tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89185001079480674552024-03-04T23:00:11.087-08:00The Long Road to Antelope WellsFollow my progress from Alexandra, NZ to Antelope Wells, New Mexico - the end of the Tour Divide Cycle Race/ExperienceRob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-56554111439794073352018-05-20T18:30:00.000-07:002018-05-20T18:30:24.828-07:00Canada to Mexico Mk3 Complete - How did it go?Just spent some time reading the last of my very sporadic posts.<br />
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What a plonker! I wrote that post, as I do with others and this one - as a way to record how I'm feeling at the time. I was laying down the gauntlet to challenge myself. Now that its done it feels strange to read the strength of conviction I felt at that time.<br />
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So - How did it go?<br />
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Pretty good I think. Finished 5th or 6th if I take into account that Jay Petervary started the race a day or two later and got up and past me and almost everyone else. What a ride - got past me on his birthday - We enjoyed a birthday lunch at the McDonalds in Cuba before he sped off later in the day.<br />
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Although I doubt that my training lived up to the intention of my post I certainly was there to do the best I could. I did what many have done in the quest to be faster - I spent heavily on a new bike setup.<br />
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And it was good!<br />
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Salsa Cuththroat in silver/blue. Built up from the frame with double chainring DI2 11 speed running drop-bar and road-style shifters. Add some disc brakes, dyno hub up front, tubeless Maxxis Icons, good quality bearings in all the important places and all important butt cradling rocket-V seat and I was good to go!<br />
A Salsa top tube bag and matching frame bag joined my well-worn porcelain rocket front roll and seat bags.<br />
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My previous two divide rides had been completed on my Rohloff sporting El Commandante. Flat bar but in every other way much the same setup as the new machine.<br />
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The difference in weight of the two machines was a factor but it was the comfort factors that really made the difference. The compliance of the carbon salsa made the riding more pleasurable. The drive system performed well once I worked out how to use the clutch on the derailleur....<br />
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I ran one chain on a fresh set of chainrings and cluster. No changes and no problems the whole way. Towards the end I felt a little anxious about possible chain breaks but I think my legs were generating little in the way of measurable wattage by that time so it wasn't under much load..;-) All my gear went well. Mostly just luck but I do take considerable care to make sure everything is in top condition from the start.<br />
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I love the DI2 - Easy changes beginning to end. I charged it a couple of times from my cache battery that was charged almost entirely off my SP dyno hub. It just worked.<br />
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My hands didn't fare quite so well. The little and ring fingers of both hands were numb for months afterward. I have since swapped to a shorter stem that I think takes some of the pressure off the ulner nerve. I thought I was changing hand positions and that the bars were wrapped well enough but this proved not to be the case.<br />
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Would I do it again?<br />
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Hell yes - This year as it happens:-)<br />
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Why?<br />
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I have no idea - but I will be there 8th of June 2018!<br />
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<br />Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-70314439649781091012017-05-16T17:41:00.001-07:002017-05-16T17:41:53.138-07:00Tour Divide 2017 - The Long Road to Antelope Wells Mk3It's on!<br />
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After spending June into July 2016 watching the dots move steadily down my screen I am finally ready to commit to another run to Antelope Wells for Tour Divide 2017.<br />
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I wouldn't normally describe myself as an obsessive person - more the opposite. I change focus like the wind. Initially as a student I had a stint focusing on running with the obligatory move from 10 through 21, 42 and later 60k with the Kepler Mountain run. Never a contender but a keen participant.<br />
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I've been a keen flyer moving from Hang Gliding in my 20's to Paragliding in my 30's and Paramotoring into my 40's.<br />
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The move to Alexandra and the Central Otago and Southern Lakes playground saw me move from occasional road cyclist to more regular but very average mountain biker.<br />
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There was some single-speeding but mostly I've ridden XC. Bikes got better, tyres lighter and occasionally times got faster. I tried my hand at longer races inspired by trail-blazing friend Geof finding my way to the first run of the Great Southern Brevet in 2012. Full suspension 26inch Specialized Epic, old tent bag strapped to my handlebars for sleeping gear - pushing to hard too fast and developing saddle sores and blisters on my heels coupled with an unseasonal snow dump should've put me off but quite the opposite - I was hooked:-)<br />
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Since that first GSB there have been 3 more, a couple of Kiwi Brevets, 3 or 4 ridiculously hilly Le Petite Brevets, the length of NZ with Tour Aotearoa and two Tour Divides. Adding to this a lot of solo training rides and a few (not enough - never enough) 'training' rides with others and the time input is starting to add up...<br />
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So - back to the premise - I wouldn't consider myself obsessive - just thorough - I like to repeat things and try to do them better. When I'm focused on one thing I tend to drop the others - but I still come back to them. Right now though - I'm all about the bike!<br />
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It's time to draw the line in the sand. I will be fronting up in Banf for another run to Mexico. 3rd time out I am putting more pressure on myself to develop clear goals and achieve them. I am very happy with how I've gone up until now. I handle adversity well and with a race 4500k long, there will always be adversity. I've dealt with weather, mechanicals, breathing difficulties, and the effects of my own poor decision making. The main goal has always been to complete and I have so far managed that. This time must be different. This time I must be different. No prisoners, no second chances.<br />
<br />
I'm a trainer. One advantage I have is that I live and breath fitness. I'm in a gym every day. I inspire and am inspired every day. I'm already halfway there before I lift a finger to personalize my own plan. I've never trained to race the divide but from now - the race is on!<br />
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Goal 1 - gotta race and finish top 10 - The truth is this is where the race happens. If you're not there you're no where.<br />
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As much as I'd like to win it - I am a realist - I'm just not and never have been that good:-) I'm also limited in what my life will let me do in terms of the time and money I am prepared to spend on the goal. I'm a husband, father and person with responsibilities outside the race. Given the right conditions I think I have a 16 day ride in me. The right conditions might be tail winds all the way but hey - it's the divide - anything can happen:-)<br />
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Goal 2 - Plan for 16 days out of the gate. Accept that this is dependent on so many things and quite possibly unrealistic even if all conditions are optimal. Go hard or go home? Not quite - go hard and possibly limp home a broken man...<br />
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Goal 3 - Nope - that's it - there's only 2 goals. I'd like to think I'll have fun doing it but not if that is at the expense of goal 1 or 2...<br />
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So this is my declaration. I'm going. I'm going hard. I may blow-up as many better riders before me have but that's racing and I will be there to race.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwdhJLHHv3mKxc3RtRnZOBGbLGg_HKoXDY3oIkt6XSp1wxhp3IOqK_Vf1V1pdOK3XzOotqgEbwpSVjfnpIDnml_zDDuHM930hK4PqPThP7wOznkRRrdTfwNQZlgJUInu0VPvIZU5kD7k/s1600/VIDEO0077.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwdhJLHHv3mKxc3RtRnZOBGbLGg_HKoXDY3oIkt6XSp1wxhp3IOqK_Vf1V1pdOK3XzOotqgEbwpSVjfnpIDnml_zDDuHM930hK4PqPThP7wOznkRRrdTfwNQZlgJUInu0VPvIZU5kD7k/s320/VIDEO0077.mp4" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside a month to go and feeling like xmas:-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-15777430857893332482015-06-08T02:10:00.001-07:002015-06-08T02:10:40.780-07:00TD2015 - It begins...<p dir="ltr">Sitting in Auckland International Airport and the call to board fo LA has been made. It is officially on!</p>
<p dir="ltr">I feel strong and I'm reasonably confident I emembered to pack everything. Well - after I opened the already sealed bike box and put the seat in...</p>
<p dir="ltr">I'm not only ready but I'm excited to do this thing - again😃</p>
<p dir="ltr">LA to Calgary.. a little ride over to Banff to stretch the legs... Tell a few lies in the 2 days before then it's off from the grand depart...</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sweet!😁</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKGC0RLyg8dez6HhKEnLTyAFTqU6ysdSUdiv0nxf8OBOo64fvTsZ9n_zxAJZaErdNMi4MGoC2PAccEFjvboRmwJmBB6OYX7nnstGKNTqanIvRPWwTmAQP-BgsejIbdE3jYYztaOWTWfw/s1600/1433754152588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKGC0RLyg8dez6HhKEnLTyAFTqU6ysdSUdiv0nxf8OBOo64fvTsZ9n_zxAJZaErdNMi4MGoC2PAccEFjvboRmwJmBB6OYX7nnstGKNTqanIvRPWwTmAQP-BgsejIbdE3jYYztaOWTWfw/s640/1433754152588.jpg"> </a> </div>Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-24217587734245584652015-02-07T19:44:00.001-08:002015-02-15T20:11:18.452-08:00Kiwi Brevet 2015<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">I bagged my first kiwi last year and I decided to come back, grab another by the tail and bag me one more.</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dropping down the big river track towards Reefton I'm fatigued from the constant impacts and cold from the rain . It's just on dark. The rocky slope gives way to gravel and finally seal. I'm holding back the speed so I can see. My right ear is smarting from the wasp sting I got a little earlier. The rain has an odd fluffy feel as it hits my lips. A little gritty I realise it's big </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">mosies</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> - they are plastered over my jacket. Greg Galway catches me up and we push on to the </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">reefton</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> pub. There was no need for discussion - we both new that was it for the night.</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Later over toasties and a beer the pub owner and part time ambulance officer told us of the recent collection of a French rider who smashed up his face and broke both wrists when it all went wrong on big river...</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I had the best time out on this iteration of the kiwi brevet. It was my second the first being last year. I met more people - some old friends and made some new ones. Getting to ride partway through with some of the </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">brevette</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> pack was a bonus. Ripped my legs off a couple of times particularly on the way to </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Murch</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">...</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">I hit Seymour Square a little after 7pm Wednesday. </span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">I had gone on sabbatical for an hour or so close to home looking for a non-existent cycleway. 3 minutes before the start of the event my GPS died so I did the route without the friendly helpful line or maps. I also didn't listen at the briefing and missed the info about the stopbank change. I had travelled almost the total distance without outside assistance so decided to try to work it out. It was not my finest hour but I new I would be disappointed if I did it any other way at this late stage. Although I had occasionally been told by other riders and members of the public where other riders were, I had not looked at others spots throughout the ride and wasn't about to fire up the app so close to the end. </span><span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Nelson had been difficult in the dark but I think others with </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">gps's</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> fared little better. It provides an additional many would say unnecessary challenge but even now I'm remembering it fondly:-)</span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">My plan - if I can be so bold as to call it one was to minimize downtime and maximize recovery. </span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">IMHO</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> rolling time on the bike is where it's at. Given that you can push pedals in a reasonable fashion the biggest difference between one rider and another will be the total time spent pushing them. Waiting for coffee, food being heated, finding things on shelves and just generally dilly-dallying (if that's really a word:-</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">) all conspire to slow progress. </span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Changing songs or podcasts, taking pictures and obsessing over distances completed and those to come can also slow us down. Some might say that these are the fun bits but I would argue that feeling the urgency of day one on every day thereafter is the aim - mine anyway.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Getting back on the bike in a timely fashion is more important than how often and when you stop. If I'm on the bike I will push.</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">I stuck cleanly to the 6hr downtime rule. I would prefer not to have it as I think dropping it adds another strategy element that makes it more fun to do. We do have it though so that's what we must work with. Getting cleaned up, food in and off to sleep alarm set to be rolling 6hrs later is crucial for me. </span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I felt the most rested between day sessions of any of the rides I've done - including Tour Divide. Soft I know but although carrying my </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">zpacks</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> solo tent, </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">vaude</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> mat, feathered friends ultralight bag and sleeping thermals, I had no intention of using them. Day one was obviously going to present some problems....</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">We started at 10am on Saturday. </span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">day one ended 10pm at Scotties Hut on the St James</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Day two 9pm at Springfield</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Day 3 9</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ish</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> at Reefton</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Day 4 9.30 at Richmond</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Home just after 7pm Wednesday</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Mostly earlier finishes and corresponding starts worked well for me.</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-AU">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Just under 4.5 days - faster than last year and I'm happy with that</span><span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">.</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">A quick breakdown of the days:</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">GPS not loading 3</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">mins</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> before start time. I determined a problem with the </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">sd</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> card. I decided not up waste time dealing with it and instead focus on what I did have. No mapping or route for the ride. Initially and at a couple of key points a bit of a bummer but I think I have a better feel for the ride because of it.</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><b><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Northbank</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-Rainbow-St James</span></b></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The St James proved a smashing start in many ways - great fun but hard work riding rigid. tougher than I and many others thought it would be. Made Scotties hut. Bed and possible noisy later arrivals won out over setting up my tent. There were further arrivals and my sleep was less than ideal but I believe better than it would have been in my tent:-)</span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">St James-Hanmer</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Culverdon</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-MacDonald Downs-Lees Valley-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Wharfdale</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-Springfield</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Hot through the Lee's and a bit disorienting that the entrance to the </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Wharfdale</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> is not of that name. GPS line would have made that less stressful. The </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Wharfdale</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> was tough going. No flow, bike carrying. Hard to feel positive about the experience accept to be happy I got through it unscathed. Met another rider at Sheffield. looked knackered! He had pushed long the night before. Pushed on to Springfield and talked the pub into opening the kitchen to make toasties for me and my soon to be arriving hungry mate. He looked grateful as he scoffed a </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">toastie</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> and raspberry and coke. He pressed on - I stayed at the </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">yha</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">.</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Springfield-Porters Pass-Arthur's Pass-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Otira</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Gorge-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Ikamatua</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Waiuta</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-Big River Track-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reefton</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></b></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3am start. Porters went by with only a couple of trucks on the road. Breakfast with Andy Beale at Arthur's Pass. Fast through the gorge and caught up with Greg Galway on the rolling sealed and gravel roads towards Blackball. Pressed on to </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Ikamatua</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> and on into the rain through the W</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">aiuta</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> and Big River Trail. A little slow across the top in driving rain. The descent down Big River was suprisingly fast if a little dangerous... Greg and I stayed at the R</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">reefton</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> pub. Shower oh so good..</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reefton-Maruia</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Saddle-Murchison-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Porika</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-Richmond</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></b></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Fast early start in the rain. Cleared by </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Maruia</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> and the saddle was a pleasure to ride. Met a few </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Brevette</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> riders. </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Revelled</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> in a bit of competitive pushing with some guys with a little less time on their legs. I think they would be just as quick over a bigger distance too however... Great fun - great guys. Took a little more time to eat and stock up in </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Murch</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">. Mangles Rd into the </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Porika</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> flew by, the P</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">orika</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> not so much...</span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Smooth riding through the valley of the hops to </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tapawera</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> and on over to Wakefield and eventually into the </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">cyclway</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> to Richmond. The end of this day came around 9.30 with the perfect triangle of McDonald's, Motel opposite and 24</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">hr</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Service station nearby.</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><b><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Richmond-Nelson-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Maungatanui</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Picton</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-Port Underwood Rd-Seymour Square Blenheim</span></b></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tricky </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">cycleways</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> took their toll but heading up Waimea Valley on the Dun MTB T</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">rail before dropping down to take on the climb up M</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">aungatapu</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> was an inspired choice. Flowy to the degree that the </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Wharfdale</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> was not I hit this at first light and loved every minute!</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Maungatapu</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> to </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Pelorous</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> was improved by some great conversation with black sheep/</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">fatbike</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> boy Jaspers excellent company.</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Talk of 29</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">er</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">fatbikes</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> and 29</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">er</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+ setups ensued when Andy Gilbert turned up at the Pelorous Cafe on his Krampus.</span></span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Pelorous</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> to </span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Picton</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> and over Port Underwood to Blenheim was a little more difficult when I couldn't unclip my left foot after losing a cleat bolt on M</span><span class="SpellingError SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">aungatapu</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">. I climbed more on the bike than I likely would have had I been able to get off the bike</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">...</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Back to the square in time to freshen up and go for beer and pizza with a few other finishers. The pain melted away leaving only the contentment that comes with completing something that demands total focus and effort. </span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">That man deserves way more than a dirty old DB... and he got it!</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">So not a lot of pics to share but I shared my ride with some great people, before, during and after the race. I won't likely forget it or the laughs and the trials I shared with them along the way.</span><br />
<span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I've bagged me two Kiwis. Not easy to catch but well worth the effort</span><span class="TextRun SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">.</span><span class="EOP SCX142115459" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-11627433009963051222014-12-03T16:58:00.000-08:002014-12-03T20:47:29.409-08:00The Power to Perform VS Packing my Fears There are many different approaches to what to ride and what to pack. Being faster is assisted by being lighter and less encumbered but riding longer helps and having more light is better - especially when the going is sketchy.<br />
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'We pack our fears' is a term we Bike-Packers throw about and many of us know this to be true. If this is the case I guess I'm more fearful than most:-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrK8MHDTgo2mtEwns6bw5V93LTxjzO5C6Me_aHbpRh_RnW8el7L-8PXLU2eSOVtx2ZNrupLb4lsOeLkiaOrHM75XwdhheaF8oVjnkw5J-lvsIjoaV475W0WUFeHgKQfFug8SOhkwaVYc/s1600/IMAG0106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrK8MHDTgo2mtEwns6bw5V93LTxjzO5C6Me_aHbpRh_RnW8el7L-8PXLU2eSOVtx2ZNrupLb4lsOeLkiaOrHM75XwdhheaF8oVjnkw5J-lvsIjoaV475W0WUFeHgKQfFug8SOhkwaVYc/s1600/IMAG0106.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ventana El Commandante Ultimate - Sporting 'Go Fast' Red Hubs</td></tr>
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The advancement of LED lighting and the new range of light-weight, low rolling resistance dyno-hubs, USB charging setups and lithium ion/polymer batteries has made it possible to travel further, faster and lighter than ever before - with all the toys we could want or need fully charged along the way!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I run a Shutter Precision PD-8 dyno hub, K-Lites 1000lm light, Sinewave Revolution USB plug and Plox 6000mah lithium polymer battery for storage.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shutter Precision PD-8</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhfOoZWcy1j5XQDq4TWn4oh5KXlvkapLbZjbzHHRXJM5CD2Qm_C5D5wQ_K0U-FHnkDA6vED2aRDhqptP05LuhnNh8e1EkHDASg0WtfhwgN7pjz7007UvQmd3Nl5aLDDFoVY8IqcxKn_M/s1600/IMAG0110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhfOoZWcy1j5XQDq4TWn4oh5KXlvkapLbZjbzHHRXJM5CD2Qm_C5D5wQ_K0U-FHnkDA6vED2aRDhqptP05LuhnNh8e1EkHDASg0WtfhwgN7pjz7007UvQmd3Nl5aLDDFoVY8IqcxKn_M/s1600/IMAG0110.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">K-Lites 1000lm Headlight</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5eqXuQyHZEwEt3d3yWc34Q88UNyYNvoN3NAUHmq07_Qnl70mtbEE419wk___y-oC0QNQ6sILllTLAeaL0Y4WFDY-MTaq99aHgU4U1esZyn60vRa8YSe-3FU4EsBrqxqTY4BXvRYZwY0/s1600/IMAG0112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5eqXuQyHZEwEt3d3yWc34Q88UNyYNvoN3NAUHmq07_Qnl70mtbEE419wk___y-oC0QNQ6sILllTLAeaL0Y4WFDY-MTaq99aHgU4U1esZyn60vRa8YSe-3FU4EsBrqxqTY4BXvRYZwY0/s1600/IMAG0112.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sinewave Revolution USB & Plox Box</td></tr>
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For a detailed description of the more technical aspects of AC vs DC, amps/milliamps, lumens and other numbers I advise going direct to the sources of these components and engaging in a long and if you are of a mind for it - riveting ongoing discussion...</div>
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I will focus on what I've found works for me with what I have put together.</div>
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The hub turns and if the switch on the box I have installed on the right fork is turned to light - the light comes on. If it is turned to USB (there are only two options on mine making it easy for my puny often fatigue addled brain to comprehend) the power is routed through my revo plug to the plox box. The plox lipo battery feeds energy to whatever I want to charge. This is a K-Lite setup. Kerry is an innovator. He is constantly working and re-working his systems. Newer setups now include switchable outputs for lighting (low and high) and constant charging plus lighting as an option. Definitely worth a look. Check K-Lites on Facebook for a great start point. (In my opinion - end point too:-) </div>
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I run a Garmin 810. Some like them and some don't. It has pretty graphs of the upcoming terrain and I like these so I use it... It does not like it when charging stops so the cache battery keeps power going to it no matter what speed I'm doing. I did have a dodgy cable connection on day two or three of the divide and while removing the annoying nag screen, in aero on a speedy downhill I hit a pothole and was ejected from my trusty steed... This is hardly the fault of the Garmin or my charging setup - but it really hurt!</div>
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My light is the 1000lm version offered by Kerry of K-Lites. It produces heaps of light at reasonable speed and not quite enough at lower crawling speeds or when picking down really ugly descents. I supplement this with a Lezyne Infinite Light. At 4 or 500 lumens it makes up the shortfall on the front light at low speeds and is charged from USB during the day. Simple and quite inexpensive. I carried a spare battery on the Divide that I never actually required...</div>
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I had an HTC OneX that sucked power but covered all my communication needs. I like listening to podcasts and music too and my phone did all of that. Bit of a power sucker but I do like to pack my fears...</div>
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I also ran a bluetooth speaker and added an additional camera. Both of these items really were non-essential but they added little weight but gave back a lot on the trip. The speaker kept me entertained and warned large hairy creatures that I was coming. The camera was a late addition purchased in Banff. Waterproof and also chargeable on the bike I took many more photos because it was easy to access, the screen was easier to see in bright light, buttons and not touch screen worked with gloves on and didn't suck power like using my phone would have.</div>
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So how to keep it all going...</div>
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Number 1 - keep GPS going. I followed the TD line on my GPS and although I had maps and cues I almost exclusively just followed the line - and my nose... So - losing that would be very bad for me... I kept it plugged into the plox and topped up all day long. The second USB out on my plox would charge first the light, then the phone, speaker and camera.</div>
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I found that charging the plox back up over the morning then plugging in respective items through the day kept things humming. If the phone was low I avoided overdoing the music/podcasts. </div>
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I did carry 2x small mains chargers. I bought them when I got there so I didn't need adapters for dodgy American wall plugs;-) They were lightweight and I used them to topup items a couple of times but I don't think I really needed to. They were my backup in case things went wrong with my charging setup.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plox box - 2.1amp output with pass-through charging</td></tr>
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On the cache battery front... it is important to get one that doesn't require a switch to turn on. If it loses power it may require a re-start and you won't even know it's not charging out possibly leaving you with an essential item uncharged. Also ensure it has 'pass through technology' I'm not sure how this is accomplished - but many of the batteries will not charge out while they are being charged. To use one as a cache it is important to check that the battery will do it. I have also found this to be useful for those not using a dyno. The plox will pump 2.1amps out, has an included wired-in micro usb cable out and a USB out. That means when you are in a room with others competing for the one free wall plug you can plug in 2 items to charge out while the plox is being charged up.</div>
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At the end of the day you could keep things simple, run lights off batteries and carry only the simplest of phones for emergency (if at all). Of course you could also use only maps and a compass or commit everything to memory after multiple attempts (Mathew Lee) and just ride, ride ride. It's all good! Whatever works for you but me - I'll pack my fears:-)</div>
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Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-75981479844181636752014-11-10T17:36:00.001-08:002014-11-10T17:36:41.280-08:00Tour Divide 2014 - 1 Grand Depart or Bust<div dir="ltr">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggh4AdPN7LpgOF6POSrmAoI9x-xAg6zswM6sGny484wUrhTHD__fssKPpK8mRGXH3W3aybhCjmxrwmBEKjF2QiNGj-YD6u7EodCZoKX_5zKXtF8iS3WuWR7YgrjzO0DFe81r9IA_IOV3E/s640/IMAG0201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Flying is awesome!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggh4AdPN7LpgOF6POSrmAoI9x-xAg6zswM6sGny484wUrhTHD__fssKPpK8mRGXH3W3aybhCjmxrwmBEKjF2QiNGj-YD6u7EodCZoKX_5zKXtF8iS3WuWR7YgrjzO0DFe81r9IA_IOV3E/s640/IMAG0201.jpg" height="200" title="Flying to Calgery" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying is awesome!</td></tr>
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Leaving NZ was a surreal experience. The culmination of many months of planning leading up to me watching my upset wife leaving the airport... emotions of excitement at what was to come and concern for those not coming jostled for attention... However - the family would leave for the US as I aimed to finish so it was possible to enjoy the bittersweet feeling knowing that we all had good times to look forward to.</div>
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The Canadian aiport of entry charged me 50 dollars for some undisclosed handling fee (it's a bike so there's a fee they said) Welcome to Canada! </div>
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Meeting the shuttle, bike box at my side, I headed for my motel. Travelling with a bike box is always a pain in the arse but the next morning I would have the Ventana out and my gentle ride to Banff would begin. </div>
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I woke to a beautiful, blue sky day - instant summer - gotta love that! The bike came together quite quickly. The only slightly concerning aspect was that my hub had wept oil but my reading indicated that this can happen when laid down for any length of time. Given the problems I had later in the race - I'm not so sure this was the correct diagnosis.</div>
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Heading out the door and down the street I struck my first navigational challenge. The first intersection provided 3 possible directions to go. Sitting at an intersection having just left my airport hotel I realised I had no way of knowing which way to go. My GPS had no maps installed - I intended to load it once I reached<br />
Banff...I had all the ACA TD maps but no map for the local area. My Travelsim in my phone would not connect with a provider so no Google maps. I had not realized how reliant on technology I had become. I felt screwed from the beginning! Not a great start to my TD adventure!</div>
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I had flown to Calgary a week before the race start of Friday the 13th of June. The aim was to acclimate and to ensure I had time to switch gears into riding mode.</div>
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That first day was in many ways the way the race played out for me - lots of riding and problem solving to keep riding.</div>
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First on the list was getting communications up and running. I could have gone back to the hotel and used WiFi and phone or just asked someone for directions but as with the race - going back was not an option:-) instead I headed in the direction that felt right and found coffee and free internet. Relatively quickly my data and phone were connected. Using Google maps I was able to find my way into the city.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet ride towards the mountains</td></tr>
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I spent a couple of hours riding around, drinking coffee and generally enjoying the freedom of being somewhere new, alone and self sufficient. My life for the next month or so was literally all on my bike! I stocked up on supplies and followed my nose over local cycleways and eventually off towards Banff. That night I stayed at the Hostel Bear in Canmore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGNIQ8C-itOe8GmUpmmdRkJO_MSFOxOYjUcHPKQstlE7BLf2r_UBAT6xWiCWChhwdTmyA6N9o7gQRNgfkagSFijWXvEKm-j1d4160z9hMadEq9huHRVeh2JcprIVndw21-9ELaCwMOHU/s640/IMAG0224_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Large animals on the road" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGNIQ8C-itOe8GmUpmmdRkJO_MSFOxOYjUcHPKQstlE7BLf2r_UBAT6xWiCWChhwdTmyA6N9o7gQRNgfkagSFijWXvEKm-j1d4160z9hMadEq9huHRVeh2JcprIVndw21-9ELaCwMOHU/s640/IMAG0224_1.jpg" height="113" title="Large animals on the road" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope - Don't have these at home...</td></tr>
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The next day I rolled the Legacy Trail from Canmore to Banff. Sealed and gently climbing it was all the things the Divide was not - and I loved it! Plenty of time to get smashed around later! I rode this trail a couple more times over the week. It was a nice leg stretch with a decent coffee at <a href="http://www.bicyclecafe.com/" target="_blank">Bicycle Cafe Canmore</a>. Worth the ride!</div>
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It was great to be one of the first at the YWCA. It gave me time to meet some of the other riders and to get comfortable on my own again. My training had included a fair amount of solo riding but by far the majority of my training happens in our gym. Between spin and pump classes and working with clients there is a lot of contact time in my week. I did settle into my own space quickly though. What's not to like about doing your own thing;-)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scotty and Geof - Team NZ together in Banff</td></tr>
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A couple of days out from the start the other two members of 'Team NZ' arrived. Geof and Scotty had prepared and traveled over together. We all live in Alexandra and when the stars align get to ride together.. It was great to share the anticipation buzz with them over a couple of beers. Conversation naturally turned to our concerns around bears and other wildlife not found in NZ. Other 'helpful' riders and locals filled our heads with stories of Bear attacks and somewhere along the line Mountain Lions were added to the list. I'm still not sure if the suggestion to wear caps backwards because the mountain lions think you are looking back at them, was legit...<br />
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On the day before the start there was little to do. I did have some difficulty loading maps onto my Garmin 810. Got there in the end but I put myself through avoidable stress by not getting this done earlier. The library has a great computer setup that is free to use. I sent extra items home by surface mail. It took over 2 months for those items to make it home!</div>
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A few small purchases, stock up on food items for the first section, down for the unofficial/official briefing with Crazy Larry and try not to let nerves get in the way of a good nights sleep...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Pre-Race Hydration Strategy" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFP7i5w89cSeXTBkIQVvYBCOj9xdSCWs1D6gIPUulYLDlMbg4W-yE5BsS9LENMVBu3yEzqbaPXOekGGyg0Hj8AgSYfL7HQ_awaB3LbYtItSdthUN7UQnyxl_a7cvrgO8TFQn429Cqtlc/s640/IMAG0229.jpg" height="112" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Pre-Race Hydration Strategy" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hydrate or die!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWSa9gvIRfd60TBb8rAR6whbcNfoaxUXI4SIpyWLjRLX21ORfr9TnTIdYG17VMVextf6SqxvkGNI8PVIK8xcVwLYNhL14BfXhpeYdM0e-_kIvOU-nK6VmzHM0EfOu4p9cJrIoBLBCqpA/s640/IMAG0225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFP7i5w89cSeXTBkIQVvYBCOj9xdSCWs1D6gIPUulYLDlMbg4W-yE5BsS9LENMVBu3yEzqbaPXOekGGyg0Hj8AgSYfL7HQ_awaB3LbYtItSdthUN7UQnyxl_a7cvrgO8TFQn429Cqtlc/s1600/IMAG0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3ePZJI6K0jm5uRU45snyaQvdjIYGlKOVgllYCoeUQmOuEFD_qrb5ky5jGOV6n3QTsWOf5vprRduHXoqVF45GPgcYLOQFKKqUjZrYw9a2BUErPl3pCk5ObI-MOPx-x3dSnPcFRbN1A1M/s640/2014_0102_08505600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crazy Larry - Big Heart!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3ePZJI6K0jm5uRU45snyaQvdjIYGlKOVgllYCoeUQmOuEFD_qrb5ky5jGOV6n3QTsWOf5vprRduHXoqVF45GPgcYLOQFKKqUjZrYw9a2BUErPl3pCk5ObI-MOPx-x3dSnPcFRbN1A1M/s640/2014_0102_08505600.jpg" height="150" title="Crazy Larry" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy Larry - Tour Divide Legend</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO47wfEKnO_7Inttv7YuvAw-jS934_00h2B9vR1pTMOLi-fh58xBWrwgheXL1jf5JSvgltUOuCXOnmBXjegWEIObvYoFN4wnGrYJG0gPAKFC83eOUMf050himPOS9HkMw2oWUHoSc1Qis/s1600/Zack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO47wfEKnO_7Inttv7YuvAw-jS934_00h2B9vR1pTMOLi-fh58xBWrwgheXL1jf5JSvgltUOuCXOnmBXjegWEIObvYoFN4wnGrYJG0gPAKFC83eOUMf050himPOS9HkMw2oWUHoSc1Qis/s1600/Zack.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can we go now?<br />What about now...</td></tr>
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Sunday evening... Zack the family Jack Russel and myself cruised our way along the river track that runs down past our house. Zack looked up at me in full stride, tongue hanging out of a mouth stretched in a wide doggy grin. Good times!<br />
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I'd spent the latter part of the afternoon replacing the singlespeed chain setup on my Ventana with the rebuilt belt driven Rohloff that normally resides there. I had agonized over what I wanted to spend the next month or so riding as I have been enjoying the light, simple SS setup. My Rohloff had been rebuilt after the seals failed during the Tour Divide earlier this year. Chris at <a href="http://www.puresports.co.nz/product/speedhub-50014/" target="_blank">Puresports</a> provided excellent followup service and got me up and running again.<br />
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It was quite a dilemna deciding what to roll with but I decided that I would prefer a few extra gears for <a href="http://lepetitebrevet.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Le Petite Brevet</a> coming up next month so I'd better get the Rohloff on and some k's onto the new internals before I hit the hills on Banks Peninsula.<br />
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Removing the stainless steel SS sprockets and chain I noted that there was very little if any indication of wear on the sprockets. They had only been on for about 6 weeks but with almost 600k on them I thought I would see something. I did fastidiously oil and clean the chain between and sometimes during rides. I would still have thought the grinding climbs I'd undertaken would have taken their toll.<br />
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It did give me pause to consider the belt drive I'm running on the Rohloff. While I love the smoothness and practically maintenance free nature, it is an expensive setup. It makes sense using it for events like the Tour Divide and perhaps even our 1200k NZ Brevets where longer duration riding can quickly wear components. For training where I can take more care to maintain it - a chain setup would still work well. This is of course the way most people run their Rohloffs. I guess it's time for a bit of experimentation...<br />
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So, back to dogs, bikes and the river track at dusk...<br />
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Zacks head hung a little lower on the way back to the house. He let me lead a bit more too. Sitting back on the couch in the lounge, Zack at my feet, excuding contentment I'm sure we were both looking forward to the next ride.<br />
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<br /><br />Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-73296989746491981152014-09-16T00:40:00.000-07:002014-09-16T02:46:09.291-07:00Tour Divide 2014 - Knocked the bastard off!Tour Divide 2014 - Knocked the bastard off!<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kguf0LnZAt4GcZgZElIPU_ipEiTydge34NJNEFUlUPleu2vPeOv1C8fe0iHyqUUTznLkO4J7um5Yd81nftoWAWBzZzwIxsqUGZiYR05WoGNQ2JqDa_4uToIzKp4-Cwt-4YTLy4KNcJI/s1600/204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kguf0LnZAt4GcZgZElIPU_ipEiTydge34NJNEFUlUPleu2vPeOv1C8fe0iHyqUUTznLkO4J7um5Yd81nftoWAWBzZzwIxsqUGZiYR05WoGNQ2JqDa_4uToIzKp4-Cwt-4YTLy4KNcJI/s1600/204.jpg" height="240" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antelope Wells or bust! Knocked the bastard off!</td></tr>
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The Tour Divide was a tremendous experience. The race itself was around 4500km with a 2 year buildup and some serious distance to cover to get to the start line. I completed the journey from Alexandra, NZ to Antelope Wells via the Continental Divide series of mapped roads and trails. I have the picture in front of the border stone to prove it!<br>
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For what it's worth I finished 8th. In a race where there are no official placings and there is such a range of attitudes to what the race is really all about or if it's even really a race at all to many - placings don't mean that much. If I'm honest though, I'm chuffed!<br>
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It was tough - one of the toughest if not the toughest thing I've done in my life. I managed my bike and body to the end - my body fairing surprisingly better than some parts of my bike. Definitely the right way around in my book - I can always get a new bike...<br>
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I set out with the same goal most Novices to this event have - I just wanted to finish it. I didn't want my body, my bike or my spirit to break. I did not want to get lost - or eaten! I just wanted to survive.<br>
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I went with a couple of other aspirations. I committed to racing 2014 after fellow Kiwi Ollie Whalley won back in 2012. As a start point I looked at the time of the 10th placed competitor and set out with the belief that 20 days was achievable given similar conditions. It gave me a start point anyway!<br>
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I have done a smattering of longer distance races. There have been a few 12hours as well as taking part in the 3 bike packing events we currently have on offer in NZ - Le Petite Brevet, The Kiwi Brevet and the Great Southern Brevet. the first is a hill-fest overnighter of somewhere around 250-300k. The second two are 11 or 1200k brevets both in the South Island of NZ. The Great Southern Brevet passes through my home town of Alexandra. The local area also provides me with many options for small group and solo bikepacking excursions.<br>
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As a Trainer I spend a lot of time exercising. Time to ride long is always hard to find but time to cross-train for me is part of my normal day!<br>
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I was confident that I had my bike, body and gear choices dialled in. Hell, there are always fitter people, and lighter bikes and setups but that's no replacement for hard won experience:-)<br>
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I was most interested in seeing what would happen to my body and particularly my spirit as the days wore on. I had never gone longer than 5 or 6 nights prior to the TD. the first one I did resulted in saddle sores and blisters on my heels that meant I could not be comfortable standing or sitting down!<br>
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I was particularly interested to see if I could sustain a sense of urgency for what I estimated to be around 20 days. This was my primary goal and I'm pleased to say that I did what it took to acheive this. It was the most defining part of my experience on the divide and I will strive to relay this as I recall my experiences in this blog.<br>
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Was it life changing? Hell - I don't know but the experiences were raw, powerful and intensely personal. I laughed, cried and occasionally did both at the same time. I lived in the moment on the divide and that is a powerful thing.Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-90135134627681474912014-04-13T01:17:00.000-07:002014-04-13T01:17:08.559-07:00Bike Woes<div dir="ltr">
The countdown AP on my laptop tells me I have 54 days before I leave NZ and head to Banff, the start point for the Tour Divide bike race.</div>
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I've undertaken a number of events as part of my preparation and many more just for fun. I have 3 x 1100k brevets completed, a smaller seriously hilly Overnighter being le petite brevet held on Christchurch's banks peninsula and a number of k's training in all conditions.</div>
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All of these things with barely a flat tyre to contend with... Until now....</div>
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Last weekend during the Naseby 12hr festival of mud - well this year was muddy anyway - I managed to puncture and then destroy my chain and bottom derailleur pulley on my Epic. That was bad but the conditions were such that I was not alone in having problems. Switching bikes and going to my rohloff/belt drive combo saved the day and would still be rolling on a week later if required. Missed the full suspension of my epic however but that is to be expected...<br />
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This weeekend I went for a little group ride over the range to Bannockburn. A few nice climbs make for a seriously good workout. The coffee at the turnaround was great and especially welcome as the temperature was in the single digits all day with quite a stiff breeze to contend with on the way home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymd2QFSl8Q9jMYFQDGyv8MC-0bEeqDr4zUewDOuvsGg5rU-wp4wUQFigolbaMFNe4c39IC4RXnBdB_N53qJhRf-m8h0pC5yph8SvLS8dXYPU9P7Kh6980ZnnpV_Q4FdBPTh29x5OWVxc/s1600/Coffee+and+smiles+all+round.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="All is good after a coffee" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymd2QFSl8Q9jMYFQDGyv8MC-0bEeqDr4zUewDOuvsGg5rU-wp4wUQFigolbaMFNe4c39IC4RXnBdB_N53qJhRf-m8h0pC5yph8SvLS8dXYPU9P7Kh6980ZnnpV_Q4FdBPTh29x5OWVxc/s1600/Coffee+and+smiles+all+round.jpg" height="177" title="Bannockburn for Coffee" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-1LSOUj8-2iTMs2_0CuijkfspqcAfNKHcmJ73crr4WP2dcwYaiiC_5dESvPGFOWcOR6hXVwicYzQEiCdzUZtsnf8AsdShnGlJnSdSeONC515LEyIdKs4JC3j3djVHTWfzB0MMUfTXr0/s1600/Blairs+smiling+but+cold+fingers+and+toes+hurting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rolling up from Bannockburn - Warmer out of the wind" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-1LSOUj8-2iTMs2_0CuijkfspqcAfNKHcmJ73crr4WP2dcwYaiiC_5dESvPGFOWcOR6hXVwicYzQEiCdzUZtsnf8AsdShnGlJnSdSeONC515LEyIdKs4JC3j3djVHTWfzB0MMUfTXr0/s1600/Blairs+smiling+but+cold+fingers+and+toes+hurting.jpg" height="177" title="Nigel and Blair rolling up from Bannockburn" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's very rocky where I live and this can make for some fast bone jarring descents. This ride is on a steep and rocky road all the way so imagine my surprise when I misjudged a small leap over an equally small culvert draining water off the road and flattened my rear rim in the process! I must admit - it did hit hard! This lead to a slower ride home where I had to stop at one point and apply pressure to the offending area as it was binding on the frame. Jumping up and down on it laid over a rock wasn't pretty but it got me home!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK0rS4sgaz32P8ztcgmygGZe5c71VZNKBI2MNyyp_1eP6kkFAPlgsgieehyyRv6SzVD-etwpl-_8cyJxtZfs_E7tQuAAZ4TRj1eWK0oucYbkH0hJ55ZFKsfdqkWrVjzvkTH-vx9P_aes/s1600/Wheels+should+be+round....jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Big wheels keep on rolling - just..." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK0rS4sgaz32P8ztcgmygGZe5c71VZNKBI2MNyyp_1eP6kkFAPlgsgieehyyRv6SzVD-etwpl-_8cyJxtZfs_E7tQuAAZ4TRj1eWK0oucYbkH0hJ55ZFKsfdqkWrVjzvkTH-vx9P_aes/s1600/Wheels+should+be+round....jpg" height="180" title="Wheels should be round..." width="320" /></a></div>
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With two bikes currently out of action awaiting parts I can't help but consider how fortunate I will be if I complete the Tour Divide without similar mishap. I think I am on the right track with my choice of low maintenance and quality components. The drive-train and rigid forks being chosen with durability in mind... Ollie Whalley completed the Divide in 2012 with the exact same setup so it is proven - at least in the right hands...<br />
Still, trying to keep the weight down I have been running Stans Crests as Ollie did.. They are a light choice and hopefully they will not prove to be my achilles heel. Time will tell.<br />
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Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-78037411626170282782014-03-12T14:35:00.000-07:002014-09-16T04:45:51.617-07:00Rail Trail Out and Back<div style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 800; ">This was a ride done as part of the buildup for the tour divide - and because Blair and Nigel caught the 'go long' bug. The rail trail provides a great way to crank some k's. Thought I should dust this little write-up off and post as originally intended.</span><br></div><div style="font-weight: bold; "><strong><br></strong></div><div style="font-weight: bold; "><strong><br></strong></div><b>Déjà vu</b>, (<span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">/ˌdeɪʒɑː ˈvuː/</span>) from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language" title="French language">French</a>, literally "already seen", is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenomenon" title="Phenomenon">phenomenon</a> of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced in the past... (Wikipedia)<br>
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<br>This feeling presented itself numerous times over the Sunday - perhaps not surprisingly as this was the second time in a few months that I've completed a 300k out and back on the Central Otago Rail Trail. <br>
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Same trail - different people...<br>
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2am start. Ride out for breakfast in Middlemarch. Ride back to the car and drive home. Simple.<br>
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Blair and Nigel were keen to see how they responded to more k's than they had ever done in one day. Combining both of their longest days would have netted considerably less than this distance so they were understandably a little nervous at the start.<br>
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Great conditions with a warm night with no wind saw the dark hours completed without incident. I normally undertake early rides on my own and will often listen to music and podcasts. I missed that a little bit. Habits I guess. This was more than balanced up by having the guys there to share the experience with but I do like my alone time too.<br>
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By Ranfurly the day was underway. We met up with Geof and Scotty who were doing an overnighter as part of training for this years Tour Divide. Some stick was given for my lack of gear... I had considered loading on the front bag but couldn't quite get my head around carrying a tent and sleeping bag for a day out. Everything else was much as usual...<br>
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Breakfast in Middlemarch at the 150k turnaround was of the fat bastard - Big Breakfast variety for me. Nigel ate a little less with Blair bringing up the rear in the volume stakes with a toasted sandwich. Pushing back to Ranfurly is quite a slog and Blairs fadeout close to the end of this section may have been due to not getting enough on board at the turnaround. After food he was back on track...<br>
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Ross jumped on the trail at Ranfurly and caught up to us by Oturehua. Fresh legs saw him make 27 or 28k through that section. He set the pace from there through to pretty much the end.<br>
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I had one point where energy deserted me. I had 260k on the legs and a quick food intake calculation showed that I had got most of my calories from proteins and fats for the previous couple of hours. Salami, a protein bar and cherry tomatoes lacked the impact carbs I needed to push hard. Smashing in some fruit jubes and a few squares of chocolate soon changed this:-)<br>
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13 hours and a bit ride time averaging a more than 23k per hour was a good effort. A little headwind here and there but no real tail wind at any point made for a good honest ride<br>
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Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-50480466813240867002013-04-23T17:18:00.000-07:002013-04-23T17:25:59.846-07:00Contact Epic 2013<div dir="ltr">
<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/300802433"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Epic 2013</td></tr>
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</a></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I'm never doing this *ucking race again!</div>
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83k on my Garmin - permanently etched into my brain as I vented my frustration passing a fellow cyclist, grovelling my way toward Dingleburn station during the 2013 Contact Epic around Lake Hawea.</div>
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I woke at 5am to the sound of light rain on the tent. No surprise as the weather forecast was for cold, damp conditions. Banging some creamed rice in I struggled to work out what I would wear for the 125k starting at 7am. </div>
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I like to travel light and was hoping to ride with nothing on my back but it seemed likely that I would have a few layers to remove so I opted for my small and light pack. Without the hydration bladder it would provide room for jacket, Daddy Long Legs and thermals as the day warmed up. I could carry the gels that would have been in my back pockets in the zipped pouches on the side so seemed the way to go.</div>
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Standing at the line with my brother Stu I met up with Hamish Grant - another ex-Contours owner. We both commented that we were wearing more than ever before but it seemed prudent being 3 degrees and likely staying in single figures for the day. Hamish mentioned his dog had died that week and that he was only there as friends suggested he should go. His day turned out to be tougher than mine when he realised his bottle was missing from his bike and had to rush back to camp to get it. Tough day - tough week...</div>
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Got a great start. The Ventana leapt up the hill. Still loving the rohloff gear changes - smooth, steady steps allow for even power onto the road. I can only see myself getting better and better as I more fully make use of this feature of the rohloff. I missed the first bunch but got into a great position in the second. The first guys stayed only a little ahead as we turned towards kidds bush. I wouldn't have held them anyway so I was happy to have the legs to get to kidds bush relativley uscathed.</div>
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Not long after Kidds Bush I passed the scene of Rob Roys untimely bike dismount resulting in cracked ribs and I believe broken clavical/shoulder damage of some description. Dr Prags was on hand along with others who took significant time out from their races to help Rob. It's great the way people step up when needed. The Classic was Pragati's first serious race. Way to go - not one to take the easy option! Switching gears back into race mode must've been tough but she got it done!</div>
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Temperatures came up a little and I determined to drop the nylon jacket and Daddy Longlegs at the head of the lake but turning south brought an icy head wind. Jacket and leggings stayed on...</div>
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The terrain went from smooth to downright rigid unfriendly. This was the fourth time tackling this ride for me but the first time going rigid. Initially I was pleased with how the bike handled the rough but there is no doubt that the impacts and more active input required wear the body down. I grumbled mostly to myself along the river section as I used a lot of energy to force the bike forward. The later climbs although rocky were not as bad as the pace was generally slower. By about 80k I was starting to get grumpy and the earlier enjoyment was giving way to some frustration. I was getting tired and my body bagan leading my brain down pathways it would not normally go. Although I may have been smiling as I uttered my declaration to not ride this race again the intention behind it was deadly serious. I was over it.</div>
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Looking at my Garmin later that day I noted that this point was the second of two high points and arguably with all the work done prior - the toughest place to be for the day. Makes sense...</div>
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As is always the way, cresting the hill saw the feelings soften. I squeezed in a gel - caffeine and sugar - yumm - drank water and started to feel better on the way to Dingleburn. A quick drink and half a banana at the station saw me dropping down the grass section and on towards the bluffs. I felt ok through this section with some well placed riders bringing out my competitive spirit. I tried working some groups but I struggled to be much use and got caught wanting a few times as stronger finishers pushed forward and left me for dead.</div>
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By the last stretch of gravel into tarseal I was feeling stronger. I think my eating and hydration was lacking earlier and I suffered for it later. My time was 15-20mins slower than last year. This was consistent with other competitors results due to the wet conditions.</div>
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Post race I was interested to note that as with the Naseby 12hr, I was spent but far from broken. Others universally complained of sore backs and shoulders. I put this down to a focus on core work and consistent abdominal exercises. The addition of teaching pump classes may be a significant part of this as would an increase in consistency on my more heavy weights. The 5 or 6 extra kilos on the body may be providing resilience if not overall speed. I certainly feel stronger and am able to handle multi-session/multi-day workouts and rides much better.</div>
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The rigid ride definitely hurt more on the rugged trail sections and I will need to focus more on this aspect in my training if I go this way again. The long rides incorporating the Rail Trail are not sufficient to account for the tough 60k through the middle of the Epic ride. I may beg, borrow or steal a full-sus bike for next year... </div>
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I guess I am doing it again next year...<br />
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<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/300802433">Contact Epic 2013</a> (Select the link to view data from Garmin Connect)</div>
Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-7943183701784253002013-03-03T09:24:00.001-08:002013-03-03T11:44:01.356-08:00Naseby 12hr 2013 Track <div dir="ltr">
<a href="http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=bsolnqiuhovhknlk">Naseby 12hr 2013 @ 15-15-35</a><br />
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Spent a great weekend in Naseby, getting some riding in amongst the trees. A little bit of 'secret training' for the upcoming Naseby 12hr race in April.</div>
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Thanks go to Adair for letting myself the family and friends use her wonderful holiday home on Strode Ave. It made a great base for riding and for between ride activities.</div>
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I have decided to ride solo this year. The last time I went solo was when I had just purchased my Epic 26er. It was it's first big outing and part way around the first lap the front chainring shifter failed necessitating 11hrs+ to be undertaken in the middle chainring. Not ideal but not the end of the world. That was my first outing at Naseby and it went OK. A timing miscalculation on my part saw me fail to head out for a final lap and miss a podium spot.. Perhaps brought about by the voice in my head screaming at me to stop for 6 of the 12 hrs! I have enjoyed team riding but I prefer slogging it out rather than going for the fastest possible laps - I'm just not that good a technical rider! Always good to no your limitations...</div>
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It was challenging to ride fully rigid. I am still getting used to the weight distribution on the bike. The rohloff adds weight to the back. A little air time here and there resulted in the occasional clunk as I got it all wrong! On the whole I improved with each run. The Ventana felt at home in the twists and turns however and by the time the weekend was over I had a sense of what I will need to do to get the most out of the both of us on the day. I am continuing to enjoy the positivity of the rohloff and the smooth consistency of the gates drive. The dusty conditions would have been murder on a standard setup! Not that it is that big a deal to attend to a chain - it's just easier not to have to.</div>
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31/32 minutes or so was the order of the day for me. I will aim for 20 laps of the 11k course. Accounting for fatigue, time under lights, other riders etc I would expect 35 minutes per lap to be the average. May do a little better or a little worse. Time will tell. A wet day and who knows!</div>
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Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-34676829578956577222013-02-10T19:17:00.001-08:002013-02-11T10:28:46.441-08:00Big Wheels Rollin'After many months of planning and waiting as pieces arrived my new bike is born!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnCYxQeLF6i5_Fe2SrLduoQWehraqCxjpyy-9AQRPisbZjO2IaQPsaczuMDmRx6rD60iUqumFE92f82QPAvQ3PbudDIYc1L6yNdJHkl5ncYZ-OAzav-OUCs5xLR1h7SBsJ3VJitscrrg/s1600/ventanaonrockgarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnCYxQeLF6i5_Fe2SrLduoQWehraqCxjpyy-9AQRPisbZjO2IaQPsaczuMDmRx6rD60iUqumFE92f82QPAvQ3PbudDIYc1L6yNdJHkl5ncYZ-OAzav-OUCs5xLR1h7SBsJ3VJitscrrg/s320/ventanaonrockgarden.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ventana El Commandante on rock garden, Alexandra<br />
The 'hoff' resplendent in red!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are few things as good as a new bike! This is the first time that I've experienced being part of the process of putting one together from scratch and it does add to the enjoyment.<br />
<br />
The reality of course is that I relied heavily on the positive experience of Olly in the Tour Divide last year to determine the way forward. I got to play with some of the less consequential bits and pieces but the bulk of the build was determined by Olly. Gary at Rock n Road took care of a few other crucial parts. I did deal with the brakes, shortening the lines and I set up the rholoff shifter cables - twice - once munting the cables in the process, purchasing new inners and starting again before getting it right...<br />
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<br />
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I am very happy with the final result. Just as well really as I plan to spend quite a bit of time on it over the coming months...<br />
<br />Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-85707067787886320322013-02-10T18:31:00.000-08:002013-02-10T18:31:51.756-08:00The 'Big Easy' MTB Race<div dir="ltr">
What's in a name?</div>
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If you're going to name an event the big easy you can be fairly sure it's going to be anything but...</div>
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The big Easy held towards the end of January lived up to its tongue-in-cheek name!</div>
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The day promised to be a cracker as I drove the car around picking up some other first-time big easy riders. We got away on time and with little stress thanks to Blairs suggestion of loading the bikes the night before. Albert town being about 90k away necessitated us getting away early, the loading of bikes onto a trailer and bus drive up to the Snow Farm added more time making it a long morning to the start of the race. I much prefer an earlier race start...</div>
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I was riding my old Trek alloy 8500 hard-tail. Having recently parted company with my epic expert carbon full sus 26er I have enjoyed riding this bike while my 29er came together. It is very light and climbs better than many newer heavier setups. With the new bike coming together most of my available funds have poured into it leaving little over for other things. I decided to ride the tyres I had on the bike - the super light and skinny Schwalbe Furious Freds. As I will explain later - this decision proved both a blessing and a curse!</div>
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I spent some time prior to the race getting plenty of pasta power on board. I've learned that for me it is important to take in plenty of food in regular smaller amounts from when I first get up in the morning through to the start of the race. I keep the fibre down and the easily digestible carbs up. This way later in the race I can carry and consume less and focus on riding.</div>
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It was noticeably chilly waiting at the informal feeling start line. Looked to be quite a small field. Maybe 60 or 70 starters. A range of riders to be sure with a few notable faces. Kath Kelly looked fresh and ready to tackle the climb. She was to be the first woman home and had ridden from the valley up to the start line as additional training for her and Team mate Erin Greenes assault on the Cape Epic. Good effort. Maybe next year...</div>
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The start of the ride went much to plan. I started quietly. Moved up through the ranks as it got steeper and rougher. My bodyweight is around 6kg heavier than last year but the increased strength focus is really paying off. Still bodyweight and bike probably weigh in lighter than many in the field.</div>
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Crossed the major peak at 1hr1min feeling good and ready to see what this downhill was all about. I knew that my hard-tail, skinny, semi-slick setup would provide challenges but it wasn't as bad as I thought. To qalify that last comment - the terrain was more gnarly but I was handling it better than I thought I would. I fought my way over and down the mountain, bouncing and holding on for dear life. While I didn't pick up any riders on the down I didn't lose too many places either. Apart from one aerial dismount into soft dust I survived and set my sights on the last rider to get past me as we headed for the flats, just a few short k's from home.</div>
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Having caught and passed the rider Dallas I focused my attention on staying ahead and trying to reel in a couple more places. Dallas rallied and on a sealed stretch we had a brief conversation and readied ourselves to push for home. I felt confident that we would push each other to the end... then my rear tyre exploded!</div>
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I was off the bike, repair kit at the ready, wheel in hand in less than a minute. Unfortunately though as can be seen in the photo - there was a hole large enough to put my fist through. Bummer...</div>
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A quick assessment of what I had on hand didn't shed any light on a solution so I resigned myself to running the bike in. 5 or 6k of running and I was home.</div>
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Looking back at the ride I was pleased with a few things. I've not been out riding much over the last few months. I have regularly ridden taking my spin classes but not getting out a lot. A couple of longer rides on the previous two weekends indicated that I was Ok but a race is always a little different. The strength focus seems to be paying dividends. My ride down the hill was hard-work. Fighting a 26er hard tail down the Pisa range requires endurance and strength - especially as a rider that often takes alternative lines (ok - a crap rider:-) Follow at your peril!</div>
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I felt fresh at the end - even after an unplanned 6k run. This time last year I was pushing the body-weight down. I believe this weakened me which became evident in later months. Time will tell if I'm on the right track...</div>
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In a nutshell - ride this race if you get a chance. Outside of the event this track crosses private land so is a no-go. There is a helli-drop company that'll get you there for $700... making the 100 bucks or so entry fee seem like quite good value;-)</div>
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Blair did well. A recent 29er convert and still relatively fresh to MTB in general, his skills are improving and he will just keep getting better as the skills come up. Ross took his Giant over in much the time he was expecting and George surprised everyone and possibly himself with a very respectable effort. Not an easy 'Big Easy' ride! </div>
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Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-90855043614495898772012-12-11T17:53:00.003-08:002013-01-04T09:55:47.663-08:00It's Beginning to look a lot like Xmas <p dir=ltr>Imagine this scene...</p>
<p dir=ltr>It's Xmas morning. Being NZ it's summer so the sun is up and streaming in the windows onto the beautifully decorated tree in the corner. My 4 beautiful children sit on the floor - a large pile of paper, cardboard and bubble wrap surrounds them...</p>
<p dir=ltr>My oldest daughter Shelby is the first to speak</p>
<p dir=ltr><i>'Daddy - all the boxes are full of bike parts and there all for you!'</i></p>
<p dir=ltr><i>'Yes honey'</i>, I say<i> 'Daddy plans to ride the divide so unfortunately this year all the toys are for me'</i></p>
<p dir=ltr>Now this is not strictly true - the kids will do just fine but I have been amassing the items required for my divide ride 2014. And it has been feeling a lot like xmas for a while now:-)</p>
<p dir=ltr>After Ollie's excellent effort on the Tour Divide this year I decided - as I'm sure a number of others will have done - to live by the mantra 'What would Ollie do'</p>
<p dir=ltr>My epic has moved on to a new home and my alloy trek 8500 26er single speed has been boosted by a further 26 shimano xt gears. It is bridging the gap while the new bike build comes together. Many thanks to my partner Sherilee for first giving me four great kids and then letting me 'borrow' her xt drivetrain!</p>
<p dir=ltr>Ollie has sourced the Ventana frame, niner fork, and gates drive and is taking care of the rohloff rear and front wheel build. (Is it weird that hearing his name now makes me drool - yep it is...)</p>
<p dir=ltr>Earlier in the year I took possession of my front and rear bags from Scott of Porcelain Rocket. Very cool. They've had little use up to now but will get out in the sun this weekend when myself and friend Mark undertake a little over-nighter on the weekend.</p>
<p dir=ltr>All going well I guess I may have the new bike in my hot little hands first thing in the new year. Possibly a good thing or the kids might not have a father to play with on the beach over the break.. Looking forward to racking up some k's in the new year! </p>
<p dir=ltr>It's beginning to feel a lot like xmas....!</p>
Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-87544106986219500982012-07-03T12:11:00.001-07:002012-07-03T12:12:56.135-07:00Running the Numbers on the Tour DivideSiting again in my quiet, warm office at the gym my mind turns once again to the Tour Divide MTB Race/Ride/Adventure.<br />
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The mid field is coming in as day 25 of the 2013 event rolls on. Nathan Mawkes from NZ is closing in on Antelope Wells and should get in before dark. Looks to be about 100k out. Great job - consistent as ever!<br />
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I have been looking at expectations for my own attempt in 2014 and here is what I think I will aim for.<br />
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In Ollie's interview he suggested that rolling for 17,
re-stocking/fueling and planning etc for 2 and sleeping for 5 was his
pattern. <br />
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The current years 10th place finisher was Eric Schraufnagel. Looking at the race flow diagram, he took close to 500 hours to complete the distance. Dividing this by 24 gives 20.8 days. At 17 hours riding time a day an average speed of 12.9k would be needed to achieve this.<br />
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Easy!<br />
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Of course, there would be no breakages of body or machine, walking through snow pushing a fully laden bike at 5k an hour will kill the average from very early on in the race and just losing the plot for a day here and there will not be an option...<br />
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Not so easy! Plenty of time to re-calculate the numbers. Kinda fun too...<br />
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Hats off to all the competitors past and present, finishers or not!<br />
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<br />Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-62773000187891355952012-06-28T13:29:00.000-07:002012-10-08T15:44:12.750-07:00Tour Divide NOT a Solo EndeavourSo... it's done... I'm now committed to racing the Tour Divide from Canada to New Mexico covering 4400 km's in what I aim to be approximately 20 days...<br />
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I am 100% committed to making this dream reality but what of the path from here to there?<br />
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A number of conditions must be satisfied to ensure that this can be accomplished.<br />
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1. Set the goal firmly and irrevocably in my own head - Check!<br />
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2. Timeline people and resources<br />
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3. Break into manageable steps and complete each step<br />
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4. Massivley re-think this order and replace 1. with Ask Wife Sher if it is OK for me to even consider embarking on this foolhardy plan!<br />
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And this is where the truth of of my plan to tackle the tour divide really comes out - despite the fact that riding the divide itself is a solo effort, carrying all of ones own equipment, no drafting, no assistance from friends and family along the way - the truth is that to get there in the first place will require help from a large number of people.<br />
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Firstly - my family. I am first and foremost a husband and a father to 4 young children. My indulgences already impact both positively and negatively on my family. I will need there support and I must return this to them along the way.<br />
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I am new to this level of endurance racing. I have a history over the years of cycle touring and I have tackled a few XC races over the last few years but to date my longest, toughest cycling experience was last years Great Southern Brevet. I will need to learn from the experiences of those I know and many I do not yet know over the next two years.<br />
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I have already begun amassing the equipment for the task. A new bike is high on the list. Prior to the current TD I (and no-doubt others) have taken note of Ollie Whaleys Ventana, Gates Carbon Drive, Rholoff setup. Dreams as they say are free but despite completing the GSB my experience taught me a lot about how hard these events are on the drive-train. Minimising the impact of problem mechanicals is high on my list of things to do...<br />
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I used a Freeloader rack for the GSB. Great little rack but not what I expect to use in the future. While I am impressed with how simple the rack was to fit to my full-sus bike, the constant vibration and heavier hits have caused the nylon to aluminium joints to loosen. I would not be confident that the rack would go the distance without incident. I have asked Scott at Porcelain Rocket to make front and rear bags for me and when I have settled on my new bike I will likely get him to build a frame bag for me.<br />
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I am by nature comfortable undertaking solo activities - truth be told - I mostly prefer it this way! My preferred activities include paragliding/paramotoring, longer distance running (training for the Kepler Mountain run now) and of course XC race/riding. The 'escape' of a solo activity that takes up all the senses has always interested me. I do however enjoy the company of others but I am perhaps a little lazy when it comes to motivating connection outside of my role as a trainer. To amass the hours of training and the knowledge I will need to learn from others who have greater experience - fortunately not hard to find where I live. Great terrain breeds great riders and we have both in Central Otago, NZ!<br />
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While the ride itself will be my own experience getting to the start line will be a team effort!<br />
<br />Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918500107948067455.post-56739907956539633192012-06-28T12:29:00.001-07:002012-06-28T12:29:19.063-07:00Blue Dot JunkieSitting in my office at the gym where I spend most of my days... feeling a little guilty that yet again I'm not on the gym floor assisting the members... I've spent the last 19 days following the fabulous Tour Divide race (experience?) 2012. <br />
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Olly Whalley currently of ChCh has put up a new record time, fellow Kiwi Nathan Mawkes is pushing on and Chris Bennett also of NZ is not far behind. As is usual for this event - a few superhuman individuals have finished but the majority of the field has still to complete and 35 have fallen to broken bodies, bikes and spirits.<br />
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Brilliant!<br />
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My morning routine for the last 20 or so days goes something like this:<br />
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1. Wakeup to annoying phone alarm - always thinking I must change the tone but never doing it...<br />
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2. Hit bluedot app (link?) and wait for screen to update rider positions...<br />
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3. Check the pedal packing site discussion for updates and to get a feel for what the dots are telling me...<br />
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4. Check Joe Polks fabulous <a href="http://mtbcast.com/" target="_blank">MTB Cast</a> for audio call-in updates - scanning for people I know or know of, the humerous and the sometimes painful accounts from riders as they relay the highs and the lows of their experience...<br />
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All of this before I get out of bed and no doubt to the annoyance of my wife as she tries to sleep on past the 5am that is the start of my day.<br />
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Coffee and some further scanning usually followed by a furious rush to dress as I get out the door and onto the bike to zip into work.<br />
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Yes - I am a blue dot junkie!<br />
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But where to from here?<br />
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<br />Rob Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734213277100548126noreply@blogger.com0