Day 2 - I crashed! Is this the end!?

I crashed! Is this the end!?

If this were a youtube video, the thumbnail pic would be me, sitting on the side of a dirt road looking super dejected, leaning up against a tree, with really oversaturated colours and the text would say “I crashed, is my tour over?”. The answer to that? Well you have to watch the video read the rest of the post.

Leaving Pelorus Bridge

We started day 2 bright and early leaving Pelorus Bridge at about 8am, heading towards the Maungatapu Track. It was a cool morning but the promise of sun meant we were in for a good day of riding. We also knew that this was going to be a big day. There were several bikers at the campsite and a few had come from the direction we were going. The general consensus ranged from “very hard” to “very hard”. The main challenge was a combination of gravel road and steep elevation. 

All smiles at the start of day 2


The Maungatapu Track

The Maungatapu Track gravel started off pretty good with a packed base of fine gravel and notwithstanding some elevation gain, we made decent time. 

The start of the ride was really quite lovely

Sheep! In New Zealand you say? Crazy.

After rolling through some lovely countryside we started in on the gravel trail We did a river crossing and at that point the trail grabbed a big stick of “eff you”. The trail went steep. The gravel went big and loose. 

Gravel?

A slight diversion is in order. When I say “Gravel Road” I’m sure you have a picture in your head. Trust me, that picture is wrong. Sorry. I know you meant well, but you just don’t understand. Gravel roads are on a spectrum. For my friends in health care, the “Bristol Stool Scale” is a good analogue. The texture, size of the gravel, how firm it is…it all makes a difference. 

Back the trail

At this point, we got some insight into why this is in the "very hard" category of our trip. The ride turned into a hike. A hike-a-bike if you will.

It nevers captures the steepness. Trust me. It was steep.

The views - when you remembered to look up from your gruelling journey - were actually quite nice

After a grueling few hours we made it to the Maungatapu Saddle and the high point (in terms of elevation) for the ride. Truth be told it was the high point (in terms of emotion) as well. We had conquered probably the hardest trail on the Tour Aotearoa. After a bit of a refuel and a few photos we began our journey down.

The Crash

After the peak, the trail condition was pretty much the same as our journey to the peak, our bikes were just pointed downwards instead of to the sky. I may be many things, but a technical rider is not one of them. I struggled mightily to keep my stead under control. The man from Snowy River, I was not. 

It was a combination of very large, loose gravel, often times just straight up rocks, a gradient that was crazy, and a bike laden down with all my gear. Although I was riding the brakes all the way down, I hit a patch that was especially rocky and I needed to get things back under control. Sadly I chose poorly.  I put my feet down and came off the bike, rolling to the side. Fortunately I didn’t do any serious damage  to my body (some bruising on my torso) and only minor damage to my bike kit. We didn’t realise right away but the fall took out one of my rear pannier bag hooks. A quick fix with a zip tie and we were on our way. 

This track was truly brutal, and not just because of the fall. We spent long portions of the day walking our bikes up the hill. It just felt like a sisyphean task. I challenge anyone to actually ride that trail.


At the end of the track. Relief.

Nelson to Wakefield

Fortunately the rest of the day was the total opposite. We spent the day along the Great Taste Trail which is a mix of paved and gravel path that took as through Nelson, along the waterfront, to the towns of Richmond and Wakefield. The terrain was flat, the wind at our backs and the sun shining. Several stops along the way for refreshments and we were at our campsite in no time. And by no time, I mean 10 hours from when we left Pleorus Bridge. This was an epic day and we were glad to be setting up our tents at the Wai-Iti Domain campsite. 

The Great Taste Trail



The trail meandered through lovely vineyards



Out campsite. Also a cricket pitch! I'm the red tent over on the left.


Final tally for the day:

Distance: 80.87 km

Elevation Gain: 1,341m

And the tally for the Tour so far:

Distance 135.48 km

Elevation 1,900m


Tomorrow will be another big day. Surely absolutely nothing will go wrong that day...


Comments

Derek Martinig said…
I’m guessing your recent crash practice prepared you for this one. Glad to hear it wasn’t an epic bail followed by more road rash and bike damage. Safe travels buddy
9:14 AM
steve said…
Nice work pushing through to enjoy the pleasant ride on the other side!
10:58 AM
Scott Watts said…
Whew.....ok, good writing Rob, keep having fun and givin'er!
9:26 PM

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