Day 6 - I feel the need...the need for speed

 Day 6 - Springs Junction to Ikamatua

Today was all about speed. For the most part, our approach to the Tour Aotearoa is to keep it on the level. No rush, no drama, just take it in. “It is what it is” could be the motto so far. However we had done some forward scouting and knew that rain was forecast to hit at our destination around noon. 

An early start

Since we wanted to make it to Ikamatua by noon that meant an early start. 530am and the alarm took me from my gentle dozing to full awake. Full disclosure, I was in bed and asleep at 8pm the night before so that meant a pretty solid sleep. Feel free to save your sympathy for later in the blog post.

Getting ready outside our little cubby-bouse

The body keeps the score

Tony was a bit more diplomatic in his post regarding our morning routine today.and I’ll elaborate just a touch more. Some mornings have been intentionally lazy but this was not one of them. Our goal was to be riding by 630am so we were up and loading our bikes straight away. Things were going well and I was munching on a Cliff bar when I started to feel the earth move. Unfortunately, my body clock was saying it’s time for your daily constitutional which meant a ride into town to the only available toilet. I left Tony to say farewell to our host and sprinted down the highway to  bring my humours back into balance. With that taken care of I could enjoy a surprisingly good latte from the gas station.

Climb every mountain

Today started with a pretty steep climb up the Rahu Saddle. While the legs are feeling ok, I wouldn’t have minded a slightly longer warmup. Oh well, nothing for it but to peddle. Once again I will say the NZ chocolate bars are coming in clutch when I need a boost. It's like a magic spell is cast on your body and things just seem a bit easier.  We made the saddle in an hour and incidentally this is where you could apply that sympathy you held back from earlier in the post. The legs were tired from cresting another big climb. After a quick photo stop and an energy gel, it was time for the descent.

The road is going up in case you can't tell

I'm smiling but the eyes tell the story of pain

Summit the saddle


We’re going down!

And descend we did!  All 30km or so down to Reefton. I swear this was the fastest and longest stretch of down-hill I’ve had on this trip. The road was quiet (another benefit to the early mornings) and the pavement smooth. I won’t say that we let ‘er rip without some concern for safety but it was definitely a quick decent. 

These forests are pretty nice


Second Breakfast? Elevensies?

Rolling into Reefton at 9am was perfect timing for a second breakfast. We stocked up with groceries for the day ahead and found a cafe to get our fill of calories. Today I was able to notch up meat pie number 2 and finish with a lamington. At the time they seemed like good choices, but hindsight will tell us a different story. 

Hmm...meat pie.


Sprint to the pub

Leaving Reefton around 10am we had 26km to cover and we wanted to get there before the rain. We had accommodation booked at the Ikamatua hotel so with a clear goal in mind, we set off at a blistering pace. Tony took the lead as we cruised at about 30 k/hr along a relatively level highway. As the pace continued my guts started to suggest I might like to balance my humours again. Or the very least, stop peddling the bike so fast. In case of mind over matter I quelled the internal uprising and took the lead for the peloton at the 20k mark. This turned out to be the exact moment the wind picked up and the storm clouds appeared on the horizon. Heads down and legs pumping we rolled into Ikamatua and our little cabin for the night. 

Storm's a brewin'


A 71k rest day

Since we arrived at our destination by 11am it almost feels like a rest day. Time for a shower, laundry and chill out for the afternoon. Tonight might even be my first beer for the trip.Tony and I spent some time mapping out our next few days and I’m feeling good about our progress. I have a plane to catch on November 22nd and I want to find that balance between getting there but also not killing myself (and my body) along the way. At least as of writing, I’m feeling good about the plan.

The feeling of making it here before the rain was somthing special


Final tally for the day:

Distance: 71.58 km

Elevation: 479m


And the tally for the Tour so far:

Distance: 411.32 km

Elevation: 4,803m


Comments

Anonymous said…
I am loving the posts. 30 km of downhill sounds grand to me. Anything left of your brakes? Everything looks fabulous! Judy
9:59 AM

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tour Aotearoa (the South Island)

Image
 Adventure awaits! I should start with an apology to anyone who I've seen in the last few months. I made sure to tell you all that I'm doing a big bike ride. This is the story of that bike ride.   The Plan All good adventures start with a plan. The average adventures start with a few beers. The bad adventures start with a bottle of rum. I'm hoping for the good kind of adventure. The short version is I'm riding the South Island of New Zealand, following the route from the Tour Aotearoa race . My brother Anthony Tony is the inspiration for our ride and has been documenting his journey doing the North Island . You should definitely check out his blog as there's so much good info there, the highs, the lows and everything in between.  Zoom in to see the red line that is our route. You can also zoom in and see the mountains we will struggle over and around. The Tour Aotearoa is an awesome event and I love the vibe. There is an actual sorta kinda race that starts in Februa...
Read more

Do you believe in magic?

Image
Recap - Rest day Yesterday was a rest day - a few things lined up to keep us off the bikes. First was the opportunity to catch up with our cousin, Leigh, whom we had not seen in some time. Second, we had family arriving from Brisbane (Mel, sister-in-law and mum/dad). Another day's rest after conquering the Crown Pass was also a nice bonus.  We spent a lazy morning exploring downtown Queenstown and getting the lay of the land. It’s my first time here and it certainly lives up to its reputation as a beautiful city. The mountains ringing the town are big, bumpy, smooth, ragged…all the descriptions you can think of. Thanks to the cold front we rode through yesterday the high points were also dusted with snow which added yet another layer of beauty to the surrounds. At noon I said farewell to Tony and Leigh as I had a jet boat tour booked. I went down Skippers Canyon and it was a lot of fun. In addition to the jet boat thing, I also got a bit of local information as the bus ride into th...
Read more