Today we rest

Rest day - Fox Glacier

Today is our first full rest day. We had a sort of rest day at Murchison (since it was only 32km for the day) but this one feels different. A glorious sleep in, a lovely cooked breakfast and a full day to relax and do not much of anything.

That's a big piece of wood

We are staying at a backpackers in Fox Glacier and it’s perfect. Nice and quiet, a full kitchen and lounge area and most surprisingly a hot tub and sauna. The hot tub felt amazing yesterday and I might do another soak later this evening. Just because I can really.   As I type the rain is falling heavily outside and the sound of it drumming on the roof while I sit in warmth and comfort somehow makes the whole experience very hygge. I think if the sun was shining and the sky blue I would be bemoaning the lost opportunity. Instead, I am sitting here congratulating myself on the excellent planning to pick this as a rest day.

The hot tub is just behind that gate, beneath all that rain

I should be clear that the credit is not really mine to make. My brother and I spend a good amount of time each night planning the next few days and it’s not always straight forward. There’s trade-offs to balance between the trail surface (paved vs gravel), elevation gain/loss, distance between destinations, places to stop and refuel along the way, wind and weather, and finally the overall timeline of the journey. After all, I’ve got a plane to catch on November 22nd. 

One final quirk to mention about the backpackers is that it is covered with inspirational posters of the kind that grace far too many offices around the world. Despite my obvious aversion to them in the workplace, I have to say I love them here in a backpackers in the middle of the South Island of NZ. 

So inspiring

Lessons learned

Since today is a rest and recovery day I thought I’d jot down some reflections on the last 9 days and what I’ve learned along the way. I’ll break it down by category and also give a status update on the overall situation.

Bike

This is probably my biggest disappointment so far. The wobble on the bike has been really bad the last few days and for a touring bike I expected more stability. I think I’ve got good quality bags and racks and it’s just not been comfortable. All hope is not lost as I have some ideas on how to repack my gear to make it ride more smoothly. So there is a chance this is just a consequence of my inexperience as a bike-packer. 

In terms of breakages and maintenance, I’ve suffered one flat tire and two broken pannier bag buckles. The flat tire is just par for the course - I would have been more surprised if I didn’t get a flat at some point. The pannier failure, while disappointing, is really a user error problem. The buckle failures came through my poor riding.

Zip tie to the rescue

My rear tire is also wearing out faster than I would have expected. Not something that will be a major problem but interesting to note. This could also be attributed to the weight I’m carrying, as well as the mix of road and gravel. Either way, it’s noteworthy how fast the tread has worn down (especially compared to the front tire). 

Overall I’ll give my bike 3 stars. It’s a pass-mark but there is room for improvement.

The Journey

How to describe the journey so far? I’d say it’s exceeded expectations in terms of weather, terrain, scenery…all the things I guess. Logistics have not been a problem (even if it was a harrowing journey to NZ), the sun has been shining more often than not, and our accommodation has been super varied. The cycling infrastructure here is fantastic with wonderful cycle-ways that are well signed, and the communities around them are very supportive of riders. I might wish that the highways had about 2’ more of a shoulder for cyclists but I also have to give credit to the drivers who give us a wide berth, wait for us if it’s a blind corner and they can’t see oncoming traffic, and even the occasional toot of the horn to help us grind up a hill.

So, the journey gets 5 stars

Body

Not going to lie, the first few days were pretty hard on the body. Probably the hardest ride of the whole tour was on day 2 and we didn’t let up much until now. My leg muscles have started to respond nicely and while they are a bit fatigued, they feel strong for the days ahead. My left knee is a different story. I came into the tour with a persistent ache/pain and it turns out riding over 600k in 9 days does not improve that. My knee and I have found an uneasy truce and I don’t think it will cause major problems. Between some stretching, good warm-ups, ibuprofen, and managing our pace, it should be fine. 

Last thing I’ll talk about is my sit-bones. My botswana. The derrière. Sitting on a small narrow seat for hours at a time while repeatedly moving your legs is definitely not a normal situation. I have padded bike shorts, and I’m liberally applying chamois cream and it’s been…enough. I’m always happy to be off the saddle at the end of the day and I’m hoping that my continued focus on preventative actions will keep this situation stable.

I’m going to give the body 4 stars. I’m holding my own.

Mind

I’ll leave you, dear ready, to debate the merits of separating out body and mind on a philosophical level. I think it’s useful to give you insight into how I’m approaching this trip. My experience racing the Yukon River Quest in 2023 is also a reason why I’m breaking it down like this. For me, these long distance events (as a race or just for fun) are really all about the mental state. For sure you have to prepare your body and equipment, but that’s the easy stuff. The real trick is how you talk to yourself through hardship. After all the preparation work has been done, there is so much that is out of your control. Being resilient, bending with the winds that come your way (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively) are all assets that make the experience positive. 

Brothers

This trip has the extra layer of spending lots of time with my oldest brother. We don’t really see each other much since we live so far apart so it’s nice to have this trip together. We’re overcoming the hurdles together, pushing and supporting each other, bouncing ideas back-and-forth…this sort of intangible also keeps me super excited for the trip.

So I’ll give my mental state for the ride 5 stars.

Dare to dream

Onwards

Tonight I’m cooking up a pasta dinner and we will probably have a drop of red wine too (luxury). Tomorrow we are going to aim for Haast, potentially our longest single leg of the tour.