Longest Day 2021 - French Pass

With a few years of doing *other* stuff (renovating a house, getting married, having a baby boy, getting another on the way, etc) I've been pretty low key on the cycling front - it's been a good chance to chill out a bit, physically, but even that comes with penalties like being fat and unfit. So, what better way to counter my new found girth than to get back to the bike?

Thankfully, I have two days a week where I can be in my office in the Wellington CBD, which gives me 4 x 25km rides each week without even thinking. Add a couple of short lunchtime loops or hill sessions to that, and the odd longer weekend ride, and it starts adding up to a pretty healthy amount of cycling. With the sense of fitness returning, I thought it would be a shame not to take advantage of it over the summer of 2021/22, and penciled in two rides - the Longest Day, and a revisit of the 2012 Kiwi Brevet course.

Initially, I'd been keen to try a loop out of Blenheim for the Longest Day ride - out over Taylor Pass, along the Awatere, through the Molesworth, across to Sedgemere Hut, out along the Rainbow Valley, and back to Blenheim via the Wairau for something like 240km. However having scoped it all out, I found a storm 6 months ago cut off not only the Rainbow Road, but also the Awatere Valley Road, rendering my lap kaput. This also torpedoed any idea of doing a semblance of a Kiwi Brevet route, with both the Molesworth and Rainbow routes scratched, so it was back to the drawing board for that one too.

I was keen to see some sights around the top of the South nonetheless, as nothing close to Wellington appealed, so I set out to find another route. I looked at a ride out to Clova Bay, which was impacted by road closures from the aforementioned storm. Hmmm. Trawling Strava for cool looking rides, I saw my mate Aaron had been out to French Pass from the Rai Valley and rated it highly. Better still, by the time the ~60km commute each way to/from Picton was added, it was a pretty neat 250km ride. That was that, and I had the option of adding the Archers Track and Opouri Saddle if I felt the need for an additional punshiment on the day.

By some sort of Christmas Miracle, I left my hotel on time, rolling out bang on sunrise at 05:46. We'd had a few days of very strong wind in WGN, so I was thankful to see a relatively calm day when I stepped out.

Sunrise, Picton

Just about to drop down to Havelock, looking along Kenepuru Sound

 The ride through to the first hill was cruisy, as I was trying to pace myself (not somthing I've really ever done, but do so out of necessity these days) and all I had to contend with was a bit of a head/cross wind from Havelock to Rai.

I grabbed a couple of emergency rations from the store there, and stashed them behind a bush nearby, just in case I was well off schedule on my return leg and missed the store closing time of 6pm, then carried on up Ronga Road. I had little knowledge of the road or the area, and found myself thoroughly enjoying the relatively mellow gradient - so much so I had to button off and cruise when I noticed my heart rate up near 180, which isn't my 'all day' pace (it's my 'commuting to work' pace). I crested the first climb, congratulated myself on 1/4 of the climbing done (Ha!) and shredded the awesome descent to Okiwi Bay, with barely a pedal stroke between the crest and the coast.

I arrived in Okiwi Bay at 0945, and needed to restock my water from the store which opened at 10, so took some time to lie on the grass by the beach and stretch a bit. A quick stop at the store, and I was back on the road. As soon as I was on the main climb out of the Bay, I noticed the tar starting to melt on the road - this was at about 1030, so although I knew it was supposed to be quite warm today, it didn't fill me with confidence for what the afternoon would hold for me.

Once up on the ridge, the road sidles for quite a while, with no significant climbs to speak of for the rest of the outward trip. After a quick jaunt through some native bush, the road emerges into farmland, which affords awesome views around every corner. Somewhere along this section, just after the Elaine Bay turn off, the road changes from tarmac to metal.

I carried on along the gravel road, which undulates along the ridge, ultimately dropping a few hundred metres to the coast. I took my time, with a few photo stops, and made my planned stop at French Pass at 1pm on the dot. So far so good, and the old body was doing fine. I was perplexed to see the store in French Pass brandishing a 'Let's Go Brandon' sign, painted on the front of the verandah, along with something about them being COVID Free. I know Let's Go Brandon is some sort of American Republican *wink wink, nudge nudge* in joke, but when I read it all I could see was the initialism LGB. As such, an ignoramus like me has to assume the French Pass community are embracing of any Lesbian, Gay, and/or Bisexual visitors to their community, but I digress.

French Pass settlement - the road escapes around the spur

Although French Pass is inhabited by fuckwits, at least I could get a Fruju

 

After a bit of a sit down and a stretch in the shade of a Pohutakawa, I jettisoned my Fruju wrapper, and was promptly heading back from whence I came. So, the downs were now ups, and the ups became downs. 

Red Rocks - remarkably similar to that found on the South Coast of Wellington

 

The initial climb out of French Pass isn't super steep, but is certainly quite taxing in the heat of the day - the wind was but a zephyr, and the 125km already covered wasn't working in my favour. I took a few stops on my way up the main climb, partly to take in the views, and partly because there were occasions the appeal of being stationary won over the appeal to keep moving - cest la vie.

Up, up, and away

French Pass (the actual Pass) visible with the tidal flows

Helmut Juice

 

One of the benefits of an out-and-back route like this one, is you've got a pretty decent idea of the terrain for the homeward leg. I'd planned to take a small deviation, to keep it interesting, and to take in a climb I'd never done - Opouri Saddle, from the Tennyson Inlet side. I've done it three times in the other direction, and was frothing at the chance to ascend the 500m in the shade of the virgin native forest clinging to the hillsides. My turn off was Elaine Bay, and I was ruminating en route over this option - I hadn't taken the Archers Track route before, and had no idea how taxing that would be on a gravel bike. All I knew, is the 500m climb would be tough enough on it's own, without throwing in an unknown. 

As much as it pained me, I passed that turn off, and pressed on back towards Okiwi Bay - Plan B it was to be! I was mindful of the molten tar once I was back on sealed roads, and took the descent back to Okiwi gingerly. Besides, I was making decent enough time I didn't need to push it at all. The views from the section leading up to that descent were amazing, looking West out towards Farewell Spit and Tasman Bay.

 

With my final significant climb of the day looming, I was feelign pretty OK - I'd rationalised the route choice, and was physically and mentally in a pretty good space. 10 minutes later, I was sitting on the side of the road, in the shade, desperately wanting my body to come back to life!

That descent into Okiwi in the morning had been a blast, and I hadn't turned a pedal for the duration - in this direction, there were a few nasty sections, and the combination of the heat, gradient, and elapsed distance started to get to me. An old biddy in a camper van stopped and asked if I was in need of a ride, which I naturally declined after a few seconds deliberation. A few minutes later, I was off again, and made slow but steady progress towards the crest. The ride down valley towards Rai was great, as I had a bit of a tailwind at this point. I easily made it before the shop closed, and must have been feeling the effort of the day, as I walked out with two Powerades and a Fruju - I don't think I've bought a powerade in about fifteen years.

 

I sat in the shade and rehydrated, knowing the remainder of my ride was relatively cruisy - there's scant elevation to speak of from Rai to Havelock, then only a couple of small climbs to negotiate from there back to Picton. The afternoon sun was just starting to lose it's bite, and with a gentle tail wind, I set about knocking out the kms back to my reasonably crappy hotel room.

 

I stopped briefly in Havelock, and again emerged from the Four Square with a strange combo - an apple, and a litre of apple juice. This must be what pregnancy cravings are like.

The road from Havelock to Picton is one of the best in NZ - it's very lightly used by cars, and sinuously dives in and out of the multitude of small bays lining Pelorous and Kenepuru Sounds. The evening light was putting on a show, and although the sun was now behind me, it lit up the bush in the most beautiful hues as daylight dwindled. 

 

The last little climb before Picton was crested before I knew it, and I rolled through Shakespeare Bay to catch the last of the sunlight of the day - mission accomplished.

I ended up with bang on 250km for the ride, in a bit over 15 hours total time, and a smidge under 4,000m climbing.

 

There are a couple of other road rides which are right up there (well, roads I've ridden, at least). The road from Martinborough out to White Rock is one of them, and the climb from Milford Sound up through the Homer Tunnel (and no doubt along to Te Anau) another, but this is certainly one of the most amazing rides I've done - the scenery alone is worth the effort, but being so far away from everything, and seeing a part of NZ so few kiwis do is also pretty neat. Very much recommended, and if you want to shorten it a bit, starting the ride from Rai Valley is a pretty good idea.