Tuesday 15th May

Phil walked Sidney to school this morning. Should have worn something other than his jandals because, half-way there, he realized it was too cold for jandals!

Had time for a couple of poached eggs with us before he was off for important meetings.

Got back at lunchtime and we had a cold chicken salad for lunch before heading out to see the brewery, have a tiki along the old main road (the gravel one!) and then down to Frankton to buy ear drops and check out the In2Food offices, kitchen, and warehouse.

Had to rush back so that I could again go down to school to pick up Sidney on the bike.

We then went for a drive into Queenstown, pulled in by the park, and walked through into the town. Had a wander around and then a beer and a bowl of chips at the Pub On Wharf.

Home again jiggerty jig (with a stop off at Pak’n’save for Baltika) and Phil cooked an awesome chilli shrimp curry with dahl and rice.

Sidney had his own gourmet feast with chicken kebabs and macaroni cheese. He ate these while watching City Lights on my laptop.

I played some songs that had been on a loop in my head (Todd Rundgren at Daryl’s House, Ella Fitzgerald, Sheryl Crow, etc…) and we worked out that my tastes were hopelessly MOR.

13th May, Manawatu (Boltons, Ashhurst (Saddle Bridge))

Results

I had a much better sleep Saturday night. Obviously I was still tired on Sunday morning but it was more from riding all day Saturday than lack of sleep.

Lynley, Abe, and I all got MacDonalds for breakfast and were singing all the way out to the trial to annoy Daniel. We got a park close to the sign-on tent so, even though it was raining, it was only a short way to go to sign on.

On the first section we had a bank that was more an A Grade bank than an Intermediate one. I was quite worried about it and everyone was taking a little longer than usual to walk the section. Eventually, Phil Stevenson came over. I don’t know if anyone went and got him, or if it was just lucky, but he changed the section a bit so that we didn’t all kill ourselves trying to get up.

When we got to the first section under the trees it was looking like it might be reminiscent of the infamous slop feast at Mt Erin the previous year, where people were struggling to walk, let alone ride – it was so slippery.

Thankfully, on the second lap, the sun came out. It couldn’t dry out under the trees where the sun couldn’t reach but at least it didn’t get any worse.

I usually don’t cope with muddy trials very well. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been riding the KDX where you have to be more on to it otherwise you end up having to push the pig, or if my idea of being happy whether I liked it or not, but I actually rode quite well, even if I do say so myself.

There was still a lot more room for improvement but I had an awesome day, which more than made up for Saturday. Also, I finished FOURTH in Intermediate which is the best placing I’ve had so far.

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12th May, Manawatu (Stuart Davidsons, #2 Line)

Results

I had terrible sleep Friday night. When I got up on Saturday morning I felt like rubbish, which is not a great start to the day.

When we got out to the trial there were grey skies and it was drizzling. We were a tad early so we couldn’t sign on straight away. On the bright side I got to sit around listening to Abe and Daniel Herbert bickering for half an hour.

When I did start riding I was nervous and my arms and legs were feeling like jelly. I quite often get this at events but it normally wears off after the first few sections. It didn’t wear off and, after two laps, I was really not enjoying myself.

I kept trying to pull myself together but it wasn’t that easy. Then, at the start of the third lap, I decided that I had to do something other then think up ways to explain to dad that I’d had a terrible day. I made myself smile at everyone and, when people asked me how my day was going, I said it was going good. I did ten points better than my second lap.

I still had a couple of fives but I also got three cleans on sections I’d been struggling with.

The sections were quite good and I liked them. If I’d pulled my head at the start of the day it would have been an awesome event. As it was, for the first two laps I wished I was at home but the third lap was kind of fun.

Kinleith Classic Vinduro, 6th May

Results

Mum and dad went up to Tokoroa on Saturday afternoon. I decided that I didn’t want to sleep in a tent so went up with Mark Gray early Sunday morning. When we got there we had plenty of time to put gear on and put gas in the bikes.

I was a bit nervous at the start but once I got going it was fun. Something very unusual happened. For the first half of the lap nobody passed me and I passed quite a few people. It doesn’t matter so much but it is a lot more fun when you’re able to be slightly competitive. Also, the track was really awesome to ride.

There wasn’t anything that was hard but it wasn’t all gravel roads either. Dad wanted me to ride the event on the AG100 but, luckily, Dave wanted it for something else that weekend. I rode the KDX. Looking back though, I reckon I would have got around OK on the AG.

I started on minute 13. After my first lap I got back on minute one. On the second lap I was on minute two. The third lap was alright but it was a bit longer and I was starting to fade. I finished on minute 11.

Overall I had a pretty good day. I went back with Mark Gray since he left first and I wanted to get home. Mum and Dad left a short time after us but didn’t get back until about midnight because the van broke down on the desert road.

Monday 14th May

Took Sidney to school on the bike. Jane had to de-ice it and it was freezing. He had to wear his earplugs.

Put breakfast on hold in the hope of something better… and there was. Went to the boastshed for a coffee and cakes with Phil at about 10:30… before he shot off to earn money.

I sat around all day and did some trials stuff, some events, etc…. while Jane did Jane things like washing and cleaning.

Went down at 3pm to pick Sidney up and took over from Kerrie. Awesome lamb pattie and blue cheese burger dinner with Kerrie and then a late night cuppa with Phil when he finally rarked up.

The Boastshed Cafe for morning tea. Latte, Cheese Scone, Friand, Sticky Bun.

Sunday 13th May, Day 5, Riding to Lake Hayes

We were going to leave by 7 but when we got up at 6 it just didn’t seem like a great idea. It was FREEZING!!!! Everything outside was covered in ice and it was way dark and cold… so we just took our time getting ready.

We eventually rocked out at 8:30 and thought it all looked good. It was really cold but we were wrapped up well (I even had the extra thermal inners in my trousers!!) and it looked like we might even get some sun. That was until we hit the Taieri River bridge on SH1, when everything changed.

The thick mist started about halfway across the bridge and it was like riding into dense fog. The temperature instantly dropped a few degrees and visibility disappeared, as much from condensation on the inside of the visor as the soup on the outside.

There was only one thing to do and that was lift the visor…. and let an icy blast into the cocoon. Speeds dropped, extremeties froze, noses streamed, we shivered, and tried to soldier on. But it was too much for our soft middle-aged whiteness to bear; we stopped at the first place that had a light on, got off the bikes and crawled into the relative warmth and light of the The Waihola Store.

Not only were there no chairs, there was hardly standing room. But there was a coffee machine. It was a really good latte and our fingers appreciated the hot paper cup as much as our stomachs enjoyed the hot liquid. But we couldn’t stay there forever so, after 30 minutes of comfort, we reluctantly set off again.

If anything it was worse. We occassionally popped out into the open, closed visors, and sped up…. only to turn the corner and plough straight back into the whiteout. I’m not sure if it was raining or not but there was a lot of moisture in the air and it was draining work.

(side note: I stopped somewhere beside the road to dry my visor and, while pulling out my cloth, must have dropped my notebook and pen as well. Not a biggie, and so glad it wasn’t the wallet…  but still a bit frustrating… there were all sorts of incoherent mumblings scribbled in those pages…)

The coffee and the cold were having an effect and we were both holding out for the public toilets in Balclutha. It was maybe a silly thing to have waited so long because we both skidded in beside them, dropped the bikes on the ground and half fell, half dived into the cubicles, with pants around our ankles. Really, it was a very close call! But, oh the relief.

We decided against a long stop in Balclutha, instead aiming for Gore. It was only 70km but it felt a lot longer. We had a few good patches, but it was still freezing, and tiring. After filling the bikes at the Gore BP (16.92 l @ 222.9 = $37.72, 11.67 l @ 222.9 = $26.01) we couldn’t be bothered looking for anywhere else so bought another coffee and sat in stunned silence as the feeling returned.

Things had improved a little by Lumsden but it wasn’t until we got to Athol at about 1:30 that the sun really appeared and the temperature started to rise. There was a fine looking cafe in the middle of noweher and we so obviously deserved a treat that we had no choice but head on in.

Jane had the seafood chowder and I had the mothers day special (Smoked Salmon with Special Potato Salad and Green Salad, followed by Apple and Raspberry Crumble and Ice Cream).  By the time we left it was a beautiful day, in every sense of the word.

The roads were now open and inviting, and we only had about 70km to go. It was a doddle.  But then came Lake Wakatipu…. Jane had threatened to stop and look at the view and she was true to her wood… although our stops were a bit out of sync… we drove past the first stunning view and pulled into the very next one to find we could see nothing through the willows beside the lake.

A few kms later we tried again and it was similarly disappointing… but we took a few photos anyway… before following the rest area track back onto the road… except it didn’t go onto the road, it dropped down into an awesome area right on the lake shore. This is where all the tourists were standing taking photos and looking suitably awestruck. What doofuses we

Saturday 12th, Day 4, National XC Rnd 4 (Final)

We were expecting the worst so it was a pleasant surprise to look outside and see stars rather than rain.  We wolfed down our weetbix, de-iced the bikes, suited up, and headed off into the blackness.

We were hoping to be super early but we ended up picking our way through the blackness quite slowly. And then I missed the corner. Jane waited for me to come back while I waited for her to catch up. At about the same time we decided that waiting on the side of a cold dark road wasn’t a lot of fun so I headed back to look for Jane.

I never found her because she’d headed off to look for the track. By the time I turned up it was getting light and there were cars everywhere… oh well.

Jane was parked on the road, obviously nervous about tackling a muddy paddock. I thought about it for a minute and then dived in, and Jane followed. It was a bit greasy but could have been a lot worse. Jane used a spare trailer wheel rim under her sidestand, while the BMW just sank into the mud on her centerstand and sat precariously all day.

It was a good, albeit stressful, day. The bikes were muddy and hard to read but we managed to muddle through.

We were nearly the last to leave the paddock to head to the clubrooms. We had to wait for the last bike, and then I wanted to make sure the results were right before packing up, and then we had to load everything into Chris’s car.

After the prize-givings I left before Jane for the short hop back to the motel while Jane stayed and talked bikes with Lyn Youren and Lyn Archer.

A cold day, but good 🙂

Friday 11th May.

A bit overcast and cooler, with warnings of bad weather on the way so we thought we’d leave earlyish. Just starting to spit as we left but that’s about as bad as it got. There was even blue skies in spots. A few more spits as we arrived in Mosgiel but, other than that, a fine day for a ride.

There was only the one stop, in the one-horse town of Hampden. Jane needed to give the thirsty Yamaha a drink of 91 (15.99 L @ 219.9 = $35.16, 11.97 L = $26.33), and then she needed to check out the local public toilets. The cold was working its magic on her lady parts.

Using our powers of delayed gratification we ignored the many interesting and inviting cafes along the route, and raced to beat the rain. Just to spite us, as we arrived in Mosgiel, the spitting stopped and the sun came out.

The Mosgiel Regency is LUXURY (not just a capital L – it’s an all-CAPS) after the tiny little shacks we’ve been staying in.

Thursday 10th May.

A pretty relaxed start to the day. Lots of roadworks south of Kaikoura. Took ages to get to Cheviot. Waited on bike at Cheviot while Jane hit the local public conveniences and added a few layers of warmness.

Almost an hour to Amberly, where we stopped at the Topp Stop Cafe. They had a lot of cutsy sayings all over the wall. as well as boasting of NO wifi. Just put your phone down and talk to each other, they admonished. It made me too self-concious to grab my laptop to check my emails.

“Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are, but on what you think” – Buddha

“Working hard for something you don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something you care about is called passion”

We’ve stopped at this spot a few times now. Remember stopping there on way back from one southern XC and half the (NI) field were having breakfast there. Shared a fritatta and bagel before filling up bikes (13.81 L @ 218.9 = $30.24, 10.02 L = $21.93) and carrying on.

Jane used the power of the Yamaha to pull away. I found her waiting by the side of the road, just south of the Claus dealershp in Islington. She wasn’t sure if I’d turned off to go to Christchurch or not… so thought she’d better wait and see if I turned up.

She was also waiting on the side of the road at the start of Ashburton. Her bum was feeling the strain and she was reluctant to hop back on the bike but decided that, although getting chilly, it wasn’t wet… and we should get some more miles under our belts.

By the time I turned up at the Timaru BP she was struggling trying to connect to the wifi on her phone. There was a serious lack of guru skills detected and, in the end, she gave up.

Wednesday 9th May.