Taming Queen Charlotte!

It was SWDUs first cycling adventure in New Zealand and the steepest, most treacherous section of the rocky Queen Charlotte track seemed like a great place for a wannabe international athlete to start out...

I'd prepared thoroughly with an easy ride to work about 4 weeks ago, so it was going to be like a walk in the park. I'd also had a 'hearty' breakfast, which consisted of a slice of cold pizza from the night before. In addition, sustenance for the journey would be provided by a box of tic-tacs and a small bottle of water!

The ride started with a 496m climb from sea level, which would be followed by a 24KM treck to Torrea Bay, where I would be picked up five hours later by another boat 'if I arrived on time'! Part of the first ascent looked like this from the water. As you can see, it was steeper than the bill at a fancy restaurant!

When I got to the top, I was puffing like Thomas the Tank Engine and muttering more expletives than you would hear in a tourettes clinic. The Lord of the Rings view soon made up for it, though!

After that, the ride went up, up, up and occasionally down, too. I lasted about three hours before my legs told me they neeed some good food, so I stopped to trash the tic-tacs and finish the water! The view from my lunch spot was pretty good and I wondered whether I could ride down the hill to the road, which was far below.

Fortunately, the descent started soon after and I decided to see how fast I could go if I didn't use the brakes. I nearly managed to overtake my own shadow but decided to be more careful after sliding over a gravel trap to make it round one of the bends! I did reach the end though, and here's me finishing after only four hours, which got a lot of respect from the locals!


Looks like determination and a fear of missing the boat are great motivators...

StevieWonder

SoreCyclingGod