Arthurs Pass Pics

A few great images from Mark Watson (thanks!)

Report from the 'KB' Lanterne Rouge

"Hi Simon

I realise my trip was a little different to the full ‘KB’ – after leaving Hanmer on day 2 I was hoping for Hurunui or beyond. My rear derailleur had other ideas, somehow rotating 180 degrees upon itself and jamming the pivot solid, breaking the chain in the process. Eventually fixed the next morning at the bike shop in Hanmer using a large hammer....

My trip through the Wharfedale was a combination of naivety and brutality. My bike & gear were too heavy & ungainly and I ended up on the biggest hike-a-bike experience I’ve ever had. Over Arthur’s Pass the next morning I was in big trouble mentally, missing my family (my 22 month old daughter especially), yet somehow I didn’t want the riding to end. By Arthurs Pass village I realised that I’d hold the slowness record for KB by a long way unless I improved somehow and by Jacksons I’d decided to become a roadie to make up time. Maybe I could catch up to the others in front of me?

The discovery of my (up til then unused on the trip) MP3 player provided a useful distraction from dark thoughts and I continued – determined to get back to Blenheim under my own steam. I sincerely did not want my ride to end with a Bus trip back to Blenheim! I made a decision (helped by your text message) to skip some of the off road tracks to gain time and also ensure I didn’t end up even more of a basket case. Gear wise I didn’t have a lot of excess items, it’s just that the items I did have were not the lightest. My preparation hadn’t included jungle/hike-a-bike rides, so the weight aspect had gone un-noticed (in hindsight a mistake).

My final night was spent at Havelock – I’d suffered from ‘food anxiety’ after misreading maps & the 41km I had thought as the road distance from Nelson turned into 77km. Eating fish & chips at emergency speed at 9pm at the Havelock Pub while rocking out to the band that was playing seemed a great way to spend my final night.

Reflecting on the experience now shows it wasn’t all bad. Along the way I’d met some great people (Jackson’s Pub owner was fantastic & very funny, among others), discovered my talent for very bad singing to my MP3 player (I’d sometimes forget to stop singing when I rolled into a town) and totally enjoyed the food experience (think I entertained/horrified a few people at Pubs & Cafes).

I’ve learnt so much – not only about unsupported cycle touring/brevet (this was my first) but also about myself. Already I’m determined to have another go – this time on my hardtail (140mm of front & rear travel on what I was riding probably didn’t help either), with less/lighter stuff.

So thank you. What you started back in 2010 has inspired and motivated a large number of people – myself included.

See you in February 2014.

Cheers

Graeme"

Share the Kiwi Brevet experience

If you are interested in sharing your experiences from the 2012 Kiwi Brevet then please use this form to send us your high-lights! None of the questions are compulsory, but they will all be published. If you have an online presence/blog/site then you could include that link in the bottom box.
Form here: http://tinyurl.com/kiwibrevetexperience
Results here: http://tinyurl.com/kiwibrevetexperienceresults

Congratulations!

I was really impressed to see almost everybody make it round the entire course. It certainly sounds like it was harder in the clockwise direction, although the weather gods were on your side most of the time.

The following people finished (an asterisk denotes a rider finishing the Kiwi Brevet for the second time):

Alastair Brown & Martin Harry
Alex Revell
Andrew Carman
Andrew King (most disturbed digestive system)
Andy Gilbert & Tony Little (tandem finsihers, and still talking to each other)
Bill Fry (started with zero training)
Charlotte Ireland* & Tim Collinson
Christopher Gilbertson*
Craig McGregor (Rapid Adaptation award for his sudden transition from road brevets)
Darren Tatom* (most stylish tan lines)
Dave Sharpe (most esoteric text-ins)
David Kleinjan (single speed, with bonus style points for chopper flag)
Dean Johansson
Geof Blance ('Hard-arse' award for back-to-back brevets)
Hana Black
Jeff Lyall* (Voodoo Lounge team captain)
Jimmy Finlayson
Jo Smith
Joel McFarlane-Roberts* & Clair Graydon
Jonty Ritchie*
Julie Williams & Thomas Ekholm
Karin Pehrson (first woman to finish on a CX bike)
Lance Griffin (still smiling while recovering from the Tour Divide)
Matt Gerstenberger* (most improved appetite)
Matthew Kemp & Kerrie Noonan
Michelle Cole & Joshua Kench
Mick Brown & Owen Hughes (best time-lapse photos & most broken spokes)
Mike Revell (the only grandfather?)
Nathan Mawkes*
Ollie Whalley* (first to breach the minimum time limit, by half a day)
Pat Hogan* (biggest bonk on day 1)
Paul Becker
Peter Maindonald* (most improved - failed to make the 8-day cut in 2010)
Richard Davies
Scott Emmens
Stephen Butterworth (single speed)
Thomas Lindup* (bonus for most extra distance covered)
Tor Madsen

Only two people pulled the pin along the way, and Graeme Head took a few short-cuts after losing a day to a broken derailleur near Hanmer, but carried on round to Blenheim. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, several people pulled out in the week prior to the brevet.

The trip reports and photo albums from finishers are coming in thick and fast - there are a dozen posted in the right-hand column already and they make for great reading!

If you are Wellington-based and want to catch up for some tall tales, there will be pizza at Revolution Bicycles in Northland this Thursday (the 23rd Feb). Thanks Jonty.

Thanks to everyone who helped get this show on the road:
My wife, Sarah and bros, Paul and Jonathan for putting up with me.
The Pattersons for land access through MacDonald Downs Station.
Pat Hogan for organising the SPOT hire.
Jeff Lyall for a bunch of work to make the blog more interesting.
Andrew for doing the cue sheets (in a style which kept you on your toes).
John Randal for the daily previews.
Nathan Mawkes for the altitude graphs and reversed google map).
Mondo & Lisa for having me to stay in Blenheim.
Duncan for hosting the briefing in style.
Cycle World for opening early and collecting the SPOTs.
Dave King for getting the SPOTs to us pronto after his brevet.
Various locals who sent through photos for the blog.
Scott, Matthew and Louise for organising the SPOT tracking technical stuff.
And all the riders who contributed to the $3,264 raised for Project K (and chipped in for the Leaderboard cost).

The third Kiwi Brevet will be in 2014 - you have two years to find the perfect saddle. The start will be in Blenheim at noon on the 1st of February. We'll be heading in an anti-clockwise direction.

Pedal on!

Simon

Darren Tatom's Le Voyage d'un Sot

Le voyage d'un sot (journey of a fool)

What have I forgotten? Standing in Seymour Square looking at my meagerequipment, I had a feeling I was  under-prepared for the unsupported 1100km ride we were about to embark upon. My skinny 35mm tyres looked woefully inadequate for the task as I compared my gear to others who were riding.

The mood was expectant; even anxious. Nervous laughter erupted occasionally from the 50 or so riders present as they compared war stories and equipment purchases. 9am rolled closer and after a group photo we were off! I followed the leaders up Taylor Pass road, Simon accompanied us to the top, he looked rather disparagingly at my setup, but I guess he knew from the last Brevet that I would slog it out somehow to the end. He commented that the 6 hour stop time each day was probably not suited to me due to my chronic insomnia. I replied that it was probably for  the best and would save me riding 20 hours per day.

My strategy was simple..just spend more time on the bike than the others. My strength had never been speed and I was always best to set my own pace and settle into a meditative rhythm. I had no speedo or GPS I felt best just listening to my body and going inside my own head. I had completed the last Brevet in 4 days 9 hours or so and the goal was to get under that..even approach the 4 day minimum. Everyone had their own goals for the journey..this was mine!

No sooner had I reassured myself of the goal I was banging out a strong pace with Geof and one of the single speed riders. As the day heated up I started feeling pretty rotten and withing 2 hours I was starting to cramp up and feel nauseous. I found it hard to breathe..was I drinking enough? Was I carrying an illness? As the journey up the Awatere continued riders kept passing. I was too wrapped up in pain and discomfort to be humiliated. I made it to the Molesworth station where quite a few riders were resting..they looked happy and fresh. I filled up with water and chugged on. Appalling cramps plagued me for a total of 10 hours. At one stage the pain was so bad I bit down and pulled a muscle in my jaw. This would be a reminder of my foolishness for not riding within my capabilities. If I didn't get myself sorted, my plan was sunk!

I followed Scott into Hanmer and treated myself to pasta and beer. Other riders who had come in earlier were eating takeaways and looking relaxed..i just needed rest. I bivvied at a campground, at least I was resting but no sleep was to be had. I set off just after 6am feeling rather better than yesterday. I met up

with Peter in Culverden and he caught me up and had a chat in lees Valley. He was the last rider I was to speak with for the next 3 days.

The Wharfedale track was surprisingly easy even with the skinny tyres. I was then set for the road section where these tyres would come into their own. While downing pies at the Sheffield pub locals informed me that porter's Pass was closed due to an accident, and anyway it was inadvisable to go to the high country..after all people had been skiing there only a couple of days ago. I knew I needed more K’s to keep on target and I knew quite a few would be leaving the climbing until tomorrow and staying at Springfield. I headed up towards the Pass. Great volumes of traffic were heading for Christchurch..It looked like the pass was open! I called ahead and booked the backpackers at Flock Hill. As I topped the last rise before the Cragieburn cut, a car passed me, pulled into a lay-by and switched its lights off. 'here we go' I thought..there was no-one around this could be trouble! As I neared the car there was an enormous din of metal on metal and shouts of 'allez allez'. Some friends had been staying at Castle Hill and were watching my progress online. Hugs all round and a quick chat were a real boost. I headed down to the digs for the night.

I was settling into a rhythm now, I felt I was in my power band, the pedals rotating effortlessly. I was undoubtedly moving slower than many, but I was able to sustain 16-18 hours in a day with few stops. Text messages from friends around Stillwater revealed that Thomas had missed the turnoff at Jackson's, which only left Ollie in front of me! Of course he was a long way ahead. I figured he would probably hit Blenheim at well under the 4 days. There were also 2 riders 20k or so behind, Lance whom I did not know and Geof who I had ridden with yesterday morning. I recalled that Geof had done well in the great Southern Brevet a couple of weeks before. If I could stay ahead of these guys as long as possible I might still be on track for the planned finish time..things were looking up!

After a miserable slog through the Waiuta and Big River tracks I hit Reefton as dark was descending. I asked at the motor lodge, but their kitchen was closed. The other bar patrons sniggered at my muddied and pathetic appearance. The barmaid could sell me some chips and a beer, or perhaps I could try down the road. Nothing was open! I pulled into a cheap motel and downed a meal of canned spam, cheese and bread. At least I was keeping ahead of my pursuers. I had no concern about whether I beat anyone to the finish line, but keeping this spot would keep my motivation high.

I set off for Springs Junction at 4am. As light filtered through the trees a gorgeous dawn chorus erupted. A jovial owner at the cafe sat with me and chatted away while I munched through a hearty cooked breakfast. The rest of the day passed in a pleasurable way, legs churning away, head somewhere else, thoroughly immersed in the satisfying rhythm and green world around me. The fearful grind up the Porika was followed by a strong headwind into St Arnaud. I was barely making headway even down hill!

I had lost my cue sheet somewhere on the Maruia Saddle. I was able to text home and Cath sent me the directions to Nelson. I guess I had blown the 'no outside assistance' rule, but there really was no alternative at this stage. In my own mind if didn’t feel like a significant transgression. In hindsight I should have saved the directions on the phone anyway. It had been a long day and I was shagged! The other two were still behind and I pulled the plug at Brightwater, knowing they would probably pass by in an hour or so and stay somewhere in town.

I set off again in the early hours of the morning, it took a surprisingly long time to get through Nelson on the cycleway..thank goodness I knew the way. Heading up the Maungatapu I took a wrong turn at the reservoir and wasted at least a half hour finding the route. About ½ way up the climb I heard a noise behind..they had caught me! I was really glad to see them, I'm not sure how they felt about me. I wondered what it had been like for them grinding away behind for the last few days. I hoped that their passing by would not put a hole in my motivation. I pulled into Pelorus Bridge cafe and they were breakfasting! We pulled out together and headed for Picton. I was aware they had probably formed a bond over the last days, but working together we fell into that easy cooperative camaraderie so common among experienced cyclists. Geof reminded me on several occasions that the barmaid at Reefton had taken a shine to them..opening the kitchen and sorting them out a bed for the night. She asked if they were with 'that other guy'... 'no' was their reply. They had dined on grilled chicken, fish, chips and salad they told me with great pleasure. I guess I had that coming!

The long grind from Picton to Blenheim began an we were setting quite strong pace. Would I be able to keep up? By Robin Hood bay I was really hammered and started to slow. Whether the other guys were slowing on my behalf or they were equally shagged I didn't ask. The mood lightened and the chat flowed easily once we hit Rarangi. We pulled into Seymour Square to applause and good wishes from a small

group of wellwishers. I was a couple of hours under my previous time! Much joy! I had much to thank Lance and Geof for..and they had been good companions in that last day. I crawled off and treated myself to a good nights accommodation, my butt sore as hell, my legs wobbly and my bald head resplendent with a stripey sunburn 'helmet head'

Post script: Skinny tyres

I used a Shwalbe Smart Sam on the front and Sammy Slick on the back, both 35mm cyclocross tyres. There is no doubt they are fast on the tarmac and not too bad on hard packed dirt roads. With a good technique they are reasonable on hard packed single-track and in mud they slice through rather than floating about like wider tyres. On the downside they are hopeless in the loose and miserably uncomfortable. It helped with the bike having front suspension and a carbon frame. Would I use them again?..definitely not! Should I have listened to everyone's advice..but of course! But after all this was 'le voyage d'un sot!'

Some Photos from Hana

There are plenty more great pics in her album (see the link on the right).

If you do a search for 'Kiwi Brevet' in Facebook you'll find lots of interesting photos taken by various riders during the event.

A few more images from out on the course

A sample from the Molesworth (thanks Dominic) and a couple more pics courtesy of Chris Charles in Nelson.