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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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. I hit the sack at 2100 on Thursday night, worried that it was too early to go to sleep, but I went out with the lights, only to be rudely awakened by the alarm at 1230. Excited to be on my way after a couple of months of plotting and planning with screeds of emails between Jantar, Gremlin and myself, I dragged myself from the bed with a groan, scrubbed up, boarded the already packed and prep’d Enterprise and scooted the 10Km down to the Bluebridge Terminal….where I waited, with the 10 or so Chorus vans heading for repairs in Christchurch and chatted with another chap heading down there to help his family cleanup after the earthquake. We didn’t start to board until after 0230, then waited some more before finally leaving half an hour late at around 0330. I managed another couple of hours kip, we docked…then waited some more, finally getting off the boat an hour late at 0720. I had no great hurry to get to Dunedin, so trimmed out at an ‘under the radar’ pace and prepared myself for an uneventful excursion down SH1…..and that’s about all I remember of that….oh, except for coming up on a queue of cars with a Ginnie trapped between them a few Km short of Blenheim. I did my usual space hop to the front of the queue and as I passed the wee bike, I thought, ‘Shit, he’s loaded….shit, he’s even carrying gas….oh shit, that must be Toto!’ but I was already past by then and with barely more than a raise of an eyebrow. The other things I remembered was queues of traffic down the street at one servo in Kaikoura, whilst the other was closed and this was the same all the way through to Ashburton. I paused to put the wets on in Amberly, was astounded by the amount of traffic and apparent normality through Belfast, along Johns Rd and out of Hornby (except for the queues to the pumps), then when I did stop for gas in Ashburton, they had no 98, so I opted to put $30 of 91 in and that would get me to Dunedin. Apart from that it was a boring blur of a boring 694Km in a boring 8 hours flat from 0727 to 1528. I would have stopped to visit friends in Christchurch, but it was raining so that put paid to that. I checked in at the Carisbrook Motel, then went out to pick up my supplies of water and bananas for two days, gassed with 98 as well as 5Ltrs to go, (I had decided to carry some insurance in case I came up short if the pace got to hot on a couple of the long legs), verified where MacIver & Veitch were on Crawford Street, then went back to the motel to settle in. Jim had arrived by then, so we chatted for a bit before he went visiting and I walked down the road for dinner. I was all set to go and once again, hit the sack at 2100, konking out immediately….only to awaken at 0200…..bugger!! This tends to happen a bit with the excitement and anticipation of a big ride so I have learned to relax and dose through it, eventually getting up a bit early at 0430, scrubbed, snacked, checked the tyres (they were down a couple of psi), threw my luggage pannier on the bike and headed off to pump the tyres then get to the start point at 0530. I’ve become very pedantic about my tyre pressures because on a ride like this with the bike gassed, loaded, and me on board, we’re hitting over 450Kg, so a bit of pace on a course south Island road and the ST just chews through the rubber, and then of course, there’s that peace of mind that one requires to have the confidence to hang off the brakes through the big sweepers and take the 65 – 85 rated corners at riding pace. I pulled up beside Gremlin, who was doing his last minute adjustments etc, chatted with him, Toto and others as they arrived, killing time until 0600. We were finally called in and Malcolm & I were fortunate enough to be in the first 10-15 of the queue, we exchanged our disclaimers for T-Shirts and fitted them to the bikes. As part of our pre-ride discussions, we came up with the idea to duct tape an old trouser hanger into the lid of the top-box. The hanger was loose to swing so photos stops would just be; angle in straight at the target, flip the lid, grab the camera, flick the shirt out over the back, step back and click, lift the lid which pulls the shirt in, stow the camera and we’re off again. More importantly though, we just walked out of the shop, pulled the T-shirt from the bag, clipped it on and we were gone, probably amongst the first to get away. The benefit of having Malcolm as a riding buddy was immediately realized as he led us on a long-cut which avoided 4 sets of lights on the way out to Taeri Rd, but the start to the ride wasn’t great. We bolted straight into the first flyer around George King Memorial Drive and this was quite tight in places, with occasional loose grit, damp and it was dark, but we hadn’t warmed into ride mode so it wasn’t that comfortable, but once we had taken our 2nd pic for the day (1st was at MacIver & Veitch), then were scooting around Outram to Milton, it started to lighten up and things got easier. From Flyer 1 we were virtually straight onto Flyer 2, which was pix at the entrance to Gabriel’s Gully Rd in Lawrence and the Clutha Ferry at Tuapeka West. This was more pleasant rolling country and delightful riding. The original plan had Malcolm taking a gravelly shortcut from Lee Stream to Lawrence, saving 50Km, but I have an aversion to the loose stuff on the ST and expected to catch him up by the ability to have fewer fuel stops. In the end he dumped the gravel option at the last minute so I slotted into his fuel programme and our first fill was at Balclutha, arriving at about 0830, 210Km into the ride. From here it was around the Catlins to the first Checkpoint at Niagara Falls. I’ve only done this road once, when it was wet and we rode into squalls shortly after Owaka. I very nearly had a bad off and consequently have no fond memories of the route. This occasion was a different story altogether, it was a beautiful sunny morning, we had the sunshine on our shoulders and the hour of riding between 0840 and 0940 saw little traffic on a combination of rolling country, tight sections and some spectacular coastal vistas. We did have the odd moment on loose, new seal grit, but I guess I’ll have to agree with BanditRider that like Wellington, the Catlins is hard to beat on a good day. Piccy snacked of the Niagara falls sign, we were off and almost straight into Flyer 6 (3 for us) Southland Towns which comprised of pix in Wyndham, Winton and Otautau. We ended up behind two other riders but when they paused at Gregory Rd (Gravel), Malcolm hesitated also (strong is the lure of the dark side in that one) so I ended up in the lead because I had already discounted that option in my planning. More rolling countryside taken at briskish pace….bloody Marvelous…getting to Wyndham by 1020, straighter roads onto Winton by 1100, then Tuatapere by 1120, on track and time for our gold target. Next was gas and 2nd checkpoint at Riverton, 3rd checkpoint at Tuatapere, then out to Hump Ridge, (Flyer 7 but #4 for us). We’d considered this one in the early planning but dumped it, only coming back to it when it was shortened at late notice for the same points. It also worked in well for us because we were able to load more into Saturday, leaving an easier ride with less pressure on Sunday. It was a good option, getting 350 points for a short, quick scoot and then the hard riding started. Arse numbing, long straight roads to CP4 at Milford Sound was boring as hell, the scenery was great, the weather was clear and continuing to warm, but I hate straight roads. We gassed at Te Anau and things improved as we got closer to Milford, in fact it got downright fangable but we maintained restraint as we cruised through the beech forest, then up through vertical, rugged rock faces climbing to the tunnel and we were fortunate to catch the green light, but it was a bit disconcerting to find myself in a damp hole in the rock which sloped downwards. The first half was a bit hairy because coming from the brilliant sunshine took awhile for the eyes to adjust and be able to see through the gloom, but we made it ok and were soon taking the liners out of our jackets and grazing after we had our evidence of the trip. Heading back out, I passed Malcolm and enjoyed a wee squirt up to the tunnel where we had to wait this time, then when the traffic started moving, Malcolm moved to the right and started easing past the traffic until we got to the front and it was easier going this time as I seemed to be able to see better. Malcolm lifted the pace a bit on the way out, which made the long haul somewhat more bearable. Te Anau meant another fill, then it was over to Mossburn to start Flyer 8 (5 for us) which was photos at Apirama River, Wreys Bush Pub and Dipton Hall. More straight roads, but Malcolm’s Radar Detector had gone on the blink and we were being followed by a suspicious car so had to show much restraint. What a literal pain in the arse! We were dropping legs, shifting to the back seat and jiggling around to ease the discomfort, having done about 1000Km and the best part was, we still had 500+ to go. Things got easier when we got back on SH6 though and it was quite pleasant slipping up the side of Lake Wakatipu. At some point along here I got frustrated of sitting behind some slow traffic so I passed Malcolm and them and took the lead through some road works to lead the last stretch into our next fuel stop in Queenstown. We were surprised along this section to have Gremlin join us and were pleased for him to be doing this good and be well and truly on track for diamond. Once fuelled, Malcolm took the lead again for the nice we pootle up to Glenorchy and on to the Isengard site. Once we’d exited Queenstown, Betty (GPS) seemed to lose the track, but then came right, and as we approached Glenorchy I was surprised to hear Betty telling me to do a u-turn at the roundabout, then when we carried on through, the GPS seemed to re-calculate and get back on route. As we approached the Dart River, I could see Betty was wanting to go back down the other side and when we stopped past the line of trees at the Isengard site…..well, the tart wanted me to do another 15Km….on gravel no less…and when I looked, the Waypoint wasn’t even there….Damn, that shakes ones confidence in the machinery! Oh well, I led back to Queenstown, then Malcolm led up to Coronet Peak. It got dark through this time but with over 1200Km on the clock for the day, we were well and truly in the riding groove, so riding at night felt the same as riding in the day…just darker. I had read a note on KB that there was grit on the Peak road so we maintained some decorum with a steady pace, but man….I’d love to get let loose on that baby with a good surface and, as we experienced, no traffic. Once the sun went, the temp plummeted so once stopped, we grazed (the usual bananas, nut bars & water for me while Malcolm appeared to be on a diet of pizza and fruit juice), applied more layers of clothing and glove liners, then down, down, and on, on to Cardrona. We hadn’t passed Gremlin through this section and I recalled he had programmed to go back to Shell Q, which had put us back in front and now we were about to embark on a section of road I had been looking forward to…The Devils Staircase. I’ve only been along this road once, from North to South and there were road-works on the staircase at that time. Malcolm led us in but within the 1st corner or two, it was so tight, I was loosing his lights, and thought the ST lights might be better, so I passed and dragged us up at a pleasant but brisk, sub-fang pace. The reason I didn’t cut loose, was that we were running to our targeted times, which meant we would miss the 2300 cutoff for fuel in Cromwell and although it wasn’t going to be a problem for me to get to Ranfurly the next day, it would be tight for Malcolm to get home to Alex’. (although I did have the insurance fuel packed in case we needed it so it wasn’t really an issue) Never the less, I was endeavouring to maintain our briskish pace, but at the same time, trying to ride economically, as well as minimising any braking and subsequent blinding moments for my mate behind. My recollection of the Crown Range road was pretty vague. I just seemed to recall that it was a nice flowy road that had climbed steadily as it meandered along from Wanaka, then dropped down a steep series of switchbacks. I guess I had that wrong and was surprised when I got to the top and it fell away, so that and the brisk/eco riding approach I was adopting made for an interesting combo on a road that I didn’t know. The weight of the ST was pulling it down the hill and the lack of engine braking provided by the V4, usually means tapping the brakes is a frequent and steady part of downhill riding, but I was having a ball, tapping down into 4th as I was cooking into the corners didn’t really slow me down, it just stabilised the speed and although I wasn’t fanging it, I was riding on the edge, and fortunately the surface was mint….what a buzz! Cardrona came and went and I led onto Treble Cone (Flyer 20), which we had bought forward from the Sunday ride and inserted into the Crown Range, to save on time and prune a bit of distance. That was another pleasant wee pootle on a good road and best of all, we were getting down to our last hundred Km for the day. It was also noticeable that the numbers of riders encountered on the out-&-returns was dropping off and we only spotted a couple on this one, with Gremmy only 5 to 10 minutes behind us again. We finished the day with marginal night time pix at Luggate Hotel and the street sign for the Mt Pisa Rd, then had a lucky break as we turned to cross past Cromwell because the BP still had vehicles on the forecourt. We pulled in and filled at 2330, which meant we were saving 10 minutes by not having to fuel in Ranfurly the next day. We were back at Malcolm’s around midnight, had a feed, chatted, scrubbed and collapsed in heap by 0100. DAY 2. Nooooooo! The alarm went off at 0530 and dragged me from my coma! Up up and away, I got dressed, packed the luggage panier, extracting the day’s supply of bananas and water for the top-box, checked the tyres – 42psi on the button, exchanged the summer gloves for winter ones out of the wets and fuel panier, tidied the topbox, snacked, had a nice hot cup of tea….and we were gone at 0630. I thought it was bloody winter as scooted through fog at 3°, it was almost dawn as we took our first photo of the Poolburn Pub, then more fog on the straightish road out to Patearoa. Once again, Betty balked at the post and had I been by myself I think I would have missed the flyer…and once again, a check at the Patearoa stop revealed the Waypoint had disappeared (but later proved to be still loaded in the unit???) We were now at another point along the trip where Malcolm had the opportunity to shave 18Km off the route by taking gravel to Kokonga, on the way to Flyer 15 (12 for us), MacRaes Flat. Malcolm had estimated he would accrue 7 minutes by doing that, which would work out OK as he would need fuel in Oamaru, but I could zip past and carry on to Omarama for fuel and we would rejoin then. I’m like a dog with dysentery on these long rides and every time I see a post…(read, - have to stop), I get the urge to mark the territory and hence my aversion to the diuretic effects of coffee, especially when it gets cold like it was at this time. Once Malcolm left the memorial at Patearoa, I nipped around the back for a leak, before putting on the gloves and heading back to Ranfurly. I upped the pace a notch or two into quite-brisk mode and even the fog didn’t slow me down too much because the road already travelled earlier was pretty straight. Betty directed me back through Ranfurly, over to Kyeburn then out through Kokonga and Hyde to Macraes Flat. I was now travelling at pace down into gullys filled with fog, then rising out with one hand on the throttle and one shielding my eyes from the wicked sunstrike as the golden orb had ascended to just above the hills. To make this worse, Betty’s poor form had me doubting the instructions so when I saw the sign to Middlemarch at the Kyeburn turnoff, I thought, WTF!! Where the hell am I!! and then as I came into Hyde or thereabouts I went into a spin because there in front of me was a lovely big monument stating ‘You are now entering the city limits of Dunedin’?! “Oh shit”, I thought, “I shouldn’t be anywhere near Dunedin?” but I pressed on anyway, in too much of a hurry to stop for a manual check. That was lucky because this fantastic road meandered through and around the hills and occasionally one could see several Km of curly macadam across a wee valley and on one of these occasions I spotted another lone bike…. “awsome….that must be Malcolm” and I could see I was reeling him in. DAY 2. Nooooooo! The alarm went off at 0530 and dragged me from my coma! Up up and away, I got dressed, packed the luggage panier, extracting the day’s supply of bananas and water for the top-box, checked the tyres – 42psi on the button, exchanged the summer gloves for winter ones out of the wets and fuel panier, tidied the topbox, snacked, had a nice hot cup of tea….and we were gone at 0630. I thought it was bloody winter as scooted through fog at 3°, it was almost dawn as we took our first photo of the Poolburn Pub, then more fog on the straightish road out to Patearoa. Once again, Betty balked at the post and had I been by myself I think I would have missed the flyer…and once again, a check at the Patearoa stop revealed the Waypoint had disappeared (but later proved to be still loaded in the unit???) We were now at another point along the trip where Malcolm had the opportunity to shave 18Km off the route by taking gravel to Kokonga, on the way to Flyer 15 (12 for us), MacRaes Flat. Malcolm had estimated he would accrue 7 minutes by doing that, which would work out OK as he would need fuel in Oamaru, but I could zip past and carry on to Omarama for fuel and we would rejoin then. I’m like a dog with dysentery on these long rides and every time I see a post…(read, - have to stop), I get the urge to mark the territory and hence my aversion to the diuretic effects of coffee, especially when it gets cold like it was at this time. Once Malcolm left the memorial at Patearoa, I nipped around the back for a leak, before putting on the gloves and heading back to Ranfurly. I upped the pace a notch or two into quite-brisk mode and even the fog didn’t slow me down too much because the road already travelled earlier was pretty straight. Betty directed me back through Ranfurly, over to Kyeburn then out through Kokonga and Hyde to Macraes Flat. I was now travelling at pace down into gullys filled with fog, then rising out with one hand on the throttle and one shielding my eyes from the wicked sunstrike as the golden orb had ascended to just above the hills. To make this worse, Betty’s poor form had me doubting the instructions so when I saw the sign to Middlemarch at the Kyeburn turnoff, I thought, WTF!! Where the hell am I!! and then as I came into Hyde or thereabouts I went into a spin because there in front of me was a lovely big monument stating ‘You are now entering the city limits of Dunedin’?! “Oh shit”, I thought, “I shouldn’t be anywhere near Dunedin?” but I pressed on anyway, in too much of a hurry to stop for a manual check. That was lucky because this fantastic road meandered through and around the hills and occasionally one could see several Km of curly macadam across a wee valley and on one of these occasions I spotted another lone bike…. “awsome….that must be Malcolm” and I could see I was reeling him in. Oh well, we photographed the sheepy at the Mobil Station and zipped out to Flyer 19 (13 for us) at Lake Ohau, more straight roads but the lake was pretty/nice, scooted back through Omarama and onto the Lindis Pass and that hard to read mottled chip surface, continued down to Tarras then over to, and in the back of Hawea for a fill. While we were there a couple of elderly ladies turned up, looked confused so we explained it was an unmanned card pump, at which she looked even more perplexed and meekly asked, “Could you fill it for me please?” “Not a problem” we said, “Stick your card through the machine” and once that was done, Malcolm attended to the pump while I did the windscreen. One can’t complain about the service at an unmanned Allied Servo. On the road again and that delightful ride along Lake Hawea, then Lake Wanaka where, Malcolm managed a couple of twitches on loose grit then didn’t seem that comfy, so I thought I should give him a rest at the lead. What a brilliant ride, but the pricks that maintain this road need shooting. The number of times we would get in the groove, then all of a sudden we would come across a section of new seal with loose crap scattered about and invariably it would manifest at a corner…with no signage to warn us. I’d fly into it, having difficulty identifying a clean track so I’d have to straighten and hope. This resulted in a close shave with an oncoming car, not to mention a couple of stationary hillsides as I overcooked into corners too scared to take them….I hate it when that happens! It was still a good ride though but then we had to go out to the Cray Pot at Jackson’s Bay (Flyer 21 but our #14)…..more bloody arse numbingly straight roads. Sure the Beech forest is very picturesque, and the uneven surface bounced us around a bit, but I hate straight roads, so I clicked the pace up a notch or two. It was soon over though, we had clicked, grazed, swigged, the dysentery dog marked his space and we had chatted to a couple of riders on tour…..(but why the hell would you endure those straight roads for an ice cream?) We got back to Haast for a Pic there and fill-up and it was onto the West Coast….and that was nice! I led us on to Fox where we would encounter another 16-18Km section of road that I had been really looking forward to. Unfortunately, when we got there we encountered drizzle and the road had more of that loose stuff so I had to behave myself, but that was OK because not long after, I found myself on a sweet strip that Malcolm later informed me was Mt Hercules. (But more on that shortly) It didn’t seem too long before we were turning off for our last flyer to Okarito (Flyer 23 but 15 and the last for us). That was a pleasant wee scoot, although maybe a little narrow to let rip, we slipped in took our picky, more of the usual protocols and we were soon gone again. Have I mentioned that I love tight roads! The tighter the better and Mt Hercules had some exquisitely tight, cambered switch-backs and the ST was purring (just like last year on the Takaka Hill). It would lay down as it swooped through the bend thrusting forward as it smoothly transitioned to the next most excellent turn in the series and I reckon….that was nice!! I came around a hillside on a right hander and noticed a camper van entering the left hander 20 metres ahead. By the time he had negotiated the corner and was just starting to accelerate up the rise, I had slipped down to the corner, flicked around it and identified that the 50 metres to the next blind right hander was clear. He was lucky to be doing 20kph at this point and I was in 2nd or 3rd, so I applied the power brutally and bolted past the van, probably before he even knew I was there and I would have disappeared from view while he was still collecting his wits about him. I was surprised to find later that this must have pissed him off, generating a little road rage, because when Malcolm encountered him, he would move out to block the V-Strom from passing, even to the point our camper-van-man moved into the path of an oncoming car!! I don’t know??!! Any way, my only moment on this sweet adventure was negotiating a left hander when a truck was coming the other way. The road dropped away from the corner so I tried to give him as much room as possible by bringing the wheels to the edge and hanging over the open space, but there was a curb and I had to resort to the old off-road skills by flicking the bike up while I countered the balance and continued through the same track. Gosh I love tight stuff and the tighter the better….I love Mt Hercules. (might be something to do with the heritage perhaps?) We now settled into the tame, straighter roads that took us to Hokitika which was the all-but check point (photo of the old schooner and anchor on Gibson Quay), after which we had our last fill, then embarked on the last 250Km of our adventure…Arthur’s Pass. Once again I ended up in the lead and tried to maintain a steady, briskish pace over another of the South Island’s sweet roads as we enjoyed the last section to our Gold prize. I did have a wee moment as we descended from Arthur’s and there’s a couple of blind humps that require a little care when one isn’t familiar with where the road is going on the other side. I took one of these a little quick and braked as it peaked, so my momentum as the bike dropped away felt like it wanted to lift the back wheel and flick me off. It didn’t and wouldn’t (I hope), but it was a little disconcerting…..and then we had more bloody great long arse numbing straights to finish. We had planned our route, estimating times to the minute and on Saturday we varied slightly but ended up running to the programmed times doing about 1550Km in 18 odd hours. On Sunday we upped the ante a little, leaving Malcolm’s a half hour late, eventually arriving at Yaldhurst three quarters of an hour early at 2045, after doing about 1350Km in 14¼ hours. The ride didn’t seem as memorable as last year but I think that was due to compressing so much riding into the two days so it all became a blur, but it was awesome. We rolled in, took our last photo of the bikes in front of the pub, took the cameras in for them to dump the photos for scrutineering, had a great feed and a beer, then I had to leave for the B&B with Jim.
Once again, it was midnight before I got to sleep, awakened a bit early and we were on the road by 0830. More boring SH1 riding, but I’d dumped the 5Ltrs insurance in the tank and although Jim filled in Amberly, I tried to make the ride interesting by turning it into an economy run so I didn’t need to fill until back in Wgtn. I made it, going onto reserve at Koromiko, but I did have a problem with the GPS when it cut out and I lost my music going into Blenheim. Fortunately at the end of the trip and not on the TT ride itself. (I’ve since notified the supplier and expect to have checked on the warranty as I also found that it had dumped most of my weekend’s tracks) The ferry trip was smooth and we just chatted with other TT riders in the café. Many thanks to Mike and Robert for another great event. I managed to do 3977Km in 4 days at an average economy of 18.47 Km/Ltr, managing to burn 215Ltrs of fuel at a cost of $461, not to mention some wicked tyre wear. What a nice ride! It was nice to get gold! It was nice to do lots of new roads! It was nice to do some old favourite roads! It was nice to meet up with mates and ride with them! That was nice!! When this run was advertised in Feb/March 07, I, like many, thought it would be a good way to kill a few K’s, however, I did nothing at the time and although my intentions to participate fluctuated, my interest in the event never faltered and I keenly kept an eye on any info about it…..That is until Malcolm (Jantar), posted on KiwiBiker that he needed to sell his entry due to health problems. Well, being a ‘Good Samaritan’ and all, I now had all the justification I needed and promptly set about organizing sailings, accommodation and the OK from Lee to transfer the entry to myself. Once I had made the decision, I was impatient to go, so it was probably good that I delayed for so long. I soon organized a set of handlebar strops and tiedowns for the ferry sailings, planned and printed my route options to and from the event and printed off the route for the four legs. I keep the ST current on all its’ servicings so it was good to go but as the 36,000Km service would come due half-way through, I pre-empted that along with a new Avon Storm for the rear. The Storm on the front only had 2,000Km on it but the Pilot Road on the rear had 8,000 and although it looked like it would be OK, for the sake of a bit of ‘peace of mind’, I decided to replace but keep it, to go back on at a later date. By Saturday 15 March, I was all set and rearing to go!! DAY 1 - 16/03/08 - Picton to Motueka: I had booked on the 0825 Interislander and arrived by 0720 to board. It was a dreary day and only 14˚, but that changed and by the time we were out in the Strait the cloud had cleared but the wind was up. It wasn’t too rough and I spent the time going over my route notes again, watching a bit of league on TV, wandering about impatiently and finally settled down to chat with Lloyd Rusty and his wife. We arrived late in Picton as we had to wait outside Mabel Island for the Bluebridge to dock and I was finally let off the leash at about 1200 and promptly set-off for Nelson along Queen Charlotte Drive. It was now 19˚, beautifully sunny and the ride was generally sheltered from the wind except for the odd gust. That road is a bit tight and I had to contend with a few big Campers (or maggots – as they are white and crawl everywhere) but I made good time and when I arrived in Havelock about 35 minutes later the temp was up to 23˚. From there it was over the hill to Nelson and the road had a few spots of new seal but as always, was a great ride. I had planned a few visits to friends in Nelson, but ended up heading straight for Woodstock/Dovedale to visit a cousy, arriving at 1400 and departing about 1620 for Motueka where I was to spend the first night with my son, Lance. The Woodstock Hiway and Motueka Valley Roads were good rides and I filled in Mot’ ready for a quick getaway in the morning. 207.7 Kms for the day Total Kms: 207.7 DAY 2 – 17/03/08 – Motueka to Christchurch: I was up early and on the road by 0830. It was another great day but the temp varied a bit between 11˚ & 14˚ before finally settling at a very comfortable 20˚ once I was in Canterbury. My wee moment for the day occurred quite early as I made my way back along the Mot’ Valley Hiway with my screen and visor up and was splatted by a bug between my helmet and right temple. Next thing I new there was a sharp burning sensation and when I tried to dislodge it, I only managed to dislodge my glasses, nearly losing them, and then had fun doing a one handed emergency stop as I tried to retain my spec’s. I soon had the helmet off and managed to discharge the rest of the venom into my face as I removed the sting, which was all that was left of whatever little beasty it was that had caused all this discomfort. (This was to get a bit puffy the next morning and was visible in my peripheral vision, which was quite funny because riding with the visor up it would jiggle and shake in the wind). Back on the road and I was soon enjoying the thrills and scenery of the Lewis Pass, except for when I had to stop for the odd lights or lollipop at roadworks and the comfy 20˚ wasn’t so comfy when you’re in Corduras and not moving. I arrived in St Albans (426Km done) to visit an old school mate at 1255 and chewed-the-fat with him until after 1700, when I headed for an ex-Air Force mate near Lincoln, where I would stay the night. I filled up on the way and all in all had another magnificent day on the road and with good friends. 439 Kms for the day at 17.4 K/Ltr Total Kms: 646.7 DAY 3 – 18/03/08 –Christchurch to Invercargill: I was up early again and ready to depart by 0755 and after dressing for another 20+˚ day, this day dawned with fog and was only 13˚. I had arranged the night before to meet-up with Jym (Highlander) in Geraldine between 0900 & 0930 and after going through Lincoln and heading for SH1 the temp bottomed at 10˚….not very comfortable but about 5Km south of Burnham, I rode out of the fog and things started to improve. This section of road is one of the most boring straight bits in the country, so I made it interesting by drafting cars to conserve fuel (as well as to help keep the speed down to avoid tickets). I was ambling along at around 110Kph until I latched onto a Ford Focus that was in a bit of a hurry, cruising at 120 but his speeds in the passing lanes got up a bit more until I turned off onto SH79, arriving in Geraldine at 0915 with the economy at 18.5K/Ltr. I soon spotted Jym and his CB750, we introduced ourselves, I enjoyed a natural break after the early ‘cold-squeeze’ and we were soon on the road for Fairlie, Lake Tekapo and Twizel. Some years ago, I actually lived in Blenheim and Christchurch for a total of 12 years, but the roads from here on in were totally new to me as I never got around to traveling much in those days. What a dumbarse!….These roads were great and I guess I should have stopped for a few more photos but we only stopped as Lake Twizel and the top of the Crown Range, looking down on Queenstown for Photo Op’s. We filled at Wanaka and Jym left me at Lumsden to head for Gore as I continued straight for Invercargill. I spent most of the day rubber-necking at the scenery as we pootled along, generally within the allowable limit and only occasionally letting the speed gather up a bit. This leg of the trip was extremely economical as we seemed to spend most of our time going downwind &/or downhill and the temp just kept rising as we headed south, the bike gauge peaking at 32˚ around Winton, although talking to Brett (Hitcher) and Jane later, they reported 38˚ on an electronic display in Winton shortly after I had passed through. Once again, we were treated to some magnificent riding roads, the highlights being the Lindis Pass and the Crown Range (except for having to stop for road works coming down the Devils Steps and in about 25˚, it was worse than the day before. Apart from the odd road works, the only other negative was, I found in places, the roads were sealed with a mottled chip and it was difficult to discern whether it was wet or dry and if there was any ‘loose bits’ on it. But no worries, I had a great time! I arrived at the Top Ten Holiday Park at about 1650 and it was still 27˚. I checked in, cleaned up, briefly chatted wit the Hitchers and Bandit Riders, then headed off to visit another ex-Air Force mate that I hadn’t seen for 15years before attending the Rusty Club Night at the Eagle Tavern in Bluff. I never arrived there until about 2100 and soon met with several other Grand Challenge riders. I enjoyed a beer and a chat, bought my club night badge and a run T-shirt, then went back to Invercargill, filled up for the morning and settled in for a hot night of nervous anticipation, sleeping with just a sheet and the windows and door to my studio unit open. 744.1 Kms for the day at 19.1 K/Ltr Total Kms: 1390.8 DAY 4 / Leg 1 – 19/03/08 – Invercargill to Greymouth: After a crap nights sleep I was finally able to get ready for the big day and left the camp with the Hitchers, only to witness Mrs H nearly get taken out by a cage. There was only about 10cm in it when she pulled out from the curb, as the car came out of nowhere from behind me (on what was a clear, straight road moments earlier) but we managed to get to the Invercargill Cemetery safely just before 0800 to sign in and get briefed. My strategy for the week was to hook-up with a different group each day and for this leg I decided to ride with Andrew and Mark (Bandit Rider & Blue Bandito) who had departed before I was ready. It was 14˚ when I got away at 0810 and soon reeled them in along with three other riders, tacking on the back of the group. We were soon caught by another group of 16 or so and our wee convoy turned off at Mataura to wind through Clinton, Balclutha and Milton before stopping to collect our first pennant at the Octogon in Dunedin at 1020, by which time the day had started to warm-up with the temp now at 19˚and the first 226Kms under our belts. After signing in and taking a couple of photos, the three of us headed back to Mosgiel, then on to Middlemarch for our first fuel stop. Andrew led through this rolling section at a crisp pace and by the time we had completed the 308Kms to Middlemarch, it was 1120, we were cutting through a strong westerly crosswind and it was getting hot at 25˚. We carried on with Mark leading, and Andrew and I both trying to shelter in his draft, but that would have left me in the middle of the oncoming lane so I had to settle in behind. The temp started hovering over 30˚ by the time we went through Ranfurly and the Bandits' both got a little excited as we passed the Chatto Creek Tavern, then carried on through Alexandra, past the Clyde Dam and rode along the banks of Lake Dunstan to our second pennant at Cromwell. We got there just before 1320 when the temp peaked at 32˚, we had a quick snack then headed for our second fuel stop in Wanaka, which was also a brief lunch stop. Continuing on with Mark in the lead, we slipped past Lake Hawea which was really beautiful, (the hills really do look painted on) then stopped for a photo op' by Lake Wanaka. I led out from here and had a moment past the top of Lake Wanaka as I cruised round a left sweeper which had the mottled seal and the bike started to drift sideways on ice grit. It was totally invisible and the bandits only warning of it was by observing it spray off my rear. With the heartrate up and the temp dropping, we motored on to Haast where we had to stop to don our wets before crossing to the West Coast and finishing the day on wet roads in drizzle. The Bandits stopped in Fox for gas but I figured I'd go close to getting to Greymouth on the tank, so continued on alone over a mixture of curly and rolling roads that completed a long but satisfying day. I decided if I went on the last bar before Hokitika, I would fill there but if it came on after that, I would continue to Greymouth and as it turned out, the last bar started to flash as I entered the hoki' town limits, so I filled there before finishing the last 40 Kms at a sedate pace. Checked into the Top Ten Holiday Park and settled in for a good night's sleep. 1020.1 Kms for the day at 17.3 K/Ltr Total Kms: 2410.9 DAY 5 / Leg 2 – 20/03/08 – Greymouth to Wellington: Another early grey morning and down to the train station just after 0730 to chat prior to setting out for the day. It was at this time I heard the quote of the week when IanF asked the Bandits and myself, “Which is the more scenic route?” Classic, as I wondered when Ian ever had time to look at any scenery!! (He's led in about 4 of the last 5 GC's). Anyway, today I decided to ride with the Brett on his FJR and Jane on her Hornet and we departed with Jym just before 0800, heading for Stillwater and Lake Brunner. Brett led out and would stretch a small lead from Jane, which she would close-up on the straights then open up on the next curvy section, so I passed her to ride at the more consistent and economic pace. We made brief stops as Brett took out a Pukeko and decided to check his radiator was clear of feathers, then we paused to don our wets around Kaimata. I slowed to check on Jane and Jym, when it turned out he stopped for a photo op' by Temple Basin, then had a blast climbing to Arthurs Pass and catch Hitcher before stopping there to remove our wets again as we could see the clear skies ahead, over Canterbury. Brett led out again as we headed down, until I passed him and two cars near the bottom. The front one was quite slow and the second was following, right up his chuff and I found the pace frustrating. We stopped again in Springfield to remove more gear as the 17'ish˚ started getting over 20˚. I led out again, leading the group into the Christchurch Square via Russley road, Memorial Ave and down Colombo St. We had to rush through there after getting our pennant and taking a quick pic as there's no parking on the square, so we were soon back on SH1 for fuel and lunch at Amberly. We got there before 1220, it was 24˚ and we had completed 356Kms for the day, enjoyed a great lunch and continued on at 1325. We were encountering more traffic now which spread us out a little and when I got to the Hunderlees, I decided to blow the cobwebs out. I hadn't ridden over this road for over 20 years went a little crazy, enjoying the shit out of it, but was a little perplexed to find the coast had an 80Kph restriction on it. Based on the fact that the traffic had been travelling at up to 120Kph, I figured that it would be OK to pootle along at the limit +20, then waited for Brett and Jane just before Kaikoura, where we were to stop for a coffee break. We were very relaxed when we continued on for the ferry and were soon to witness a wee moment for Brett as he shuffled out to pass a car as Cam came up and started to pass Brett, who hadn't seen him coming. That was as close as you want to get but no problem except for the heart rate and it was on-on through more heavy Easter traffic through Ward, Seddon and Blenheim (where we came to a standstill), finally arriving in Picton at 1740. boarded the Blue Bridge with the Bandits and headed for a good nights sleep in my own bed, arriving home at 2245 659.6 Kms for the day at 17.9 K/Ltr Total Kms: 3070.5 DAY 6 / Leg 3 – 21/03/08 – Wellington to Wanganui: This was a cruisy day to allow everyone to get to Wanganui over a wide range of ferry sailings and I took advantage of the break to do my washing, charge the MP3 which cut-out just before Koromiko the day before (50'ish hours of play/road time), and clean-up the bike which had a very liberal coating of bugs and road crap. After doing all that, I filled up at Caltex Kaiwhara' and got on the road at 1225. Traffic was quite heavy and I lost about 20 minutes filtering through it to Levin, where it thinned out and I was able to sit at a comfortable pace, arriving in Wanganui at 1445, the temp up from 17˚ to 27˚ and after filling up, I spent the rest of the day with whanau. Most pleasant and relaxing 196.9 Kms for the day at 18.2 K/Ltr Total Kms: 3267.4 DAY 7 / Leg 4 – 22/03/08 – Wanganui to Kaitaia: This was to be a mixed bag day, spending much of it on SH1 and my strategy for this day was to head out early for a clear run through the Parapara's, then pootle along until I could latch on the back of a new group to ride out the day. I was up before 0600 to get ready and meet by the Victoria Ave Bridge for departure at 0700.We signed in and received our pennants and I was second on the road, heading down Taupo Quay and across the Dublin St Bridge then out of town. I was pootling along here, letting the tyres warm and slowly building up the pace until I hit the windies North of Upuk' and let the ST have her head. What a blast! ¾ of the way up, my econonomy had dipped to 13.5K/Ltr and I managed to get to Raetihi in 45 minutes then followed Simon into National Park for our next pennant at 0805, only to find my water bottle had leaked and everything in my top box was saturated, including camera, maps and papers....bugger! From here I eased back within the allowable limits and dawdled on through Taumaranui, pausing in Te Kuiti for a natural break, (thanks to the 11˚ cold squeeze experienced through the Central Plateau) before continuing on via Otorohanga and SH31 to Ngaruawahia, then up SH1 for fuel and the next pennant at Pokeno. I arrived there at 1055 with the temp climbing through 20˚ then hopped on the Motorway for the last pennant at Fort Street. I wasn't hurrying but still no groups passed, so I headed on through Orewa, Whangarei and the finish, striking huge traffic jams heading into Orewa and Warkworth. I can't believe that people are happy to sit for hours in queues like that, but I didn't lose too much time, finishing off the ride with another blast when I got to the Mangamuka Gorge, which must be the last remaining fantastic ride on SH1. It was great to dispell the very bad first impression of this road I received in the atrocious conditions on the GC in October and I finally pulled into Kaitaia and Collards tavern at 1520, temp still at 25˚. After receiving my badge and T-shirt I went back into town to check-in, only to find I wasn’t booked in…!!??@#*&. They had booked me from 21-23/03 in error and when I didn’t turn up the day before, my room was let and there were no vacancies…..I was steaming…..nearly 800Kms and no shower for Johnny, but fortunately a phone call across the road got me a ‘just cancelled’, last vacant room at the Northerner….whew!! I got cleaned-up and laid out all my papers etc to dry before getting the courtesy van back to Collards for a few beers, a great feed and good company, finally hitting the sack between 2300 and midnight to sleep like a baby…..But that’s not all!….I still had to get home. 792.3 Kms for the day at 17.2 K/Ltr Total Kms: 4059.7 DAY 8 – 23/03/08 – Kaitaia to Rotorua: As had become par for the course on this ride, I awoke early, cleaned and packed and was on the road again by 0540 in a very cool 13˚, filling-up at the local Mobil station, before my return attack on the Mangamuka Gorge, but this time in the dark. It was a great start to the day but I had barely gone 50Km before the cold squeeze required I stop for relief and to grab a skivvy and heavier gloves. That was enough to get me through to Whangarei where I needed another natural break and took the opportunity to warm up with a Mrs Macs mince and cheese pie and hot chocolate before swapping back to the light gloves, but with liners on as well. After this, the sun came up and took the chill off the day…..except where the road dipped into the gullies and my screen, visor and glasses would all fog-up until rising back out to the warmer air. No problems though and with no traffic I made good time through to Bombay for a fill-up, before heading down SH27 to Tirau and Rotorua, arriving at 1140 in a nice 24˚, to spend the rest of the day with my other son Frank, my daughter and mokopuna. Then stay the night with Nanny Ann in a motel as she was there for a national tennis event. Life is great! 578.9 Kms for the day at 17.2 K/Ltr Total Kms: 4638.6
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. |
Old Blog?
These blogs were posted on the KiwiBiker forum but I decided it was time for a change. Archives
January 2017
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