Unfinished business - the business non-finisher

 2015 Kiwi Brevet - I made it as far as 8 hours in before deciding to short cut the course.

2017 Kiwi Brevette - I overdid it on Day 1, and short cutted day 2

2021 Kiwi Brevette - I overdid it on Day 1, and short cutted day 2.

Notice much of a trend here? I'd had a blast in 2012 during my first brevet, then went well in 2014, so why did I follow up with a string of failures? Easy - in each case, the old adage applied

Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail.

In 2015, I was hot off a great ride the year before. 1100km? Pffft. Easy. I'll cruise it in 5 days. 

With that attitude, I did very little training - my biggest training ride ended at 140km, when I got a lift back home. This put me in exactly the right place come day 0 of KB 2015 - out the arse. I struggled in the heat, I wasn't anywhere near as fit as I'd been a year prior, and my head wasn't there. So, when I was feeling pretty grim after only 6 hours or so, I was already thinking of what I could do. When I crested Island Saddle, about to take the right turn towards the St James Cycle Trail, I'd already decided to pull the pin, and head straight for Hanmer. Although this is still a ~200km day, it was the easy option. I rode back through the Molesworth with a great mate the following day, and found that pretty tough going too.

Fast forward to the 2017 Brevette - I'd recently completed the Great Southern Brevet, so was in good shape. I'd set my sights on an ambitious schedule for the ~600km course - under 2 days. The first day went pretty well, making my way up the Wairau, then down through Motueka to Kaiteriteri. However, I didn't take a sleeping mat, and hadn't planned my night very well. As such, I had an appalling sleep, and suffered badly the next day in the heat. I pulled the pin, and short cutted the course back to Picton.

Now in 2021, I've had a similar experience. I had sold all my bikes not long after the 2017 Brevette, as my focus shifted to renovating my house. I had hardly ridden since then, and certainly nothing arduous or testing. My training was OK at best - I bought a bike in November, only a couple of weeks before my son arrived with us. Shortly after that, I found out the Kiwi Brevet was running a few months later. Juggling home life and work stuff, I could eventually ride 150km without too much drama, and did a single 200km loop a fortnight before the Brevette, so was able to ride distances again. But again, this wasn't quote enough.

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I was on the ferry on Friday arvo, and made my way down to Blenheim in time to collect my SPOT tracker - but not in time to drop my bag of clothes at the local bike shop. As it happened, my accommodation (Chateau Marlborough, highly recommended) was directly across the road from Seymour Square, the start and finish of the loop.

 

The old Taylor River bridge - formerly State Highway 1, now a shared use path with the new bridge alongisde

 

Some last minute shopping ensued - in years past, I've stocked up with various energy bars and cycling 'food' products. They're easy to carry, and have lots of calories, but I just can't eat them any more as they taste atrocious. As such, I bought an assortment of stuff to get me through a 200km day to Hanmer, the crowning glory of which were the small vegetarian quiches.

Nek minit, after a terrible sleep (seems I was still on the 90 minute wakeup schedule of a newborn), my alarm woke me to get my shit together. I had two hours to fuel up, shower, dress, prep, pack, and get across the road. Those who know me will not be surprised I left my accommodation at 8:02, after hearing the clock tower toll while I had no pants on.

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Even though I'm probably considered a veteran of these events now, I still get nervous and super excited at the start. Possibly because I'm well aware the next hours and days are uncertain, and almost totally dependent on an individual's physical state, emotional state, and the weather.

I cruised near the middle of the group of riders as we weaved (wove?) along the Taylor River shared path. Being a Saturdee morn, there were all manner of oldies out, enjoying a stroll. This meant quite a few bottlenecks, and detours along the grass for the group, in the interests of safety.

Once we were off the river trail, I was on my own - there were dribs and drabs along the road, but on looking through the groups I realised I knew nobody in them, so didn't take an opportunity to roll up for a catch up. Instead, I was mindful I was wanting to make Hanmer that night, and that with my very short training window leading up to the event, it was going to be all hands on deck for me.  

I really enjoyed the climb up Taylor Pass - it was a lot longer than I remembered from the only other time I rode it, back in 2012. I'll put that down to being much fitter in 2012 than I am now! After the climb, the descent dropped us down into the bottom of the massive Awatere Valley, which we'd be following upwards for the next few hours. The road starts out almost imperceptibly climbing, then eventually starts undulating, before taking on an unmistakable upward trend. The weather was amazing, with a very light Northerly at our backs, and high cloud lifting to bring about a clear, calm day.

 

My lunch venue, overlooking the Awatere River

Mindful of pacing myself - not falling into the trap of riding with others, I was quite happy to just tick along. Soon before midday, I made a lunch stop. This is completely different from my past brevet and long distance rides of years gone by, where I would ride to landmarks or milestones before stopping, regardless of what my body was saying. I pulled over on a bluff overlooking the Awatere River, stretched, and ate a relatively relaxed lunch. I also decided, in order to keep myself honest, I'd stop at midday and 18:00 each day for a news bulletin - a sort of check in, to record how I was feeling, what was going on, and all that stuff. It also served to slow me down a bit, which was great.

 

Saturday Midday Bulletin

 

After stopping for lunch, my body decided it quite liked the relaxed pace. Not long after setting back off, we were faced with the first proper challenge of the day - the climb to Upcot Saddle. I had memories of this being quite a grunt, and as we approached the foot of the climb, it was nice to see my memory in fine form. I thwacked down the gears on the back, to find my lowest ratio, and started winching myself up the climb. About half way up, I stopped, dismounted, and walked a couple of hundred metres. Nearing the last few corners, I remounted, and continued to grind my way up, only halted a couple of times for photo opportunities. I remembered taking almost exactly the same shots back in 2012 on a potato quality camera, so it's great to have some decent definition photos of this stunning landscape. As I wasn't in much of a hurry, I was taking more photos as I went, too.

 

Eventually, after a bit of leapfrogging and a stop at a stream to refill bottles, I reached the Molesworth Homestead site - about 115km into the day, so had well and truly broken the back of the riding. I knew the next half hour or so would see me crest the high point of the day (mistakenly recalled as 1300m, when Ward Pass is only about 1100), after which the riding got a lot easier. 

I started the climb up Ward Pass, determined not to dismount. I slowly gained on another rider, who was having some cramping issues, and walking up the climb. After pulling alongside and having a quick chat, I was happy as Larry to dismount and complete the climb on foot with some company. He and I had a great chat about rides past, and reached the high point of the day at about four thirty. We had about two and a half hours to clear the Acheron gate to be off the road by 7pm, one of the stipulations of passage for the Molesworth.

Obligatory Ward Pass selfie

 

In 2012, I recalled this section from Ward Pass through to the Jollies Pass intersection as extremely boring, dull, and almost soul destroying. This time through, in much less of a rush, it was beautiful. We still had a bit of a breeze behind us, a cruised along Isolated Flat at about 30kmh. The heat of the day had passed, and the afternoon sun highlighted the mountains flanking us beautifully. As I crested Isolated Saddle, I even bumped into a couple of friends I hadn't seen in years - what are the chances!

Isolated Flat

Isolated Saddle, looking back over Isolated Flat to Ward Pass

 

Shortly after leaving them, my new riding buddy and I parted ways - he was going strong, and I was quite happy to cruise at my own pace. As I drifted off his wheel, I saw a large Macrocarpa in the distance, and decided that was a nice spot for a quick lie down and a nap. There was a stream running nearby, but it was in a sorry state - the local cattle had beaten me to it. I'd refilled my bottles (carrying three on the bike) at a stream before the Molesworth Station, at the Molesworth Station, and then again at the Acheron Station - including the three I started with, that's 12 bottles for the day, all part of my sensible approach to distance riding. 

After a nap, I was feeling refreshed, and had elevation on my side to get to Acheron, then Hanmer beyond. The road follows the Acheron River reasonably closely - it's only ever a decent stone throw away from the road. Be that as it may, the river is just far enough down sheer drops to make opportune dips all but impossible. I dismounted for at least one of the small climbs away from the river, and after a quick stop for my 6pm bulletin, had given up making my self imposed 7pm deadline for the Acheron Station.

Saturday's 6pm bulletin

 

As it happened, I rolled through the end of the Molesworth Station at 7:20, which, given my pace and frequency of stops, was pretty good going. I took an age to get from the Acheron station to the Jollies Pass intersection - my body was feeling pretty flat, and I was about ready to put my feet up for the day. I had a long stop only 15 minutes after leaving Acehron, downing some peanut M&Ms and a bottle of water in the hope it would perk me up for the run into Hanmer.

 

Once I reached the Jollies Pass turn, I was pretty happy I'd soon be back to civilisation - the run from Blenheim to Hanmer is bereft of any real signs of such, aside from the campgrounds at both Molesworth and Acheron. The thought of hot chips and cold drinks was a great lure.

The evening sunset was amazing from up in the hills over Hanmer, and although the descent was very rough compared to my last time through in 2015, I got down without any dramas, and enjoyed the downhill run into the township in the evening light. I'd timed it perfectly to get into town without needing my front light, only switching on my rear light at the commencement of the tarmac just in case any traffic was around (it wasn't).

Sunset over Hanmer

Moi, now mit hoodie as it was cold

 

I caught up with Andrew (organising this and other gravel events - nice one!) and ordered some food from the fish and ship shop and the pub. I even found one of the 0% beers, which was a welcome refreshment at the end of a long day in the saddle.

My accommodation was only a km or so out of town, and I stocked up with some bits from the local dairy before getting back there to take care of my evening admin - washing my riding gear and myself in the shower, and calling home to see how life was back there.

The wonders of facetime and cute babies

 

I'll blame the disturbed sleeping habits of new parents again, for having a terrible sleep, waking every 90 minutes until I eventually got up for good at 8:30.

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The late getup made for a late departure - I wanted to stay in my cabin as long as possible, as the old body was feeling pretty rusty this morning. I ended up leaving at 10, making my way to the bakery in Hanmer to stock up for the day. I'd done the same in 2014, when I'd started out from Culverdon at 5:30, making it back to Blenheim 14 hours later. After grabbing a few bits and bobs from the bakery, I was on my way outta town - headed for Jacks Pass, which I knew to be about an hour from town to the Tophouse Road intersection. 

In preparing for this ride, I'd gone through old rides on Strava to work out roughly how long to budget for each section. I'd budgeted 13 hours for the passage of Blenheim to Hanmer, and been pretty much bang on for that day. My morning from Hanmer to the highway in St Arnaud was planned to take 6 hours, and as I left Hanmer at 11am I figured my intended destination for the night of Motueka was in serious doubt. I knew I was pushing shit uphill (literally) to make progress today, but plugged away at the Jacks Pass climb, finding shade on the side of the road where I could. Had I left at a decent hour, the climb would be dispatched in the cool morning air, as opposed to the full force of the sun I was feeling.

Sweat on the back of the hands means it's hot

The climb out of Hanmer goes up, and up

 

Progress was slow, but I continued to tick off landmarks - the Tophouse turnoff, St James Station, then eventually I stopped for a swim in the river. It was a bit after midday now, so took the opportunity to swim, cool down, have some food, and make a quick video note. I was feeling refreshed after my dip, and was keen to continue my slow progress.

Looking back towards Hanmer from near the top of Jacks Pass

My swimming and lunch spot

 

Sunday's Midday bulletin:

I was caught by a couple of older dudes on EBikes along the flattish sections, but tagged onto one of them for most of the ride up to the Lake Tennyson turn off - it was nice to have some company, and hear their plans of camping out the night somewhere along the St James trail. 

Massive views in a massive valley

The corrugations I'd cursed in 2014 are all but gone - rejoice!

 

The kms passed pretty quickly until I reached the base of the climb to Island Saddle. I entertained zero ambition of riding this climb, and happily dismounted before the gradient forced me to do so. The walk up took about 20 minutes, and gave the legs a bit of a break from pedaling. From the top, the riding gets a lot faster, with a general downhill gradient. I made good time along this section, although I was on a drop barred bike which wasn't ideal for some of the rough sections.

Epic clouds near Lake Tennyson

The view off Island Saddle down the valley is amazing

The view North off Island Saddle is more average

 

I stopped for a later lunch, knowing I was already a bit slower than my projected schedule though here - adding to my concern around my plans for the night. I continued through the Rainbow, and really enjoyed the scenery through here - I wasn't mucking around, but was happy to button off from time to time to take in the views, and enjoy the surroundings. A quick chat to the gatekeeper at Rainbow Station told me there were a couple of riders just up the road from me, and my old competitive streak emerged - I thought I'd left it at home.

My lunch stop, replete with cow shit

Near the Rainbow Boundary

 

Twenty minutes later, I came across Nick and his riding buddy tending to their fifth(?) puncture of the day, struggling to get a patch to adhere to a sealant-covered tube. Being no use to their plight, I continued along the lovely gravel road, under the cover of the Beech canopy, eventually reaching the tarmac for the quick run out to SH6.

Beech + gravel = bliss

Back on tarmac for my run to Blenheim

 

My notes for day 2 tell me it's 105km from Hanmer to SH6, near St Arnaud. I'd penciled in 6 hours for this stretch, which took 7 hours with a swim, a few stops, and a pretty leisurely pace - so not too far from what I could expect. Problem was, with my super late getaway, although I wasn't too far off my schedule in terms of ride time, I was probably at least 4 hours late in day time. 

The Raglan Range flanks the Rainbow Station

Looking North, down the Wairau towards Blenheim

 

Reaching the State Highway 6 turn at about 6pm meant if I continued along the Brevette course, I wouldn't be in Wakefield until after 9 - and on a Sunday night, I didn't like my chances of finding food or accommodation there. It was either roll the dice for Wakefield, or head back down the Wairau to Blenheim, about 100km away. With the added bonus of being home early with my wife and son, Blenheim was a pretty easy choice for me.

 

Even though I was cutting the ride short yet again, I'd had a thoroughly good time out there this time. I'd sworn off riding the Molesworth ever again back in 2015, but really enjoyed the riding through there this time. Ditto the Rainbow. Once I'd made the decision to head for Blenheim, my legs and head perked up a bit - I knew it was 100% tarmac, the cool evening air was descending, and I would be too, so the 100 or so km would take about four hours. I still had an accommodation issue, but figured I could sort that out once I was back in cell range.

I made the right turn out of the Rainbow road instead of the left turn the course prompted for, and didn't feel a single pang of guilt or longing. A few moments later, bombing down the highway, I did feel a pang in my neck - or more accurately, a sting in my neck. I stopped roadside, the ensuing kerfuffle ensuring the stinger was removed and all I had left was a slight swelling. I'd had a bee fly down my undershirt back in 2014 not far from the intersection I'd just been through, so will have to head back some time soon to see if three will be a charm.

 

The ride back to Blenheim was lovely - the evening air was cool, and for about two thirds of my trip down the Wairau I had a slight tailwind. This only abated as I neared the coast, with a mild sea breeze slowing my progress just a little. I took in the views of the vineyards as the sun was setting on me and my ride, and once I hit cell coverage I booked myself back in the same motel as Friday night. 

Looooooong shadows

 

With accommodation settled, all that was left was to make my way to the city, and find some food. Dominoes pulled through with an end of shift pizza, while the BP across the road hooked me up with fluids. Bellisimo!

 

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So with only a couple of months of training time, and still knocking out 400km in 38 hours, I'm keen to do things better next time. My bike was fantastic - the best distance bike I've had the pleasure of riding, with the combo of drop 'bars, nice relaxed geometry, lovely smooth steel frame, and fat tyres. 

 

As 2022 marks a decade since my first Kiwi Brevet, I'm looking to ride the same route and overnight stops as 2012 - Starting in Blenheim, night 1 in Hanmer, night 2 in Springfield, night 3 in Blackball, Night 4 in Murchison, and finishing some time on Night 5. Although it won't be a 'sanctioned' event, I'm really looking forward to revisiting some of the highlights of that course with the benefit of good, solid training and the best headspace I've been in maybe in my life - roll on summer 2021/22!