) and the bike came to a sudden, dead stop. I lay there for a moment assessing my condition, fearing the worst but feeling OK, then got up and switched off the bike, which also looked OK but I had to wait for the other two before trying to pick it up. Steve had managed to scrub off enough speed to safely stop on the grass and Ginny-Man sat there, stunned at his situation, when he realised that lights were bearing down on him so he booted it and took off like a scolded cat to get out of the way. He then came around and bought some light on the situation while I grabbed Steve’s pack-rack to help him get back on the road. We then picked the ST up and the only damage appeared to be the left mirror cover had popped (as it is designed to do) but the indicator had separated from the cover, so I picked them up and put them in a pannier. The bike started straight away, but it was up to its rims in water and mud, so I put it in gear by hand and we walked it back on to the edge of the road. Meanwhile Mike (another Ulyssian on an ST) rolled up, but we were right now, so we sent him and Ginny-Man on their way...I was charged with adrenalin and the bike seemed fine, so Steve & I continued on. It was a real miracle that neither the bike nor I suffered more than a scratch or bruise and I shudder to think of what could have happened. The wing on the bike did its thing to save the bike from damage and to prevent it crushing my leg...the soft muddy earth acted like a cushion to bring everything to a sudden but damage free stop...but if the bike hadn’t spun out, the front wheel may have buried in the mud and thrown me over or through the screen. I was sore but sound and able to continue. Hallelujah! We were in Gissy before 2330, checked-in, gassed-up, relieved, snacked, I donned an extra skivvy and my ‘wets’ pants (for warmth) and we departed for Karapiro via the Waioeka Gorge and Rotorua, On this leg, I started to wilt as the adrenalin wore off and I found my speed drifting on and off the pace. I was still leading (with the better lights) and I would bring the pace up to get in ‘the zone’ then find my concentration and speed fading off....I struggled! But we finally made it through the gorge, when Clive, the Xena Commander (although I have referred to him as Beemer-Boy in previous sagas, prior to meeting him). Anyway, the XC rolled up and over us, just out of Opotiki, so I slotted in behind him and that made life much easier as he dragged us through Taneatua, Awakeri, over the Rotomas and down to the lake, where he had to pause to change batteries in his GPS or whatever other electronic contraptions he was decked out with. Then we continued round the south end of the lake, through Rotorua and over SH5, where we encountered a bit of rain and rolled into Mobil Karapiro around 0345. This was a pretty good leg for economy because we were expecting Steve would need gas by Tirau, but he made the 355Kms on the tank, which was a bit of a record. I guess it was the easy pace and big downhill off SH5...the leg did get pretty cold though with the temp dipping to 8° but. As was usual on this ride, Steve and I took our time at the stop, seeing XC depart before us, Ginny-Man (and a few others) come and go, but I decided I needed to put the liner in my jacket and make sure I was right before carrying on. I felt great each time we stopped (even for just brief pause on the road), but soon wilted again once under way as the fatigue kicked in again. We got away though and soon rolled over Ginny-Man for the last time on Golf Rd, whistled through Te Kuiti and Pio Pio and got to work on one of my favouritist roads, the Awakino Gorge....but this wasn’t fun. I was still struggling at lead and the road seemed foreign to me as the glow from my lights caused an aura that gave the impression I was constantly riding into a huge cavern. I felt disoriented, struggled with my lines but pushed on and eventually caught and passed XC in the gorge...which was dumb because if I’d had half a brain operating at the time I would have slotted in behind again. (There’s no helping some people). I got confused about the Inglewood turnoff at Waitara, XC passed us again, we got back on track, slipped past him again through traffic, gassed up in Hawera, and finally made the last checkpoint in Patea. These last two legs were amongst the worst in all the GC’s I’ve done and although I just wanted to finish, I finally came to my senses enough to follow XC down to Wanganui and back up the Para’s to the Turangi, so I resisted the urge to put the hammer down. We had expected the weather to turn shitty anytime after Awakino and although the clouds had come in and the wind was getting up, so far we had missed any rain and were running ahead of it, but did have to turn to cross it as we slipped up the Para’s. It was great following XC as he pootled along keeping good lines and requiring minimal brakes, although at the time it seemed like an eternity as we crossed National Park from Raetihi. Through this area the wind did come up more and it was most odd as I would be sitting on the bike, relaxed with my left hand on my knee, when all of a sudden it would blast me around wrenching my left arm into the air and try to pluck the helmet off my head. Steve must thought I having some sort of seizures from behind, but the struggle finally finished when we rolled into the camp grounds at around 1030. I was shattered, slumping on to the tank for a moment before attempting to drag myself off the bike! My lower back ached where it had been slammed into the deck, my left hip and calf were locking up and cramping, my neck and shoulders were sore but I was still in one piece and jubilated to check in and collect the prized year bar and patch for the ride, sit down for a coffee, then recover sufficiently to enjoy the usual Rusty hearty lunch/brunch. We sat around for a bit chatting and I finally got cleaned up, I went for a nap around 1300, got awakened by a phone call from Ann at 1500, then got up for more socialising until retiring for the night at 2200, slept until 0430 then dozed on and off until being awakened by another phone call at 0700, after which I arose to get ready for breakfast, pack, gas up and depart from Turangi around 0930. We encountered gales on the way home and although it wasn’t too bad over the central plateau, it was diabolical through Himitangi and the Foxton straights. They got stronger and stronger as we came down from Hunterville, then for something totally different, …a lens popped from my glassed as we rounded onto SH1 out of Sanson, so I fixed that, then we were in for a treat. Not only were we canted out and shuffling around on the road, but we got treated to a splash of horizontal rain and hail. I could see it being blown across the paddocks as we approached and it looked like a morning mist, floating above the ground...but this was moving...wickedly. It blasted us and both pressed my helmet onto my temple and cheek, while at the same time choking me as it pulled the strap taught on my neck. I was cranking myself out to the right to keep the bike on track and feared each time a truck passed. It was a challenge taking on the long bridge just out of Levin, where I slowed to time for a truck to get off as I entered, at which time I booted it, taking the speed to 140 to get off before more traffic came, or if it did, to lessen the effects on the bike. Fortunately the wind subsided a bit after that. We stopped for a coffee in Otaki and finally finished the weekend with a gentle pootle over the Paekak’ Hill (we didn’t relish following the Mufti Car all the way down Centennial Highway). I did 2,349Kms for the weekend, clocking up 98,929Kms on the bike. Life is a struggle….and that’s why we divert our attention from the daily grind by taking up sports and hobbies….but sometimes that can be a struggle too! Brett and I encountered problems on the way to our event, 75 odd bikers started this year’s Grand Challenge and struggled through the night with 10 failing to finish. I experience the worst with an ‘Off’ but was being looked after with some Devine help and survived to struggle on and complete. We struggled over a wide range of roads, many strewn with storm damage and one poor riders struggle finished when a perfectly timed slid caused a large rock to roll into his bike as he happened to pass that spot. Others struggles finished with mechanical failures and a couple got blown over, causing enough damage to have to withdraw. We struggled through rugged conditions on the way home ....but it’s over now .....and shit I had a great time!
I’m already booked in for next year’s Long Weekend (900Km Friday and 1600Km Saturday) and I can’t wait...but I might struggle through a few more Kms in preparation for next year. Bring it on Lee Rusty and your merry band! It was a long slow wait for this year’s Grand Challenge (my 4th), until the last month which seemed to fly by and all of a sudden we were away again. Last week I had the bike booked for a service, pre-empting the 78,000Km check at 76,500Kms, as well as replacing the Metzler Z6 with a new Avon Storm on the front, a new air cleaner, new left main bulb, front right fork seal and the usual pre-GC super WoF check to ensure no problems when Brian Rusty and his crew did their scrutineering. That lot only cost $800+ so I was happy with the bike but my wallet didn’t have the same healthy feel to it. I had organised a few things along the way, like a new map to record the route, a set of molded audio earplugs for the MP3 and to cut the noise from my crappy Shoei Helmet, a new $20 Blue vinyl waterproof jacket from the warehouse to replace my trusty $13 yellow one that was purchased for one ride….two years ago, (so this one should be good for ten years!) Then, when I was preparing my kit to pack a couple of days before, I found I was missing my torch so, along with the usual supply of nut bars, bananas and water, I purchased a new torch and a bundle of tie-wraps….I figured I had everything, but was surprisingly apprehensive about the ride….maybe that was partly thanks to the weather reports with predicted rain over the entire North Island. Friday came and Steve and I were set to depart from BP Mana at 1000, (we normally prefer to ride up through the Wairarapa but the atrocious weather put paid to that) I kitted up for the worst before I left home, which was lucky because that’s what we got heading to our meeting point. I just got pummelled by rain but Steve discovered a new lake and river had formed at the top of Haywards and the ‘Busa had to do a bit of wading. With that downpour over, the rest of the trip up wasn’t too bad with me leading out to Bulls where we would decide whether to continue travelling up SH1, or go via Wanganui then up the Paraparas. In the end, after Steve commenting on my lean angle and inconsistent tracking on the Himatangi straights, we figured that wet Para’s was probably preferable to a windswept Central Plateau. We embarked on the Paraparas with our usual gay abandon but soon discovered, after a couple of nasty twitches, that the wet surface required care and precision in picking lines that avoided even the slightest hint of a slick patch. This was to prove good practice for the GC ride itself but apart from that, our ride through to Raetihi was uneventful. We paused there to decide if we deserved a coffee but as Steve didn’t need a fill yet, we opted to continue onto the Train Station café at National Park, only to find the Overlander was in, so we ended up going all the way to the Truck Stop in Turangi for a coffee and sandwich. From there we checked into our cabins, had the bikes scrutineered, and chatted as lots of familiar faces and bikes arrived. We went back to the Truck stop for dinner and by the time we got back to the camp at 2000 hrs, the map was up and we got into our route planning and more socialising, finally heading to bed at around midnight. I awoke refreshed at 0630 to find it had poured that night but the weather wasn’t too bad as we had to fill in the long wait until the briefing at 1430 and departures starting at 1500. This is always the worst part of the weekend and I started out after breakfast going over the route and writing up little notes to stick to the dash of the bike. Then I was happy that I had it sussed, so I filled up the bike, then had to go over the route again and be sure so I’d got it, then I’d go and chat to others …and so on and so on!! Finally!! ….1506 and the bright yellow card went up on the fence for Group 3 to depart. I had kitted up after the briefing, taken a couple of photos and now I was on my way with Cowboys (Lance/ZX9) and Meanie (James/Concours), who were both GC virgins, in the same group. Lance bolted, as he is prone to do but James and I started a little more sedately as we headed over SH41 then up the Western side of the lake to Whakamaru, Waipapa Rd and onto Kihikihi. I was going to put my ‘wets’ on before the start but with the temp at 18°, I opted not to don my over-jacket and Rain-Off gloves. Dumb because I’d just passed some Group 2 riders halfway up the western arm and the heavens opened up so I had to stop and waste 5 minutes. That’s not a very big portion of 24 hours, but on a ride like this it is very easy to loose time and very hard to make it up, so one tries to avoid unnecessary stops. Good boyscout XP@ is always prepared...but what for exactly?? (a litre or 5 of gas would have served much better) Back on the road and no sooner had the rain started than it stopped and it would have been nice to take the gear off again….but that wasn’t an option and so the mood for the ride was set. I settled into a 130 kilometre-eating-pace which had me back with Meanie along Waipapa Rd, where I took the lead and dragged a couple of riders up Paterangi Rd and SH39 to Whatawhata, then out to Te Uka (just short of Raglan). I’ve never been on SH23 out to Raglan and I had a blast, as this section of the trip was dry and the road mint. I had a rider in tow who turned out to be XP@ (another James), complete with golf umbrella attached to his bike, (who knows??? ) so after registering at the Time-Check, we continued our fang up Ohautira, Waingaro & Rotowaru roads to Huntly. James had to get gas in Huntly and the big grin was still slowly fading as we passed the Mobil in search of a garage on the main drag…but there weren’t any. James expressed his concern and after realising there weren’t any but I checked my mirrors to see two bikes still there and thought he must be going to continue, to fill in Kopu, but when the Beemer barrelled past me I realised I’d lost James …..and felt really guilty about that!!?? (Dump the Transalp James and get an ST). As it transpired, he didn’t make it back to the Mobil and now I feel really bad! After getting over the grief of losing a mate, I continued solo on my spirited pace along SH’s 2 & 25 to Kopu, then up 25A and down 25 to the first checkpoint at Whangamata, arriving at about 1900hrs. I had expected to have my first fill at Tauranga or maybe even Rotorua, but the pace had my economy at 15.2K/Ltr and at 404Kms into the ride I was on my last bar (reserve) so had to fill, taking on 24.44ltrs, which is getting low on gas for the ST!......I guess I was having a good time! At this point I should have caught Steve, who started in Group 1 but would have needed a fill prior to Whangamata. It turned out, he had taken a wrong turn and did a few extra Kms so I had passed him without knowing. Cowboys arrived while I was there and having filled the bike and snacked, I continued on SH25 to Waihi, then SH2 down to Tauranga but not before stopping before the outskirts of Whangamata because with the black clouds ahead, I thought it might be prudent to put the Rain-Off gloves back on. I ended up catching another rider and following him to Tauranga but lost him as I turned down Moffat Rd as I headed for Pyes Pa Road to take me to Rotorua. I don’t remember the last time I was on this road and with warnings about greasy roadworks I took it rather sedately, getting to Rotorua at about 2100hrs and figured I was making such good time, I could afford to make a quick stop to visit my kids and Moko, but it was a bit brief and I was soon back on SH30 for Whakamaru and next Check-point in Te Kuiti. Even though it was now dark and wet, these roads were familiar and good enough that I felt comfortable to sit around 120 and as I turned from SH1 onto SH30 at Atiamuri, a rider was stopped under a streetlamp on the corner. I paused to check he was OK and fortunately he just needed reassurance that he was on the right road, so although I’m comfortable to ride alone, I was happy to have company as we flitted across through Bennydale and the 2nd checkpoint at Shell Te Kuiti, arriving about 2300hrs with the more sedate pace resulting in 17.8K/Ltr on the economy. Bike filled, card punched and partway through my statutory banana and nutbar, Cowboys & Meanie turned up so I figured I might as well continue with them but as we were ready to leave, Duncan, who had followed me into Te Kuiti, asked if he could join me. I figured that was fine so I waited for him before lighting-out after the others through Eight Mile Junction, and down SH4 through National Park, Raetihi and the Paraparas to the next checkpoint at the Gull in Wanganui. The weather was pretty crappy and Cowboys had to stop to clean his visor, after which I ended up in front to lead down through the Para’s. Duncan had gone ahead and I was trying to catch him whilst also keeping the pace smooth and both sets of headlights in the mirrors so although we would get the odd glimpse of him in the distance, we only caught up once we were in Wanga’s and it was now 0220 on Sunday morning. Even though the weather was worse, I actually found this run down the Para’s better than our ride up the day before and I was still dry warm and feeling fresh. After checking in, I popped back to the Caltex to get some gas as I wasn’t sure if I’d get to new Plymouth or not and I won’t use the ethanol fuel on the ST. At 960Kms done we were over half distance and under half time, on about a 20hour pace With that done, the usual rituals completed, we were back on our way and I opted to bring up the rear. From my perspective, in these conditions, this is actually the worst place to be because you cop all the crap thrown up from the other bikes. Also, when following another bike at night, my preferred option is to sit close behind within the range of my low beam and ride off the lights of the bike in front, however in these conditions one has to sit back because if the bike in front brakes to avoid a slick spot, you’re left with nowhere to go. This means one is riding on low beam and while trying to pick non-slick lines to ride on the road in the gloom, you’re constantly blinded by leading brake lights and an abundance of crap…bottom line…it sucks but someone’s gotta do it…or ride alone! The ride up SH3 to Hawera was OK but the ride on SH45 around Taranaki was the worst leg of the event. Disregarding that I was at the rear, even the hump on the roads through here was often slick reducing ones options for good traction. We also encountered a stiff headwind which was strong enough to bring my economy down to 16.3L/Ltr, even though we only sitting on 110-120 and this also enhanced the roar in my helmet to the extent that it was uncomfortable, even wearing my molded audio-earplugs (it was like riding at 160+ for two hours) so by the time I got to New Plymouth, I hated my Raid II helmet and replaced the earplugs with foam ones which worked much better..(naturally since we were out of the wind from here on). The other problem on this leg was that Taranaki is dairy central and therefore, large dairy tankers with trailers are abundant on the roads and these babies can really kick up the crap. Coming the other way they momentarily blind you and following you need to hang back a bit which means you miss a few passing opportunities, but one has to give the tanker drivers their due because their road etiquette is great, they make room where they can as well flicking their indicators if the road ahead is clear. Well done Fontera! We were at Spotswood Caltex around 0430 and with plenty of time to spare so from here on in we maintained our riding pace but had a more sociable ride with plenty of stops. The ride up the coast, over Mt Messenger and the Awakino gorge was good but not the usual buzz thanks to the inclement weather however, at least by the time we got to the gorge it was getting light enough to see and I no longer had to struggle with riding on low beam, so picking clean lines on the road was a lot easier. We stopped in Piopio because Cowboys needed a natural break but I think he was more desperate for a smoke, then we went on to Kihikihi for him to top-up, only to find the garage still shut so we continued over the Arapuni Dam to Putararu, by which time he was running on fumes (the ST was down to about half). From here we headed up SH’s 28 & 29 to Tauranga where we had our first encounter with the law…or at least Meanie did. We were just descending from our climb over the Kaimais when we were snapped and the cop managed a hasty but safe u-turn to give chase, shooting past myself and Duncan to stop the guilty bastard as we puttered past, stopping at a Caltex station down the road to await the result of the encounter. I couldn’t believe it when I heard they had ticketed him because there were three targets in their sights and it amazes me that they got it right and knew who to ping!!?? This resulted in a more sedate pace over to Mt Maunganui then along to Te Puke and the last checkpoint on SH33 at Gull Paengaroa. After checking in here, I continued on to Te Ngae to top up then waited for the others to come through and resumed my position at the rear of the group. We were soon repeating our scoot down SH30 and had just joined traffic on SH1 at Atiamuri when we got snapped again. This time it was just Duncan and myself that were targeted….so I knew it had to be his fault and being a good bloke, he fell on his sword and pulled over as the rest of us took the turn back onto SH30 and scooted to Whakamaru to wait for him. As it turned out though, he managed to accuse me and got off with a promise to give me a good talking too…which he tried to do…..and I tried to listen!!?? We were finally down to the last 100’ish Kms, heading back down the Western Arm of the lake and back across SH41 to Turangi. The weather was trying to improve but we still encountered a mixture of rain, patches of wet road, wet steamy road and dry road and as I followed Meanie over the last saddle before dropping down to Tokaanu, it was dry and we were enjoying our last wee fang for the ride. We were cranked right over on the right hander at the summit when ¾ of the way through the corner we suddenly found ourselves on a wet road. That resulted in a quick BHM (Biker Hail Mary) and pucker moment as I sucked onto the seat, but fortunately we weren’t pushing it too hard and were able to ease around with no incident. We were finished minutes later and I struggled off the bike but felt great. We were 4 of a kind, 4 of 84 like minded nutters attempting to ride all day and all night for a badge, a patch, a feed and a beer,….and because we could. (This field was down on the 100-120 that have started on my previous rides). I now had 4 GC’s under my belt and felt great, not suffering any of the fatigue I had encountered on my three previous rides, which I put down to doubling the dose of electrolyte in my water and all the stops we had throughout the morning. The weather was the usual crap I have come to expect at this event, but having a bike and gear that kept me dry and warm meant that it wasn’t a problem. 11 riders withdrew for various reasons and it is impressive that close to 80,000 miles (130,000Kms) would have been completed in 24 hours without incident at a time when ACC are vilifying bikers as dangerous Cretans that can’t generally ride to the shop without causing injury.
After our hearty Rusty Feed, the rest of the day was spent trading lies as we wound down, until I hit the wall at about 1430 and headed off for a sleep until 1830. Then it was back to the dining room for leftovers and more lies until heading back to bed at about 2300. Steve and I finished off the weekend with a quiet ride down SH1, getting to work after 1300 having done over 2400Kms over 4 days. It’s a pity more weekends aren’t like this! I have just completed my third Grand Challenge (GC or 1000miles in 24hours) and this was to be my first ‘normal’ one because my first was the 20th anniversary of the event, so it had a bit more hype with a film crew videotaping the whole affair and my second was the 21st anniversary so that had a 500Km extension added to mark the occasion with 2100Kms. So, hopes of doing ‘Just Another GC’ were put to rest this weekend as I believe, there is no such beast! I registered early in the year putting me at #16 and in the 2nd group to depart at 1503. That done I forgot about it (sort of) while I enjoyed the Mini’s Return and whatever followed, until a few weeks ago when I made arrangements for a new set of Avon Storm tyres and the usual pre-GC check-up for the bike. Then, a week out, I got a new Nth Island map and started to collect the necessary bits and pieces I would need for the ride, including a new Shoei Raid II helmet as my HJC is 3 years old, needed a new visor and the Shoei was reputedly quieter. I picked the new lid up a couple of days before the ride, only wore it once and couldn’t believe the roar when I first tried it. It was very snug and fortunately I also bought some noise reducing earplugs for the MP3, which meant I could still hear my music because my first reaction was….this helmet is crap!! It wasn’t until about 300Km into the trip up to Turangi that I had closed the visor and was fiddling with the vents when I was suddenly plunged into a ‘cone of silence’! It turns out that the roar was coming from the vents atop the helmet, but in order to draw air through the visor vents, you really need the top vents open….poor form Mr Shoei! Anyway, I planned to ride up with Steve again and we thought we would take a scenic route so I was packed and away from home by 0915 on Friday, picked up Steve, fueled at Caltex Rimutaka where we departed at 1000. We had a loose plan for the ride but that was flexible to bypass any inclement weather, so we ended up going to Masterton where we stopped for a cup of tea with my mum before continuing via Mauriceville, Eketahuna, and over the Pahiatua Track to Ashhurst for lunch at the Fusion Café. The Pohangina valley looked very gloomy so after lunch we continued through Colyton, Vinegar Hill, more fuel for Steve in Taihape, then diverted at Waiouru to sample the Whangaehu Valley Road and Fields Track These roads were in great condition, providing a magnificent appetizer, followed by the northern section of the Paraparas, National Park and SH47 as the entrée to the weekend’s big ride. We had ridden up rather sedately, but the pace did pick up as we got closer to our destination and the Te Ponangana Saddle Road was a real blast, leaving us on a bit of a high as we arrived in Turangi to check-in at 1710, having done 515Kms for the day.expect the unexpected. We put the bikes straight through scrutineering, checked into our cabins, then headed off to the truck stop for dinner at 1800 getting back to the camp about 1915 to find the route up and a copy of the ride instructions available. It looked like the ride was planned by tracing the route where a fly had wandered about the page……it was all over the place, but looked reasonably familiar, except for an early section between Piopio and Mangakino, so I headed off to the cabin for my map book, pen and paper to prepare my route notes. I soon made sense of it all, planning for 3 fuel stops at Taupo, Masterton and Rotorua, chatted with some familiar faces from previous rides and finally hit the sack at about 2300 for a good 4 hours sleep……….yes, as usual, the excitement/worry of the occasion, tight sleeping bag and unfamiliar bed all worked to keep me from sleeping, so I lay there, trying to relax, enjoying fitful dozes until 0600. The weather for the weekend predicted rain everywhere, but Saturday dawned with clear skies, as per my previous two GC’s (on which the weather turned to absolute crap), so I got my ‘wets’ ready to put on, had breakfast, then had to kill time until 1500 by chatting, dozing, fueling the bike and buying water and a lotto ($30M Powerball), reviewing my route notes to memorise the turns, and taking a few photos until it was finally time for briefing at 1430. Then it was into the gear, on the bike and ready to leave when the group 2 beige card went up on the fence. The 1st section was across SH41 to Taumaranui, then north on SH4 to Ramaroa Rd where we diverted through Mokauiti and Aria before coming out on SH3 at Piopio. I settled in behind another chap who was sitting at a nice pace but he slowed at the 1st section of tight corners, so I left him to it and continued by myself, catching the tail end of Group 1, just before Mananui, then a group of 7 riders, with Steve at the tail on the northern side of Taumaranui. Having now hooked-up with some familiar riders and my riding buddy, Steve, I settled in at the rear of this group and enjoyed a brisk pace through to Piopio where 3 pulled off (to check their directions), but I had the route fixed in my mind so I passed Steve and rode up Mairoa Rd, onto Oparure Rd, finally latching back on with the other 3 riders on Fullerton Rd before riding into Waitomo, where they paused and we headed on the first Time Check at Te Anga. (219Kms done) We now had to head across the Kawhia Harbour to SH’s 31 & 39, turning off at Tihiroa for the first Check Point at Mobil Te Kawa. I should have studied the map more carefully for this section, because between focusing on ‘Right at 31; Right at 39 and Left at Te Kawa Rd’, as well as following the earlier 3 riders, who led us out of the Time Check, we soon found ourselves confused, at Taharoa, and had to retrace back to Te Waitere Rd, which was about 30Km and 20-30 minutes added. Once again, I took the lead with Steve right behind me over some great roads, until I hit a particularly curly section on SH31 and the ST just let rip. What a blast, but by the time I came to my senses and checked the mirrors, there was no Steve in sight (which was most odd) but I continued onto the check point and he pulled in shortly after. It turned out that his fuel light had come on and when he filled, he had to put 19.6Ltrs in his 20Ltr tank…that was close! (It was now 1845 with only 331Kms done and the ST was still a ¼ full but I topped-up too as the economy was down at 15.8k/Ltr – I had obviously been having a bit of fun!). The next leg took us 346Kms down to Taupo, around Napier, onto SH50 to Tikokino, across to Waipawa and Check Point 2 at Waipukurau. We followed a couple of Beemers out of Te Kawa, along Wharepuhunga Rd, left on Lethbridge Rd, then took the lead when they almost overshot Seafund Rd. Along Waipapa Rd, we had to detour on 7Kms of gravel, eventually making it down to Mangakino and SH30. By this time it was getting on for dusk and Steve had still had his lights off so I determined that if he didn’t put them on before the turnoff at Whakamaru, I’d better remind him, but as we approached the intersection, he flashed me with his hazards to stop and informed me his main beam had gone and just his tail lights and fullbeam were going….Bloody marvelous with 11 hours of night riding ahead of us!! There was no one around at Whakamaru so I told him to stick close and we’d check it out in Taupo. That was interesting, or at least, it must have been for Steve, but I dropped the speed a bit and we made to the Mobil in Taupo OK, then while the owner was trying to track down a bike dealer, we found the connection to the back of the light had come off. With that fixed. Another half hour lost, a top-up for Steve and we were off again and heading over the Napier-Taupo Road. By this time it was pitch black with intermittent drizzle and wet roads, for some reason, I was still in the lead and we were passed but latched onto another ST rider who was sitting at a more interesting pace. That was until we caught up to a couple of other riders that slowed the group down as we entered the windy bits, so once again, Steve and I pushed on alone, taking the turn-off at Glengarry Rd, to bypass Napier. Along here we came across Max who was struggling to get his V-Strom back onto the road (with a little superficial damage), assisted him and continued on via Puketitiri Rd, but as we ended up catching and following another rider, we missed the Puketapu turn and ended in Taradale. We took the opportunity here to don our wets before heading for SH50 with Steve in the lead, but when he inadvertently turned early at Omahu onto the Taihape Rd, I ended up back in front for the quick scoot down SH50, across Tikokino Rd to Waipawa, pulling into Checkpoint 2 at Mobil Waipukurau at 2330, having covered another 360Km for this leg but at a slightly more sedate pace as the economy was now up to 16K/Ltr. After the usual activities of refuel, snack, slug of water, empty bladder and review the notes for the next section, we were off again, heading for Porongahau, Wimbledon, Pongaroa, Alfredton and the next check point in Masterton. Steve led out and as this section was well known to us as being tight and potentially treacherous, with the wet road our pace was down to very sedate. The first bit through to Porongahau is rolling country, but from there it tightens up and after we had passed the longest place name, about 10Km out of Porangahau, Steve had a wee lapse, losing his line on a corner. It was wet and off-camber so he opted to abort, straightening, breaking and squeezing it round, just making it through when his front just edged off the seal and it was all over. The bike slipped out from underneath him, sliding 5 or 6 metres into the wire fence while Steve slid headfirst alongside it, ending up on a bed of pine needles......venting his annoyance with himself. He rolled over and it was difficult to tell if he was hurt or just really pissed off and a little stunned, but it was soon evident that Steve and his bike were going no further so being out of range for cell coverage, we waited for the next bike to come along to head back and call for an ambulance. An hour later, Steve was being attended to by professionals, the local fireman and a mate were extracting the bike and I was back on the road at what I assumed was the very back of the field......I did forget to ask where they were taking him but! I was a bit stunned to see a better rider go down in front of me and thought, maybe it was because he had spent to long behind me and picked-up my bad habits, but I soon got back into a rhythm and caught a couple of stragglers. I slotted in front of them to see if they'd lift their pace if they had someone to follow, but they wanted none of that so I continued on, passing a few more as the weather worsened. I soon worked my way into the middle of a group of about 8 riders when we entered Pongaroa and I needed to put my wet jacket back on, so I stopped under a street lamp to do so. The group paused then carried on but I soon caught them again and it was quite funny as each of the two or three at the front appeared to be trying to pass off the lead, so I nipped to the front then kept the pace down for them to slot in behind. I soon noted at least four lights in tow and upped the pace a bit to the point where I still needed only minimal breaking and made for the turn-off at Alfredton. Of all the times I have been over this road, I realised that this was the first time I had ever travelled it from North to South and soon tried to lead them all astray by mistaking the Tinui/Castlepoint road for the Masterton turn. Fortunately they didn't follow and I was back in the rear of at least 10 bikes as I pulled in behind another group returning from the same mistake. The pace was now on and we were soon checking in at Shell Chapel St. I was a little concerned on the time at this point as we were only 842Km into the ride and past halfway on time. There were too many bikes here to fill-up so I just had a snack and a natural break and departed with the Bandit Riders for Palmerston North. We left Masterton at 0330 and it was an easy ride up SH2 for Pahiatua, (I was surprised at the number of bikes heading down SH2 for Masterton) then over the 'track, fueling on Rangitikei St. (It was now 0440 and the economy was up to 16.4k/Ltr) We then headed out via Newbury to Vinegar Hill and SH1 to Taupo and SH5 to Caltex Te Ngae in Rotorua for Checkpoint 4. The Bandits and their two mates stopped again in Taihape but by this time, I was getting very weary and just wanted to finish so continued over the Desert Rd alone. I called into the Camp, to update Lee Rusty on the way, and had an uneventful ride to Rotorua, arriving at 0830, had my last fill for the day then called in on my daughter and grand-daughter for a few minutes before heading out on the next leg of the journey. This leg took us out of Rotorua on SH30 to Atiamuri, through Whakamaru, Mangakino and Bennydale for Shell Te Kuiti. These roads are OK to open it up a bit, which helped to zone in and focus to alleviate the fatigue that was setting in. At this point, being alone after my mate had gone down, the whole ride seemed pretty dumb. Riding alone, pushing oneself to the limits of endurance isn't really fun, but I was too pigheaded to give up because I had a bar and patch to collect......and only 340Km to go!? (about what you might do on a Sunday ride!!??) I was soon in Te Kuiti, check-in, snack, relief and gone...just two stages and 183Km to go) It was back through town, down SH3 to Eight Mile Junction, then across SH4 to Taumaranui and the G.A.S. At National Park for the last Check Point. I felt I had to keep the pace within the allowable limit (or just a tad over) through here and the fatigue was getting worse. I had to start singing, so thank God I had the MP3 and good earplugs in, and I would also vary the visor and vents to keep changing the wind and noise in the helmet, pulling into National Park about 1145, stayed on the bike to get the card punched, then headed for the finish in Turangi, via Rangipo and SH1. I finally arrived at 1220. 1677Kms racked up for the ride, which was a little over the planned 1609Km. The economy was now up to 16.8K/Ltr for the whole run so it had recovered OK after the big fang on the first leg when it was as low as 14K/ltr. I was absolutely shattered!!.....had the usual Rusty Feed, chatted for a bit then fell into a coma between 1400 & 1600, arising to have a shower and freshen-up. The rest of the day was spent checking in with Ann, then Steve who was on his way home from Hastings, reliving parts of the ride with some of the crew and finally getting to bed at about 2300. I was up at 0615, packed, checked the weather forecast, had breakfast, fueled up and headed for home by 0830. I decided to do the Paraparas again on another 'economy run' so I was a model citizen as I travelled. By the time I got to Raetihi, I was up to 19.3K/Ltr and just on the 100kph average speed so the challenge was now to keep both up. It was a great day, with little traffic so I rode the 'pace' and did quite well, getting to Wanganui on 19.1 and only losing 18 minutes off the 100kph target (or down to about 90kph) I got home at 1230, on 19.8K/Ltr with 52,522Kms on the bike in 21 months.
I had a another great Rusty-Run weekend, experiencing some new roads and revisiting some old favourites, met up with some new faces and chewed the fat with the regulars. Apparently the stats were 104 entrants, 103 starters (40 1st Timers) and 75 finishers. Most of the 28 retirees were due to falling too far behind the time and apparently the previous record was about 15. My problem with fatigue was shared by others on the run, so although I felt like crap, at least I wasn't alone. This was to be 'Just another GC', a walk in the park, so to speak. Yeah right! I should have known to expect the unexpected. Thanks to a big tank capable of 400+Kms at uneconomic speeds and a hard arse to endure 22½ hours in the saddle at those speeds…I completed the RNGC 1000 mile ride plus 500km extension. That’s 2100Kms to mark the 21st anniversary of the event. After last year's GC I was elated to finish in 21 hours and keen to make it an annual pilgrimage. I found I was even more motivated after starring in and viewing the DVD of last year's event and when Lee advised of the extension to mark the 21st Anniversary, I thought that would be cool to achieve. I had a quick chat to my riding buddy, Steve and we decided to apply for the extension and pay our $40 donation (on the basis that we probably wouldn't make it but if the weather gods were good and the route planner was kind, at least we would be able to attempt it, and if not, it was only the equivalent to a tank of gas lost) In preparation this year, I had a couple of longish solo rides a month or two out, but had to limit my riding to keep my tyres to between 6 & 7,000Kms and in good condition for the event. During the week before I took the bike in for it's pre-GC check-up, a new Air cleaner and rear brake pads, gave the corduras a silicon spray and after studying the weather for the week, bought some pvc gear from the Warehouse and Rain-Off Gloves to ensure I remained cosy. Steve had a bad ‘Off’ a month out and would not be coming so it was just Adrian (ST1300) and I who rode up together, departing Johnsonville at 1030 hrs Friday, travelling up via the Wairarapa, Gorge (a last minute adjustment after wind and rain put me off the Track & Saddle), lunch in Ashhurst, then on through Vinegar Hill and SH1. I wore my new 'wets' which seemed to do the trick as the fine weather in the Wairarapa only lasted until Masterton and from there on it was a mixed bag of rain and more rain. On arrival, we went straight through scrutineering with no problem, settled in and waited for 1900hrs when the route would be posted. I traced it out on my map then went back to my cabin to study and prepare for the ride. It appeared to be fairly straight forward, up to Kaitaia and back, but I hadn't been on most of the roads and those that I had driven on, was 30 years ago!! Saturday was spent killing time before the ride. Breakfast, final preparations of gear and bike, wander around chatting until I could finally gear-up, get in on the Ulysses photo, get briefed, win a raffle prize and depart with the other green card holders in the second group at 1503 hrs. (Adrian was in the third group but not eligible for the extension so I went ahead and if he caught-up we would ride together). At this point I was entered for the extension but was doubtful I would make it, so would ride out, get as far as I could before the weather hit and then see what eventuated. The first leg was from Turangi, out to Kuratau Junction, up the western arm of the lake and turning off on Old Taupo Road (just prior to Tokoroa) to the first 'Time Check' at Puketurua. I started off at about 120kph to ease into the ride, passed a few other riders, was caught by BanditRider & Blue Bandito in their Green mohawks, then about 10 or 15 Km up the western arm, we were passed by the leaders of the 3rd group as they fizzed along. About three or four minutes later, that was repeated and again and again until I latched onto a couple of other riders who were sitting at a slightly quicker pace than i had been on, and as we turned onto Old Taupo Road, Adrian caught us. We left the time check and followed a few riders along Pearson and Arapuni Roads into Putararu when the group got separated in traffic and we latched onto another couple as we turned onto Whites Rd and were sitting were sitting at 140'ish through SH's 28 & 29. It was a bit fast so we let them go when we finally got onto Old Te Aroha Road. That was quite a nice ride and we joined another group of 5 or 6 after they passed us and dragged us through Te Aroha to the first checkpoint at Paeroa. By this time there must have been about 30 riders in front of us and most of the other riders stopped here for fuel, but we just had our tickets clipped and hit the road at a sedate 110 – 120kph. That is until passed by a couple of quick riders and I threw caution to the wind. We slipped in behind them but Adrian got separated through traffic as we raced along SH2 for the Bombays, but I managed to stay with them until the heavens opened at dusk and we stopped in Orewa, them for Wet gear and me for fuel. That was good as I was able to thank them for the lift. I had worn my PVC's from the start, which was a good call in anticipation for the predicted weather, so I quickly fuelled, had the usual natural break, scoffed a banana and nut bar, swigged on the electrolytes and headed off for the next stop at Dargaville. Back on the road, I eased back into the ride as a torrential downpour kept the speed down through Waiwera, to the turn off at Brynderwyn and it was all new roads from here. It was quite pleasant as the rain eased and I got the speed up to around 140 until about 5 Km's out of Dargaville when two more riders passed me, so naturally I tagged on, followed them into Dargaville, got clipped and left as they were gassing up....and now the fun begins. The third leg took us to Kaitaia, via the Waipoua forest and Kaikohe. My first incident was about 20 km out of Dargaville when I was getting along at a brisk pace and noticed the distinctive odour of cowpoos. Within moments, as I was flying through a big right hand sweeper, I saw what appeared to be a 5 metre wide river of shit flowing across the road....but in truth it was probably only about 1 metre. Anyway, I had about enough time to say 1½ of the three Biker Hail Marys (BHM's) (Oh Shit, Oh shit, Oh Shit...or words to that effect), no time to react with any changes to throttle or brake and the front and rear had both let go. I would estimate a half metre adjustment to my lateral position before both tyres grabbed again and it all happened so quick I didn't even have time to pucker, and the sweat was already there from wearing PVC's in the balmy 14-17º. I skipped the rest of the BHM's and quickly gave thanks to my guardian angel, dad and other host of ancestors for looking after me when I was literally 'up shit creek without a paddle'!! That was the first of several such moments when the back twitched out on slick 'seal, wet paint, or other unidentified foreign objects that littered the road. I tried to avoid the slick patches but on one occasion, as I was travelling straight, I rode over a strip and suddenly the revs shot up as the back wheel started to spin and track to the left.....Hmm....more BHM's and thanks given. I was soon enjoying the delights of the Waipoua forest!! Whoever said that was a great ride needs a frontal labotomy! It was wet, pitch black, and foliage blown off in the gale force winds littered a road that was as tight as a tangled kite string. I was down to a crawl and cursing myself for being a nana and expecting Cam and his mate to scream past me at any moment, but that didn't happen so I guess it got most of us. 20+ Kms I kept thinking, take it easy and just minimise the losses, which I did, was soon out of the woods, through a few more windy (you may read that with a long or short vowel) sections and I pulled into Kaitaia for checkpoint 3, and a much needed pit stop. Just as I switched off, Cam and his mate arrived and just as I was about to get ready to leave, Adrian pulled-in. I was really surprised to see him as I had been riding reasonably quickly, we had a quick chat and I headed on with the expectation that I would soon be caught-up......unfortunately that was to be a big....Yeah Right! The next stage took us down through Kerikeri and Whangarei, across to Helensville and down to the service centre at Bombay. This stage was another mixed bag with the first part from Kaitaia to Wellsford being quite quick as in places the road had partially dried, but I was attacked by the odd vicious squall and on one occasion, I was hit by a gust of wind so strong that my PVC jacket burst open, taking out one of the domes that didn't want to let go. I paused in Wellsford to do it up and continued on through more windy roads finally coming out through Helenville and Kumeu, where I expected to get onto the motorway. I don't know what happened but the next thing I knew I appeared to be riding alongside what I assumed to be the western motorway under (re)construction, then was looking at signs directing me to Albany and Greenithe....Bugger!! Missed a turn somewhere so zipped through to Albany and got onto SH1 there. I don't know how much time I lost but as I got to about Manukau, I caught-up to Adrian and as we pulled into Bombay Cam and his buddy were just finishing their coffees. We had a few minutes here for another break and at this stage, we were looking like finishing at about 0800hrs.....he said as he reached for another Tui!!! Adrian and I were finally back together and ready to attack highway 22 from Pukekohe to Ngaruwahia, nip through Otorahonga, on to Te Kuiti, out to Eight mile junction and over to Ohura. This proved to be the worst stage of the event and we came to understand why it was NOT designated 'State' highway.....it was a bloody goat track. Narrow, tight and more slick spots and downed foliage than you could shake a stick at. I led the way and would try to pick lines sticking to the centre mounds that appeared to have a bit of grip but invariably, I managed to get out of shape on a few paint lines and slick spots and aborted corners on several occasions. It's a bit hard to look 'through' the corner, which tends to drag the bike through a good clean line, when all you’re worried about is all the crap you have to avoid on the way through. That gets even worse when there is no line through because the lichen covered mound in the centre of the road is hemmed by lovely slick wheel ruts which in turn are nicely trimmed by wet, very slippery painted lines. Oh well...there was only 88 Kms of it!! We finally got out to Ngaruwahia and Adrian pulled over under a light. I wondered what he was up to as I continued down to the turnoff, having a quick check of the ride instructions as I waited there. It turned out, he realised he hadn't paid for his fuel in Bombay and called in to make arrangements for it too be covered. We were now back on nice, albeit wet roads through Otorahonga to Te Kuiti where we decided to fill-up again. I knew I would make it to Turangi, but this would leave me half a tank to start the Extension and Adrian’s bike didn't seem to be running quite as economically so it meant there would be no worries for him about fuel over the last few Kms. We were now on the run in to the finish, but the Rustys hadn't finished with us. We still had the Ohura loop, and just like last year, it was wet. I adopted my best nana pace again because I don't like slip sliding away, and we endured another 80 odd Kms of bad lines, aborts and uncomfortable riding on roads that weren't built for ST's. That is, until a bit after the final check point at Ohura and I realised we had lost about an hour on the Waingaro and Ohura Roads. It was time to start taking a few risks and put the pressure on. Fortunately there wasn't any traffic and corners were cut safely, although as we neared Taumaranui, we did encounter a large milk tanker who was flying and if he had met us earlier, I would have been toast.....(more thanks to dad and friends) We were finally out through Taumaranui, on to SH41 and a brisk pace through to the finish, although I did manage to overcook a corner, retaining just enough control and road to avoid an oncoming car....more BHM's, puckering and thanks. We arrived at 0907 18hrs 04 for me and 18 flat for Adrian, had time for a quick photo before checking in and out, being warned of severe wind and cold, donning my helmet again and charging off to Foxton and back on SH1. It was soon apparent that this easy little jaunt would prove to be as challenging as the rest of the ride. I had to ride through an onslaught of wind and rain but mostly the wickedest cross winds I have ever experienced. Within 10 Km from the start my PVC jacket was again ripped open as I transitioned from a sheltered bluff, through a cutting and all the way across the exposed top, I had to run a gauntlet of highsided B-Trains which were whipping-up all the crap in creation from off the road and presenting it to me as a solid wall which had to be punched through. Now, with me on the ST, a moderate fuel load and a bit of luggage, you have a 400Kg missile that carries a fair bit of momentum. The problem here was, I would be riding with the bike cranked over at about 15-20° to maintain a straight tack and each of these behemoths set up a shelter belt, like the bluffs, that would cause the bike to lurch to the right. Not a problem, except, as you were correcting, you would hit the wall of filthy (with spray, dirt & turmoil) air stirred up by the truck, which would cause another wee shuffle for control. By this time I would have shifted from the left side of my lane to the centre and heading for the convoy of up to 10 cars in tow as I struggled to correct …and then I get hit by the crosswind again and have to avoid being blown off the road. I had to maintain a position on the road which would tradeoff between getting sucked into the oncoming vehicles and being spat off other side!! I found that by upping the speed and my momentum, these violent spasms were more controllable as unpleasant shimmies. (This improved my time somewhat as well) All was fine until around Hunterville somewhere and I encountered a pleasant chap coming the other way, in a white car with pretty blue and yellow patches and a lovely array of the most stunning lights. . I guess I was doing about 135 kph and went through the appropriate sequence of auto-reactions….Three quick BHM’s, the flight or fright response, another quick BHM, then hit the anchors and pulled over. I did my best to look very bedraggled and declined the offer to have seat in his car as I was pretty wet, then explained that, ‘I felt I had to maintain a safe speed to avoid being blown off the road. I was trying to keep the speed down but it had been a battle and I was a victim of the weather’. He had a look at my licence, must have thought that there must have been an element of truth in what this crazy-old-man-who-was-stupid-enough-to-be-on-a-bike-in-these-conditions, was saying…..and he let me go. Well….the following halleluiahs were a site to behold as I slowly set off again, ensuring the bike twitched appropriately at each new gust over the next Km or so…..but now it got hard. I filled up in Sanson, was soon on the Foxton straights, sitting with the traffic at about 110kph and was starting to encounter fatigue along with the steadier but nonetheless stronger and twitchy winds. I came up on two Canter sized trucks and the back one must have been well loaded, but the front one looked a bit light as the top left corner of the truck kept swinging into view. I moved across to the right and I’m sure the right wheels were on the verge of lifting so I quickly passed and left them to their troubles, arrived at Foxton Mobil where it was beautifully sunny and calm, had my card punched, heard there was one more nutter behind me, then hit the road back. I was now upwind of the oncoming traffic and didn’t have to worry about getting sucked into them…I was being blown into them. On two occasions I was forced across the centre line and on a third, I was unable to gain control until I was right across the road and skipping along the solid white line. At times the bike actually felt like it wanted to lift and skip sideways across the road, so more BHM’s were said and thanks and praises offered up that nothing was coming the other way. I couldn’t cock my knee out on the upwind side to maintain balance and heading, due to an arthritic hip and the ST tank is as wide as I can spread-em. I therefore had to resort to throwing my whole body off to the left which would slowly cause the bike to ease back on track. Fatigue was now becoming a big problem made worse by the straight roads and lack of pace but I eventually made it back to Turangi at 1330, in one piece, 22½ hours elapsed and 2100Kms done. I had real difficulty getting off the bike and was totally shattered, but in that strange GC way, totally elated at achieving the distance within the allotted time. I staggered in to receive my GC bar, Extension badge, certificate and patches, a hearty Rusty Roast and sat around listening to other tales of epic battles won and lost over the preceding night. I was pretty stiff across my shoulders and lower back from the stresses of riding the cross winds and trundled off for a hot pool before returning for a two hour nap. I was up again about 1830hrs, watched a bit of TV, then relaxed in the hall chatting with Adrian and Shafty and a few others that came and went, eventually hitting the sack at about midnight and slipping into a well earned coma for 6½ hours. It was still raining when I got up, showered, packed then headed over to hand in my cabin key and have breakfast. I bid my farewells and after hearing there could be snow on the desert road, I left and travelled at my usual nana pace through National Park and down the Paraparas. I really enjoyed the ride home. There was some wind and scattered showers, but it was relaxing to putter along at 110kph and just cruise…..that is until I was entering Wanganui East and encountered another gentleman in one of ‘those’ cars as I was approaching the 50Km zone. I stopped and he asked me what the speed limit was so I pointed to the signs about 100 metres up the road and said I was just starting to slow for it. He then informed me that I had been in an 80Kph zone for about 3kms and asked to see my licence, to which I exclaimed, ‘Bloody hell, I’ve been dawdling along, you should see my economy gauge (which was on about 18.2 k/ltr at the time). He asked where I‘d come from and was heading for, suggested I must be a bit drowsy to have missed the sign and should stop and have a rest…then let me go. I thanked the gods, and promptly took his advice, heading for a coffee with Whanau. I finally got home, through another couple of torrential downpours, at about 1400hrs, economy for the trip home at 19.6k/Ltr (a big difference to the 16 I was getting on the GC run), 2,824Kms done for the weekend and 22,277Kms on the bike. I believe there were 111 starters this year, 2 ‘Offed’ and 3 pulled out due to weather and 4 completed the GC plus extension (3 were ST’s I think). I’m sure to be a starter again next year, but I look forward to doing my third GC at a sedate pace…. I think 21 hours sounds like a nice target, leaving time for photo opportunities and relaxed stops for fuel, food and the camaraderie that is shared by bikers on a ride. Once again the event was smoothly run by the Rusty Crew….sadistic bastards that they are…. It’s the wry smile and glint in their eye as they tell you about the route and impending weather that does it. But I love it and a big thanks to Lee and all the Rustys. Only 5,000 Kms left ‘til Christmas now…..then I can start counting down for next year’s GC…and maybe a Mini’s Return. This was my first Grand Challenge and since registering early (#51) I had looked forward to the ride but there was always a bit of trepidation in the back of my mind. Would I hack it, would the bike break down or have a puncture, would my 13 litre tank get me between fuel stops? At least I had a mate, Steve K, from the Wellington Ulysses Club who had done it before, was as keen as mustard to go again and we arranged to ride up together on the Friday. That was an adventure in itself. We left the Caltex Rimutuka about 2pm on a day where the isobars ran west/east over the North Island and looked like a slim line Venetian blind over the map. We had decided to take the scenic/fun route over the Rimutuka’s (only a couple of puffs there), up through the Pahiatua Track where at times I thought the bike and I were both about to be lifted and deposited in the next paddock along with Dorothy and Toto, through Ashhurst – Colyton and all the way round to come out at Mangaweka. Then straight up to Turangi via a coffee in Taihape. We arrived at the motor camp, went straight through scrutineering, then went in to check the map and pick-up instructions and that’s when the enormity of the task ahead hit me. I had only travelled on a few of the sections and fuel stops was always going to be a problem with my 240’ish Km range, so it was off to my cabin for some planning, then down to the local greasy shop for a feed and bed by 10:30. I awoke early the next morning (5am), as you do when you’re excited /worried, on a strange bed and in a tight sleeping bag. Tried to lie in for a while but eventually gave-up at 6:30 and went about the day ahead. (Now even more worried when I knew I could be on the road up to 3pm the next day). The Rusty’s put on a good feed for breakfast, we idled about chatting, had a photo of the Ulybods, parked up in Turangi to display the bikes for the locals, enjoy more chatting, and I eventually got sent off at 3:12pm with the other light green cardholders. I got into a good pace early and had decided to put a splash in the tank at Taumaranui to ensure I got to Awakino which would have been right on my limit. I was surprised that so many others had the same idea, and then on to the 1st time check at Ohura. After that I ended up behind a couple of chaps who took the wrong turn just past Aria and we ended up coming out on SH3 at Piopio instead of further south, but I didn’t mind that as I could top-up again and knew I could comfortably get to New Plymouth from there. I had a blast going through the Awakino gorge and Mt Messenger, then caught up with another rider leaving New Plymouth and rode with him to the first check point at Hawera. This was a hive of activity as there were a lot of riders here, (probably 20+) filling-up the bikes and themselves, chewing the fat over a coffee and preparing for the next leg. The congregation of riders got more depleted at each checkpoint from here on in as the field became more and more spread out. I had a good run through to Wanganui where I topped-up on gas (again) before continuing to the next checkpoint at Hunterville, via Fordel. I have always thought my bike had a very good light with a reasonably wide beam and long range penetration….yeah right!! That was until I got onto the Fordel road with no cats eyes or markers and it felt like someone had tilted the whole light assembly down. I knew back in the days when I did all my touring on an XL250 that I relied heavily on the marker posts as a guide to whether the road was going left or right, I didn’t realise how much I still do that and I was down to a crawl. That combined with the fact that there were no other bikes passing me was cause for concern that I was even on the right road, but fortunately the instructions were quite specific. At last I got to Hunterville, another top-up, another nut bar and another slug of electrolyte laden water. When I departed Hunterville I figured I should go close to getting to Waipuk’ if I took it easy. I left behind two young fellows on identical bikes, one number apart on their rego’s and helmets adorned with green Mohawks. After we got past Vinegar Hill, I lagged slightly as they were going a bit faster than I should have been for the economy I wanted to get…but what the hey, in the end I decided to kept up with them and we caught up with Gordon Sherwood around Cheltenham or thereabouts. I had just met Gordon for the first time that morning and recognised his name as he had posted a poll on the Ulysses sight about eating pain for breakfast. At this point I didn’t recognise it was him but the four of us rattled on through to Ashhurst where I followed Gordon round the corner with three others who were there, deciding which way to go. It didn’t feel right but I sat in and went along for the ride….what a dumbass. The weather had been intermittent from New Plymouth but not bad enough to affect the ride. From the Ashhurst Saddle onwards it wasn’t great as the five of us crawled past the big turbines and stopped briefly in Woodville. I decided to go on to Dannevirke for my next top-up since my speed and the detour would mean I was unlikely to make it to Waipuk’. I headed off by myself and the others pulled into the gas station shortly after me. It was at this point I actually realised that it was Gordon that I had been riding with and we hooked-up for the rest of the ride. This was very much to my advantage because his XVZ12 had much better lights for the trip around Weber, Wimbledon & Porongahau than my Intruder, especially given the deteriorating weather as now we had wind as well as rain to contend with. I found the pace very comfortable and we finally arrived at Waipukurau at around 3am, Halfway through on time and distance. Another feeding of man & beast and we on the road again, heading for the next fuel stop at Taupo via Napier. This was pretty uneventful as we kept to a steady pace and arrived in Taupo about 5am. I was very thankful that I had fitted a spitfire screen to my bike though, as we had to punch into a fierce headwind on this leg and it was much easier than the last time I had been on this road. From there on to Te Kuiti, via Benneydale, and the next checkpoint. By this time there were only a half a dozen bikes there and we weren’t encountering many others on the road at all. The weather was dismal but at least the wind had subsided and with Gordon coming into his ‘home turf’ it was an easy ‘follow the leader’ ride for me. Next off to Otorahonga, Kihikihi, then across to Putaruru before heading over the Mamaku Plateau where we were into the low clouds and although the visibility was less than 50mtrs, we were getting along at a good pace thanks to Gordon’s local knowledge. Once we had passed through Ngongotaha the roads were drying up and we made good time through Te Ngae and onto the last checkpoint at Awakeri. This last stretch was particularly exhilarating because once Gordon was in his own ‘backyard’ he took off like a dog chasing a scolded cat….and I happened to be on the other end of his leash, getting dragged along. We got checked in and headed for home via Murupara and waved to the film crew as we headed into Taupo. Passed quite a few bikes already heading home/North as we got nearer to Turangi, and finally finished about midday, 21 hours on the road and 31 hours since I had awoken on Saturday morning. It felt great to finish and I actually felt surprisingly alert. I put that down to the fact that I had avoided caffeine and sugar, only consuming a couple of multivitamins, a bag of bananas, a box of nut bars and about 5 bottles of water which had a good dose of electrolyte added. It wasn’t till we had finally stopped that I actually saw what a state my bike was in. The screen, light, mirrors and front forks caked with bugs, no shine from any of the chrome except the handlebars and dirty streaks over most of the paintwork. As usual though, it had performed admirably, purring all the way through. We got our speedos checked, received the badges and certificates, enjoyed a hearty lunch put on by the Mrs Rustys and discussed the event. I headed off to my cabin for a kip at about 2pm and awoke, fresh as a daisy about 4:30pm…bugger! Everyone else was asleep except for the Rustys who were still going about the business of running the event. I went off for a hot pool, getting back about 5:30. Still bored I searched out a TV only to find there was only one channel available and in the end decided, since there was nothing to do, I might as well head home….it’s only 3.5 hours to Wellington. I packed up, gassed up and departed at 7pm. Weather looked a bit grey but she’ll be right. There was a bit of rain heading up the desert road but that cleared once I was in the lee of Ruapehu. However, the road ahead was looking more ominous and once I passed through Waiouru I was in it. It was raining so hard I was treated to a brilliant starburst every time I passed a car going the other way, (there were no other bikers foolish enough to be out in this) and it got to the point that whenever a car passed I was totally blinded over the last couple of seconds and would have to get the speed down to less than 60 K’s to avoid trouble. I tried following the odd vehicle but they would invariably turn-off, be travelling too slow, or be a huge truck kicking up more crap than you could shake a stick at. By the time I got to Marton the wind was strong enough to keep the rain horizontal and my starbursts were now complimented with laser arrows of light as the rain whipped past my helmet but by Bulls it all cleared up and the rest of the trip was OK so I was home by 10:40, my own bed, a cuddle and an awesome night’s sleep after a wonderful adventure. My special thanks to Steve and Gordon for putting up with me, The Rusty’s for their great organising and not to mention the makers of Spool Jackets, Tecknic Pants, Sidi Boots & Spidi Gloves....they all kept me dry and comfy. |
Old Blog?
These blogs were posted on the KiwiBiker forum but I decided it was time for a change. Archives
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