It was another early start, with a big breakfast provided by Phillip at Murchison Lodge B&B. It’s such a lovely place, surrounded by native bush even though it’s walking distance to town…if only I wasn’t in such a hurry to leave!
Each day is hard, but there are several things which make the difference between a tough day and a horrible one:
1) leave early. Riding in the dark at 6am is easier than riding in the dark at 9pm
2) try to plan the ride so the toughest part (eg Maungatapu Saddle) is at the start of the day rather than the end.
3) never turn down an opportunity to eat
4) eat lots
5) minimize rest stops. A long lunch is a rest break, it’s not recovery time. Recovery is when you put your feet up at the end of the day.
6) look after the body. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Stretch those aching muscles. Take plenty of short ‘bum’ breaks to avoid saddle sores.
7) Be efficient. As soon as I arrive, I shower, wash clothes, charge lights/phone/powerbank, eat, phone home, blog, eat some more, brush teeth and sleep.
With the above routine, I’ve mostly got the psychological and physiological battle sorted.
Anyway, I digress…today’s ride was awesome! Leaving just as dawn broke (7am), the valleys were shrouded in mist, the air was crisp, and there was hardly a soul about. The only activity came from milking sheds I cycled past.
Unicycling is a meditative experience. As the wheel is fixed, every stroke is transmitted into motion, and every bump and road texture is felt by the rider. The effortless spin, the hum of my tyre on gravel, and the beauty of motion are what I love about cycling, and unicycling in particular.
(At the other end of the day, it’s a different kind of meditative experience- the Kung Fu monk sort. When your arms hurt, your legs are tired and you have major butt pain, it’s all in your head!)
The ride started with a gentle rolling climb for 30km, mostly on gravel, followed by a short hard kick to the Maruia saddle (580m). It was a good gradient for my 29″/100mm setup, so I passed several other TA riders as we went upwards. I almost missed the photo checkpoint, but luckily there were a couple of riders who yelled at me to stop. It turns out the Maruia saddle is a tree stump, which I took a photo of.
It was a fast descent followed by more gentle climbing towards Springs Junction. There was a stiff headwind which dropped my cruising speed from 17-18km/hr down to 13-14km/hr, but I didn’t mind- it was nice and cool.
After a quick bite at the Springs Junction cafe, there was another nice climb to the Rahu saddle (696m), followed by a speedy, then not so speedy descent all the way to Reefton, surrounded on both sides by beech forest.
Reefton is a nice looking town- lots of 1800s heritage buildings, which unfortunately I have no time to check out. It’s claim to fame being the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to have electric street lights!
It will be nice place to revisit when I’m not riding 100km+/day.
Finally, the sad news for Tour Aotearoa. One of the riders in my start wave, Russell Cullen, passed away after suffering a heart attack at the Durie Hill elevator in Whanganui last week. I remember Russell but didn’t spend much time riding with him. My condolences to his family.