I was well rested and well fed after the night at Matahiwi cabins. Host Marlene and her daughter Shantel saw me off as I rode out along Whanganui River Road.
It was a beautiful ride as the sun rose The gently rolling road follows the Whanganui river for another 40km or so. One of my favourite riding experiences so far. My legs were feeling good and I was spinning comfortably at 18-20km/hr.
I finally reached the highway and turned toward Whanganui. After crossing a bridge it was onto cycle path all the way into Whanganui. A local rider, Paul, came out to say hi and rode with me into town, then the Whanganui Chronicle caught me for a quick interview as I scoffed down my lunch.
The photo checkpoint for today is the Durie Hill lookout, accessed via a tunnel and an elevator. Unfortunately both were shut so I had to lug my unicycle up a huge flight of stairs to get to the hilltop, with sweeping views of Whanganui and the river.
It was a long ride today- I was heading for Hunterville (114km), but my legs were feeling good. My wife Anna, 3yr old Gryffin and 8m old Anthea were staying with our friends Bridget and Jim in Rangiwahia, the next town on the Tour. It was a further 41.8km, and they were going to meet me tomorrow. I was missing them terribly, so figured that I could do the extra distance and get there tonight.
It’s just a marathon between me and my family, which a top unicyclist on a standard unicycle can knock off in 1hr40. Add a bit extra for the 500m climb and the 11km gravel road, and I thought I could do it in 3hrs.
I arrived in Hunterville at 4.30. Still 3hrs daylight….so decided to push on. Suddenly the legs which felt great at 80km didn’t feel so good at 114km. Anyway, I’d made up my mind.
The road just kept getting harder, until I hit the gravel section. It was a slow, painful grind but I’m getting to my wife and kids even if I have to grind gravel all night! There were some big climbs but I finally made it to Bridget and Jim’s. It had been a 14hr day. The body was feeling pretty broken, but I made it!
They fed me an enormous mountain of curry and rice- that hit the spot!
