The Best Laid Plans

Riding on the bike is mostly easy. Turn those pedals and enjoy moving along generally much faster than walking and with much less effort that running. Not being wrapped inside a car is good too as you move through the world and feel part of it and breathe in unfiltered fresh air. That’s a lot of what the TA is about.

But when some force of nature, mechanics, or biology begins applying a bit of friction to the system, that ease can seem to slip away. The weather can turn, part of the bike start failing, you start to feel sick or low on energy for example. There are infinite possibilities, and over 3000kms you’re likely to encounter multiple unexpected challenges.

Weather and wind are highly likely to hit you first and I’ve covered them elsewhere. At least that’s what chose to hit us. Cyclone Gabrielle started it off bringing a threat that we might not be able to start at all. And when we did anyway, there was that excruciating head wind on day one after we hit the beach.

Momentum and comraderie got us through those challenges I am sure.

Apart from weather, we did encounter a few mechanical challenges, like when my chain managed to derail and squeeze itself through a gap that it was never made to get through. Or when my riding buddy knocked his derailleur against something on the way up a climb and affected gear changing for much of the ride.

Riders also had car accidents, sickness, insect stings that sent them to hospital and even loss of motivation for other reasons. Not everyone who starts finishes. Yet anyway; of course some come back and complete it later.

If you’re fortunate, then a combination of determination, preparation, your gear, your comrades, absolute strangers, blind luck and other things get you beyond each challenge and you make it to the other side. The call to stop may be the best call, but if the challenge can be conquered and you get to pedal another day, you quietly rejoice.

But not too loudly. You never know what’s around the corner.

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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