Right clothes, wrong weather

There’s a saying attributed to various people going around that “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just wrong clothes”. That’s true when walking, and can be when cycling, but really, weather can be a real challenge on the bike, right clothes or not. It affects traction, momentum, energy use, body temperature, bike functioning, route selection and many other things. In fact a strong head wind is arguably a much greater challenge that any road ascent on the TA.

We discovered that on day one cycling down Ninety Mile Beach. For some 50+ kilometres, we got a seriously stifling Sou’wester into our faces that almost cancelled out our pedalling. It was hard to ride faster than 10kph at many points. Then, on the last day from Mossburn to Bluff, Southland decided to blast us with some bad weather to finish. The morning rain was okay, not too heavy, but the wind was gusty, strong and multidirectional which made for slow and sometime hazardous riding.

And going by the online chatter, many riders had suffered worse weather than us going down the west coast earlier.

What do you do in bad weather? Be patient is the first thing. That’s easier said that done though, and the odd curse is sure to slip out as you find yourself fighting the wind, especially as a truck passes, or you reach the end of a line of trees designed as a wind break. The combination of wake generated from truck or a change in cover can turn your bike into a rodeo bull in strong winds.

Or just pedalling straight ahead into a strong head wind can sap energy.

You can only deal with these things by staying in the present. If you know it’s only temporary, you can schedule breaks around it, but that option is not always available. It’s mostly a case of adapting on the bike, using low gears to economise on energy in a straight, strong wind and maybe a heavier gear to optimise momentum in disruptive gusts. Hopefully you left early enough to get to your destination in the daylight hours, ‘coz bad weather and bad visibility can be a scarey combination. Otherwise hopefully you have lights.

Of course you have the right clothes. You came prepared.

Fuel

One of the most fun things about the TA, at least at the start, is the diet. A lot of the careful food choices typical of home go out the window when you’re using thousands of calories a day and your priority is energy. Pies and milkshakes are popular for sustenance and some important nutrients and shops and hospitality services in the know have both on hand for the riders coming through. I remember noticing the visible glee on one or more shop owners as the riders arrived and the pies began disappearing. Of course there’s also an abundance of electrolyte drinks and powders people use and try to replenish at 4 squares & bike shops. I tried a dairy electrolyte drink for what might be the first time after Wayne G mentioned that a sport coach he knew recommended them, and I was indeed impressed with the boost they gave me at times. I did read somewhere that the heart needs calcium for contractions and magnesium for de-contraction, so it’s good to ge...

About the Bike

Three areas of responsibility: body, bike and mind. Lose or critically damage any of the three and the show’s over. Of course you start the TA with your bike in the best condition possible. Some even have brand new bikes. Most have at least done things to their bikes to match them better to the job at hand. In that regard, most people have hard tail mountain bikes and many have gravel bikes, trying to strike a balance between fast (my gravel bike adds at least 5kph over my mountain bike) on the considerable proportion of pavement in the TA, able to handle the gravel and cycle trails that constitute a big part of the remainder and still good for the a few gnarly challenges like the Maungatapu. Many trade the last one away and just hope skills and/or hike-a-bike will get them to the end. Mine was the best bike I had for the job, a full suspension XC bike. I changed the chainring to 34 teeth for the pavement, put some good general tires on it (Vittoria M...

Curious to cows

I’m travelling home to Christchurch by Intercity bus. We think of the bus as a slow and relaxing form of travel, and it is. Since you’re not driving, just sitting back in a comfy seat for hours at a time, you do get to do little more than survey the passing landscape and sights and punctuate that with the odd stretch and refreshment or station stop. However here in the bus, you are still kind of separated from nature and the environment around you to a degree that you aren’t on the bike. One proof of that: the cows don’t take any notice of the bus let alone you. As you pass them in the bus, there is no reaction at all from farm animals most of the time. Compare that with being on the bike, where every cow and other farm animal seems to notice you as you pass, often even when they are far from the road. And they don’t just notice you, they stare at you for ages. To them you are a curiosity. In fact, as you can tell, the feeling is mu...

Wayne’s Tour Aotearoa 2023

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