I left Dunedin far too late, meaning I couldn't do 3 mile hill. I did make up for it by nearly killing myself by taking a wrong turn up Saddle Hill.
Along the way I saw 3 other tourers, but they turned off to head somewhere else.
After morning tea with Oma and Opa I had a bit of flat before I was into some tough climbing in the heat and wind.
About halfway to Middlemarch a family offered food and water, something I rarely pass.
After my impromptu lunch I had a very quick descent, having to slow down for some very cautious cars.
The wind made the riding hard going, gusts made descending anything but relaxing.
Eventually I rolled into town, and found the campsite.
Middlemarch being the start of the rail trail there were a lot of cyclist, including 4 tourers! 2 aussie's and 2 Americans.
Distance day 86km total 5190km
Ascent day 1450m total 55,250m
I'd had a good chat to the Americans, so we headed off together.
I'd heard that the trail was quite rough in sections, but what I rode was pretty good. What did make it tough was a very strong headwind.
Occasionally we would have a little shelter, but in general we are hovering around 12kmph.
I've seen more cyclists along this 60km stretch than most of my trip combined. Pretty much all recreational, or short trip riders, but 2 round the world tourers stopped to say hi.
Eventually we reached Ranfurly. After a break I said my goodbyes and continued on to Naseby.
Reaching Naseby was a huge relief. Definitely not the easy ride the distance and elevation suggested. And I was hoping to save energy for a big effort tomorrow.
Distance day 74km total 5264km
Ascent day 600m total 55,850m
I battled the headwinds yesterday, so I should have a tailwind once I start heading south right? Well kinda right. Today was definitely a lot easier, but it wasn't all smooth sailing.
It was forcast to rain in the morning, and it did. At first it was just light rain, and as it was warm I just shrugged it off. The rain had stopped by the time I reached the highest point on the trail.
Part of the way down it started to rain again. As I was descending I decided I should stay dry, and I was glad I did as it bucketted down!
I saw very few cyclists compared to the previous days, I guess they were more sensible. A few hours later it was clear again.
I got to Lauder. My plan had always been to head off the trail from here and take the Thompson gorge road over to Tarras, a steep gravel pass. I decided against it though as I was fatigued and it would have meant another 50km straight into a 30kmph headwind. Instead I continued on the rail trail.
Although I wasn't going into a headwind, I did have a very strong crosswind in sections. This made the trail very difficult to ride.
In general the surface of the trail was easy for me to ride on, but only if I stayed in the tyre tracks. Several times the crosswind pushed me towards the edge and into loose gravel.
Eventually I made it to Clyde. Exhausted and well short of my plan but at least I could have a shower.
Today was also new years eve and my neighbours invited me over. If they hadn't I likely would have had an easier following day, but it was a great night. Right on midnight most of the camp converged on the rugby field and formed a huge circle. Amazing to see!
Today was probably the first time I've stayed up past midnight all trip.
Distance day 101km total 5365km
Ascent day 600m total 56,450m
I awoke mostly feeling alright. A lot later than normal though.
I planned to get passed Tarras and see how I was feeling and maybe push passed Lindis Pass. Another headwind put a stop to that idea.
The riding along lake Dunstan was very pleasant, but very tiring.
Just passed Tarras I met a Japanese cyclist. He was over here for just 8 days!
I had one last hill to climb, and I was over it before I even knew it. After the descent I met an Australian family cycling for a month. Definitely a good holiday.
I eventually got to the turnoff to my camp for the night. I still had 6km to go along the old Lindis road, a fairly rough ride.
When I arrived I just sat down for ages in shade completely drained.
Distance day 74km total 5449km
Ascent day 650m total 57,100m
So Lindis pass was just around the corner. I was looking forward to it, until I actually started.
The riding wasn't too hard, but the road was extremely busy. When convoys up to 20 cars long are passing you every few minutes it's very hard to enjoy.
Eventually I got to the top, to find the pass sign missing! Just a bit further on was the pass lookout. Quite a nice place to stop for a snack.
The descent was very pleasant. Fairly straight roads so I could just let myself go. Pay easy down I met another Japanese cyclist, although he was from Wellington.
Once the road flattened off, it also turned east so for the rest of the ride into Omarama I had a tailwind.
In Omarama I stopped for lunch. I noticed 2 bikes, the owners were 2 girls from Germany and Switzerland. They had planned to head over the Lindis Pass, but the traffic changed their mind. This meant they were heading the way I was going!
We headed off and got to enjoy a nice tailwind for an hour. Then the weather changed. It cooled of, but only because the wind changed to a headwind.
It was lucky there were 3 of us as taking turns pulling we so made decent time. Without them I would have stopped well before, but together we made it to Duntroon.
Distance day 144km total 5593km
Ascent day 1450m total 58,550m
The European girls had planned to head to Dunedin via Oamaru. I managed to talk them into heading over Danseys pass.
This ride was something I had planned to do even before I came over, and it didn't disappoint.
To start with we had a warmup climbing on sealed road. We had a small descent on gravel before a very short rapid descent on a sealed section.
I'd seen the elevation graph, so I thought that was the lay descent before the pass but I was well wrong. A quick 150m down and we were finally at the base of the climb.
The girls took the climb very slowly so I found I only struggled on a few sections. A couple of sections had my back wheel spinning but in general the surface was pretty good, at least for the speed I was going.
Up the top of the pass I checked my brakes, and noticed the spring had bent so it was driving against the disc. I didn't have the tools to bend it back, but I just replaced the whole lot.
The descent was a very relaxed affair for me. This was the first time the girls had climbed or descended on gravel so quite sensibly they took it slow. This did mean I spent a lot of time waiting, which allowed me to take plenty of photos.
We stopped for a drink at the coach inn. We got to enjoy a bit more descending before the road kicked up again. A few rolling hills followed before the final rapid descent into Naseby.
We said our goodbyes, and may end up being in Dunedin at the same time.
Distance day 66km total 5652km
Ascent day 1450m total 59,700m
Staying with family usually makes it hard to get on the road. Today was no exception, being after 12 before I got going.
Being so late I figured I would only go a short distance. It wasn't long before I changed my mind.
Whilst generally down hill, there was still a decent amount of climbing which was very hot work.
Dunback was less than 80km away, but with a tailwind and generally downhill I got there very quickly.
I stopped at the Dunback inn for water, and stayed chatting with the owner. They had quite cheap rooms, but I still had plenty of energy so I traveled the extra 30km to Waikouaiti.
Today was easily the shortest 100km ride, and all good riding.
Distance day 108km distance 5760km
Ascent day 900m total 60,600m
With just 50km away from Dunedin I could take it easy, but I didn't.
The inn owner had suggested getting off SH1 and following the coast road through Kiritane. This meant I avoided one big hill and replaced it by several smaller hills.
Eventually I had to get back on SH1, thankfully I was off and climbing Mt Cargill. This was one of the few climbs that was anywhere near consistent. This made it very relaxing to climb. The descent was good fun as well!
A quick ride through the city and I was done in time for lunch!
Distance day 48km total 5808km
Ascent day 700m total 61,300m
I now have 2.5 weeks before I fly out of Christchurch, but I only have ~1 week odd riding to get there.
I was thinking of some rides around Canterbury that I could do, before I realised I could catch a bus to Nelson and tick Takaka off my list.
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